Bruce Feld steps down as Dems’ district leader

For the candidates and campaign workers who toiled days, nights and weekends in the intense marathon building up to last month’s Democratic primary vote, the motivation was obvious: their futures were on the line.

But for Bruce Feld, a longtime leader within Riverdale’s Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club, his reason for volunteering hundreds of hours for candidates this year was arguably more idealistic.

“What you get out of it is the feeling that you are advancing the careers of good people who are going to make decisions that will have policy outcomes that will affect people’s lives,” he said.

Mr. Feld, 75, stepped down as male Democratic district leader of the 81st Assembly district after primary polls closed on Sept. 9. The move marked the close of a roughly 10-year stint at the post, which, along with the female district leader, helps find people for various party and poll-working positions — and spends countless hours advising, campaigning for and otherwise helping the area’s elected officials. 

Although Mr. Feld has passed the baton to a new district leader, Eric Dinowitz, the son of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Mr. Feld is hardly retiring from Riverdale’s political scene. Shortly after the primary, he became a co-chair of the Bronx Democratic County Committee. He also plans to remain heavily involved at the Ben Franklin Club, where his wife has served as president for decades, and which has fostered the area’s political talent for generations.

Still, Mr. Feld’s decision not to seek reelection as district leader marks the end of memorable chapter in Riverdale politics. Among other reasons, Mr. Feld’s tenure was unique because he was one of the few district leaders in the city who did not view the post as a springboard to attain public office.

Out of the limelight

He attributed that decision to his 12-year run as deputy director, then director of former Mayor Ed Koch’s Community Assistance Unit. Mr. Feld said seeing the incessant demands on the mayor’s schedule and impositions on his privacy at first hand made Mr. Feld seek other ways to participate in the city’s politics.

“I had an academic background and was in a position to help people who were good elected officials,” he said. “I could kind of achieve my policy and even ideological goals through someone else. It didn’t have to be just me.”

Mr. Feld said his experience with community organizations while working for the mayor helped inspire him to join the Ben Franklin Club. He went on to vigorously campaign for many of the candidates the club endorsed. Those have included Oliver Koppell when he ran for state attorney general in 1994 and Jeffrey Dinowitz when he made his first Assembly run the same year.

The latest major race in Riverdale severely tested loyalties within the club, most of whose members supported state Sen. Co-majority Leader Jeff Klein for reelection, but some of whom backed Mr. Koppell in his challenge against the incumbent.

Mr. Feld predicts the club will recover from the division and contended reports of personal grudges in the race were overstated.

“You want to know the real story? Read the [campaign] literature,” he said. “You [would] have to not accept the fact that it’s natural for people to have differences. Politics is a way of resolving conflict and accomplishing things.” 

Knowing the system

After years of studying and participating in the local political process, Mr. Feld, who previously taught political science at Barnard College, has a penchant for phrasing his observations aphoristically.

Discussing the high level of emotion in the Klein-Koppell race, he said, “Politics are about things that matter, and I think both sides in the election acknowledged that the outcome mattered. It’s not a surprise to me that there was passion on both sides.”

On the difference between the way policy evolves, over time, and the way people vote:

“In electoral politics, the electorate says to the candidates yes/no, without footnotes, without elaborations.”

On the ratio between the Ben Franklin Club’s influence and the geographic size of a contested election district:

“As the district gets smaller, so to speak, even down to the size of the city, we have more and more influence.”

On the nature of dialogue among leaders of the Ben Franklin Club:

“You tend not to want to make decisions until you have to. The reason is you’re always working on imperfect information. You’re always working on ‘Yeah, but on the other hand’ kind of thing.”

Mr. Feld seemed to have a twinkle in his eye as he expounded on these themes over dinner at the Blue Bay Restaurant on Johnson Avenue. He expressed an enthusiastic sense of wonder not just at politics, but all areas of life.

“The older I get, the more I just become completely committed — I don’t know, I don’t mean committed — I just become amazed at life.”

Mr. Feld said he is confident Eric Dinowitz will be a worthy successor as district leader, praising Mr. Dinowitz, a teacher, for strong organizational skills and experience working with a union, the United Federation of Teachers.

The female district leader will remain Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz’s chief of staff, Randi Martos. Asked whether he thought Eric Dinowitz’s appointment risked giving the assemblyman too much control over the Ben Franklin Club and the rest of the district, Mr. Feld said even father and son are likely to have disagreements and seek to work them out in the best interest of the community.

“The fact that we all might agree on A, B and C doesn’t mean one person is calling the shots,” Mr. Feld said. “It is much more collective and team-oriented than you might imagine.”