Vito Lopez and his Hour-of-Power

Brooklyn's New Top Dem: Freddy Who?
October 21, 2005 from the Village Voice
By Tom Robbins

The new leader of the city's largest Democratic organization had a tough time saying the name of his own party's standard bearer last night.

Brooklyn Court Insurgent Wins Round as Foes Rally
October 12, 2005 from the Village Voice
By Tom Robbins

A judge yesterday upheld the election of avowed reformer Margarita Lopez-Torres who won the race for the highly-prized Surrogate's Court judgeship in Brooklyn last month by a slim 120-vote margin. Queens Supreme Court Justice Leslie Leach ordered the Board of Elections to certify Lopez-Torres' election, ruling that lawyers for runner-up candidate Diana Johnson had failed to substantiate their claim that some 1200 challenged affidavit ballots should be counted.

Does Vito Lopez have a Norman problem?
October 05, 2005, from the Village Voice
By Tom Robbins | October 05, 2005

Brooklyn assemblyman Vito Lopez, who is pushing hard to win the county's Democratic Party leadership post made vacant by the conviction of his former assembly colleague, Clarence Norman, Jr., has something else in common with Norman: Both men used political campaign committees to pay for their personal cars, and then accepted mileage reimbursement from the legislature - a legal no-no according to Brooklyn District Attorney Charles "Joe" Hynes who won indictments against Norman for that very offense.

The Judge on Row E
October 29, 2003 from the Village Voice
by Tom Robbins

The most significant race in any borough this election day may be the contest for state Supreme Court being waged in Brooklyn by a judge who dared to defy the county's Democratic Party hacks.

Brooklyn's Democratic Party Boss Punishes a Rebel
The Judge Who Said No
July 31, 2002 from the Village Voice
by Tom Robbins

For the first time in decades, the Brooklyn Democratic Party has renounced one of its own judges, denying endorsement to a civil court incumbent and throwing its support to a challenger.