The Buzz

CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR: Those were the recent words of John Raskin, the community organizer and housing advocate featured in part 1 of our housing series last week. While offering us kudos for the interview and photo we ran of him (written by our inimitable Chris Lombardi), he remarked via email: “Thank you. You’re the first people to snap a decent photo of me since I was 7 years old.” We couldn’t let it end there, however, the curious sorts that we are, so we immediately threw down the gauntlet: “You know what this means, of course. We expect you’ll be sending us a digitized photo of the 7-year-old John Raskin, so we can run a side-by-side comparison in our upcoming issue.” Not surprisingly, the good-natured activist played along. Thanks, John.

MOVEMENT AFOOT: It appears the beloved (not to mention highly effective) Eliyanna Kaiser is leaving Assemblymember Richard Gottfried’s office after four years. She’ll now be the chief of staff for Micah Kellner, the newly elected Assembly Member from the Upper East Side. Gottfried called Kaiser “bright, progressive and creative” and praised her work as LGBT liaison in helping get consensus on the state’s gay marriage bill. Gottfried added that the hazard of hiring extraordinary people is that “other people notice” and lure them away. Her role as official liaison to Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen will be assumed by Shannon Flaherty, who before she joined Gottfried worked with none other than John Raskin at Housing Conservation Coordinators. Jill Sobelman will take over coordinating the district office for Gottfried.

Koch in Spitzer’s korner: Ed Koch seems to be the only person who isn’t convinced that Governor Eliot Spitzer wasn’t behind the Joe Bruno “Smear-gate.” Koch said he supports an investigation, but by the Ethics Commission, not the State Senate. “I’m going to withhold judgment” until after the investigation, the former mayor said, adding, “I’m holding open the question of how much he knew and when.” Hizzoner said Spitzer is a friend of his and that his reform program is exciting. That said, Koch continued, “I have yet to find one person who doesn’t think the governor knew about it — and didn’t stop it.” If Spitzer is found to have lied, he said, “There’s no crime committed It’s just dirty tricks. … What he has to do is apologize at a press conference, to explain what happened and to take any and all questions on this issue. The apology in The New York Times was inadequate.” The worst-case scenario for the governor might not be too bad, Koch said, noting, “There’s no discussion that he should resign or be impeached. He has not committed perjury. He has not said anything under oath. Nobody believes he should step down. He should learn from this situation.” However, he added, “It would be a crime if he commits perjury.” Koch said an investigation by the G.O.P.-controlled State Senate, by its nature, would be biased and that they’d be “out to get” Spitzer. … Asked about another hot political topic, Cindy Sheehan announcing she’s running against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2008, Koch scoffed at the idea. “She’s discarded material,” he said of Sheehan. “She’d be lucky to get 5 percent of the vote. I think she’s become a wacko — a political wacko.”

I MISSED WHAT? When someone at Chelsea Now received an invite to the Playgirl Issue Release Party at HK Lounge on 39th Street, the treats sounded mighty tempting: “No cover. Free vodka. Beautiful people. Vibrating lipsticks, dirty playing cards, condoms and more.” We begged our editor to at least send an intern to collect the playing cards, but matters of community importance, or at least journalistic self-respect, kept us from covering it. Maybe next time, they’ll invite the mayor so we’d be compelled to attend, since hizzoner needs good press with the LGBT community after the Pridefest fiasco.