FULL SHOW: NYC's Republicans' challenges; Legendary French actor Brigitte Bardot has passed away.

Curtis Sliwa fills in for Mark Simone and discusses a recent Hollywood Reporter article that highlights his signature habit of always asking new acquaintances where they are from. Curtis offers his perspective on the article and delves into why this personal touch matters to him. He also pays tribute to legendary French actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot, who has passed away at 91. Curtis reflects on Bardot’s life, her dedication to animal welfare, and draws parallels to the animal advocacy work he and his wife, Nancy Sliwa, are passionate about. Curtis takes your calls on the Hollywood Reporter profile, Brigitte Bardot’s legacy, and related topics. Hour 2: Curtis continues as guest host for Mark Simone, turning his attention to Republican leadership in New York City. He argues that the current GOP leadership appears to be moving away from supporting a true two-party system, undermining efforts to make New York more politically competitive. The conversation shifts to Elon Musk’s recent comments on the city’s next mayor and his opinion on the new Fire Commissioner pick, adding another layer to the ongoing debate about New York’s political future. Curtis takes your calls, inviting opinions on the direction of NYC’s Republican leadership, Musk’s remarks, and other pressing local issues.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And now the guardian Angel of talk radio is here.
Curtis Leewah guest host the Mark Simone Show on seven
ten WOO.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
And this I final weeks up stooding for Mark Simon.
Nobody better in the business. What a smooth operator. Think
of that song by Shada nineteen eighty four, Think of
that in nineteen eighty four. It's going to come back
when I talk about the two books being written by
Bernard about Bernard Gets that are being published at the

(00:36):
same time the beginning of this year, forty one years
since the Subway Gunman. So we're going to connect all
the dots. But thanks to Mark Simon for giving me
this opportunity, Tom Cuddy, the program director, who I've known
for years from his stage over at WPLJ, and of
course the iHeart group of station's largest in the nation

(01:03):
doesn't get any better than this. This is like a
second birthday present for me, because I got the Christmas
present which was substituting the first week. This will be
my Birthday present March twenty six aries fire. You know,
I don't go over under, I go right through. And

(01:23):
who would have ever thought that I would have made
it to seventy two years old. So I got my
Christmas present substituting for Marquere and I'm getting my pre
birthday present. And then yesterday, because it's always busy in
my life, huge article came out. It had been done
weeks ago when it came out now and all of

(01:44):
a sudden, my phone was like blowing up from Hollywood.
Oh yeah, everybody out there on the West coast, Hollywood
that I've known over the years, I've met over the years,
was calling me about this article the Hollywood Reporter. That's
the bible for their business out there. So whether it's movies, TV,

(02:07):
whether it's streaming music, whatever it is, that's their bible.
And the article was Curtis Leewoo just wants you to know,
wants to know where are you from? Because that's what
I always asked, right is he? I asked you where
you're from from the Bronx. He said, No, Jersey, what
high school to go to? I always have these series
of questions because it tells me a lot about who

(02:29):
you are, where you're from, what your roots are. And
so is a huge article. And I got this one
call from a guy. Now all of a sudden, he's
interested in Courtius slave walk. Can I do this? Can
I do that? Okay? You know they're all they're all
schmoozing you. Uh, they're pulling your chain and chewing your shorts.

(02:49):
And he's like, hey, you remember me. Remember I grew
up in benson Hurst. Yeah, I remember you. Oh man,
I got I got ideas of we can do. I said, really, really, okay, Uh,
could you share a few with me? And he goes
on and on things he'd never be able to do
in a month of Sundays. But he's schnoring me. He

(03:10):
shnoring me, okay. And I know this guy because in
the midst of this mayoral election he became a Cuomo sexual.
He donated a lot of money from Hollywood to Cuomo
and he called me a clown. He thinks I'm gonna
forget that, right. So he's going on and on. He's

(03:32):
on the roll, doing this typical routine they do out
in Hollywood. And I said, cause you hold a second,
I gotta I gotta take a call from mister click.
And I hung up the phone on him. The guy
has no idea what it is, so he must have
assumed that there was a break. He calls me right
back and I said, yeah, I had a great conversation

(03:55):
with mister Click. I'm sorry it took me a little
bit of time to get back to your call, but
I want you to be able to talk to mister
Click now and then hung up on him. You think
that's do not You think he finally understood that you
don't play with Curtis Lee, right, you don't stroke me

(04:17):
and think I'm not gonna remember. I don't forgive and
I don't forget. Oh, by the way, I hope Greg
Kelly is listening over at WABC because his show prep
was always marked simone the best in the business, and
he's sort of been a dollar short in a day late,
not having a routine to be able to pick pocket from.
But that's okay. Why wouldn't you listen to mark someone

(04:39):
the best in the business. I certainly have over the years.
But let's talk about yesterday, because it was a Hollywood day.
My wife, Nancy, as you know animal welfare activists, was
quest for by the loss of Bridgiet Buddo. Now, obviously
my wife is a millennial. She didn't know Bridge Bardeux

(05:00):
from her Liberated sex Bomb era of movies that she
appeared in especially the ones that were made with Roger Vidim,
who then went on to marry years later Jane Fonda,
remember Barbarella. Yeah, okay, but no, let's stick to Bridget
Bardous that one film and God Created Woman. Right now,

(05:23):
these are all in France, so you gotta have subtitles
to them, right God Created Woman. It opens up with
her sun bathing in the new This is nineteen fifty six.
Think about that, nineteen fifty six, and later she emerges
from the sea in a clinging wet dress. I'll never

(05:44):
forget that scene, and at the top of her career,
with the paparazzi chasing her all over. Remember this is
the era Marilyn Monroe, so many other sex bombs, but
there was a certain fair about Bridshard Bardell. So she's

(06:05):
at the can Film Festival right there off the Mediterranean.
She's in demand, and at the top of her movie
making career, she walks away from it. She goes to
Sanchope and she sets up an animal welfare sanctuary. She

(06:26):
goes out to the Arctic and she confronts these barbarians
who are clubbing baby seals to death. Confronts them. Yeah,
I'm sure some of them are like Brigard Bardeaux my day.
Who would ever think you would see Bridget Bardeaux at
the North Pole. But she was a fighter for animal welfare,

(06:49):
and she consistently railed against laboratory experiments against animals which
are being filtered out in the Trump administration in the
Pentagon also and other federal agencies. Imagine it's still and
you know, testing on beagles.

Speaker 3 (07:10):
Like that that udscraciata Dr Fauci testing on beagles, sending
them off to Tunisia, third world country, and then putting
cones around their heads and having sand.

Speaker 2 (07:27):
Fleas eat the skin off their heads. For what purposes
we spent money on that? It was never explained, doctor Fauci,
you will burn in hell for that and many other things.
By the way, he's a boy from Bench and her
screw up pharmacy. Uh then went to Regi's the most
prestigious of Jesuit high schools, better than the one I

(07:47):
went to Brooklyn Prep. But he was a disgrace for
many many reasons. All right, let's stick with it with
Bridgard parte. And then she says, I don't care about
my past glory. I am taking every franc every euro
that I have, and I'm investing it in adopting unwanted

(08:10):
animal snowkill shelters Spain and neutering. Now, her politics was
extreme right. She was a follower of Lapenn. She hated Muslims.
She was cited for that many times for hate speech.
But yesterday, for those in the animal welfare community, it
was a reminder how so many who have done so

(08:33):
well in Hollywood in a movie making and in TV
production walked away or in their final years bequeath all
their money to animal welfare. Now, the complete opposite of
Richard Bardow at that time was Dori Stay. She was
America's sweetheart. Remember Doris Stay. I remember seeing her in
Pillow Talk I think it was nineteen sixty with Rock Hudson.

(08:57):
Who know that Rock Hudson was gay, but he was.
These were great movies, but she was America's sweetheart. And
then while doing a film in about nineteen seventy one,
she saw some people abusing animals and immediately I think

(09:19):
she was doing the film The Man who Knew Too Much.
Nineteen seventy one, she established actors and others for animals,
no de fur, no defer, and who joined the Mary
Tyler Moore, Angie Dickenson, Jane Meadows, and of course Bob
Barker the price is right. If he saw you Warring
wearing a fur, he would have punched your schnaz right

(09:41):
down your throat. And this became her passion. She lived
by Karmel by the Sea, you know Clint Eastwood where
he became mayor Karmel by the Sea, a lifelong Republican,
died at ninety seven, bequeathed all of her wealth to
her animal sanctuary. And then, of course there was Betty White.

(10:04):
Betty White died at about a hundred. I never forget
seeing her on phil Donague in the afternoons and she
was talking about her animal welfare fund and somebody was
giving her a hard time. Yeah, look, Betty White, Golden
Girls Hot in Cleveland, the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Betty
White an institution, bequeathed all her money to her animal

(10:28):
Wildlife fund. And then, oh yeah, for the guys out there,
there's Wakie Phoenix. Remember that great movie, the first one,
the Joker, not not the second one with Oh god,
that was not a good one. No no, no, no no.
The second movie could not touch the first one. That

(10:51):
was classic. So here's Joaquin Phoenix. He's receiving the Academy award. Uh,
he's speaking gibberish up who knew where his mind was,
like so many of these actors and actresses. And the
very next day he's out rescuing as she was known
to do animals in factory farms. He would actually go there.

(11:15):
He would say to those in charge of the farmers,
how much you want for that mother cow? How much
you want for that new born calf? Spending his wealth
to do that great actor? So many others, and think
of it, people make fun of you. Would you make

(11:37):
fun of Doris Day? Would you make fun of Betty White? Well,
they do make fun of Joaquin Phoenix. They say he
is looney Kazuni from parts on own great actor, no
doubt about it. And Bridget Bardeux, who when they said
are you a recluse, she said, no, I'm not a recluse.
I would rather deal with animals than with people. And

(12:00):
then the most recent maybe we'll get to it in
this week when I'm substituting for Mark Simoon. Pigeons, which,
in my mind, Street pigeons should be the official bird
of New York city. Right, Oh man, you get such battles.

(12:21):
Some people say they're nothing more than rats with wings.
You know, they put up spikes on their windows cells. Hey,
you don't want pigeons coming on your window cells. Put
up plastic owls. That's like a natural nemesis to them.
It sort of like when you go to a cornfield
and they put up scarecrows and keeps the crows who
have very smart. Pigeons very smart, but they will not

(12:43):
land on a window cell or any area that has
a plastic owl in. And boy, a tremendous controversy raging
because another great actress actually came to the support of pigeons,

(13:05):
the actress Sarah Paulson. She did a podcast in what
she was saying, we shouldn't be torturing these street pigeons.
They're a part of our New York City heritage and legacy,
and they are and they have performed so many services
for us over the decades, without which we might have

(13:27):
suffered enormously. And I grew up with pigeons on the
roof of my grandfather and grandmother's house in Knarci. My
uncle Vincenz used to have a pigeon coop There were
a lot of pigeon coops back then, so I nurtured them,
I fed them, I trained them Boston Bulldies and Homer's

(13:49):
so I have a direct infinity for pigeons. But boy,
you talk about mixing ammonian bleach and my own wife.
I'm so proud of her, Nancy, who stood up to
a comrade build a blasio back then, the part time mayor,
the dope from Park Slope, when he said, if you
feed pigeons, we are gonna find you and my wife Nancy,

(14:14):
in classic Clint Eastwood terminology, turned to build a blasio
on the steps of city Hall when he was mayor
unfortunately for eight years, and said make my day as
she and others began feeding the pigeons right there. Oh

(14:35):
you can see all that. Just go to act Curtis Sliwer.
It's all posted there. But what a day following the
Hollywood reporter, I mean, dissing and dismissing somebody of great renown.
Gotta know, you don't play with Curtis Sliwa, You don't
play with me. Coming up next, so we got to

(14:57):
talk about two books that are being published by about
Bernard Getz forty one years later coming out at the
same time by the same publishing house. And I guarantee
you because of that, it'll probably be a movie made
about what occurred forty one years ago in December of

(15:20):
the subways of New York City that I spend most
of my time in. Our number is eight hundred three
two one zero seven ten. That's eight hundred three two
one zero seven ten, because this is the place for
you to be heard. Now if you if you weren't
part of the WOOR seven ten listenership, you need to

(15:43):
now I announce you are, and there are a growing
number of people out there. Just uh dial right in
at eight hundred three two one zero seven ten.

Speaker 1 (15:53):
Curtis Sleewald, guess host for marximon on seven tenor.

Speaker 2 (16:03):
Too bad? Is he who left WABC to come here
to be with everybody here at war along with Jacqueline
carl who I heard this morning newsgalp same thing. Great
to see all these people here. Even better is he
if you could have played coming back into this segment

(16:25):
cooling the Gang Hollywood Swinging, Now that's the original cool
in the Gang. Don't don't don't strain your brain? Is
he from Jersey City that was Robert Coolbell, and they
were followers of Schooy Louis friar Kin in the Nation
of Islam. So that becomes a choke because that was
a favorite group of mine. I mean, walking around today,

(16:46):
coming out of the subway with the drizzle, the gray,
it was sort of like Winter Sadness another great song
of this, or Summer Madness, great stuff Old cool in
the gang. But you don't have to do that, because
speaking about coming out of the subways, I'm almost guaranteeing
you out there that there's gonna be a movie being

(17:08):
made soon about the subway gunman Bernard Gets. Now it's
not in the Hollywood Reporter, has been reported anywhere, but
I was on the line with a New York Times
reporter who was telling me, Curtis, how do you make
what do you make of this? Forty one years later,
remember it was in December of nineteen eighty four that

(17:29):
Bernard Gets shot Barry Allen, Troy Kanty, James Ramseur, Daryl
Kaby once a piece as they were surrounding him, almost
like in a cockwork orange and then when Daryl Kby
was on the ground, he shot him once in the
back and said you don't you know, looks so bad Bang,
and then fled into the subway and disappeared to New

(17:51):
Hampshire eventually turned himself in. So he got two books
coming out from the same publishing house at the same time.
And so there's got to be something that's cole mingling,
conflating out, conflating out there. And the one question he
asked me says, how would New York City treat the

(18:12):
subway gunman? Now if that had occurred this year as
compared to forty one years ago, I saill forget about it.
I mean, Black Lives Matter would be resurrected. You know,
they became big, large mansions, they became a real estate
firm at people's expense with donating money to that fraudulent operation.

(18:32):
But anyway, they'd be back out on the streets. No justice,
no peace, morning, noon and night, every day, every week,
every month. And look at the hard time they gave
Daniel Penny, the marine who unfortunately had to choke Jordan
Neely to stop him from threatening people on that f
train back in May of twenty twenty three. A lot

(18:55):
of people forget that Auxlim Shady Sharpton, who was protesting
against Bernard Gets during that trial, was also urging his
friend Alvin Bragg to charge the two people who helped
restrain Jordan Neely with Daniel Penny. He wanted them charged
with manslaughter, along with aoc all our crazy Alexandria Cassio Cortes.

(19:19):
So the difference is the community was split back then
in nineteen eighty four, had half the people that were
supporting Bernard Gets other half not. No matter it depending
where you went. It became a racially charged issue and
it pitted white versus black, as so many instances that
it affected our city did back then, coming from the

(19:41):
time that Ed Koch was mayor for the last time
and then lost in that Democratic primary to David Dinkins,
it was a racially charged era. Now, how many people
would have been standing up in support of Bernard Gets,
few of any. This city has changed significantly from forty

(20:05):
one years ago, and it's interesting that books coming out now. Also,
I'm going to give you an update. You don't want
to go anywhere. Remember I've been tracking it down how
Republican leadership in Washington and throughout New York State has
forsaken the Republican Party. Yep, they want a uni party.

(20:27):
They want one party, and they're going to try to
convince all of you. In future elections they go with
the moderate Democrat against the socialist Democrat because Republicans don't
have a chance to win in citywide elections and statewide elections.
Remember I spent last week upstate New York and Albany, Renseala, Troy,

(20:51):
Schenectady learning more. Last night I was at a Republican
confab in New York City connecting the dots and oh,
you don't want to go anywhere, because not only did
they stab me in the back and at least Stephonic,
but they're gonna try to convince you if the Schmucker

(21:13):
putts Chucky chies, Schumer decides to run again, and that's
always a possibility because they never quite understand till death,
do you part. They want to stay in office until
their room tempership. Oh no, no, you're gonna have to listen.
Oh man, you'll say never never. Oh yeah, it's already happening,

(21:37):
And I'll connect all the dots of you, and then
who weighs in on our fire Commissioner, Ellen Musk. You
know this is why I say about the billionaires the
masters of the universe. They know what they do. They
need to stay in their lane. Talk about a schmucker
of Putts. Does he not realize? Of course he doesn't.
How many fire commissioners we've had here in New York

(21:59):
City that never put out a basket fire. And I'm
not just talking about with Eric Adams swager Man with
no plan who got wine dining in pocket line. I
can't wait. I can't wait till he's out of here
because he's still cetching. Oh woe is me. I'm such

(22:22):
a victim. But now it's time for you to be hurt.
Call eight hundred three to two one zero seventy ten
your newfound friend. If you haven't listened before this seven
to ten war, that's eight hundred three two one zero
sevent ten.

Speaker 1 (22:42):
Curtis sleewa guest hoes for Mark Simone on sevent ten wor.

Speaker 2 (22:52):
Very good? Very good? Is he anyway? Coming off of
that article in the Hollywood Reporter that was making my
phone singing ring, not interested? And I introduced them to
mister click. The headline was Curtis LEEO just wants to
know where you're from, So I said to is her

(23:14):
board operator where you're from. He said, West Milford and
I said, oh, that's where Jungle Habitat was. Oh, that
was great Jungle habitat. And then to know how my
mind works, I'm thinking, oh, the other great song from
Cooling the Gang, the original was Jungle Boogie back in
nineteen seventy three, seventy four. They were from Jersey City,

(23:36):
from the Wild and Peaceful album. And that's when is
he walked away from me and said, man, let me
get out of here. Back to the boardroom. Anyway, let's
go to the phones. It's your turn to be heard.
It's Phil calling from Queen's Welcome to Seven to ten
War film.

Speaker 4 (23:56):
Hey, best wishes her great happy new year. Thank you
for running. You know you're still a hero to most
New Yorkers. I'm hoping that you will stay on the
case because, as Bob Gregg would say, stake, phony and
fraud is gonna be messing around. I hope a lot
of people will show up.

Speaker 5 (24:15):
For peaceful protests at his inauguration.

Speaker 4 (24:17):
If you notice, he has a closed party. He's capturing
emails and contacts for future fundraising and future mobilization. And
I just I know you're gonna stay on it. I
just wanted to stay.

Speaker 2 (24:32):
Hockey and I appreciate that. Phil understand this. I ain't
going nowhere. I improve, I don't move. I will be
part of that group that says to the barricades. Look,
John MONDAMMI won the election, fair and square. It's a
fair election. He's entitled to have his celebration. Hey, that's

(24:52):
another cool in the game classic celebration. But anyway, the
point being he's entitled everywhere. Oh he's gonna have the blocks.
The guy gets elected, right, the first Muslim man. Oh
my god, let's get rid of it. No, no, no, no,
you can't deport people just because he are Muslim. Okay,

(25:13):
especially naturalized citizens. Right. That means this is it. So
people getting all bent out of shit. He won let
them have this celebrations or nieces. Okay, let's see what
he actually does in running government. But this is a
worldwide network here seven to ten wor and we have

(25:35):
people who are calling from all over America. So let's
immediately go if we can to Bob, who's calling from
San Diego. Your turn to be heard here at seven
to ten. Woar Bob, good.

Speaker 5 (25:50):
To hear you back on the air. Curtis, I live
out here in San Diego, but I'm in New Yorker.
I've moved here three years ago. Helped the family out
I had. I helped erase a grandchild out here. But
it's nice idea, but I really missed New York and
hearing you back on the air. You're a New York institution,

(26:11):
but we have so much in common. On the same
age as you. I also went to a Catholic high
school and I remember seeing you, maybe your senior year.
You were rather swimming meet at Brooklyn Prep. My school
was swimming against your school. I remember seeing you, and
a friend of mine told me you had been suspended

(26:31):
and you were the class president.

Speaker 2 (26:33):
Yeah. Now let me ask you a question, Bob, in
normal gym class, when your school had pools, because a
lot of the Catholic high schools had pools, and so
the public high schools have pools, I could never figure
out when you had to go to your gym class,
which was pool once a week, you had to take
your trunks off. You had to swim nude. The physical

(26:59):
I guess education teacher they called him, said, oh no,
you can't swim in the pool wearing trunks. Now, I
thought that was pretty pervy, especially with all that chlorine
in there. I mean you could die from the chlorine
sort of a pool that hung over the pool, and

(27:19):
yet they demanded that you had to take your chunks
off when you dived into the pool. I thought that
was a bit freaky. Deekeey Bob.

Speaker 5 (27:27):
Yeah, I kind of remember that my school, Manta Christie,
we were a diocesus in high school in Queens. We
didn't have a pool, so we had to go work
out at the Kipsbay Boys Club in Manhattan, and they
had that policy there. You couldn't wear a suit.

Speaker 2 (27:42):
Yeah, no, no, no, there's something there's something very very
Epstein about that. If you get to drift Ah, that's weird. Now,
Manti Christie, which are now Saint John's Prep there in
that story which is the land of Zoran Mandami. See
see how my mind works. A lot of calls they're

(28:06):
blazing away. But don't be glazing me in these calls.
Let's be talking about what's happening out there. Let's go
to Frank. I call it Little Dublin. He's calling from
Woodlawn right south of the Westchester border. McLean Avenue, your
turn to be heard here at seven to ten wo

(28:28):
or Frankie.

Speaker 6 (28:31):
Hi Curtis, Minnesota is not the only place that has
problem with these charity frauds. If you go through any
neighborhood in the Bronx Queens, Brooklyn, you'll see storefront daycare center,
storefront tutoring learning centers. They're all scams that the Democrats
have set up to send money to their hacks in

(28:51):
the community. There's nothing going on at those places other
than stealing the money.

Speaker 2 (28:56):
Well look, look, we've had medicaid mills here for you years,
in all different kinds of communities. They go in, they
write your script doctors whatever you want, and you become
a pill freak and they charge the taxpayers. And this
gone on for years. And oh the Somalians are ripping

(29:17):
them off in Minnesota. No, no, no, no, New York,
New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania. They get taken into all these places,
don't ask surprise. There is no oversight. There is no
oversight to most of the government. What they do is

(29:39):
they tax us from the cradle to the grave, and
there's no oversight. And then occasionally they determine, oh there's
corruption there. Let's see how many people actually get prosecuted
and the fall through the cracks, and how many politicians
elected officials should go down for the count on that.

(30:01):
Our numbers one eight hundred and three to two, one
zero seven ten. For many of you, I know you
used to listen to WABC, which I was on always
broadcasting Curtis became always blaming Curtis for the election of Zohanmandami.
It's just just not the case. I understand that from

(30:21):
some people very close to Andrew Cuomo over the weekend.
I call them como sexuals that as the new year
is upon us, he's still crying. If only Curticians jomped down,
it could have been the mayor. Come on you, mama, Luke,
it's over. Just stay out in the Hamptons with your

(30:42):
billionaire friends. Just leave the subways and streets to me.
I got some stories about that coming up.

Speaker 1 (30:50):
You know.

Speaker 2 (30:50):
With the end of the Metro card, the scammers were
out in force this morning in the subways, taking advantage
of tourists and the empty money taking agency. They don't care.
They don't care. They rip us off. Might as well
rip off the tourists too.

Speaker 1 (31:08):
And now more with New York's iconic straight shooter Curtis
Leewah guest hosting from Mark Simone on sevent ten woor.

Speaker 2 (31:22):
So, now you've heard a lot about the phasing out
of the metro card to do your swipe into the
subway system, and obviously they're going to, uh, what can
we call that? The tap and run, you know, with
your debut card, your credit card and the Omni card.

(31:43):
I'm a token guy myself, I try. I love it
when during the age of crack in the eighties you
had the token suckers. They would actually go up to
the portal where you put your subway token in. They
would stuff it with paper or paper clips so that
if we get caught, you wouldn't be able to go
through the turnstiles. You'd scream over to the boardop, excuse me,

(32:07):
to the token booth clerk who was always asleep in
the booths. Hey, yeah, go ahead through, and then then
all of a sudden the crackhead would come and suck
the token right out of the portal and then sell
it to people for like half price. I mean that
used to be all over the place. So then they
went metro card and then guys would bend the Metro

(32:30):
card and sell you swipes there because they figured out
how to steal money from us through the MTA money
taking agency. There's always been rusters, just like you have
the turnstiles. Now they say, oh we have flippers here,
we have guardrails here, and people are still avoiding paying
the fare. It's fair evasion galore everywhere I go. But

(32:53):
this morning, on my way here to war seven to ten,
I'm looking at the these guys, these hustlers, and they're
taking advantage of tourists in the subway because where they
in front of the machine that would give them their
final Metro card or their Omni card right to get

(33:14):
into the subway. So these huss that you give me
the money and I'll swipe you win. I go up
to them and say, yo, man, get the hell out
of this station again. Talking with clerk's doing nothing, not
my business as tourists are getting ripped off. And then
the guy has the nerve to say to me, I
voted for you. Could all of you do me a favor.

(33:38):
If all of you who have come up to me
actually voted for me, I would be sworn in as
the mayor and not Zoran Mandami. This coming January. First,
please stop it already. Most of you did not vote
for me, but I guess you feel like, Oh, I'm
gonna make them feel good. Yeah, I voted for you.
What And then I ask you where you from? And

(34:00):
you tell me Scarsdale in Westchester. How did you do that?
Don't go anywhere. Up next, the Republican leadership do not
want Republicans to win citywide, a statewide ever again in
New York State. I'm gonna connect all the dots for
you now.

Speaker 1 (34:16):
The Red Beret has returned to radio. Curtis Leewall guest
host The Mark Simone Show on sevent ten woor.

Speaker 2 (34:32):
I had my Christmas present last week substooting for Mark Simon.
He's the best in the business. And then I get
my pre birthday gift substooting for Mark this week up
until the second and that birthday March twenty six. I'll
be seventy two, and I know more about New York

(34:53):
City and politics and anybody alive. There's no doubt about it.
I challenge anybody because I know where all the bones
are buried in who bury them? And I don't mince
my language. We are going to get into subject matter
that is of incredible importance to all of you if
you happen to live within New York State, and the

(35:16):
same philosophy could be coming to a state where you
live or near you. Because I've spent incredible amount of
time since losing the election to Zoran Mondomi, and yes
he is the may he won fair and square. He
is going to have his celebration after he is sworn

(35:37):
in by Bernie the out the Coca Sanders, originally from Brooklyn,
who went to Madison High School, which is also where
Chuck Schumer went. By the way, update on Chuck Schumer.
Oh yeah, a lot of you are not gonna like it.
But the masters of the universe, the billionaires, they just

(36:00):
can't stop themselves from getting involved in things they know
absolutely nothing about. Big story, We're gonna get into it
in this hour. It's how Elon Musk decides to weigh
in on the new fire commissioner, who he claims, as
a result of Zarhon Mondami's appointment, that people will die

(36:26):
as a result. Now he knows nothing at all about
New York City. He happens to see somebody else who
posted this, who themselves know nothing at all about the
history of the fire Department and fire commissioners in New
York City, and he reposts it and obviously he's in
charge of accent. He's getting millions of hits like he
somehow knows all about this about the only thing he

(36:48):
doesn't know is how to put out those fires from
his Tesla batteries in his electric cars, because when they
go on fire, Oh, it takes words to put him out.
He hasn't even yet figured that out. But we'll talk
about that momentarily, because he couldn't be more hopelessly wrong.

(37:10):
And once again, I'll explain it from a historical performance.
Most of the fire commissioners of late most I'm not
just talking about those appointed by Eric Adams Swaggerman with
no plan and I can't wait for him to get
get out of here, get out of our lives.

Speaker 7 (37:28):
But prior yeah, let's see Bloombert Giuliani think it's nobody's
even mentioning all the fire commissioners who served for those
mayors who had never put out a waste paper basket fire.

Speaker 2 (37:45):
But do you think that a guy like Elon Mosk,
who's omnipotent, thinks he knows everything like all those billionaires
and millionaires because they've succeeded in business. They're very wealthy.
You think he'll apologize, of course not they do. Like
Trump yesterday, I had to turn it off in the
wee hours of the morning. He's he's standing there with

(38:07):
Zelensky and he's saying, yeah, Russia really wants to see
the Ukraine succeed. Man, they's no way. Yeah, if Russia
takes over the Ukraine again. By the way, the Ukraine
gave up it's nuclear arsenal. They had more nuclear weapons
than anyone else other than the United States, and the

(38:29):
old Soviet Union isn't. Back in nineteen ninety one, Bill
Clinton was president and he convinced him give up your
nuclear payload. Yeah, how did that work out? But when
all of a sudden, Trump is saying, oh, yeah, Russia.
I just spoke to Putin earlier today on the phone, Yeah,
Russia really wants to see the Ukraine succeed. And I'm like,

(38:50):
Zelensky say something. Of course, Ain' isn't gonna say anything
because nobody can ever challenge Donald Trump. I believe you
challenge authority no matter who's in charge. And when somebody
makes absolutely ridiculous comments, you must challenge it, like when
Trump said that it was the Ukraine that started the war.

(39:14):
How many Republicans challenge him. We're getting into Republican leadership,
and how so many Republicans are just afraid to challenge
authority at any level, local, regional, state, national. It's not
you know it. Don't make a big deal about it.
I always make big deals about it, because I believe
you have to question authority, especially when it doesn't make sense,

(39:40):
like that ridiculous statement yesterday of mar Lago where the
President says, yeah, Zonski, Russia really wants you to be
successful in the Ukraine, and Zelenski, you bite your tongue,
don't say anything, or Trump and the administration will go
on a rampage against you, all right, pu Teta side.

(40:02):
As you know, I've spent a lot of time bisecting
and dissecting the fact that Republican leadership here in the
state of New York has decided they want a UNI party,
they don't want a two party system. They have convinced
themselves and they have convinced a lot of the Republican
registered voters that Republicans cannot win a city wide election

(40:23):
or a state wide election Now for some of you,
you may say, well, that sounds pretty personal. It is
because I went through that from the highest levels of
the White House to Elon Musk himself as soon to
be a trillionaire, the world's richest guy, to a guy
named Akman. Who the hell is this guy? Ackman? Every

(40:44):
day he was tweeting Curtis, you can't win, drop out,
drop out, drop out travel and you know how that went.
And then in the waning days of the campaign, Republican
leaders Republicans decided vote for slendamivofa Cuomo. U Discratsiata in
every which way. I mean, we could spend the rest

(41:05):
of this program just talking about what a disgrace that
guy was, because in their minds, there are two parties
in New York State. Now there are moderate Democrats and
there are socialist Democrats, and Republicans don't have a chance
to beat them citywide or in statewide elections. Now put

(41:26):
my election aside. Still with at least Stephonic we talked
about her last week. Suddenly she drops out and says,
not only is she dropping out of a Republican primary
against Bruce Plateman, but she's not gonna run for reelection
in the House. We lose a superstar because Republican leadership

(41:48):
was working behind the scenes to throw her under the bus.
You see, as much as Donald Trump, the President, threw
her under the bus. The worst part was is that
Alista Phonic had put together a campaign team mostly from
upstate New York, people that she knew, people that she trusted.

(42:10):
And the Park Avenue crowd down here, most of whom
are not Republicans, but they act like they can tell
Republicans what to do. And it's not Park Avenue in
Brooklyn and Park Avenue in the Bronx, which they've never
traveled to. It's Park Avenue in Manhattan. Decided there's nobody
from downstate involved in Alista phonics campaign. We're gonna go

(42:34):
all on board with Bruce Blakeman because Bruce Blakeman is
a winner. This is what they said. And he won
very convincingly the Nassau County executive position re election against
his Democratic opponent. And then I hear them tell the yeah,
and he's a winner. He's a winner said. If you've
been around long enough in politics, you've probably lost more

(42:57):
than you won. Remember, Donald Trump was an exception to
the rule. Of twenty sixteen, he's on the stage the
announcements the president. He shot Hillary Rodham. Clinton was in
a fetal position at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, spent
maybe a month in a fetal position that couldn't accept
the fact that she had lost. Very unusual. So I'm saying, look,

(43:19):
I know Bruce Blakeman. I like the guy, But let's
face it, who would you want to be running against
Kathy Hockel. I mean, I remember Bruce Blakeman. He ran
for state Controller as a Republican ninety eight against Carl
McCole loss. He ran for the Nassau County Legislature ninety
nine loss, ran for the US Senate special election twenty ten,

(43:42):
remember when Hillary decided she would become Secretary of State
and he lost the primary to Joe the Aguardi. And
in twenty fourteen he ran for the House and lost
to Kathleen Rice. So that doesn't disqualify him, because you know,
people say, well, well you got all no, no, no, no.
If you can run, he should run. But why did

(44:05):
all of a sudden you notice people of great influence
surround Kathy Hokel and we're meeting with her and they
have come to the conclusion, and I know because people
have shared the conversations with me that rather than put
all of their fiscal resource and support behind Bruce Blakeman,

(44:30):
that they're actually going to work for Kathy Hokel to
get reelected because she'll keep Zora Mandami and the Democratic
Socialist in check. Yeah. Right, but they figure they'll have
more control with her because they don't think a Republican
can win. This is coming off the mayoral election, and
by the way, President Donald Trump did Elie Stefaniki disservice,

(44:51):
throwing her under the bus on a number of occasions
that led to her unexpected dropping out. Although I kind
of felt it, I kind of felt it was coming.
And now we have what you're really not going to like,
and that's why we got to stop this. I was
at a major gathering of Republicans yesterday in Midtown and

(45:13):
I broke the news to all of them who had
gathered for their holiday party, is that there are Republican
leaders now, and there are Republican business people Park Avenue
people who are meeting with Chuck Schumer despise loath Right
the lowest of ratings of any major political figure in

(45:34):
the country, it's down to about twenty eight percent. And
they have come to the conclusion that if he decides
to run for reelection, and let's face it, all these
guys and gals, that's why you need term limits. It's
until death do they part. They'll run forever. Get the
defibriator next to them. They could be in the ICU.
They want to run. But if Chuck Schuma decides to run,

(46:00):
already Republican leaders and people, you know, the Acmans of
the world, who know nothing about politics. You know, they
know a lot about Wall Street, a lot about hedge funds.
They've done very well in business, but they know nothing
about nothing when it comes to politics because they made
all the wrong choices. Are now meeting privately with Chuck

(46:20):
Schumer and saying, you know, you probably can't win a
Democratic primary if you run like CuMo, but they'll probably
either be AOC running against you in a Democratic primary,
or if she decides to run for the presidency the
Democratic primary, there'll be somebody else from the socialist wing
of the Democratic Party and you'll lose. But then in

(46:42):
the general election, we'll do like we did for Cromo.
We'll get Republicans to support you independence Conservatives and moderate
Democrats to stop a socialist from becoming a US Senate.
He's entertaining that why would they be doing that, because
they have already cast their lot into a UNI party.

(47:05):
They don't think that Republicans can win in statewide elections
or city wide elections. So they are the masters of
the universe. They think they know everything, and they know
nothing about nothing, as you will learn when we discuss
the how can we be kind to him? The very
eccentric Elon Musk who decided to tweet his way into

(47:31):
New York politics a second time, because remember he had
tweeted to his massive following on x a vo for
SLEI is a voasamandami voa Cuomo. Why wouldn't he He
got a billion dollars from the Buffalo billion and did
nothing up there, a billion dollars to do nothing, and
seven Cuomo cronies went to jail for that cause he

(47:52):
likes Cuomo. But now he's tweeted into something that he
knows nothing about the fire department in New York City.
And you will not have heard this analogy from anybody.
That's why I know where all the bones are buried
and who buried them? Right now on my station, at

(48:12):
the station that I listened to along with Nancy seven
ten woar and it should be yours too. Our numbers
one eight hundred three two one zero seven ten one
eight hundred three two one zero seven ten.

Speaker 1 (48:26):
Curtis leewa guest host for Mark Simone on sevent ten woo.

Speaker 2 (48:36):
Well, well Ellen Musk. I'll be kind to him. He's eccentric,
done very well in his businesses, no doubt. But I
predict since our theme today has been Hollywood because of
the story in the Hollywood Reporter about me today, Curtis

(48:57):
Leewo just wants to know where you're from. But we
know where Elon Musk is from. He's from South Africa.
He convinced the President of the United States we was
friends with and he was no longer friends with, and
he was friends with the Afrikaaners are under siege in
South Africa and that they should be the only people

(49:19):
able to come into the United States. Well, number one,
that's wrong. I had Guardian angels in Cape Town. There's
crime everywhere, and the people who are the victims of
the crime of most are Black Africans. In South Africa
will save that for a different thing. But remember it's
a year since those Remember he took out that chainsaw.

(49:40):
He was going to cut all the waste. Well what waste?
He did nothing. We're spending more money than ever before,
thirty eight trillion dollar debt and it's growing. Both parties responsible.
But let's talk about what he decided to do. Yesterday,
somebody had tweeted out there that with zarn Mondami's appointment
of Lilian mon as a brand new fire commissioner, that

(50:03):
people will die. So he knows nothing about this, but
he decides, Hey, I'm going to pimp that ride and
actually millions ended up looking at it on accident. I'm
saying to myself, Hell, I'm ask you, you don't know anything
about the fire department. You have these electric batteries of

(50:24):
you as Tesla batteries. When they go on fire, it
takes hours to put them out. Very difficult, I might add.
But let's deal with the substance of what he said.
And everybody immediately, well, you know, Eric Adams, he had
two fire commissioners, Laura Kavanaugh and Tucker, who were not firefighters.

(50:45):
That is true. I didn't really like either, but You know,
the fire department is a department that can run on
its own. They don't need a fire commissioner. You know
everything there civil service. You work your way up. It's
not as political as the Police Apartment and other agencies.
But let me give you an idea of all the people.

(51:05):
Maybe if somebody can alert Elon Musk all the people
who have served as fire commissioner in New York City
under different mayors. Can we go back to David Dinkins.
That wasn't that Eric Adams favorite mayor? Not Rudy right, David? Okay,
Charlie Hines was the fire commissioner. Charlie Hines. I never

(51:25):
knew Charlie Hines to be a firefighter. He ended up
becoming the King's County DA. Remember he was a special
prosecutor assigned by Mario Cuomo to deal with the Howard
Beach situation. That was a volatile, racially charged situation. Love
that that was Charlie Hines. Was he a firefighter?

Speaker 5 (51:48):
No?

Speaker 2 (51:49):
Then in the aftermath of nine to eleven, Michael Bloomberg
was elected because we said we needed a businessman. Who
did he appoint to be the fire commissioner? Nickis Scapetta.
Now I had had conversations with Nicholas Scapetta down in
Metro Tech. I would run a stickball contest every year
between the firefighters and the NYPD. Boy. This guy was

(52:13):
quite a stickball player. He had gone to Seward Park
High School. Told me he had lived in an orphanage
for a while. His mother had been put into jail
for stealing welfare checks for a while, speaking about Somalia
and Minnesota, and then when she was released, the family
was brought back together. I think a great guy. He
had served under four different mayors, Department of Investigation, Deputy Mayor.

(52:37):
He served under Rudy Giuliani and put the child welfare
agency back together again and was having problems, and then
Bloomberg made him the fire commissioner. He had never put
out a fire before. You know what, because the guy
who had served before him, Tommy van Essen, was the
ultimate firefighter A. He was the president of the firefighter

(53:00):
his union. Rudy decided to make him his fire department commissioner.
He was the whirling Dutchman again, very good stickball player.
I saw him play from Ozone Park. But the men
and the women hated him because they said he was
responsible for the faulty new digital radios, the broken repeater systems,

(53:25):
the crowded channel congestion, the plague firefighting during the attack
of nine to eleven, and that many of the firefighters
who were up in towers won in towers two had
no radio communication at all with their colleagues, and more
importantly any of the Office of Emergency Management personnel or

(53:46):
the cops. So they hate Tommy Vanessen. Now could you
get any more of a firefighter than Tommy van Essen?
Actually fought fires, was the head of the union, the UFA,
and went on to become the fire commissioner. Wait doesn't
stop there. Who also became fire commissioner under Rudy Howard's safer.

(54:08):
That's one tough jew from the Bronx. He joined the DEA.
He was busting drug dealers. You know, we're talking now.
All of a sudden, Trump wants to go after the
president of Columbia. He's a drug dealer. But he freed
the former president of Honduras who he had in jail
for being a drug dealer. All right, well, we'll talk
about that maybe tomorrow. Howard's Safe for one tough Jew

(54:31):
went on to become the police commissioner after Bill Bratton,
but was first the commissioner of the fire Department in
New York never put out a fire. So do you
think Elon Musk, facing all of this ack Act going
back at him blowback, would pull that tweet and say, hey,

(54:52):
I made a mistake. I should never have waked into
that conversation about who should be the fire commis. By
the way, Lillian Bunsenira thirty one years with the EMS,
they're like add seventy percent of their responses to fire
calls at ems Man, they got one of the toughest

(55:13):
jobs in the city, along with correctional officers. It's like
a perpetual nine to one one call. It can't even
stop to get a cup of coffee. They're racing from
one call to another, many of them emotionally disturbed persons.
Elon Musk, stay in your lane. Another example from Ackman
to Elon Musk, where billionaires the masters of the universe,

(55:34):
talk about things as if there are authorities and they
know nothing about nothing. But do you think Elon Musk
will apologize? Of course he won't. Our numbers one eight
hundred three two, one zero seven ten because they all
think they're omnipotent, all knowing one eight hundred three two
one zero seven ten on this it should be your

(55:57):
place to be from now on as it is for
me and Nan See sevent ten war the Voice of New.

Speaker 1 (56:03):
York Curtis Slaywad joined sevent ten WOOR to guest os
from Mark Samore.

Speaker 2 (56:12):
Well, well I got some snail mail here. That's good
to see. And right away I went to is he
who was a little dizzy or board operator also escape
eat from WABC, not his place to be? And I say,
is he, We're friends right from our WABC days. Once
you open it up, who knows? You know? I got

(56:34):
many many enemies out there, as many of the listeners know.
Could take me back to like remember two thousand and one,
supposedly some guy in Trenton was selling sending out mail
that had cipro in it, or possibly Sippro not zipro.
Excuse me antras the antrax sports remember you inhale those

(56:56):
that's it. You're dead on a I remember at the
time the Pataki administration decided for he and his staff
to be on the safe side because they were getting
nefarious mail along with people over at the Fox News
Channel and some other places that they would take cipro
as a prophylactic, you know, to prevent it. God forbid

(57:22):
they did Inhale any of those anthrax spores. I said,
is he you know, just you know, for old time sake? No,
it's quite all right, Quite all right, Curtis, friendship only
goes so far, h is he? You weren't going to
touch that, were you? But it does remind me about
George Vataki, the greatest governor we've had in our lifetime,

(57:47):
without a doubt, three terms, no corruption, no chaos, beat
Mario Cuomo, who thought he was on his way possibly
to becoming the first Italian American president of the United States.
And nobody knew who George Battacky was. Nobody knew there
were six Republicans vying to run against Mario Cromo at

(58:07):
that time, seeking a fourth term, and he superseded them.
He had been the mayor of p skill Semimen state senator.
I remember giving a speech for him at the Yale
Club on the day that I got fired in the
morning Angels in the morning with my wife Lisa at
the time. But he had committed to his campaign manager

(58:28):
I would go to the Yale Club speak on his behalf.
There were eight people there, four family members and four
of his Yale graduate friends. That was it, and he
beat Marioconmo and turned out to be our greatest mayor.
He does a great story. The chauffeur knows everything I know.
There's a phone calls of blazing. I'll get to them momentarily.

(58:51):
The chauffeur knows everything. You know. Who was the chauffeur
for Nelson Rockefeller for a while, the world's richest man,
former Governor George Batacki and his job When Nelson Rockefeller
was traveling the state and spending time at a five
star hotel, you know, meeting up with as many gumatas

(59:11):
Jeudge Fortaki had to bring him a bottle of Dubena
and Oreo cookies. The world's richest man at that time
was drinking Dubenat tells you all you need to know.
The chauffeurs know everything. Let's get to the phones. I
don't want to delay any longer. It's Norman who's calling

(59:34):
from Long Island. Your turn to be heard at seven
to ten?

Speaker 8 (59:37):
Wor Hi, Curtis, I'm also Canarsie boy. I grew up
in Bayview, and I had some famous people in my class,
like Jim McMillan, the basketball player John Brockington who played
for the Packers.

Speaker 5 (59:53):
But I have I have.

Speaker 8 (59:54):
Two questions for you. One question, do you think we
can somehow where the Republicans can get find Alista Flonic
to run for Senate against Schuma?

Speaker 2 (01:00:05):
Uh? First off, you would think so. Now you had
mentioned McMillan went to Columbia, but he went to Jefferson first,
right in Pennsylvania Avenue. Along with Right.

Speaker 8 (01:00:13):
I had him in my class in Jefferson. He was
in my chemistry class.

Speaker 2 (01:00:16):
Right. And then then you mentioned the great running back
John Brockington, Well, I think went on to uh run right,
went to Green Bay Green Bay Packers, and you failed
to mention they're great. Coach Moe Finkelstein, Oh yeah, Mo,
I had Bo.

Speaker 8 (01:00:34):
He's my health teacher. He used to walk around. You
had to buy tickets for the football game every week.
I mean we didn't learn any health there. We used
to watch the films from the games.

Speaker 2 (01:00:47):
What they used to have was the game of the
week will be on Channel eleven. High school, whether it
was PSA, L or CHSL And Jefferson was a powerhouse then,
so they on a lot. You know who the broadcaster was,
Marty Klickman, who was broadcasting New York Giant football games.

(01:01:08):
Marty Klickman. And do you know who was on the sidelines?
Who is the reporter on the sidelines? Not the way
they do it now, some drop dead gorgeous woman that
they go to, you know during the breaks, Elston Howard
who had been the catcher MVP for the New York Yankees.
This is what you used to get high school football

(01:01:28):
broadcasts on Channel eleven Saturday mornings, and you'd always see
Mo Finkelstein. You'd see all the said Marty clickman, Mo,
tell us, how did you beat boys and girls high
this week? Tell us? And Mo would go on and
on and on. Boy, those are great memories. But I
know that's not why you were called.

Speaker 8 (01:01:49):
Football was king with Mo.

Speaker 2 (01:01:53):
That's for sure. All the memories. By the way, who
was the other famous alumni of the projects, so with
two others. One went on not to own but to
run Starbucks three times three times? And I have no
love for this guy. I'll share that with you momentarily.

(01:02:17):
And another great NBA ball player. I went to Canarsie
High school went on to success with the Detroit Pistons
and the LA Lakers and became quite a broadcaster and
handle the sports talk show. A little bit of trivia
here one eight hundred and three to two one zero

(01:02:37):
seven ten. Let's go if we can to Mike, who
I believe is calling from Long Island, your turn to
be heard here at seven ten wor Mikey.

Speaker 6 (01:02:49):
Hike Curtis.

Speaker 8 (01:02:50):
I'm glad to hear you back on the radio. I
want to weigh in on the new fire commissioner.

Speaker 2 (01:02:57):
Now, can you speak up a bit, Mikey, speak up
a bit.

Speaker 8 (01:03:00):
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 (01:03:01):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (01:03:02):
Kavanaugh on the Adams was the first DEI commissioner. She
couldn't handle the job, so they had that retired chief.
I shall come back to run things now. I know
the same thing is gonna happen with this thing that
he's gonna put I mean, listen, I don't know. Hopefully
she'll be good, but if not, I hope defied. It's
active and retired elicited to me. Do not step up

(01:03:27):
to run the department for this guy. Mendanny. If he
wants this to be the commissioner, let him do it now.
Let her run it well, whatever it is, But you
named those other commissioners, but they had they were credible
administrators who hold.

Speaker 2 (01:03:43):
On the incredible administrators. But again, what did Ellen Musk
tweet out as a result of Lillian bon Signori being
a signed fire commissioner by Johan Mandami thirty one years
EMS people will yet I just went to a litany
of former fire commissioners who served under Dinkins, Giuliani, Bloomberg,

(01:04:09):
and none of them had ever even put out a
waste paper basket, but they were good administrators. Well is
that what makes say fire commissioner? And by the way,
the fire department can run on itself. Again, it's civil
service to the highest level. The political appointment is the

(01:04:31):
fire commissioner. But I will tell you this, she deserves
an opportunity. And again I speak on behalf of EMS
workers that I know work real hard constant calls. They
don't have enough personnel. They only make about thirty five
thousand to start, They don't have pay parody with the

(01:04:52):
other uniform services who started about fifty two thousand. They
have to deal with everybody that nobody else wants to
deal with to take to the hospital. Many of them
don't want to go to the hospital, and they fight
them in the back of the wagon. How do I know,
Iron Guardian angels have had to go in there and
help the EMS people who immediately have to fight with somebody.

(01:05:13):
They just put an IV into their arm and as
soon as they drop that patient off, they're running to
another nine to one. But oh no, Elon Muska, he's
an expert, right, He's gonna turn out to be the
Howard Hughes of our generation. Watch. Very successful in business,

(01:05:33):
but very eccentric.

Speaker 1 (01:05:36):
Two the Beret is Batch Curtis leewa guest host The
Mark Simone Show on seven to ten.

Speaker 2 (01:05:43):
Woo. And as we approach the starting the new year,
the dropping of the ball in Times Square, I've met
many people from Mexico City to Montreal to Lagos, Nigeria
who were here to watch. If you're from New York,
you're really gonna be down there in the manners, of
course not. We'll talk about that as we get closer

(01:06:08):
to the end of the week. But I want to
give a shout out because so often we in talk
radio are negative about political figures and what they promised
to do and don't do. I gotta give a shout
out to Vinnie Ignizio. Now some of you might know
him in Staten Island. He was the assemblyman, he was
city council member. And in the election of twenty twenty one,

(01:06:30):
I remember when I was going to vote. Remember I
had that little kit in my hand, Gizmo, who Nancy
had rescued from the shelter like she's rescued dozens of
others who would have been euthanized. And Gizmo became the
most famous cat in the world. It was featured on
Stephen Colbert went viral. They made fun of me, but
Gizmo became a star. Remember they wouldn't let me take

(01:06:54):
Gizmo in to vote. But when I did go in
to vote, when Nancy writing me a brand High school
on the Upper West Side, the machine was not working,
the scanning machine, so they had to call with the
call a engineer on call. The engineer showed up like
a half hour later, and instead of adjusting things so

(01:07:16):
that it could accept my ballot, remember the ballot had
to be filled out on both sides. The engineer in
front of all the TV cameras that were there to
record my vote. Karate chopped the machine. The director of
the Board of Elections said, man, you can't do that.
And that's when Vinnie Ignizio was hired as the deputy

(01:07:39):
executive director of the Board of Elections and said to me, oh,
we're going to reform things from these missteps, and he
delivered on that promise. Do you realize we just went
to an election cycle where there were two million, one
hundred thousand votes casts. There haven't been that many votes
casts since nineteen sixty five, the election to John Lindsay

(01:08:01):
and no problems. And I haven't heard anybody out there,
not in the media or anyone else praise those people
I've been at odds with it before who did an
absolutely outstanding job to process that vote. So my breve's
off to Vintie Ignisio and everyone who was involved in
that long election process to determine who the next mayor

(01:08:23):
of the City of New York was. Any other down
ballot votes that you made