Lack of diversity on Dems' ticket a ticklish situation

Sen. Charles Schumer had used the D-word. As a breakfast co-sponsor at the state Democratic convention in Rye Brook Wednesday, he stood before guests and delegates and told them: "We have seen . . . your diversity, your hard work, your dedication."

Three hours later, Andrew Cuomo, candidate for governor, stood in another hotel in Manhattan and introduced Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy as his running mate. That makes imminent the first all-white statewide Democratic ticket in 20 years.

"Do you always get all the diversity you want, when you want it? No," Cuomo said at his news conference, where he hailed the competence and honesty of Duffy, a former police chief. "But the point of having a diverse administration is a very important one for me. It will be a top priority for me."

Still, it clearly posed a ticklish question for those at the convention.

One veteran Democrat at the Rye Brook gathering predicted the diversity would show itself - if Cuomo wins, of course - in appointments for commissioners, high-level staffers and judicial nominations. Duffy, he said, represents the kind of geographic diversity that Jamestown's Stan Lundine did when he became Gov. Mario Cuomo's lieutenant governor in 1987.

"I think we'll nominate people who understand the needs of communities and the state," said the Harlem-based former state chairman, Assemb. Herman "Denny" Farrell. "I think that the ticket being put together will accomplish the change we need in the system."

An African-American Democrat and longtime fixture in southeast Queens who preferred not to speak for attribution said: "Blacks have been voting for whites on the Democratic line for a long time."

A consultant who has been advising Democrats for some time also preferred not to be quoted by name. He shrugged and rolled his eyes when asked about the racial dimension of the Duffy choice, as if to say, "What can I tell you?"

"I'd think you'd want to give people out in the communities a reason to come out and vote," the operative said.

In the past few statewide tickets, the racial diversity added up pretty much to Harlem's Carl McCall and Harlem's David A. Paterson - McCall for comptroller in 1994 and 1998, and for governor in 2002 after Cuomo withdrew from the primary, then Paterson as lieutenant governor four years ago.

Notably, Senate Conference Leader John Sampson (D-Brooklyn) stepped forward to hail the selection, calling Duffy "an innovative thinker, smart reformer and bold leader."

As for Democratic women: Carol Bellamy in 1990 ran and lost for comptroller, Karen Burstein ran and lost in 1994 for attorney general, Sandra Frankel in 1998 ran and lost for lieutenant governor, and Hillary Clinton won re-election as U.S. senator in 2006.

This year, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand seeks to win her first election for the post.

Some Long Island Democrats argued that a primary win for Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice, their preference to succeed Cuomo, could add gender diversity. Gail Goode, a New York City attorney, is a black Democrat running what's widely regarded as a quixotic primary against the well-funded Gillibrand.

For Democrats, Cuomo Thursday becomes the central focus, and he clearly braced for the media questions on picking Duffy.

"We strive for diversity," he said. "We strive for diversity everywhere. There's a certain amount of geographic diversity with Bob joining the ticket. . . . My administration will be an administration that reflects diversity."