An unusually lively local race for Congress in the 17th District is getting livelier as 
incumbent Eliot Engel and challenger Kevin McAdams exchange jabs.

While McAdams charged that his opponent has grown lax and out of touch, Engel 
characterized his opponent as a political opportunist. 

"He’s 32 and believes in starting at the top," said Engel, 57. "Every two years I have primary races against elected officials or community activists  . . . but he is neither." While still a political newcomer, McAdams is running a spirited, visible campaign, building on his connections as a firefighter and former union leader. He netted roughly 5,600 petition signatures, well above the required 1,500.

Engel, who collected 8,000 of his own, obviously takes the race seriously. Since redistricting two years ago, the district includes large sections of Rockland County and Westchester, where McAdams is from. But Engel is confident his constituents will reelect him.

"They know I’m a hands-on congressman," said Engel. "When you look at my record, it really reflects the wishes of the district." 

Engel emphasized that his voting record consistently garners high scores from labor, environmental, and other interest groups. He also highlighted his work on the international front, including stands on Ireland, Vieques, and Israel. 

"There’s no stronger supporter [of Israel] in Congress than me," said Engel, who is 
Jewish. 

Engel is particularly proud of authoring a bill that cracks down on terrorism against Israel sponsored by Syria. The law, passed last winter, imposes U.S. sanctions on Syria.

"I literally forced Bush to sign the bill," Engel said. "That shows my effectiveness in a Republican-controlled Congress."

But McAdams charges that the bill is the only piece of legislation that Engel has successfully enacted. "Anybody can co-author a bill," McAdams said. "This is the only one he’s actually finished the job on."

Engel said McAdams’ jab reflects his political inexperience. "The way that Congress works is that there are not only free-standing pieces, but larger omnibus bills," he said.  Engel said that just last week he successfully added language to a larger bill about safeguarding Indian Point, and lobbied the Senate to adopt it. 

"I can provide you with lists and lists of the [bills] that I’ve done over the years," Engel said. "He needs to be careful before coming up with things that aren’t true." 

As for the criticism that he fails to spend enough time in his district, Engel said that he meets with eight to 10 local groups on an average weekend. He challenged McAdams to substantiate his own community involvement. "Where has he been all these years? Where does he stand on the filtration plant?" Engel asked. 

McAdams was vague on that question. Though, as a Yonkers resident, he is concerned about the plant’s impact, McAdams also thought it could create jobs. "I need to look at it more closely," he said.

Regardless, McAdams defended his record of community involvement. "I’ve spent eight years as a firefighter, running into burning buildings in the Bronx and Manhattan," he said. "My entire life has been spent serving my community." 

Engel also criticized McAdams for being a Republican until 2003. "People don’t like party switchers," Engel said. "He should have the guts to run against me as a Republican." McAdams says he has voted for Democ18ratic presidential candidates, and is politically progressive. 

He is strongly opposed to the war in Iraq. "When we as a country are focused on going to war  . . .  then we are not focused on the home front," McAdams said. Engel voted for the war, but now he says the Bush administration has "bungled" it. "When I voted for the resolution, I thought it would have been handled better," Engel said.

McAdams was on the defensive after the Daily News reported that about $30,000 of his campaign funds came from investment firms that have a relationship with the Uniformed Firefighters Association’s pension fund, which he helped to handle as a trustee of the fund. "I think, frankly, that there is some kind of criminal act there," Engel said. 

McAdams brushed off that charge, saying that he was one of 12 Board members making decisions for the fund. "Any individual is allowed to contribute to a campaign," h he said.

McAdams still lags in fund-raising, banking roughly half as much as Engel, who had about $700,000 in his war chest as of last month. But he continues to win local union endorsements, the most recent from the city Sergeants Benevolent Association. Much of Engel’s support comes from state and national unions, like the New York  AFL-CIO.

Though he is fighting an uphill battle, McAdams genuinely seems to be enjoying himself. "I’m thinking about writing a book about it," he said of the campaign. Asked what his topic would be, he said, "the power of incumbency, and how to work a campaign from the ground up." 

Ed. note: The Norwood News profiled Kevin McAdams in its previous issue. It can be found on our Web site.