Rep. Charles Rangel tries to keep his touch

By Frances McInnis
November 4, 2009

Rep. Charles Rangel takes questions from reporters regarding alleged financial improprieties on Capitol Hill in Washington. Photo Credit: Associated Press

One hundred and fifty subpoenas. Thirty-four witnesses. Twenty-one thousand pages of transcripts and 12,000 pages of documents. The end of a 36-year congressional career?

The investigation of Rep. Charles Rangel by the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct has lasted for more than a year, and the Harlem congressman can do little but watch his power slip away in Washington. His campaign contributions are down according to Federal Election Commission reports, and House Republicans have attempted to oust him from the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee three times, a post he long coveted and finally obtained in January 2007.

Even in the 15th Congressional District, which includes Harlem and much of Upper Manhattan, residents, community leaders and politicians offer lukewarm support to the beleaguered congressman. He has been accused of improperly occupying four rent-stabilized apartments, of failing to report income and pay taxes, of taking a trip paid for by a private entity, and of using his position to elicit donations for a center at the City College of New York that bears his name.

“Republicans just want to muddy him up,” said Fredrick Pendleton, 52, of 2569 7th Ave. in Harlem. Pendleton said he thinks Rangel is no different from any other politician. “They all do this,” he said, adding that he would be voting for Rangel again in the 2010-midterm elections. A spokesman for Rangel confirmed that he would be running in 2010. Pendleton was among the many Harlemites enjoying an unseasonably warm October day in the square in front of the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building on 125th Street. He sat on the base of a statue of Powell, who was Harlem’s congressman for 26 years until he was beset by his own ethics scandal and lost his seat to Rangel in 1970. Many Harlem residents called Rangel “our generation’s Adam Clayton Powell,” referring both to his status in Harlem, and to his ethical missteps.

Henry Keller, 57, said, “When Rangel loses, he’ll be six-feet under. We’re going to vote for him, no matter what the tabloids say.” But Keller’s brother George, 53, disagreed, saying he voted for Rangel in several previous elections, but he doesn’t know if he will again. He said he was angry over reports that Rangel failed to pay taxes on a vacation home in the Dominican Republic. “I gotta pay taxes, he gotta pay taxes,” he reasoned.

Many people haven’t yet decided on Rangel, said Dr. Charles Tien, who chairs the political science department at Hunter College on the Upper East Side. He said that many voters are waiting to pass judgment until they hear the findings of the House subcommittees charged with the investigation. A spokesman for the congressman said that Rangel is also waiting for due process, and has, in the meantime, been focusing on the health care debate and on his district.

Rangel’s value as an elected official may hinge upon the results of the ethics committee, but he is undoubtedly well liked in Harlem. Residents call him convivial and approachable and lauded his open-door policy. He can habitually be found at community events, always impeccably dressed with his grey hair combed back from his forehead. Terrence Talley, 41, lives in the same building on 135th Street as Rangel and his wife, Alma. He said that whenever they meet in the elevator or front entrance, he is “is always approachable. Fatherly.”

Several local politicians have defended Rangel, recognizing, perhaps, the support he still commands among their constituents. A spokeswoman for Inez Dickens said that the councilwoman fully supports Rangel, and praised his effectiveness in bringing resources such as affordable housing and government funds for economic development to Harlem. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer deemed it “only fair” to hold judgment until the ethics committee delivers its report. “In the meantime, I don’t think he’s missed a beat,” said Stringer, “He delivers for the community.”

But State Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV, the son of the legislator from whom Rangel took his seat, thinks the ethics inquiry renders Rangel unfit for the Chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee. “I just think, pending all the investigations surrounding all the difficulties and scandals, he should step down,” he said in a phone interview in late October. Powell said that since the ethical charges involve tax inconsistencies, Rangel should not head the committee involved in setting tax policy.

Rangel on June 7, 1970, a few months before being elected to Congress. Photo Credit: Associated Press

This chairmanship, for some voters and community leaders, is the crucial issue. One of American government’s most powerful bodies, the Ways and Means Committee is charged with finding the money to accomplish Congress’s plans. “As the Chair of the Ways and Means, he is in a greater position to organize for Harlem,” said Delois Blakely, who has held the informal post of Community Mayor of Harlem since 1995, and runs the New Future Foundation, a non-profit that provides educational opportunities to children. Hank Sheinkopf, a veteran Democratic consultant who worked on Mayor Bloomberg’s reelection campaign, said that Rangel’s chairmanship and prominent position in the Congressional Black Caucus are certainly worth considering: “In terms of power, yes, Harlem definitely will not be served as well in the short run.”

Replacing Rangel would mean trading in the fourth most senior member of Congress for a rookie, but that might be the point, said Sheinkopf. “What applies here is that everything runs its course,” he said. Dolores Dade, 55, who lives on 135th Street, said, “It’s time for some new meat. I’m not saying he didn’t go good — it’s just time for the younger generation.”

Vince Morgan, 40, wants to be the next generation’s leader. Morgan was Rangel’s campaign director in the 2002 election, and announced his intent to run against his former boss in the first week of October. At a Harlem coffee shop last week, he said Rangel has become complacent and lacks creative ideas to support small business and improve education in the community.

But Morgan was careful to remain respectful of Rangel, and denied capitalizing on his recent ethical woes. “I don’t feel it’s appropriate to pile on and kick him when he’s down,” he said. “I’m not charged with investigating him.” Morgan even said that working with Rangel was the catalyst for him to go into public service: “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him.”

Assemblyman Powell has not yet officially announced whether he will join Morgan in the race, but he has expressed interest in running against Rangel. “I’ve just started an exploratory committee and am thinking about it,” he said. Powell’s 1994 primary campaign was Rangel’s most significant challenge. Powell won 33 percent of the vote in that race, compared to Rangel’s 58 percent. The assemblyman said he also started to raise money for a campaign in 2005, but didn’t end run.

State Sen. Bill Perkins and State Assemblyman Keith Wright’s names also been raised as potential candidates, but neither could be reached for comment. Tien said, “Every state senator and city councilmember is thinking about the day that Rangel will retire, and what it will mean for their own political future.”