By Ted Levin

Marc D’Ottavio, the Republican candidate for Brooklyn Borough President.

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In Democratic Party circles, names like Roland Rogers may not ring many bells, but he has made it on the ballot to run in the Democratic primary for mayor.

Rogers, along with other candidates running for various offices on the Republican, Libertarian and Green Party lines, met to espouse their views recently at a forum hosted by the Memorial Baptist Church at the corner of 8th Avenue and 16th Street in Park Slope.

Rogers, who also ran on the citywide ballot for mayor in 1997, said his main issues are jobs and small business empowerment.

Other top issues are health care, crime and education, he said.

Joseph Dobrian, the Libertarian Party candidate for mayor, said there are two kinds of people in the world -- those that make rules and everyone else.

That said, Dobrian said he supports self-ownership in that people are the property of themselves and have the right to do whatever they want as long as they don’t harm others.

“The government must not be our adversary or our master. It must be our servant,” he said.

Dobrian said there would be no more eminent domain under his mayoral administration and he would eliminate any punitive taxes.

While he does not call for the legalization of drugs, Dobrian said he would order police to do non-enforcement of drug laws.

Alex Zablocki, who said he was the first Republican to ever run for public advocate, said he would decentralize the office and open one in each borough through the borough president’s office.

The Zablocki administration would help residents navigate the corridors of city powers and utilize community board members as volunteers, he said.

Republican candidate for comptroller Joe Mendola said he had 20 years experience working in various finance departments for the city, and has the know-how to do the job.

He said there are basically three jobs the city comptroller must do -- audit every city agency once every two years, be involved in all city bond issuance and control the city’s pension funds.

“I will take the politics out of the position and manage the pensions in a clear and transparent way,” he said.

Others at the forum included Marc D’Ottavio, the Republican candidate for Brooklyn Borough President; and 39th City Council District candidates George Smith (Republican) and David Pechefsky (Green Party).

©2009 Community Newspaper Group