Florida 2000 . . . New York City 2005?

Mayoral hopeful Fernando Ferrer may be facing a runoff against Anthony Weiner (whose charming “Weiner Mayor” signs could stay in rotation another couple of weeks), pending the outcome of an extremely tight vote count:

Fernando Ferrer captured the most votes in the Democratic mayoral primary last night, but a strong possibility emerged that he might have to vie in a runoff for his party’s nomination against Representative Anthony D. Weiner.

According to preliminary, unofficial results last night, Mr. Ferrer held a strong lead over Mr. Weiner, who rode an anti-establishment political message out of last place in a four-way race in just the last few weeks. But unofficial results showed that Mr. Ferrer captured 39.949 percent of the vote, a hairbreadth short of the 40 percent needed to avoid a runoff on Sept 27.

Foreshadowing a fierce battle over the election results in coming days, Mr. Ferrer stopped just short of declaring victory in the Democratic primary last night, saying, “We’re almost there.” Mr. Weiner had 29 percent of the vote, and insisted that he was in the runoff.

Several thousand absentee ballots still need to be counted.

Meanwhile, Gifford Miller barely did better than perennial gadfly Christopher X. Brodeur, whose message appealed to 17,000 voters (4 percent) versus Miller’s 46,000 supporters (10 percent):

Maybe it was his pledge to eliminate all subway fares. Or perhaps it was his desultory campaign promises, as outlined in a column in The New York Press several months ago, to cap apartment rent increases at 10 percent, legalize marijuana, eliminate the posts of borough president, and install free public toilets throughout the city. Whatever the reason, more than 17,000 of the roughly 455,000 Democrats who cast primary ballots yesterday chose Mr. Brodeur for mayor over a raft of higher-profile candidates with full campaign staffs.

Mr. Brodeur, a blunt-spoken man in his late 30’s who wears his chin stubble long and his brown shaggy ponytail even longer, cast himself as a reform candidate and said he has disliked every Democrat and Republican he has ever voted for.

“I’m sick of this government’s corruption, top to bottom,” he said in a two-minute campaign spot that appeared on public-access television. And if you did not want to vote for him, he added, “You can vote for one of the typical politicians, and I’m sure that’s going to work out real well.”

No Woman, No Cry

The Taxi & Limousine Commission released figures showing complaints against cabbies are on the decline:

Cabbies working the city’s mean streets are getting nicer.

The number of Taxi and Limousine Commission summonses issued to cabbies for rudeness has plummeted 26%, city records show. And the decline in boorish behavior behind the wheel came even as the number of yellow cab drivers increased and taxi-related calls to the city soared

Cab drivers insist they are working hard not to come off like bastards, even when faced with rising fuel prices and nonpaying customers:

Cabbie Saghar Hussain, 37, of Brooklyn, said he treats passengers with respect – even if they walk away without paying. “Sometimes you make money, sometimes you lose money,” he said. “You don’t have to get upset, be mad with anyone.”

By way of explanation, drivers note that stress levels for those in the industry can be high, and suggested lifestyle choices to mitigate the pressure:

Ronald Lee, 61, a cab driver from Manhattan, said there are three reasons behind cabbie rudeness: the pressure to make a living with increased costs, TLC harassment and wives. “I’ve been driving 34 years and I’ve never had one complaint,” he said – quickly adding that he’s not married.

The Big City Still Has It

Which is stranger? That a lost tourist can roam the Upper East Side for two days or that 70 is considered elderly? The Daily News reports, you decide:

An elderly Japanese tourist was reunited with her daughter yesterday after getting lost on Fifth Ave. and spending two days wandering the upper East Side.

Takako Maeda, 70, who speaks no English, was without food, money or any recollection of the name or address of the hotel where she’s staying – the upscale Pierre at Fifth Ave. and 61st St.

“She drank water from a bottle left on the street next to a pay phone,” said Satoru Kuwajima, a Japanese man who found her yesterday.

“She walked by a police station, but didn’t think they would understand her – so she kept on walking,” he said.

Maeda was separated from her daughter on Saturday about 3:30 p.m. as they walked into St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Motoko Maeda, 37, the daughter, told cops that she lost sight of her mother in a sudden rush of people and after a long day of sightseeing.

Police used bloodhounds in an attempt to trace the woman and found a surveillance tape that showed her walking past the entrance to the Pierre.

Yesterday, she walked into the lobby of Kuwajima’s building on E. 63rd St. and was relieved to encounter someone who spoke Japanese.

Finally, A Principled Stand

As New Yorkers go to the polls on this primary day, voters can be assured that Fernando Ferrer is ready to take principled stands. After apparently rethinking the facts behind the shooting of Amadou Diallo earlier in the campaign, the Reverend Al Sharpton has come to rescue, saying it was all just a careless mistake:

Mr. Sharpton called for black voters to unite behind Mr. Ferrer despite his controversial remark that the 1999 fatal police shooting of Amadou Diallo was not a crime.

“All of us have blundered and made mistakes,” Mr. Sharpton said. Referring to the city’s first black mayor, he added: “When Dave Dinkins ran, he made a mistake with the Latino community. We asked them to keep moving. Now Mr. Ferrer has said to us that ‘I said something careless.'”

The only thing better than having to flip-flop on your positions is to have Al Sharpton do it for you!

(See also Diallo: A Tragedy or a Line from the Village Voice Power Plays blog.)

What Lies Beneath . . .

What lies beneath the murky waters of the Hudson River remains unseen by most, unless enterprising divers outfit themselves with a microphone and a camera and broadcast it back to shore:

The Hudson River at night, with the lights of Manhattan reflected and shimmering on its surface, can be a romantic and inspiring sight. What lies beneath the surface is another matter.

On Saturday, about 200 people got a rare nighttime look at life under the Hudson’s surface off Pier 26, in Lower Manhattan, from two divers outfitted with underwater cameras and microphones.

Up on the pier, the audience regularly applauded and gasped at the visions unfolding live before them on two large projection screens.

“We’re taking bets to see if we see any bodies down there,” said Daniel Edelman, 23, a graphic designer from Brooklyn who was drinking beer with a group of friends. “I know it is an old New York river stereotype. But it is certainly possible.”

But alas, gawking landlubbers were perhaps disappointed to learn that there are just a bunch of fish, oysters and crabs down there — just as well, say environmental groups, who seek to further clean up the river.