Turncoat

46th Ward Alderman Ralph Axelrod held onto his Democratic Ward Committeeman post by only a one-vote margin in 1980 over his chief lieutenant, Jerome Orbach, who succeeded to the Aldermanic seat the following year by defeating Independent Charlotte Newfeld by seven votes.

Before his nearly successful coup, Orbach had gathered a group of precinct captains in the previous election to back Timothy Fitzgerald against the slated candidate, Calvin Sutker, for the barely visible post of State Central Committeeman in the 9th Congressional District.

He used that contest to gauge his political strength before launching his own campaign. And he was able to keep his plotting hidden from public view.