And the Harlem Democrat, grinning through his mustache, looked as if he was indeed in a position of power.

"The bottom line is to return discretion to the judges," said Assemblyman Keith Wright, a Harlem Democrat.

"He's talking about investing in the public school system," said Representative Charles B. Rangel, the Harlem Democrat.

"He's an exciting personality," said Representative Charles B. Rangel, the Harlem Democrat.

But the Harlem Democrat questioned the whether it would do any good.

State Senator David A. Paterson, a Harlem Democrat, said that most who attended the meeting seemed to support the plan.

Mr. Rangel, a Harlem Democrat, said last night that the theater's finances are in good shape.

C. Virginia Fields, a Harlem Democrat, had 96 percent of the vote with 74 percent of the districts reporting.

"He's a professional," Representative Charles B. Rangel, a Harlem Democrat, said of the new commissioner.

That is because several veteran Harlem Democrats have already endorsed Leecia Eve, a candidate for lieutenant governor from Buffalo.