Sen. Golden May Have a Challenger

State Sen. Martin Golden has been a fixture in south Brooklyn for nearly 20 years, but any hopes he had of cruising into re-election may be slightly more difficult. Jamie Kemmerer, a local political activist and executive director of the Bay Ridge Democrats, a political club, is expected to throw his hat in the ring and challenge Golden this fall, sources say. Kemmerer has never run for public office before, but already local officials are expected to throw their weight behind his candidacy, including Councilman Vincent Gentile, who took over Golden’s Council seat after losing his Senate seat to him in 2002. Kemmerer made some waves in February after accusing Golden of “money laundering” by spending large amounts of campaign contributions at his brother’s catering hall in Bay Ridge. It is safe to say there could be more barbs thrown on both sides should Kemmerer make his candidacy official.