New Roosevelt Initiative founder Bill Samuels is endorsing the good-government organization’s executive director Ben Kallos for city Council against Assemblyman Micha Kellner.

In a YouTube video, Samuels compares Kallos to Sen. Gustavo Rivera, the Bronx Democratic lawmaker who successfully ousted former Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada in a hotly contested primary.

“Ben is, like Gustavo, a young future leader for our community,” Samuels said in the video. “Ben has also worked and played a key role in developing policy positions from redistricting to campaign finance reform.”

Samuels also takes a shot Kellner by suggesting that he’s only interested in a shorter commute.

“Unlike his Assembly opponent, Ben is enthused about the job for the service he can provide us,” Samuels said. “He’s not just interested, as his opponent is, in avoiding trips back and forth to Albany.”

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