In the last couple of days, a slew of candidates have been collecting petition signatures, printing campaign materials and going door to door to press their case. They all want to become the City Council person from this borough’s 40th Council district. A special election was called for Feb. 20 by Gov. Eliot Spitzer to replace Yvette Clarke, who is now the congresswoman representing the 11th district in the nation’s capital.

“I realize I’m more prepared to be a City Council person for this district. My background makes me the candidate,” Zenobia McNally said in a telephone interview.

“We have a great chance to win this election,” said Ferdinand Zizi, a health-care executive.

It is a challenging experience for Zizi who is confident in the work he has been doing. With this election he hopes to become the first Haitian-American to win an electoral seat in New York state.

Besides McNally and Zizi, almost a dozen candidates – who have said they are interested in replacing the newly elected Clarke – participated in a January 8 debate organized by the Democratic Club at St. Francis College. The list includes Wellington Sharpe, Joel Towney, Jennifer James, Harry Schiffman, Ricky Tulloch, Anthony Alexis and Michele Adolphe.

But experts predict that the list will dwindle to about six, after petition challenges and candidates’ inability to raise the necessary money to run a compact and intense campaign.

This election will be held in six weeks and it has had experts wondering about how difficult it could be for candidates to campaign around the clock.

“It will take a very good ground organization for a candidate to win,” said Chris Owens, who has managed several of the campaigns of his father, Major Owens. The younger Owens ran unsuccessfully last fall in his bid for the 11th Congressional District to replace his retiring father Major Owens.

“It has to do with how well the campaign is organized and with name recognition,” Owens said. “The candidate will have to go door to door. (The candidate) needs as many people as possible to come out and vote.”

Candidates seem to be on the right page following the rigors of campaigning around the clock, which include making speeches, knocking on doors, shaking hands, and looking for endorsements.

“My campaign is working hard all over the district letting people know about my qualifications and my background,” Schiffman said.

Schiffman, 55, is the director of government and community relations for Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center. He served as the liaison to city and state agencies, elected officials and business leaders.

“One of the things I learned is to do the talking,” said McNally, who has posed her candidacy in the past.

McNally said she decided to run again because she feels the district deserves better representation, and her experience and commitment to the community will make her the ideal candidate.

“That put me in a good position because my crew was assembled since Clarke won in September,” she said.

McNally, a business owner, is a long-time resident and activist in the 40th Council District.

She serves on the board of Neighborhood Housing Services of East Flatbush and is an active member of both the Housing and Land Use Committees at Community Board 17.

“We’re reaching out to everyone, from individuals to leaders. We have a great chance to win this election,” Zizi said.

Michelle Adolphe lost to Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs in 2004.

Sharpe lost in his bid against State Sen. Kevin Parker in the 21st Senatorial District. Because there is no clear front-runner, political experts say the winner will edge out the others with people choosing more on background than on name recognition.

With so many candidates, most organizations, elected officials and unions are hedging their bets, not endorsing anyone publicly. So the field is wide open. Candidates are stretching to find ways to differentiate themselves from the pack.

“This election may test ethnic allegiances,” Owen said.

Another setback for candidates in this special election, which anticipates a low turn out, is the number of candidates running. According to experts, based on numbers from past City Council elections, if more than a dozen candidates wind up on the ballot, the vote will be divided.

“The winner will get no more than 2,000 votes for this election,” Owens said. A situation candidate Zizi said can be used to his advantage if he is the only Haitian candidate.

“Many candidates will divide the vote among them; that could be a great thing for Haitians,” Zizi said.

To be on the ballot a candidate needs 1,002 legitimate signatures. Candidates get signatures from registered voters who register within the 40th District to put them on the ballot.

“To be safe they need at least twice that number because an opponent can challenge your signature,” Owens said.

While Haitians in New York still hunger to elect one of their own to office, the Haitian community might face a possible scenario of having two of their own running. Mathiew Eugene, who was not selected by a steering committee of Haitian community leaders, has decided to launch his campaign and has sought support from within and outside the community.

“They always refer to a Haitian candidate as a sleeping giant. We have yet to show that. If we can rally the Haitian community around one candidate, it will be to our own advantage,” Zizi said.

People used to this arena said that the odds depend on the individual candidate and the individual race. A talented politician has to know how to network and trade favors with influential people without selling out so that he or she can depend on a few prominent supporters in the business media or political worlds, experts say.

“We have a great chance to get endorsements from the unions,” Zizi said. “I’m talking with leaders in different communities about building a coalition to help me garner the votes.”

A recent 2000 U.S. Census analysis reports that 118,769 Haitians live in New York City, and 74,152 live in Brooklyn. Of the 524,107 Caribbean immigrants in New York City, 265,000 are of voting age, making up six percent of all city residents who could vote, according to the Census.

Figures compiled by the New York City Board of Elections show an increase within the Flatbush and East Flatbush districts where most Brooklyn Haitians live. In the 42nd District, there are 76,750 registered voters, followed by the 45th City Council district with 66,619 according to the Board of Elections. The 40th Councilmatic district contains 61,470 registered voters.

Political experts said in this all-ethnic race, the key is to get people who aren’t citizens to become citizens and then get them to vote.

“Understanding the communities can make an impact. I’m Panamanian born, my grandparents came from Barbados, St. Lucia, and I understand a lot of languages. I travel around the world. I’m able to work with many different kinds of people,” Mc Nally said.