Second Avenue Subway trust fund may not be enough in face of higher construction costs
Last April, former Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) was the latest politician to wield a pickaxe in what has become a series of groundbreakings for the Second Avenue Subway, the elusive “T” line promised to overcrowded commuters since the days of black and white movies. But the project has always been put on hold, first by World War II, next by fiscal crises in the 1970s. ...
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Mayor Bloomberg has recused himself from the Verizon franchise talks, but some still see his hand on the remote.As Verizon nears the finish line for its $4 billion cable television franchise agreement with the city, one person has been notably absent from all the negotiations: Mayor Michael Bloomberg (Ind.). Bloomberg recused himself from the Verizon negotiations to avoid any ...
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Community enters new, post-identity politics phase in campaigning
“With Christine Quinn's term limit, I don't want to be the only out person in the City Council,” said Council Member Rosie Mendez, with Daniel Dromm, whom she has endorsed.When State Sen. Thomas Duane (D-Manhattan) first ran for City Council in 1991, his candid statement made via “Dear Neighbor” letter that he was gay and HIV-positive did not, as ...
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Two-state legislation may be next step for Local 3
Newly appointed Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward is starting his tenure in the middle of a labor dispute.The fact-finding stage of negotiations between the Port Authority and its division of Local 3 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is under way. The bi-state agency and union leaders are trying to resolve a stalemate over using prevailing wages, or a ...
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While some worry over meaning of Sabini abandonment, many place blame on senator himself
The vote in May by Queens Democratic district leaders to support City Council Member Hiram Monserrate for State Senate over three-term incumbent John Sabini was not quite an earthquake, but the unusual move has caused tremors among the party's elected representatives.“They threw him under the bus,” one elected official said. “With this done, you are put on ...
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Campaigns proceed in new judicial district despite legislation in limbo
Joseph Maltese and Judith McMahon plan to run against each other for state Supreme Court on Staten Island, if Washington approves the existence of their judicial district.Staten Island is tied to Brooklyn by four legislative districts, a school region and a judicial district. That will all change at the end of this year—at least, that is, in terms of the judicial ...
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By City Hall
June 13th, 2008
Siegel Invites Obama to Read the ConstitutionEvery year for the past 39 years, Norman Siegel celebrated the Fourth of July by going to Central Park and reading the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Bill of Rights. For 38 years, he read them quietly to himself, but last year expanded the tradition to an out-loud reading to an audience of 60. Siegel has bigger ...
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On Tunnel Vision in Washington, Both Good and Bad
By City Hall
June 13th, 2008
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D) has been an active force in New York politics for decades. Over his 16 years in the Assembly and 16 years in Congress over his 32 years in elected life, he has established himself as an authority on many issues, including transportation and the judiciary, as well as becoming a leading advocate for Ground Zero, which sits within his district.On May 29, ...
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10 Reasons that Deflate the Bloomberg-for-Governor Trial Balloon
Here we go again. For two and a half years, from Kevin Sheekey's first tease the night after Michael ...
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State party defends right to limit power of city factions in local elections
Supporters of Lenora Fulani and Frank MacKay are fighting over who decides which candidates get the Independence endorsements and ballot lines. Dr. Lenora Fulani, a perennial third-party candidate, has been a thorn in Frank MacKay's side for years. And now MacKay, chair of the state Independence Party, is hoping the courts will allow his latest effort to push Fulani and her ...
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Debate over mayor’s plan to wait for national standards from California and D.C.
Council members James Gennaro and David Weprin at a Queens gas station, calling for the expanded use of domestic biofuel, which they say is cheaper and more eco-friendly than fossil fuels.Lawmakers, environmentalists and the heating oil industry are pushing Mayor Michael Bloomberg (Unaff.) to enact a policy that would encourage the use of biofuels to reduce the amount of ...
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After 16 years in Albany, county chair and other options ahead for Harlem politician
Assembly Member Keith Wright may be on his way to succeeding Assembly Member Herman D. Farrell as one of the major powers in Harlem politics. After 16 years in the Assembly, Keith Wright (D-Manhattan) says he is starting to feel like the senior legislators he knew back in his freshman year in Albany. “Some of the younger members look to you for guidance,” Wright ...
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Efforts to clarify legal discrepancies and powers to prevent toxic schools
State Sen. Frank Padavan now has a city public school named after him. But several Democrats argue that his standards for properties leased for schools do not make the grade.Facing overcrowded classrooms and an expected budget crunch, New York City's Department of Education has increasingly turned to leased buildings to help create new public schools in a hurry. But parents, ...
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50 candidates already recruited for September, New Kings Democrats aim for takeover
A reform-minded group of Democratic young professionals in Brooklyn, inspired by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign, is launching a challenge for county committee seats in the September primary election. Despite the excitement of those in the group, though, many outside the group remain unimpressed.The New Kings Democrats goal is to reactivate the powerless ...
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Proposal strongly supported despite opposition from Bloomberg and Paterson
If the peasants have no bread, said Marie Antoinette, then let them eat cake. And if the city's millionaires will not pay more taxes, say some New York City politicians, then let hedge fund partners pick up the slack.A proposal to increase the local business tax on New York City's private equity and hedge funds has City Council members hoping that no heads will roll come tax ...
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Budget shortfalls and rickety federal support threaten NYCHA properties
Thousands of public housing employees and residents gathered earlier this month in front of City Hall to protest budget cuts. NYCHA is facing about a $200 million shortfall this year.As the rest of the country deals with the continuing fall-out from the subprime mortgage crisis, the city's vast network of public housing is facing a widening budget gap that could affect living ...
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Fixing ceiling, replacing elevator and refurbishing offices not likely to start until at least 2010
To some Council members, turning over a renovated City Hall chamber and suite of offices to the next class of legislators is almost a moral obligation.The oldest continually used space by a local city government last saw significant updating in 1950. Its current state of disrepair is an embarrassment, they said. “They call this the people’s house. And I know if ...
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Pledges of parkland, donations and jobs are slow to be fulfilled, say some in Bronx
Though the construction of the new Yankee Stadium, slated for completion in 2009, has been underway for over a year and a half, neighborhood groups are yet to see compensation. The money for the community benefits agreement (CBA), signed in April 2006 by Yankee president Randy Levine, Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión (D-Bronx), and City Council members Maria del ...
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Padavan and Brennan say time is right for Legislature to tackle sub-prime crisis
As neighborhoods in Queens, Brooklyn and upstate New York face an ongoing barrage of foreclosures, two state legislators have proposed a bill that they hope would stem the tide of unraveling mortgages.The bill calls for a year-long moratorium on foreclosures throughout New York. During the proposed 12-month respite, homeowners would be required to make court-ordered minimum ...
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Some say that she made a deal in 2001. She says she built up goodwill for 2009 campaign
Reverberations from a rumored 2001 back-room arrangement that gave the crucial Queens County Democratic Party’s endorsement for borough president to ...
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As Farrell removes himself from race, Gianaris hopes to be first freshman speaker
Assembly Member Michael Gianaris' (D-Queens) expected run next year for the Council seat being vacated by term-limited Peter Vallone, Jr. is seen as something of a cakewalk. But if Gianaris tries for the Council speaker’s chair, a post he has for some years been eyeing, his path will not be as easy, insiders say. Gianaris has money and legislative experience on his side, ...
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Xanthakis mulls a second run for seat Staten Island Republicans believe should be theirs
Janele Hyer-Spencer (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn) represents the only Assembly district in the city prone to competitive general elections. She is anticipating a tough fight for re-election as she seeks her second term, after her upset victory in 2006 wrested the seat from Republican control.“I will be in a competitive race for the rest of my political life,” ...
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Mayoral control and city budget could both be threatened, lawmakers warn
In the midst of protests over the expected city budget cuts, city teachers, administrators and politicians are waiting on the mayor’s response to an increase in ...
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Paterson’s past take on drug reform gives hope that he will bring change to laws
Drug reform advocates irate at Eliot Spitzer for moving slowly on campaign promises to repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws are now eyeing David Paterson (D) as a potential champion for change.The Commission on Sentencing Reform, appointed by Spitzer’s executive order in 2007, has engaged in an exhaustive study of the state’s criminal justice system. But some have ...
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The “invisible man” of the 1998 comptroller’s race, Blakeman begins exploring ’09 citywide run
Bruce Blakeman finished the 1998 race for New York State comptroller having learned an important lesson: “Don’t run against a well-financed, popular incumbent,” said Blakeman with a laugh. He lost to H. Carl McCall by a 30-point margin. Ten years later, the Port Authority commissioner and lawyer is considering another campaign, this time for citywide office. ...
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Oversight procedures on expenses and legal issues unclear for overseas NYPD officers
Although there has never been an allegation of improper activity, the posting of New York Police Department officers in foreign countries to combat terrorism poses complex questions that the City Council has yet to address, according to several Council members.In the six and a half years since Sept. 11, the NYPD has led the effort to protect the residents of the city from more ...
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Says he will make racial debate central to Addabbo challenge
Albert Baldeo does not care that state and local Democratic leaders want him to stay out of the race against State Sen. Serphin Maltese (R-Queens). After surprising nearly everyone with the margin of his loss to Maltese in 2006—with virtually no support, he came within 1,000 votes over the ten-term incumbent—Baldeo is determined to run again, and is revving up for ...
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Fossella challenger yet to meet fundraising threshold, but DCCC remains confident
Council Member Domenic Recchia (D-Brooklyn) is showing signs he is serious about running for Congress against Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn). He is developing a campaign staff. He has out-raised his likely primary opponent, Brooklyn lawyer Steve Harrison. And his presence is growing on Staten Island—some have even taken to calling him Coney Island Dom, he ...
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$100 million annual subsidy could sink expansion, pull money from elsewhere, some worry
In PlaNYC, Mayor Michael Bloomberg called for expanding ferry service to new communities that are springing up along the city’s waterfronts. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) upped the ante in this year’s State of the City speech, promising a “comprehensive five-borough, year-round New York City ferry system.”But with tough financial ...
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New life for Manhattan GOP may be years away, but some hold out hope for ’08 and ’09
On a recent chilly night on East 83rd Street, in the heart of the old Silk Stocking, a small group of young Republicans gathered for a pep talk from State Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn).“Ladies and gentlemen,” Golden said, his hands clasped tightly in front of him, “I am impressed by the numbers I see in this room.” The hundred or so in attendance ...
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To Squadron, early start in primary will be key to unseating Connor
Democrats around the state are making a vigorous attempt for control of the State Senate this year, and doing their best to tamp down on primary challenges. Daniel Squadron is running anyway. While State Sen. Martin Connor (D-Manhattan/Brooklyn) is legislating in Albany, Daniel Squadron is getting a head start on a primary challenge. With six months until the election, ...
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Eliminating offices seems unlikely, but not impossible, in Bloomberg legacy bid
If Mayor Michael Bloomberg gets his way, the city will soon see its eighth charter revision in nine years. The mayor’s office is declining to say what sort of changes the mayor has in mind or even whom he would name to the commission he proposed, leaving some wondering whether he plans revisions as expansive as those of 1989, which radically restructured city government, ...
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Saying he has learned from his losses, Siegel starts campaigning and fundraising early
This time, he is starting earlier. This time, he is concentrating on raising more money sooner than ever before. This time, he will call on some former clients to speak for him, whether they be the parents of children whose right to have cellular phones in public schools he has defended or the firefighters he has represented in his Sept. 11-related cases. This will be Norman ...
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As McMahon and Oddo prepare for tight race, Molinaro weighs options
Getting the Conservative Party endorsement is easy, said Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro (C-Staten Island). The nod will got to “who has the most goods.”Historically, the Republicans have had the Conservative goods most of the time, though the Democrats have had their moments, too. But going into next year, Democrats in the borough are hoping that ...
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By City Hall
February 11th, 2008
Dan Doctoroff unquestionably left his mark on the city from his six years as Michael Bloomberg’s deputy mayor for economic development. After Doctoroff announced his departure last December, Bloomberg did not go far to find a replacement: Robert Lieber, a Doctoroff deputy who had spent a year as president of the Economic Development Corporation. Days after starting his ...
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By City Hall
February 11th, 2008
Scott Stringer has been busy in his two years as Manhattan borough president so far, gaining notice for some of the changes he has made to the office. At the Jan. 29 On/Off the Record Breakfast at the Commerce Bank location on Broadway and Warren Street, Stringer discussed why he thinks those changes matter, what he still wants to do, and where his thoughts currently stand on ...
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City finance commissioner is interested in the office, but not in campaigning for it
If her father had still been alive when she joined Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration in 2002, City Finance Commissioner Martha Stark jokes, he probably would not have survived the news. “If he was still alive and knew I was interviewing to work for a Republican, it would have killed him,” she said. This ability to thrive as a Democrat and as the first ...
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Rumors of a deal surface again amid furious fundraising
By Adam Pincus
February 11th, 2008
The much anticipated rematch between western Queens heavyweights, City Council Member Hiram Monserrate (D) and Sen. John Sabini (D), for the senator’s Albany seat this fall is generating some rumors, early fundraising and uncertainty over a local 2009 Council race.Monserrate is the unpredictable and feisty legislator representing the heavily Latino Council district which ...
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Lopez lands some punches while Rivera prepares for next round
Brooklyn Democratic leader Vito Lopez’s quest to bring some respectability back to his borough’s political organization has brought him into conflict with fellow New York heavyweight José Rivera, the Bronx Democratic leader.So far, the score seems Lopez 2, Rivera 0. “We have a different interest than the Bronx has,” Lopez said simply. ...
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Gotbaum ready to end her political career—unless Bloomberg White House bid makes her mayor
“Betsy, you’re unstoppable!” The public advocate’s young aide shouts upward, already most of a flight behind the 68-year-old woman bounding up the stairs of the Lucille Murray Day Care Center in the South Bronx. The Administration of Children’s Services has announced plans to close the center mid-year because of a $600,000 bill to fix a leaky ...
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Promotion in wake of Doctoroff departure makes Skyler Bloomberg’s No. 3
Ed Skyler says there is nothing supernatural about his ability to oversee and manage over 15 massive city agencies. “I’m not in some magical room with all these different buttons,” said Skyler, who recently was promoted to deputy mayor of operations following the resignation of Dan Doctoroff as deputy mayor of economic development. “It really is more ...
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Snyder and Davis would challenge “90 in ’09,” others consider their options
On July 31, 2009, Robert Morgenthau will turn 90 years old. On Sept. 8, 2009, he is planning to run in and win the Democratic primary in search of his 10th term as Manhattan district attorney.That, at least, is what those close to him insist, batting down an early retirement rumor which appeared in December on “Page Six” as a misinterpreted sighting of Morgenthau ...
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Perkins rallies support for Illinois senator, dismissing potential backlash
As the results from the New Hampshire primary rolled in, City Council Member Albert Vann (D-Brooklyn) sat quietly in a far corner of the Riviera Café and Sports Bar in the West Village, sipping a Coke and watching the results on TV.“He’s the man of the hour,” Vann said proudly of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (D), whose presidential candidacy he was there ...
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Members of union local at odds with leadership over medical monitoring
By City Hall
January 14th, 2008
Retired emergency medical service Lt. Thomas Carlstrom suffers from asthma, reactive airway disease and other respiratory ailments which have been linked by a worker’s compensation judge to exposure during his weeks working at Ground Zero immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks. Now he is one of the uniformed responders eagerly anticipating passage of a landmark federal ...
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As other politicians respond to sub-prime crisis, Lew Fidler explains why he saw it first
Lewis Fidler (D-Brooklyn), the Council member who is also the general counsel for 1-800-LAW CASH, sees two reasons to keep the Council officially part-time. The first is practicality.“The idea that people are going to come into a term-limited office, give up their vocation for eight years, give it their all, still pay college tuition and all that stuff, and then go back ...
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In face of recession, the CEO mayor looks to keep New York the world financial capital
Twenty years ago, with his patented terminal and worldwide news service, Michael Bloomberg changed Wall Street forever. Now, with fears of a recession deepening, many are looking to him to save it. “As mayor, he can be a force for articulating what the issues are and advocating for change,” said Kathy Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City. ...
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Optimism is high for Asian political potential in 2009 with Liu running citywide
John Liu remembers riding the subway home to Queens one night in 1989 and seeing an ad in the newspaper inviting the civically minded to run for their local school board. “So I went downtown to pick up the application and put in my name,” Liu said, recalling that he barely hesitated. Ellen Young, already then a political activist in the Asian-American community, ...
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With her “dream team” fully in place, Sadik-Khan predicts transit revolution
The lunatics are running the asylum. That is the sort of reaction City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan has been getting to what she calls her newly assembled sustainability “dream team.” Sadik-Khan is not the only one abuzz. With being new in the job and her new staff culled from experts in the transportation community, there is a growing sense of ...
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Columbia expansion approval called a warning sign and call to action
Several Council members are planning to begin an effort to get legislators in Albany to change the state’s eminent domain laws in the wake of the Council’s Dec. 19 decision to approve Columbia University’s expansion into Harlem. “I think it’s a priority,” said Council Member Letitia James (D-Brooklyn), who voted against the Columbia ...
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Plan to run candidates in every district faces obstacles, criticism
The leaders of the battered Queens Republican Party are pinning their hopes on a strategy of running candidates in nearly every district in the next two election cycles as a means of recovering the organization.Robert Hornak, the chairman of the party’s candidate recruitment and development committee, said the borough GOP must look beyond just retaining the one City ...
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City Council Member Robert Jackson’s (D-Manhattan) goal when he ran his first marathon this year was to finish in three hours and 30 minutes. The worst he thought he would do was to finish in three hours and 40 minutes. He crossed the line in Central Park at 3:38.“I knew I would finish, but I wanted to keep my pace up so I could make my mark,” he said. With ...
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Gay activists warn that she may not be able to count on them come 2009
Last summer’s Gay Pride Parade featured a strange sight: pink-clad lesbian and gay activists carrying signs denouncing City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan), the city’s highest profile gay official. The group, called the Radical Homosexual Agenda, sported signs that read, “Quinn got her pot of gold but she forgot her rainbow,” ...
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Days before resigning, Dan Doctoroff tours his legacy
The West Side Stadium is nearly two-thirds complete. Its massive foundation is nestled between fresh pockets of open space and parks. On the sidewalks surrounding the development, merchants are already selling shirts and hats emblazoned with the Olympics “NYC2012” logo. Oblivious to the cranes and construction equipment surrounding the stadium, commuters stream in and out of ...
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Norman Seabrook says his various appointments work well with his job as Correction Officers president
By Dan Rivoli
December 10th, 2007
As president of the New York City Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, Norman Seabrook helped push several bills through the State Legislature. As an influential voice in the labor movement, Seabrook negotiated prescription drug prices with the Municipal Labor Committee. As a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board member, he recently spoke out against ...
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GOP leaders welcome Curtis Sliwa’s run for public advocate and bid to transform the local party
By Dan Rivoli
December 10th, 2007
For years before he decided to run for public advocate, Guardian Angel Curtis Sliwa’s red beret was visible in Republican circles. He had his public persona as a brash political commentator, but was also a regular at Republican events and fundraisers, promoting them during his radio and television appearances. He has many friends among prominent GOP leaders.Now that the ...
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Striking up the Broadband
By Elie Mystal
December 10th, 2007
On a computer running an old version of Windows in her district office, City Council member Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan) sifts between emails and PDFs while on the phone, coordinating materials for her next Broadband Taskforce meeting.As chair of the Technology in Government Committee, Brewer says she has focused her leadership efforts on bringing high-speed internet access to ...
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Memories of the GOP presidential front-runner before he went national
By City Hall
December 10th, 2007
A year ago, after the funeral of Sean Bell, Rudy Giuliani and I were in the same restaurant. He came over to offer his condolences, saying he knows it must be rough for me and for the Bell family. The sad irony to that interaction is, had Rudy Giuliani reached out like that when he was mayor, I would not be as concerned about President Giuliani. While I will leave it up to ...
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Food for Thought on School Nutrition
The only state to rank an “A” on the school food report card released by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Kentucky owes its grade primarily to the Local Wellness Policy Implementation act, signed into law in 2005. New York, which finished 21st with a “D+” is set to make some progress if the Childhood Healthy Access to Meals Program ...
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Monserrate positions his committee on the municipal frontlines for veterans
Council Member Hiram Monserrate (D–Queens) is not sure exactly how many soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan call New York home. But he does know the names of the three young men from his neighborhood who have died in those conflicts.“Marlon Bustamante. José Gomez. Jonathan Rivaneirda,” Monserrate said solemnly. “All in their early ...
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Mayoral candidate Tony Avella embraces his outsider status—and hopes the voters will, too
By Dan Rivoli
November 13th, 2007
In September, when pedicab drivers rallied in Columbus Circle to protest strict regulations on their industry, Council Member Tony Avella (D–Queens) was the guest of honor, one of the few Council members to vote against the bill that imposed the new rules. When he arrived at the rally, the pedicab drivers cheered. “Tony Avella for mayor!” many chanted. As a ...
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Mayors around the country enroll in Bloomberg's City Hall academy
Michael Bloomberg is sitting in his bullpen next to Beverly Hills Mayor Jimmy Delshad (D) and bragging. New York has the best water, he tells Delshad. The most languages are being spoken on its streets. The largest concentrations of a whole range of ethnic and nationality groups call his city home. Then the mayors dispensed with the small talk. Bloomberg shifted in his seat ...
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South Bronx complex may lay foundation for more unions to provide housing
When City Comptroller William Thompson, Jr. (D) explained his plan to build affordable housing for the city’s cash-strapped teachers during an Oct. 23 breakfast speech to the Association for a Better New York, he received enthusiastic applause.Whether the plan will help Thompson win precious union support while he mulls a run for mayor remains unclear. But Thompson ...
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Problems and confusion surface as pilot program in 61 schools begins
By Philip Clark
By City Hall
November 12th, 2007
Roland Fryer, Jr., has gained national notoriety for using complex economic models to examine problems like the black/white test-score gap, the impact of “acting white” and affirmative action. Now, while he retains his academic post at Harvard, Fryer is trying to bring some of his theories to bear as the chief equality officer for the Department of Education ...
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Harrison counts on the progressive blogosphere, Recchia banks on the Democratic establishment
By Dan Rivoli
November 12th, 2007
The day Steven Harrison announced that he would mount a rematch against Rep. Vito Fossella (R–Staten Island/Brooklyn) next year, The Daily Gotham, a progressive blog, redesigned its logo with a picture of Harrison’s 2006 campaign sign.Throughout his 2006 campaign, Harrison tapped into the progressive blogs like the Daily Kos and Blue Spot. He lost, but in the ...
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Participants argue that the fates of the caucus and the city hinge on affordability
By Adam Pincus
November 12th, 2007
Community advocates participating in the second annual conference of the City Council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus challenged the legislators to unify behind a more aggressive housing agenda over the coming year. But despite calls for solidarity among the group’s 25 members, who form nearly a majority in the 51-seat Council, a split remains on a major piece of ...
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Candidates swirling for 2009, but before that, a possible special election
For a brief moment, when Dennis Gallagher (R–Queens) stood up to say a few words about landmarking in Sunnyside Gardens during a full Council meeting Oct. 29, he was just another New York politician.But an indictment on 10 counts of rape, criminal sexual conduct and assault have cast a shadow over Gallagher’s career—so much of one that potential replacements ...
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Local candidates cash in on Bloomberg bucks
Prospective candidates lucky enough to have New York’s billionaire mayor host or attend fundraisers can expect to net at least $100,000 per event. And for these blessed few, the implication that Michael Bloomberg likes them enough to tell all his friends to shower them with dough—even though he does not write checks himself—can be priceless. Take Brooklyn ...
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Out of cycle BP faces term limits crunch
Anxious citizens line up at a microphone stand placed in the aisle on a Tuesday night inside a tiny theater on the Lower East Side, gathered for a town hall meeting.From the stage, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer (D) says to a smattering of applause, “I have to get some of these city agencies off of their you-know-what and onto the Lower East Side!”The ...
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New York is prime territory for the libertarian GOP presidential candidate from Texas. Really.
Avery Knapp is a 28-year-old lanky blonde radiologist
originally from Rancho Palos Verdes, California in the last year of his
residency at Lenox Hill. He is not the guy always talking politics in high
school, nor the guy long drawn to iconoclastic ideology—always a conservative,
he thinks he voted for Bob Dole in 1996 and knows he picked George W. Bush in
2000 and ...
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With 50 Million Pound Challenge, Queens BP candidate hopes for Huckabee-esque boost
Leroy Comrie is a big man in New York City politics. He is the deputy majority leader for the New York City Council, and he is expected to be a major contender for Queens borough president in 2009. The Council member put himself, all 6’1’’, 335 pounds of him, directly behind the cause of public health when he announced last month he was taking The 50 Million ...
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Questionable Prognosis on Prescription Drug Marketing Legislation
This past June, Vermont passed a law that would prohibit the use of patient prescription information for commercial purposes. The Vermont law is similar to one being considered by the New York Assembly. Versions of the prohibition have already passed in Maine and New Hampshire. Supporters of the new legislation contend that the practice of data mining (also called ...
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A Bloomberg ’08 campaign manual
On Feb. 6, 2008 the mayor of New York will wake up to a country that will likely have settled on its Republican and Democratic nominees for president. Like many Americans, he probably will not be entirely happy with either candidate. Like many Americans, he will probably wish there were some other choice. But like no other American, Michael Bloomberg may be able to do ...
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As Wall Spitzer focuses on livable community, tax rates and business laws remain major concerns
Every New York governor for the last three decades has grappled with the upstate region’s transformation into what has been called the runway of tears: once college educated, many of the region’s young professionals are forced to move out of state in order to find a job. The manufacturing base has fled. Local leaders continue to hold out hope for a resurgence. But ...
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Once dominant, the county’s elephants are getting poached
District Attorney Janet DiFiore and Assembly Member Mike Spano have flipped to the Democratic Party. Now the remaining Republican state legislators representing parts of Westchester live in neighboring Putnam County, and the five-member county legislature delegation is in danger of losing at least two more seats.What was once among the state’s most rock-ribbed Republican ...
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With Diaz and Rivera already set to run, questions over whether there is room for a third candidate—and whom
By John DeSio
October 15th, 2007
With a 51 percent Latino population, according to a 2005 Census estimate, the Bronx’s political realities mirror its population growth. And as the race for the borough’s next president takes shape, a second generation of young Latino elected officials seems set to dominate, stepping forward to take the reigns of leadership from their fathers.The 2009 race will pit ...
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At a recent golf benefit for the city’s corrections officers, Mayor Michael Bloomberg (Unaff.) was playing the same hole with every foursome. When Detective’s Endowment Association (DEA) president Michael Palladino arrived, he joked that they should bet on the hole to decide the DEA’s contract with the city. Bloomberg hit a terrible shot, Palladino said. ...
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Bid to organize workers at Bloomberg LP gone, but not forgotten
For employees of Bloomberg LP longing for the comforts of a union, success proved to be elusive.In September, three top female executives, claiming the company discriminates against pregnant women, filed a lawsuit against the financial services and media giant founded by Mayor Michael Bloomberg (Unaff.). Less well-known is an effort by the company’s ...
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Manhattan Supreme Court decision may preempt political wrangling over same-sex unions
By Leah Nelson
September 17th, 2007
Though the Democratically-led Assembly passed a bill authorizing same-sex marriage in June, the bill seems unlikely to pass the Republican-dominated Senate to become law. But even though gay marriage may be far off in New York, gay divorce is already here, courtesy of a recent Manhattan Supreme Court decision.And it all revolves around a four-story, eight-room townhouse with ...
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Barron sitting out rematch, no major challengers arise for longtime primary target
By Dan Rivoli
September 17th, 2007
Edolphus Towns is not about to let 2006 happen all over again. In last year’s Democratic congressional primary, Towns got only 47 percent of the vote, edging out Charles Barron, the combative City Council member, who accused him of being a “Republicrat” for voting with the GOP on labor issues and of ignoring the district.Towns said he underestimated Barron, ...
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Troopergate thrusts quiet Senate Investigations Committee into the spotlight
By John Celock
September 17th, 2007
State Sen. George Winner (R-Elmira) has clocked 29 years in Albany, including over a decade at the top of the Assembly Republican hierarchy. But in all those years, he rarely made statewide headlines. He volunteered for his committee post as chair of the Investigations and Operations Committee, figuring his background as a lawyer and decades of experience in Albany would make ...
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Molinari says conservative congressman can win Gracie Mansion in 2009
By Dan Rivoli
September 17th, 2007
Guy Molinari has a history of betting on winners. He was an early backer of Rudolph Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg in their mayoral runs. Now Molinari, the former Staten Island congressman and borough president—and Republican kingmaker—is talking up the Gracie Mansion chances of Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn).Fossella is the highest-ranking ...
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Five years, $300,000 in state money, and $1-million windfall later, Lafayette
children’s center site being developed for five private three-family homes
By Adam Pincus
September 17th, 2007
In 2002, the state agreed to allocate $1 million toward the construction of a building to be named the Ivan C. Lafayette Children’s Center, in honor of the neighborhood’s long-serving Assembly member. The center, expected to be completed by 2004, would have been across the street from the playground at the northeast corner of Junction Boulevard and 34th Avenue, a ...
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Walking the Lines
Kavanagh introduces himself, and his district, to his constituents
In shirtsleeves and tie-less in the heat of a late summer afternoon, Brian Kavanagh (D-Manhattan) sets out with his full two-person staff on an ambitious agenda. Their mission: in two hours or less, visit four National Night Out Against Crime street fairs scattered across his Manhattan district.At the first, sponsored by the 7th Precinct and held at the intersection of ...
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Robles’ successor expected to effectively be picked by county leaders
The city clerk is gone, and no one knows how or when he will be replaced, or even when the process will start.But that has not stopped the angling from beginning.Victor Robles left the job on July 31, after six years in the position. His unexpected retirement seems to have left the Council unprepared to search for his successor.“It caught us all by surprise, because he ...
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CLC executive director says there is too much work to do for the labor coalition to worry much about past problems.
New York City Central Labor Council executive director Ed Ott is looking to labor’s past achievements as a guide for the influential group as it moves forward following the resignation of its former leader.The CLC, the largest labor organization in the city, representing 1.3 million union members, was rocked by federal racketeering and corruption charges filed in October ...
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Bruno’s inside track on the big three: he is riding high, Silver
is a disappointment, Spitzer should get out of politics
Joe Bruno bets the exacta box.That makes for a harder gamble—instead of just putting his money on one horse, he needs to guess which two will come out on top. As long as one places first and the other second, he wins, and collects a bigger payout for the double bet at the window downstairs.He has $4 on the fifth race, hinging on horses 4 and 8. From a distance, the ...
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Harrison’s and Zink’s SIBRO looks to bridge issues that local electeds say needlessly divide their districts
By Dan Rivoli
August 14th, 2007
Stephen Harrison found the absence of Brooklyn media at his press conference ironic.Back in July, Harrison and Mark Zink gathered in Midland Beach, Staten Island, to announce SIBRO, a new civic association geared to bring people from Staten Island (SI) and Brooklyn (BRO) together to find common solutions to local issues.“We’re finally getting together to unite ...
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Stan Lundine leads commission untangling system some say is a relic of days past
A commission formed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) to study local government reform in the state could run into opposition from local officials in its attempt to update a system which has been described as ideal for the horse and buggy age.The commission, chaired by former Lt. Gov. Stan Lundine (D), is the latest in a century-old procession of groups studying local government ...
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49 states have loosened divorce requirements, but New York unlikely to follow soon
A bill to bring New York’s divorce laws in line with those of the other 49 states remains stalled in the Legislature, as powerful religious and women’s groups block a proposal championed by the state judiciary.State judges have been championing no-fault divorce in the state. No-fault divorce would allow judges to grant divorce without grounds—such as ...
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Former Bloomberg staffers Silvia Alvarez, Roy Bahat, Jordan Barowitz, Patrick Brennan, Joe Chan, Jennifer Falk, Jonathan Greenspun and Marc Ricks check in from their new positions and reflect on their time in the Bloomberg administration.
By City Hall
August 14th, 2007
When he was in business, Michael Bloomberg was known for having a simple policy: employees who quit for anything other than family reasons would not be rehired. * “We’re dependent on one another—and when someone departs, those of us who stay are hurt,” the mayor wrote in his 1997 book, Bloomberg by Bloomberg. “We needed that person, or he or ...
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Higher education commission, though just formed, is already called into question
In May, Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) launched a commission to study the state’s higher education system. But by already making one major change—not reappointing a controversial SUNY trustee, Candace deRussy—Spitzer could have undercut the commission’s work even before it started.The commission could face conflict internally as it seeks a consensus report. ...
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“Anybody here a Republican?”Greg Lehman is standing on 79th Street and First Avenue on the East Side of Manhattan. He rocks back and forth in his tan New Balance sneakers. One woman in her early thirties smiles at him.“Anybody a Republican here?” he asks as she approaches. “No, not really,” she says. Lehman’s question, though, is not ...
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A possible red light in mayor’s efforts to turn yellow taxis green
The plan is working. Scratch that. The plan is a work-in-progress. New York City is expanding the scope of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s (Unaff.) hybrid vehicles plan to consider all fuel efficient alternatives, though some in the taxi industry have raised concerns about the plan’s aggressive timetable. In May, Bloomberg announced that the Taxi and ...
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Calling the race the culmination of his career, Brennan prepares to take on several high profile Council members
The race to replace Bill Thompson (D) as New York City comptroller is already well under way, with a slew of high profile, term-limited Council members raising money and coyly campaigning. Into the mix, and making no bones about his intentions, comes Assembly Member James Brennan, a well-respected six-term Democratic legislator from Park Slope, Brooklyn.He has before him the ...
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Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) threw a wrench into the complex process to determine who will operate state horse racing tracks, including Belmont Park, Aqueduct and Saratoga, when he suggested days after the end of the regular session in Albany that the Queens track could be closed.The franchise issue was one of several high-profile items that stalled in Albany, along with Mayor ...
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Bill remains in committee, with no more action likely until 2008 at earliest
Despite repeated calls for action, a bill to reform the special election process for seats in the Legislature remains stalled.Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan), the sponsor of the Assembly version, promised to make election reform a top priority when she won her special election to succeed Scott Stringer (D), who resigned after being elected Manhattan borough ...
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Thomas Frieden brushes aside critics who say he has created a nanny state. And he is not done yet.
At this year’s commencement ceremony for graduates of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, students heard from Dr. Thomas Frieden, the recipient of the school’s 2007 Dean’s Distinguished Service Award. A graduate of the school himself, Frieden is New York City’s commissioner of public health. He greeted the group with one ...
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Legislators and community groups look to revamp the North Shore
By Dan Rivoli
As the Staten Island Ferry departs from St. George, sailing toward Manhattan, Kevin Barry suggests examining the New Jersey high-rises to see how the right kind of legislation can turn around a neighborhood.“That’s political leadership,” said Barry, the vice chairman of the Downtown Staten Island Council (DSIC).To accomplish this, Staten Island legislators ...
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Krueger says trade group had too large a role in drafting legislation
Legislation passed in the waning minutes of the state legislative session last month to reform the state’s 421a tax abatement and affordable housing law was just the latest move in a growing round of housing activism.The law, passed by both the Assembly and Senate, would replace a recently passed city law on the subject. The bill extends the tax abatement program, ...
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Some local politicians push back as David Dinkins becomes vocal supporter of Columbia expansion
Back in the 1960s, David Dinkins was picketing Columbia University. Then a community activist, the former mayor was one of the most outspoken opponents of the university’s plan to evict thousands of low-income black and Hispanic tenants from Morningside Heights in an effort to make room for more housing and academic space. He and Basil Paterson (D), the former state ...
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Why Not
Another Elephant in the Room
Traveling Blues
What About Betsy?
At 6’4”, Eye-to-Eye with the 5’6” Mayor
The If and When Race for Manhattan DA
One Last Look
The Guru
The $100,000 Man Spreads the Wealth
Stringer's '09 Bind
Apostles of Paul
If He Did It ...
No Siren Song for Bloomberg and PBA
For 2008, No Bull’s-Eye on Towns’ Back
Steamroller Joe
Bloomberg Kids
Can Rudy Save the New York GOP – Can Anybody?
Lion’s Share
