Steps Toward Peace Between Brooklyn Community And Medgar Evers

Negotiations ongoing over grant money for controversial program

Flush With Charter Cash, Pollard Aims To Give Montgomery Run For Her Money

Montgomery is unfazed by challenger, anti-incumbent mood in race for 14th term

The first week in August, at Old-Timers Day in Red Hook, Brooklyn, Sen. Velmanette Montgomery and her challenger, Mark Pollard, nearly collided rounding opposite sides of the same tree. Montgomery and Pollard, an attorney and law professor, stood face-to-face for the first time in their campaign against each other.

The Pitched, Heated, Wild Battles For Unpaid, Obscure Positions

Even in races for state committee and district leader, intrigue, big fundraising, sex tapes

At a trendy bar in East Williamsburg, about 70 people gathered for a fundraiser in support of Esteban Duran, a community activist running an uphill campaign this year against Brooklyn Democratic leader Vito Lopez. As Duran arrived, the crowd rose for a standing ovation. Duran put his fist in the air like a winning prize fighter—the young challenger who had somehow withstood an onslaught of petition challenges from Lopez’s lawyers and stayed on the ballot.

Despite Loss Of Energy Hub, State Consortium Vows To Continue To Pursue Innovation

Philadelphia wins $122 million grant, citing 'city within a city' staging ground

Swimming In The High-Risk Pool, New York Argues For Coverage Of Non-Citizens

Implementation of federal health care reforms could result in State Constitutional challenge

With Paid Sick Leave Back In The Waiting Room, Both Sides Take Stock

Proponents hold off bashing Quinn as business-led study adds months to process

In mid-July, a few weeks after she announced that she would table the controversial paid sick leave bill for several months while the business community further studied its impact, Council Speaker Christine Quinn arrived for an early morning speech before the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. The room was packed with small business owners, the very people who have lobbied intensely against bringing the bill to the Council floor. Officials from the Partnership for New York City, which is studying the long-term effects of the legislation, sat in the front row.

Briefs

Do New York Democrats Have A Wall Street Problem?

Balancing pitchfork populism, deep-pocketed donors and keeping capital in the financial capital

Ask anyone on Wall Street to host a fundraiser for a Democrat in New York these days, expect a blank stare. Ask any Democrat to accept a donation from someone working for a bank, investment firm or hedge fund, and expect the same reaction. Cancelled fundraisers, unreturned phone calls, dire predictions of the end of New York as the national campaign finance ATM. Do the New York Democrats have a Wall Street problem?

Another Year, Another Crisis At The Board Of Elections

No director, no budget, no clear plan for rollout of new machines in September

The New York City Board of Elections is in crisis. Again. But this year, the agency--which has never been known as a bastion of efficiency and strong management--appears to be headed toward a whole new set of problems. It’s preparing to roll out the first new machines local voters have seen in decades without an executive director, short around $19 million, and lacking any clear plan about how to make it through the fall.

Snags Ahead For Rush To Approve New Charter Schools Under Raised Cap

Shortened timeline and staffing shortfalls create anxiety among education reformers