Governor Cuomo Won't Say Whether He'd Back Hillary For President
Mayoral Candidates Blast NY Post For Cartoon Mocking Bill de Blasio and Chirlane McCray
Hiram Monserrate Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison
In yet another one of the scandals beleaguering New York State politics in recent years, former State Senator Hiram Monserrate was sentenced to 24 months in prison today after pleading guilty in May to mail fraud charges.
Mr. Monserrate was convicted of misusing $109,000 in City Council grants to fund a failed State Senate campaign in 2006. A member of the City Council at the time, Mr. Monserrate directed the money to a group in his Queens district, the Latino Initiative for Better Resources and Empowerment.
Will Albany’s New Coalition Pass Cuomo’s Campaign Finance ‘Litmus Test?”
Governor Andrew Cuomo has made enacting campaign finance reform part of his “litmus test” for judging the new coalition in the New York State Senate. Based on their recent statements, it seems he may only get half of the reforms he wanted from the new merger the Independent Democratic Conference and the State Senate Republicans. Read More
Bill Thompson Blames Unfair Media Coverage for the Perception He’s Boring
In a new interview with Yosef Rapaport of the Orthodox Jewish news site Vos Iz Neias, mayoral candidate Bill Thompson answered the question that has dogged him throughout his campaign–whether he lacks the enthusiasm necessary to win among a crowded field of rivals. Mr. Thompson argued he ran “an energetic campaign” when he came in just behind Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2009 and the perception he’s not fired up came from unfair press coverage rather than any lack of enthusiasm on his part. To prove his point, Mr. Thompson pointed out one event he attended where his “energy level” was “very high.”
“I’ll give you an example, I was in Downtown Brooklyn at an event in the campaign in 2009, there were press people there. The mayor had been there before and gotten a very lukewarm response, I showed up the crowd…was incredibly enthusiastic,” Mr. Thompson said in his typically methodical manner. “Both the crowd and my energy level, very high. I didn’t get to read about that or see that anywhere….You never read about it.” Read More
Kirsten Gillibrand Plays the Field in Public Advocate’s Race
When it comes to replacing outgoing Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand doesn’t have a favorite, but that doesn’t mean she lacks any political love to share around. Accordingly, Ms. Gillibrand is set to appear at fundraisers for all three of the leading Democratic candidates for the position: Councilwoman Tish James, former congressional candidate Reshma Saujani and State Senator Dan Squadron. The fundraisers for Ms. James and Ms. Saujani had already been rolled out, while Mr. Squadron’s campaign announced their own event earlier this afternoon.
“One of my favorite weekend activities with my wife and 20-month-old son is having dim sum in Chinatown,” Mr. Squadron wrote in an email to his supporters. Read More
District Attorney Candidate Wants Brooklyn to Be More Laid Back About Weed
Earlier today, Abe George, a former prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s office and a candidate next year against incumbent Brooklyn D.A. Joe Hynes announced one of his key campaign platforms will be relaxing penalties for marijuana possession.
“As a career prosecutor who spent considerable time investigating and prosecuting drug crimes, I have seen first hand how valuable resources have been wasted enforcing antiquated marijuana laws rather than fighting crimes that directly impact the public good,” Mr. George said in a statement that also noted anti-marijuana laws’ disproportionate effect on young minorities. “Brooklyn, which has long led the city in homicides and shootings, cannot wait until the New York State Legislature acts at some unknown time to finally decriminalize marijuana possession.” Read More
Morning Read: ‘The Politics of Personal Assassination’
Looks like other states are following the much-acclaimed model of the New York State Senate. Nevertheless, co-leaders Dean Skelos and Jeff Klein held a press conference yesterday where they touted the new coalition governance model and how they will move forward.
Tweet of the Day: “Awkward moment at GOP/IDC presser today: Skelos asked about diversity. He turns to lone minority in coalition, Malcolm Smith. Smith shrugs.” Read More
Tom Allon Says His Mayoral Rivals ‘Should Be Judged’ for Independence Party Meeting
Tom Allon wants you to know he doesn’t have an Independence streak.
The Manhattan Media CEO, recent Republican and long-shot mayoral candidate released a statement blasting the controversial Independence Party and his rivals in the wake of an opinionated Daily News investigation into the party’s origins. The piece, which quoted party leader Lenora Fulani asserting that Jews “do the dirtiest work of capitalism, to function as mass murderers of people of color,” enraged Mr. Allon. Read More
Poll Shows Almost Half of Americans Believe There Is a ‘War on Christmas’
Watch out Santa. A new poll from Public Policy Polling shows 47 percent of Americans believe there is a “War on Christmas.” For years conservative pundits, particularly Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, have argued that secularization efforts including encouraging generic “holiday” celebrations rather than Christmas festivities amount to an assault on the Christian holiday. Read More
City Council Tackles Our Last Existential Quandary: Countdown Clocks for Bus Stops
The bus stop is a lonely place, made lonelier without the reassurances of time. Like Estragon said, “Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful.” Much better to wait underground for the subway where your time is allotted to you by little digital clocks hanging from the ceiling. No more leaning out and staring into the endlessness of a dark tunnel looking for light. Your train is 4 minutes away, at least on those lines fortunate enough to have the timers.
New York City is not a place for waiting. We’re terrible at it, and the City Council knows it. Today, joined by transit advocates and riders, a group of council members introduced a resolution calling on city agencies to install “bus clocks” in all of the 3,300 shelters across the city. Clocks that would display real-time bus arrival information, not simply those flimsy timetables many bus poles now unreliably, even flagrantly, post. It’s a move that will finally see the city catching up with such other metropolitan innovators as Albany, Syracuse, and Champaign, Ill. They’ve even got an online version in Boston—Boston! Read More
Yetta Kurland Kicks off Campaign With Quirky Press Conference
Yetta Kurland, a progressive activist, attorney and radio show host, is giving the City Council another try.
“I live in New York City because I believe it is the greatest city in the world. But over the past twenty years, I’ve watched the city lose too much of its soul,” said Ms. Kurland who last ran for the seat currently occupied by Christine Quinn in 2009. “We’re heading towards becoming a place where only the richest can afford to live and where our public resources are being converted into private profit.” Read More
