Monday, January 3, 2011

It Will Take A Crusade To Clean Up Albany

War or Surrender
Albany's Political Establishment

Bishop Howard Hubbard urged Cuomo to move forward with a sense of “evangelical daring.”

Gov. Cuomo To Cut Own Salary 5%

Unless the unions have a glass jaw and just give up, like Sonny Listen in his second fight with Mohamed Ali it will take more then treating words to fix Albany. It is more likely if history is any example, that the unions and lobbyist demand that Silver and the Assembly act as a block to Cuomo's reform demands. If that occures look for the GOP lead senate to go back and forth between Cuomo and Silver depending on the issue.

Cuomo Plans One-Year Freeze on State Workers’ Pay(NYT) * New Gov. Cuomo to push for pay freeze, cap on state spending (DN) *Gov to seek wage freeze (NYP) * Cuomo's Interior Battle(WSJ) * Cuomo Emphasizes New York's Challenges(WSJ) * Nation's worst Legislature must mend its evil ways and follow Cuomo's reforms (DN Ed) * Ethics 101 for new crew (NYP) * Cuomo Attends First Sunday Mass As Governor (NY1) * Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson’s post looks safe in spite of bad-mouthing by his now former No. 2, Sen. Jeff Klein.* The NYT rounds up Team Cuomo so far. * A transparent Cuomo administration? Really? * Paterson Employees Fired With One Day’s Notice Just Before New Year’s (City Hall) * Paladino Critiques Cuomo (YNN) * Andrew Cuomo Hazed With Fake Twitter (Village Voice) * Sampson’s No. 2 Problem * NYT and labor leaders take on Cuomo(CrainsNY) * Cuomo Looks Forward To ‘Cooperating’ With Union* * Senate GOP Leader Dean Skelos On Gov. Cuomo's Self-Imposed Pay Cut: Eh. *Senate Rules Reform Fight Likely To Be Delayed For Weeks (Huff Post) * A Record? Twelve Days of Parking Amnesty (NYT) * Cuomo Reiterates No New Taxes Vow (Albany Watch) * Video Of Apparent Blizzard Clean-Up, Slow-Down Surfaces (CBS)

Paterson Lies Till The End

While Paterson told the media he never asked for security after he leaves office, the NYP Dicker reports today that he went behind the Cuomo staff and secretly asked the head of the state police who he appointed for protection. Paterson: I never asked for a detail Albany Times Union (blog) - ‎Jan 1, 2011‎ * Dave's 'secret' police irk andy Nixes Paterson's midnight deal for security detail (Dicker, NYP) * It was an unhappy New Year for some Paterson staffers who got fired with less than 24 hours notice.* Jacob Gershman wonders if Cuomo will be able to sustain the new era of transparency he has ushered in at the Capitol, noting that wasn’t a hallmark of his AG tenure.* A UAlbany grad student briefly punk’d Cuomo’s Twitter feed. * Union Leaders react to plans to freeze state-worker pay * A pol’s guide to drinking and dining in Albany (TU) * Tom Shanahan’s take on Cuomo’s inauguration speech: Workmanlike, not great.

Where the Promised Investigation?

Investigating Yourself Means Always Delays, Hoping the Public Will Forget

The mayor has enough time and resources to go to a church on the mayor's non profit payroll asking forgiveness and a second chance. Not one of the stories in the NYP or Daily News mentioned the promised investigation. The City Council investigation starts the 10th. We'll try harder to avoid snow mess in future, Mayor Bloomberg vows (DN) * Church 'mayor culpa' (NYP) * Garbage to Compete With Snow as City Trucks Divide Duty (NYT) * Mess transit: MTA executives should admit they were befuddled by blizzard (DN) * Garbage pile saves man who tried to commit suicide in midtown (DN) * Not a moment too soon! City resuming 'limited' trash collections (DN) * City garbage pickup resumes (NYP) * Water way to go! SI stormbuster (NYP) * The blizzard has led to renewed calls for Staten Island secession. Mayor Michael Bloomberg Digging Out his Reputation After Storm (DNA Info) Playing Catch-Up On The Blizzard Blowout (DN) * Garbage trucks barely make dent in trash piles - and won't for DAYS * Lawyer Recruiting Riders Trapped On A Train For Lawsuit (Huff Post)

Has Comptroller Liu Found City Time II?

COMPTROLLER CALLS “TIME-OUT”
ON $286 MILLION CONTRACT

Requests City Hall Review of Technology Project to Prevent “CityTime 2”

"Activity is Not Accompishment"

John Wooden, UCLA Coach

Black's Nonsense Press Campaign

Not one child will be better educated and the new schools boss we learn nothing about how to make the right education decisions by going around with the press today to visit schools. The entire trip goal is to distract the press from examining the real issue does she have a plan to improve education.

Lots of homework for new schools boss Cathie Black (DN Ed) * It's Black to school on Cathie's Day 1(NYP)* New head of NYC schools going on 5-borough tour(WSJ) * A Bronx Elementary School, Surrounded by Prostitutes (NYT) * Cathie Black steps into job with 5-borough school tour (DN) Rubber-room blues(NYP ED) Black To Start Tenure With Five Borough Tour (NY1)

NY's Economic Meltdown Parking-meter hikes add in$ult to injury (NYP) * By Car, Train or Buggy, Trips to the A.T.M. Will Rise (NYT) * Dan Janison considers what a fiscal emergency might entail.* Jewish leaders are upset by budget cuts that cut kosher enforcement inspectors.* It has been 26 days, and counting, since the closure of the NYC OTB. The Saratogian does not approve. * Sympathy For The Governor? Sure, But Not At NYC's Expense, Mayor Bloomberg Says * "New York state's kosher law-enforcement division has been gutted, sparking concerns in parts of the Jewish community that the cuts raise the risk of fraud in the billion-dollar-plus kosher-food industry," reports the WSJ.

Albany: Show Me the Money I

Your 2010 Elections, Brought To You By... Special Interest Money: Updated!

A few highlights from the report which appears below and was put together by NYPIRG, Citizens Union, Common Cause and The League of Women Voters:

Cuomo, which has vowed to rein in special interests' influence over Albany);
Healthcare-related groups favored Democrats, while real estate's biggest donors gave to the GOP;
Most New Yorkers did not donate, but 18 people gave $150,000 or more;
Democrats outraised Republicans for seats in both houses of the Legislature;
Despite much-touted "voter dissatisfaction," incumbents largely outraised challengers.

de Blasio: Show Me the Money II

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio has hired Reshma Saujani, the financial manager who ran a primary challenge against Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney. It was not Saujani 19% of the vote that attracted de Blasio, It was millions she raised from Wall Street and spent getting those few votes. Public Advocate hires Maloney Challenger

Did City's Industrial Policy Manufacture Defeat? Industrial jobs are disappearing throughout America, but they're vanishing faster in New York.

Turning the East River’s Flow Into Electricity (NYT)

Coffee Construction Mob

Since the 1980s, the mob has found a way to siphon off hundreds of thousands of dollars from all the cups of coffee bought at New York City's construction sites. Colombo crime family brewed coffee con at New York City construction sites (DN) * Colombo Family Coffee Not The Fairest of Trades (Gothamist)

White House Picture of Obama Signing 911 Bill

Huffington Post Picture of Obama Signing 911 Bill Fresh Starts, New Faces and 9/11 Memorial(WSJ)

Terrorism Early Chances Often Missed In Terror Cases(WSJ) *Ed Koch Backs Peter King's Islamic Radicalization Hearings

As of Dec. 31, there were 532 murders in New York City, up from 471 in 2009.

Law and Order NY man arrested for fleeing police(WSJ) * Man charged with sex abuse of NYC patient(WSJ) * Two cops go from heroes to goats for 2008 shooting (DN) * Murderer to inherit fortune -- from victim (NYP) * St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital worker charged with sexually abusing patient (NYP) * Higher ed. for NYUers Tops Ivy - in drugs (NYP) * Murders Rise in New York City, but Remain Near Historic Lows (NYT)

Media and New Tech Delays dog unleashing of NewsBeast (NYP) * In Goldman’s Facebook Deal, an Opening for Private Clients (NYT) * Murder Charge in Swimsuit Designer's Death (NYT) * As Viewers Vanish For Holidays, CNN’s Parker Spitzer Takes The Hardest Hit Mediaiate) * College Paper To Put Up Paywall

Bank Of America Sets Up WikiLeaks Defense Team

Bank of America sees $2B charge on home loans Bank of America Corp. resolved disputes with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by agreeing to pay more than $2.6 billion to ...(CrainsNY) * Fannie and Freddie Continue to Collect on Bad Loans (NYT)

You Scratch My Back . . .

Daley,Rahm,Daley

davidfrum
Do I have this straight: a Daley resigns to make room for Rahm, Rahm resigns to make room for another Daley, and nobody thinks this fishy? (Tweeter)

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Other Views

On October 15, 1958, veteran broadcaster Edward R. Murrow delivered his famous "wires and lights in a box" speech (VIDEO) The Last Lion of Tammany HOW JIMMY McMANUS, MANHATTAN’S LAST GREAT TAMMANY DISTRICT LEADER, HELPED TO REVIVE HELL’S KITCHEN AND THE THEATER DISTRICT c By James S. Kaplan f On January 13, 2011, the law firm of Proskauer Rose moved into 11 Times Square, which is located on 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. In moving west to the final building of the City’s Times Square redevelopment, the Proskauer firm joined such other major law firms as Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Covington & Burling, Roberts & Holland, and the advertising firm of Ogilvy & Mather. That such major professional firms, along with a number of newly constructed luxury apartment buildings on 42nd Street from ninth to eleventh avenue and trendy restaurants and off Broadway theaters would be located west of 8th Avenue in midtown would have been almost inconceivable fifty years ago. Tammany Last Stand Continued

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In the beginning of the last century, Lincoln Steffens and Jacob Riis were the muck rakers. Steffens tried to rouse the public to take action against the misdeeds of government and corporate leaders. Jacob Riis, a Danish immigrant, was the pioneer of photo journalism. He took his camera into the miserable tenement slums of the city. Depicting the plight of the poor, he wrote a book called “How the Other Half Lives.”

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As a 19th-century Manhattan politician once observed, “no man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session.”

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