Today the NYT takes on Cuomo's best friend and health care advisor for his consulting business with the health care industry. and he is not a registered lobbyist. Both the Daily News and NYT have stories about the Vatican decision to refuse to give Communion to the new governor. The Vatican when after the governor father for his views on abortion. In other stories Cuomo is attacked for chopping funding for the blind and protecting the rich. Even Bloomberg took a shot. There is no doubt that the special interests who are facing cuts and their friends in the press can break new governors, easy. How Cuomo reacts to these attacks will determine if he become a successful leading governor or he joins the dump with Spitzer and Paterson. If he folds against the special interests the editorial boards will put him in the dump. If he holds the fact he is the leading democratic governor, he will likely see heavy attacks from unions and other democratic allies. Get ready for a bumpy ride gov. * Quinnipiac Poll: Cuomo Still Popular, As Are Cuts to State Workers (NYO)
Cuomo Adviser Takes Pay From Health Industry Jeffrey Sachs has taken on a powerful role among his health care advisers. At the same time, Sachs is working as a paid consultant to some of the biggest players in the New York health care industry, including Mount Sinai Medical Center, NYU Langone Medical Center and the state’s largest association of nursing homes, all of which have financial interests at stake in the coming Medicaid changes. A spokesman for health care consultant and Cuomo’s “best friend,” Jeffrey Sachs, who is playing a big role in the Medicaid redesign team efforts, said he has “frozen all contact on behalf of clients with state officials for the duration of the Cuomo administration.” (NYT)* A.M. Roundup: Cuomo’s health care advisor (TU)
Mike lights into Andy "The governor's office may be an expert on the governor's office," the mayor said, responding to a question about comments from gubernatorial aides about the city's finances.(NYP) * Are Cuomo and Bloomberg...frenemies?
Unions Bashing Bloomberg
The police and firemen’s union are jointly runningfull-page ads denouncing “Bloomberg’s lies” about the $12,000 payments some uniformed retirees get, which the mayor calls an expensive “bonus” that should be ended. After opposition from the unions, and even the New York Post editorial board, Bloomberg scaled back his position, saying in his preliminary budget he wants only “moderate” changes to the program that will yield $200 million in annual savings.
Pledge? What Pledge? Before last year’s elections, when NY’s legislators were terrified of losing their jobs, a majority signed a pledge to pass a set of much-needed reforms, starting with a plan to end the gerrymandering of political districts. Now all 32 Republicans in the State Senate and a few Democrats in the Assembly have decided that they have more important things to do. That sort of cynical postelection amnesia is an insult to voters.(NYT Ed) * The Times names names in the Senate, calling out six GOP lawmakers who the paper’s editorial page wants pressured to keep their promises on redistricting reform: Lee Zeldin, Andy Lanza, Jack Martins, Greg Ball, Mark Grisanti and Marty Golden.* The North Country’s Senate seatswould change dramaticallyunder Cuomo’s redistricting bill, which lawmakers are balking at passing as-is.
Union Salary:NY State United Teachers boss “Iannuzzi will pull down roughly $300,000 in salary and benefits this year — up 16 percent since 2008″ (New York Post)
Bloomberg Pressuring Pols to Press Albany
Mayor Aims at Elected Officials (WSJ) Bloomberg's budget recommended cutting the public advocate's budget by 20% and each of the borough presidents' budgets by as much as 36%. (WSJ) *
Markowitz Forgetaboutit
Aide: Probe Marty 'lie' Former communications director said yesterday she'll ask the Manhattan DA to investigate her claim that the Beep lied in a deposition he gave in a sexual-discrimination suit she brought against him.
Cuomo has scaled back the financial-enforcement authority he proposed for a new banking and insurance regulator that would have usurped power from AG Eric Schneiderman’s office.
Charters charting a course in excellenceCharter-school kids continued to outperform their traditional public-school classmates in three of the four categories tested in social studies and science (NYP)
Pols have a ciao! San Gennaro uproarAll eight Italian-American members of the council have penned a letter to mayor, urging him to support Little Italy's signature street festival at its full seven blocks, rather than a scaled-down version sought by owners of new boutique shops and community board.
Planned hearings by Rep. Pete King, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, on the “radicalization of the American Muslim community” drew noisy protesters on both sides of the issue to his Massapequa Park office. (AP)
Black Swan Lakeside Chicago, a city described by H.L. Mencken as “alive from snout to tail,” chooses a mayor who’s the same. (Dowd, NYT)* Emanuel Wins Big in Chicago(WSJ)
