133 Days after the most disastrous election day operation in the Board of Election history, the board still is counting votes. Tomorrow morning when the commissioners meet they will add 400 more votes and recertify the Novemember 6th General Election. This comes one week after after the BOE executive director Dawn Sandow accused her own workers of being crooks at a city council hearing. Board of Elections fears poll workers would steal iPads(NYDN)
BOE No Plans for 2013, No Pressure to Reform
The BOE has not had an executive director in two years. It is being controled by the party bosses. In other words New Yorkers who want fair well run elections are screwed. We are only 176 days away
from possible citywide runoffs in which the BOE has no plan. For some reason the media does not think that is a problem. The City Council is involved with a cover up with the media of the BOE.
If We Move the BOE to Arizona Will the NYT Then Write About New Yorkers Right to Vote?
Arizona’s Barrier to the Right to Vote(NYT Ed) Arizona’s Proposition 200 conflicts with the National
Voter Registration Act of 1993 and should be struck down by the Supreme
Court.
GOP Council Leaders Uniting Behind Lhota
All four Republican members of the City Council are going to back Joe
Lhota in the GOP primary for mayor, The Post has learned. The unified
endorsement is expected to be announced tomorrow at City Hall. Queens GOP chairman Phil Ragusa shot back that Catsimatides, who is a
contributor to the local GOP, is as qualified as Mayor Bloomberg to run
the city."Lhota is the only principled Republican in the race, the only one
who isn't a Republican out of convenience," declared Councilman Erich
Ulrich (R-Queens). He charged that Republican county leaders
who've lined up with Catsimatides "really sold out the Republican
Party....This is not about going to the highest bidder. This is about
the future of the city."
Liu's Staff's Trial And SI DA Donovan investigation of WFP Loom Big in 2013 Mayor's Race
Liu's Bewitched
Defiant John Liu Vows to Win in Spite of ‘Witch Hunt’ Against Him: Comptroller John Liu officially kick... (NYP)* Criticizing Bloomberg, Liu Enters Race to Succeed Him(NYT) Notably, the mayoral hopeful used the supporter-packed, whirlwind day to reiterate his tale of having helped his mom out at her sweatshop job when he was a kid. Serious holes in that storyline when Liu ran for comptroller in 2009 -- back in our Brawl For The Hall days. * Liu on Attack as He Starts Mayoral Run(WSJ)
* Nearly every question Liu got from reporters at City Hall was about that investigation. In addition to the crowds, there were also some local political figures: City Councilman Charles Barron of Brooklyn and his wife, Assemblywoman Inez Barron, Councilman Peter Koo of Flushing and William and Valerie Bell, the parents of Sean Bell, who was shot and killed on his wedding day by NYPD officers six years ago.
Liu Announces Candidacy For Mayor(NY1) * Comptroller John Liu launched his campaign for NYC mayor on Sunday with promises of a populist administration and attacks on Mayor Bloomberg’s legacy. *Mayoral Candidate John Liu Downplays One Scandal, Reignites Another(NY Mag)* "Liu seemed to suggest that the probe came about in part due to his populist message." [Andrew Grossman] * Liu's entrance into the mayor's race got three sentences in the Post. [Sally Goldenberg]
"NYT and FedsTargeting Me" - Liu
Baldwin NYT Kissing Quinn
Baldwin: "
___________________________________________________________________________________
Political Corruption
The Daily News Keeps Up It Pressure On Vito Lopez Started With 3 Hits Against the Assemblyman Last Week
The labor-backed Working Families Party, in another matter of secrecy, has requested that the court unseal Daniel Donovan's unusual decision to seek a special prosecutor to look into allegations that WFP improperly aided candidates. Donovan has never said publicly why he sought a special prosecutor, which political and legal experts say is rare.
Donovan has ordered that a state ethics commission report on Lopez be kept from the public
Staten Island District Attorney Daniel
Donovan Jr.’s is being criticized for keeping a state ethics commission
report on Assemblyman Vito Lopez from the public and refusing to unseal
information in a case involving the Working Families Party
No Federal Charges for Cook or Scarborough
Politicians caught collecting Albany per diems when they're not there(NYP, 2012)
___________________________________________________________________________________
Campaign 2013
“Yes, I’m Black—Duh”(NY mag)
Bill Thompson and the strange place of race in this year’s mayor’s race.Chris Smith on
the ethnic politics at play in the NYC mayor’s race: “t’s better for
(Chris) Quinn if Liu stays in the race, because he’ll siphon some
minority votes from (Bill) Thompson…but Liu staying in the race makes it
tougher for Quinn to hit the magic 40 percent mark that would allow her
to avoid a Democratic runoff.*
Former GOP US Senator-turned-lobbyist Al D’Amato bundled $47,550 in contributions to Thompson, the latest disclosure filings show.
Former GOP US Senator-turned-lobbyist Al D’Amato bundled $47,550 in contributions to Thompson, the latest disclosure filings show.
Quinn: Stop and Frisk Politics
Stop and Frisk Trial
The NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy, widely credited as an important factor in the citywide drop in crime during the Bloomberg administration, will face its biggest constitutional test in a federal trial beginning today.
Trial to Start in Class Suit on Stop-and-Frisk Tactic(NYT)
Trial Begins Over NYPD's Frisk Policy(WSJ)
Scheindlin’s show trial (NYDN Ed) The verdict seems pre-cooked in the bogus stop, question and frisk class action lawsuit
Testimony In Stop-And-Frisk Lawsuit Starts With Teen's Claims Of Mistreatment(NY1)
A Focus on 3 Encounters in a Stop-and-Frisk Trial(NYT)
Testimony In Stop-And-Frisk Lawsuit Starts With Teen's Claims Of Mistreatment(NY1)
A Focus on 3 Encounters in a Stop-and-Frisk Trial(NYT)
The Race for Council Speaker
Like Councilman Mark Weprin, Councilman Dan Garodnick also seems to be giving campaign contributions like he’s aiming for the speakership. In his latest filing, Mr. Garodnick has given to Council Members Andy King, Ydanis Rodriguez and Rosie Mendez, as well as candidates Mark Levine, Vanessa Gibson, Costa Constantinides, Chris Banks, and Andy Cohen. If there’s a theme here, the donations tilt towards Manhattan incumbents and establishment-friendly contenders citywide.
Twitter co-founder eyes NYC mayor's job(Fox 5)
Broke Campaign: Allon Out of Mayor's Race
Tom Allon ends mayoral bid after buyout of political paper City & State(NYP)Allon Drops Out of Race for New York Mayor(NYT) * Tom Allon and Joe Lhota Do Lunch(NYO) *Tom Allon Drops Mayoral Bid: "I've already burdened the journalists at City & State" enough
Lincoln Restler Declines to Challenge Steve Levin(nyo)
___________________________________________________________________________________
New Yorkers Are Sick
New Yokers Sick More
NY is one sick city
(NYP) New Yorkers may be living longer since Mayor Bloomberg took office —
but they’re not feeling any better. More than one in five Big Apple
residents — 22 percent — report being in fair or poor health, according
to a city Health Department analysis.Bloomberg Still Fighting Cigarettes
Bloomberg in new push to snuff out cigarette displays(NYP)___________________________________________________________________________________
NYS Government
Gov secretly breaks his ‘double-dip’ vow(NYP)The top symbol of Gov. Cuomo’s public pledge to curtail “double
dipping” by state officials who collect both state salaries and public
pensions has begun double dipping himself, The Post has found. State
Police Superintendent Joseph D’Amico, with Cuomo’s secret approval but
without any public notice, quietly obtained permission from the state
Civil Service Commission in December to collect his full State Police
salary and his pension as a former deputy chief of the NYPD.Minimum Wage Budget Agreement
Tentative State Budget Includes Multi-Year Minimum Wage Increase(NY1)
State Leaders Reach Deal to Raise Minimum Wage(NYT)
After staffers worked through a weekend that was capped off by a marathon leaders meeting last night, the governor and legislative leaders still have no budget deal.
Statute of Limitations for Sex Offenders
The Times-Union makes the case for the State Legislature extending the statute of limitations on civil suits against sex offenders and their employers:
Las Vegas MMA company joins legalization fight(NYDN) * TU editorial page editor Jay Jochnowitz, a long-time practicer of martial arts, can’t get behind MMA, calling it “an indoor street fight” marked by “wanton brutality.”Pre-K Provider Stole Millions, State Audit Says(NYT)
___________________________________________________________________________________
NYC Government
Women, minorities still locked out of NYC biz(WSJ)
Minority- and female-owned businesses getting little support NYDN)
Pension
The mayor and comptroller portrayed a
historic deal to reshape the city's pension system as a slam-dunk — a
way to save the city billions without having to extract any painful
concessions from city workers. Then labor unions fought back.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Education
NYP Blasts UFT “Get ready for Mayoral Mulgrew.”
Mulgrew at the Helm(NYP) Mulgrew must find mayoral control burdensome. He wants to go back to the
old days, because he knows that getting rid of mayoral control really
means ushering in uncontested union control. 
DOE raps ‘gangsta’ principal(NYP) Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott yesterday blasted a Bronx principal for playing a gun-wielding gangbanger in a bloody B-movie.
___________________________________________________________________________________Homeless
State and City Save Millions Because of Fed Homeless Cutbacks As Homeless Shelters Overflow
New York City officials have blamed the elimination of a rent subsidy for homeless people for the increase in homeless population, despite the federal government picking up 60 percent of the cost of family shelters in 2013, The Wall Street Journal reports: * Homeless Costs Shifted (WSJ) The number of homeless New York City families has reached a record, which has obscured a surprising fact: The state and city have saved millions of dollars on housing the burgeoning ranks of parents and children seeking refuge in local shelters.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Sandy
Fuel giant Hess Corp. is fighting Cuomo’s plan to keep pumps flowing at gas stations after natural disasters strike, because Hess stations were among a minority that had generators and stayed open during the gas crisis after Hurricane Sandy, the Daily News writes:
FEMA to Staten Island Sandy victim: We want our money back(SI Advance)
The Drying of Coney Island: The Coney Island History Project, flooded...: The Coney Island History Project,...
___________________________________________________________________________________More Payoff to Developers/Landlords
NYT Finds Another Way to Help Developers
Saving Schools and Libraries by Giving Up the Land They Sit On(NYT) New York City’s government-financed agencies are offering the land under some of their institutions to the highest bidder to build new, modern libraries or schools at no additional cost to the agency or taxpayer, the Times reports:
Bronx tenant organizers say scales tipped to landlords(NYDN)Hospital
SUNY Downstate To Vote Again On Closing Brooklyn's Long Island College Hospital (NY1)
___________________________________________________________________________________
Bronx DA
More $$$ For Less Convictions
Do-little Bronx DA wants more $$
(NYP) His office has the worst conviction record of any borough, but Bronx
District Attorney Robert Johnson wants more money to help inmates.
Despite his dismal conviction record — only 43 percent of those
arrested for violent felonies are convicted,___________________________________________________________________________________
MTA Broke
Donohue: MetroCard malfunctioning? Tough luck10 hrs agoPlan to Launch Private Boston-to-New York Bus Line Raises Ire in Harlem (DNAINFO)
___________________________________________________________________________________
NYFD Son Hate Tweets
Update
EMT son of FDNY commish resigns after vile, racist online rant revealed(NYP)
*
Fire Commissioner’s Son Resigns as Offensive Twitter Posts Surface(NYT)
___________________________________________________________________________________
Shame of the Met
___________________________________________________________________________________
Media
Dumb Down Content Light TV News Also Losing Viewers
Local TV News Is Following Print’s Path, Study Says(NYT)The diagnosis comes in the center’s 10th annual State of the News Media report,
which will be published on Monday. The report, covering 2012, describes
cutbacks in the reporting ranks of newspapers and television networks
and a surge in efforts by politicians, corporations and others to tell
their own stories. 31 percent of respondents said they “have stopped turning to a news
outlet because it no longer provided them with the news they were
accustomed to getting.”* Pew State Of The Media Study: Journalism Cutbacks Are Driving Consumers Away(Huff Post)* Stories about government and politics in the markets that were sampled
fell by more than half, to 3 percent of the broadcasts from 7 percent in
2005.
Wash Post Paywall
Washington Post Arriving Late to Paywall Party(NY Mag)
Pundit Elitist
MSNBC Coverage Almost Entirely Opinionated, While Fox News Includes More Factual Reporting, Study Says
Wash Post Paywall
Washington Post Arriving Late to Paywall Party(NY Mag)
Pundit Elitist
MSNBC Coverage Almost Entirely Opinionated, While Fox News Includes More Factual Reporting, Study Says
___________________________________________________________________________________
Washington
GOP Issues Scathing Self-Analysis(WSJ)
GOP Taps Tech Allies(WSJ)
Saturday Postal Pullback in Limbo(WSJ)Congress is poised to tell the Postal Service it must continue all Saturday mail services, but some Republican Senators are looking to give the agency leeway to trim select Saturday services.
Europe Braces for Turmoil With Cyprus Seizure - Pat Donahue, Bloomberg
Rand Paul & the Future of Limited Govt - Charles Kesler, Claremont Review
What It Was Like to Oppose Iraq War in 2013 - John Judis, New Republic
Wolfowitz Admits U.S. Bungled in Iraq - Toby Harnden, Sunday Times
Much Rides on Obama's Visit to Israel - Peter Berkowitz, RealClearPolitics
Republicans Have No Clue How to Woo Women - Ana Marie Cox, Guardian
Young Bucks Rut on Old Republican Timbers - Joe Curl, Washington Times
Wall Street & Washington: Beware of the New Elites - Scott Rasmussen
New Pope Remodels the World's Moral Map - Richard Rodriguez, LA Times
Pope Francis Is a Problem for Argentina's Kirchner - Mary O'Grady, WSJ
Repealing Maryland's Death Penalty - Gov. Martin O'Malley, Politico
My Unrecognizable Democratic Party - Ted Van Dyk, Wall Street Journal
What Went Wrong w/Bernard Lewis? - Andrew Bostom, American Thinker
Government as Old-Age Home - Robert Samuelson, Washington Post
Should U.S. Elections Be More Like the Papal Conclave? - Dick Meyer, BBC
Jack Lew's First Big Mistake - Gordon Chang, Forbes
Panels: This Week | Fox News Sunday | Meet the Press | Face the Nation
Ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner is supposedly still mad at House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for saying he should resign during his sexting scandal, and plans to get revenge once “Hillary is president.”
Afghanistan Lesson: Defeat Enemies, Avoid Nation-Building - OC Register
Obama's Trip to the Middle East Could Be Pivotal - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
President Falsely Claims Credit for Energy Boom - Washington Examiner
Provacative New York Ads Try to Curb Teen Pregnancy - Chicago Tribune
Meet Obama’s Latest Controversial Cabinet Nominee(NY Mag)
BREAKING: Hillary Clinton announces support for same-sex marriage. VIDEO:
Steve Brill Gets the Last Laugh Over Epic Health-Care Story(NY Mag)
Hillary Clinton Finally Makes Support for Gay Marriage Explicit(NY Mag)
G.O.P. Report Is Blunt in Its Call for New Direction(NYT)
President Obama’s former top adviser David Plouffe says Hillary Clinton is “probably the strongest” candidate in either party among potential 2016 presidential contenders.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Wall Street
Trading Hearings Put Focus Back on JPMorgan’s Chief(NYT)
Divided Views of SAC Capital Settlement(NYT)
___________________________________________________________________________________
Law and Order
Fed Laws Limit State and City Gun Laws
In the Daily News, former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau writes that New York’s tough gun control laws, both in the state and New York City, are limited in their effectiveness because of a lack of federal regulation:The current gun laws should be better enforced
Kelly Speed Cameras
New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly wrote letters to Cuomo and legislative leaders last week, arguing that using cameras to catch speeders would improve public safety and reduce traffic injuries, the Daily News reports:
Guns
Gun rights supporters who unsuccessfully challenged the NY SAFE Act in court last week have filed an appeal, and the state will have to again defend the gun law this Friday.
Bull’s-eye on cops(NYP) A mock-up of a “Wanted’’ poster placed on Instagram sickeningly calls
for the murders of the two NYPD cops who shot and killed Brooklyn teen
Kimani Gray. 
4 off-duty NYPD busted amid St. Patty's weekend hijinks(NYDN)Murder Conviction Tossed Out in Queens(NYT)
Arrest in SI mom’s Turk slay(NYP) * Turkish Authorities Detain Man in Death of Tourist From Staten Island(NYT) * Man suspected in NYC woman's death nabbed in Syria(WSJ) * Turkish Police Find Suspect In SI Mother's Killing(NY1) * Official: Turkish Man Detained In Death Of Staten Island (WCBS) * Suspect tells cops he got high sniffing glue before slaying SI mom in Turkey(NYP)
Police Search For Two Men In Connection To Robberies In Brooklyn, Queens(NY1)
* Man Says He Killed Tourist in Turkey After She Rebuffed Kiss(NYT)
* Man Says He Killed Tourist in Turkey After She Rebuffed Kiss(NYT)
B'klyn man sobs as he gets 4-12 years in prison for killing Yeshiva teacher in crash(NYP)___________________________________________________________________________________
Terrorism
‘BOMB’ bozo busted
(NYP) An Israeli tourist set off a massive security panic at Newark Airport
and grounded a plane to Miami yesterday after his family was bumped from
a flight and he angrily threatened to create a bomb scare,