Those darn Republicans(NYP Ed) “Co-Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-LI) blasted the
Democratic-controlled Assembly’s passage of a $9-an-hour minimum wage,
saying it would destroy jobs by raising costs an estimated $2,800 per
employee. . . . We wonder how long it will be before Skelos hails as a
success a minimum-wage hike because it is below the $9-an-hour the
Democrats want.” The answer seems to be one week. On Monday, the state Senate approved a budget resolution — with the support of the Republicans — that included this language, which is rightly being reported as a step down from their previous position. Klein on the staying power of the IDC-GOP Senate coalition: “I think we’re going to show people this is really the way to govern.”* IDC-GOP Split? ‘Absolutely Not True’ Says Klein(YNN)
___________________________________________________________________________________
Campaign 2013
Carrion Loses the GOP Annual Ballot Line $$$ Auction
Or A Funny Thing Happen to Make the NYC GOP Giuiani Incorporated
Or A Funny Thing Happen to Make the NYC GOP Giuiani Incorporated
"Sources said that if Eaton flips to Catsimatidis, Savino likely would follow." It looks like former Bronx BP/mayoral hopeful Adolfo Carrion is not going to make it onto the GOP ballot, leaving him with just the Independence Party line.
EXCLUSIVE: Adolfo Carrion may be nixed from Republican mayoral ticket after Brooklyn GOP boss withdraws support(NYDN) Carrion
would still be on the November ballot due to his Independence Party
endorsement, but Brooklyn Republican honcho Craig Easton is putting
weight behind John Catsimatidis. Brooklyn Republican boss Craig Eaton is
withdrawing his support for mayoral candidate Adolfo Carrión and
joining two other county GOP chairmen in supporting John Catsimatidis,
leaving Carrión with only the Independence Party ballot line* NYC Republicans need to gin up that old excitement - William F. B. O'Reilly (Newsday)
Bloomberg $$$ Buys GOP
Since 2009, he’s contributed $815,000 to the 5 GOP families in the city
Did Team Lhota Misplay GOP Leadershop
Big fundraising haul for@JoeLhota4Mayor. Source says GOP candidate raised $720K. Only started raising $ in mid-January. * Joseph Lhota Raises $730,000 in 2 Months in Mayoral Bid (NYT)
Did Team Lhota Misplay GOP Leadershop
Lhota should have kept the county leaders and his opposition
divided by encouraging the lone chair in his corner, Scammardella, to agree to
let Carrion have a Wilson Pakula "in the interests of fairness", even
though he was with Lhota. Doing so would have kept Carrion in play as a
potential GOP candidate, and prevented Eaton (and Savino) from moving to
Catsimatidis, as they are doing now. Now Catsimatidis will have 4 county
chairs, plus Pataki, plus Malliotakis, plus Fossella.Lhota could have divided his opponents, and made him and his
supporters look like reformers who want to encourage competition at the same
time Lhoda $$$$
Big fundraising haul for
de Blasio* With $730,000 Lhota raised more in past 2 months than any candidate in same Jan-March period in 05 or 09:
Quinn Overrides
At 11:28 a.m., an email from "Christine C. Quinn" was sent from an email address linked to a QuinnforNewYork.org.
The email and that .org site are fakes. You can tell because both of them argue for passing the Paid Sick Leave bill, which the real-life Quinn is blocking from being voted on in the City Council, even though it has more than enough supporters to override a mayoral veto.(Capital) * Rival Campaign Capitalizes on Internet Prank Mocking Christine Quinn(NYO) * "It's not clear who was behind the fake site." [Dan Hirschhorn and Tina Moore]
-
.
@billdeblasio avoids question about fighting 5boro cab versus soda ban (both lawsuits about mayoral power vs.@NYCCouncil)#mayor #2013
Courtney Gross
Political Corruption
Former chief of staff for embattled Assemblyman Boyland to plead guilty to corruption charges
Embattled state Assemblyman William Boyland’s ex-chief of staff is
expected to plead guilty tomorrow to political corruption charges
connected to her legislative work. Ry-Ann Hermon was charged with
bribery and conspiracy in December 2011 and is...
Ex-assemblyman sentenced to one month in jail for for bribe scheme(NYP)Ex-Assemblyman Sentenced On Bribery Charges(YNN) * Former Assemblyman Meng Gets Lenient Prison Sentence For Elaborate Bribing Scheme*NY1) * Bribery pol’s crying shame(NYP) * Ex-Queens Assemblyman Sentenced in Bribery Case(NYT) * Ex-Assemblyman Sentenced in Bribe Scheme(WSJ)
Congresswoman Grace Meng was on hand for her father’s guilty plea yesterday, in addition to writing a letter on his behalf. “We’re here in support of my father today,” she said. “He has taken full responsibility for his actions and accepts all the consequences. And our family looks forward to getting on beyond this chapter.” Her father, Assemblyman Jimmy Meng, was sentenced to only 1 month in prison, in addition to 4 months of house arrest and 750 hours of community service.
___________________________________________________________________________________
BOE Corrupt and Idiots
Now The Idiots Want to Spend Millions to Convert The Old Machine into Modems?
Any Iphone Can be a Modem . . . And We Thought They Were Going to Use the Old Machines for Voting This Year
Old Lever Machine Becomes New Voting Kiosk(WNYC) What’s big, orange and looks like an old lever voting machine? It’s a new voter kiosk unveiled for the first time Tuesday by staff at the New York City Board of Elections, who say deploying them citywide would shorten lines at polls and speed the process of communicating results on election night.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Council Pushes for Special Interests
At the Same Time Brewer Covers Up the BOE Corruption She Pushes Bill For Special Interests Campaign Help
At the Same Time Brewer Covers Up the BOE Corruption She Pushes Bill For Special Interests Campaign Help
March 13, 2013 — Today’s vote by the City Council will weaken the City’s strong disclosure requirements for independent expenditures. It will deprive voters of complete information about spending by outside groups in New York City elections. We are disappointed that the Council has chosen to override Mayor Bloomberg’s veto.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Much Needed Decent
We need one of these for every Queens CB(Queens Crap
From DNA Info:Will the real Queens Community Board 1 please stand up?
A mock website surfaced recently that looks to be the actual site for Astoria's CB1 — except that it's loaded with satirical digs at the board, painting its members as elitist and out of touch with the rest of the neighborhood. "Queens Community Board 1 is proud to represent the interests of business and property owners," the "About" page of the phony site reads. "We have a certain amount of clout with elected officials and city agencies," another page says, before adding that the board's role is to "provide helpful cover to local elected officials when they take positions at odds with the majority of people in the community."The fake page lists a number of the CB's most contentious past issues as "accomplishments" — including votes against a pedestrian plaza on Newtown Avenue and a bike corral at the Queens Kickshaw restaurant — and criticizes the board as favoring the interests of drivers, developers and property owners.
Fake community board website stirs up touchy issues in western(NYDN)___________________________________________________________________________________
NYS Government
School Aid
Albany Still Divided Over Restoring Cut School Aid To NYC(NY1)
Cuomo said that New York City’s loss of $240 million in state education funding would be a one-time hit for missing the January 17th deadline on a teacher evaluation plan, and that he opposes legislative efforts to restore the money, the New York Post reports:
Marijuana
Cuomo said that a bid to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana was being considered in state budget negotiations, with the measure receiving broad support in the Assembly and needing leverage to pass through the state Senate, the Times-Union reports
MMA
Cuomo indicated that he has no problem with legalizing Mixed Martial Arts in New York, saying he is interested in an economic benefits analysis of the sport, and disclosing that he even watches fights on occasion, the Times-Union reports * UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta said MMA’s leading company was “pleased that the governor recognizes the enormous positive economic impact” legalization could bring. * Catholic Conference Opposes MMA(YNN)
Norman Oder
Pensions
Cuomo’s proposal to allow cash-poor New York localities to lower pension payments now and pay more later has gained steam with state legislators, much to the chagrin of fiscal watchdogs.
Open Government
Guns
Court Denies SAFE Act Injunction(YNN) * Schneiderman: Court Right To Reject Injunction Against SAFE Act(YNN)
___________________________________________________________________________________
Demand for Speeding Cams
Push for speed cams
(NYP) Amid a rash of speeding fatalities, city lawmakers yesterday urged
Albany to put the pedal to the metal on a bill that would allow up to 40
cameras to be used to catch and ticket drivers racing along streets * City Council Members Support Plan For Cameras To Detect Speeding DriversBig Brother Cameras
NYPD Cameras Will Be Able To Track Every Car Entering Manhattan(Huff Post)
___________________________________________________________________________________
Soda Fight and Return of Twinkies
Michael Goodwin: “When he leaves office in January, Bloomberg will have earned his stripes as the Health Mayor.”
‘Well’ done, nanny! (NYP) To our health For Michael Bloomberg, a funny thing happened on the way to making history. He came to City Hall vowing to be the “Education Mayor,” saying he wanted to improve readin’ and writin’ the way Rudy Giuliani improved public safety. It hasn’t worked out that way, but something else has: When he leaves office in January, Bloomberg will have earned his stripes as the Health Mayor.* Courts Rein In Bloomberg’s Power to Make Policy(NYT) * Legal Battle Over Limits on Sugary Drinks May Outlast Mayor’s Tenure(NYT) * Mayor Bloomberg’s Anti-Obesity Campaign(NYT Ed)
There are better ways for the mayor to use his time
and resources to combat obesity in New York City than to ban giant
sugary drinks. The Times writes that in the wake of a
judge’s decision to block Bloomberg’s ban on large sugary drinks, the
mayor should refocus his anti-obesity campaign on pushing the state
Legislature to impose a penny-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks* Soda Ban Faces Long Battle Ahead(WSJ) The Bloomberg administration filed
plans to appeal a judge’s decision to strike down a ban on the sale of
large sugary drinks in New York City, though a decision could come after
the end of Bloomberg’s tenure and affect the next mayor,* Day After Sugary Drink Ban Fizzles, Mayor Seeks Volunteers(NY1) 
Who is Fighting for Those With Diabetes?
Minority Groups and Bottlers Team Up in Battles Over Soda(NYT) Despite high rates of obesity in the populations they work for, groups
with a long history of funding by the beverage industry are now fighting
measures like New York City’s stalled soda ban. * Minority Groups Oppose Soda Ban, Insist Donations From Beverage Industry Aren’t a Factor (NY Mag) * The Twinkie Lives!(Daily News)
ProPublica
to fight Bloomberg's big gulp ban, soda companies may be taking strategy tips from tobacco industry
Pop-ping the question! Soda judge marries feuding couple
(NYP) They should toast the wedding with a Big Gulp instead of
champagne. The judge who blocked Mayor Bloomberg from banning big sugary
drinks yesterday married a couple who squabbled over the soda saga just
moments before saying. The state Supreme Court judge who blocked Bloomberg’s ban, Milton Tingling, is – ironically – a diabetic who eats healthy and regularly works out, friends said.___________________________________________________________________________________
NYC Government
Sanitation Dept. lost $28M for not building garages on time:(NYDN)Midtown Zoning
Bloomberg races to rezone midtown east, change New York (NYDN)Education
Walcott to principals: Talk to parents(NYDN)Traveling Bus Exhibit Has Mayoral Hopefuls "Get On Board" With Education Reform(NY1)
NYDN Juan Gonzalez: Bloomberg's plan to radically alter NYC skyline via E. Side zone re-do
___________________________________________________________________________________
Economic
New York Startups Doubled in Two Decades(WSJ)
Fort Hamilton military employees forced to take furloug(NYDN)No area of New York had a decline in unemployment between January 2012 and January 2013, state Labor Department statistics showed. It’s the second year in a row where not one area of the state had its unemployment rate drop.
Azi Paybarah
not creating enough jobs in NY?
Cuomo: "Amazing Spider-Man 2...largest movie production 2b filmed in
NY...expected to result in 3,500 jobs"
___________________________________________________________________________________
Tennis Looking for Love
USTA fires back against critics of its proposed expansion(NYDN)___________________________________________________________________________________
Sandy
Storms Swiftly Claim Trees, but Stumps Stay for Years(NYT)U.S. Will Provide Millions More in Storm Aid for New York(NYT)
For Transit Systems, Storm Wounds Heal Slowly(WSJ)
Lawmakers called Cuomo’s plan to
increase penalties for utility companies that fail to perform adequately
after power outages unfair, with the Assembly offering a softer version
of the bill and Senate Republicans
leaving it out of their budget proposal, the Times-Union writes:
The federal government has agreed to spend an additional $436 million to repair dunes, beaches and sea walls in coastal communities in New York that were hammered by Hurricane Sandy.
leaving it out of their budget proposal, the Times-Union writes:
The federal government has agreed to spend an additional $436 million to repair dunes, beaches and sea walls in coastal communities in New York that were hammered by Hurricane Sandy.
$1B for NY Sandy fix(NYP)
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle believe Cuomo has either gone too far or moved too fast in developing sanctions for companies that can’t restore power after a storm.
Staten Islands standing their ground amid Sandy Buyouts.(DNAINFO)
Senator Chuck Schumer says the federal government will pick up the $1 billion tab for rebuilding beaches destroyed by superstorm Sandy.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle believe Cuomo has either gone too far or moved too fast in developing sanctions for companies that can’t restore power after a storm.
Staten Islands standing their ground amid Sandy Buyouts.(DNAINFO)
Senator Chuck Schumer says the federal government will pick up the $1 billion tab for rebuilding beaches destroyed by superstorm Sandy.
___________________________________________________________________________________
MTA
Media
NY1 Online: Remembering 100 Years Of El Diario(NY1)The New York Times Redesign Is a Work-in-Progress(NY Mag)
Washington
Balanced Budget Dispute Is Fiscal and Philosophical(NYT)
The Worst of the Ryan Budgets(NYT Ed)
U.S. Steps Up Alarm Over Cyberattacks(WSJ)
Obama's approval rating drops down to 50% mark(Wash Post)
Obama says White House tours could resume for students(Wash Post)
Obama Loses Public Trust on Economy - Cohen & Tumulty, Washington Post
Paul Ryan Has Learned Nothing - Jonathan Cohn, The New Republic
One Day in March Revives a Party - Noemie Emery, Washington Examiner
What to Make of President's Charm Offensive - Doyle McManus, LA Times
For Obama, It's All About 2014 - Stephen Hayes, The Weekly Standard
Mr. Obama Goes to Israel - Thomas Friedman, New York Times
Silly People Try to Ban Progress - John Stossel, FOX Business
America's Decline: It's the Trade Deficit - James Hoffa, Detroit News
Nanny Bloomberg Just Doesn't Get It - Jacob Sullum, New York Daily News
Sam's Smear - Ramesh Ponnuru & Jonah Goldberg, National Review
OFA Is Not a Partisan Organization - Jon Carson, USA Today
To Speak of Woe That Is in Teen Pregnancy - Heather Mac Donald, City Jrnl
Choosing a Pope, Day 1 - Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal
Marissa Mayer's Smart Call - James Surowiecki, The New Yorker
Welcome to Facebook's Midlife Crisis - John Herrman, BuzzFeed
A Troubling After-Image of Stalin - Cathy Young, RealClearPolitics
Nanny Mike's Soda Ban Goes Pop - New York Post
U.S. Not Ready for a Cyberwar - Washington Post
Paul Ryan Is Wrong on Medicare - USA Today
We Stand With Rand - Harvard Crimson
Thomas L. Friedman
OP-ED COLUMNIST; Mr. Obama Goes to Israel(NYT)
President Obama met with House Speaker John Boehner today to talk about the budget.
President Obama met with House Speaker John Boehner today to talk about the budget.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Law and Order
A protest over the fatal police shooting of a teenager that turned violent Monday night in Brooklyn led to a terse exchange between a Councilman Jumaane Williams and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly.
Riot-wary Flatbush turns into ghost town
(NYP) A normally bustling stretch of East Flatbush was a ghost town
yesterday, as merchants refused to open their businesses in fear of a
fresh round of looting and rioting over the fatal police shooting of a
local teenager
Cop who reported crooked NYPD suing for psych ward lock(NYDN) The
Brooklyn cop suing the NYPD for locking him in a mental ward when he
questioned police procedure says a doctor wouldn’t let him leave without
police approval.
Son accused of hacking apart his Bronx mom indicted for murder(NYP) 
Killer haggled with psychiatrist over money while hacking away (NYP) Give me $1,000! Or $500! All right, $250! Cleaver-swinging killer
David Tarloff was clearheaded enough to haggle over dollar amounts
during his botched robbery of an Upper East Side psychiatry office * Psychiatrist, Also Victimized, Tells of Attack by Defendant(NYT) * Psychiatrist says he reasoned with psycho slasher(NYDN)
EXCLUSIVE: License to kill: Judge's outrageous DWI ruling allowed hit-and-run killer Julio Acevedo to stay behind the wheel(NYDN) When Julio
Acevedo was arraigned last month on a drunken driving bust, Brooklyn
Supreme Court Justice Michael Gary refused to set bail and declined to
suspend the ex-con’s license, even though he told it was mandatory. 'I
don’t believe that I must do it,' he said, saying a judge presiding
Accevedo's next court date on April 10 could 'correct' him if he was
wrong.* Brooklyn Hit-and-Run Driver Will Face Criminal Charges(NY Mag) * 'Hit-run' demon indicted in crash that killed Brooklyn couple, unborn child(NYP) * Driver Indicted in Crash That Killed Expectant Couple(NYT)
Hapless bank robber proves to be a real candy ass: He gets nothing but lollipops(NYP) Sucker! A would-be bank robber walked into a Manhattan bank hoping for
a sweet payday — but left with nothing but some hard candy when a
quick-thinking teller gave him the runaroundJury Finds Tenant Guilty of Setting Deadly Fire at a Crowded Brooklyn Tenement in 2010(NYT)
(NY1)Suspect Charged With Murder Of Men Found In Queens Brush Fire
Grand jury indicts driver in deadly hit-run(Fox 5)
Mauled tiger nut: Forgive my trespasses, but I’m not guilty
(NYP) The thrill seeker who was mauled after jumping into the tiger pen at
the Bronx Zoo pleaded not guilty yesterday to trespassing David
Villalobos “is a very intelligent person and he’ll explain exactly what
happened,” his lawyer, Corey Sokoler, said.
Ivan Ramos gets 20 years for West Village rape(NYDN)Man Charged With Killing Two, Burning Bodies on Howard Beach(NY Mag)
Graffiti artist charged with 68 counts of tagging(NYDN)
Brooklyn Man Charged With Killing 2 and Dumping Guns(NYT)
NYPD: Arrest Made in Brush Fire Bodies Case(NBC)
Man convicted of murder in B'klyn fire(NYDN)
Armed Man Robs Woman in Bronx Building Lobby: Cops(NBC)
Police Seek Man Who Slashed Bronx Livery Driver (NY1)
