Thursday, October 3, 2013

Moreland Commission Politics



The BOE Spent $69 Dollars for Each Vote in the Runoff

Tish James the Democratic Nominee for Public Advocate

. "I will keep on doing what I’ve always done in public office -- fighting for New Yorkers and a city I truly love."*  Full text of Daniel Squadron's concession statement to Letitia James on our liveblog:  Tish James  59.4  Daniel Squadron 40.6% An interactive map showing how each block voted in the Public Advocate's race.   Map * Letitia James Is Chosen in Democratic Runoff for Public Advocate(NYT)*. reports from Team Tish victory party:  *City Councilwoman Is Chosen in the Democratic Runoff for Public Advocate * Letitia James Wins Public Advocate Runoff(WSJ) * Letitia James defeats Daniel Squadron in Democratic runoff for public advocate(NYDN) * Letitia James' victory speech. [NY1] * James' victory is also a boost for the Working Families Party. [Kate Taylor]* Headline: "Letitia James wins Staten Island en route to historic victory in public advocate run-off" [Tom Wrobleski] * Why Squadron Lost(YNN)



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Newspaper's Big Losers



The Times They Are A Changing

Out of Touch NYT 
Gray Lady
Regime Change Needed

Another loss for the edit page. they backed Squadron; The Daily News and the NYP, NYO All  Were Loser. All Three Newspaper Editorial Eat Crow Over Quinn and James. Another Schumer protege Loses With 97% reporting, cost per vote in the NYC runoff is $72; well bellow the $130 estimated midday
  


The Daily News Lost 2X Once On Their Editorial Board and the Second Time As Cheap Shot Campaign Manager
“I don’t know how many people know what the job of public advocate is,” said Sharron Whyte, 50, a worker at a polling site on Staten Island where only four voters turned out in the first 3 1/2 hours. For $13 million, the city could hire more than 100 schoolteachers or cops for a year.Daily News Cheap Shot At Tish James Over the weekend The News endorsed Squadron, and cited among its reasons questions over the accuracy of James statements about whether the donated her $10,000 lulu payment from the City Council. [Daily News] *In advance of today’s New York City public advocate runoff election, voters were targeted by an anonymous robocall this weekend for one of the candidates, Daniel Squadron, attacking his opponent Letita James based on a Daily News article a day before, NY1 reports: * In the call, the woman says that Ms. James has “lost her trust and lost her vote” because of a Daily News editorial that reports the candidate had failed to donate her council bonus to charity, as she’d previously claimed she would.

The NYP Says Who Cares
$13M, few voters (Oh, James wins)(NYP)
Blake Zeff explains why newspaper endorsements don’t matter anymore – at least in NYC. 
12 yrs of trickle-down urbanism burst as the most left-labor candidates win Mayoral & PA nods. Big shift from plutocrat to populists





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Speaker Race: Not Making History


James Victory Breaks the Glass Ceiling For What Men For the Council Speaker Position
Boss Crowley Could Now Make It 4 in A Row Speakers For Queens

victory good news for & other white male speaker hopefuls. The candidates pulled the vote out and there was more media internet coverage of the race than in 2009 * Same for Citizens Union, tho Dick Dadey clumsily tried to wriggle out of that on Road to City Hall. True News: NYT Push the Middle Class Out They Push Their Vote Out * “'Today you elected me the first . . . ' she trailed off, struggling for composure. 'The first woman of color to hold citywide office.'" [Matthew Perlman, Joe Scarborough, Simone Weichselbaum, and Celeste Katz] * Tish James Victory Could Shake Up Speaker’s Race  * James' Runoff Win Likely To Shape Council Speaker Race (NY1)

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Lhota as Sisyphus


Lhota fires back at ‘extremist’ charge(NYP)
Joe Lhota fought back Tuesday against Bill de Blasio’s attempt to brand him as a right-wing extremist, declaring, “If I’m tied to the Tea Party, so is Andrew Cuomo.”* Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a supporter of Republican mayoral nominee Joe Lhota, said that Lhota’s opponent Bill de Blasio has an “anti-police ideology”, while de Blasio returned fire at Lhota and Giuliani. Extremist Charges Issued in Election(WSJ) Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani made his harshest criticism yet of Bill de Blasio, while, Mr. de Blasio's campaign tried to portray Joe Lhota—a former aide to Mr. Giuliani—as a tea party sympathizer.* "We need to completely turn the TLC upside down," Joe Lhota says of the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission.* "If I'm tied to the Tea Party, so's Andrew Cuomo. Ask him about the $81,000 he received fromn David and Julia Koch. It's as simple as that." — Joe Lhota * Joe Lhota isn’t impressed with Mr. de Blasio’s latest attacks. “Tying me together with the Tea Party is just not gonna work,” Mr. Lhota said yesterday after Mr. de Blasio attempted to do exactly that. “And if I’m tied to the Tea Party, so’s Andrew Cuomo. Ask him about the $81,000 he received from David and Julia Koch. It’s as simple as that.”* Joe Lhota says he got chills when he watched the motorcycle attack video, cites it as a sign that crime is rising * Joe Lhota on David Koch: "He, like I, believes in a women’s right to choose. He, like I, believes in marriage equality." [Beth DeFalco] * Where De Blasio and Lhota "differ most is their faith in the healing power of tax cuts." [New York Times] * Joe Lhota email or story?: "Change is coming? De Blasio has resume of insider" * Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota said the race is not over and points out that Christine Quinn was ahead in the Democratic primary polls for months but ended up losing, Capital New York writes:  *In First TV Ad, Lhota Highlights His Big Difference With de Blasio
 
Someone Made A Phone Call to Cats Today

  1. 'Cats' just a memory, but his primary win on Staten Island haunts candidate Lhota |
    After Phone Call
    John Catsimatidis: I'll Vote For Joe Lhota | New York Daily News



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de Blasio Coasting on Spin

Rose Garden Strategies Continues into Week 4

Enabling Journalist Print Campaign Press Releases
Once Alienated, and Now a Force in Her Husband’s Bid for Mayor(NYT)“In an interview, Ms. McCray embraced the model of the Clintons’ working partnership, saying that the former secretary of state is the first lady she most admires. She acknowledges feeling so passionately in 2002 about which way her husband would vote on the next City Council speaker she threatened to divorce him if he backed the wrong candidate.”
Cops investigating slew of stabbings near 's home (DNAINFO)* Headline of the Day: “NYC’s Socialist Mayoral Candidate Laughs Off Bill de Blasio’s ‘Red’ Label.” * Bloomberg News profiled how the 2006 death of 7-year-old Nixzmary Brown impacted Mr. de Blasio’s political views. “As a tale of what government was not doing well, it was pretty sharp,” Mr. de Blasio told the publication. “The sense that she could have been saved, not once but many times, left everyone with a pained and empty feeling, and I certainly felt it.”* De Blasio Enters the Big Money Phase of His Campaign (NY Mag)  Democratic mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio has been doing fewer campaign events in part because he has been busy at high-dollar fundraisers with high-powered lobbying firms* Bill de Blasio campaign keeps beating its chest. Inbox: "WHICH REPUBLICAN SAID IT? JOE LHOTA, GEORGE W. BUSH, OR MITT ROMNEY?" * . has "been frantically raising money." via * De Blasio Hits Up Yale Club For Election Cash (NY1) * . says "there is no Plan B" if Albany won't raise taxes on wealthy to fund pre-K. Confident it will happen. * Glenn Beck called Democratic NYC mayoral frontrunner Bill de Blasio a “violent revolutionary” and a “”Marxist communist with a history of supporting terrorism.” * There is a Socialist NYC mayoral candidate, and unlike Lhota, he thinks de Blasio isn’t liberal enough.* Breaking: According to de Blasio, Republican is a Republican Republican GOP Republican Republican GOP:


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Education Attack on de Blasio

 

Charter schools the best hope for escaping special ed(NYP) State Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch criticized de Blasio’s plan to charge rent to New York City charter schools that share space in public school buildings, saying that the rents could stymie growth and innovation * D for de Blasio (NYDN)State ed chancellor stands up for charter schools, against the mayoral hopeful* The Times Union writes that it is imperative that Cuomo’s Education Reform Commission determines why the state spends more per pupil than any other state, yet has some of the worst test scores: 


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$419 A Vote


Catsimatidis Spent $419 for Each Vote in Primary(NYT)
John Catsimatidis spent $419 per vote in losing the Republican mayoral nomination, more than double what Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent in 2009, while Anthony Weiner was the highest per-vote spender among Democratic candidates * Dollars spent per vote: $419-John Catsimatidis; $190-Anthony Weiner; $119-Joe Lhota; $68-John Liu; $60-Christine Quinn; $36-Bill Thompson; $24-Bill de Blasio.







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Cuomo to Cut Taxes

Cuomo Picks George Pataki--The Man Who Beat His Father--To Help Him Cut Taxes
Gov. Andrew Cuomo will appoint former Gov. George Pataki and former Democratic state Comptroller Carl McCall to head a task force charged with finding ways to cut between $2 billion and $3 billion in taxes next year Gov. Cuomo to appoint George Pataki, Carl McCall to lead tax-cut task force(NYDN) * Liberals Not Impressed With The Latest Cuomo Tax Commission(YNN) * Cuomo Turns To Old Rivals For Tax Commission(YNN)* A new state tax commission headed by former governor George Pataki and former state comptroller H. Carl McCall will focus on ways to slow property tax growth and lower the state’s business taxes, State of Politics writes:  * Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver didn’t exactly offer a ringing endorsement of Cuomo’s new tax commission. * Cuomo Taps Pataki, McCall For Tax-Cutting Commission (NY1) * Cuomo Enlists Pataki and McCall to Help With Tax-Cut Plans(NYT) * In the Post, EJ McMahon, the president of the Empire Center for Public Policy, questions whether former Gov. George Pataki’s past views on lower income taxes will resurface as co-chair of Cuomo’s Tax Relief Commission: 
1h
says he's produced "more of a graduated tax code" -- but Pataki-era PIT was already quite progressive.

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 Your Poor And Huddled Masses Can Suck It


Rents Pushing the Middle Class Out
Home Sales Rose in Tighter Manhattan Market, Report Says(NYT)
NYC rents inch further north of $3,000 mark: New York City rents jumped in the third quarter to $3,049 per month,...




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From the Greatest to the Worst Generation

'DISGUSTING FOR THE U.S.': After fighting way into shuttered WWII memorial hero vets focus their rage on bumbling D.C. pols(NYDN)









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What A Waste

WHAT A WASTE! Despite 3.2 million tons of commercial trash piling up in city only 40% is recycled or composted(NYDN)









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Mental Health Blame Not the  Pols?

The Scissor Attack Was One of 90,000 the NYPD Responds to of Emotional Disturbed People Every Year

When Will the Media and Public Start Blaming the Politicians for Not Solving the Mental Health Problem for These Constant Dangerous Attacks? 
Mayhem in Riverside Park -- unusual, seeming random multiple stabbing this morning: (NYT)
Madman stabs 5, including tot(NYP)* 5 Stabbed or Slashed in Riverside Park(NYT) * Five Are Injured by an Attacker With Scissors in Riverside Park





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Election Day for the 3%


After Endorsing Quinn, the 3 Daily Newspapers Who Have Endorse Squadron Fear A James Win for the Embarrassment Irrelevance Their Recommendations Have Become


In advance of today’s New York City public advocate runoff election, voters were targeted by an anonymous robocall this weekend for one of the candidates, Daniel Squadron, attacking his opponent Letita James, NY1 reports: * Vote Tuesday in Runoff Election(NYT Ed) The Times recommends Daniel Squadron for public advocate* Low turnout expected in $13M advocate runoff(NYP)


Runoff Voters Begin Casting Ballots in Empty Auditoriums(NYO)* Letitia James, Daniel Squadron engage in bitter, low-turnout election battle to be Democratic nominee for public advocate * For Public Advocate Today: Daniel Squadron(NYO) * Last-minute attacks are the most likely to be false: Squadron mailer proves unjustified (CrainsNY) * Daniel Squadron predicts better turnout than y'all gadfly politicos, casts his vote with his adorable son (NYO) * State Senator admits to negative robocall in public advocate race(NYP) * New York City public advocate candidate Letitia James downplayed the potentially historic nature of her campaign to be the first black women elected to city-wide office during a last minute campaign stop, Politicker writes:\ State Sen. Daniel Squadron predicted a “surge” of voters in today’s runoff election, adding that voter turnout will be higher than expected and will help win the election, Politicker reports:  
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Clock Ticking On Mayoral Campaign


Time Running Out On Lhota . . .  
He Should Not Expect Any Help Getting His Message Out From Copy Press Release Press Limiting Their Coverage to Consultants Spins
It's been three weeks since won the Dem nomination for NYC mayor. Have the dynamics of the general election changed at all? 
Bill de Blasio Addresses Ailing Father’s Suicide in ’70s(NYT)
In anticipation of a newspaper article, the Democratic candidate for mayor addressed his father’s death in a news release to reporters.* Wall Street bigs back 2nd de Blasio fundraiser(NYP) * De Blasio Says His Father Committed Suicide in 1979(WSJ)
Once Alienated, and Now a Force in Her Husband’s Bid for Mayor(NYT)
Chirlane McCray, a 58-year-old poet, has built and guided the campaign of her husband, Bill de Blasio, thoroughly erasing the line between spouse and strategist.

Joe Lhota’s tax-cut plan to spur jobs(NYP) Democratic mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio and Republican rival Joe Lhota agree with the Bloomberg administration’s approach to public health, but differ on the mayor’s bans Health Policy Acts as Wedge(WSJ)
Bill de Blasio speaks on his father's suicide, which he had kept quiet about due to emotional pain(NYDN) * Joe Lhota was on the defense after Mr. de Blasio attacked him for his “boyhood hero” Barry Goldwater. “It was reprehensible that Barry Goldwater voted against the Civil Rights Act,” Mr. Lhota said in response to one of Mr. de Blasio’s criticisms. “There are numerous things that I disagree with the late Sen. Goldwater.”* WSJ takes a look at NYC's leading mayoral candidates' positions on public health issues. * Bill de Blasio’s Whereabouts on Runoff Day(YNN) * Regents boss slams de Blasio plan to charge charter schools rent(NYP) Tisch said she’s concerned that forcing publicly-funded charter school to pay rent for sharing space in public school buildings, as the Democratic mayoral nominee has proposed, could stymie growth and innovation.* De Blasio Sort of Blames Lhota for Closing Lady Liberty (NYO) * "In the area of executive leadership, is by far more qualified than deBlasio. It isn’t even a contest"  * Rudy Giuliani: Bill de Blasio has an "anti-police ideology." [Joe Jackson] * De Blasio Hits Back At Joe Lhota Commie Charge (Nation) * Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Democratic mayoral frontrunner Bill de Blasio subscribes to an “anti-police ideology,” and warned NYC could see the higher crime levels of Chicago under his leadership.* Bill de Blasio and Chirlane McCray's first dance at their wedding? To An Earth Wind & Fire song. Check it out:
Bill de Blasio hit back

* AD Tallies of the mayoral election from the primary  *Joe Lhota's Tele-Town Hall Draws A Gripe On Question Screening

Like Clinton Team de Blasio Picking Which Journalists to Talk to
In response to a New York Post report on his father’s suicide, Bill de Blasio granted an extended interview on the subject to WNYC, but said he would not be discussing it further. “I think its fair that I that I would answer these questions [from] one person and explain the situation,” he said. “But after that I don’t have any intention to talk about it any more.”


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Loaded Dice

Lawyer Contests Casino Referendum’s Wording(NYT) Eric J. Snyder of Brooklyn said the language being used on the November ballot question was slanted because it mentioned positive legislative purposes. * Casino gambling — a bad ballot bet(NYP Ed) Brooklyn attorney Eric Snyder filed a lawsuit with the state Supreme Court against the Board of Elections, alleging that the state is showing a bias in favor of passing the casino gambling referendum with wording promising economic gains, the Times Union writes: 

NY voters favor Vegas-style casinos(NYP) * Andrew Cuomo’s casino charade(NYP) A proposition intended to overturn New York’s constitutional ban on casino-style gambling will be on the November ballot — described by Gov. Cuomo as a linchpin component in his economic-development strategy for upstate. Yet it is no strategy, but rather a charade. The ballot measure, Cuomo says, will promote economic growth and tourism in New York — and “end the trend of letting neighboring states with legalized gaming take revenue that should be going to our schools.” Translation: Let’s have a casino cannibal war!* Casino Group Will Work With ‘All Elected Officials’ Backing Amendment(YNN) * Lawyer Contests Casino Referendum’s Wording (NYT) * Anti- Panel Member Also Part Of Group Pushing Casino Gambling Amendment | New York Daily News  * . wants more casinos in New York State. Here's what hes up to post-mayoral race:



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Silver’s excessive billing for transportation(NYP Ed)












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NYP Does Crime for A Reason


NYP is Reminding NYers Again of the Increase in Shootings to Push Lhota/Stop & Frisk
Tragic pleas to reinstate stop-and-frisk(NYP) A more tragic supporter of stop- and-frisk is grieving Brooklyn mom Tonia Garcia, whose son, Dominique, 22, was killed during a traffic dispute in their East New York neighborhood early Aug. 18.  

NYP's Dicker Trying to Split Cuomo and de Blasio
The New York Post‘s Fred Dicker is reporting that Mr. de Blasio could derail Gov. Andrew Cuomo‘s presidential ambitions. “If Bill de Blasio is mayor in January, he will be a national sensation with the Democratic left and he’ll have the power to speak out and destroy Cuomo’s presidential aspirations if the governor blocks his agenda,’’ a source claimed.

Post Attacks Christian Times For Doing the Same Thing As Part of Her Pulling Operation
Letitia James coverage might violate election law(NYP) The Christian Times devoted its front page to the council member just in time for her runoff Tuesday against state Sen. Daniel Squadron. The special edition of the newspaper — the de facto voice of the Brooklyn Christian Church in Bedford-Stuyvesant and its popular pastor, the Rev. Dennis Dillon — is intended to boost black-voter turnout, says an e-mail from a campaign supporter. But, according to election laws, nonprofits are not allowed to coordinate with campaigns.

The Post endorses Daniel Squadron for Public Advocate(NYP Ed) * Over the weekend The News endorsed Squadron, and cited among its reasons questions over the accuracy of James statements about whether the donated her $10,000 lulu payment from the City Council. [Daily News] * With the New York City public advocate runoff expected to cost the city $13 million for an office budgeted at $2.3 million, some elected officials and reform advocates have suggested that the city switch to instant runoff voting, the Times writes:  * If Letitia James loses PA runoff, she will support the Democratic nominee, her campaign said. In general, she has Working Families line. 
NYT Pushes Squadron on last time TuesdayVote Tuesday in Runoff Election
 

NYT Pushed Quinn Hard With Several Feature Stories Over the Campaign

Real story That the NYT Left Out of Its Quinn Video, is that Campaign Consultants Josh Isay and Bradley Tusk are clueless, when not playing with Bloomberg's money






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Sandy $$$ Fix Greater Wrongs BdB

Hurricane Sandy Hits The Campaign Trail
"Now, with these new resources from the federal government, we have to use it as a moment, not just to right the wrongs of Sandy but start righting some greater wrongs." — Bill de Blasio

A Tale of Two Cities the Sandy Chapter
De Blasio fuzzy on Sandy fund use(NYP) de Blasio said he’d use the billions of dollars in federal funds meant for rebuilding homes and businesses to “right greater wrongs.’’ De Blasio gave few specifics, but said he’d create affordable housing and community health centers in the city’s storm-ravaged areas. Democratic mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio said he would seek to use the recovery money from Hurricane Sandy to fix long-term inequalities in communities affected by the storm, a plan blasted by his Republican opponent Joe Lhota, The New York Times reports  * Mayoral Candidates Talk Sandy Lessons In Queens (NY1) * Michael Grimm Calls Bill de Blasio’s Sandy Plan ‘Completely Asinine!’(NYO)



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de Blasio and Lhota Property Tax Inequities
Despite living in high-end homes, de Blasio and Lhota pay less in property taxes than some middle or low-income property owners, an example of the property tax inequities that both have discussed reforming, the Daily News reports * De Blasio and Lhota live in high-end homes, but both pay less in property taxes than many homeowners in hardscrabble corners of the city, records show.

  
Charter and Pre-K At the Center of the Mayor's Race
Charter School Blues(WSJ)
Charter school operators are grappling with a potential game-changer: If Democrat Bill de Blasio is elected mayor, they would almost certainly have to pay rent* Putting pressure squarely on Cuomo MT : . says he wants Albany approval for pre-K tax plan in April 2014 state budget * . sees "openness" from on a pre-K tax * ‘Senator Provolone’ Doubles Down on Pre-K Message(NYO)




Bill de Blasio Was a High-School Overachiever, Featured in 1979 Boston Globe, Father Cancer Committed Suicide

NYC mayoral favorite Bill de Blasio has Mass. roots(Boston Globe) He was nicknamed ‘Senator Provolone,’ in a nod to the generous Italian sandwiches he would bring to lunch … In the high school yearbook, he was labeled ‘future president of the U.S.A. — the Untied Sneakers Association.’” "One teacher recalled that students hummed “Hail to the Chief” when de Blasio walked into class."*  In the Daily News, Robert Radosh, a professor emeritus of history at CUNY, gives some historical context to Nicaragua’s Sandinista movement in the wake of de Blasio’s past support of the regime:   *
Chasing Bill de Blasio (NYT Video) * De Blasio’s father committed suicide while suffering from cancer(NYP) * De Blasio admitted to being arrested at least four times while protesting different causes, including the closing of Long Island College Hospital and the shutdown of a firehouse in 2003, The Post writes:  * Bill de Blasio tried getting out ahead of a New York Post story by announcing his father committed suicide while suffering from terminal cancer in 1979. Warren Wilhelm Sr.'s death was first reported in a Connecticut paper that ceased publishing this June. [Dana Rubinstein]*Bill de Blasio Addresses Ailing Father’s Suicide in ’70s

Campaign Manager de Blasio Shows How it is Done When Your Running From Ahead
A Hudson Institute Fellow wishes Ed Koch could teach de Blasio a lesson about Nicaragua.
* Bill de Blasio Tours Far Rockaway, Aims To Use Storm Aid To Tackle "Tale Of Two Cities"(NYDN) * Bill de Blasio told editors of the New Yorker that he would be a “different” type of mayor than Bloomberg – less “elitist” and more interested in listening to regular people.* Bill de Blasio Was a High-School Overachiever, Featured in 1979 Boston Globe (NY BMag) * Despite Bloomberg’s war on sugary drinks and fast foods, statistics “obtained” by the NY Post indicate the obesity rate among adults has gone up 25 percent in NYC since he took office in 2002.* Bill de Blasio mayoral campaign ad tells of demons of an alcoholic father(NYDN) Childhood was marred by parents' divorce. Candidate worried he'd never be in a stable relationship.


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GoldLhota

Lhota is Quoting Barry Goldwater When He Should Be Channeling Mayor Lindsay
Lhota Seeks to Persuade a Liberal City to Elect a Disciple of Goldwater
A deep dive A1 look into Joe Lhota's political philosophy, as shaped by his life and career(NYT)
Bill de Blasio Meets Satmar Community (Ahronim) Leaders In Williamsburg - See more at: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/189421/Bill+de+Blasio+Meets+Satmar+Community+(Ahronim)+Leaders+In+Williamsburg.html#sthash.0Vt5volo.dpuf
Bill de Blasio Meets Satmar Community (Ahronim) Leaders In Williamsburg - See more at: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/189421/Bill+de+Blasio+Meets+Satmar+Community+(Ahronim)+Leaders+In+Williamsburg.html#sthash.0Vt5volo.dpuf
Young Joe Lhota Loved Goldwater, Loathed Communism(NY Mag)
Over the weekend, The Wall Street Journal noted that during the last two decades, New York City has become less white, and less likely to elect a Republican. Thus, the New York Times' front-page story on Joe Lhota's youth as a government nerd who discovered his love for conservatism early in life isn't likely to give him a much-needed jump in the polls. As a student in DC, Joe Lhota didn't go to protests. He went to the Senate gallery to watch his hero, Barry Goldwater. Mr. Lhota eschewed protests in favor of nights in the gallery of the United States Senate, where he sat rapt as Mr. Goldwater, his boyhood hero, orated on the floor. He took a shine to supply-side economics, long before the term ‘Reaganomics’ was coined, and developed a revulsion at Marxism, a hostility Mr. Lhota expressed last week “ * Joe Lhota won't pursue that taxi medallion money either. [Dana Rubinstein] * Lhota urges against gov't shutdown: "I call on the national Republicans to get their acts together and do the right thing for the country."* De Blasio Hits College-Aged Lhota for Supporting Barry Goldwater(NYO) * Lhota:Fresh Direct :: De Blasio:Park Slope Co-op?* "Legalize it, regulate it, and tax it." --Joe Lhota on weed.


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NYC A Middle Class Dust Bowl
The real story of New York’s economic gap(NYP) The “tale of two New Yorks” looks very different if you look at the bigger picture — at the whole state, and over decades. Then it’s clear that our problem is growth. Despite good times on Wall Street, over the last five years New York state lagged the nation’s recovery by a cumulative deficit of 5.3 percent in GDP expansion. Longer-term, it’s even uglier. In 1961, New York was the richest and most populous state; it claimed almost 12 percent of the nation’s personal income. In 2013, the state’s people took home only 7.6 percent of the nation’s earnings. What accounts for this erosion? The answer isn’t straightforward — causes and results tend to mix. For example, it is difficult to maintain a robust economy when the state is losing people. In the same 50-year period, the Empire State saw its population fall from 9 percent of the nation’s to 6 percent. Making matters worse, New York is “graying” faster than nearly any other state. But the bottom line is still that, compared to the nation, the Empire State now has fewer people making comparatively less money.* Metro-North mess costing city big bucks(NYP) * New York City's tech industry saved it from worst damage of 2008 financial collapse: Bloomberg Philanthropies(NYDN) * Two Developers May Get Jump on Midtown Plan(WSJ)
* "Sharp" cut in Wall Street earnings. Just in time for the next mayor. Wall Street’s top five banks face $1bn earnings cut

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Corrupt Pols Pensions

Experts say that federal prosecutors can try to seize the pensions of convicted New York lawmakers because U.S. forfeiture laws trump state pension protections, an issue raised by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, Newsday writes:







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After Silver Expect A Mob War


When the leader of the mob commission gets whacked always expect a mob war
A post-Silver Assembly power struggle "would make 'King Lear' .. seem like bingo night in Voorheesville."







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BOE Has A Vote Count On 19 Days After the Primary
Final Results
Not one word by the NYT why it took so long and why the city spent $95 million on scanners that cannot count runoffs 
At Last, Your FULL NYC 2013 Results!(NYDN)
Board of Elections finishes count of New York mayoral primary(NYDN)
Vote Count Completed for Primary in New York(NY1)
de Blasio, a Democrat, finished with 40.81 percent in the primary, which was held Sept. 10. He exceeded the 40 percent threshold to avoid a runoff by about 5,600 votes.  The second-place finisher, William C. Thompson Jr., who received 26.14 percent, announced six days after the primary that he would not contest a runoff.* Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker, at 15.74 percent; John C. Liu, the city comptroller, at 6.84 percent; and Anthony D. Weiner, a former congressman, at 4.94 percent. The final results show that Joseph J. Lhota, a former chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, won with 52.75 percent. He was followed by John A. Catsimatidis, the billionaire owner of the Gristedes supermarket chain, at 40.69 percent, and George T. McDonald, the founder of the Doe Fund, at 6.38 percent. Overall turnout, as predicted, was small: roughly 22 percent. About 692,000 of the city’s 2.97 million registered Democrats voted, or 23 percent. Among Republicans, the turnout was even smaller: about 61,000 of the city’s 471,000 Republicans voted, or 13 percent.* In Brooklyn, 2 voters wrote in Vito Lopez for public advocate, 1 wrote Ed Koch, another wrote Ralph Nader


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Council Speakers Race

CM and Speaker wannabe Melissa Mark-Viverito is once again appearing with . Was also at his Thurs event.



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Gambling Fools

Poll: Political spin of referendum fools voters(WSJ) A poll shows that the unusually rosy wording of the referendum to legalize Las Vegas-type casinos appears to have done the trick of loading the dice for approval.* A casino ballot proposition that sells itself. [Jimmy Vielkind] * Poll Finds Support for New Casinos in State(NYT) * Poll: Political spin of referendum fools voters(WSJ)* Five weeks before state voters decide the issue at the polls, New York’s Roman Catholic bishops released a statement expressing strong concern over the potential social costs of the development of seven new resort casinos.As Casino Vote Nears, Bishops Warn of Social Risks(NYT) Citing the potential for “enslavement” to gambling, New York’s Roman Catholic bishops issued a statement on the casino expansion referendum.* A Siena College poll finds that 55 percent of voters would approve casino expansion “for the legislated purposes of promoting job growth, increasing aid to schools, and permitting local governments to lower property taxes through revenues generated”:*  A survey underwritten by a firm hoping to build a $500 million casino 85 minutes south from Albany found that 53.8 percent of people polled support Cuomo’s proposed casino gaming expansion amendment, the Times Union writes:  * Coalition Created To Back Casino Amendment(YNN) The group, called NY Jobs Now, includes Heather Bricetti, the president and CEO of the state Business Council, along with labor leaders like the AFL-CIO’s Mario Cilento, UFT President Michael Mulgrew, Gary LaBarbera of Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York and former New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson.* LG Bob Duffy told The Post-Standard editorial board that the casino referendum will help local governments and provide 10,000 construction and casino jobs upstate.* Majority Back Referendum to Add Casinos, Poll Finds(NYT) Fifty-five percent of voters said they would support a referendum on the November ballot to allow the development of up to seven full-scale casinos. * The Post’s Bob McManus bashes Cuomo’s “charade” of a casino plan, questioning whether state-sponsored gambling generates revenue, and suggests that the governor take a second look at hydrofracking:


Albany Recap 2013 and 2014
City and State recaps the 2013 legislative session in Albany, look ahead to 2014 in our five part series, Setting The Agenda:
 



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Cuomo's Chess Move
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Albany Dem Senate Leader Stewart-Cousins Says Show Moreland Your Money
Then there was one: Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins tells colleagues to go public with outside income(NYDN) “We believe that the request made by the Moreland Commission regarding client disclosure was a reasonable request which should be answered,” says Stewart-Cousins.



.
Stewart-Cousins and Moreland Request for Members Financial Info Move, It Is Now Clear Cuomo Wants Silver Out
Moreland Commission's battle with legislators threatens Cuomo's agenda(Dem and Chronicle) The Moreland Commission of district attorneys and law-enforcement officials tapped by Cuomo to ferret out government corruption finds itself locked in a battle with the state Legislature. Lawmakers continue to balk at complying with a broad request for documents and records related to their outside income and clients. * LINDA STASI: Judy Rapfogel had to know alleged-embezzler husband was stashing cash(NYDN)



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Campaign

Joe encourages runners at the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Run * Democratic candidate for mayor, Bill de Blasio, boosts momentum with his wife near Brooklyn home(NYDN)Old leftist de Blah, Blah, Blah(Goodwin, NYP) For a supposed fresh face, Bill de Blasio sure spins old yarn. After a week of news dominated by his affinity for dictators in Cuba, Africa and Nicaragua, the Democrat’s campaign is hiding behind partisan talking points.* Bill de Blasio Meets Satmar Community (Ahronim) Leaders InWilliamsburg (Yeshiva World) * Bill de Blasio Rallies Supporters In Park Slope(NYDN)
* Joe Lhota trashes proposal to build waste transfer station on Upper East Side(NYDN) * To near Bloomberg's totals "Lhota needs to engineer a dramatic reversal of opinion among black and Latino voters" (WSJ) * Opposition To Proposed UES Dump Gives Lhota A Boost (NY1)



Saturday Daily News Attacks James on Her Lulu, On Sunday the Paper Endorses Squadron
Squadron for advocate(NYDN Ed)
The winner in Tuesday’s Democratic runoff for public advocate is all but guaranteed on New Year’s Day to take over an office that has never fulfilled its potential to serve as a platform for bettering city government. State Sen. Daniel Squadron is suited to make much more of it. The Daily News found what appears to be a $10,000 lulu on New York City public advocate candidate Letita James’ 2012 tax returns, which contradicts James’ statements in the past opposing lulus: Letitia James told the Daily News she gives her City Council lulu to charity.  * . what happened 2 ' long held position of abolishing Public Advocate's office?


John Burnett is what NYC comptroller’s job needs(NYP)
 




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,
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Media Mayoral Coverage


Tale of two tabs: Post goes for deBlasio's jugular today. Daily News gives him a foot massage
Sunday Update  De Blasio in a ‘fix’(NYP) It’s the tale of two tickets. Bill de Blasio declared Saturday that there are two standards when it comes to fixing tickets — one for politicians and their well-connected pal It’s the tale of two tickets. Bill de Blasio declared Saturday that there are two standards when it comes to fixing tickets — one for politicians and their well-connected pals…“People have the right to an appeals process if they think a ticket is unfair or arbitrary. It’s appropriate for local officials to help them get that,” de Blasio said at a Park Slope pizzeria.* In the DN, Manhattan Institute's Daniel DiSalvo predicts a short honeymoon between & NYC workers.

A Mayoral Race About the Past . . .  Gray Lady Gets Into Local Cartoons
 
The Ghosts of Mayors Past(NYT) David N. Dinkins and Rudolph W. Giuliani are not on the ballot in this year’s mayoral election.
But they haunt it, nonetheless.Similar to the specters in Charles Dickens’s “Christmas Carol,” the two former mayors have been cast as the Ghosts of Mayors Past in this year’s contest, symbolizing how the city could be transformed should Bill de Blasio or Joseph J. Lhota take up residence in Gracie Mansion.* Dinkins: “I have enough ego to think I’m an asset” to former aide de Blasio's campaign:


Winds of A NYC Media War
Politico Already Changing Old Gray Lady
Interested in NYC politics? Get behind-the-scenes e-mails from New York Times journalists:  

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Police Strategy

Advice On Community and the Police From An Old Cop
Hamill: Retired NYPD Chief offers police advice for next mayor(NYDN) Former NYPD Chief Wilbur (Bill) Chapman — who has experience with racially profiling — says that police work is a marriage of the two Cs: 'cops and community.' Chapman says before it was called 'stop-and-frisk,' he and his partner stopped and searched people suspected of plotting crimes, and 'the good guys loved us.'


 

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Unfair Property Tax

A Tale of Two Property Tax Rates
NTERACTIVE MAP shows disparities in NYC property tax system that favors the rich and hits lower classes hard(NYDN)$462K two-family in Cypress Hills pays $6,919 in property taxes. $2.5M Park Slope brownstone pays $6,209.

Add in the "fah-cock-tah" water billing & low-income NYers are really screwed.




Breaking Bad‘s Jesse Pinkman Blames Heisenberg on Lack of Obamacare in SNL Cold Open




NYP Has It Right to Reform One Program Without Changing the Thugs Who Run Politics In NY is Worthless


Att ''goo-goos'': How campaign ‘reform’ invites corruption
How campaign ‘reform’ invites corruption(NYP) Rapfogel, it appears, quickly figured out he could get even more bang for his illicit bucks if he took advantage of the city’s matching-funds program. So, as the criminal complaint notes, Rapfogel arranged for checks to be donated in multiple smaller amounts rather than one large individual donation. By giving, say, four $150 checks instead of a single $600 check, the receiving candidate would collect $3,600 in public matching funds instead of $1,050. Now, Rapfogel isn’t the first pol to figure out the math and try to game the system accordingly. City Comptroller John Liu’s campaign used pretty much the same “straw donor” ruse in smaller donations to trigger expanded matching funds. Malcolm Smith who had no chance of winning on the GOP line he was paying for, was according to insiders after the $2 million in  matching funds he would have gotten to run  on that party line.* Sheldon Silver's chief of staff, Judy Rapfogel, attended meetings where money was given to husband’s nonprofit(NYDN)Judy Rapfogel represented Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver at meetings where legislators gave out millions of dollars to nonprofits, including the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty. Her husband William Rapfogel was the longtime head of the council before he was fired and subsequently charged with pocketing $1 million in a kickback scheme.




Times Union: 'Housekeeping' funds under fire 5-21-13
NY Daily News: In recent years, Mayor Bloomberg has been the soft money king in New York 5-21-13
Capital Tonight: Report Finds Millions Of Campaign Dollars Funneled Through Loophole 5-21-13
NY Daily News: Reformers Take Hard Line On NY Soft Money 5-21-13
Rochester City Newspaper: Good government groups take aim at soft money 5-22-13
Star Gazette: Soft money contributions on the rise in New York 5-21-13
Ithaca Journal: Soft money contributions on the rise in New York 5-21-13
Unrestricted cash oils political parties | Democrat and Chronicle ...

 
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Campaign Consults Monopoly


Advance Group Double Dipping Breaking the Law?
"While NYCLASS was paying [the Advance Group] to wage 'independent' campaigns to help certain council candidates, the firm was separately representing some of those same candidates." [Chris Bragg] * Animal rights group's exotic campaign financesEarlier this week, The Insider wrote that the Advance Group pushed the limits of campaign finance laws by working for council campaign clients and an outside group involved in those same races, despite a requirement that there be no coordination between them.In this latest instance, the Advance Group already had a well-paying and longstanding client in a central Brooklyn race, Robert Waterman, and another in a southern Brooklyn race, Igor Oberman. Then in late August the firm began working for a socially conservative outside group that backed different candidates in those races, and sending out mailers touting them. Meanwhile, in the Brooklyn council race to replace the term-limited Michael Nelson, Igor Oberman paid the Advance Group more than $60,000, the most his campaign spent on a single vendor. Yet the firm also was paid more than $7,000 by the City Action Coalition to print a mailer for his opponent, Chaim Deutsch, who earned a narrow victory.* Anti-Quinn group got $320K above legal limit - The Insider Blog ...(CrainsNY) NY's Politicals Consultant Monopoly Parkside Consultants Lobbyist Can't Lose When They Lose Pathetically (True News)
    1. Mad AdvanceGroup played both sides? Real conflict of interest: mail vendors doing strategy. Somehow advice is always "more mail".
    2. Yes, the Advance Group does that as well. Along with other main NYC firms

The Cuba Honeymoon Only A Problem in Miami, A Case of  Over Managing By Team de Blasio
Saturday  
Host raps de Blasio over Cuban honeymoon(NYP)
De Blasio vs. choice for the poor(NYP Ed) There’s something to be said for having friends in high places. Ask Yvette Clark, a Democratic congresswoman from Brooklyn. When her nephew was having trouble getting into his school of choice — MS 51 in affluent Park Slope — she called then-City Councilman Bill de Blasio. Hesto presto, the child was in. In short, de Blasio is willing to fight for school choice for a friend in power, even as he fights to prevent every other mom and dad from having the same choice. Mostly this has to do with de Blasio’s war on charters. The great majority of students who attend city charters are poor and African-American, the kind of people who don’t have a councilman who can pull strings or the wherewithal to pay for private school or move to a better location. For these people, charters are the only lifeline.* Bill de Blasio and Joe Lhota Both Boycotting Barilla Pasta Over Anti-Gay Comments(NY Mag)* Bill's plan to keep New York City's hospitals open? (Video) * De Blasio campaign dispatches staffer to sift through archive of de Blasio's City Council papers * CATS hearts : "I think De Blasio is an honest guy... I think he's going to move further center." (CBS)




NYT Tries Sill Damage Control On Bloomberg
Michael R. (for Robin Hood) Bloomberg sounds almost Sandinista-like in seeking to redistribute income... (NYT) Bloomberg: "we want rich people here so we can literally take their money and redistribute it" for less fortunate.  Mayor Bloomberg Has a Secret E-mail Address





Tax Cut Joe
Lhota’s plan to lower taxes(NYP)
READ MY LIPS: GOP mayoral candidate Joe Lhota vows to cut taxes while Democratic rival says he would raise taxes on the rich(NYDN)
Lhota Takes Jobs Plan On The Road(NY1)* "There were 24 tax cuts in the Giuliani administration, I’d love to be able to equal that" Lhota unveils jobs plan
"De Blasio shuns Staten Island Chamber of Commerce invite to debate Lhota via * Lhota Criticizes De Blasio For Cutting Back On Campaign Appearances  * Down in the polls, beats in matching funds




As the owner of a media organization, Bloomberg should have known there are no dumb questions, only dumb answers (Goodwin, NYP) * Vacation-Averse as Mayor, Bloomberg Says He Will Take One on Jan. 2(NYT)


 

 

City’s Web Site Gets Its First Redesign in a Decade(NYT) NYC.gov's makeover was "based on data on what the site's 35 million annual unique visitors tend to look for." [Vivian Yee]







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PA Race = Race and Turnout

De Blasio and Stringer wins raise a Democratic diversity issue for P.A. and Council Speaker Races
Debate Offers 2 Similar Public Advocate Rivals a Chance to Stand Out(NYT)Letitia James and Daniel L. Squadron, both Democrats who have similar political positions, will face off in a televised debate on Tuesday night.* The One and Only Runoff Election(YNN)

Racial Politics- 4 White Men Running NYC?
Watch Queens Boss Joe Crowley if He is Going to Elect Weperin as the next Council Speaker he must elect James the new PA.  If Squadron wins it would be hard to elect a white man as speaker. You can't have 4 white men running the city. Watch Queens Boss Crowley He and Manton Before Him Have Elected the Last 3 Speaker.* Insiders See Close Race in Public    * 16 members of the City Council’s Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus endorsed for

Updates On PA Race
Squadron, James In All-Out Push For Votes In Public Advocate Runoff(NY1)
Squadron, James In All-Out Push For Votes In Public Advocate Runoff
Attacks in Public Advocate’s Race Reach New Pitch(YNN)
State Sen. Daniel Squadron put out a Spanish-language ad featuring endorsements from Latino elected 
officials ahead of next week’s runoff election for New York City public advocate, the Daily News reports: 
teve rattner gave nearly $2500, Fred Wilpon and his wife more than $2500 
 Healthcare Workers’ Union Launches Radio Barrage for Tish James(NYO)
Squadron's complaint has familiar ring(CrainsNY)
Document Drop: Letitia James Releases Taxes(NYDN) 
* Public advocate candidate Letitia James released one year of her tax returns, with info about the rental property show owns. [Azi Paybarah] * Public Advocate Candidates Clash on Asian Endorsements 
John Liu is still politicking, endorses Tish James and keeps his campaign schedule humming: (NYO)
Public advocate candidates Letitia James and Daniel Squadron picked up endorsements in the Asian community, with City Comptroller John Liu backing James and Councilwoman Margaret Chin endorsing Squadron, Politicker writes:
NYC public advocate candidate Daniel Squadron didn’t live by his own tax return release rules during his key Senate race five years ago.


Queens Machine Working for James and the Opportunity to Pick Their  4th Council Speaker in A Row
Update James Notches Not-Entirely-Unified Queens Democrats Endorsement

James  Union pull vs. Squadron Schumer TV Ads*$20 Million runoff for a $2million dollar budgeted office
Public Advocate Runoff Candidates Debate On NY1
Advocate’s Runoff (NYO)* Why is Obama's pic on ' palm card? cc:* Want to see all endorsements in the race by union, political clubs, papers & other orgs?
 *Perkins Triangulation of the Speakers Race? Sen. Bill Perkins endorsed Sen. Dan Squadron.  Is Perkins Endorsement connected to Perkins Pick for Council Speaker - If Squadron wins PA there will be a lot of pressure on the council to elect a black or latno to the speakership.


Only 3% of NYers Will Pick the City Next Public Advocate
PA Turnout Math %
Over 3 Million Reg Dems in NYC 100,000 turnout would mean 3.3% turnout  
Over 4.5 Million  Voters in NYC 100,000 turnout would mean less than 2% turnout
The Democratic runoff for public advocate is set to have an anemic voter turnout(NYDN)



  

Angry Public Advocate Debate
New York City public advocate candidates Letitia James and Daniel Squadron participated in a debate last night in advance of next week’s runoff that included attacks over one another’s personal finances, among other topics, NY1 reportsTish James and Dan Squadron: friends no more (NYO)Bitter Tone in Debate Between Public Advocate Rivals(NYT) * The public advocate candidates fought hard last night in a televised debate(WNYC) * Candidates Daniel Squadron and Letitia James bash each other in public advocate debate(NYDN)


Phil Ragusa Emerges Victor At Queens GOP Reorg Meeting


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Moreland  Update
Why Doesn't the Moreland Commission Call the Lawmakers to Testify? . . . Silver Should be First, Or They Can Read the Indictment Report on William Rapfogel

Really, Moreland Commission Links Member Items to Corruption-Waste of Time

At a hearing held by the Moreland Commission on Public Corruption, members of the panel questioned the persistence of pork-barrel “member item” grants that have played a central role in recent corruption cases against elected officials, the Times Union r*


The Albany Empire Uses Press Puppets to Attacks Moreland
Members of the Moreland Commission’s six-member staff are earning near or above six figures, all of which is funded with taxpayer dollars*  The Utica Observer-Dispatch calls for more transparency from Cuomo’s anti-corruption Moreland Commission.* Cuomo's anti-corruption commission "is apparently being funded through the state budget from existing funds, about $270,000 so far, and it has a six-member staff—all making near or above six figures, state records show." [Joseph Spector]



Good Govt Groups Get Media Attention But What Goes Is Their Testimony
After hearing testimony from good government advocates on the vestiges of Albany’s member item system, the commission’s co-chair, Onondaga County DA William Fitzpatrick, declared: “You’ve got to be kidding me that this is legal.”


Good ex of why NYS lawmakers want to keep sources of income secret; leak of subpoeana shows why they're angry. 
Maimonides subpoenaed in Hikind probe(CrainsNY)  Maimonides Medical Center has been subpoenaed by JCOPE in a state probe of advertising payments made to a company owned by Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a hospital spokeswoman confirmed. The anti-corruption Moreland Commission is investigating longtime Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind and the thousands of dollars Maimonides Medical Center paid to Hikind’s ad company for Hikind’s radio show, the Daily News writes * Garcia: I’m Not Running For Anything… Now(YNN)



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SilverGate
 


All The Kings Public Relations Men, Kiss Ass Reporters and Friendly Prosecutors Could Not Put the Speaker Back Together Again

Silver's Dead Mini Me Reckoning
Shelly’s Last Legs Sheldon Silver, the Assembly lion who protected his pride from a succession of hostile governors intent on declawing the Legislature, is now in the crosshairs of the media, prosecutors and ambitious members, writes Michael Benjamin: (City and State)* The Daily News argues that the scandal involving William Rapfogel’s looting of his own charity, is another reason that Assembly Speaker Silver should step down from his leadership position  * DN “Silver’s relationship with William Rapfogel…is one more damning reason why Assembly Democrats must dump Silver from the speakership. So, too, is Silver’s loyalty to Rapfogel’s wife Judy.”*  The NY Post: “Maybe it’s true (Silver) and his chief of staff didn’t know what her husband had been up to these past 20 years. Still, there was a day when the bar for stepping down wasn’t a criminal indictment.”* "[T]here is no doubt that Silver enabled the ripoff." [Daily News]* Judy Rapfogel sat in on meetings at which member item decisions were made – a process in which the Met Council, formerly headed by her husband, did quite well.

Update On ShellyGate
Lawmakers mull fate of scandal-tied campaign contributions(NY World)
Rabbi Linked to Kickback Scheme at Charity(NYT) But the board of the organization, the Metropolitan New York Council on Jewish Poverty, took another action at the same time that was not widely noticed. It ended a longstanding consulting relationship with Mr. Rapfogel’s predecessor, Rabbi David Cohen, who led the organization, which is widely known as Met Council, before Mr. Rapfogel took over in 1992. In fact, Mr. Cohen is one of the two unnamed co-conspirators in the criminal complaint filed against Mr. Rapfogel this week, according to two people briefed on the investigation by the state attorney general’s office. The other co-conspirator is Joseph Ross, the owner of Century Coverage, according to the two people briefed on the investigation. The complaint filed on Tuesday against Mr. Rapfogel at Criminal Court in Manhattan says that the kickback scheme began before Mr. Rapfogel arrived and that the amount taken steadily increased over the years after he took over. Cuomo commented publicly on the kickback scheme involving William Rapfogel, the former head of the Metropolitan New York Council on Jewish Poverty, a case that has now ensnared Rapfogel’s predecessor,


Only the NYT Editorial Board has Remained Silent On Silver
Since the NYT is Not Writing Editorials About Silver or his Mini Me William Rapfogel, Here is an 2011 One They Did Demanding for An End to Member Itmes End the Slush (8/29/2011, NYT) The Daily News Call for Silver to Step Down and the NYP Calls Him A Crook

Update Cuomo Calls Rapfogel Charges ‘Disturbing’, Won’t Opine On Silver’s Future(YNN)



Rapfogel Wife Claims to Not Know Her Husband Had An Extra Million Dollars
The Good Wife
Judy Rapfogel, the chief of staff to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and wife of William Rapfogel, said she knew nothing about her husband’s 20-year, $5 million kickback scheme involving the New York City charity he was running,
Shel Silver aide says she didn’t know of husband’s alleged theft from NYC charity(NYDN)
A day after William Rapfogel turned himself in on charges of stealing from the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty as part of a $5 million kickback scheme, investigators and political insiders focused on whether his politically connected wife, Judy, had knowledge of the scam.* $25K of Rapfogel's stolen money went to the previous council Speaker . Christ.* Willie Rapfogel’s attorney insists neither the former Met Council executive director’s wife, chief of staff to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, nor Silver himself knew of his alleged theft of millions of dollars from the nonprofit.* Silver’s den of thieves (NYDN ED) There is virtually no doubt that one of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s closest friends looted millions of dollars from a prominent taxpayer-funded not-for-profit organization — and there is no doubt that Silver enabled the ripoff. Silver’s relationship with William Rapfogel, longtime leader of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, is one more damning reason why Assembly Democrats must dump Silver from the speakership. So, too, is Silver’s loyalty to Rapfogel’s wife Judy, who serves as Silver’s chief of staff. * New York City’s Department of Finance has saved $72.8 million over the past two years by tightening generous property tax exemptions, saving nearly $31 million in fiscal year 2012 by registering 1,000 fewer nonprofits for tax breaks, the Post reports:  * "Either the Rapfogels have a closet the size of Lady Gaga’s, or Judy Rapfogel, who’s seen it all in Albany, at least had to have noticed the stashed cash in the closet and wondered, 'What the hell?'" [Linda Stasi]


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Poverty Pimps Centralize Control

The poverty pimps’ huge payday
Erwinna, Pa.: In the early 1970s, many of the city’s poor were served by the Council Against Poverty, whose criteria excluded poor Jews, who numbered in excess of 300,000. Recognizing this inequity, Mayor John Lindsay modestly funded in 1974 the Metropolitan N.Y. Coordinating Council Against Jewish Poverty, of which I was elected the first chairman. I served at no salary for almost a decade. We funded a decentralized system of local councils, partly to avoid the centralization of power that could give rise to so-called “poverty pimps,” who would enrich themselves at the expense of the less fortunate. Later, the Met Council’s power was vested in its corporate headquarters; salaries escalated to the point of being obscene. I never thought I would live to see the day when the “poverty pimps” of old seem like paupers compared to William Rapfogel, an overpaid executive director, who, not satisfied with a bloated salary, is accused of stealing millions from the poor. The worst nightmares of the originators of the Met Council have come true. Jerome M. Becker


Rapfogel is the latest scandal to envelop Silver(NYP Ed)
Scandals galore swirl around Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver(NYDN)
Arrest of his close friend William Rapfogel, the husband of Silver's chief of staff, in $5 million looting of Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, brings stink of Albany cesspool even closer to home. Baruch College public affairs Prof. Doug Muzzio said, “Clearly, there’s a dysfunctionality in Albany and it seems the speaker is the sun in this particular solar system.”* On William Rapfogel arrest, says he's not investigating Speaker Sheldon Silver (Rapfogel's wife is Silver's chief of staff).

Corrupt Member Items
 The Times Union makes the case for eliminating member items once and for all, citing a report by Citizens Union at this week’s Moreland Commission hearing that highlighted the role they play in corruption cases involving elected officials: * The Met Council scandal & NY’s nonprofit nightmare(NYP)

    1. If the problem is pay-to-play member items, than most of the Leg should resign. Shelly didn't steal the money.
    2. Our editorial board's point is that he helped set up a system that's prone to rampant abuse.
    3. Quoting Jimmy Breslin-Shelly Was Like the Night Watchman Who Knew Enough to Turn His Head Away From TimetoTime

      .
      The news that Eliot Spitzer and John Catsimatidis spent $10 million each while losing their party primaries illustrates one of Mother’s warnings: “A fool and his money are soon parted.”


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      Manhattan BP



Cuomo's nomination of Councilwoman Helen Foster may be troubled, his presidential aspirations may hinge on approval from a Mayor de Blasio, and Cuomo was missed at a recent business gathering in Albany. [Fred Dicker]
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MTA Found $$$
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 F
Fare Hikes Still Going Forward
Derail the fare hike(NYDN Ed)
Excellent news for New York’s MetroCard mobs: The fare-sucking Metropolitan Transportation Authority has $1.9 billion more than previously projected over the next four years because of a brightening financial outlook.* CUT US SOME SLACK: State controller wants MTA to clean up its act before jacking up fares, tolls another 8%(NYDN) * Audit Of MTA Finds Improved Financial Outlook(NY1)* "The MTA should stick to the deal: Fare hikes in line with inflation and not once cent more."  * MTA eyeing fare hikes despite $1.9B surplus(NYP) * $1.9 Billion Budget Surplus Can't Save You From MTA Fare Hikes(NY Mag)


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Taxi Tests

'The test is always getting harder': Just 53% of city's would-be yellow cab drivers pass taxi exam — down from 80% rate in the '90s(NYDN)
PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: British woman who lost leg in NYC taxi horror meets the hero plumber who saved her in emotional 'Dr. Oz' reunion(NYDN)


 

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Education

Former Schools Chancellor Plans To Reset Embattled CUNY School(NY1)
Former Schools Chancellor Rudy Crew, who served under Mayor Rudy Giuliani, is back in New York City this time as President of Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn. In his first television interview since returning to the city, the noted educator says he has a strategy to save the embattled school. * Shut and open case (NYDN Ed) When failing schools close and new schools open in their place, children benefit * City Unveils Campaign to Improve Girls’ Self-Esteem(NYT)


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Sandy

City To End Program That Houses Sandy Victims In Hotels(NY1)







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Environment

The federal Superfund cleanup of New York City’s Gowanus Canal will begin in three years with dredging of the sewage and chemical sludge, eventually making it safe for boating, the Associated Press reports: http://bit.ly/GzGvZ7 *Gowanus recovery to set sail(NYP)
 
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Washington

PRATFALL BY D.C. STOOGES: Shutdown impasse continues as Congress-Obama summit goes absolutely nowhere(NYDN)
Wall Street bosses come to White House to fight shutdown(NYDN)





Wednesday
Netanyahu’s warning on Iran(NYP)
Dancing with wolves(NYP)
Democratic U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand furloughed three quarters and 80 percent of their staff, respectively, as a result of the federal government shutdown, and both will not accept pay, Gannett Washington writes: 
The President Isn't Telling the Whole Story - Rep. John Boehner, USAToday
Our Democracy Is at Stake - Thomas Friedman, New York Times
Obamacare Is the Zombie Law of the Land - Noemie Emery, DC Examiner
An Act of Racist Vandalism Against America - Andrew Sullivan, The Dish
Stand Pat and Calmly Make the Case - William Kristol, The Weekly Standard
Shutdown Crisis Is Solely House Republicans' Fault - Ari Melber, MSNBC
Big-Government Enthusiasts Should Worry - Charles Hurt, Wash Times
House, Senate Plot Next Moves - Caitlin Huey-Burns, RealClearPolitics
It's Insane That People Still Doubt Darwin - Richard Dawkins, Salon
A Response to Richard Dawkins - Dennis Prager, National Review
The Rise of the Venture Corporatists - Lachlan Markay, The Federalist
Who Are the People on Food Stamps? They're Us - Donna Brazile, CNN
Obama's IRS Goes After Ben Carson - Jeff Poor, The Daily Caller
The Tea Party Shutdown - E.J. Dionne, Washington Post
Dems Better Hope Obamacare Rollout Improves - Noah Rothman, Mediaite
The Real Story: 50 Years of Republican Racism - Joan Walsh, Salon
WWII Vets Storm Closed D.C. Memorial - Leo Shane, Stars and Stripes
2016 GOP (Quinnipiac): Paul 17, Christie 13, Rubio 12, Cruz 10, Ryan 10

Rep. Michael Grimm said shutdown-ending negotiations should include the next big fight that’s looming in D.C.: The debt ceiling.
Chelsea Clinton and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, are going to make 2014 “the Year of the Baby.” Hillary Clinton will no doubt be thrilled.
Hillary Clinton met privately with veteran Democratic operative Robby Mook, one of her well-regarded 2008 campaign aides who’s currently managing Terry McAuliffe’s bid for Virginia governor.
 

Editorials

The Republican Party and the Mullahs - The Guardian
Senate Dems Face Tough Votes Ahead of 2014 - New York Post
Wake Up to Detroit's Bankruptcy Reality - Detroit News
Netanyahu Pushes Back on Iran - New York Times

Tuesday Update
Colbert: "despite the total failure of our government to perform its most basic function, there's also some bad news"
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I mean, if I asked somebody, ‘Do you support Obamacare?’ They'd say, ‘No.’ Then I say, ‘Do you want me to shut down the government over it?’ They'd look at me like, ‘Have a drink or something.’ ” – Rep. Peter King discussing his GOP colleagues in the House and their failure agree to a budget continuing resolution, via Capital New York.   
27 members of Congress are voluntarily giving up their pay during the shutdown.
House Dem Leaders trumpeting HHS numbers that Obamacare website has drawn 2.8 million visits & 81,000 calls to its phone line.
White House issues veto threat on House GOP piecemeal funding plan
The DNC launched “theGOPshutdown.com.”
Rep. Pete King, who clashed with his party over the shutdown: “There’s definitely going to be, at the very least, a subliminal lasting damage.”

Budget standoff over President Obama’s health care law sets off first government shutdown in nearly two decades(NYDN)
Those Banana Republicans - Joe Nocera, New York Times
The Obamacare Fight Is Just Beginning - Rich Lowry, New York Post
A Case of Delusion in the House - Dana Milbank, Washington Post
Ramming Through Obamacare Haunts Dems - Michael Barone, Examiner
After the Shutdown: The Debt Ceiling - James Surowiecki, The New Yorker
The Politics of the Government Shutdown - Sean Trende, RealClearPolitics
Welcome to the Age of Unlimited Government - Nick Gillespie, Daily Beast
Ted Cruz's TV-Friendly McCarthyism - Richard Cohen, NY Daily News
Obama's Agenda Is Transforming America - Victor Davis Hanson, NRO
On Climate Change, There's No Debate - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post
The Science the U.N. Suppresses - Ron Arnold, Washington Examiner
Why Aren't Millennials Protesting the Shutdown? - Michael Kazin, TNR
How the Govt Destroys Household Jobs - Thomas Sowell, Investor's Biz Daily
A Good First Step Toward Single Payer - Sen. Bernie Sanders, The Guardian
Obamacare Exemptions...for the Connected - Rep. McMorris-Rodgers, USAT
Don't Be Fooled by Iran's New Leader - Jeffrey Goldberg, Bloomberg
De Blasio's Nicaragua Fling - Ronald Radosh, New York Daily News
A group of veterans on Tuesday reportedly stormed the Washington, DC's WWII Memorial.

Editorials

Shutdown Prep Proves Most Govt Is Waste - Investor's Business Daily
Finally, the Obamacare Rollout - Los Angeles Times
Climate of Uncertainty - Wall Street Journal
House Republicans Are Responsible for Shutdown - New York Times



Monday Update
With Shutdown Near, House G.O.P. Sticks to Its Demands(NYT)
Government Shutdown Has D.C. Looking for Casual Sex on Craigslist (NYMag)
50,000+ federal workers in NYC could find themselves staying home tomorrow. (WNYC)
POTUS: "One faction of one party in one house of congress in one branch of government..." doesn't get to shut the government
Here’s the transcript of President Obama’s remarks this afternoon on the looming shutdown.
Charles Ferguson, the director of CNN’s planned Hillary Clinton documentary, has abandoned the project.
…As a result, the RNC dropped its plan to boycott CNN’s presidential primary debates. WASHINGTON (AP) - Obama signs legislation ensuring military will get paid during any government .

NY Daily News headline on Obamacare guide: "To Your Health!" NY Post: "STORM COMING!" New CNN poll: 46% would blame Republicans for shutdown / 36% say Obama would be more responsible / 13% point fingers at both GOP and Obama.
Cuomo to Lupica: "It's not just the President they hate. It’s government." (NYDN)
CNN Clinton doc canceled after pressure on interviewees from Clintonworld 
Former President Bill Clinton, appearing Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” said a 2016 presidential run by wife Hillary Clinton “will be better” than her first.  
Obama, Democrats & Govt's Damaged Brand - Glenn Reynolds, USA Today
The Republican Frauds on the Hill - Roger Simon, Politico

Obama Is Childish in Handling Challenges - Michael Goodwin, NY Post
Rebels Without a Clue - Paul Krugman, New York Times
Independent Voters' Republican Streak - Chris Cillizza, Washington Post
Senate, Obama Can't Have It 100% Their Way - Reince Priebus, Det News
Republican Hostage-Takers Unfit to Govern - Jon Favreau, The Daily Beast
Big Labor Stumbles in Wisconsin - Sean Higgins, Reason Magazine
Europe's Voters Wisely Stick w/Frugal Leaders - Anders Aslund, Bloomberg
The Magazine That Was - Eleanor Clift, Newsweek
Worried About Cancer? Get Married - Virginia Postrel, Bloomberg
Wendy Davis & GOP's Abortion Opportunity - David Harsanyi, Federalist
The Right Gets Its '60s - Bill Keller, New York Times
The AP Goes to Bat for the Democratic Party - John Hinderaker, Power Line
Here Comes the Spoils Society - Robert Samuelson, Washington Post
Richard Dawkins Is Wrong About Religion - Alex Berezow, RealClearScience
Pope Francis, a Radical Traditionalist - Mary Eberstadt, Time
Health Care Law (CNN): Disapproval Growing >> 57% Oppose, 38% Favor 
CNN Documentary Is Off; Filmmaker Blames Pressure From Clintons(NYT)
Matt Taibbi: Who Is Looting Your Pension Fund?
CNN drops the Hillary documentary and now NBC Scraps Hillary Clinton Miniseries 
Federal workers who check their e-mail during a shutdown will be breaking the law (Wash  Post)

Editorials

House Republicans Are Responsible for Shutdown - New York Times
Obamacare: The Drawbacks Go On and On - Las Vegas Review-Journal
Italy on the Brink Once Again - The Guardian

Sunday Update

Wall Street Uneasy in Face of a Possible Federal Shutdown(NYT)


House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, on Fox News Sunday: Any House Bill Will Have 'Fundamental Changes' To Obamacare
Big Challenges Remain Despite Progress on Iran (NYT)
Obamacare and Obstructionism - Atul Gawande, The New Yorker
Paving the Path to Full Repeal - Jeffrey Anderson, Weekly Standard
House Votes to Delay Obamacare - Caitlin Huey-Burns, RealClearPolitics
Republicans Will Be Blamed for Shutdown - Khimm & Sarlin, MSNBC
Democrats Elevating Rhetoric Over Reason - Carl Cannon, OC Register
Obama Should Pivot to Dubya's Playbook - Dana Milbank, Washington Post
More & More Democrats Are Opposing Obamacare - Deroy Murdock, NRO
Inside Kenya Shopping Mall, a House of Horrors - Gary Strauss, USA Today
Christians in the Crosshairs - Colbert King, Washington Post
Unbelievable Savagery of the Kenya Mall Terrorists - Alec Torres, NRO
Hassan Does Manhattan - Thomas Friedman, New York Times
The Fed Has Become a Creature of Politics - George Will, Washington Post
Christie Poised for Historic Win. Then What? - Harry Enten, The Guardian

TV SoundOff: Sunday Talking Heads

Why Cruz Drives Them Crazy - Matthew Continetti, Washington Free Beacon
Speaker Has Lost Control - David Ignatius, Washington Post
Boehner Is Running Circles Around Obama - Danny Vinik, Political Algebra
The NSA's Creeping Cloud - Maureen Dowd, New York Times
Videos: The McLaughlin Group | SNL On Obamacare Rollout | More....
: Sen. Kaine (D-Va.) said Senate will likely pass House HOP measure that will keep pay going to the military despite shutdown
Bill Clinton wants to do away with caucuses in 2016 and replace them with primaries. I wonder why...

Editorials

Washington's Reckoning - Chicago Tribune
No More Denial. Time to Act on Climate Change - The Guardian
Politics Have Long Replaced Science at the IPCC - Investor's Business Daily
Back from the Dead: The Shocking Return of al-Qaeda - The Economist
Saturday
Shutdown Likely as House Prepares to Vote on Funding Plan: Republicans could be heard cheering and clapping du... 
House pushes U.S. closer to a shutdown(Wash Post)
As government shutdown looms, fundraising zooms (Politico)
House G.O.P. to Plan Next Step as Budget Clock Runs Down (NYT)
Under Obamacare, Worse Is New Normal - Mark Steyn, National Review
Law Offers a Healthy New Start - Kathleen Sebelius, Detroit Free Press
How GOP Can Sell the Individual-Mandate Delay - Larry Kudlow, IBD
The Captain Ahabs of the House - Charles Blow, New York Times
Gingrich's Lessons on Government Shutdown - Ben Domenech, Federalist
In Historic Call, Obama & Iranian Leader Talk - Alexis Simendinger, RCP
Talking With Iran a Risk Well Worth Taking - David Rothkopf, CNN
 

A Small President on the World Stage - Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal
Hillary Clinton's Moment Is Just Beginning - Linda Killian, The Atlantic
How Chris Christie Split the Labor Movement - Steven Malanga, WSJ
Was Spotlight Enough to Boost Cruz in '16? - Scott Conroy, RealClearPolitics
Obama Won't Budge for Ayatollahs in D.C. - Eleanor Clift, The Daily Beast
Who Are the Real Suicide Bombers? - John Hinderaker, PowerLine
The Frightening New Climate Report - Richard Schiffman, The Atlantic
War on Coal Gives GOP Opportunity - Mark Hemingway, Weekly Standard
U.S. Mom, Five Kids Survive Kenya Mall Attack - Jason Straziuso, AP
In 1170, Odd Fire Changed America's Greatest City - Annalee Newitz, io9

President Barack Obama finally has something solid to celebrate on the foreign policy front(Politico)

Editorials

Obamacare Is Unsustainable. Scrap It. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
A Republican Ransom Note - New York Times
Global Warming: A Challenge for the Whole World - The Guardian
Questions Abound Over Cory Booker's Truthfulness - New York Post 


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Law and Order

Thursday
Arrest in U.S. Shuts Down a Black Market for Narcotics(NYT)
Stabbing Victim Says Attacker Had ‘a Dead, Methodical Look’(NYT)
Prosecutor Isn’t Pursuing Charges Against One Biker Arrested in S.U.V. Case(NYT)
Wife stabs husband to death over cheating fears: police(NYP)


Wed
NYPD lets ‘pop-up’ bike gangs rampage(NYP)
The department has ordered cops not to chase after large biker groups like the one that beat a driver near the West Side Highway because of the risk that innocent bystanders or the riders will be killed, law-enforcement sources told The Post. * 2 Bikers Are Charged; Investigation Continues(NYT)
CAGED BEASTS: Cops arrest two biker thugs in hell-on-wheels upper Manhattan chase for beating and slashing SUV driver in front of his wife and toddler(NYDN)


Bikers terrorize family in high-speed chase(NYP)
At Least Four People Stabbed On Upper West Side 
Five Are Injured by an Attacker With Scissors in Riverside Park(NYT)
One Motorcyclist Is Charged As Investigation Continues(NYT)
Police Arrest Motorcyclist in SUV Chase(WSJ)

Five Are Injured by an Attacker With Scissors in Riverside Park(NYT)
 NYPD's Ray Kelly says all people stabbed in Upper West Side park were attacked within 9 minutes(NBC)
Five Injured in West Side Park Attack(WSJ)

In the Daily News, Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, criticizes the use of public money to pay for a private security firm to operate 100 surveillance cameras in Brooklyn: http://nydn.us/1fIj0xf

City attorneys defended the New York Police Department's surveillance practices in federal court today. [Azi Paybarah]
In federal court, city attorneys defend NYPD surveillance tactics  


Suspect in Brooklyn subway pipe attack who also beat his own grandma with a cane now eyed in midtown brick beating(NYDN)

Pot arrest proves costly for Bonanno ‘associate’(NYP)







Man pleads guilty to raping elderly birdwatcher(NYP)


-------------------------------------------

Door Closing, Nowhere to Run(NYT)

New York City Housing Authority police officers say elevator crime, in which the target is alone with the criminal, has persisted even as street crime has fallen.
Sunset Park Man Fatally Stabbed by Neighborhood ‘Kook’(NY Mag)

One NYC inmate costs almost as much each year as a 4-year Ivy League degree:

After Motorcyclist Is Struck, Driver Is Pulled From S.U.V. And Beaten, the Police Say(N

Park Slope man charged with selling guns, including assault weapons, out of home on prime brownstone block: authorities(NYDN)















Ex-mob boss details gruesome hit(NYP)
Alfonso “Little Al” D’Arco, acting head of the Luchese crime family, was the first mob boss to turn government witness.
--------------------------------------------

PRAMBO: 'I was going to KILL HIM to protect my son.' Mom fends off armed attacker in Manhattan park using bicycle pump from her 8-month-old son's stroller(NYDN)
Police: Man Attacked Mom Pushing Stroller In Manhattan Park (NY1)

3 shot in Bronx, 1 critical(NYP)
Bronx shooting near Yankee Stadium leaves 3 wounded, suspect remains at large: police(NYDN)


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Terrorism
 
Al Qaeda spy gets 20 years behind bars for NYSE bomb plot (NYP)
McClatchy editor questions 'odd' NY Times story on al Qaeda leak
Man Who Aided Al Qaeda Gets 18-Year Prison Sentence(NYT)