Brooklyn DA Rematch Shame On Journalism, A Brooklyn Boss Being Blackmailed?

A Journalism Failure Causes A Sorry DA Rematch That Did Not Have to Happen

Fact-Checking Hynes’s Take on a Reversal(NYT) Powell does an excellent job point out Hynes flip-flop on his election night statement to support the democrat winner Thompson. He also point out Hynes' failure to go after mortgage scammers and house flippers who descended like locusts on working-class black and Latino Brooklynites. He also is right that there is no evidence that Norman played Svengali to Mr. Thompson. Hynes is charging that Norman who he put in jail for selling judgeships ran the field operation against him. This whole sorry rematch is really journalism failure to push away Norman during the campaign. A few stories about Norman would have caused Thompson find out what was going on and push Norman far away from his campaign. Thompson would have won big if Norman was told to stay away anyway. If it were not for Hynes sorry reentering the race the media would never reported that Norman was going around taking credit for electing Thompson. The media including the NYT should have follow up the NYP story of Norman's involvement in Central Brooklyn campaigns before the primary. Spitzer's 70G to shady Dem group | New York Post  Hynes has files on half of Brooklyn's political leaders. Thompson staff will have there hands full making sure that the pols that endorse him are helping him on election day.  * Both Aronis and Zalis endorse @KenThompson4DA. Rare show of unity. @BrooklynDA's very uphill fight was at least predicated on Ortho support

Hynes Got in Trouble for Protecting Some In Williamsberg From Sexual Abuse Charges and Today Leaders Of ThatCommunity Endorsed His Opponent  

1. Ken Thompson ‏@KenThompson4DA 4

   Honored to have support of both Aaroni & Zalmani Satmar sects + Jewish leaders representing ​Boro Park, Crown Heights, Flatbush & W'burg
   
   Hynes Rally Today Hecklers
   

   

   Hynes officially kicks off Republican campaign for DA(NYP)
   

   Protesters Crash Joe Hynes Re-Election Launch(NYO) 
   

   Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes heckled as he announces re-election bid as a Republican and Conservative (NYDN)
   

   Hynes Is Met by Hecklers as He Renews Bid for Brooklyn District Attorney(NYT)

   Brooklyn District Attorney Charles “Joe” Hynes’s sudden re-election launch got off to an acrimonious start today when supporters of rival Ken Thompson, who defeated Mr. Hynes in the Democratic primary last month, heckled and interrupted the event. The press conference, held on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall, was delayed for several minutes as Hynes backers strained to drown out the chants. “Let’s go Joe!” they cried from the steps. Supporters waded into the throng to thrust their own blue signs in front.*
   QUOTE OF THE DAY: “This is all about a pre-election. I don’t mind dissent as you can yell all you want, but at least be decent enough to listen to what I have to say … You’ve already demonstrated you’re opposed to the democratic process.” – Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes at his campaign re-launch, via Politicker. * Hynes Looks To Preserve DA Tenure On GOP Line (NY1) * Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes formally threw his hat back into the ring Tuesday, but for the first time he's not running as a Democrat. (NY1)
   

   
   

Brooklyn Machine Last Hurrah 2 Old Bulls Finish Each Other

Hamill: After primary loss Charles 'Joe' Hynes to run on Republican, Conservative lines(NYDN) 'I kept hearing that former Brooklyn Democratic Party chairman Clarence Norman — whom I successfully prosecuted for corruption involving selling judgeships — had run the ground operation of the Ken Thompson campaign,' he says. Hynes was outraged. “Not only is Thompson inexperienced and unqualified to run a district attorney’s office of 1,200 people with over 500 prosecutors responsible for the safety of Brooklyn’s two-and-a-half million people, but a convicted felon was running his campaign. And lying about it. I don’t think the people of Brooklyn want a DA who is beholden to a corrupt, machine boss ex-con,” Hynes says. Norman celebrated at Thompson’s victory party on Primary Night. Thompson has vehemently denied that Norman had anything to do with the campaign.“I will be officially announcing my candidacy on Tuesday,” says Hynes. “I want all of Brooklyn to have a chance to decide. Democrats, Republicans, Conservatives, progressives and independents should have a chance to decide who their district attorney should be for the next four years. If we run our operation right, I really think we can win.”“Right after Primary Day, I said I would not run unless there were financial resources and a clear path to victory,” Hynes says.* Former Democratic Leader in Brooklyn Is Convicted(2007, NYT)* Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes wants to run -- and hide at the same time.(NYDN)* ‘New DA’ quizzed on ties to ex-con pol(NYP) * Democratic Brooklyn district attorney candidate Kenneth Thompson criticized his opponent Charles Hynes for lying to the public for abandoning the Democratic party and running against Thompson on the Republican and Conservative lines, the Daily News writes: 

Blackmail: Hynes Could Put Brooklyn Boss Seddio in Jail If He Does Not Pull Out the Vote For Him

Seddio: Leave the Gun Take the Cannolis(True News) There is a lot to be learned by investigating how Seddio used the machine and government to make $$$ and remain in power in a community with dramatic racial change and his loss of ability to deliver the vote.  Debate Moderator Mark Fertig asked Seddio when he was briefly running for council if Planning Board 18 manager Dorothy Turano should be fired because of her involvement in the Kruger scandal. Seddio did not only answer the question but he called Fertig a very inappropriate name.It is clear from the guilty plea of Kruger and his lobbyist Lipsky that Planning Board 18 manager Dorothy Turano was deeply involved in the Kruger corruption.  Yet astonishly she still remains as chairman of that board. 

Turano Still Planning Bd Manager After the Feds Called Her A Bag Woman for Kruger
In 2007 when a BJ was chosen for that site with a different developer (the developer who the indictment said sent checks to Turaino house) Frank Seddio small business group changed their mind and accepted BJ’s at Canarsie Plaza.  The Feds say Kruger partner Michael Dorothy son was delivered the bribe money shortly after the vote.  After rejecting plans for a retail development at a vacant site in 2004, she and the board approved a similar proposal in March 2007. Within a few weeks, a developer Aaron Malinsky involved in the proposal began sending checks totaling $472,500 to Michael’s (Dorothy son) bank accounts. The Feds say a check was even delivered to Kruger house where Dorothy and her sons lived with the state senator.  In 2004 Seddio represented small businesses at Canarsie Plaza who opposed building a Home Depot on that site.   In 2007 he worked for and pushed for BJs according to Fertig.

NYP Are Asking AG and Comptroller to Investigate What Pols Who Gave $$$ to Rapfogel Got in Return

Silver Made DiNapoli Comptroller and Supported Schneiderman For AG
Albany’s Rapfogel problem(NYP) Albany watchdogs are vowing to “follow the money” that the head of a major Jewish charity is accused of stealing from the group. Question is, are they willing to follow it back to where it leads? Which is ­Albany. Great. But why stop there? As The Post wrote just last week, “the politicians and the system that provides taxpayer funding to groups like [the Met Council] scream out for equal scrutiny.” Was there a quid pro quo? Which pols got donations and then OK’d funding for the council? What other charities — and pols — are engaging in similar hanky-panky?

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Comptroller's Debate

Wall Streeter Burnett Attacks Stringer's Political Ties In Comptroller Debate(NY1)

#GOP Longshot John Burnett Launches All-Out Attack On Scott Stringer In Controller Debate | NY Daily News http://nydn.us/1akyxfQ  #nyc2013
Candidates Spar Over Souls and Pensions in Comptroller Debate(NYT)
Miss tonight's @NYCVotes debate between @JohnBurnett2013 vs @Stringer2013 ? watch it here


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Bloomberg in the Middle

In Unlikely Turn, Bloomberg Convenes the Mayoral Rivals(NYT)

Playing peacemaker, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg shared the stage on Tuesday with the would-be successors he has refused to endorse.

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Cuomo's No Way Out
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As Goo Goos Stand Up For Moreland Commission Independence. . . Cuomo Looks for Exit
The state Legislature and the governor’s office have interfered with the Moreland Commission’s efforts to investigate corruption in Albany, and sources say that Gov. Andrew Cuomo is considering an exit strategy from the commission, The New York Times reports* “(A)ccording to people familiar with the commission’s work, the effort to investigate corruption in Albany is burdened by resistance from the Legislature, which has refused requests for information about lawmakers’ outside income, and by unexpected involvement by the governor’s office, which has leaned on the commission to limit the scope of its investigations.”
*Government Reformers To Gov. Cuomo: Let Anti-Corruption Commission Work Independently(NYDN) Here is the expanded version of the second item from my "Albany Insider" column today: A leading government reform group has a strong message for Gov. Cuomo--keep your hands off the supposedly independent commission looking into government corruption. In a letter sent Friday to Cuomo and state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who deputized the 25 commission members, Common Cause/New York expressed “alarm” over reported “interference and micromanagement” by the governor’s office.
Goo-Goos Write To Moreland(YNN) * Moreland Commission claims independence, but reports “on a weekly basis” to Cuomo, AG(LoHud) * A 'disheartened' advocate on Cuomo's role in steering an anti-corruption panel (Capital)* State Sen. Neil Breslin says he's willing to compromise w/ the Moreland Commission re: releasing names of his clients  * Cuomo is discussing a ballot measure on public financing, but gov't reformers, mindful of redistricting, are wary * AG Eric Schneiderman subpoenaed the apartment-share company Airbnb to force the owners to disclose who rents rooms in private homes to New York City tourists, shirking hotel taxes. * If Governor Andrew Cuomo's aides blocked the Moreland Commission from sending subpoenas, that should be investigated, said State Senator Liz Krueger. [Jesse McKinley and Thomas Kaplan] * A spokesperson for the Moreland Commission said they were reporting their activities to the Cuomo administration. [Jimmy Vielkind]* Aides to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Moreland Commission members may propose a constitutional amendment for a public financing system, although it is unclear which side brought the idea up, Capital New York writes:

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Smith Investigation Ongoing

Prosecutors in Queens pol Malcolm Smith's bribery case seek to hush wiretap info(NYDN)

The prosecutors want the info kept secret because the investigation that busted the state senator and other political figures is ongoing. White Plains Federal Court Judge Kenneth Karas said Monday he wants to see the evidence next week so he can decide whether it needs to be kept secret, according to Grant Lally, lawyer for Vincent Tabone, a Republican party official charged in the case.


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Advance Groups Logo on Phony Group

Several payments that a UUFT super PAC sent to a fictitious political consulting firm “Strategic Consultants” have the Advance Group logo on their invoices

Advance Group puts logo on phony firm's invoice( CrainsNY) Last week, The Insider broke the news that the United Federation of Teachers' super PAC had paid more than $370,000 to a fictitious political consulting firm "Strategic Consultants Inc.," which was actually the well-known Manhattan consulting firm the Advance Group. An open records request that came back on Tuesday from the City Campaign Finance Board (and is embedded below) offers fresh and somewhat amusing evidence of the connection between the two: Many of the invoices the agency received from Strategic Consultants have the Advance Group logo on them.* Supreme Court Again Weighs Spending Limits In Campaigns. This decision could = the death of democracy



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Gambling Pay to Play $$$

Albany Jackpot: The Same Crooks That Got Away With the AEG Robbery Are Still Making $$$ From Gambling

Who Is Getting The Most From Gambling Interests?(YNN) Gambling interests have contributed a cominbed $3.2 million to political candidates and committees since 2011, an analysis from Common Cause released this morning found. The report shows the political campaign committees for the Assembly Democrats and Senate Republicans were the top recipients of the gambling interests largesse, receiving $414,750 and $403,750 respectively.  Third on the list was the gubernatorial campaign of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who first pushed for the amendment to expand casino gambling in New York beyond American Indian tribes in 2012. He has received $361,500 from the gambling industry since 2011, the report found.*  Gambling interests have donated millions to NY pols(NYP) * Gambling industry donates millions to state political campaigns  * ”Cuomo, NY Legislature already hit casino jackpot” [AP]* Lawyer: New York Casino Referendum Was Passed In Secret (CBS)

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Sexual Harassment Kellner Running

Manhattan Has A Joe Hynes 
Micah Kellner Files Paperwork Indicating He’ll Pursue General Election(NYO) Kellner lost his highly-charged primary contest to opponent Ben Kallos by about 6 percent following revelations that a sexual harassment complaint was once filed against him. The Working Families Party, which endorsed Mr. Kellner long before his loss, has since voted to endorse Mr. Kallos in the general.WFP said We call on Micah Kellner to stand down from this futile and foolish endeavor.”* Scandal-plagued Kellner running on party line that’s disowned him(NYP) * Scandal-scarred Assemblyman Micah Kellner is burning more bridges is continuing his NYC Council run on the Working Families Party line in the general election even though he lost the Democratic primary and the labor-backed party has disowned him.* With a legit Republican also in the mix, that #cd5 race could be interesting.* One former rival, Ed Hartzog, endorsed Kallos. [LongIslandExchange]


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Judge No Tomorrow Taxi

Judge Blocks New York City Plan for ‘Taxi of Tomorrow’(NYT)

A judge said that New York City had exceeded its authority by requiring cab operators to buy the NV200, the so-called Taxi of Tomorrow.

The Press Still  Has Power But They Have Limited Understanding or Interests In What is Really Going On

After A NYP Editorial On Rapfogel's Albany Enables Cuomo Puts Hold On New State Contracts
The Cuomo administration is putting a hold on new state contracts involving the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, with six contracts totaling $11.3 million set aside until the attorney general’s investigation is completed, the Daily News’ Ken Lovett writes










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Non Profit's Dark Pool$


NYP Secret Pots of Public Dollars Guarantee Corruption

3 Days Ago
Rapfogel’s Albany enablers(NYP Ed)The report is called “Spending in the Shadows,” and it cites $3 billion in “off-budget” cash that will be spent in New York this year via “ ‘lump sum’ pots of money” on the sheer say-so of individual politicians. It’s a sweet setup for the pols, their pet projects and the groups that get the taxpayer cash. Remember, Rapfogel’s Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty got $90 million from all government sources ­last year. Thanks to secret money “pots,” key budget decisions don’t have to be debated publicly. They can be made after the budget is passed, on the whims of individual officials, and kept from public view. Groups that get cash can then direct donations back to the pols who arranged the funding, just as Rapfogel is thought to have done. It points to scandals involving Sen. Malcolm Smith, ex-Sen. Shirley Huntley and ex-Assemblyman Vito Lopez as examples.

Hikind Radio Show Ads Investigation 

De Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray was a marketing executive in charge of major ad buys at Maimonides Medical Center during the same time it was being investigated for purchasing ads for Assemblyman Dov Hikind’s radio program, City Council Watch reports:  Attack on de Blasio/Hikind connection that for some reason doesn't mention Hikind opposed de Blasio Mayoral bid 

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Mayor's Race

Bill de Blasio praises hateful rabbi(NYP) * Republican mayoral nominee Joe Lhota said he wanted to cut the municipal workforce by as much as 20 percent if he became mayor, and ripped the Bloomberg *administration for vastly expanding the city budget,Lhota wants to cut municipal workforce * Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended Democratic mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio, saying it would be “unfair” to say that New York City’s crime rate would be higher if de Blasio became mayor, and de Blasio said he “respected” Bloomberg, the Daily News reports: * Video of a meeting between Lhota and the Staten Island Tea Party shows it was not “violent” as Lhota had originally said, as he appeared sympathetic to their positions, and even questioned the city’s teachers union’s patriotism, NY1 reports * For a Skilled Fund-Raiser, Lhota Looks No Further Than Home(NYT) Tamra Roberts Lhota, the wife of Joseph J. Lhota, the Republican candidate for New York City mayor, says her husband would preserve the city’s quality of life.

* GOP NYC mayoral candidate Joe Lhota wants to cut the municipal workforce by as much as 20 percent if he takes over City Hall, but he insists he wants to do that through attrition, not layoffs.* Lhota’s wife, Tamara Roberts Lhota, did not exactly jump at the idea of him running a long-shot race for mayor. But now that he’s in the race, she’s serving as the campaign’s “all-purpose glue, and a sort of velvet-gloved arm twister with a knack for getting people to do what she needs them to do.”* Lhota’s former boss, ex-NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, pitched deep-pocketed donors on his behalf last night.* Lhota said the city should make it easier for New Yorkers to renew their gun permits.* Lhota once wrote a letter of recommendation to a Riverdale co-op board for former Liberal Party Chairman Ray Harding, calling him and his wife “people of absolute integrity.” Harding later admitted to accepting some $800,000 in bribes.

 Daily News looks at BDB's City Council tenure (NYDN) *de Blasio has had his eye on Gracie Mansion for a long time. * Rabbi Mourned in New York, Becomes Divisive Issue in Mayoral Race (WSJ)* Charter school advocates to rally this morning, in show of force for next mayor  * POWER AND COMPROMISE: Bill de Blasio's goal was to be prince of the city after choosing Council over D.C. post(NYDN) * Bloomberg's chief of city planning says de Blasio's housing plan is 'interesting'(NYDN) * Bill de Blasio's spokesman said his remarks about the passing of Rabbi Ovadia were not meant to signal support for the rabbi's controversial statements. [Yoav Gonen] * "My name is Joe Lhota and I AM a fiscal conservative...I've always been who I am," Lhota says in digs at Bill de Blasio.* .@JoeLhota4Mayor says @BilldeBlasio will end charter schools in this city #2013* Lhota proposes "free quality remedial" online courses for fmr NYC public school students, w hours counting for public aid work requiremts.* Ray Kelly deserves our thanks, Joe Lhota says. He shouldn't be a punching bag on campaign trail, Lhota says.* Bill de Blasio campaign sounds off on Lhota's gun remark, calls him "a typical Tea Party politician who is out of touch with New Yorkers"* "The details of Mr. de Blasio’s approach to charter schools remain murky"(NYT) * Joe Lhota Claims ‘Progressive’ Mantle in Mayor’s Race(NYO) * Joe Lhota Makes His Mayoral Pitch to the Asian Community(NYO) * Cox: de Blasio Would Be The Left’s Presidential Candidate(NYO) * Joe Lhota Argues Charter School Support Makes Him The Real Progressive On Education(NYDN) * .@deBlasioNYC says charter school moratorium is just "until we get it right" * .@deBlasioNYC criticizes charter school advocates for scaring kids by telling them he'll close their schools* De Blasio says growing up, "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" was his favorite book.  * The city’s unions are joining forces to raise more than $1 million so far for mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio to counter billionaire activist David Koch’s fundraising effort for Lhota, Capital New York reports:  * At charter school rally, @JoeLhota suggests @BilldeBlasio would put up "roadblocks" @WNYC  *Citing labor fund-raising, Lhota says deBlasio is 'bought & paid for' by teachers  * 'You should not be implementing policy unless you know exactly how it’s going to be implemented': Mayoral hopeful Joe Lhota backs GOP on Obamacare delay(NYDN) * De Blasio’s Inequality Dodge (City Journal) The candidate’s home borough of Brooklyn illustrates the hypocrisy of his rhetoric.*  Charter School Supporters March Across Brooklyn  Bridge (NY1)

Charter School Supporters March Across Brooklyn Bridge - See more at: http://brooklyn.ny1.com/content/news/190109/charter-school-supporters-march-across-brooklyn-bridge#sthash.ebzdvSPA.dpuf

Charter School Supporters March Across Brooklyn Bridge - See more at: http://brooklyn.ny1.com/content/news/190109/charter-school-supporters-march-across-brooklyn-bridge#sthash.ebzdvSPA.dpuf

Monday

New York City mayoral hopefuls Bill de Blasio and Joe Lhota each made their pitches to voters at African-American churches on Sunday, with both continuing their campaign sparring after their church visits, the Daily News reports:  * New York Today: Mr. Lhota’s Neighborhood(WSJ) *  Bill de Blasio's student activist at New York University work prepared him for the world of city politics(NYDN)
* Breaking: Mayor Bloomberg says the streets might not run red with blood under a @deBlasioNYC administration * Gov. Andrew Cuomo will ring in his 56th birthday with a $50,000-a-table fundraising gala and performance by his longtime family friend, Billy Joel.* Chirlane McCray, who once identified as a lesbian, will headline a Friday LGBT fundraiser for her husband.

The NYT took a stroll through NYC GOP mayoral candidate Joe Lhota’s old neighborhood: Pelham Bay, in the Bronx.* Are millennials more liberal? Think again (CrainsNY) Let's begin with a simple fact: Young New Yorkers didn't vote in any large numbers in the Democratic primary. They made up only 11% of the total count, compared with 19% in the last presidential election. They didn't support Mr. de Blasio in any outsize way. He got 39% of the millennials' vote—about the same as his winning percentage. His strongest backing came from people between ages 45 and 64.* .@JoeLhota4Mayor commits, vaguely, to boosting city funding for the MTA  * NYC Republican Voters By Concentration - Cool Map http://bit.ly/16qX2Lw  via @PoliticaILine * 

 .@JoeLhota4Mayor says his wife and daughter will join march across Brooklyn Bridge for charter schools. He'll be speaking at ABNY. * "It's a question of name recognition & getting out there where I stand on charter schools, on creation of jobs..."-Lhota on his bad poll #s * On polling that shows him down 50pts, Joe Lhota says silver lining is most NYers, when polled on the issues, actually agree with his stance.* Joe Lhota reacted to the News piece by arguing Mr. de Blasio’s “alternative school” makes his current charter school skepticism hypocritical. “The real tale of two cities is the one Bill de Blasio wants for himself and his powerful friends and the one where everyday New Yorkers are struggling under his harmful policies,” Mr. Lhota charged in a statement.* The New York Times‘s Bill Keller took a look at the two candidates’ managerial styles.

While Mr. Lhota’s résumé is deep, Mr. Keller found Mr. de Blasio could “explain with a wonk’s enthusiasm the intricate balancing acts of successful management: recruiting a team that brings fresh thinking but has an insider’s understanding of which levers to pull.”* Joe Lhota has strong management skills--but what would he actually do in office? (CrainsNY) * Joe Lhota Backs Obamacare Delay(NYO) * If you agree we need to keep charter schools going, stand with Joe  *De Blasio scores big at biz fundraiser(CrainsNY) the Democratic mayoral candidate's most lucrative so far, pulling in $275,000 in a single night. The event, held Oct. 1 at the retro-mod Elmo Restaurant in Chelsea, was hosted by Michael Woloz, a partner at Connelly McLaughlin & Woloz and a lobbyist. The fundraiser mainly drew executives from the taxi and heating oil industries.* "It's detailed:" De Blasio explains his borough taxi opposition, sort of. [Dana Rubinstein] * Bill de Blasio's rhetoric about how well Wall Street is doing doesn't reflect the lack of jobs or fragility Wall Street still faces. [Nicole Gelinas]

In the Running: Lhota’s Wife Brings Experience as a Fund-Raiser to His Mayoral Campaign (NY1)

  * Mayoral candidate Joe Lhota distanced himself from Republicans in Washington over the federal shutdown but agreed that the individual mandate under Obamacare should be delayed for one year, the News reports: * Mayoral candidate Joe Lhota distanced himself from Republicans in Washington over the federal shutdown but agreed that the individual mandate under Obamacare should be delayed for one year, the News reports * Bloomberg is still optimistic that Lhota can win the mayor’s race, but said whoever is victorious will find the city in good shape, the News reports: *Rabbi Mourned in New York, Becomes Divisive Issue in Mayoral Race (WSJ) * Lhota Appears Sympathetic To Some Tea Party Positions In Video (NY1) * De Blasio’s Inequality Dodge (NY1) * Lhota Appears Sympathetic To Some Tea Party Positions In Video(NY1)




“The last thing the governor Cuomo wants is a clash with a Mayor de Blasio’’  
Fearing a clash with likely new NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio over his tax-the-rich plan to fund a universal pre-K program

Cuomo worried about tax-hike fight with de Blasio(Dicker, NYP) Cuomo has directed his staff to explore “alternative options” to allow New York City to raise revenue without going through with de Blasio’s plan to tax wealthy city residents to pay for universal preschool*  In the Daily News, Patrick Lynch, president of the New York City Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, argues that the best way to restore public trust in the NYPD is to increase staffing for the department and decrease quotas: * De Blasio attended a private meeting with "a couple of dozen" city business figures, including Rupert Murdoch and Mort Zuckerman. [Joe Pompeo and Azi Paybarah]

Letitia James: I Won't Accept Matching Funds In Public Advocate Race(NYDN)

 

 

 

Queens GOP committee accused of scheduling vote on SImchat Tora to suppress Jewish vote (NYDN)

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What Ever Happen to One57 Investigation?

Breaking One57 the building that Albany gave millions in tax breaks to, has crane for a second time Blame Albany for the Traffic Shutdown of 57th St . . .  Calling George Arzt Extell George Arzt Moreland Commission Christine Quinn One57 ... * 57th Street Reopened After Crane Malfunction in Midtown(NYT) * Construction Accidents: 'Unstable Load' On One57 Crane Shuts Down 57th Street: Part of 57th Street has been...


George Arzt and the Crane

One of George Arzt's clients is Extell, and Extell is the sponsor of the exclusive, luxury condo called One57 that is the target of an investigation for possible corruption. Extell has funneled approximately $75,000 in campaign contributions to Christine Quinn. According to this report, generated moments ago from the New York City Campaign Finance Board Web site, Mr. Arzt has contributed $90,500 in political donations to municipal candidates.2013-08-23 George Arzt Campaign Donations - Master List - Quick Search - New York City Campaign Finance Boa...

Tax Breaks for the Rich Do Not Save the City's Middle Class

Sheldon Silver aided Gov. Cuomo in sneaking through tax breaks for luxury developer(NYDN)

Two developers who stood to benefit from the tax breaks gave Cuomo big donations days before his bill-signing. Several sources involved in the process identified Silver as the creator of the lucrative tax relief. One 57th St. building in Manhattan was projected to save $35 million over 10 years. Between 2007 and 2011, as the median family income in the city dropped by 6.8%, the median monthly rent went up by 8.6%. Thirty-one percent of New Yorkers spent more than half their income on rent, as those not lifted up by New York’s booming, knowledge-intensive fields felt the squeeze.* Assemblyman Keith Wright Sent Letter Acknowledging Developer Tax Breaks In Bill(NYDN) A letter Assemblyman Keith Wright signed suggests he knew more than he has acknowledged about a housing bill he sponsored at the behest of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver that gave five developers juicy tax breaks. Sources said last week that Wright was unaware of the details of the bill and furious with Silver for asking him to sponsor it.* 57th Street Reopened After Crane Malfunction in Midtown(NYT) * Crane Hooks the City, Again(WSJ)

Candidates Cannot Agree On the Facts on Wall Street

What would ‘Mayor’ de Blasio do about NY’s finances?(NYP Ed)
‘Wall Street has not only recovered to its pre-recession levels, but managed to set new records,” Democratic front-runner Bill de Blasio proclaimed before a business group last Friday. De Blasio is already wrong by one measure. His opponent, Joe Lhota, called the “new records” statement “nonsensical,” noting, “We are missing 25,100 jobs” in finance and insurance (compared to the 2007 peak). The securities industry, too, is still down 19,200 jobs. “Wall Street as a New York City industry has not recovered,” Lhota said. Those still employed are making less, too. The average financial-industry wage was $266,972 last year, down 7 percent from the $286,001 peak in 2007. The wage in securities down from $403,358 to $361,137. De Blasio had one solid point: Profits are back. So why haven’t Wall Street bosses added staff?* In the Post, the Manhattan Institute’s Nicole Gelinas writes that New York City faces tough economic times ahead that could deepen the city’s deficit and endanger de Blasio’s plan to raise taxes on the rich * De Blasio’s tax-paid child care(Peyser, NYP) * Living-Wage Fight Seen With de Blasio (WSJ) * A proposal by de Blasio to guarantee higher wages at city-subsidized projects could set up a battle with business and real-estate interests if he is elected. * Bill Keller spoke to both Lhota and de Blasio about “being” mayor, instead of simply running for the position, and found they have very different management styles.* Lhota would seek to slash 60K from city payroll, build housing on top of post offices (CrainsNY)

1. 1. Colin Campbell ‏@BKcolin 3m

      Gawker blasts de Blasio for sympathetic tweet towards Israeli rabbi who passed today

Sunday

NATURAL BORN LEADER: Bill de Blasio, who staged his first campaign at 12, showed an early affinity for politics after growing up on liberal Boston block(NYDN) * Flip-flopping De Blasio now says he’s a progressive(NYP) * Big donors follow de Blasio's lead(Capital) *

Rev. Al Sharpton's birthday brings both parties together — though it may be a bit awkward(NYDN)
* DeBlasio's mother, daughter of Italian immigrants, went to Smith--urged son to remember prejudices Italians faced 
* Lhota needs to hit back at de Blasio — and soon(Goodwin,NYP)
* Bill de Blasio: Republicans can’t help NYC ‘move forward’(NYP)
* Bill de Blasio And Joe Lhota Make Sunday Morning Pitches At Black Churches(NYDN)

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Organize Crime BOE
 
Disney Times Solutions

The Quinn and Squadron Loses Were Not A Wake Up Call to the NYT. . . Expect More Editorials Like Today's Fix BOE's Management That Have No Chance of Becoming Reality

The Times lays out some potential ways to fix New York City’s dysfunctional Board of Elections, includes calling on Cuomo and the Legislature to create an early voting system for the state 
Mismanaging the Vote in New York City(NYT Ed) The board’s problems go well beyond counting. The top officials are often political hacks, the poll workers are in many cases poorly trained and inept, and the ballots are needlessly complex. Fixing all this will not be easy since an amendment to the State Constitution would be required to create a professional board. That could be next to impossible since many politicians enjoy their power to fill so many jobs and would rather leave the mess as it is. The NYT Says These Are Possible Fixes

.First, if the board cannot be professionalized, the staff members can. At the very least, they should compete for jobs, pass tests, have some experience and undergo rigorous training. The City Council, which along with the mayor controls the board’s budget, also confirms the 10 members of the board, five Democrats and five Republicans nominated by borough party officials. The Council must make sure these people are up to the job — no more rubber stamping to please county politicians.* The NY Post says the city should cancel primary election runoffs.



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All the Media Silent On Local Impact on  Citizens United

We have just gone though the first local election since the Citizen United ruling where two major IE groups Jobs4NT and NYClass has pumped money into almost every first time winning candidate or attacked their opponent.  CrainsNY reporter Chris Bragg has done a good job showing that on of the big PAC groups headed by Advance's Scott Levinson was not following the election law and was in some elections working against the interests of his council clients.  Only True News has asked where is the media on Citizens United effect on the city's elections. Mark Levine ran  in a minority created district he did not even live in won with the help of Jobs4NY, NYClass and United for the Future.* Politicians for Sale (NYT Ed)The Supreme Court should follow its own precedent and uphold overall campaign contribution limits.

Daily News Does Not Talk About PACS During Their Clear the Air Article on Levine

Council race winner Mark Levine clears the air about divisive uptown battle(NYDN)

Levine, 44, has lived uptown for years. But the neighborhood is whiter and wealthier than it was in the past.

Editorial - The Court's Blow to Democracy - NYTimes.com(2010)

Justice Alito, Citizens United and the Press(NYT Ed)

How Much Has Citizens United Changed the Political Game ...

Citizens United - The New York Times

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New Media Wars

Abramson Where is the NYT 's Analysis of Citizen United Effect On Local Elections?

NYT's Jill Abramson: Horse-race media trivializes politics(Politico)

New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson says she worries about the trivialization of politics by publications like POLITICO, but offered no defense when asked about the Times' own coverage of the political horse race.

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Jobs4NY's Parkside Lobbyists for the Media

Not One Story About Parkside's Role in Jobs4NY
The New York Newspaper Guild pays the Parkside Group $60,000 a year to lobby for them. It is strange that the major role Parkside plays in state and local elections it never gets written about.  Parkside ran Jobs4NY for the real estate industry which spent millions buying future councilmembers. The Newspaper Guild-CWA is a labor union founded by newspaper journalists in 1933 who noticed that unionized printers and truck drivers were making more money than they did. In addition to improving wages and working conditions, its constitution says its purpose is to fight for honesty in journalism and the news industry's business practices.

REBNY | Jobs For New York PAC - The Real Deal *  Lobbyist Has a Dual Role at City Hall - New York Times(2005) * True News: A Takeover Of Journalism by Lobbyist and Politicians * A Letter to Garcia: (Michael) Garcia U.S. Attorney | Room Eight

Bus Waiting

A New Way to Track Your (Late) Bus(WSJ)* The MTA expanded its GPS-tracking program of city buses to include Manhattan, allowing riders to use an online map and automated texts to cut down on the time they spend standing at the curb, waiting for the bus.

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Weiner the Play

A Greek Tragedy With Elements of Danger. Carlos Danger(NYT)

A play that imagines Anthony D. Weiner, a former New York City mayoral candidate, as a tragic hero of the stage will make its Off Off Broadway debut next month.

More Tickets to Pay for City Services
In 2011, NYC’s Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jonathan Mintz hired 14 new inspectors, who doubled agency revenue by doling out more petty fines.



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DA Hynes Running On GOP Line

Voters Will Be Asked Who Do You Believe?

Clarence Norman In the DA's Race: Dog Whistle Or Getting Even?

How could I sit back and let one of the felons I sent to prison help elect and influence my successor without at least a real old-fashioned Brooklyn fight?” Hynes *Schumer: Nothing about Hynes, but @KenThompson4DA is the right man for the right job at the right time.* Thompson Says Hynes Now With the Party ‘Trying to Destroy the President’(NYO) * @KenThompson4DA Picks up Endorsement in D.A.’s Race http://on.wsj.com/15Ww9JG  @WSJ * Brooklyn Brawl (YNN) * Ken Thompson Accuses Charles Hynes Of Lying As Brooklyn DA Race Rages On(NYDN) * Schumer Endorses Thompson In Brooklyn DA Race (NY1)

Hynes Vs, Thompson and de Blasio

De Blasio to campaign for Ken Thompson in DA bid(NYP) Mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio will actively campaign to help elect fellow Democrat Ken Thompson as Brooklyn District Attorney to thwart a comeback bid by incumbent Charles (Joe) Hynes, The…* Brooklyn DA, in re-election fight, stalls deposition(NYDN) 

NYP Cites Norman Revenge and Attacks Thompson as Anti-Police

Hynes’ Republican re-election campaign(NYP Ed)

Hynes, of course, didn’t embrace his inner Republican until he lost his race in the Democratic primary against Ken Thompson last month. But this strikes us as more than just a case of sore losing. Multiple sources told The Post that Clarence Norman — a former party boss whom Hynes sent to the pokey for selling judgeships — helped direct Thompson’s get-out-the-vote effort. That stinks to high heaven. Thompson denies it vigorously. But we know that Norman was at Thompson’s victory party. That night he crowed to The Post that “God said it was finally time that justice should be served in Brooklyn.” We have had our differences with Hynes in the past. But the Norman connection isn’t the only thing that should worry people about Thompson. Even worse for New Yorkers is that he has staked out a position to the left of most of the harshest critics of stop-and-frisk: He wants to place prosecutors in Brooklyn precincts, where their role would be to second-guess the police.* Hynes Revives His Re-Election Campaign(Jewish Week) After Democrat loss, Brooklyn DA to seek 7th term as Republican.

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The Secret Dark Pool of Campaign Consultant/Lobbyists

Double whammy (NYDN Ed)

Shadowy UFT spending undermines campaign finance laws

Who Side Are You On . . .  Gaming NYC Politics

Permanent Government
Stealing NYC
CrainsNY reporter Chris Bragg has done a great investigative job exposing how lobbyist/consultant the Advance Group was on both sides of many campaigns by using IE PACS and fake to run the UFT PAC. The Advance Group is also the lobbyist for the NYC Hotel and Motel Trades Council.  The Hotel Council ran a PAC that Spent $410,000 to make Quinn NYC's next mayor. The Advance Group ran a PAC that attacked Quinn. Anti-Quinn Group Set for Two Final Weeks of Battle - The Epoch Times The Advance Group's stable of clients include the anti-horse carriage group NYCLASS which spent 300,000 on anti-Quinn ads.

The Secret World of Dark Pools Lobbyist/Political Consultant

The Hotel Council and their lobbyists the Advance Groups working against and for Quinn is all part of the NYC's Dark Pool politics Where political operators in the shadows work on more than one side in the same race.  Those operating in the dark pool use state's out dated election law to hide the  evidence that they are working against their clients. If the Moreland Commission ever gets around to sending a subpoena to the democratic senate campaign committee they would find that some of the $2 million it paid the Parkside Group found it way to other campaign consultants /lobbyists.  What happens in the dark pools of politics is that consultants/lobbyists trade favors with each other.  If George Artz needed support for one of his lobbyists clients, he just throws some work to the lobbyists consultants who deliver their stable of elected officials.  Consultants/lobbyists have cut up the city and clients the same way the mob did in the 50's at the Apalachin meeting. In this dark trading pool elected officials are for hire. So if the feds puts some of them in jail, it will not stop the corruption cancer destroying democracy in New York.  It is sad that the press is not covering Bragg's Crains investigation of the Advance Group.  More reporting will expose the root cause for corruption, not just the pols carrying water campaign consultant/lobbyists.  The press avoiding Bragg's ChainsNY story reminds me of the boy in Flatbush who watched the roaches run for dear life when he turn the light on.

It is very clear that Wall Street has Dark Pools where traders operate beyond the regulators.  What is not clear is that their are also Dark Pool where lobbyists, campaign consultants and elected officials make  deals with each other undermining democracy hidden from public view.* "The super PAC for the city teachers union may have violated campaign finance rules by not disclosing spending details for a robocall sent to voters during the 2013 primary elections, GothamSchools has found." [Geoff Decker] * "Questions Raised Over U.F.T. Campaign Filing" [Beth Fertig] * U.F.T. president Michael Mulgrew explains his union's campaign spending. [WNYC via SoundCloud] * The super PAC for the UFT may have violated campaign finance rules by not disclosing spending details for a robocall sent to voters during the 2013 primary elections

City and State Loser of the Week

Scott Levenson – Levenson’s consulting firm, The Advance Group, appears to have found a sure-fire way to come out on top in campaigns: secretly represent both sides! That’s what seems to have happened in the race for New York City Council between Yetta Kurland and Corey Johnson. On one hand, The Advance Group was getting paid to run an independent expenditure for the animal rights group NYCLASS supporting Kurland; on the other it appears to have been promoting Johnson’s candidacy through an IE paid for by the UFT via a company called Strategic Consultants—apparently a dummy shell corporation set up to obscure the Advance Group’s double-dealing. With consultants like that …


Tallies

Unofficial results @TishJames vs @DanielSquadron for public adv shows her winning Bklyn 70 to 30, Bx 67 to 33, Queens 63 to 37, SI 55 to 45.* Former City Councilwoman Melinda Katz beat her opponents in all but two areas of Queens: http://ht.ly/pwea6  http://fb.me/1RrdWFQyX * Gatemouth delved further into the primary returns. “In the City’s 14 black majority ADs, Spitzer won by a daunting 97,543 (61.44%) to Stringer’s 61,187 (38.54%),” he wrote of the comptroller face-off between Eliot Spitzer and Scott Stringer. “In contrast, Stringer won the City’s 22 white majority ADs by an astonishing 158,623 (65.15%) to 84,792 (34.83%).”


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Cats Wants to Buy City's GOP

Column: Gristedes billionaire John Catsimatidis plans to play a role in reorganizing the city’s Republican Party.

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Jobs4NY Type IE PACS Can Be Slowed Down

Tenant PAC Put Its Foot Down Against  Jobs4NY
If City Council candidates are unwilling to denounce millions in outside spending by the real estate-backed political action committee Jobs for New York, they won't be getting the endorsement of the city's most influential tenants rights group, a top leader Michael McKee, of Tenants PAC said.  Almost all of Tenpac endorsed candidates did not get any money from Jobs4NY. The following Tenpac candidates did not get any mailings from Jobs4NY: Corey Johnson, Benjamin Kallos, Helen Rosenthal, and Rosie Mendez, Melissa Mark-Viverito.  In the Bronx Tenants PAC endorsed Andy King and he got a little mailing mailing from Jobs$NY. In Manhattan Tenant PAC endorsed candidates Ydanis Rodriguez and Mark Levine got $$$ from Jobs4NY.  Many of the candidates TenPac endorsed were attacked in mailing put out by Tenpac, including  Ede Fox, Carlos Menchaca, Vince Morgan.  Jobs4NY also sent out an attack piece against Tenpac endorsed candidate Benjamin Kallos. If All the interests groups not just Tenant PAC put their foot down on not supporting candidates who took money from PACs like Jobs4NY it would have a much greater impact.

Progressives Jobs4NY $$$ not significant
The So Called “progressives” on the City Council Look the Other Way When Jobs4NY Endorsed One Of Their Candidates

Tenants PAC is declining to endorse incumbent Margaret Chin in lower Manhattan, though she made a career as a tenants rights activist. She apparently declined to publicly condemn the real estate spending on behalf of her candidacy.Defending Chin, Lander said, “I don’t think Margaret Chin has signed on to the REBNY platform…it is hard to know what the relationship is. I pointed this out to Lander, who grew defensive of his fellow Progressive.  “I am not going to criticize Margaret Chin’s campaign,” he said.  “There are several races where Jobs for New York has supported the front-running candidates in hopes that they will be grateful later.  There is no way to solicit or refuse the help, so who is to say whether Margaret Chin even wanted it…”Councilwatch asked Lander, If you will not draw lines against an organization such as REBNY, whose position is anathema to that of the Progressive Caucus, then what does it mean for there to be a Progressive Caucus?CM Lander softened his tone: “I share the concern implied in your question. I am against large independent expenditures, and many of the battles I have fought for affordable housing and in clusionary zoning--I am sure that REBNY would be on the other side of them.So the Progressive Caucus may see Margaret Chin’s refusal to denounce REBNY’s support for her campaign as an embarrassment, but not a significant one.  And as Co-Chairman Brad Lander told me, “I am sure that Margaret Chin will continue to be a committed member of the Progressive Caucus.”

Glen Falls Newspaper Demand Vs NYT Silence On Moreland Commission for details of outside work legislators do

EDITORIAL: Legislators need to hand over employment records(Post Star) Few comparisons are less apt than Assemblyman Tony Jordan’s comparison of lawyers to doctors in the context of client confidentiality. The first problem with Jordan’s comparison is its irrelevance. The commission is not asking for lists of patients from doctors. Many legislators are lawyers, however, with active practices. Last year, Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos made $250,000 in his law practice. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver made more than that, perhaps as much as $450,000, according to ethics disclosure records.“The public has an interest in knowing whether a public official is profiting from office; the public has an interest in knowing whether a public official has interests with or ties to particular special interests; and the public has an interest in knowing those financial interests that can affect a public official’s actions.”
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DA Hynes Running On GOP Line


Team Hynes Says A Former Brooklyn Boss Who He Put in Jail is Taking Credit for His Defeat - Hynes Vs Norman

It ain’t over until it’s over

REAKING: Brooklyn DA nominee says defeated Hynes continuing fight(Brooklyn Paper) Presumptive Democratic district attorney nominee Ken Thompson said moments ago that incumbent Charles Hynes — whom Thompson defeated in a primary on Sept. 10 — is continuing his campaign as a Republican and Conservative. More on this story as it develops.* Hynes is eager to keep his job because of allegations – first reported by The Post – that former Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Clarence Norman, who the DA sent to prison for selling judgeships, played a key role in Thompson’s victory. “He’s outraged that Clarence Norman is involved. Everybody says Clarence Norman is all over town pounding on his chest saying he took Hynes out,” the source said.  “We put Norman in jail, and Thompson put him on the payroll,” another source close to Hynes said.* Joe Hynes raised last night $150K * Statement from Brooklyn Dem leader on Hynes: "We profoundly regret his action after a long and distinguished career in public service." * Charles Hynes, defeated in Democratic primary, will run for district attorney on the GOP line  * "There's a groundswell of support," said a person close to Hynes. "Experts feel that the numbers are out there."* Hynes to Run for District Attorney as a Republican (NYT) * Brooklyn DA Hynes flip-flops; will campaign on GOP lines  * Brooklyn Prosecutor, in Reversal, Will Run as a Republican to Keep His Job(NYT) * Peter Gleason Challenging Cy Vance For Manhattan District Attorney(NYDN) * Joe Hynes presented his case for continuing his re-election bid, claiming ex-party boss Clarence Norman is “running” district attorney rival Ken Thompson‘s campaign. The Thompson campaign, which denies any association with Mr. Norman, has previously noted that “Hynes’ campaign manager, Taharka Robinson, was convicted of assault and robbery.”
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Brooklyn Dems Respects
Democratic Party More Than Woman

Brooklyn Boss Seddio and His Flack Artz Does Not Turn On Hynes Because of Sexual Abuse They Turns On Him Because He lost the Democratic Primary

“The cynical Republican-led effort to create an internecine feud among Democrats in the race for Brooklyn District Attorney will end in failure. Brooklyn Democrats are 100 percent united behind our candidate Ken Thompson who will win in November,” he vowed in the statement, which was tellingly sent by the firm that represented Mr. Hynes in the primary, George Arzt



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Mental Health Default NYPD


Police Must Deal With Pols Failures to Treat Mental Illness 

Shrugging off psychos(NYDN)

Three deranged men wreaked bloody mayhem in the city over the course of less than a month, killing one New Yorker, stabbing or slashing five and forcing a Times Square police shooting that wounded two. There’s little doubt that the mental health system failed Redrick, and likely Brodnax and Graham as well. One man is dead and seven are injured — and, under the shroud of secrecy, no one will be held to account. So the violence will go on.

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Virtual Rubber Rooms Again

Daily News Rewrites There Own Story and Calls It Exclusive

EXCLUSIVE: City will spend $29 million on salaries, benefits of educators it can’t fire.

Troubled city teachers still bouncing around the supposedly shutdown 'rubber rooms' as city wastes $22 million a year (Daily News 10/16/ 2012)
Bad rubber room bounce(NYDN ed)

Amid the sting of national ridicule, the United Federation of Teachers struck a deal with Mayor Bloomberg in 2010 to abolish rubber rooms where instructors deemed unfit for classes languished at full pay.

 
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Moreland Commission Politics

Cuomo's Moreland Creation Could Hurt Him

Cuomo's anti-corruption panel stops at investigating his own Democratic party (NYDN) A subpoena that sought to seek information on the New York Democratic party’s spending from its ‘housekeeping’ account was never sent, sources tell the Daily News. Cuomo killed a subpoena to the state Democratic Party, which he controls, that sought information on the party’s spending from its housekeeping account, which raised millions to fund ads promoting his agenda.   William Fitzpatrick, the commission’s co-chairman, informed panel members at a private meeting last week that the subpoena was never sent. Instead, one went to the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, Fitzpatrick said, according to insiders. Fitzpatrick told his colleagues that the commission sent subpoenas to the state Senate Republicans and the state Independence Party asking for information on spending from their “housekeeping” campaign accounts, the insiders said.

In March, the Daily News reported that the Senate Republicans — looking to cling to their majority during last year's campaigns — transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Independence Party, which turned around and bought ads in hotly contested districts. The News reported Monday that Cuomo and his aides have exerted heavy influence on the panel and killed other subpoenas, including one to the Real Estate Board of New York, a close Cuomo ally.* APNewsBreak: NY Republicans receive subpoenas(WSJ) * No one really wants to comment to the Associated Press when it comes to receiving subpoenas from the Moreland Commission.




WSJ Says AG Pay to Play Journalism

One editorial page complains about New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's campaign receiving donations from lawyers who could benefit from his push to get JP Morgan Chase to admit wrongdoing during the financial collapse. [WSJ]





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Media  Hides UFT Campaign Corruption

The Media  Allows UFT Head to Spin About Tests and Does Not Ask Him Why He Hired A Fake Consulting Firm Tied to the Advance Group Which Has Legal  Problems Ahead
Meanwhile, teachers’ union head Michael Mulgrew took issue with a test question that involves evaluating Mayor Michael Bloomberg‘s successes and failures. It reminded him “of some story coming out of North Korea and Kim Jong Il,” he said. “I doubt the mayor knew about it, but it’s just ridiculous.” * UFT under fire for apparently trying to hide identity of consulting firm(NYDN)The city’s powerful teachers union is under fire from good-government groups for apparently trying to hide the identity of a consulting firm it was using to boost union-backed candidates.  "The listing of the phony firm, 'Strategic Consultants, Inc.,' in campaign filings, obscured that Advance Group was being paid both to promote candidates for the United Federation of Teachers' independent political action committee, and working as the main campaign consultant for several of those same candidates." [Chris Bragg]* A newly-created exam for seventh graders asks if Mayor Michael Bloomberg's career has been defined by successes or failures. [Rachel Monahan] * The super PAC for the United Federation of Teachers may have violated campaign finance rules by not disclosing spending details for a robocall sent to voters on behalf of former Manhattan borough president candidate Robert Jackson, Gotham Schools reports:


Top de Blasio supporters funded anti-Quinn group(CrainsNY)  The newly disclosed donations to NYCLASS include $50,000 from Jay Eisenhofer, an attorney who is Mr. de Blasio's largest campaign bundler, having separately raised nearly $85,000 for the candidate. The group also got $175,000 from the international labor union UNITE HERE, whose former president is John Wilhelm, Mr. de Blasio's cousin. UNITE HERE Local 100 backed Mr. de Blasio's candidacy in June, and Mr. Wilhelm bundled $17,000 in donations for his cousin. Ms. Quinn's campaign had accused NYCLASS of of being supportive of Mr. de Blasio, a charge the nonprofit has denied. Another major union funder of the anti-Quinn efforts, CWA Local 1180, backed the mayoral candidacy of city Comptroller John Liu. NYCLASS disclosed the donations to the city Campaign Finance Board Wednesday after The Insider reported last week that the group had not done so, in violation of city regulations.


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Is There A Mayor's Race?

2nd Poll This Week NYT/Siena Shows Hugh de Blasio Lead 
Bill de Blasio Crushes Joe Lhota 68% - 19% In New NYT/Siena #NYMayor's Race Poll | New York Daily News
Best news for Lhota? Voters share his views on Kelly, charters and split on SQF. Worst? Almost everything else (NYT)  73% of JL's voters have an unfavorable view of BDB while only 47% of BDB voters have unfavorable view of JL
Poll Says Voters Back de Blasio, if Not His Plans(NYT)
By an enormous margin, New York City voters support Bill de Blasio for mayor, though many are concerned about some of his policies, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll. 

De Blasio, the Democratic mayoral nominee, came out of the primary with a 41-point lead over his Republican opponent, Joe Lhota, and it's now swelled to a 50-point advantage, according to a poll of likely voters released by Quinnipiac University today. The Independence Party nominee, Adolfo Carrion, is at two percent, unchanged from Quinnipiac's earlier poll on September 19. * Bill de Blasio up 50 points over Lhota in latest poll(NYDN) * De Blasio Has Enormous Lead Over Lhota, Poll Finds(NYT)


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Lhota Needs October Surprise

Lhota Message Not Getting Through

De Blasio, Lhota Both Appear At National Action Network (NY1)
Lhota Steps Up Attack on de Blasio(WSJ)

Thursday
This may be like the old days in New York mayoral elections -- the last time in 1977 -- when November doesn't count. Repub got only 4% then.  Republican mayoral nominee Joe Lhota released his first television advertisement of the general election campaign, highlighting the common ground shared with his Democratic opponent Bill de Blasio, but criticizing his tax plan In TV Ad, Lhota Cites Common Ground, and Differences, With de Blasio(NYT) @BilldeBlasio, in official PA capacity, files amicus brief opposing new pro-@JoeLhota4Mayor superPAC seeking to overturn $ limits * Lhota, de Blasio launch 1st mayoral ads(NYP) * Lhota hopes to close the 50-point gap between himself and de Blasio in the debates and television commercials that clearly outline his message, the Daily News writes: * Lhota is now attacking de Blasio for his lack of managerial experience and budget skills while steering clear of calling his Democratic opponent a Marxist, Politicker writes: *5 weeks to go, very down in the polls, and @JoeLhota4Mayor releases a redesigned website  * "Other pundits said Lhota stumbled by siding with de Blasio on social issues just days after hammering him as a Marxist liberal." [Yoav Gonen and Beth DeFalco] * Joe Lhota says he keeps asking John Catsimatidis to endorse him only to get snubbed  * Joe Lhota’s "campaign" for NYC mayor is fuming that @deBlasioNYC called himself a “fiscal conservative.”* "De Blasio raised $634,940 from September 17 to 30, while Lhota raised $279,520."

de Blasio Way Ahead Kills in Ads

De Blasio Urges Voters to ‘Join the Cause’ in New Ad(NYO) 
De Blasio's new TV ad is an excerpt from his primary-night speech. [BilldeBlasio.com]

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A New Master of Campaign Message


de Blasio Campaign Spin Popular Possible Commissioners

De Blasio reaching out to seasoned staffers(NYT)
Sources say de Blasio is reaching out to veterans of previous administrations, including the Bloomberg administration, to help him form a new government should he be elected, with several names being bandied about. Among those lining up to provide transition advice to de Blasio are John Banks, who served as chief of staff to to former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr.; Norman Steisel, a deputy mayor in the Dinkins administration; lobbyist Sid Davidoff, who served under Mayor John Lindsay; and Peter Madonia, who was chief of staff during Mayor Bloomberg’s first term. Steve Aiello, the p.r. titan who serves as unofficial adviser to de Blasio, said he’s already mulling over some names as potential appointees.* Great details about Bill de Blasio's busy schedule of high-dollar fund-raisers. [Chris Smith] * Gov. Cuomo tax cut commission could clash with Bill de Blasio's plan to raise hikes if elected mayor (NYDN) * We have to crack down on biker gangs: De Blasio(NYP) * on @cbs880, @billdeblasio says if he wins with an overwhelming percentage... it's a mandate #2013 * Opponents Decry De Blasio’s Government Effort to Halt Pro-Lhota PAC (NYO) * Bill de Blasio says Joe Lhota worked for Rudy Giuliani and he described the former mayor as "divisive."* NY1 Online: De Blasio Talks Taxes, Schools, Boston Sports  * The Ad Campaign: De Blasio Not Resting on Laurels(NYT) * Patriot act won’t fly here! De Blasio a New England fan(NYP) * De Blasio said that he’s been soliciting advice from former Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and that he would consider Bratton for the commissioner job in his administration, as well as current Police Chief Philip Banks, the Daily News reports *De Blasio Fesses Up: He Likes Red Sox and Patriots(WSJ) * Bill de Blasio crushes Joe Lhota 68% - 19% in New NYT/Siena NY Mayor's race poll(NYDN) * .@deBlasioNYC says former Mayor Dinkins and Gov Cuomo led march towards safer streets and tells audience to thank them* De Blasio is declining to participate in the first televised debate of the general election. [Azi Paybarah] * Applause for @deBlasioNYC when he reiterates support for curbing #stopandfrisk but vows, "we will be safe."

The Times fact-checks Bill de Blasio's first ad of the general election and finds it's "an impressionistic statement of values that makes no new factual claims." [Michael Barbaro] * De Blasio’s old hometown paper – The Boston Globe – has been giving him some love.* De Blasio said if he's elected, his wife is "going to be a very active presence." [Jill Colvin] * The @nypost not giving up on BDB/Sandinistas * @deBlasioNYC refers to himself as a "fiscal conservative" at ABNY speech. * Bill de Blasio Brands Himself a ‘Fiscal Conservative’ at Big Biz Breakfast  * De Blasio calls himself a 'fiscal conservative'(CrainsNY) * Democratic mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio highlighted his policy ideas, cracked jokes and referred to himself as a “fiscal conservative” in a speech to the Association for a Better New York, City & State reports: ' *  De Blasio explained his opposition to Bloomberg’s outer borough taxi plan, saying he agrees with the spirit of it but wants to ensure the financing of each segment of the taxi industry is not endangered, Capital New York writes:   *  De Blasio Focuses on Inequality as He Courts Business Elite(NYT) On Tuesday, Mr. de Blasio spoke at Elmo, a lounge in Chelsea, during an event hosted by a lobbyist, Michael Woloz. In attendance were several prominent members of the yellow-taxi industry, which has given generously to Mr. de Blasio’s campaign, and representatives of real estate and energy companies, along with a group that wants to build a velodrome in the city. * This week alone, de Blasio met with CEOs of Goldman Sachs & Viacom @grynbaum reports, scoopily. Soon: a wine tasting w/ real estate mogul  

de Blasio Addresses New York's Biggest Business Group

Behind scenes de Blasio sending subtler message to city’s corporate titans: He is not their enemy, @grynbaum finds *Fund-Raising for de Blasio Soars, Aided by Big Lead in Polls(NYT) Saturday* Bill de Blasio: I’m a conservative . . . no, really!(NYP) * NYC 2013 Cash Wars: Bill de Blasio Raised Twice As Much As Joe Lhota In Latest NYCCFB Period(NYDN) * De Blasio: 'I'm a Fiscal Conservative'(WSJ) New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio called himself a "fiscal conservative," drawing a quick rebuke from Republican opponent Joe Lhota and others who accused him of pandering.* Bill de Blasio ‏@deBlasioNYC 9h "Undocumented immigrants are New Yorkers too and they deserve driver's licenses now." #TimeisNow #Oct5NYC pic.twitter.com/GH0rPXO1HS

Fredric U. Dicker ‏@fud31 13m

"The Capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them."De Blasio gets standing ovation from biz

1. 1. Charles Gasparino ‏@CGasparino 8m

      SHOCKING: Lloyd Blankfein attends a Bill de Blasio speech on the economy

New Education Leader At de Blasio's City Hall?
De Blasio’s choices for NYC chancellor(NYP)

Former Baltimore Schools CEO Andres Alonso is being pushed for New York City schools chancellor if de Blasio is elected mayor, with city school advocates saying he’s a well-liked reformer and a “strong leader”, the Post writes, But other picks are possible: “Bob Hughes, the longtime head of the nonprofit New Visions for Public Schools, is also on de Blasio’s radar.” Police Former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton seems to want his old job back in Bill de Blasio‘s hypothetical administration. “Apart from being an optimist, I guess I’m a glutton for punishment,” he said when asked if he’d take the gig, “adding that if he’s tapped to head the department next year, he’d decide then if it’s the right time,” according to WNYC. Bratton rejects Giuliani's characterization of @DeBlasioNYC's agenda as "anti-police" (Capital)

Yesterday Education Attack on de Blasio, Today Campaign Spins to Enabling Press New Chancellor Names

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. One editorial page opposed de Blasio's plan to charge rent to charter schools. [amNewYork]

Real Estate Barons Wish Bloomberg Can  Have A 4th Term
The real estate industry is already bemoaning the loss of Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Brokers interviewed by the Daily News hailed the mayor’s pro-development policies, crediting him with transforming the city’s skyline. “I’m depressed at the thought that someone else will be mayor,” one broker told the paper. “I wish we could change term limits again.”* BLOOM TOWN: Real estate brokers praise Hizzoner for spurring growth — 'He has really stretched the boundaries of the city' 


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Corruption Does Not Stop A Non Profit

Scandalized nonprofit receives federal ObamaCare contract(NYP) Met Council former executive director William Rapfogel — a close pal of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver — was charged last week with inflating insurance bills and siphoning $5 million from the nonprofit over a 20-year period.




Meet Rapfogel's New Roommates

Former state senator Pedro Espada & former councilman Larry Seabrook are locked up in the same facility [Bob Kappstatter]


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Council Speaker Race

Wide-Open Race for Council Chief(WSJ)

Letitia James's Victory in Public Advocate Primary Could Affect Contest* Winner in City Council contest — for most contributions to fellow members * .@MarkWeprin made max-out primary donations to Tish James and Paul Vallone, max donation to de Blasio in late Sept... @NYCSPEAKERRACE City and State Winners of the Week  Mark Weprin, Dan Garodnick and Jimmy Vacca – Had Daniel Squadron prevailed in the runoff for New York City public advocate this week, the conventional wisdom was that Garodnick, Vacca and Weprin would have been out of luck in the race for Council Speaker; white men winning all three of the citywide elected offices, it would have looked terrible in a majority-minority city for the only other top job to go to yet another white dude. Fortunately for this trio, Tish James’ runoff win virtually assures that she will become the first woman of color elected citywide in New York City. As a result they didn’t just escape elimination, they moved to the front of the class as viable contenders in the estimation of many pundits—for what that’s worth.*  COUNCIL WATCH: FIRST ABOVE EQUALS: City & State columnist Seth Barron analyzes the contest to be the next Speaker of the New York City Council, including the influential role of Democratic county leaders in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx:

311 Upgrade Ideas for New Mayor
In the Daily News, Adam Forman, a research associate at the Center for an Urban Future, holds Chicago and Boston up as models for a revamped 311 system for New York City under the next mayor: 

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 NYC Marathon Added Security

Boston  Bombing Changes NYPD Security
In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly hired an international private security firm, MSA Security, to overhaul the city marathon’s approach to road racing security, the Times writes:

Even With Allies Leading New York City, Unions Won’t Have It Easy(NYT)

Labor-backed candidates are on the verge of taking over the city, but experts say unions will still probably not be able to get everything they want.

WFP Takes Over the City 
The Establishment Does Not Even Know Who Alex Rose Is, Or What He Did to Make NYC Great, While Protecting NYC's Poor and Middle Class
 Letitia James pushes support for Working Families Party(NYP) James sent out a personal email urging backers on the WFP’s mailing list to vote for her on Row D — the Working Families Party line — in the Nov. 5 general election instead of the Democratic line.

* Working Families Party – It’s been a gangbuster few weeks for the WFP, with the party’s old friend Bill de Blasio looking like he will cruise into office as mayor, big wins in City Council races, and then topping off their success with Letitia James, the first council member elected solely on the WFP line, winning the Democratic contest for public advocate, making her a shoo-in to win the general election. In a relatively short amount of time, the party has become a flagship for progressive candidates and policies as well as organized labor’s political voice. Now we will see what it does in power.* The WFP Flexes(YNN) * The WFP expressed opposition to Cuomo’s new tax commission “headed by former Republican Governor George Pataki,” making no mention of the other co-chair, former state Comptroller Carl McCall.


Council Looks At Runoff Not Why the BOE Spent $95 Million On Scanners That Can Count Runoff Votes

Council members push to end costly runoffs(NYP) After holding a primary with old machines without the media questing  why the scanner were  purchased.  Now the council wants to end the runoffs without talking about why the BOE has scanner that don't  work.   For those that  want to eliminate the runoff do you really want to elect someone to citywide office with 20% of the vote.  The city of Boston just finish primaries that required runoffs in  every race.  It not that New York City is dumber than,it  is  that we allow Tammany Hall to continue to operate the BOE




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CFB Money for Nothing

Does Katz's Campaign Consultant Arzt Need the Cash, He lost the Brooklyn DA and  Manhattan BP, But After All He Still Has His Lobbing Contracts
The Daily News calls on a number of candidates for public office in New York City, to return the latest checks they’ve been issued by the city’s public campaign financing system because they are general election shoo-ins.  Melinda Katz, who pulled down $28,101 in general election matching funds on her way to being sworn in as Queens borough president. Katz had $110,000 in the bank. Republican Aurelio Arcabascio’s campaign was $1,246 in the red at last filing.

George Arzt Communications, Inc. - NYC Lobbyist Search Result

Liu Still Blocking 911 Contracts

Mayor's office pushes Controller John Liu to sign off on $90M Verizon contract(NYDN)

Despite Controller John Liu's insistence that Verizon will not get their contract renewed until they pay off a $50 million settlement over the botched 911 system work, the Bloomberg administration is pushing him to sign off on it. Liu has rejected two proposed settlements and insisted Verizon not get a contract renewal until it pays up.*  Bloomberg shouldn’t use private e-mail for public issues(NYP)

The Year of the Rat?

US attorney recommends sentence of 24 to 30 months for @JohnCLiu former campaign treasurer Jenny Hou ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
DA Hynes Unwinding Continues

Witness Recants in Review of Brooklyn Detective’s Cases(NYT)

Sharron Ivory told detectives that he had lied nearly 20 years ago in giving crucial evidence in one of about 40 trial convictions handled by the now-retired detective, Louis Scarcella, that are under new scrutiny by the Brooklyn district attorney’s office.

Cuomo to Cut Taxes Commission

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: * With Washington stuck in gridlock, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a bi-partisan tax-cutting commission featuring his former rivals. [Jimmy Vielkind] * It was 19 years ago this week that Pataki, then a first-term state senator running for governor, unveiled a proposal for an enormous cut in New York’s personal-income taxes. His opponent, incumbent Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo, derided the plan as a “magic act” and “a con job.” [E.J. McMahon] * Cuomo is about to borrow $1 billion without asking voters. [Michelle Breidenbach] * Just like 2011, liberal groups are pissed at Cuomo's new tax-cutting agenda(Capital)


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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) The Post reiterates its position that New York state has enough casinos, and that adding more will lead to crime, bankruptcies, and gambling addiction. It argues instead that Cuomo should reconsider fracking as an alternative to boost the economy*  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:  * The language for the casino referendum approved by the New York State Board of Elections is "absurdly biased." [Harry Siegel] * In an op-ed, a former Assemblyman from Manhattan said most of the money lost on casino gambling around the country, up to 80 percent, comes from households earning less than $50,000 a year, citing a report in the Christian Science Monitor. "If that isn't a tax on the poor, what is it?" [Ed Sullivan] * The wording of the referendum has rankled some government watchdog groups, and the New York State Catholic Conference. [Jesse McKinley] * No Contribution Limits For Casino Committee(YNN) * DOB: Casino Expansion Will Generate $430M(YNN) * The state Budget Division predicts the expansion of casino gambling, if passed, would generate $430 million in added revenue for the state, including $94.4 million for New York City each year, State of Politics writes:  * The Times Union writes that the state should change the language on the ballot referendum on casino gaming expansion in November to make it less leading for voters:  * Full-Court Casino Press *  A new pro-casino group, NY Jobs Now, is seeking to fund a campaign to convince voters to approve a ballot referendum on casino expansion, with the state AFL-CIO also planning its own effort in support of the referendum, The Buffalo News writes: * Quiet Push for Gambling(WSJ) New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration is coordinating a robust campaign to persuade voters to approve a constitutional amendment legalizing an expansion of non-Indian casino gambling.* While Cuomo himself has been relatively quiet on the casino amendment, his top cabinet members are coordinating a “robust campaign” to convince voters to approve it on Nov. 5.* A study by the Institute for American Values, a Manhattan-based think tank, found that adding slot machines and expanding casinos will add significantly to problem gambling and may not be economically rewarding for the state, the Times Union reports: * Common Cause NY seeks to support lawsuit against NY casino referendum's rosy wording in amicus brief(WSJ)


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Old Judges Referendum

Voters To Consider Referendum To Raise Retirement Age For State Judges (NY1) Voters can vote on a ballot referendum in November to change the state Constitution so that judges on the Supreme Court or Court of Appeals would be able to retire at 80 instead of 70, though critics contend that it would stifle diversity * A bill to raise the mandatory retirement age of judges from 70 to 80 is seen by some as "a favor from embattled Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to his good friend Jonathan Lippman," the state's top judge who will turn 70 in 2015. [Zack Fink] * The Other Referendum(YNN) * Group Forms To Back Raising The Reitrement Age For Judges(YNN) * Law Firms Backing Retirement Age Change For Judges(YNN) * A filing with the state Board of Elections shows that a committee promoting an amendment to raise the retirement age for state judges is being paid for by some of the state’s most prominent law firms, State of Politics writes: 


 



Senator Krueger Calls Jobs4NY IE PAC Racist That Her Former Spokesman Works For

Krueger Call A Campaign PAC That Operates Secretly Racist

Sen. Liz Krueger calls campaign waged by the Senate Dems' own political consultant "ugly, racist attack campaigns" Even Though Her Former Campaign Spokesperson Kyle Sklerov Works for the Company That Ran the IE PAC Jobs For New York. The company that Sklerov works for is Marathon Strategies is being sued by Lisa Giovinazzo who lost the primary for Staten Island’s 50th district, filed suit last month claiming Jobs for New York printed “blatantly false and misleading statements, deliberately and intentionally.”  Sen. Liz Krueger, a pro-tenant Manhattan Democrat, said she doesn't want to see the kind of negative literature that Jobs for New York flooded certain City Council districts with this past summer. "They poured a huge amount of money in to do really, really ugly, racist attack campaigns against a number of council candidates throughout the city," she charged. (The PAC denied there was anything improper about its mailers and said 85% of them were positive. The Parkside Group Was Paid Over $2 million DSCC during the last two elections * Jobs For New York, the real estate-backed Super PAC that dropped $7 million on NYC Council races this year, is eying the 2014 elections in the state Legislature. * Corrupt Parkside Get Away With It Over and Over (True News)

Lawsuit Against Jobs 4 New York

 City Council loser accuses Jobs for New York of libel(Real Deal) Lisa Giovinazzo, an attorney who lost the Republican primary for Staten Island’s 50th district, filed suit last month claiming Jobs for New York printed “blatantly false and misleading statements, deliberately and intentionally.” In an amendment dated Aug. 30, the plaintiff also named Phil Singer, a political strategist for Marathon Strategies and spokesperson for the PAC, as a defendant, following his comments in a newspaper article.With fifteen years of experience working for some of the most demanding campaigns and active political figures of the past two decades, Phil Singer is a veteran political strategist and public relations expert.* Jobs for New York is also supported by several private-sector unions, including the Mason Tenders' District Council of Greater New York; United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500, which represents supermarket workers; and the New York City District Council of Carpenters.

The Secret World of Dark Pools Lobbyist/Political Consultant
It is very clear that Wall Street has Dark Pools where traders operate beyond the regulators.  What is not clear is that their are also Dark Pool where lobbyists, campaign consultants and elected officials make  deals with each other undermining democracy hidden from public view. Marathon Strategies' Phil Singer has worked for Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, Cuomo's 2010 campaign, Quinn, Lappin and Stringer. 
On his website Singer list Freshdirect, Walmart and NYClass as his clients but Marathon Strategies is not listed as a lobbyist with NYC. Leaders of NYCLASS along with the Advance Groups created the IE PAC NYCASS that was involved in the anti-Quinn campaign and other campaigns that Scott Levenson's Advance Group was involved in. Phil served as a senior adviser and consultant to Andrew Cuomo's winning 2010 campaign for Governor, and he worked for Senator Chuck Schumer in a variety of capacities from 2000 to 2006, counseling Schumer on all media-related matters. What all of these lobbyists/campaign consultants like  Singer, Artz and Levenson do is work in  secret as lobbyists against the public interests and run campaigns that them to get more lobbyists clients.

One of the biggest lobbyist crooks is Hank Sheinkopf who was the won the $95 million dollar scanner contract with the BOE.  The same scanner who caused the return to the slow count machines which forced William Thompson Sheinkopf campaign consultant client to drop out of the runoff. Sheinkropf  is one of the many waiting to see what the U.S. Attorney does with the AEG investigation.  Does anyone think that if Thompson had his lawyer in the recount de Blasio would have received 40.8% of the vote?Among the lobbyists to get paid by the city’s broken 911 system contractors was George Arzt, Mercury Public Affairs, LLC, Jennifer Carlson, Peter Barden, Jonathan Greenspun, Michael McKeon, Kasirer Consulting LLC.  These same lobbyists contribute to and run the campaigns of many of the city’s officials. More on Arzt and  the Broken 911 system.  Extell George Arzt Moreland Commission Christine Quinn One57 Connections

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Campaign Lobbyists/Consults Monopoly

Update INBOX: @commoncauseny calls for investigation into @UFT independent expenditure, as per @ChrisBragg1's story.

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 finances Earlier 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. The Advance  group was paid by democratic city council nominee Laurie Cumbo $90,000 and the IE NYCLASS that Advance paid for $7500 in mailings to promote Laurie Cumbo. Another PAC that the Advance Group

Advance Group Working On More Than One Side In Several Races  . . . Were Some Races Fixed?

UFT paid $370,000 to fake consultant (CrainsNY)

The UFT’s Super PAC paid more than $370,000 to an apparently fictitious political consulting firm, which was actually the well-known New York firm the Advance Group.
A "super PAC" formed by the powerful city teachers' union paid more than $370,000 to an apparently fictitious political consulting firm, which was actually the well-known New York firm the Advance Group, records and interviews show. As Mr. Levine, Ms. Cumbo and losing Manhattan borough president candidate Robert Jackson were paying the Advance Group, their campaigns also got outside help from the UFT's spending through mailers designed, printed and sent out by "Strategic Consultants." The union's super PAC paid the apparently fictitious firm more than $12,000 for mailers promoting Mr. Jackson, more than $18,000 to promote Ms. Cumbo and nearly $3,000 in support of Mr. Levine. The Advance  group was paid by democratic candidate Yetta Krukland $28,000 and the IE NYCLASS that Advance paid for $30,000 in mailings to promote Yetta Krukland. The Advance group was paid by democratic nominee  Mark Levine $33,000 and the IE NYCLASS that Advance paid for $11,000 in mailings to promote Mark Levine. Potential coordination between candidates and outside groups is subject to investigation by the city's Campaign Finance Board, an agency that has levied stiff penalties in an effort to level the playing field for candidates enrolled in the city's taxpayer-funded campaign system. City Council candidates seeking taxpayer matching funds cannot spend more than $168,000. In a required post-election Campaign Finance Board audit, if the agency finds coordinated spending between a campaign and an outside group, that spending counts against the cap, which can result in heavy repayment penalties and fines. * The Advance Group's work for the socially conservative coalition was also odd because the consulting firm touts itself as one of the most progressive in the nation. Its founder and president, Scott Levenson, has worked in the past for former Public Advocate Mark Green and former liberal advocacy group ACORN.

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Will Krueger Oppose Cuomo's Attempt to Kill A Moreland Commission Investigation Into the Group That Funded What She Called Racist Campaigns and Will Do the Same With the Albany Election in 2014

Cuomo’s controlling instincts(NYDN) In probing corruption and pushing gambling, Cumo imposes his will. The Daily News’ Bill Hammond explores how Cuomo has “imposed his will” by interfering with the supposedly independent anti-corruption Moreland Commission and the ballot referendum on casino gambling:  One case in point: the revelation that the governor has been interfering in the operations of his supposedly independent Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption. Multiple sources tell the Daily News’ Kenneth Lovett that Cuomo and his staff have quietly pressured his own anti-corruption panel into dropping certain lines of inquiry — including canceling a planned subpoena of the Real Estate Board of New York. The REBNY query was expected to shed light on an infamous backroom deal that awarded massive tax breaks to five luxury highrises in Manhattan. The board and its members had lobbied hard for the breaks for billionaires while doling out million in contributions to various lawmakers — making it just the sort of situation a serious probe of Albany sleaze should examine.


Jobs for New York's next goal: Albany 2014

Real estate-backed @Jobs4NY, which spent $7M to influence City Council elex, eyes Albany in '14 




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Media Blinders on the BOE


True News Starts the Wag on the NYT of the BOE, But What About Corruption and $95 M Scanner That Don't Work?

The NYT's Eleanor Randolph reports about the slow count and patronage at the BOE, but does not write about its history of corruption and why it spend $95 million on scanner which could run the runoff. Randolph should reread True News cover of the corruption at the BOE and try again. True News Says If Tammany Hall is Not Pushed Out of Running the BOE the Old Machines Will Be Back in 2017.  BOE History of Corruption and Incompetence Timeline,   More 

The Board of Elections: An Ongoing Disgrace(NYT)

Elections in New York City are an ongoing disgrace. In a city where everything is supposed to happen faster than anywhere else (hence the New York minute), the Board of Elections took more than two weeks to count votes after the primary election on September 10 — finally finishing on Friday, September 27. That’s an eon by today’s standards, and it’s an embarrassment. The board’s problems stem from the fact that it’s run by political party leaders who fill vacancies the old-fashioned way: with friends or relatives. A job at the city’s elections board is all about connections at a time when the city desperately needs professionals and experts — or at least people who know how to use a computer.
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Daily New and DOI/BOE Cover-Up Continues

The Daily News continues to push the BOE problems down the road, just like they accomplish when they suggested the use of the old voting machines early this year.  Now the paper asks for more changes on how the scanner operate in the future. What the Daily News and its Mini Me DOI does not look to changes are the Tammany Hall crooks who run the BOE Incompetently with their lobbyists friends.

Fix the vote (NYDN Ed) An urgent to-do list for the city Board of Elections and the panel scrutinizing its workings New York City Councilwoman Helen Foster, nominated by Cuomo to head the state’s Human Rights Commission, had the worst attendance record of any council member and flunked the bar exam several times
Moreland and State Board of Elections Board of Elections commissioners also pushing back against Moreland Commission concern they are constantly deadlocked

Democracy? Secret Count By Tammany Hall Hacks
Why is the media not covering?  Or Why the City Spent $95 Million on Scanner That Don't Work in Runnoffs * The instant run-off idea is being pushed by a trio of progressives: Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh, Councilwoman Gale Brewer and Dick Dadey, the executive director of Citizens Union.*  Board Of Elections Punts On O’Keefe(YNN) The state Board of Elections today declined to take up the hiring of a former aide to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver as its enforcement counsel.


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GOP Party Wars Fight to See Who Runs the BOE

The Brooklyn Republican Party’s leadership fight earlier this week was a little wild. “It’s a lynch mob here!” incumbent chair Craig Eaton yelled out at one point, over the noise of audience members chanting “Sham!” after Mr. Eaton’s allies rejected 300 proxy votes against him. “You are a nasty son of a bitch!” an anti-Eaton club chair yelled out at another moment.

Update Bob Turner Not Conceding Queens GOP Leadership Fight(NYO)


Brooklyn and Queens Party Elections Headed to Court

Both Ragusa and Eaton Won By Not Accepting Opposition Proxies
"I don't to Count Opposition Proxies" Queens Boss Ragusa
Bob Turner Loses Bid to Take Over Queens GOP(NYO)
An acrimonious vote on Friday ended with Mr. Ragusa capturing 52 percent of ballots, which are cast by district leaders and state committeemen. Mr. Turner, who had been touted by supporters as the candidate who could finally topple Mr. Ragusa, fell short of expectations, garnering about 48 percent.
After the election of Boss Ragusa his flunky Robert Hornak was seen at the BOE asking for a certified list of Queens GOP state committee and county committee winners.  Meaning the the list that Ragusa used to say in power was not accurate and incomplete

BOE Employees Supporting Golden people reportedly collecting proxies in Grim's congressional office During Office Houses

DOI alerted that BOE employees in Brooklyn collecting Golden proxies during office hours  Update: Craig Eaton wins reelection as Brooklyn GOP party chair with 441 votes to Tim Chocrane's 335. Chocrane to challenge Craig Eaton's reelection in court, claiming 565 valid proxies to Eaton's initial 478 (338 after count) * Eaton opponent was Tim Cochrane, Golden's candidate. * Members screaming between themselves... Chanting: "There's a motion on the floor." #brooklynGOP * But Tim Cochrane, whom Golden, YRs and reform GOPers backed, had 500+ votes. Eaton camp voided nearly half. * Jonathan J. Judge ‏@JonathanJJudge   After all, he who calls the convention, controls the convention.

Moreland's Geppetto

One of Gov. Cuomo's Moreland Commission probers is all-in for casinos, too (NYDN)

Patrick Barrett, while serving on anti-corruption panel, also is a member of 'NY Jobs Now,' which is pressing for a constitutional amendment to permit gambling* Patrick Barrett, a member of Cuomo’s Moreland Commission, is also pushing casino gambling legalization, a key priority of the governor’s, as a member of a coalition called NY Jobs Now.

Gov. Cuomo leans on ‘independent’ corruption panel (NYDN)

Team Cuomo now has final say over some subpoenas and other actions, according to multiple sources Cuomo has moved to grab greater control of the anti-corruption Moreland Commission, with sources saying that Cuomo and his top aides have interfered, and even overruled the co-chairmen of the commission. The changes began after the commission subpoenaed five developers who received lucrative tax breaks in a housing bill, the sources said. The News reported that two of the developers had donated heavily to Cuomo.* The anti-corruption Moreland Commission finds itself locked in a battle with the state Legislature, as lawmakers continue to balk at complying with a request for documents and records related to their outside income and clients, Gannett Albany writes: 

One subpoena seeking lobbying and campaign donation information from the Cuomo-friendly Real Estate Board of New York had been drafted by the commission and approved by its three co-chairmen. But at the insistence of Cuomo aides, it was never sent, several sources said. The commission also prepared to subpoena the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics and the Legislative Ethics Commission for information that included complaints filed against lawmakers over the years. But at the insistence of the governor’s staff, the subpoenas were never sent, the sources said. Insiders say Cuomo chief lawyer Mylan Denerstein was heavily involved in drafting a letter sent to some lawmakers seeking information on their outside income and clients.

One Firday True News Reported Moreland Subpoenas and That the Investigators Were Not Going After the Thugs Who Run Politics

That “interference,” sources said, rankled some anti-corruption commission members and was discussed at an Aug. 29 closed-door meeting. At that meeting, “the governor’s involvement became crystal-clear,” a source said.  “We work for him. This is his commission. The main reason we are here is to effect meaningful change and legislation. Secondarily, if that doesn’t work, we investigate,” Fitzpatrick said, according to sources. Cuomo and his staff are now said to be working more through Fitzpatrick, the respected Syracuse district attorney, than commission Executive Director Regina Calcaterra. Fitzpatrick on Sunday night called it “categorically false” that the governor’s office was dictating what subpoenas could go out, although he acknowledged that some were pulled back or modified on advice of staff. * Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins: “We believe that the request made by the Moreland Commission regarding client disclosure was a reasonable request which should be answered.” (She only has one member, Sen. Neil Breslin, who reportedly earned more than $20,000 in outcome income last year).

No Wonder Cuomo Stopped the Subpoenas for the Real Estate Board
So-called super PAC Jobs for New York could drop some serious cash on state races in 2014
The big question is how is Parkside going to work for the democrats and the Job4NY PAC when they have opposite goals.

Silence of the Assemblymembers On Silver's Crimes Is Anti-Democratic - Lopez's Hush Fund to the Rapfogel Family

Reward: Call the Albany's Tip Line

Sheldon Silver’s many scandals(NYP) 1. Silver pal William Rapfogel, the hubby of his longtime chief of staff, Judy Rapfogel, is arrested Sept. 24. and charged with stealing $1 million from the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty. 2. Silver signed off on a secret $103,080 payout to two sexual-harassment victims of disgraced Assemblyman Vito Lopez last year in an effort to keep a lid on the scandal. 3. Three of Silver’s children used his Grand Street address to vote in his district even though they had long ago moved away — one to New Jersey.  4. The speaker callously ate a snack while Elizabeth Crothers alleged that Michael Boxley, Silver’s chief counsel, raped her in 2001. Silver backed Boxley.

"The truth is that legislators don’t want to lose their ability to trade on their official status to make more money"BN

The Buffalo News says a state lawmaker who refuses to disclose the source of their outside income should resign* Silver’s driver making wasteful Albany-NYC trips(NYP) While Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver collects frequent-flier miles on the taxpayer dime on airplane trips from New York City to Albany via Washington, DC, his driver and bodyguard racks up thousands of miles on the ground. While Silver flies — often in first class — his nearly $80,000-a-year shadow sometimes drives Silver’s state-issued 2011 Ford Taurus from the city to Albany, the insider said. 

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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.





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NYC Media Ignores Moreland Subpoenas


True News Exclusive: Moreland Commission Has Issued Subpoenas To Housekeeping Accounts "Slush Funds"

Moreland

Subpoenas Issued

The Subpoenas mean that the Moreland Commission is getting serious about closing a major loophole in the state's current campaign finance laws called housekeeping accounts, that can raise unlimited amounts of money and the reporting requirements are not stringent. The Moreland Commission was created by Cuomo to end the pay to play culture of Albany.  An analysis by Common Cause reveals that housekeeping expenditures spike each election season as monies go to hire high-priced political consultant.  Insiders believe the Moreland Subpoenas of the housekeeping accounts can open up an examination by the commission of the pay to play campaign consultant/lobbyists culture that has cause the corruption epidemic as demonstrated in the arrest of power broker William Rapfogel.  “I think if we're going to be really serious about overhauling our campaign finance system, we have to look at housekeeping funds,” said Senate IDC Leader Jeff Klein, who has a bill in to reform those accounts. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver wouldn't include housekeeping reforms in his plan for publicly financed campaigns. The Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption has not used its subpoena power before. A week ago, the Legislature refused a request by the commission for information about lawmakers' outside jobs.* Subpoenas issued by Moreland anti-corruption commission(10NBC))

Will Bloomberg Be Forced to Explain His Independence Party Housekeeping Contribution to the Moreland Commission?

AP: Moreland Commission Sends Subpoena To NYS Independence Party (AP)

Bloomberg during his 2009 re-election campaign contributed $1.1 million to an Independence Party housekeeping account  in Westchester, to pay his campaign consultant John F. Haggerty Jr., a Republican political consultant to provide ballot security during the election.  Haggerty was convicted and sent to jail for using that money to buy a house. Why the money was given to the IP housekeeping account was never made clear at the  Haggerty trial where Bloomberg testified.  The fact that the money was used for the Bloomberg campaign and not for the IP party also did not come up at the trial.* NY Independence party says it will comply with subpoena from anti-corruption commission(syracuse.com)

A Culture of Corruption That Not One Reform Will Fix

Housekeeping accounts are a back door for big dollar special interests to give unlimited sums of cash for campaign purposes: a direct violation of the campaign finance law. In the last decade plus, special interests have given $133.8 million to housekeeping accounts in return for influence and access to lawmakers. Although such accounts are designed for party building, they are routinely used by political parties to obtain contributions from corporations, unions, and wealthy individuals that circumvent the contribution limits on political giving. In so doing, these entities are able to give unlimited sums of cash, which are then used by the parties to directly influence the outcome of elections, according to a report by Common Cause   More than two thirds of all soft money is raised from checks of $10,000 or more, and more than half of all soft money is raised from just 59 top donors who have given in excess of $200,000 since 2006. The list of top donors to soft money accounts is dominated by special interests that are highly regulated and/or subsidized by state government – real estate firms, healthcare and pharmaceutical interests, labor unions, telecom companies, the beverage industry, big tobacco, and gambling interests.

IDC's Klein Needs Housekeeping Reforms to Get Reelected

Senator Klein whose IDC keeps the democrats (in the majority) in the senate out of power, faces a primary challenge in 2014.  The reason he supports these reforms to the housekeeping accounts is to stop the democrats from using the millions they raise in a campaign against him and his coalition.  The NYSDC soft money account raised $5.9 million in the first half of 2013, already the largest sum ever raised by a soft money account in a single year.  Klein said, “If we're going to do campaign finance reform, and really level the playing field, we can to take big money out of politics.   In 2010 alone, the DSCC reported paying campaign consultant/lobbyist Even Stavisky's Parkside $2.2 million. Other consultants who have gotten big money from the DSCC include Hank Sheinkopf and Red Horse.  The Subpoenas makes it clear that the Moreland Commission understand that big money and the campaign consultants/Lobbyists Monopoly has caused the pay to play cancer in Albany.  This year it became clear that the millions pumped in Independent Expenditure PACS  has Metastasized Corruption in City Hall and Albany. New Yorkers deserve to know from the Moreland Commission what $98 million in housekeeper accounts buys for Bloomberg, Verizon, SEIU 1199, Wal-Mart and others.  

The Secret Monopoly of Subcontracting Lobbyists /Consultants 

In addition the Moreland Commission must end the secret world of campaign consultants, where firms like Parkside can subcontract to other lobbyist/consultants who do not have to report their earning in campaign filings. Last month the NYP reported that a consultant for Spitzer worked with Clarence Norman who was released from jail last year.  Mike Nussbaum the publisher of the Queens Tribune owns a printing company called muilti media that has a long relationship doing printing work for Parkside clients.  But if you look at the finance filings you almost never the Nussbaum or any other hidden subcontactor because because the election law does not require them  to file. This allows campaigns to hire campaign workers like Denis Gallagher who was thrown off the council for sexual abuse, but more importantly also allows consultant/lobbyist to trade favors with each other. A real estate lobbyist like Arzt could be hired by a campaign without the public ever knowing. 



A Handfull of Lobbyists Consultants Have Taken Over Politics and the Media Has Not Noticed

They not only hire each other but trade supports for their lobby clients with each other. Changing what was individual corruption in the past to what only can be described as an organize crime commission. With the new IE PACS like Jobs for New York and Citizens Action Committee the interlocking secret connection of campaign consultants/lobbyist and the special interests in real estate who fund  them, have created a permanent government hidden lobbyists running campaigns that is hidden from the public because of election  laws with the special interests have gamed. Scott  Levinson's Advance Group was not the only consultant/lobbyist that work for candidates running against each other. The commission must investigate consultant lobbyist and their secret sub contracts it they intend to fulfill their mandate to expose the connection between campaign contributions and the influencing of legislation.


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Media

The Sitcom Is French, but Based in Brooklyn(NYT)

“Brooklyn is the face of New York now,” said a producer of the French sitcom “Brooklyn Taxi,” the first foreign television production to receive a New York State film tax credit.

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Washington

Tuesday
DOWNFALL! Global markets nosedive on default fears as Beijing reminds D.C. dingbats responsible for shutdown of the $1.3 trillion debt(NYDN)
"Boehner has privately told Republicans that he has something up his sleeve. No one is sure what he's talking about."

Obama completely shuts out TV reporters (Huff Post)

The Strange Shutdown.

Monday
Boehner: budget shutdown won’t end without negotiations(NYDN)
The US Supreme Court is opening for business today in the midst of the partial government shutdown. 
In midst of shutdown Senate chaplain turns rote routine into epic scolding of lawmakers.
Boehner Ties Deal to Talks on Debt Limit - O'Connor & Nicholas, WSJ
Playground Spat Damages U.S. Credibility - Gary Younge, The Guardian
Obama--He's No Teddy Roosevelt - Joseph Curl, Washington Times
Republicans Put Forth Ugly Image - Albert Hunt, Bloomberg
How GOP Can Keep Winning the Shutdown Fight - Erick Erickson, RedState
Shutting Down Democracy - Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker
Is a 17% Shutdown a Crisis? - Byron York, Washington Examiner
Why Obama Must Talk to the Republicans - Ron Fournier, National Journal
In Conversation: Antonin Scalia - Jennifer Senior, New York Magazine
Behind the Curtain at the IPCC - Steven Hayward, Weekly Standard
When Wealth Disappears - Stephen King, New York Times
British Health Care Showing Signs of Failure - Philip Klein, DC Examiner
The Boehner Bunglers - Paul Krugman, New York Times
Obama's Destructive Incompetence - Ross Kaminsky, American Spectator
Vouchers Don't Do Much for Students - Stephanie Simon, Politico
Ladies, You Can't Even Begin To Have It All - Mollie Hemingway, Federalist
Distracted Driving: America's "Deadly Epidemic" - Carl M. Cannon, RCP
Sunday Roundtables: This Week | FOX News Sunday | Meet the Press
1% of Americans consumed 21% of the nearly $1.3 trillion spent on health care in 2010 (Wash Post)

Editorials

President Shouldn't Encourage Panic - Detroit News
Government Shutdown: Where Do We Go From Here? - Los Angeles Times
Britain Shows What Obamacare Means for U.S. - Washington Examiner
Time for Detente With Iran - The Nation

Saturday

Hill fighting sends shutdown into second week(Politico)
Governing By Blackmail - Nicholas Kristof, New York Times
No Wonder People Don't Trust ObamaCare - Michael Tanner, New York Post
Shutdown the Product of a Divided Country - Dan Balz, Washington Post
The Self-Inflicted Wounds of Bare-Knuckle Governing - Carl Cannon, OCR
Why Obamacare Isn't 'Settled Law' - Gerard Magliocca, Washington Post
Welcome to Ted Cruz's Thunderdome - Maureen Dowd, New York Times
Tea Party Loosens K Street's Sranglehold on GOP - Tim Carney, Examiner
Wendy Davis & Texas a Problem for Democrats - Harry Enten, Guardian
SCOTUS Facing Another Free Speech Test - George Will, Washington Post
A Liberal Nightmare at the Supreme Court? - Eric Segall, LA Times
Climate 'Scientists' Just a Pressure Group - Christopher Booker, Telegraph
Congress: Don't Blow America's Energy Boom - Amy Harder, National Jrnl
Obama's Diplomatic Opportunity - David Ignatius, Washington Post
As Obama's Asia 'Pivot' Falters, China Steps In - Stuart Grudgings, Reuters
Taking Back The Arts - David Marcus, The Federalist
Victorian Values for the 21st Century - Margaret Wente, Globe & Mail
President Obama's War on Journalists - Leonard Downie, Washington Post

Editorials

Dems Should Admit ObamaCare Not Ready - Washington Examiner
Getting Older, Growing Poorer - New York Times
If Boehner Wants a Deal, Obama Should Listen - Washington Post
WH Should End Theatrics, Open Parks & Monuments - LV Review-Journal

'This isn’t some damn game:' John Boehner tells Democrats(NYDN)
The House GOP's Terrible, Tragic Game - Charles Blow, New York Times
Obama's Reckless Default Fear-Mongering - Larry Kudlow, National Review
The Rise of the New Confederacy - Colbert King, Washington Post
Manning the Barrycades of Punitive Liberalism - Mark Steyn, OC Register
The Benefits of Intransigence - Sam Tanenhaus, New York Times
Obama Plays Politics With Veterans - Kathleen Parker, Washington Post
Health Law Is a Lifesaver. Sign Me Up - Sadhbh Walshe, The Guardian
Why Obamacare Isn't "Settled" - Gerard Magliocca, Washington Post
N.J. Debate Underscores Booker-Lonegan Divide - Scott Conroy, RCP
Next for Wendy Davis: Winning Over Texas - Jessica Taylor, MSNBC
An Entitlement-Driven Disaster Looms for America - Niall Ferguson, WSJ
California's New Feudalism - Joel Kotkin, The Daily Beast
Total number of days in federal Government shutdowns: Ford: 10 Carter: 57 Reagan: 14 GHW Bush: 3 Clinton: 26 GW Bush: 0 Obama: 5+ 
Undercover Cop Stood By During Biker Beat Down: Report(Huff Post)

Clinton: Shutdown shows 'scorched earth' politics(WSJ)

‘Save Us From the Madness’: Has Senate Chaplain Gone Political?

The Question Facing Ruth Bader Ginsburg - Robert Barnes, WP Magazine
McCutcheon v. FEC: A Fight to Improve Our Politics - John Ryder, RCP
Staring Down the Irrational Wing of the GOP - Russell Korobkin, LA Times
Who Shut Down the Government? - Thomas Sowell, Investor's Business Daily
The Woman Who Knows the NSA's Secrets - Pema Levy, Newsweek

Editorials
President Is Right to Stand Firm - Chicago Sun-Times
Obama's Shutdown Theater - Las Vegas Review-Journal
Why the Shutdown Needs to End Now - USA Today
Americans Deserve Answers on IRS Scandal - New York Post
"The speaker's clearly been weakened internally and in public opinion -- which Obama seems eager to exploit." 
Joe Biden diss: Barack Obama aides talk up Hillary Clinton (Politico)
What does Ayatollah Khamenei mean when he says: "Some of what occurred in the New York trip was not proper"?

Friday
One editorial page says Congress members refusing to take paychecks during a shutdown is an empty gesture. [New York Times]

Obama cancels Asia tour over shutdown 
Shutdown & the Hubris of Obamacare - Charles Krauthammer, Wash Post
Yes, Obamacare Is Going to Work - Paul Krugman, New York Times
Obama Is Ducking a Leader's Duty - Arthur Brooks, Los Angeles Times
Republican Extremists at Fault for Crisis - Fitzpatrick & Skocpol, CNN
The WWII Memorial Is Not a Political Prop - Ed Rogers, Washington Post

GOP Standing on Wrong Side of History - Timothy Egan, New York Times
John Boehner in Charge - Fred Barnes, The Weekly Standard
Can Wendy Davis Beat the Odds? - Caroline Linton, The Daily Beast
Cory Booker's Lackluster Campaign - Maggie Haberman, Politico
Not Raising the Debt Limit Hurts Everyone - Jack Lew, USA Today
Obama Tries to Goad GOP Into Default - J.T. Young, RealClearMarkets
The WWII Memorial Disgrace: A Symbol of Malice - David French, NRO
It's John Boehner's Turn to Give In - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post
Escaping "Government" Schools - John Stossel, FOX Business

A Climate-Change Risk Assessment - Bloomberg, Paulson & Steyer, WP
The Science of Good News - Hank Campbell, USA Today
Tom Clancy and Ronald Reagan - Robert Merry, The National Interest
Virginia Governor (Emerson): McAuliffe 43, Cuccinelli 38 | NJ Gov, Sen

Bloomberg Continues Blasting Washington on Day Four of Shutdown(NYO)

Nancy Pelosi Rants About ‘Reckless’ Republicans While Visiting New York(NYO)
Animal lover and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is willing to pick up the electricity tab to get the panda cam turned back on.

Editorials

President Is Right to Stand Firm - Chicago Sun-Times
Obama's Shutdown Theater - Las Vegas Review-Journal
Why the Shutdown Needs to End Now - USA Today
Americans Deserve Answers on IRS Scandal - New York Post

Thursday

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)

Stalemate Continues After Fruitless WH Talks - Alexis Simendinger, RCP
Excuses, Excuses, Excuses - Nicholas Kristof, New York Times
Brendan Mahoney Saves ObamaCare - James Taranto, Wall Street Journal
GOP Causing One of Worst Crises in American History - John Judis, TNR
Shutdowns Over Policy Happen. Ask Reagan - Joseph Morris, Wash Post
President 'Exasperated' Over Government Shutdown - Tracy Connor, NBC
Obama Doesn't Understand The Constitution - Mike Needham, Federalist
How Team Clinton Shutdown the Hillary Movies - Lloyd Grove, Daily Beast
For GOP in 2016, Some Medicine - George Will, Washington Post
Rein In Unauthorized Surveillance State - Rep. John Conyers, Roll Call
The Closing of Diane Ravitch's Mind - Sol Stern, City Journal
How Social Media Is Fueling Gang Wars in Chicago - Ben Austen, Wired
Obama Plays Politics with WWII Memorial - Hans von Spakovsky, Heritage
The Right's New Shutdown Lie - Brian Beutler, Salon
Lord Obama Has No Responsibility for Shutdown - Nick Gillespie, Reason
20 Yrs After Black Hawk Down, a Return to Mogadishu - RealClearDefense
Tom Clancy: A Gentleman & Patriot - Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal

Editorials

The Cost of the Shutdown - New York Times
Petty Obama Shuts Down WWII Memorial - New York Post
Congress Should Keep the Tax on Medical Devices - Tampa Bay Times
A Troubled Start for Obamacare - Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Hunt for mugger in beating of elderly man(NYP)
Several cops may have watched biker beatdown(NYP)
US agents fired 7 shots at unarmed woman near Capitol. As she drove away from them.(Wash Post)


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Law and Order

Dead 22 Years, ‘Baby Hope’ Has a Name Again(NYT)
Undercover Detective Is Arrested in Attack on S.U.V.(NYT)
Drivers’ Defense: Too Drunk to Be Guilty(NYT)

Tuesdsay
Bike cop joined in on SUV beatdown, hit vehicle(NYP)
Authorities try to explain thug’s sweetheart deal(NYP) Officials tripped over themselves Monday to explain how a thug who copped to gun and drug possession in the spring was still roaming around free last week — when he sparked the biker-mob beatdown of a Manhattan driver.
Hobo busted for attacking woman: I’m Denzel Washington(NYP)
Mother of ‘Baby Hope’ Is Identified, Police Say(NYT)

Fourth Motorcyclist Is Charged in Attack on Driver of S.U.V.(NYT)
Charges Filed Against Mother of Dead Boy in Brooklyn(NYT)
Another editorial page asks "What took cops so long during biker melee?" [amNewYork]
*Bikers have long history of terrorizing motorists(NYP)
Ex-con charged over fatal Clinton Hill shooting(NYP)
Arraigned biker punched, kicked SUV driver(NYP)
Sources: Police Officer Arrested In Connection With Motorcycle Road Rage Incident (NY1)
UNDERCOVER COP CUFFED: Detective ARRESTED over role in biker gang beatdown after he was seen 'punching back window of SUV' in damning video and lying about arriving late to the scene(NYDN)
Detective Seen in Bikers’ Attack on S.U.V. Is Arrested(NYT)
New York’s State Police agency has issued a 20-page field guide for its troopers and other law enforcement about how to handle the state’s controversial gun-control law, the SAFE Act, Gannett Albany reports:
Off-duty NYPD officer allegedly seen pounding SUV arrested on riot charge.(CNN)

Monday
Biker in SUV assault caught prison break from soft judge( NYP)
Shooting witness ‘finds Jesus’ — and recants her story(NYP)
Third Biker Is Charged in Attack on S.U.V. Driver(NYT)
Police Question Brooklyn Woman in Death of 19-Month-Old Son(NYT)
Staffers' Trial Will Be Another Madoff Reckoning(WSJ)
Brooklyn Mom Accused Of Smothering Infant To Death (NY1)
Lawyer says NYC undercover cop didn't see SUV assault (CBS)
* NO REMORSE: Biker who sparked SUV attack doesn't 'feel responsible' for brutal incident on West Side Highway as his attorney says cops rushed to make arrests to satisfy public(NYDN)
Woman Charged in Death of 19-Month-Old Son (NYT)

New York is expanding its probe nationwide into the 1980s sale of the rights to the name “World Trade Center” to a nonprofit for $10, resulting in millions of dollars in fees for use of the name in 28 states.
NY probes rights sale of World Trade Center name for $10(CBS)


Sunday

Biker beatdown was 6-on-1 attack(NYP)
City park police want to carry guns(NYP)
Three arrested in Bronx double murder(NYP)
CYCLER CUFFED: Biker charged in terrifying smash of SUV window moments before brutal gang beating in front of family
Three Arrested In Connection With Bronx Murder Of Mother, Daughter (NY1)
Another Biker Sought For Questioning In Henry Hudson Parkway Incident(NY1)
Biker flips double bird in court as he listens to assault charges(NYP)
Good Samaritan in biker beating ‘felt intense danger’(NYP)

Off his rocker A judge gives a child sex abuser disturbing deference(NYDN ED)

Saturday
Stroller-slay dad wanted in subway robbery(NYP)
Off-duty cop busted in fatal hit-run(NYP)
Man gunned down in apartment lobby(NYP)
Gloria Allred’s defense of ‘innocent’ injured biker(NYP)
DO-NOTHING COPS: Off-duty and undercover NYPD detectives stood by as father was severely beaten in front of family by gang of bikers(NYDN)
Motorcyclist Run Over By SUV Had Revoked License(Huff Post) * How the chase on Manhattan's West Side Highway between a family and a group of motorcyclists unfolded: (WSJ)
Sisters question fatal shooting in DC police chase(WSJ)
Possible Clues in Fatal Chase, but No Motive(NYT)
More Surveillance Cameras at New York Residences

 

She didn’t have to die': Sisters of woman shot dead by D.C. police after crashing into White House security gate call her 'troubled soul,' blast cops for using deadly force(NYDN)

Friday
Driver’s Wife Describes Fear of Angry ‘Mob’ of Bikers(NYT)
Cops hunt bank robber(NYP)
NYPD seeks robbery suspect who impersonates police(WSJ)
The NYPD said they've arrested 437 motorcyclists this year. [Ivan Pereira]
One editorial page wants the police and district attorney to work together to put an end to the morotocyclists who are menacing the public. [New York Post]
"Six lawyers representing sex offenders are trying to hit up New York taxpayers for nearly $3.1 million in legal fees. They must have gotten the idea from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver." [New York Post] * Biker Was Playing Peacemaker When S.U.V. Hit Him, Lawyer Says(NYT)
Cop-killer Ronell Wilson ‘civilly dead,’ has no right to see son(NYP) * NYPD Officer Accused in Drunk Driving Death of Pedestrian (WSJ)* FROM THE FAST LANE TO THE DESK CHAIR: Undercover biker cop who stood by during vicious beatdown of driver shifted to desk duty: sources( NYDN)

Thursday

Breaking Gun Shots Outside the U.S. Capital
Breaking: Someone tried to ram gate at the White House, then fled to Capitol Hill. Shots were fired, but unclear by whom.* Woman killed in Capitol attended school in Brooklyn (Daily Eagle)

Organizers Overhaul Security Plan for Marathon(NYT)

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)
Motorcyclists rallied outside a hospital in support of an injured rider who was struck by a Range Rover. The driver was filmed being chased down the highway by more than a dozen motorcyclists, and later pulled from his vehicle and beaten. [Derek Kravitz, Pervaiz Shallwani and Ted Mann]
A lawyer from the Manhattan D.A.'s office said in a statement that "Prematurely charging individuals with low-level crimes does not further the goals of the investigation and could weaken the case we expect to bring against perpetrators of serious crimes." [Joseph Goldstein]
Small Drone Crashes Into NYC Sidewalk
Gambino capo skips court on racketeering charges(NYP)
Bikers planned wild Times Square rally(NYP)
Driver’s Wife Defends Response in Clash With Motorcyclists(NYT)
Driver’s Wife Defends Response in Clash With Motorcyclists(NYT)