Monday Update: PACs are Democracy Killers

 NY's Corrupt Election Law Which Favors Party Leaders Over the Citizen May Become A Factor In the Lt Gov Race

Cuomo may dump Hochul, fearing a Tim Wu primary win(NYP) Gov. Cuomo’s political operatives are eyeing a “painful scenario’’ to dump Kathy Hochul, a moderate upstater, as the governor’s running mate for lieutenant governor amid growing signs that leftist law professor Tim Wu is picking up momentum in the Sept. 9 Democratic primary. Such an action could be needed because a Wu victory would result in a Cuomo/Wu ticket on the Democratic line in the November election but potentially disastrous Cuomo/Hochul tickets on the Working Families, Independence, and Women’s Equality lines, where no primaries are slated. Under the state Election Law, votes for a Cuomo/Hochul ticket in November would not be added to the tally for the Cuomo/Wu ticket, potentially costing Cuomo hundreds of thousands of votes. Cuomo would have until Sept. 16 under the election law to swap Wu for Hochul, using a technique that would allow the former Buffalo-area congresswoman and lawyer to be nominated instead for a judgeship, according to an expert on legislative election law. Meanwhile, Cuomo campaign operatives, nervous about the Sept. 9 primary, privately concede that he would suffer considerable national political damage if Fordham University Professor Zephyr Teachout, the governor’s hard-charging “progressive’’ challenger and Wu’s running mate, gets more than about 30 percent of the vote. Kathy Hochul, Cuomo’s Choice for Lieutenant Governor, Is No Stranger to the Spotlight(NYT) Ms. Hochul, a former congresswoman, has had a roller-coaster political career as a rising star in the Democratic Party in New York and as a victim of its upstate troubles. * Inspired by His Father’s Activism, Tim Wu Is Running for Lieutenant Governor as an Outsider(NYT)

In which @JerryGoldfeder beats @fud31 by 6 weeks re: Hochul--> July 16: Aug. 1:* It’s no surprise the National Organization for Women has endorsed Teachout in the gubernatorial race, as the new Women’s Equality Party is just a creature of the governor’s reelection campaign, the Post writes: 

 

Paterson Slams Wu for Taking Job As A Joke . .. Hmmmmm

Lovett: Former Gov. David Paterson slams lieutenant governor candidate for treating job like 'a joke'(NYDN)  Former Gov. David Paterson slammed Wu, the lieutenant governor candidate, saying the insurgent liberal Democrat is treating the position “like it’s a joke instead of a real job”







 Wilson-Pakula Keeps the Corruption and Cult Party Alive

Cuomo Wilson-Pakula Must End
“Something has to be done about Wilson-Pakula and cross-endorsements. You have mayoral candidates that are talking about this outwardly, about what they have to do to get on the ballot. That whole electoral process stinks and has for a long time. I think there’s an opportunity to reform that,” he said. “In an ideal world,” he said, “you’d have no cross endorsements.”* Cuomo says so long to Wilson-Pakula - Legislative Gazette

Unlike in most states, New York electoral law permits electoral fusion. As a result, New York ballots tend to list a large number of political parties. The endorsement of major party candidates by smaller parties can be important since smaller parties often use this ballot feature to offer a candidate an additional line on the ballot.

NY Reformer John McCain The Only One to Reform the Petition Process

Newspaper editorials and good government groups despite repeated efforts have failed to bring about any reforms in the election systems. The only reform to New York's election system was a result of a lawsuit by John McCain in 2000 because he was keep off the ballot for lack of signatures.  It is sad that will all the editorial and good government press conferences it was the McCain reforms that eliminated minor petition filing mistakes as a reason to knock a candidate off the ballot and made it most simpler to bind the petition and cover sheet that are submitted to the Board of Election.   

New York's Third Party Racket
3rd Parties Benefit Insiders who control them, elected officials

Party favors(NYP)   New York’s near-unique system, which allows cross-endorsements.  The history of third-party candidates in America, of course, suggests they triumph rarely and in highly exceptional circumstances. Then again, they are not primarily about winning. Primarily they are about pushing Democrats or Republicans in a certain direction — or punishing them when they have strayed too far from principles important to a significant number of their supporters.  In New York, a third party that runs its own candidate takes a risk. That’s because a party must draw 50,000 votes in the gubernatorial race to keep its automatic line. The less well-known a third-party candidate, the less likely he or she will meet that threshold — and enable the party to keep its coveted line on the ballot. Which is why New York’s minor parties have largely devolved from movements of principle into often-corrupt ­patronage mills. Reviving the Liberal line, which has been off the ballot since 2002, would be convenient for Cuomo. But it serves no pressing need and offers no alternative. It’s a reminder that when politicians can get more than one line on a ballot, they are the ones who benefit, not the voter.* Former New York Liberal Party head Ray Harding charged with taking kickbacks in pension fund scheme (NYDN)

The left-leaning, union-backed Working Families Party, which let itself be shanghaied four years ago into backing Andrew Cuomo for governor, is now signaling it may run a candidate against him. Meanwhile, John Catsimatidis, the supermarket mogul who lost last year’s GOP mayoral primary to Joe Lhota, is offering to bankroll a revival of the long-dead Liberal Party — and give Gov. Cuomo the Liberal line on the state ballot. As our readers know, The Post has little common ground with the WFP, which acts as another political arm for the unions. But in seeking to to run its own candidate against an incumbent Democratic governor, the WFP is doing exactly what a third party should be doing: offering an alternative. That’s in sharp contrast to the Catsimatis effort over at the Liberal Party, which far from giving voters more choice only gives the Democratic incumbent an extra line on the ballot.

More on GOP Bottom Feeders And Corruption

More on WFP, Acorn 2.0 and the New Progressive Machine 

More on Independence Party Is Really A Cult 
Conservative Party Permanent Leader Long 

Increase Shooting in the City Continutes

Waiting for the Match? Who is Working to Put Out the Fire?

Police officer and nine others shot during holiday weekend(NYP)
A police officer was one of 10 people struck by gunfire in violence that spread across three boroughs Saturday night into Sunday morning, authorities said* Officer and Gunman Are Wounded in Brooklyn, Police Say(NYT) * Cop shot in leg while chasing man in Brooklyn(NYDN)New York Police Department cops are taking a hands-off approach in the Staten Island precinct where Eric Garner was killed in a police chokehold, citing an order not to “agitate” the community, the Post reports:

Brooklyn Slight Favorite for Dem ConventionB

Who's A Bum Now?
Philadelphia has 'logistics' advantage, but New York’s bid is the 'slight favorite' for Democratic National Convention: former Philly Mayor Ed Rendell(NYDN)

Even Pennsylvania politician former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell think New York has the edge.
* Brooklyn—a long with backing of deep-pocketed New Yorkers—should be a “slight favorite” to land the 2016 Democratic National Convention, former party chief Ed Rendell said, the Post writes:

At the Start of the School Year Everything Looks Pure and Good, Lots of Plans . . . Wait?

City schools will push for more 'family connections,' parent involvement: Chancellor Carmen Fariña(NYDN)

New York City Schools Chancellor Tackles Challenges Ahead(WSJ)

Carmen Fariña: An Old-School Abuela

New York Times
Fariña thinks big New York Daily News

 


Teachout No Debate Little Press At Closed LICH Hospital . . . Media Thinks Public Does Not Care About A Closed Hospital? Or Something Else Going On?

Props 2 Bkln Eagle, NY1, Capital NY, WCBS! Shame on rest of press For Skipping Teachout's Press Conference on the Closing Of the LICH Hospital
No wonder why only 10% of the public knows who she is. The same lack of investigative press coverage can explain why 69% of the public does not know what the Moreland Commission is or 60% Don't Know the name to the AG.Even with Teachout on the ballot everyone expects a record low turnout for a governor's Primary.

Horse Feathers Media Meets "Vinny the Chin" Avoidance and Pretending Not to Know

The Making of An Uninformed Public

In 2009 when Tom Robbins wrote The Mayor's Press Pass, in the Village Voice it look like independent media coverage of politics was dead and Bloomberg would control news coverage for good. Since the Robbins story lobbyists has gained power over the news media using the advertising dollars they control, in influencing what news stories are covered and how they are covered. Now five years later we not only see new full of fluff and none coverage of issues important to New Yorkers like a closing hospital and a governors race. We also see very little  investigative independent journalism like Robbins, Jack Newfield and Wayne Barrett produced for years at the voice.  Just ask the biggest corruption fighter in town today, U.S. Attorney who criticized the lack of investigating reporting in today's NYC media. Newspaper gives vote of approval to paying politicalcandidates (New York World) * A Takeover Of Journalism by Lobbyist and Politicians (2011 True News)* Shrinking Newspaper Coverage Means Less Real TV News More Sexy Reporters. 

“An enlightened citizenry is indispensable for the proper functioning of a republic.” - Thomas Jefferson

Political Corruption Enabled by the Media Who Write with Blinders
"Rather than just covering the cases that my office and other offices are already bringing, figure out ways to break new ground and to cover new stories" Bharara


When it comes to investigative journalism reporters and newspapers become "Vinny the Chin" ignoring the issues while pretending not to know what is going on. Today's reporters operating in very weak media economy and with lack of experience or historical understand think good journalism is reporting first what the mayor or any pol said, now what is really going on. * U.S. Lost 30% of its Paid Journalists in 6 Years

The Dumbing Down Of Journalism is Not All About Political Decisions Not to Cover A Camdidate for Governor  Its About the Quality of Reporters

Stony Brook Prof Stresses Value of Old-School Journalism

Jon Friedman‘s latest Marketwatch column is a good one. In framing what he thinks it still takes to be a good journalist, he laments the fact that many of his Stony Brook journalism students are fixated on the glittery sheen of the boob tube:

When I asked my students last semester what they hoped to do in their careers, the majority said they wanted to be on television. (The most honest of them declared they wanted to be TV stars, not so much for the big bucks but since it just seemed so darned cool to be on TV!) None of them said he or she hoped to be a link in the chain to the late, great Edward R. Murrow. (Who?)
It’s not my students’ fault that TV news today has taken on the mentality of the fabulous 1976 film Network (a movie most of them had never heard of, much less seen). It’s all about flash and pizzazz. News and entertainment are so blurred that it’s hard to tell them apart.

Local TV News Which Makes Millions Off of Campaign Ads, Lobbying Ads Like Airbnb and Government Public Service Ads

Pay to Report Local TV New$
Spending on advertising has fueled the increase in TV lobbying costs. Well-funded special interests funnel millions to lobbyists for public campaigns to sway lawmakers on hot-button issues (TU)  Local News which is mainly weather, traffic, cooking and dog segments is making millions in lobbyists spending.  Union and business interest like the pro fracking interest are also spending millions on ads to local stations.  All this money is coming in as local news dumbs down. Copy Cat Journalism * Shrinking Newspaper Coverage Means Less Real TV News More Sexy Reporters


Shrinking Coverage Means Less Real News on TV Which Reads the Newspaper Headlines Every Morning
 Local TV stations stand to profit from boom in super-PAC spending (The Hill)*CSNY’s budget blitz: $3.9 million (updated)(TU) *Save NY airing tax cap ad(TU) *Budget opponents up their ads and mailers(TU) *Bloomberg Blames Negative Ads For Poor Showing In Education ...(Politico) *Save NY now airs on school money(TU) *NYC's Bloomberg Pays for TV Ads Backing Cuomo's Pension *  Bloomberg Defends His Administration With TV Ad - NY1.com * Local TV News For $ale: How Special Interests Control News Content and Public Opinion * Local TV stations stand to profit from boom in super-PAC spending (The Hill)

Local TV News Has Become Wires and Lights in A Box

"This instrument (television) can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference.”Edward R. Murrow 1958 speech * Good Night, and Good Luck: Edward Murrow Speech

de Blasio Vs Brooklyn Boss Seddio In Brooklyn Endorsements, 52AD, 19SD, 20SD

Sampson When He Was A Senate Leader Had Over $1.5 in His Bank Account Today As He Faces A Hard Re-Election Under Indictment He Has $2000

Bill de Blasio gives endorsements to his underdog supporters(NYDN)

Four little-known candidates who backed Mayor de Blasio early in the mayoral campaign are getting his endorsement back for being 'true believers.' Flatbush district leader Rodneyse Bichotte alienated many people in her community last year when she backed Bill de Blasio for mayor over former Controller Bill Thompson.But the unpopular decision is paying off. Bichotte — now vying for an open Assembly seat in Brooklyn — is one of four little-known candidates Mayor de Blasio has chosen to endorse because they were early backers of his underdog campaign. This week, de Blasio is expected to endorse two more longshots, sources said: Assembly candidate Pete Sikora, running in Brooklyn against district leader Jo Anne Simon; and Dell Smitherman, a former political coordinator for the powerful healthcare workers union 1199SEIU who is challenging State Sen. John Sampson. The mayor has also endorsed Rubain Dorancy — whose Haitian American Association for Political Action-PAC backed his mayoral bid early on — for an open Brooklyn Senate seat. And he also gave his nod of approval to Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (D-Brooklyn), who has been in the mayor’s camp since de Blasio served on the school board in 1999.* Cuomo endorses challenger to Sampson (Cuomo)



NYT Hands Down Its Choices
No endorsements on the Sampson and Smith senate races?
Choices for the Legislature and the Civil Court(NYT Ed)

The Times makes some recommendations for the Democratic primary races in New York City.
NYT for Koppell and Liu another message to Cuomo?

NYT Says the Cuomo Should Debate, Hits Teachout on Israel, Gov Updates

Debate them, governor(NYP)

Teachout refuses to take a stand on Israel(NYP)
Cuomo pushes ‘progressive’ record as Democratic primary nears(NYP)
Andrew Cuomo spent $2.5M while fending off Zephyr Teachout: filings(NYDN)
Kathy Hochul, Andrew Cuomo's running mate, touts endorsements from Asian-American pols(NYDN)
Handshakes and Hugs, Hallmarks of the Stump, Are Rare With Cuomo(NYT)

Buffalo News endorses Hochul over Wu in LG race:

Another NYPD Case of Restraint Homicide
DEADLY STOP: Troubled Manhattan man who was high on PCP was victim of homicide by 'physical restraint' while in custody of NYPD cops, coroner rules(NYDN)

East Side garbage foes hide behind NY's loophole PAC Protection Society

A lobbying group opposing an Upper East Side waste transfer station funneled $690,000 in anonymous donations through a boutique law firm, exposing a potentially major loophole in state lobbying laws  East Side garbage foes hide behind loophole(CrainsNY)  A lobbying group opposing an Upper East Side waste transfer station funneled $690,000 in anonymous donations through a boutique law firm, exposing a potentially major loophole in state lobbying laws

Gang of Lobbyists Who Have Taken Over the Election System In New York Is Above the Law

In May and June 2014, Pledge 2 Protect paid $78,000 to Advance Group, a Manhattan political consulting firm that ran a campaign last year helping to bring down a de Blasio rival, former Council Speaker Christine Quinn; $20,000 to the Black Institute, a nonprofit founded by de Blasio ally Bertha Lewis; $20,000 to Gladstein Neandross and Associates, a California environmental consulting firm; and $7,000 to Rubenstein Public Relations.Boutique law firm Marquart & Small doesn't seem like the sort of business that could give $690,000 to a lobbying group. It has three employees, is just a year old and operates out of a shared "work collective" office in Manhattan's Flatiron district.

Ever Notice How the Advance Group, WFP and Bertha Lewis Always Finds A Loophole and Forms A Group

 Yet within six months of its founding, the fashion, arts and media specialist law firm had given that amount to a nonprofit called Pledge 2 Protect, which is fighting the building of a waste-transfer plant on the Upper East Side. Marquart & Small made its initial, $177,000 donation just two weeks after the limited liability partnership was formed in July 2013. But there's a way a startup law firm could muster that kind of money: if it were acting as a "pass-through" to shield Pledge 2 Protect contributors from public scrutiny. Lobbying compliance lawyer David Grandeau, who represents Pledge 2 Protect, wouldn't say whether Marquart & Small is a conduit for donors but pointed out that only the "first level" of funding given to lobbying groups must be disclosed.

Why Did A UFT PAC Pay A Fake Group to Do Business With Advance?
Why Did the UFT's PAC United for the Future Hire the Advance Group? Was It Part of A Conspiracy to Coordinate their PAC and the Campaign Consultant?
The UFT PAC Paid Advance Through the Fake Group Strategic Consultants Inc. $370,000
Her campaign also got support by two PACs controlled by the Advance Group, NYCLASS and the UFT PAC United for the Future that the UFT tried to hid Advance Groups involvement in with a fake made up company called Strategic Consultants Inc., that CrainsNY found was located in the offices of Advance. Your can bet the farm that with Mayor Bloomberg last minute appointment to the CFB Rose Gill Hearn, his former DOI Commissioner, the finances of Advance client Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo and others are in the middle of a hot hot hot investigation that the media is completely missing. * UFT under fire for apparently trying to hide identity of consulting firm(NYDN)


The AG and the DAs By Not Enforcing the Election Law Has Enabled Lobbyists and Special Interests to Legalize Bribery Though PACs
PACs are A Crime on the Book Because Prosecutors Who Look the Other Way
The CFB determined under its rules that the Advance Group’s work on behalf of both Council candidates and the supposedly “independent” anti-carriage PAC really amounted to illegal coordination between the campaigns and NYCLASS. The board properly fined Cumbo and Levine. And its crackdown on the out-of-bounds campaign spending by NYCLASS has done the city a huge favor, by providing a badly needed glimpse into the big money play that successfully swung the 2013 city elections. Using funds from donors that included UNITE HERE — a union chaired by Mayor de Blasio’s cousin John Wilhelm — NYCLASS slimed mayoral rival Christine Quinn into oblivion.Now the FBI is probing the funding of the attacks on Quinn, and de Blasio’s flip-flop that led to his vow to ban the horses. The CFB needs to stay vigilant, making every effort to hold NYCLASS, the Advance Group and sponsored candidates to account for their actions in the 2013 campaign. Among the others benefiting from NYCLASS spending was Melissa Mark-Viverito, who took free services from the Advance Group in her successful bid to become City Council speaker.
Question for NYC District Attorney: "Who will guard the guards themselves?"


NYT Silent On Local Impact of Citizens United Has Enabled the Coordination Between PACs and Campaigns to Be Taken Over By Lobbyists

Even After Two Councilmembers Were Fined
The NYT has written several times on the national impact of Citizens United but never on the impact of that  special interests big money supreme court decision on the 2013 NYC election. Not Even after the CFB fined two city council members who were helped by the Advance Group campaign consultant who used the Citizens United PAC they controlled to help their candidates. Both the Daily News and NYP which reported on the fines, limited their coverage on the fines without comment on how far the CFB could go.  Nobody except this blog is doing the investigative reporting that shows the depth of corruption of the Advance Group and the Citizens United PACS in the 2013 city elections. Or about how Berlin Rosen and the One New York PAC coordinated with a candidate in the 52nd.  Have these PACs made NY government worse (if that is possible)? Have these PACs and lobbyist consultants committed crimes? Have these groups legalized bribery

The Sharpton de Blasio Mulgrew Axis Protection

An injustice to the Rev can’t bother to fight(NYP)
Among the honored guests at Sharpton’s Staten Island march and rally were American Federation of Teachers chief Randi Weingarten and United Federation of Teachers honcho Michael Mulgrew. The AFT and UFT are long-time sponsors of the Sharpton-led National Action Network.  Yet when Sharpton rails against the “school-to-prison pipeline,” I’m certain he’s well aware that that many schools in minority areas are saddled with U-rated (for “unsatisfactory”) and misbehaving teachers.

U.S Attorney Bharara Kills Pension of Corrupt Pol

No Pension Until Miguel Martinez, an Ex-New York Councilman, Pays Back Stolen Funds(NYT)
Mr. Martinez, who was convicted in a federal corruption case, made the agreement under a new policy of the United States attorney’s office in Manhattan. * Convicted councilman to forfeit pension in new push from U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara(NYDN) * Sampson unfit for office because of corruption charges: rivals(NYP)

Sweet, Preet (NYDN)

Bharara wins a fight to claw back criminal politicians' pensions

A century of Moreland (TU) As some New York governors have found, investigations don't always go as planned

New Math Poor Test Scores High Teacher Ratings?

Critics Question High Ratings on New York State Teacher Evaluations Amid Poor Test Scores(NYT)
For the first time, parents and administrators can assess the effectiveness of teachers at the county, district and, in some cases, the school level.

Mayor Defends Dumbing Down of Elite HSs

When Your Setting in A Cancer Ward, Are Your Looking for Doctors Who Are the Smartest or That Your Doctor Comes From A HS That Was Racial and Ethnic Balanced

Mayor de Blasio defends plan to scrap test-only admissions for elite high schools(NYT)

NYT Poor Door Excuses and Protection for Pols

Audit Blames New York State Program for Delays in Affordable-Housing Projects

The state comptroller’s office cited problems including a poor choice of projects, including some that were deemed “infeasible.”

Affordable Housing Has Become A Band-aid On A Cancer for Elected Officials to Protect Them From What They Are Doing to Our City With Their Tax Breaks to Developers

Poor Door’ in a New York Tower Opens a Fight Over Affordable Housing(NYT)
As public housing becomes a relic, American cities have grown more reliant on developers, who say they can maximize their revenues and build more affordable units, by separating them from their luxury counterparts. * Real Estate Developers, Tax Breakes and Politics

Ratner's BS Catches Up With Him Again

Construction Is Shut Down at Atlantic Yards Complex

Forest City Ratner and its partner, a Swedish construction company, are battling over who should pay for millions of dollars in cost overruns at an innovative residential project at the former Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn.

After A Campaign of Lobbyists Press Releases the Media Shows Green Shoots Of Analysis 

The NY Times none editorial of Cuomo yesterday afternoon was the first article written this campaign season that analysis a campaign this year.  Up until then all the coverage of campaigns were copied press releases put out by lobbyists consultants full of lies and promises to be broken. The NYT endorsement is only a green shoot with faint hope of changing an election system in New York where most voters get their information on the candidates they vote for by TV commercials or campaign mailings written by lobbyists and consultants who are experts on lying and making fake promises. 95% of the media coverage is still generated by press releases from the campaigns.  The NYP editorial on Cuomo's TV Ad on Astorino The Rob Astorino story: racketeering, conspiracy, fraud.” The Post points out that the lawsuit which the TV Ad is based on is based on a lawsuit filed by by Astorino’s longtime political foe, the head of the Westchester branch of the Independence Party. Which y has endorsed Cuomo. Candidate all over the city are being outgunned by PAC money designed to win votes for their candidates who will in turn doing the bidding of the special interests funding the PACs. Citizens United PACs controlled by lobbyists and the special interests that fund them have developed into a system of legalized bribery, which the media has not reported on during a campaign yet. Data and Field in 2009, NYCLASS in 2013 and this year dozens including One New York PAC controlled by the mayor.  We need a local PoliticFace in New York during campaigns.

Citizen United Type PACs Are Mailing Lying to the Voters All Over the City Unchecked by the  Media

Not A Word Has Been Written In the Newspapers Since the Brooklyn Eagle Published Their Dirty Money Story In the Middle of July

Alarm raised about ‘dark money’ in de Blasio’s LICH - Fortis letter (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)  The backlash continues against a letter sent out by a de Blasio lobbying group supporting the sale of Brooklyn’s Long Island College Hospital (LICH) to a developer.  The government watchdog group Common Cause raised alarms on Tuesday about “dark money” funding the mass mailing, and the Brooklyn Heights Association (BHA) has added its voice to those debunking the letter's claims. The controversial June 26 letter touts the “stand-alone ER” that will be replacing the historic hospital. Although it was signed by Carroll Gardens’ resident Gary Reilly, the letter was mailed from the headquarters of de Blasio lobbyists operating under the name “The Campaign for One New York.” The letter has evoked a storm of criticism from residents of these neighborhoods who fought for more than a year to save the hospital, and who supported de Blasio in his campaign for mayor largely based on his promise to save LICH. That promise was seemingly forgotten after the election, however. In its statement, the BHA disputes the letter’s claim that a “stand-alone ER” could replace the 156-year-old hospital. After consulting area doctors, BHA found that patients with serious conditions would have to be transported to other hospitals to be treated.  “When seconds count, we’ll be out of luck,” their statement reads. BHA lists some of the conditions that will not be able to be treated at the Fortis ER, including, “acute heart attack or cardiac arrest, acute stroke, most pediatric emergencies, massive gastrointestinal bleed, pulmonary embolism, appendicitis, overwhelming infection leading to acute shock, high-risk pregnancy with bleeding, or other major traumas, including car accidents.” (See full letter below this article.)

 

NYP Analysis Cuomo Commerical Against Astorino

The Cuomo fraud racket(NYP)

Earlier this week, The Post’s Fredric U. Dicker reported the Cuomo campaign has begun airing a commercial that opens with this line: “The Rob Astorino story: racketeering, conspiracy, fraud.” It goes on to accuse him of “conspiring with a family and accomplices to rig his election through election fraud.” Sounds awful. So what’s this “racketeering” all about? Turns out it’s based on a civil lawsuit that’s been filed against Astorino. What the Cuomo ad leaves out, however, is that this suit was filed by Astorino’s longtime political foe, the head of the Westchester branch of the Independence Party. Which y has endorsed Cuomo. Now, we’re not ones to complain about negative ads. They often sharpen issues for voters and force pols to respond. But this commercial does none of that. To the contrary, it avoids drawing contrasts between the men on the many real and substantive differences that divide them: on tax rates, on fracking, or on the generally sluggish state of the New York economy. Then again, it may be that Gov. Cuomo has calculated the real issues don’t work to his advantage — and has his campaign staff working overtime to change the subject.* Cuomo’s campaign promised to pay for his excursion to Israel this month. But the well-stocked re-election fund won’t cover the thousands of dollars associated with the State Police detail that provided round-the-clock security for the candidate.Saturday Cuomo pushes ‘progressive’ record as Democratic primary nears(NYP)

 Teachout Attacks Cuomo on Poor Door

Saturday  
Debate them, governor(NYP)
Teachout refuses to take a stand on Israel(NYP)

Zephyr Teachout hits Andrew Cuomo's deal with building developer(NYDN)
Teachout charged that a tax break for developer Extell went to benefit 'a company that is best known for inventing the concept of the poor door,' referring to exclusive condos with separate entrances for low-income tenants. Longshot gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout kicked off a statewide “whistleblower tour” Wednesday in front of a residential tower in Midtown built by the developer Extell. Extell executives donated $100,000 to her opponent Gov. Cuomo last year, just days before he signed a bill that gave the firm tax breaks worth $35 million over 10 years. Teachout charged that the tax break went to benefit “a company that is best known for inventing the concept of the poor door,” referring to exclusive condos with separate entrances for low-income tenants * A secret W.F.P. poll of a Teachout alias (Capital) : Back when Working Families Operatives were still grooming Zephyr Teachout for a run against Andrew Cuomo, before the party endorsed Cuomo in exchange for concessions, the operatives commissioned a poll of a theoretical match-up between the governor and a liberal law professor named “Teresa Woodstock. * Spirited, hot, late: Day 1 of the Teachout-Wu bus tour (Capital) *
Five ways Teachout differs from Cuomo on key issues.The second day of Zephyr Teachout’s “whistleblower” bus tour was more tightly run than the first, when the campaign was forced to cancel one event, and arrived an hour late to at least two others.

Wu Times

Endorsement

Tweet

12 p.

Tim Wu said on Wednesday night he was "honored" to have the backing of the New York Times editorial board, a few minutes after the paper posted its endorsement of Wu online.The paper cited Hochul’s “deeply troubling record on health reform, gun control and environmental deregulation,” said said while Wu (like Teachout) is inexperienced, not much experience is needed for the “feeble” job of LG.*Wu Envisions ‘Public Advocate’ Role For LG(YNN)

Daily Kos has endorsed Wu over Hochul in the Democratic LG primary.
Low voter turnout, as is traditional in New York primaries, could help Wu.
Wu slammed Hochul for voting with House Republican leadership while she was a congresswoman on environmental bills – including legislation that would weaken the Clean Air Act and boost oil drilling

NYT No Endorsement for Governor 

NYTimes Refuses to Endorse Gov. Cuomo for Re-election, Saying He Has Failed on Ethics

Saturday 
Handshakes and Hugs, Hallmarks of the Stump, Are Rare With Cuomo(NYT)


Governor Cuomo’s Failure on Ethics Reform Hinders an Endorsement(NYT)
Why endorse no candidate in a major state primary? Here’s how we see it: Realistically, Governor Cuomo is likely to win the primary, thanks to vastly greater resources and name recognition. And he’ll probably win a second term in November against a conservative Republican opponent. In part, that’s because issues like campaign finance rarely have been a strong motivator for most voters. Nonetheless, those who want to register their disappointment with Mr. Cuomo’s record on changing the culture of Albany may well decide that the best way to do that is to vote for Ms. Teachout. * The Nation endorses Zephyr Rain Teachout after NYT shrugs: * A Gawker writer castigates the New York Times for its non-endorsement in the gubernatorial primary, saying the paper “is unwilling to endorse the idea of voting for someone to actually defeat Cuomo.”*  The Times laments that most readers didn’t really get the purpose of its editorial. “It’s worth pointing out that an endorsement is not the same as an actual vote.”A review of financial disclosures filed by Teachout and her running mate, LG candidate Tim Wu, reveal neither are rich, but both received book advances.

Despite our reservations about her, that impulse could send a powerful message to the governor and the many other entrenched incumbents in Albany that a shake-up is overdue.* Despite their differences, New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said she’s willing to campaign for Cuomo as he runs for re-election, the Daily News reports: * Cuomo, who is not exactly known for delegating authority, again said he will delegate the decision as to whether he will debate his election-year rivals to his campaign staff, State of Politics reports: * Rob Astorino’s campaign said Castle Cable has agreed to pull the ads that the GOP gubernatorial candidate deemed grossly misleading, from its airwaves.* Though she often voted with the House GOP majority while in Congress, Kathy Hochul’s former liberal colleagues are coming to her defense as she runs for LG.* Zephyr Teachout, Christine Quinn heat up over Women's Equality Party(NYDN) * State Democrats attack Rob Astorino over support of school marksmanship classes(NYDN) * Cuomo’s 24-Hour Notices Roll In(YNN) * Duffy Defends Cuomo After NYT Endorsement Snub(YNN) * New York voters could see up to 12 parties putting up candidates for governor this fall, with six independent parties petitioning to join the more familiar Democratic, Republican and Green parties on the ballot, the Associated Press reports:  * The New York Times Editorial Board responds to reader criticism of their refusal to endorse Democratic gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout, saying, “the board did not decline to endorse Ms. Teachout because she has little chance of winning … [but] because she lacks the experience to govern a big and fractious state, having never served in any public office”:* Former US Sen. Alfonse D’Amato is pleased Cuomo is finally “free” of the need to curry favor with the AFL-CIO and NYSUT, which didn’t endorse his re-election.* Readers Respond to the Andrew Cuomo Non-Endorsement(NYT) * Astorino aide Fox resigns after alleged DWI accident(NYP) * Hochul Says Support For SAFE Act, Second Amendment Not Inconsistent(YNN) * Astorino Campaign Releases ‘Dear Joe’ Debate Letter(YNN) *  Michael Lawler, the manager of Rob Astorino’s gubernatorial campaign, sent a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s campaign manager, Joe Percoco, formally challenging the candidate to a debate, State of Politics reports: http://goo.gl/yzY4nI * Cuomo's campaign promised to pay for his trip to Israel this month, but the re-election fund won't cover the thousands of dollars associated with the State Police detail that provided security for the candidate, the Times Union reports * Cuomo’s running mate Kathy Hochul, who come under fire from some Democrats for being too conservative, touts her left-friendly credentials in a new campaign clip, including her pro-choice, pro-marriage equality and pro-worker values, the Daily News reports:* Former New York Times editorial board member Joyce Patrick, in a Facebook post, called the paper’s “non-endorsement” of a candidate in the Democratic primary for governor “a major departure from NYT tradition,” and said a “non-endorsement was forbidden” when she was there, Capital New York reports:  * Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s reelection campaign raised $200,250 in just the last 24 hours, including $35,000 from the Communications Workers of America and $50,000 from investment banker John H. Scully, the Daily News reports: *New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has never enjoyedpoliticking...even less so these days. Silent and unseen.

A Rich Tale

Many of the high-ranking bureaucrats de Blasio has charged with correcting New York City’s “tale of two cities” income inequality problem are quite well off themselves. 




Stringer: Pre-K Not Ready for Prime Time

Saturday
Pre-K Clash May Hint at the Start of a Rivalry Between de Blasio and Stringer(NYT)

Friday
De Blasio, Stringer square off over late pre-K contracts(NYP)
Kindergarten cop(NYP) Which is why we’re glad to see Comptroller Scott Stringer calling the mayor to task because his Department of Education still hasn’t submitted more than 70 percent of its pre-K contracts to the comptroller’s office for the required vetting.The mayor’s response? He dismissed Stringer’s alarm as “administrative paperwork” and suggested the comptroller was recklessly alarming the public.
New York Comptroller Is Concerned Over Pre-K Contract Delays(NYT)One week before school begins, the Education Department has submitted for review only 141 of more than 500 contracts with organizations that will be teaching prekindergarten. * Education Department sends less than 30% of pre-K contracts to city controller for review(NYDN)*

Universal prekindergarten contract submissions are lagging, while some of those submitted raise red flags(NYDN)
De Blasio submits pre-K contracts for review late: Stringer(NYP)

Mayor Defends Pre-K Safety
Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration said only five new sites for pre-K classes had health violations that needed to be addressed immediately and any centers with unresolved problems wouldn't open until they were fixed.

de Blasio's Answer to Stringer An Amen Press Conference With Political Supporters

‘It’s Not News': de Blasio Administration Dismisses Stringer Pre-K Analysis(NYO)

'At the end of the day, I don't work for this mayor'-@scottmstringer throws down the gauntlet* Mayor Bill de Blasio was joined by staff and allied politicians in aggressively dismissing a scathing audit of the mayor’s prekindergarten program by comptroller Scott Stringer who found the city has not submitted 70 percent of contracts with Pre-K providers, the Observer reports: http://goo.gl/yH7tNh * An audit from state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found that a state program that helps finance affordable housing has contributed to delays in building and rehabbing homes because of the questionable selection and lax monitoring of construction projects, The New York Times reports: * In First Year of Pre-K Expansion, a Rush to Beat the School Bell(NYT)

 

 

Daily News Fights With Teachout Over Christie Tunnel

Out of her depth(NYDN Ed)
To advance the public debate before an election, including one whose outcome is certain, we give Gov. Cuomo’s Democratic primary challenger her say in the adjoining columns.
Zephyr Teachout indicts Cuomo for failing to stop New Jersey Gov. Christie from killing the so-called ARC Tunnel, a project that would have expanded trans-Hudson train service. She has no idea what she’s talking about. Third truth: Since he was only a gubernatorial candidate when Christie killed the tunnel, Cuomo had no power to force Christie to do anything. After he was elected, Cuomo’s only shot at turning Christie around would have been to come up with that $9 billion. Final truth: Teachout is in over her head and flailing. * Cuomo enabled Christie’s Tunnelgate(NYDN) * “Tunnelgate” happened when New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie killed a plan to build two new train tunnels under the Hudson River —and Andrew Cuomo, as a candidate for governor and then governor, did nothing to stop him, Zephyr Teachout writes in the Daily News: Teachout: “Cuomo likes to present himself as a can-do guy, someone who will twist arms hard to fix a problem. But apparently, whenever Christie is in the room and New York infrastructure is at stake, Cuomo sits silent as our state gets rolled.”* During her time as a U.S. congresswoman, Kathy Hochul was an outlier among the state's Democratic delegation, but as her Democratic primary opponent begins to take aim at her record, some of her more liberal former colleagues are coming to her defense, Capital New York reports:   The debate over debates continues, and it is not limited to Cuomo and his primary opponent, Teachout. 

de Blasio's Polls Holding Up Not Bratton

A new Q poll says New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s approval rating has held steady despite a tumultuous summer for the Big Apple.* Black voters continue to like the mayor more than white NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton’s job approval rating has dropped sharply in the aftermath of the chokehold death of Eric Garner, while NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s has stayed steady, a new Q poll found. MAYOR MORE POPULAR AMONG BLACK VOTERS -- Capital’s Dana Rubinstein: Black voters continue to like Mayor de Blasio more than white voters. According to the Quinnipiac poll, 65 percent of black voters approve of de Blasio's job performance, compared to just 36 percent of white voters. The death last month of Eric Garner at the hands of police and protests this month in Ferguson appear to have done little to shift the balance in either direction. In June, 66 percent of black voters approved of the job de Blasio was doing, compared to 41 percent of whites. "White voters are negative; black voters are overwhelmingly positive," the poll's assistant director, Maurice Carroll, said in a statement. --The mayor's overall job approval rating is 50 percent -- SEE THE POLL: http://bit.ly/1BZE8b3 * Hanging tough on crime (NYDN Ed)
Broken-windows policing rightly earns strong support from the public it serves


Bratton Reading Latest Polls 

Rise of the Rev: Yet even his fans side with the cops(NYP)
And so it has come to this: Nearly one-half of New York considers Al Sharpton to be a “positive force” in civic affairs. Wow. Talk about defining positivity down. But Al is still all about Al, as evidenced by this week’s remarkable two-part poll from Quinnipiac University on NYPD-community relations during the early tenure of Police Commissioner Bill Bratton.In a nutshell: Sharpton’s up, Bratton’s down — and the department’s headed for a hole in the ground. Well, maybe not that bad — but close enough.




De Blasio Shows Up With Sharpton After the Poll To Fight Crime at Public Housing

Bill de Blasio Heckled While Touting NYCHA Safety Gains

Mayor Bill de Blasio went to the Lincoln Houses in East Harlem to talk about crime reductions and safety upgrades in the city’s public housing stock — but some residents just didn’t want to hear it.

The mayor was heckled by at least two people who gathered to watch his press conference in a sunny courtyard Wednesday, where he stood strategically in front of construction workers removing scaffolding residents have long complained are a blight and a danger.

Bratton is Being Surrounded

Friday 
NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said the department is “actively looking” at equipping officers with body-worn cameras – the strongest statement of support he has made for implementing the technology in New York since becoming police commissioner here.
Bratton strongly refuted claims by the NYPD sergeants’ union president that the city is starting to resemble its crime-ridden past.

 Thursday 

Cop union head calls SBA head's anti-DNC comment 'misguided'(NYDN)

Copping a bad attitude (NYDN Ed)

Sergeant Benevolent Association chief betrays city with self-serving beef against Dem convention bid *

Police Union Head Trying to Keep DNC Out of Brooklyn Is a Republican(NYO)
Bratton announces pilot program for cops to use body cameras
Bratton gave up millions to become NYPD commissioner(NYP)

Polarizing police(NYP)
During Bill de Blasio’s run for mayor, he presented New York as a bitterly divided city, where the public couldn’t trust police whom he accused of racial profiling. Meanwhile, his pick for police commissioner, Bill Bratton, came in talking of how low police morale was.

Fully 74 percent of those questioned, moreover, say police brutality is a serious problem. This is the highest since 2001. And at 48 percent, Bratton’s approval is one point lower than the percentage who find the Rev. Al Sharpton a “positive force” in the city.The mayor and the commissioner would probably say the numbers reflect the reaction to the case of Eric Garner, who died on Staten Island while resisting arrest.But while it’s true the non-stop criticism directed at cops since Garner’s death is undoubtedly reflected in the polling, the most striking thing about these numbers is that they’ve been heading in the wrong direction. In other words, under the de Blasio-Bratton regime, public trust in the police isn’t going up. It’s going down. And so, as Bratton just admitted, is police morale. * NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton made $1.35M last year: filings(NYDN) * Bill Bratton and other top de Blasio appointees are worth millions(NYDN)
Hanging tough on crime(NYDN) Exhibiting typically clear-eyed good sense, New Yorkers overwhelmingly support the NYPD’s crime-fighting strategy of cracking down on low-level quality-of-life offenses. And backing for this “broken windows” policing is solid across racial and ethnic lines, with whites, blacks and Hispanics lining up behind issuing summonses and making arrests for violations that typically include farebeating, public urination and open drinking or pot smoking.

Bratton’s Approval Rating Drops After Garner Death, According to Poll(NYO)

Sergeants Benevolent Association President Ed Mullins castigated de Blasio and his bid to  host the 2016 Democratic National Convention in open letter to the New York Times.* Approval rating of NYPD's top cop DIVES after Staten Island chokehold death, poll finds(NYDN)

NYT Kicking A Man When He is Going Down Bratton Spurned 25% of Board’s Police Misconduct Findings in First Half of '14  (NYT) In the first six months of 2014, the New York Police Department has declined to sanction officers in over 25 percent of cases in which the Civilian Complaint Review Board found cause for discipline* Police Commissioner Bill Bratton’s approval rating plummets after chokehold death of Eric Garner: poll(NYDN) * Majority of New Yorkers support ‘Broken Windows’ policing: poll(NYP) * Sergeant’s Union president continues public take-down of de Blasio(NYP) * Despite Poll, Bill de Blasio Expects Bill Bratton’s Popularity to Grow(NYO) * A Quinnipiac poll found 60 percent of New York City voters support the “broken windows” style of policing, but 68 percent said there is no excuse for Eric Garner’s death and the NYPD’s overall approval rating fell to 42 percent from 50, the Daily News reports: * According to the same poll, NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton’s approval rating dropped 9 points from June 12 to 48 percent today, the Observer reports:  * The New York City Council will hold an oversight hearing next month on a police department review of its training procedures in the wake of the chokehold death of Garner, the Associated Press reports: 

* Mayor Bill de Blasio, irate over police union president Ed Mullins calling on national Democrats to keep the 2016 Democratic National Convention out of Brooklyn, ordered aides to contact elected officials to denounce Mullins’ open letter, the Observer reports: http://goo.gl/CAudeH * Mullins made three separate radio appearances today to discuss his feud with the de Blasio administration, the Daily News reports: http://goo.gl/cJiMXX * Of the 175 cases in which the Civilian Complaint Review Board recommended a NYPD officer be charged as a disciplinary measure in 2012, the NYPD only sought charges in seven instances, WNYC reports: http://goo.gl/pOVkTF  

The Sharpton de Blasio Mulgrew Axis

An injustice to the Rev can’t bother to fight(NYP)
Among the honored guests at Sharpton’s Staten Island march and rally were American Federation of Teachers chief Randi Weingarten and United Federation of Teachers honcho Michael Mulgrew. The AFT and UFT are long-time sponsors of the Sharpton-led National Action Network.  Given his relationship with the AFT/UFT, it’s not surprising that the opinionated Rev. Sharpton has been silent on teacher evaluations, incompetent and pervy teachers and teacher tenure.





Poll Says Most Think Sharpton Bratton de Blasio Meeting A Mistake

Inviting Sharpton to news conference was a mistake: poll(NYP) * The head of a New York City police union said Tuesday he expects a showdown with the de Blasio administration over contentious contract negotiations, predicting an impasse and the pact to be settled with binding arbitration, Capital New York writes: 
More than one-third of New Yorkers believe Mayor de Blasio made a mistake by inviting the Rev. Al Sharpton to sit next to NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton at a news conference to ease tensions after the death of Eric Garner in police custody, according to a poll released Tuesday. The Quinnipiac University poll found 35 percent of voters said Sharpton should not have been seated equally with Bratton at the City Hall meeting last month, while 25 percent believe the mayor made the right call and 37 percent had no opinion.  * A new Quinnipiac poll shows nearly half of New Yorkers consider Rev. Al Sharpton to be a “positive force” while New York Police Commissioner William Bratton has seen his approval rating drop, The Wall Street Journal reports:  * Many in Poll See Sharpton as 'Positive' The Rev. Al Sharpton—whose profile has been raised recently amid the outcry over the death of Eric Garner while in police custody—is considered a "positive force" by nearly half of New Yorkers, according to a poll.*  Once overweight himself, a significantly slimmed-down Rev. Al Sharpton now regularly pokes fun at fat people.

NYPD Sergeants Against Democratic Convention
The head of the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association came out against Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plans for the Democratic National Convention in Brooklyn, citing the rise in shootings, the perception among cops that City Hall doesn't support them and stalled contract talks, the Daily News reports:  * “Fear-mongering,” “irresponsible,” and “opportunistic” were some of the terms de Blasio used to characterize the open letter penned by the president of the sergeants’ union about the Democratic convention, the Observer reports: *Sergeants union: DNC should stay away from ‘dangerous’ NYC(NYP) * Police Sergeants’ Union Warns Against Democratic Convention in Brooklyn(NYT)  Wednesday de Blasio Blasts Back  Mayor de Blasio blasts police union for attempting to sabotage DNC bid(NYDN) * Police Union Pushes DNC to Reject Brooklyn Bid(WSJ) *  De Blasio Administration Pushed Pols to Denounce Mullins’ DNC Letter: Sources(NYO)






NYT Poor Door Excuses and Protection for Pols


Affordable Housing Has Become A Band-aid On A Cancer for Elected Officials to Protect Them From What They Are Doing to Our City With Their Tax Breaks to Developers

Poor Door’ in a New York Tower Opens a Fight Over Affordable Housing(NYT)
As public housing becomes a relic, American cities have grown more reliant on developers, who say they can maximize their revenues and build more affordable units, by separating them from their luxury counterparts. * Real Estate Developers, Tax Breakes and Politics

How Does the Media Let George Arzt Get Away With Flacking for Luxury Highrise Tax Breaks Poor Doors, While Running Major Campaigns?
EXTELL DEVELOPMENT COMPANY. Media Contact: George Arzt  at 212-608-0333

First, the PR man said Seddio would release the file only after the vote for a new boss. Then, the PR man said Seddio had entirely ruled out going public because the documents refer to other people whose privacy could be infringed. Then, the PR man said Seddio would allow the Daily News to look at portions of the files with names blanked out, but no copying would be permitted. And he’d make the arrangements sometime after the vote. We’re not holding our breath. As the song goes, meet the new boss, same as the old boss.Frank Seddio picks up George Arzt for his push ... -  * Capital New York 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 Judy Menin Manhattan BP race run by Belin Rosen and George Arzt can you find out who told her to hire Melvin Lowe Melvin Lowe Under Investigation Hired by Menin truenewsfromchangenyc.blogspot.com *Menin’s spokesman George Arzt confirmed that Lowe was hired by the campaign to assist with petitioning, and said campaign ended its relationship with Lowe “after a very brief period” just as the news of Huntley’s wiretap list broke.  Arzt Gave almost $100,000 in campaign contributions to NY state candidates spread out over many years.* 2013-10-29 George Arzt - NYS Board of Elections Contributions - Disclosure.pdf George Arzt represents Excell One57 and dozens of other developers * George Arzt - NYC Lobbyist Search Result * More  George Arzt is A Bad Guy   * Extell George Arzt Moreland Commission  * George Arzt Communications, Inc. - NYC Lobbyist Search Result

• A 'Poor Door' Gets a Makeover Larry Silverstein's planned 42-story apartment tower on the Upper West Side will have a separate entrance for people who live in units designated as affordable. But the developer and city officials said they found a way to soften the much-criticized arrangement. 

Manhattan Boss Wright Gets Caught Helping Build the Poor Door

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.Wright is furious at Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver for dragging him into a controversy over tax breaks awarded to five city developers, the Daily News’s Ken Lovett writes:  Wright inherited the bill after Silver replaced former Assembly Housing Committee Vito Lopez, who was removed because of his sexual harassment scandal. The bill is the subject of an investigation, in which high-level politicians allegedly received money from real estate developers.

Someone Must Inform Albany That Tax Breaks for the Rich Do Not Save the City's Middle Class

Our Elected Officials are Pushing the MC Out of Manhattan and Rising Rents in Brooklyn
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.* A towering insult - NY Daily News * Qatar Prime Minister – New Owner of the $100 Million New York’s Most Expensive Penthouse * Gov. Cuomo's long-time city developer donor got more generous when it stood to get $35 million in tax breaks(NYDN) * How the Rich Get a Big Real Estate Tax Break - NYTimes.com * Atlantic Yards Report: Shades of 2007? Another 421-a carve-out to ...

Campaign 2017 is A Tale of Two School Systems

Public schools ‘doing bad things to children': Success Charter head(NYP)
If Mayor de Blasio thought a leading advocate for charter schools would be silenced after reaching a deal with the city for more space, he was badly mistaken. Charter chief... * Gonzalez: Eva Moskowitz isn't just backed by Wall Street, she moved there(NYDN)
Fariña Tackles Challenges Ahead of Opening Day(WSJ)
As New York readies for the first day of school on Sept. 4, it is up to Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña to deliver on Mayor de Blasio's promise to provide free full-day preschool for 53,000 children and to deal with other challenges.



You Have to Give Errol Louis and NY1 Credit for Journalist Principals 

In Defense of Louis and NY1
The Thrilla in Manilla (Brooklyn) NY1 debate last night was not a love fest between the host and the anti-lobbyists candidate Doug Biviano, but at least the station and host saw it as their journalists obligation to put the controversial candidate on news program. And that was not hard for the station that gives lobbyists and consultants free air time on a news program to help their clients and get new ones.  While the buzz last night was all about how the host threaten to cut the mike and end the debate with the very first question to assembly candidate Doug Biviano.  * Liu’s campaign sent a complaint to the state Board of Elections claiming the IDC Initiative violated state spending limits by sending thousands of glossy mailings to voters in recent days urging them to support state Sen. Tony Avella in September, the Daily News reports: http://goo.gl/RmiW4N

NY1's Inside City Hall let the real information that came out that effect the voters of the 52AD and the rest of the city was the unchecked role of illegal PAC and campaign loop holes that seem to drive every campaign run by the WFP. Data and Field in 2009 and NYCLASS PAC in the mayor's race. Until that debate community groups have not held one debate and the local media has not covered the race.  A news desert in the most educated district in Brooklyn about who will lead them in the Assembly.  A district that does not want its LICH Hospital to close or it Library or to allow building in the Brooklyn Bridge Park. Until the NY1 debate the 52AD had to rely on fake campaign mailing done by the same lobbyists who tried to fool them on their ER protection. The rest of the media and even the community leaders have block the voters of the Biviano district from leading the truth of the take over of their community by a new Tammany Hall made up of lobbyists and the special interests they work for.  This new machine unlike the old does not server the people but uses the voters to make money by pushing developments against their interests.*  NY1 and Their Corrupt Lobbyists Wise Guys

WFP Has Tuned Campaign Funding Into Anything Goes and Fake Campaign Mailings into An Art

NY1 allowed Biviano to changed WFP candidate Peter Sikora with Illegally coordinating the mayor's One NY PAC money with his campaign money. The PAC mailing told the community that the emergency room being built by the developer of luxury housing on the site of the closed LICH Hospital with meeting the communities health care needs. Doctors and community leaders have said the mailing are a total lie.  While NY1 allowed those charges to be aired over 100 other journalist in the city have opened Biviano's press releases with contained the illegal PAC charges and said nothing. Lobbyists Berlin Rosen Takes Over NYC Government


While NY1 Put Anti-Lobbyists Biviano On the Rest of Main Stream Media Has Remained Silent

The 100 Shameful NYC Journalists
We are left with candidate Sikora answer of the illegal coordination if the One NY PAC and his campaign are wild charges that are not true. Sikora his WFP backer know that nobody will stop or report about their illegal funding during the campaign.  The 100 Silent Journalist prove them true.  It was the CFB that fined the two council candidates months after the campaign. that used the Advance Group as their campaign manage and received funding from the PAC controlled by Advance NYCLASS. The CFB does not regulate state races. Besides the media not acting on Illegal PAC money in local races the DAs and AG have not said a word either.  

 The Changing Economic Has Forced the News Media to Abandoned Its Constitutional Role on Informing the Voters to Addicted to Lobbyists and Special Interests to Keep Publishing

Berlin Rosen who represents the mayor's PAC with sent out the misleading ER mailing and is Sikora's campaign manager also is a consultant to the AG, the Brooklyn District Attorney, Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio. Berlin Rosen also represents many of the developers like Two Trees that place ads in newspapers. Today was the first time the Brooklyn Daily Eagle who broke the dark money LICH mailing  wrote about the Biviano campaign


The Only Ones Who Believe Dadey Is A Good Government Reformer Are the Journalists Who Cover His Bull Shit

A special award for silence has to go to Good Government fake Citizens Union Dick Dadey who lives in the 52AD for saying nothing about the illegal funding.*  The Privatization of the Tammany Hall Machine 
* Lobbyists the New Permanent Government  * WFP the New Progressive Machine
 



NYT, NYP and Daily News Silent On Local Impact of Citizens United on the City's Public Financing System

NYT's + Media's Blind Side The NYT has written several times on the national impact of Citizens United but never on the impact of that  special interests big money supreme court decision on the 2013 NYC election. The press is focused on  a preacher and 4-year-olds, while not reporting on how our city government was mugged by special interests Citizen United PACs and the lobbyists political consultants who do their bidding in the last election. Have these PACs made NYC government worse (if that is possible)? Have these PACs and lobbyist consultants committed crimes? stay tuned. The Line at the ‘Super PAC’ Trough(NYT) An unlimited source of cash is now a requirement for contested congressional races * Change the Rules on Secret Money(NYT Ed) * Liberal Donors Pollute Politics, Too(NYT Ed) *Campaign finance reformers take a hard line(TU) Campaign Reform and Media Cover Up of Citizens United On Local 2013 Election

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NYT Denounces Citizens United Over and Over Just Does Not Report Its Effects on Local Races

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

The Court - Citizens United - NYTimes.com(2012)

Citizens United Ruling - NYTimes.com(2012)

Editorial - The Court's Blow to Democracy - NYTimes.com(2013)

While the NYT Ignored Illegal Campaign Funding Going On in the 52AD Campaign (and other campaigns) They Covered A Climber Near the District

Tourist Is Held After Climb on Brooklyn Bridge Cable(NYT) * Woman Dies After Fall From Greenwich Village Roof Deck(NYT) * Sheep Are Given Room to Roam, and in Return, They Manage the Land(NYT) * Attack the Donor: From Bloomberg to the Koch Brothers(NYT Ed)

In the era of unlimited spending, those who give are targets.

The NYP Gave Us the Naked Truth About the Naked Cowboy
Model ‘busted for stealing’ candy, fish oil from Whole Foods(NYP) *  A birds-eye view of Manhattan’s drunkest day drinkers(NYP) * Tourist who climbed Brooklyn Bridge: I did it for fun(NYP) * The truth behind The Naked Cowboy and other panhandlers(NYP) * David Blaine puts on magic show for dangerous inmates(NYP)

The Daily News Gave Us Ready for My Closeup Mr Demille Quinn

Brooklyn Public Library launches service for personal suggestions from staff(NYDN) * Man with 100-pound scrotum prepares for surgery(NYDN) * NO BIG WHOOP! Goldberg finds flaws in NY’s medical marijuana law, feels Gov. Cuomo needs to make improvements(NYDN) * QUINN'S NEW CAUSE: Former NYC mayoral hopeful hails 'opportunity' to aid Cuomo, organize women's party(NYDN)

News From Other Local Races

Thursday
 During an hour-long debate on NY1, former NYC Comptroller John Liu slammed his primary opponent, Sen. Tony Avella, for leaving the “regular” Democrats to join the IDC.
The Liu-Avella battle is one of the most closely-watched primaries taking place next month, as Albany insiders wait to see if the truce between the IDC and regular Democrats holds.
Rep. Michael Grimm, who faces federal charges and a tough re-election campaign, ripped into the city’s post-Sandy “Build it Back” program. 

Wednesday
John Liu protests ‘illegal’ campaign mailings supporting Sen. Tony Avella(NYDN)
Klein and his primary opponent, former NYC Councilman Oliver Koppell, sparred during a NY1 debate.

Klein Balks at Voting to Repeal Urstadt Law(NYO)

* The race between incumbent state Sen. Tony Avella and John C. Liu, the former New York City comptroller, could have ramifications for the balance of power in the state, The Times reports: http://goo.gl/1G5epe

Tuesday

Candidates branded ‘delinquents’ after failing to file personal finances(NYP)

Albany is awash in corruption — but 72 candidates for state office failed the simplest ethics test by not filing personal financial statements as required by law, The Post has...
* Norwood News takes an in depth look at the debate between state Sen. Jeff Klein and primary challenger Oliver Koppell, who took on issues of party authenticity and loyalty: http://goo.gl/rSzbyp

De Blasio Gets Behind Espaillat in Re-Election Fight(NYO)

James Sanders Complains of ‘Over-Focus’ on Investigating Black Pols(NYO)

Maloney Brushes Off Seawright’s ‘Right to Work’ ‘Mistake’(NYO)

Antonacci Calls For Debates With DiNapoli(YNN)

De Blasio For Espaillat(YNN)
* As state Sen. Tony Avella and former New York City Comptroller John Liu vie for Avella’s Senate seat, some Democratic state legislators say they aren’t thrilled about either candidate, Gotham Gazette reports:
* Citing Adriano Espaillat’s support for pre-kindergarten funding and affordable housing programs, de Blasio endorsed the state senator’s reelection bid, State of Politics reports:

* Rep. Steve Israel, a Long Island Democrat and chair of the DCCC, is promising an unprecedented effort to drive out embattled Rep. Michael Grimm of Staten Island and elect his Democratic rival, Domenic Recchia, the Observer reports:
* Following a very strong endorsement from the New York League of Conservation Voters, state Sen. Tony Avella has won the backing of another environmental group—the Sierra Club—in his primary bid against John Liu, State of Politics reports: 
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. makes a cameo in a Spanish-language TV ad for IDC Leader Jeff Klein. 

 Nobody's Coming to NYC's Party

New Amsterdam Became New York 350 Years Ago. Don’t Expect a Party.(NYT) In "The Fall of New Amsterdam," by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, Peter Stuyvesant (with wooden leg) with residents of New Amsterdam in 1664. No celebration is planned for Tuesday to honor the 350th anniversary of when a settlement known as New Amsterdam became New York in a bloodless regime change.

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A Dark Money PAC Mail Berlin Rosen  Media Cover-Up

Daily News Leaves Out the Fact That Candidate Biviano Charged That the WFP Used the Mayor's One New York PAC Illegally to Help Sikora in the 52AD

WFP remains secretive on campaign spending(NYDN)

A review of state campaign filings shows the Working Families Party has disclosed nothing about what it’s spending on Peter Sikora, an economist running against Jo Anne Simon, a lawyer, in the Democratic primary. The WFP’s Peter Sikora, an economist, and Jo Anne Simon, an attorney, are tangling in the September Democratic primary for the slot being vacated by Joan Millman. A review of state campaign filings shows the party has disclosed nothing about what it’s spent on Sikora.* Democratic candidates spar on NY1 in Brooklyn Assembly district debate. (NY1)http://

A Candidate for the 52AD Not Mentioned in the Daily News Article Doug Biviano, Charged That the WFP Candidate and His Consultant Berlin Rosen Was Using Illegal PAC Money 3 Weeks Ago

Berlin Rosen who works for Sikora and the PAC One NY which he use to send out to the voters of the district what the Brooklyn Eagle called a dark money mailing, claiming the closed LICH hospital developer would build an emergency room that would meet the community’s health care needs.  Doctors and community leader have called that claim an outright lie. Carroll Gardens Association - Cover-Up of Members' Dark Money LICH Mailing



Biviano chaged that Sikora and his campaign consultant Berlin Rosen are covering-up the promise that he, the mayor and other local elected officials made during the 2013 campaign to keep LICH a full service hospital. In 2013, Sikora worked with his and de Blasio’s campaign consultant Jonathan Rosen (of Berlin Rosen) to gain votes by having the mayor arrested as part of a protest demand to keep LICH a full service hospital. Many of the voters in the 52AD resent Sikora because of his connection to the de Blasio arrest. The dark money PAC mailing in July was intended to repair both the mayor's and Sikora's image in the assembly district.  Both the Daily News and the Brooklyn Heights Blog reported that Sikora was arrested with the mayor. As former mayoral candidate Sal Albanese put it, team de Blasio used the shut hospital as an election prop in the mayoral campaign.

How Campaign Are Controlled and Elect People Who Don't Represent the  People in the District

A Case Study In the Dysfunctional Campaign System That the Main Stream Media Never Covers. But A Blogger Has 

Doug Biviano After Being Dissed, Wins Spot in NY1 DebateAfter Being Dissed by Errol Louis, Biviano Wins First Fight; Forces Invite to NY 1 52nd AD Debate(Brooklyn Heights Blog)
 "Everyone understands that our campaign system is dysfunctional and that big special interests drive it, but everyone expects the media to be the equalizer, exposing the truth when it comes to campaign flyers full of lies and fake promises intended to get candidates elected.  My campaign against the special interests and broken campaign system is not well funded.  When NY1 blocked me from appearing they were cutting off one of the few chances I have to communicate with the voters of my district.  And NY1 is not the only member of the media not covering me.  Both the Brooklyn Paper and Brooklyn Daily Eagle have not done a story about me or the campaign.  The media's role is to inform voters about the real intentions of candidates.  Apparently the media does not see themselves in the role John Peter Zenger, Thomas Pain and Thomas Jefferson saw, as educators of the public." decried Biviano.


Hero's Died Giving Us the Rights to Control Our Government . . . Those Rights Are Being Taken Away By Lobbyists and Special Interests That Have Taken Over Our Election System

Biviano at the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Green Park Where 12,000 Courageous American Who Spoke Out Against the King are Buried 
When you have over 60% of the voters not know who the AG is, not know what the Moreland commission is, an the loss of Speaker Quinn after she was endorsed by all three paper shows that the people of New York are not enlightened.  Election and no long a contest of what is best for the community but who has the most money to send out mailers prepared by spin doctors who know how to fool the voters with mailers and TV Ads.  These spin doctors are mostly lobbyists making up a new  private Tammany Hall that functions very different from the old political boss led Tammany Hall.  The old Tammany gain voters and power by delivering services and protecting the poor.  The new private Tammany spends money to hire spin doctors to elect candidates to gain power to make money from government, often hurting the same voters who elected their puppet candidates, by closing their libraries and hospitals. The lobbyists new private Tammany Hall is really a system that legalized and replaced bribery.



To Get A Tough Senate Primary You Need to Be Indicted or Fight Rangel or WFP 
 New York Democrats face tough primary elections(NYP)  Four Senate incumbents find themselves in tough races, including two in legal jams. For the first time since being indicted by a federal grand jury, state Sen. Malcolm Smith of Queens and Sen. John Sampson of Brooklyn are up for re-electionSmith was indicted in April 2013 for trying to buy his way onto the city  mayoral ballot. But Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf, who once worked for Smith, expects him to prevail. “The man has not been convicted of anything, he is well-liked in his community and the truth will stand with him,” Sheinkopf said. In Brooklyn, fellow indicted pol John Sampson has a tough challenge. His recent campaign filing showed a deficit of $9,621. There is also strong opposition to Sampson, who has been indicted twice in two years for embezzlement and lying to the FBI, drummed up by his primary opponent, Dell Smitherman. In Queens, incumbent state Sen. Tony Avella is in a fight with fund-raising machine John Liu — who currently has four times the amount of cash on hand as Avella. After losing a congressional primary to Rep. Charles Rangel, state Sen. Adriano Espaillat is locked in a primary with former City Councilman Robert Jackson. * LOVETT: Michael Bloomberg hasn’t given Senate Republicans a dime since he left office, despite being their single largest donorduring his three terms as mayor(NYDN) Senate Republicans have lost a big weapon in their fight against the Democrats for control of the chamber: former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg was the single largest donor to the Senate Republican Campaign Committee during his three terms in office — but since leaving City Hall, he hasn’t given a dime. … he has also given nothing to the Assembly Democrats, who received $250,000 from Bloomberg two years ago. … In fact, campaign records show that Bloomberg this year has given just a single $6,500 donation in New York — to Buffalo Republican state Sen. Mark Grisanti. … one of just four Senate Republicans in 2011 who voted to legalize same-sex marriage, which Bloomberg supported as mayor


Will the Council Members Knock Off Their Challengers At the BOE in 2017?  Da
Council Takes Over the BOE in Secret  

Vote of no confidence(NYDN Ed)

In choosing a new executive director, the Board of Elections cannot gets its act together. The City Council’s Manhattan delegation met in secret to select a new Democratic commissioner for the Board of Elections. Then the Daily News reported on their deliberations. Then the members distributed a memo stating that the leaker would be expelled from the delegation if identified.Here’s why they are afraid of sunshine: They picked a man who has a total of four months’ elections experience and made a botch of even that.As the Manhattan Democratic clerk (salary $107,735), Alan Schulkin oversaw June’s congressional contest between Charlie Rangel and Adriano Espaillat. He managed to lose 215 votes.Schulkin admits that he now believes he is not cut out for such an administrative function. He thinks he will be better suited to setting policy for the whole incompetent place. This is the best that Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito can do? Give us a break.Manhattan delegation of City Council warned against leaks(NYDN) The emailed ultimatum came from delegation leaders Margaret Chin and Corey Johnson. Hours after the Daily News reported that the Manhattan delegation of the City Council met behind closed doors to select a replacement for a departing Board of Elections commissioner, Manhattan lawmakers were warned that leakers might be barred from future meetings.The emailed ultimatum came from delegation leaders Margaret Chin and Corey Johnson. Citizens Union head Dick Dadey called the veiled threat “an unnecessary pressure tactic” that’s clearly “over the top.”* After the Daily News reported that a New York City Council delegation met behind closed doors to nominate a replacement for a Board of Elections commissioner who quit, lawmakers were warned that leakers could be barred from future meetings, the Daily News reports: 

* NYC Council vows 'fair, transparent, and public' pick of new Board of Elections commissioner(NYDN) * Show and tell(NYDN Ed)  Public must scrutinize Council’s Board of Elections picksDuly embarrassed by the Daily News exposing her secret process to find a new Manhattan commissioner for the Board of Elections, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito is going public. The three job candidates should be forced to answer, on the record, whether they would keep the patronage system that’s created the miserable state of affairs at the board — or move toward hiring based on merit.

NYT Detached From NYPD Crisis Looks At Sharpton

A Slimmed-Down Al Sharpton Savors an Expanded Profile(NYT) From an overweight Brooklyn firebrand clad in track suits and draped in medallions, the Rev. Al Sharpton has transformed himself into the White House’s civil rights leader of choice.



Teachout New Wave Pol? 

 Cuomo Opponent Unbowed by Underdog Status

She has little name recognition and fewer campaign funds, but Zephyr Teachout, a Fordham law professor, is relishing her run against Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in the Democratic primary.

Really A Protest Vote Against Cuomo

'I WAS BUILT FOR THIS RACE': Zephyr Teachout on going from Working Families Party project to underdog candidate(NYDN) Teachout tells the Daily News about how she became involved in the primary election against incumbent Gov. Cuomo, how she considers herself to part of a new wave of politicians including Mayor de Blasio and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and that she is running to win.-- “The unfiltered campaign of Tim Wu,” by Capital’s Conor Skelding: For Tim Wu, a first-time candidate at 42, the decision to run for a low-profile, relatively powerless office seems both unlikely, and perfectly in keeping with a scattershot resume that has made him an offbeat quasi-celebrity in the buttoned-up world of the legal academy. He has clerked for Justice Stephen Breyer, advised the Federal Trade Communication on antitrust law, chaired a media-reform group, written for Slate, the New Republic and the New Yorker (among others), and currently serves as a fellow at the New America Foundation, along with his day job, a named professorship at Columbia. He carries a particular cachet in the tech community. In 2003, Wu coined the term “net neutrality,” notion of Internet egalitarianism he’s now trying to parlay into an old-fashioned trust-busting campaign. * The state chapter of the National Organization for Women has endorsed Zephyr Teachout, who is challenging Gov. Andrew Cuomo in next month's Democratic primary, the Times Union reports:  * Despite being a longshot candidate, Democratic primary challenger Zephyr Teachout continues to gain support of avid Democrats and has raised enough money for a targeted online ad campaign, the Times writes:  * With A Focus On Primary, State Democrats Mail For Cuomo And Hochul (YNN) * Teachout Raises Off NOW Endorsement(YNN)* Astorino: Cuomo ‘Disrespecting Democratic Process’(YNN) * Honing In on Hochul(YNN) * Astorino to send cease-and-desist letters to block Cuomo ads(NYP)* Republican gubernatorial hopeful Rob Astorino and Democratic challenger Zephyr Teachout will debate Sept. 4 on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show, and more could be on the way, Gannett Albany reports: * Astorino will send “cease-and-desist letters” to television stations in an attempt to halt new Cuomo ads accusing him of “racketeering and fraud,” saying the ads wouldn’t stand up to the scrutiny of fact-checking, the New York Post reports:
DE BLASIO TO STUMP FOR CUOMO -- News’ Jennifer Fermino: "I plan on campaigning for him for sure. I am enthusiastically supporting the governor … We got an immense amount done together [in the State Legislature]," de Blasio said, citing the expansion of pre-kindergarten and after school programs, the addition of more speed cameras and new homeless prevention programs as just a few examples. "I couldn't be happier with what we've achieved." De Blasio, however, did not want to weigh in on whether Cuomo should debate Democratic primary opponent Zephyr Teachout. "I don't editorialize what other candidates should do. ... It's up to him to decide," the mayor said. * * Gubernatorial hopeful Zephyr Teachout slammed Cuomo's pick for lieutenant governor, Kathy Hochul, as too conservative for Democratic primary voters, the Daily News writes:
 

Free Incumbent Senate Mailings

New York state senators sent out $3.2 million worth of state-funded mailings for the six-month period ending March 31, 2014, the latest expenditure filings show, the Post reports:

Council Speaker Delivers to Gentrifying Developers 
Melissa’s tall tale(NYDN)

Melissa’s tall tale (NYDN Ed)

If the City Council speaker really wants more affordable housing, why isn't she supporting a new Harlem development?

If you’re Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, how do you respond to plans for hundreds of new affordable apartments in your East Harlem district? Do you thank the developers for setting aside 25% of a luxury project for the needy, going beyond what city housing programs require? Do you offer constructive thoughts about a plan that could help Mayor de Blasio meet his goal of building 80,000 reduced-rent apartments like these? Not a chance. Instead, the woman with the power to make or break big projects griped to the Daily News’ Juan Gonzalez about the “lack of affordable units” and the height of the towers that will contain them.

NYPD Spins Increase in Shootings to Safer City

Monday Update
City’s law-abiding residents safer than ever despite shootings surge(NYP)  The city’s law-abiding residents are safer than they’ve been in decades, according to an internal NYPD analysis of the latest crime statistics obtained by The Post — even though this year has seen a 10 percent surge in shootings.* District Attorney to present Eric Garner case backs NYPD tactics(NYP)* While the number of stop-and-frisks in New York City is down substantially from a peak in 2011, black and Latino men are still disproportionately targeted for stops, Newsweek reports: 
--Meanwhile, de Blasio spoke in Brooklyn -- "Violence takes us backward. Nonviolence takes us forward," he said, eliciting applause at the Kingsboro Temple of Seventh-day Adventist in Park Slope. The mayor declined to participate in Sharpton’s march and instead delivered subdued but hopeful remarks about improving relationships between the NYPD and police-wary communities, in a church that he said "is in my beloved neighborhood." "Violence takes us backward. Nonviolence takes us forward," he said, adding, “we're all feeling, still weeks later, the pain of the tragic loss of Eric Garner.” Capital’s Sally Goldenberg:* Mayor de Blasio Calls Staten Island March a Success (WSJ)

New York’s Finest aid shooting victims as anti-cop march rages(NYP)A spate of nine bloody shootings broke out across the city Saturday, the same day Al Sharpton and thousands gathered at an anti-cop rally on Staten Island — in which protesters bashed “Broken Windows” and stop-and-frisk policing.The gunfire erupted at a cafe in Manhattan, and in separate incidents in Brooklyn, Queens and The Bronx — most between 12:50 and 3:50 a.m. — continuing a disturbing uptick in gunplay. Citywide, shootings are up to 824 this year, compared to 736 last year — a nearly 12 percent increase, the latest NYPD data reveal. At the same time, the use of stop-and-frisk has plunged 92 percent, according to the most recent data available.

Seven people shot in six separate incidents across city(NYDN) The bloody day began around 12:50 a.m. Saturday with two men shot in the lobby of a Brooklyn building, cops said. Five others were wounded in separate acts of violence in Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx.* Two men busted for fatal shooting of Inwood violinist who toured with Barbra Streisand: cops(NYDN)

'IT'S TIME WE'RE SEEN AS EQUALS': Demonstrators led by Eric Garner's family, the Rev. Al Sharpton, march peacefully to protest chokehold death(NYDN)

Three cheers for the NYPD(NYP)
ow the ‘broken windows’ strategy saved lives in NYC(NYP) Statistics illustrate the dramatic “policing difference” enjoyed by New York. While the homicide rate dropped by half in the nine largest cities other than NYC between 1990 and 2009, it dropped by 82 percent here.

 Rapes dropped 77 percent in New York, compared with a median rate of 49 percent in those other cities.* Mayor de Blasio puts equality over productivity(NYP) Never mind having the city deliver municipal services well. Forget about keeping costs down and saving taxpayers money. City Hall has given its agencies new marching orders: to reduce inequality. And that goes for all its agencies. This should be interesting. As Capital New York reported, agency summaries used in the Mayor’s Management Report must now note the progress departments have made in fostering greater “equality” in the city.* CLOSED! Staten Island's Saturday rally for NYPD chokehold victim stirs 'Ferguson' fears, prompting stores to shutter(NYDN)

A Trend of Resisting Continues to the TLC
llegal drivers are getting physical with TLC officers(NYP)

The TLC may think it’s doing the right thing by increasing penalties for illegal taxi drivers, but it’s actually hurting its own enforcement officers — literally, sources told The Post....

Tax the Rich II
Higher taxes down the road are a distinct possibility, given New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s fiscal record so far, because while it may have enough cash now, the city might soon fall short, the Post writes:

As Candidates For Office Try to Get Their Message Out the Daily News Turns Into A PR Agent for Incumbents While Candidates Cry to Get Their Message Out  
Biking is picking up amongst City Council members(NYDN)
The Daily News Goes After the Corrupt Queens Library President and Puff PR's Van Bramer Who Benefited From the Corruption

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer on his homeless childhood, calls for residents to be part of the solution(NYDN)
Flashback   EXCLUSIVE: City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer explodes at colleagues (NYDN, 1/29/2014) Van Bramer's colleagues questioned whether Van Bramer's ties to the Queens Library would compromise his ability to hold a hearing on the library's finances




Atlantic Yards Reports Connects Indicted Sampson Bag Man to Ratner 

Post: court papers indicate that indicted lobbyist Lowe admits fraud; consultant had ties to Forest City, though not part of charges

 The New York Post reported 8/2014, Ex-Sampson aide admits to swiping $100K from officials

Indicted state Sen. John Sampson has been thrown under the bus to the feds by a former top aide who is also in big trouble with the law, new court papers reveal.
Melvin Lowe admitted during confidential meetings with prosecutors that he defrauded the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee out of $100,000 – and gave $75,000 of the money to “Senator #1,” the filing says. A source said “Senator #1” is Lowe’s ex-boss, Sampson (D-Brooklyn), who is fighting charges that he, himself, also committed fraud and tax crimes.

Lowe has admitted that he failed to file tax returns for 2010 to 2012, despite earning $923,000. His trial is September 2.

As I wrote in July, 2010, DSCC consultant Lowe, connected to Sampson and Ratner (and Boyland's challenge to Montgomery), racks up the bucks. City Hall News broke the news that "Largely Unknown DSCC Consultant Cleared $300k In Last Year."

Here's brief coverage from 8/31/09 about Lowe's DSCC hiring, his role in Forest City's Ridge Hill project, and a report (which I never corroborated) of consulting work regarding Atlantic Yards.

When the charges surfaced

Last October, I wrote Former Forest City Ratner lobbyist Melvin Lowe, Sampson crony, charged with corruption.
None of the charges involved Forest City or any other developer. But it continued a remarkable string of corruption charges regarding people with ties to Forest City, including Carl Kruger, Sandy Annabi, Richard Lipsky, and William Rapfogel, as well as Sampson.
Lowe was mentioned, though not called as a witness, during the 2012 Yonkers corruption trial. "Are you familiar with a company known as Westchester Invaders?" asked William Aronwald, defense attorney for Annabi, the former Council Member who flipped her vote to benefit Forest City's Ridge Hill project and was later convicted. "Isn't it true Forest City Ratner made a contribution of $10,000 to Westchester Invaders at Council Member [Patricia] McDow's or [FCR lobbyist] Melvin Lowe's request?"
"I can't recall," replied former Forest City governmental affairs EVP Bruce Bender.
As I wrote, Westchester Invaders is a drum and bugle corps that McDow has saluted, but I couldn't find corroborating evidence of a Forest City Ratner contribution. Then again, it would not be out of line with company practices in Brooklyn.

NYT Supports de Blasio's New Policing, But Said it Would Take Some Time 

Complaints of misconduct by officers in the 120th Precinct on the North Shore rival those in the Bronx and Brooklyn.* A March for a Safer City (NYT)  Will aggrieved residents achieve some level of faith in the future of policing in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s New York?In one sense, the protesters have already won. The Garner case is not being brushed aside; the Staten Island district attorney has said he will present it to a grand jury, and the involvement of several other oversight bodies seems to assure a thorough investigation. What is less certain — and this is the larger point of the protest — is whether aggrieved residents will achieve some level of faith in the future of policing in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s New York.Police Commissioner William Bratton has ordered the department to retrain all 35,000 officers in defusing confrontations and other tactical * Fatal Confrontation Heightens Tensions in Staten Island Police Precinct(NYT)

He and Mr. de Blasio have said the department should make smarter use of warnings and summonses, instead of needless arrests, freeing more officers to confront serious crime. The department has focused new attention on high-crime areas in Brooklyn and the Bronx, and the mayor has promised to make public housing safer, through an infusion of officers and floodlights.

Not Much Said About the 680 to 747 Increase in Shootings

Other promising initiatives include enlisting former gang members as “violence interrupters” to mediate street disputes.  It will take time for the results of these efforts to become clear. Mr. de Blasio says he is in it for the long haul, to prove that he and Mr. Bratton can keep the peace while respecting both cops and community and honoring the law. Meanwhile, on the way to that desired equilibrium, conciliation and peaceful protests serve a purpose of their own. “In a democratic society, people act in accordance with how much they feel heard,” Mr. de Blasio said. “A lot of times over the years, folks felt aggrieved, and they didn’t feel there was an outlet. The very act of active and compassionate listening actually changes people.”

NYP Takes the Cops Side

Several Staten Islandbusinesses will close Saturday, fearing crowds and safety issues during marchfor Eric Garner *Chokehold video taker blasts Sharpton for being ‘fake’(NYP) * Three cheers for the NYPD (NYP Ed) The Rev. Al Sharpton’s march today in Staten Island is meant to slam New York’s Finest. We’ll say it flat out: We support the cops.

Unequivocally. Better The Rev & Co. turn their march into a parade to celebrate the NYPD — and how the department, almost single-handedly, turned this city around. (Notwithstanding efforts to the contrary by rabble-rousing self-promoters like Sharpton.) How ironic that the reverend titled his bit of street theater a “We Will Not Go Back” march. Because that’s precisely what he wants the city to do: return to the ugly days when cops failed to control crime, chaos ruled and the city was barely livable.

Daily News Opposes Sharpton Views Softly 

Family of Eric Garner, Al Sharpton hope for peaceful Staten Island protest (NYDN)

The family of Eric Garner and Rev. Al Sharpton are hopeful for a peaceful protest against police brutality Saturday. Despite their optimism, businesses have decided to close their doors for the rally out of fear for unrest. NYPD officers assigned to the demonstration are also expected to have nightsticks and helmets.

Rev. Al’s march (NYDN) New Yorkers anguished by Eric Garner’s death after a struggle with police will march today from the scene of the confrontation to the Staten Island district attorney’s office. Their voices will be heard, but what will they say? As the organizer, the Rev. Al Sharpton, has offered several rationales for demonstrating, some of them inconsistent, some more worthy than others. He was perfectly clear, though, that he expects peaceful protest. That Sharpton addressed the issue reflects concern that the event could attract even a small number of individuals who are bent on creating disorder, as happened in the Ferguson, Mo., protests and in some Occupy 

Wall Street protests. Should bad actors appear today, he and the NYPD will be united in urging robust and lawful expression of grievances. Running somewhat counter to that notion, he also says that he is not anti-police; he’s merely against bad cops. Since everyone is against bad cops, the true question is how prevalent Sharpton thinks they are. In his article in The News Friday, Sharpton posed a question as the essence of what he’s about: “Is it unreasonable to ask that unarmed people not be killed?” No, it’s not unreasonable, as long as you also accept that every case must be judged on its own merits.

NYPD's Prefect Storm  Adrift With No Leadership, Mayor, Bratton and Increase in Crime

Tale of Two Cities: A Racial Split

Saturday Update
Sharpton Dials Down Comments Talks About Safety
Out-of-staters expected to join march against police brutality (NYP) * NY1 Exclusive: Rules Eased at Park Near Scene of Garner Arrest * Police, S.I. Businesses and Residents Prepare for Garner Rally(NY1) *

Fatal 1964 Incident Sparked Days of Riots in Harlem, Brooklyn(NY1) * Garner Rally Could Be Crucial Test for Mayor(NY1)

Friday Update
Riot cops ready for Sharpton rally on Saturday(NYP)  Hundreds of police officers have been ordered to bring their “hats and bats”—helmets and old-school wooden nightsticks—to the Rev. Al Sharpton’s march against police brutality on Saturday
CLOSED! S.I. rally for NYPD chokehold victim Eric Garner stirs 'Ferguson' fears, prompting local businesses to shutter Saturday(NYDN)
* De Blasio attended his first CompStat meeting, a crime statistics briefing with top police officials at a time when the city is grappling with a new wave of gun violence, the Journal reports: 
* Rev. Al Sharpton explains in the Daily News why he and others will march in Staten Island on Saturday to demand justice for Eric Garner, who died in an apparent illegal chokehold: 

Homeless #'s Up 6% Under DeBlasio 52% Over Last 5 Years  

The Daily News Leaves Out the Most Reasons for the Increase In Homelessness and the Pushing Out of the Middle Class Out of the City, Tax Breaks to Luxury Developers and Airbnb 

DE BLASIO'S HOMELESSNESS CRISIS: Number of homeless peoplespikes 52% in last five years — grows 6% under de Blasio(NYDN)The city has seen a 6% increase in homelessness since the mayor took office in January. In response, Mayor de Blasio added several new shelters to the city, sparking protests from affected neighborhoods.The city says it housed an average of 54,754 people a night in August, including 23,000 children — up from an average of 51,470 in January. The number is 10% higher than in August 2013. Overall, in the last five years, the city’s homeless population has soared by a stunning 52%.


How Blacks the Poor and the Middle Class are Being Push Out of Brooklyn Because of Albany's Tax Breaks for Luxury Developers

Mayor and Progressives Pay Off Bus Union While the Council Rubber Stamps With Little Oposition  

Does the Bus Deal Show that the City Government Represents Fiscal Responsibility or a Narrow Interest Group?
De Blasio, aiming to reverse conditions that led to a strike, defended spending $42 million to boost the pay of seasoned school bus drivers, saying less experienced drivers put children at risk, The New York Times reports: * De Blasio's $42M school-bus-company grants debated(NYDN) * De Blasio’s $42M school bus driver pay hike likely to pass(NYP) De Blasio’s proposal to award $42 million in pay hikes to private school bus workers appears likely to breeze through the New York City Council despite reservations by some members

* Citizens Budget Commission slams $42 million plan to boost school bus...(NYDN) * New York City Councilman Dan Garodnick was the only member of the Council to vote against a bill restoring $42 million for wage increases to school bus workers, the Daily News reports:  * Bill’s bus boondoggle(NYDN)Redeeming a campaign promise, Mayor de Blasio is moving to undermine competitive bidding, use public money to supplement private wages and divert $42 million that could be used in classrooms.* New York Council Vote to Pay School Bus Drivers More Is Criticized(NYT) * Bill’s bus boondoggle (NYDN Ed) Mayor de Blasio recklessly dips into public treasury to boost private companies' wages* * De Blasio expressed confidence that his administration's effort to increase wages for private school bus drivers by $42 million would hold up if challenged in court, Crain’s reports: 

The mayor of mush: Feeding forces of destruction(NYP)
With gun violence on a rocket-ride in the wrong direction and the usual suspects agitating for unilateral disarmament of the NYPD, Mayor Mush yesterday went to church.
The mayor, in contrast, split for an Italian vacation shortly after the incident, allowing bitterness to fester in the vacuum. Then he convened a public “summit” during which the always-helpful Al Sharpton did what he does so well: Make matters worse. He threatened de Blasio to his face — and the mayor took it, mumbling pieties when a firm rebuke was in order. Sharpton wasn’t buying it, anyway:

Rally held in support of cops in Staten Island(NYP)
He made it clear that he and his allies want Giuliani-Bloom­berg policing standards gone — and will accept nothing less. Rewriting the Rev. Al Sharpton’s history(NYP)Mayor de Blasio blithely helped in the effort, introducing Sharpton as a man who sought peaceful solutions “since the days of Martin Luther King.”  Oh, really? From the Tawana Brawley case to the Crown Heights riots to Ferguson, Mo., Sharpton’s usual role is to pour gasoline on the fire.

Public Advocate Letitia James proposed a $5 million pilot program to outfit dozens of New York City police officers with body-mounted cameras in high-crime precincts, the Journal reports: * Letitia James wants cops to wear tiny cameras(NYP)
* New law toughens public reporting requirements in New York City prisons(NYDN)



New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will meet with Cardinal Timothy Dolan and other religious leaders to ease tensions ahead of a weekend march to protest the death of Eric Garner,  

The Wall Street Journal writes * New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will meet with Cardinal Timothy Dolan and other religious leaders to ease tensions ahead of a weekend march to protest the death of Eric Garner, The Wall Street Journal writes: *Sharpton Defends Mayor’s Decision to Skip Staten Island March(NYO) * Sharpton: Staten Island march won’t be like Ferguson(Capital) * New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio hosted a roundtable with religious leaders and NYPD Commissioner William Bratton in an attempt to ease tensions before a weekend march protesting Eric Garner’s death, The Wall Street Journal reports:  * De Blasio ‘Confident’ Ferguson-Like Violence Won’t Erupt at SI MarchNYO) * Mayor, Seeking Calm in Chokehold Case, Turns to Clergy(NYT)

More on Bratton and NYPD


Do We Have to Bring Dinkins Back to Get the Media to Cover the 13% Increase in Shootings?

During the Dinkins administration a front-page headline in the New York Post had screamed: “Dave do something!”— a direct call to then mayor David Dinkins to get crime down fast. What Dinkins' did with the help of Albany was dramatically increase the size of the NYPD. As the number of NYPD increased during during the next 20 years crime when down to record levels.  With budget cuts this year the number of NYPD will be down to the level before the Dinkins and Giuliani increases.  We have a press and political system that allows mayor and future mayors to chose the issues that are covered in the media.  We know the mayor wants to go on Meet the Press to talk national issues, mayoral candidate Quinn wants gay marriage, Weiner will do anything to get himself a headline, Liu wants to drop audit bombs on the mayor contracts to win him points with unions while hiding in the comptroller office, Stringer wants to rebuild the infrastructure and deBlaiso will think of of angles to get in the paper.  But nobody want to talk about the growing crime problem and the press will not hold today's incumbents feet to the filed like that did former Mayor Dinkins

Mike Allen ‏@mikeallen 

.@Capitalnewyork Playbook: Mayor @BilldeBlasio holds closed-press meeting on policing as liberal impatience rises: http://bit.ly/1tlfDjI

Summer Shooting Are Up 32% Over Last Year

The “evidence-based” $13 million plan to stop a wave of shootings around the city touted by de Blasio uses questionable statistics and tests a theory that is unproven The mayor’s empty ‘anti-violence’ plan(NYP ED)Mayor de Blasio just rolled out a $13 million, “evidence-based” plan to stop the wave of shootings around the city by hiring ex-gangbangers and felons to be “violence interrupters.”One problem: The “evidence” doesn’t exist.City officials and criminal-justice advocates claim that the “Save Our Streets” pilot program in Crown Heights “reduced shootings by 66 percent.”This statistic was trumpeted at the mayor’s press conference last Wednesday and repeated in media accounts.But that number was apparently plucked out of thin air.* Bullet-ridden body found floating in Hudson River(NYP)
Saturday  Two men shot in apartment building lobby in Brooklyn(NYP)

Will Bratton Leave Sooner Then He Left With Giuliani?

The Center for Court Innovation — which both implements and evaluates Save Our Streets — claims at best a 6 percent reduction in gun violence in the neighborhood . . . and admits that the drop “was not statistically significant.”* Man fatally shot in East Harlem(NYP) * CITY & STATE TV: Former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly sits down with City & State contributor Gerson Borrero to discuss police training in the wake of the recent death of Eric Garner in an apparent chokehold:

 --NYC took quick precautions after in-custody death,” by AP’s Tom Hays: “The police killings of two unarmed black men came barely three weeks apart … But compared to the violent aftermath of Michael Brown's shooting, … the fallout from the chokehold death of Eric Garner … now seems notable for what's been absent … The relative calm in New York followed a carefully calibrated response by city and police officials intended to neutralize possible unrest. The response drew on the lessons from other high-profile use-of-force cases involving black victims that roiled the city in the late 1990s.”

Azi ‏@Azi 

why was Advancing Community Trust Program ended? Ray Kelly: "You are asking me? I don't know."

Staten Island Grand Jury to Investigate the Death of Eric Garner
BREAKING: Staten Island district attorney has empaneled a grand jury to investigate the death of #EricGarner * Grand jury will hear NYPD chokehold death evidence(NYP) * 'I will go wherever the evidence takes me': Staten Island DA says grand jury will weigh criminal charges in chokehold death of Eric Garner — but family demands federal probe(NYDN)
* Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan will convene a special grand jury to determine whether to levy charges in the chokehold death of Eric Garner by a New York City police officer, the Staten Island Advance reports:  * Grand Jury to Take Up Death Linked to Police Chokehold in Staten Island(NYT)


Shake Up Contines At Rikers Jail In Response to Federal Inquiry  

New York’s Top Jail Investigator Resigns After Inquiry on Rikers Brutality(NYT)

Florence L. Finkle’s resignation is the first of many changes expected in response to a federal inquiry that found a “culture of violence” at Rikers Island.* NYC JAIL BOSS QUITS: Embattled Rikers Island jail investigations chief steps down(NYDN) The head of internal investigations at New York City's embattled Rikers Island jail complex has resigned amid intense scrutiny over civil rights violations and inmate deaths.

Round Up the Usually Cops

 The true crime rise(NYP Ed) The crime news is worse than you’ve heard — and likely to get worse without some new thinking. The latest crime figures list shooting incidents up by 13 percent — but that includes what happened in the freezing months when the streets were deserted. The right comparison is this summer to the summer of 2013. Year over year, in the four weeks ending Aug. 10, shooting incidents were up 32 percent.

Despite the bloodshed, the debate in policing seems to center around “Broken Windows.” 'The whole notion is to stay ahead of the problem': De Blasio promises to deploy more cops following weekend gun mayhem which saw 2 killed and 21 injured(NYDN) * The New York City Police Department should demand that the thousands of cops it dispatches daily to keep New Yorkers safe wear body cameras because it will protect both the public and police, am New York writes:  * Howard Safir: Bill de Blasio Turning NYPD Into ‘Blue Flowerpots’(NYO) * Staten Island DA Donovan to Convene Grand Jury on Garner Death(NYO) * Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind claimed that NYPD officers told Crown Heights residents they were not arresting and prosecuting potentially anti-Semitic attackers out of fear of stoking racial tensions, the Observer reports:



Racial Crisis in the City and Nation Nobody is Talking to Both Sides

Despite the bloodshed, the debate in policing seems to center around “Broken Windows.” The key question, though, is how to design anti-crime programs that most New Yorkers can support. The key question, though, is how to design anti-crime programs that most New Yorkers can support.* 'Make them remember our children': Trayvon Martin's mother pens heartfelt letter to family of fallen Michael Brown(NYDN)

NYPD, Commissioner Bratton, Chokehold and Garner's Death

 

Bloomberg Gets His Green Cabs  

City to sell 6,000 new green taxi permits(NYP) The city’s plan to more than double its fleet of popular green cabs has been given a green light, The Post has learned. The Taxi and Limousine Commission this week began selling 6,000 permits for the next wave of lime-green cabs, which serve residents of upper Manhattan and the outer boroughs. The new batch of street cabs will be added to the 6,000 or so green cabs currently rolling around underserved city neighborhoods, bringing the total up to 12,000, the TLC said.

Mayor Moskowitz 2017 

Eva Moskowitz, the founder of Success Academy Charter Schools and a former city councilwoman, said she would not rule out a future primary bid against New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Observer writes:






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NYP Uses the Times Square Muppets to Defend NYPD 

The right to not be arrested?(NYP Ed)vGotham’s “reformers” are seeking a new entitlement: the right not to be arrested.vWe’re not kidding. It’s part of the recent hostility toward cops and, in particular, their successful 20-year focus on low-level, “quality-of-life” crimes (also known as “broken windows” policing).vIs there a quicker path to a lawless city?



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Malcome Keeps Flake  

Powerful preacher endorses Malcolm Smith for re-electio Indicted state Sen. Malcolm Smith is getting some divine intervention in his bid for re-election: an endorsement from the most influential pastor in his Queens district. Powerhouse preacher Rev. Floyd Flake                       

Smith Has Learned to Love de Bomb

‘I had a stellar year': Malcolm Smith during debate(NYP) State Sen. Malcolm Smith, facing federal corruption charges that could send him to prison for years, claimed in a televised debate Wednesday night that he has had “a stellar year” in Albany and ­deserves to be re-elected. Smith’s Democratic primary ­rivals gave him a surprising pass on the corruption issue, leaving it to New York 1 moderator Errol Lewis to ask how Smith could serve his southeast Queens constituents while under indictment.
“I had a stellar year,” replied Smith. “The legal issues are something that are out there.” Now comes a dramatic, and immensely ironic, split between three of the city’s most influential unions — the United Federation of Teachers on the one hand, and the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association and the Sergeants Benevolent Association on the other.


Smith Says Gentrification Was Created to Get Rid of Blacks and The Reason He Was Indicted

Sen. Malcolm Smith told a Queens audience that racially motivated forces of gentrification are behind his indictment on charges he tried to bribe his way onto the GOP line in the 2013 NYC mayor’s race. Mr. Smith warned the crowd that the accusations are part of a plot to eliminate a powerful black outer borough politician and target his district for real estate development and racial displacement. “Don’t get caught up with the innuendos, don’t get caught up with the media spin, don’t get caught up with the false allegations.* Smith claims federal bribery rap was a racist conspiracy(NYP)

Smith the Fixer Takes On A Serious Issue of Race and Gentrification to Win Reelection

I can’t tell you much, but I can tell you one thing: being an African-American who is from Queens, who is independent, who is ambitious, must have upset somebody,” Mr. Smith, whose opponents in the primary are both also black, said. “Be careful who you talk to, be careful what you say. Because they’ve got their eye on southeast Queens, they’re trying to shift it. The same way Harlem is no longer Harlem and Brooklyn is no longer Brooklyn.” “Don’t get caught up with the innuendos, don’t get caught up with the media spin, don’t get caught up with the false allegations. I can’t tell you much, but I can tell you one thing: being an African-American who is from Queens, who is independent, who is ambitious, must have upset somebody,” Mr. Smith, whose opponents in the primary are both also black, said. “Be careful who you talk to, be careful what you say. Because they’ve got their eye on southeast Queens, they’re trying to shift it. The same way Harlem is no longer Harlem and Brooklyn is no longer Brooklyn.” “You will see my innocence is exactly what I say it is. You find out who is behind the attack on all the African-American leadership in this city, that will come out as well,” he said. “If you don’t believe southeast Queens gentrification is beginning to happen, look around.” * * U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said that the culture of corruption in Albany will only change when the public says enough is enough, Gannett Albany reports:
Smith promised to disclose “who is behind the attack on all the African-American leadership in this city” when the time is right, meaning after the polls close.

Courtney Gross ‏@courtneycgross 6h

.@DistCouncil37 endorses another indicted lawmaker (on top of @malcolmforny) for re-election: John Sampson


Cuomo's Medicaid Lobbyists  
Backlash after Cuomo names lobbyist to oversee Medicaid spending(NYP)
A leading Republican congressman is demanding an investigation into how a lobbyist was named by the Cuomo administration to help oversee $8 billion in Medicaid funds, The Post has learned.
The probe would focus on Jim Introne, a top Cuomo health adviser who previously served as a hospital lobbyist and health-care consultant.
“Of particular concern is that Gov. Cuomo has appointed former health-care lobbyist Jim Introne to oversee the disbursal of the Medicaid waiver money,” House Oversight Committee chair Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said in a letter Thursday to the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.




Smith and Sampson Joined At the AEG Hip 
More Corruption Connected to Sampson

Ex-Sampson aide admits to swiping $100K from officials(NYP)
Melvin Lowe admitted during confidential meetings with prosecutors that he defrauded the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee out of $100,000 – and gave $75,000 of the money to “Senator #1,” the filing says. A source said “Senator #1” is Lowe’s ex-boss, Sampson (D-Brooklyn), who is fighting charges that he, himself, also committed fraud and tax crimes.



Councilman Wills Thinks Ahead  

Indicted city councilman introduces prisoner voting-rights bill(NYP) A Queens lawmaker who faces jail time if he’s convicted on charges of stealing $30,000 in public funds is introducing a bill Thursday requiring the city to inform prison inmates of their voting rights. City Hall insiders are snickering that the Queens Democrat, arrested in May for allegedly swiping government funds from a nonprofit that he once ran, might be planning to become a ­political kingpin behind bars.

Goo Goos Finally Acomplish Something - A Civil War Between Good Govt Groups   

Reform-group civil war over Cuomo-style redistricting(Capital)
Citizens Union and the League of Women Voters unveiled a new website Tuesday in favor of a new commission


NYT Calls de Blasio Meets Reality, Its Really NYC's Campaign System Meets Reality

What the NYT does not report that there is something wrong with a campaign system that elects candidates with a cult like following that does not reflect the reality of governing. The media covered what former mayoral candidate Albanese called a campaign prop at the time of  de Blasio  in 2013 to stop the closing of LICH Hospital.  The hospital is closed and the NYP calls it reality yesterday.  Is the media telling us that campaigns with all their mailings are campaign props and they know it? 

Its Not About Liberal Friction It is About Reality and Fooling the People During Campaigns

 De Blasio Encounters Rising Friction Over Liberal Expectations(NYT) Faced with the realities of pension costs, budget deficits and a scarcity of federal support, the mayor has struggled to please his supporters. On Wednesday, housing advocates will march in Harlem to highlight what they say is a too-weak effort by City Hall to build affordable homes. And the Rev. Al Sharpton is planning a march on Saturday to call for an end to aggressive policing in the wake of a black Staten Island man’s death after being placed in a chokehold during a routine arrest.De Blasio has angered his angered the liberal base that propelled him into office by bowing to realities of having to make deals with developers on affordable housing and defending hard-nosed policing. “The mayor who shot to fame denouncing stop-and-frisk tactics and luxury condominiums is now defending hard-nosed policing and cutting deals with developers, bowing to the realities of leading an unruly city but also angering an activist left that propelled his rise … Impatience with the mayor is now spilling into outcry. On Wednesday, housing advocates will march in Harlem to highlight what they say is a too-weak effort by City Hall to build affordable homes. “And the Rev. Al Sharpton is planning a march on Saturday to call for an end to aggressive policing … Mr. de Blasio, who advisers say is deeply concerned about disappointing his supporters, has struggled to explain that the lofty liberal rhetoric of his mayoral campaign cannot be imported wholesale into City Hall — that there may be a limit on how many affordable units can be extracted from developers, that the so-called broken-windows policing strategy often credited with helping to lower crime cannot be abandoned overnight.
Former Mayoral Candidate Sal Albanese. and A Candidate for Assembly Tries to Tell the Truth and Get Boycotted By the Media 

Mitchell Moss ‏@mossmitchell 

“Inequality is not something that a mayor of New York can solve, but public safety is...




Update Teachout Stays on the Ballot 

Cuomo Fails to Boot Teachout From Ballot–Again(NYO)

Teachout Campaign Likes What It Sees In Q-Poll(YNN)

Teachout Can Stay on Primary Ballot Against Cuomo, Appeals Court Rules (NYT)
A four-judge panel rejected an appeal by the Cuomo campaign challenging the residency of primary rival Zephyr Teachout, and the Cuomo campaign said it won’t appeal any further, State of Politics

NY News Now ‏@nynewsn

ItCH Alert: Debate Invitations Sent to Cuomo and Teachout, and Their Running Mates http://dlvr.it/6gW5FJ  #newyork #nyc
Debate* Gov. Andrew Cuomo declined to say whether he would participate in a Democratic primary debate on Time Warner Cable News, claiming it would be up to the campaigns to decide, State of Politics reports: * Cuomo insisted he has overwhelming support of the union movement despite the state AFL-CIO’s decision not to endorse him at its convention earlier this week, Gannett Albany writes:

Schneiderman Slamed on Moreland  

‘Tough’ Cahill’s 1st Ad Links Schneiderman To Moreland (YNN)

Republican attorney general hopeful John Cahill is hitting the airwaves with his first TV ad, in which he links his Democratic opponent, AG Eric Schneiderman, to the failed Moreland Commission and pledges to be “tough enough” to clean up corruption in Albany.

laura ‏@nahmias

Schneiderman says he "can't comment" on Moreland or any other ong

NYC Voters Are Disconnected From Their Own Believes 

New York's Voters
Cuomo Connected to Corruption
We Support Cuomo
Cuomo Emerges Unhurt From Morelandgate Scandal; Dem Primary Challenger Unknown 
More voters see Gov. Cuomo as part of New York's corruption problem, not solution: Quinnipiac Poll(NYDN)

Fully half of voters in the new poll say they disapprove of the way the incumbent Democrat is handling government ethics, while only 39% say he's doing the right thing.

That's a total reversal from the May 22 Q poll, when 48% of voters approved and 34% disapproved. Despite the souring views of his ability to muck out the Albany cesspool, Cuomo is still wrecking all challengers in the Democratic primary and November general election, Quinnipiac found in the latest survey. Cuomo still holds a 56 to 28 lead over Republican gubernatorial challenger Rob Astorino despite almost half of voters saying Cuomo is part of the corruption problem in the state, a new Quinnipiac poll found* Polls continue to show huge lead for Cuomo over Astorino(NYP)

Local News Wins Emmy For Keeping the Public Uninformed

That's a total reversal from the May 22 Q poll, when 48% of voters approved and 34% disapproved.
Despite the souring views of his ability to muck out the Albany cesspool, Cuomo is still wrecking all challengers in the Democratic primary and November general election, Quinnipiac found in the latest survey.

How Local TV News Make Millions Rehabilitating Candidates and Cleaning Up Policies Harmful to the Public

 

Queens Library Corrupiton Maybe   

Hint of Scandal Embroils Queens Library’s Leaders

A criminal inquiry is examining spending by Thomas W. Galante, president of the Queens Public Library, including whether he steered construction contracts to an acquaintance.

This is What It Takes to Get Media Coverage in New York? 

Rep. Maloney visits panda in China, possibly headed for New York zoo(NYP)






Sunset Quinn

Christine Quinn leads Women’s Equality Party rally(NYDN)

I Hate People Koppell

State Sen. Candidate Oliver Koppell, who is challenging Senate Co-Majority Leader Jeff Klein, was caught on video insulting voters in his district, saying they are “not the most broad-minded people,” the Daily News reports: 



NYP Attacks Mayor's Anti-Violence Plan is Right But for the Wrong Reason

The New Secret Army of Crime Fighters
It's is Rapid Gentrification in Crown Heights that is reducing crime numbers not the "Save the Street" program that the mayor is expanding to stop the increase in gun shootings  Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Gets Its Turn(NYT) In fact, residents credit the successful post-riot reconciliation between the two communities with being one of the drivers of Crown Heights’ rapid transformation — or gentrification, depending on one’s perspective.Along Franklin Avenue, signs saying “Moving to Flatbush” have appeared on many businesses in the last couple of years, and while longtime residents don’t tack up signs, there are indications they have also been leaving in large numbers as new arrivals replace them in this community of about 140,000 people.

de Blasio Push Lux Housing Which Creates Gentrification and More Homeless

John Surico in the Gotham Gazette takes a look at the first seven months of the de Blasio administration’s push to reduce record-high homelessness in New York City:


CMs Constantieides and Vallone That Putting Out A Gun Database Onling Will Not Stop the Increase in Shootings  

Politicans pushing for public gun crime database(NYP)
City Council members Costa Constantinides and Paul Vallone, along with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., are calling for the database created in 2006 — currently available only to law enforcement — to be searchable online.

Gentrification Taking Over NYC Eliminating Tale of Two City's Problems?

Census Estimates Show Another Increase in New York City’s Non-Hispanic White Population(NYT) * Brooklyn's Second Coming: Borough of churches now borough of condos. At least (most) of the bars are safe. @Dnainfo

Its A Gamble But Pols and Contributions Are 777 

Even as casino fever is intensifying near New York City, in Atlantic City, where the industry was once thriving, the picture is much bleaker.


NYC Unemployment Up  
In New York City, unemployment stands at 8 percent. The Bronx, long one of the poorest areas in the nation, has an unemployment rate of 11.2 percent.

City Doing Deficit Financing
The city has agreed to allow the state comptroller’s office to have a veto over city budgets for the next 10 years as a condition of obtaining emergency deficit financing.






Seabrook Looks for A New Trial Again  

Ex-Councilman seeking retrial on fraud conviction(NYP) x-City Councilman Larry Seabrook is seeking a retrial on his fraud conviction thanks to a courtroom snafu. Margaret Shalley, a lawyer for the bagel-loving ex-pol, filed legal papers Monday seeking the retrial, in response to a federal appeals court in June ordering Manhattan federal Judge Deborah Batts to look at whether Seabrook was denied a fair trial.

 

 

 

City Throws Money At Everything But Vets 

Due to limited funding and manpower, Loree Sutton, the new commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs, faces serious challenges amid calls to revamp the office, Gotham Gazette reports:

Koch Used to Ask the Voters How'M I Doing? de Blasio Asks the Campaign Consultants 

De Blasio ‘obsessively’ talks with Sharpton, Clinton aides: source(NYP) Mayor de Blasio spends hours at a time on the telephone seeking counsel from liberal confidants like Rev. Al Sharpton, union boss George Gresham, political consultants Valerie Berlin and Jonathan Rosen, and top aides to Bill Clinton, a well-placed Democratic insider told The Post. “He’s obsessively taking their temperature. He does obsessive calls that are long-winded in a way that’s not really productive to the city,” said the source, who has witnessed Hizzoner’s yakfests firsthand. “He’s engaged, but he’s not proactively making the city run. I just don’t think the guy has it in him.”Upon his return from an eight-day vacation to Italy, de Blasio gabbed an hour with Gresham, president of the 1199 SEIU health-care workers union, so he could better gauge public opinion on the tragic choking death of Eric Garner, who died in Staten Island at the hands of a cop trying to arrest him for selling untaxed cigarettes. The two also weighed the pros and cons of allowing Sharpton to stage a protest march across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. When de Blasio phoned Sharpton, “there was a lot of pleading on the mayor’s end,” the source said.* Mayor de Blasio wants to give private school-bus workers $42 million in taxpayer funds(NYP)

 Quantifying de Blasio(CrainsNY)
How's Bill de Blasio shifting resources and rhetoric to push his agenda? It's all in the data.Bill de Blasio rode to the mayoralty in 2013 on a wave of promises: citywide prekindergarten, more help for the downtrodden, politer policing, fewer traffic deaths and greater focus on the boroughs beyond Manhattan. His empathetic oratory has been a departure from the businesslike pronouncements of his data-focused predecessor, Michael Bloomberg. But Mr. de Blasio's efforts can just as well be quantified—as can his rhetoric.* BDB gave "Brooklyn (his home turf) 172 shout-outs, while Queens has received 87; the Bronx, 50; & Staten Island, 41” (CrainsNY)* New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s first budget will add more than 1,000 workers to the public payroll, reversing a six-year trend of downsizing city government, Crain’s reports: 

How NYC Tax Breaks to Developers is Killing the Character and Style of the City 

De Blasio, unchain the city now (NYDN) Save NYC's character During the Bloomberg years, New York City lost a staggering number of small businesses, many of them long-lived cultural touchstones, including CBGB’s, Bleecker Bob’s, Bill’s Gay Nineties, the Stage Deli, McHale’s bar, Lenox Lounge, restaurant Gino, Carmine’s at the Seaport, Coliseum Books and the list goes on.Combined, thousands of years of business history were quickly wiped out thanks to the massive rent hikes and skyrocketing property values of corporate-sponsored hyper-gentrification. In countless cases, rents doubled, tripled and more. Colony Records had thrived in Times Square for 60 years, until its new landlord reportedly quintupled the rent . After 24 years in the once-gritty, now glamorous Meatpacking District, ever popular Restaurant Florent had its rent shoot up nearly tenfold, from $6,000 to $50,000 per month.



Daily News Gives BOE F On Teachout 

Dumb as a board(NYDN Ed) We all lose As is her right, law professor Zephyr Teachout is challenging Gov. Cuomo in the Democratic primary for governor. As is his right, Cuomo challenged her place on the ballot, claiming she hadn’t been a state resident long enough to run.
One week ago, the trial judge ruled for Teachout, prompting Cuomo to exercise his right to appeal. The case is set to be heard tomorrow. But here, the rights of both candidates end — as the law is trumped by a stronger, stupider force: the defective state Board of Elections. Regardless of the appeals court’s ruling — no matter when it comes down — Teachout’s name will now stay on the ballot for more than 5 million Democrats — because, says the Board, the complexity of the state’s computerized voting machines makes it too late to change. Yes, these are the same machines that were supposed to make voting, and counting the votes, far simpler. This, despite the fact that the primary is still 22 days away. Those who can, do. Those who can’t, apparently, work at the Board of Elections. Zephyr Teachout won't win, but could hurt Gov. Cuomo with strong primary showing: insiders(NYDN)


Inside the Poor Door
GILDED CITY -- “Haves, have-nots divided by apartment poor doors,” by AP’s Jennifer Peltz: “One new Manhattan skyscraper will greet residents of pricey condos with a lobby in front, while renters of affordable apartments that got the developer government incentives must use a separate side entrance — a so-called poor door. In another apartment house, rent-regulated residents can't even pay to use a new gym that's free to their market-rate neighbors. Other buildings have added playrooms and roof decks off-limits to rent-stabilized tenants. … [A] recent spate of buildings with separate amenities for the haves and have-nots is … provoking an uncomfortable debate over equality, economics and the tightness of the social fabric.” http://yhoo.it/1rLteie

de Blasio Rides the Tax Payer

De Blasio’s vacations covered by taxpayers, unlike earlier mayors(NYP)  The mayor doesn’t pony up subway rides on business trips around the city — and has even let taxpayers foot the bill for gas on personal, out-of-state weekend trips, like his most recent excursion to Massachusetts for a family funeral, aides told The Wall Street Journal. The Democratic mayor also let taxpayers sport the cost of his fancy ride — a chauffeured, white Mercedes-Benz — while traveling through Italy on vacation last month with his family. “Sets a bad example for city employees $ wastes taxpayer $. Did he really need a white Mercedes to ferry him around Italy?” tweeted former city councilman and 2013 Democratic mayoral candidate Sal Albanese.*Mayor de Blasio refuses to pay city back for transportation costs for personal trips(NYDN) * The free train(NYDN Ed) Even the mayor needs to swipe* Taxpayers are footing the bill for de Blasio’s car rides(NYP)   * Success Academy CEO Eva Moskowitz attacked de Blasio in an interview with More magazine, calling him a “former operative of the teachers’ union” who is seeking to undermine her charter schools, the Daily News reports: 

The Only Man Who Can Clean Up Albany

Why Cleaning Up Albany Keeps Being Left to Bharara(Gotham Gazette)
When U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara was asked about his investigation into Governor Andrew Cuomo's now-defunct Moreland Commission on Public Corruption last month on The Charlie Rose Show, he gave what can be seen as a stern assessment of good governance efforts in New York."Our interest above all other interests is to make sure that the job is getting done - because we are the people who do our jobs," said Bharara of rooting out corruption.Bharara's comments could be taken as a critique of ethics enforcement and reform in Albany as a whole as all of the state's agencies and other entities that can police political corruption appear restrained or restricted from actually doing the job. Thus, Bharara's federal office enters yet again to pick up the slack.* The real Moreland takeaway (NYDN Ed) We need public campaign financing* US Attorney Preet Bharara told the New York Times: “I have no interest and desire to seek political office…Now or ever.”

In Five Years, a Federal Prosecutor Has Taken On Terrorism, Corruption and Cuomo(NYT)

During his tenure as the United States attorney in Manhattan, Preet Bharara has embraced the media spotlight while fighting attempts to politicize justice.

Cuomo and the WFP Investigation

 Gov. Cuomo’s party pooper(NYP Ed)For months, he’s had US Attorney Preet Bharara breathing down his neck, examining the governor’s abrupt shutdown of the Moreland Commission. Then news broke this month that subpoenas were issued to members of the Working Families Party — Cuomo’s new political bedfellow. It’s a case involving Staten Island City Council member Debi Rose and the support she received from the WFP’s for-profit arm, Data and Field Services. The WFP and the firm already lost a civil case, in which the party was charged with providing Rose with discount campaign services, an in-kind contribution that violates city campaign-finance law.After the civil case, Staten Island DA Dan Donovan opened a criminal inquiry, but then abruptly recused himself. In 2012, special prosecutor Roger Adler was appointed, and he’s now finally started issuing subpoenas: “This is not meant to be a fishing expedition,” Adler said. The subpoenas targeted “people who have relevant information.” Rose’s lawyer admits his client has been subpoenaed.And for Cuomo, there’s an added kicker: The city’s campaign-finance law, which the WFP seems to have violated, is very similar to the one Cuomo wants to impose statewide. It will be interesting to see how the governor plans to avoid bringing WFP-style ­violations statewide, too.*
UNION PROBLEMS FOR CUOMO? Several sources close to the New York State AFL-CIO tell City & State that the organized labor umbrella group may not endorse Gov. Andrew Cuomo for reelection: * The attention around Cuomo’s shuttering of the Moreland Commission distracts from the crucial recommendations for campaign finance reform, SUNY New Paltz’s Gerald Benjamin and Fritz Schwarz, former New York City corporation counsel, write in the Daily News * After a brief respite from Moreland questions during his Israel trip, Cuomo returned to…more Moreland questions – even from a “friendly” interviewer, like FOX News’ Maria Bartiromo.* By traveling to Israel, Cuomo delivered the most explicit signal yet that he is positioning himself for a role beyond the state’s borders, political observers said.* Cuomo & Christie: These Bedfellows Are No Strangers (WNYC) * Morning Joe' questions Cuomo's email policy (Capital) * ‘Morning Joe’ Crew Questions Administration Email Retention(YNN) * AFL-CIO declines to endorse Cuomo for re-election(NYP) * Submitting six times the required amount of signatures was a show of organizing strength designed to minimize Republicans, who submitted signatures to create a Stop Common Core party, hoping to capitalize on parental anxiety with a standardized testing system. Republicans submitted 62,000 signatures.* Cuomo has alienated so many Albany players, he could almost run as an outsider. (Capital) * Rob Astorino’s remedy for New York’s economic woes(NYP)
The ad’s in the mail (NYDN Ed) Albany sends you your money, using your money Just over 1 million parents with children under 17 as of Dec. 31, 2012 — and with household incomes between $40,000 and $300,000 — are due to receive $350 each. An additional 3 million homeowners outside New York City — in localities that abide by Gov. Cuomo’s property tax “freeze” — are in line for an average of $656.Rather than have taxpayers claim the funds when filing their 2014 returns, the governor and Legislature are spending $2 million in postage so that the checks arrive in the mail in the runup to the Nov. 4 election. How very convenient.* Cuomo avoiding debates amid governor’s race(NYP * Gov. Andrew Cuomo must agree to debate

CUOMO’S STATUS --“How Cuomo campaigned in Israel,” by Laura Nahmias: “For Cuomo, the tour meant a clean break from a negative series of news cycles at home, among other things. … Foreign tourists who didn’t even know who he was took pictures of the governor with their cell phones, alert to the fact that he must be very important by the horde of reporters with television cameras who trailed him as he traveled from site to site. (A group of young French women was more captivated by Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos, giggling as they asked me his name and pronounced him ‘very handsome.’)As Cuomo and his delegation wandered down A.M. Luntz Street in downtown Jerusalem Wednesday, they picked up stray hugs from New Yorkers who recognized them.” http://bit.ly/1rLvCVW-- Cuomo told Fox News he thought the trip was more “gubernatorial” than presidential. http://capi.tl/1t7DZhu* Gov. Cuomo talks possible economic development summit with Israeli prime minister (NYDN)


Teachout on Corrupiton; Daily News is No Fan of Teachout; Women's Rights? 

Thursday
Zephyr Teachout wins right to stay on primary ballot(NYP)

Wednesday 
Zephyr Teachout accuses Andrew Cuomo of being in 'corrupt old boys club'(NYDN)
* While she likely won’t win, Zephyr Teachout said her primary challenge to Cuomo is a fight for the future of the Democratic party and that primaries can alter policy dramatically, the Village Voice writes: 
* Republican candidate for governor Rob Astorino said he would debate Teachout if Gov. Andrew Cuomo refused to agree to a Democratic primary debate with her, the Daily News reports

Prove it, Zephyr (NYDN Ed)

Teachout should answer residency questions by releasing her tax returns* Bertha Lewis Irked After Mayor Endorses Andrew Cuomo(NYO)

94 Years Ago Women Were Given the Right to Vote

 IRONY OF THE WOMEN’S EQUALITY PARTY: There is something unseemly about Gov. Andrew Cuomo attempting to steamroll the only woman challenging him while dozens of women rally to his cause, City & State’s Alexis Grenell writes: * Allies of Gov. Andrew Cuomo will set a record Tuesday by filing more than 90,000 signatures to create a new Women's Equality Party, Capital New York reports: * 94 years ago today, with the ratification of the 19th amendment, women gained the federal right to vote in the U.S. See the Times report from 1920: http://nyti.ms/1tblOHL *Kathy Hochul and Tim Wu Camps Spar Over Women’s Issues(NYO) * Nine Democrats running for state Senate will file petition signatures to run on the Cuomo-backed Women’s Equality Party line, which garnered 100,000 signatures from registered voters, Gannett Albany reports:

Charmian Neary ‏@CharmianNeary 

You felt bad supporting @BilldeBlasio over Chris Quinn? Kiss that guilt goodbye! She's totally OK w/ undermining a woman. @zephyrteachout

 

Bertha Speaks

Bertha Lewis endorses Zephyr Teachout & Tim Wu, says she was disappointed by mayor's efforts to get Cuomo on WFP line
BIG NEW YORKER ARTICLE ON CORRUPTION AND ZEPHYR TEACHOUT -- "The Crooked and the Dead: Does the constitution protect corruption?" by Jill Lepore: “Four years after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United dismantled a regime of campaign-finance legislation that had been in place for more than a century, the prospects for reform are bleak. There is quite possibly more money in American politics today than at any point in the country’s history. But there is also less agreement than ever about what can or should be done about it. … [H]istorically, New York is corruption’s proving ground. …“Cuomo is up for reëlection in November, but first he has to win a Democratic primary, on September 9th, against an improbable challenger: Zephyr Teachout, a constitutional-law professor at Fordham University. The week before the Times published its report, nearly ninety per cent of New York voters either didn’t know her name or had no opinion about her. Teachout has never held an elected office; she has little experience and less support. She’s not so much campaigning for office as campaigning for reform. Shortly before the primary, her first book will be released. It’s called ‘Corruption in America.’” http://nyr.kr/1oIt25V
--“HOW ZEPHYR TEACHOUT BECAME A CONTENDER”—Sarah Jaffe in The Nation: The last few weeks have shaken up the landscape in ways that shift both the significance and, potentially, the prospects of Teachout’s campaign. As she and Wu have traveled parts of the state, they have managed to tap into some of the profound frustration that people feel with a governor who has come to symbolize the corporate-friendly wing of the Democratic party. But they have also, and perhaps far more significantly, emerged as the anti-corruption crusaders running against a candidate who has been been hit, mid-campaign, by a bruising ethics scandal.” http://bit.ly/YmVjDU
In 1994, Lenora Fulani won 21% of the Dem primary vote against Mario Cuomo. How much will @zephyrteachout win against Andrew?  * Another Democratic chair endorses @zephyrteachout for governor.\ via @TimesUnion *Major news: ACT NOW is supporting Teachout against the corruption of Andrew Cuomo.




Stringer Goes Out On A Tree Limb to Get A Good Press Hit 

Scott Stringer: Parks Department botching tree pruning program(NYDN)The city has been barking up the wrong tree when it comes to pruning 650,000 street trees, an audit by Controller Scott Stringer found.Stringer found the Parks Department was paying contractors for pruning that was never done, and paying them to prune the wrong trees.“I don’t have to go out on a limb to tell you that our city’s performance is unacceptable. Tax dollars are wasted, property is damaged, and worse, people are injured and sometimes even killed when trees are not properly cared for,” Stringer said Sunday. In every borough except Queens, 17% of the trees the Parks Department paid to prune were actually too small to be eligible for the trimming.* Comptroller @scottmstringer's Report Criticizes New York’s Tree-Pruning Program, via @nytimes
 

Rangel is the Rent  "Too Damm High?"

Charles Rangel still owes NY $68K(NYP)
The state is still trying to collect $68,000 in back rent from Congressman Charles Rangel.
“The outstanding $68K covers the time period from January 2013 until September 2013,” said state Office of General Services spokeswoman Heather Groll.

The Art of No Deal

Don’t duck Donald(NYDN Ed)

Donald Trump can be a political blunderbuss sometimes — okay, most of the time — but he has a good point about the state’s Joint Commission on Public Ethics: Why the hell is this supposed watchdog taking so long to investigate his complaint against Attorney General Eric Schneiderman? More than nine months have gone by since the billionaire developer accused Schneiderman of shaking down Trump’s daughter and son-in-law for campaign money and political support even as Schneiderman’s office probed Trump University for allegedly scamming students.* Five former top prosecutors are throwing their support behind state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s re-election campaign, citing his gun, drug, crime and public corruption policies, the Times Union reports: 

Winds of A Major WFP Investigation

New York City’s Campaign Finance Board is employing high-powered law firm Debevoise and Plimpton in connection with a special prosecutor's probe into the labor-backed Working Families Party, Crain’s reports  Special prosecutor, Roger Adler, was set to empanel a grand jury Sept. 5 and had issued subpoenas. Campaign Finance Board officials may be called to testify.  The criminal probe centers on whether a consulting firm set up by the Working Families Party, Data & Field Services, undercharged favored candidates for campaign services in 2009. The Campaign Finance Board has recently been using the law firm, Debevoise and Plimpton, in dealing with Mr. Adler’s probe, sources said.New York City’s Campaign Finance Board is employing high-powered law firm Debevoise and Plimpton in connection with a special prosecutor's probe into the labor-backed Working Families Party

Will de Blasio be Subpoenaed?

The Campaign Finance Board audits all campaigns for City Council, borough president and citywide offices, and is known for scrupulously going through candidates' expenditure reports. Staten Island Councilwoman Deborah Rose, one of the WFP-backed candidates in 2009, won a Democratic primary for her seat nearly five years ago—but the Campaign Finance Board still hasn’t released an audit of the campaign, which attracted special scrutiny because of a related lawsuit filed against it.he hiring of outside counsel also demonstrates the potential conflicts within city government that could arise out of the investigation. Mayor Bill de Blasio helped found the Working Families Party back in 1998, and one of his top aides Emma Wolfe has reportedly been sought for questioning by Mr. Adler. Mr. de Blasio was also a client of Data & Field Services during his successful 2009 run for public advocate. Those potentials conflicts would make it more difficult for the CFB to use the city’s corporation counsel, Zachary Carter, who was appointed by Mr. de Blasio. The chairwoman of the Campaign Finance Board, Rose Gill Hearn, was appointed by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg on his second to last day in office last year. She had been running the Department of Investigation.

Will the WFP's Data and Field Cover Up Be Exposed By These Two Men?

Subpoenas issued in alleged WFP campaign finance abuse probe(NYP)
A 5-year-old investigation of the Working Families Party is back on track with a special prosecutor issuing subpoenas in his probe for alleged campaign abuses. “This is not meant to be a fishing expedition,” said Roger Adler, who was appointed when Staten Island DA Dan Donovan recused himself from the case. “It’s meant to be targeted to people who have relevant information.” Adler is looking into allegations that City Council member Debi Rose, who was backed by the WFP, received improper support from the party’s for-profit campaign arm, Data and Field Services, during the 2009 election that made her the council’s first black lawmaker from Staten Island. According to a lawsuit filed by voters against the party, the WFP’s campaign arm provided discounted consulting and get-out-the-vote services to Rose’s campaign that were never disclosed, a violation of campaign-finance laws. Adler said he has issued subpoenas to the WFP, the Campaign Finance Board, SEIU Local 1199 and the Communications Workers of America.* Albany County DA David Soares says he’s cooperating fully with the federal probe into the Moreland Commission’s demise.

 Rose Campaign Paid $100,000 + to Berlin Rosen the Spokesman for de Blasio One NY Fund

Here Comes the WFP Investigation Melt Down 

A special prosecutor has begun issuing subpoenas in the long-stalled investigation into the 2009 campaign activities of the Working Families Party, with a grand jury scheduled to be impaneled next month. (Capital)

WFP, Acorn 2.0 and the New Progressive Machine

The NYT Reports on the Ending of the WFP Investigation in 2010 But Not the Opening of It Again in 2014

No Charges Against Working Families Party - NYTimes.com(2010)

Ruling: Special Prosecutor Can Probe Working Families Party(WSJ)

Court rules prosecutor can investigate Working Families Party New York Post

State's Court of Appeals upheld appointment of special New York Daily News‎

Court of Appeals: DA Donovan correct in recusing himself from ... SILive.com
Appeals court allows special prosecutor in WFP probe Capital New York

Bharara Talks Corruption
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said that the culture of corruption in Albany will only change when the public says enough is enough, Gannett Albany reports:



WFP's Lawyers and Political Operatives Have Worked Hard to Stop the Data and Field Investigation

According to people familiar with the matter, Mr. Adler last fall sought an interview with Ms. Wolfe, who was then deputy manager and political director of Mr. de Blasio's mayoral campaign and is now his director of intergovernmental affairs. There were discussions with an attorney representing Ms. Wolfe to arrange the interview, but the interview has yet to take place, these people said. Ms. Wolfe was a key player in Mr. de Blasio's 2009 campaign for public advocate and served as his chief of staff when he was in that position. She previously worked as an organizing and field director for the Working Families Party. The party has said its support for candidates in 2009 was legal and is seeking to have Mr. Adler removed from the investigation, arguing in court papers that the process used to select him was unlawful. The Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, is slated to hear arguments in the case on Tuesday. The Manhattan U.S. attorney's office probed the party's ties to Data & Field Services in 2010, but that probe has ended. Dan Donovan, the district attorney in Staten Island, also began investigating and later recused himself from the probe. Mr. Donovan's request for a special prosecutor, which was granted, is under seal.  Joe Dinkin, a spokesman for the party, said the legal requirements for appointing the special prosecutor weren't followed."The appointment should be voided and the matter returned to the DA," he said.* Attorneys for the Working Families Party had argued in court that Donovan failed to demonstrate a conflict of interest that would warrant his recusal and had challenged subpoenas issues by Adler seeking party documents and communications dating back to 2008.


Only Staten Island Prosecutors Are Willing to Cross the WFP

Since 2009 Lawyer for WFP Have Been Trying With Much Success Stopping Investigations into Data and Field
Pol stonewalls suit on WFP campaign(NYP)A City Council hopeful won’t cough up documents related to whether the Working Families Party is scamming the campaign finance system — because the case could involve “criminal liability,” according to documents released yesterday. The bombshell development was revealed at a court hearing where lawyers for the WFP and the campaign of Staten Island candidate Debi Rose tried to get a suit against them tossed.* No Charges Against Working Families Party - NYTimes.com * Who'll dare to probe the WFP? | New York(NYP)

Like its ACORN partner, the WFP has responded to allegations by announcing an investigation of itself. With all respect to former Chief Judge Judith Kaye, whom the WFP tapped to lead the internal review, no one but an outside prosecutor will be able to hold the party accountable.  On the local level, the best hope rests with Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan, a Republican. Spurred by an election lawsuit filed by Randy Mastro, a top aide in the Giuliani administration, Donovan’s office has “begun a preliminary review” of Debi Rose’s WFP-boosted campaign for City Council, say sources.Rose’s lawyer refused to provide documents requested by the Mastro suit, citing his client’s Fifth Amendment right to not implicate herself in a crime. The councilwoman-elect later insisted that the Fifth wasn’t her actual grounds for refusing to cooperate with the demand for records — but failed to give another reason.Among the local prosecutors, incoming Manhattan DA Cy Vance has the most resources and largest staff. But is he willing to provoke the outrage of organized labor? A case emerging with the other Democratic DAs isn’t promising. “I need a complaint,” says Brooklyn DA Joe Hynes, who was endorsed by the WFP. State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who has been silent on the WFP matter, could open a civil case against the party’s shell corporation. And, under a statute that has been used in rare circumstances, the attorney general may ask the governor for the power to criminally prosecute abuses of election law. Aspiring to be a more radical version of Boss Tweed, the WFP is an election or two away from becoming too powerful to stop. The choice facing Democrats and prosecutors is reminiscent of that line from “The Untouchables”: “Mr. Ness, everybody knows where the booze is. The problem isn’t finding it; the problem is who wants to cross Capone.”

 2009 : Bill de Blasio's campaign used political consulting firm Data & Field Services, which operated out of the same office of the labor-backed Working Families Party. (City & State) * 2011 : Scott Levenson has close ties to the Working Families Party (City & State) * No firewalls: Working Families Party straddles thin line between party, nonprofit (NYDN 2009) * ACORN sowed seeds for de Blasio - The Advance Group* Data and Field Services - New York Daily News * The NYC Working Families Party Scam UPDATED(Daily Kos, 2009)
 More About WFP Data and Field 
WFP, Acorn 2.0 and the New Progressive Machine

Teachout Attacks Cuomo on Immigration

Zephyr Teachout says Gov. Cuomo hasn't lived up to his father's example(NYDN) Teachout criticized Gov. Cuomo for failing to take a strong stand on the national immigration crisis and mocked his chances of becoming President.

NY's Fuck Up Election Law Has Teachout Spending Half of Campaign Fighting in Court

Good Government Group Silent as Usual
How can a challenger campaign when so much of their resources and time go to court fighting to stay on the ballot?  Dozens of candidates every year a intentionally taken to court to suck money from their campaign and limit the time they can campaign. Most of the candidates who try to knock off their opponents do it with the understanding they have no hope of winning.  It more a political move than a legal move. It a major emotional drainer in energy esp for first time challengers against incumbents or the machine. There a few election law specialist in this city who call August when the court challenges are tried their Christmas   * Obama aide and City Councilman allowed on Bronx ballots for upcoming Democratic primary(NYDN) * Teachout lawyer responds to Cuomo appeal(Capital)

 
Friday Update Two of the State's Big Unions Back Teachout and Cuomo Still Trying to Knock Her Off the Ballot
 Public Employees Federation backs Zephyr Teachout - UPDATED *Teachout Releases Her First Online Ad(YNN) *Cuomo snubbed by two of state's most influential employee unions(NYDN) * Martin Connor, the lawyer who brought the Cuomo campaign's residency challenge against primary challenger Zephyr Teachout, filed an appeal alleging she "retroactively" changed her residency, Capital New York reports: * The Village Independent Democrats club withdrew its endorsement of Kathy Hochul for lieutenant governor and instead threw its support behind insurgent candidate Tim Wu, Capital New York reports: 
Jerry Skurnik 

@unitedNYblogs Law used to challenge her is part of State Constitution - not election law

Fredric U. Dicker ‏@fud31

Wow! Village Independent Democrats dumped Hochul for Wu last night on heels of PEF's endorsement of Teachout.

NY1 Puts Lobbyists On TV and They Get More Contracts

NY1 Wiseguy D'Amato Accused of Setting Up A Fake Company to Get Women Set Aside Contracts From the Feds

An ex-ally and business partner sued former Sen. Alfonse D’Amato, alleging he and others swindled her out of at least $5 million in commissions and tried to use her to deceive the federal government. 
D’Amato used ally as fake executive, cheated out of $5M: suit(NYP)An ex-ally and business partner of former Sen. Alfonse D’Amato slapped the power broker with a federal lawsuit Thursday alleging he and others swindled her out of at least $5 million in commissions — and tried using her as a “stalking horse” to deceive the feds into giving them lucrative contracts set aside for women-owned businesses. Mary Arnold, a longtime DC lobbyist and Florida resident, is seeking $20 million in punitive damages and to recover at least $5 million she claims she is owed through a contract with Precision Discovery, a Manhattan-based litigation consulting firm run by the longtime New York politician and his brother, Armand D’Amato, the suit claims.The Manhattan federal suit says Precision, which is also named as a defendant, created an entity known as AEDDiscovery LLC while trying to score government contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars to provide electronic document retrieval services for use in court. The suit claims that the defendants’ plan was to make Arnold majority shareholder in name only for AEDDiscovery as it pursued the fed contracts. But she would have no power and see little — if any — of the profits.

NY1 and Their Corrupt Lobbyists Wise Guys

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio regularly doesn't pay for subway rides when on government business—contrary to what his office said earlier—and takes personal out-of-state trips paid by taxpayers, the Journal reports:  * The fact that de Blasio sometimes uses tax dollars to pay for personal travel or his subway rides conflicts with his everyman image, some public relations experts said, Crain’s reports:  *Mayor de Blasio’s free ride(NYP) Bill de Blasio has gone to great lengths to portray himself as a different kind of mayor — a true progressive, who cares more about the have-nots than other pols. Well, he’s certainly different in one way: He refuses to pay for his personal transportation expenses.

Michael Howard Saul ‏@MichaelHwrdSaul 

BdB told the public he paid for personal vacation to Italy. But City Hall confirms NYC paid for this Mercedes-Benz.  BdB recently consulted w/ lawyer to determine whether he should personally pay for commuting from Gracie. * BdB recently consulted w/ lawyer to determine whether he should personally pay for commuting from Gracie.


NYC Students Still Failing At Reading At Math

New York State Students Post Slight Gains on Tests(NYT)

Twenty-nine percent of students in New York City passed in reading, up from 27 percent; the passing rate for math rose by about four percentage points.* TINY STEP FORWARD: New York City students make modest gains on state exams; racial achievement gap widens(NYDN) * Two-thirds of students who didn't graduate need Common Core(NYDN) * Common Core testing creates a narrative of failure (NYDN)* Score one for the Core(NYDN Ed) Kids are learning - but there's much more to be done. Results from the second year of Common Core state tests lead to two unmistakable conclusions.Stuyvesant’s test isn’t the problem First, more kids are learning. The chorus of “can’t” — made up of union leaders, politicians and some parents and teachers who doubted children could possibly master the material required under demanding new standards — was wrong. If responsible adults show fortitude, and if they have the sense to learn from schools that are making the biggest gains, children can and will achieve in ever-greater numbers. Second, the progress thus far, while cause for hope, is too slow and too slight — with nearly two-thirds of city kids still scoring below grade level in math, and more than two-thirds falling short in English. Which means celebrating achievement cannot for a moment breed complacency.* De Blasio (and rivals) nod to Bloomberg on test scores(Capital) Sharing credit on modest improvements* Dept. of Ed. adjusts Common Core proficiency thresholds(NYP) * Cap NY: "The de Blasio administration's narrative about Thursday's release of test scores was predictable; modest gains are modestly good news, even if the city has much more work to do on student achievement."* * For the second year in a row, New York City girls in grades 3-8 outscored boys on state math tests, with 35.2 percent passing this year, compared to 33.4 percent of boys passing, the Post writes: *  The state should launch a study to understand why charter school students had higher ELA and math scores on state tests in order to improve public schools, the Daily News writes: *
Gonzalez: School officials lose $356M in special education funds over sloppy accounting(NYDN)
* * Public school teachers are suing New York City to take control of their lesson plans away from supervisors and keep them solely in the hands of teachers—a move that scored an “F” from reformers, the Post writes:

Success Academy makes up top 7 of 15 of state’s top-scorers(NYP)
Seven out of the state’s 15 top-scoring schools on math proficiency tests this year were Success Academy charter schools — the same network targeted by Mayor de Blasio earlier this year in a fight over classroom space.
An astounding 93.9 percent of Success students passed the Common Core math exam and 64.5 percent passed the English proficiency test, a significant jump from last year and more than double the pass rate of all public schools citywide.* New York’s test scores message: Save our students!(NYP) New York’s school leaders are citing “progress” in the state test scores released Thursday. Yet for most kids now in the public schools, the message is depressing: Even if you graduate, you probably won’t be prepared for college or a job.City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña actually called Thursday’s scores “wonderful news” (though she admitted they could be better). Mayor de Blasio called it “a good day” for city schools. * Test data showing thousands opting out of state exams perplexes officials(NYDN)

Success Academy is living up to its name. Seven out of the state’s 15 top-scoring schools on math proficiency tests this year were Success Academy charter schools — the same...

This year’s Common Core tests show kids are learning but progress is too slow, with nearly two-thirds of city kids still below grade level in math and more than two-thirds falling short in English* Scores Remain Low, But City Students Make Progress on Standardized Exams(NY1) * The New York State United Teachers union announced it will not endorse a candidate in this year’s governor’s race. [Crain’s New York Business]* More NYC students were proficient on this year's math and reading tests, but two thirds still don't meet standards.(WNYC) * Mayor Bill de Blasio applauded the standardized test gains made by students, half of which was under his predecessor, but said he would look to improve with his own educational policies, the Observer reports: *Math is for girls (NYDN Ed) Award-winning genius Maryam Mirzakhani destroys another stereotype
 


Less Jobs in the City, Lower Unemployment Rate, Oh Yea

New York City’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.8 percent in July—from 7.9 percent in June—even though the private sector lost 9,000 jobs, The Wall Street Journal reports:

How Campaign Contribution to Mayor and BP Katz Saved Corrupt Queens Library Board Member

Mayoral donor spared the ax in Queens library scandal(NYP)Mayor de Blasio and Borough President Melinda Katz spared only one Thomas Galante backer when they axed eight other trustees who had supported the disgraced Queens Public Library honcho — and it turns out that lucky survivor has ties to both pols.De Blasio and Katz didn’t lay a finger on Mary Ann Mattone, 66, who happens to be the wife of developer Joseph Mattone, and whose family has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic races, including those of Katz and Hizzoner. Mattone’s son, Carl, 55, even headlined a Katz fund-raiser in Douglaston, Queens, this summer. But while her eight fellow pro-Galante trustees were publicly ousted two weeks ago, Mattone, a mayoral appointee, was able to lay low on the troubled board until Tuesday, when she quietly resigned directly to de Blasio.* Bill de Blasio appoints new Queens Public Library trustee(NYDN)+





Banana NY: Sheinkopf the Man Who Pleaded the 5th to the AEG Investigator Replace The Advance Group Under FBI Investigation

NYCLASS adds Sheinkopf to steer new mail blitz (NYO) NYCLASS, the prominent animal rights group seeking to ban horse-drawn carriages from city streets, has added a veteran Democratic operative to steer its new direct mail blitz. Henry Sheinkopf, who has worked as consultant for former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and a host of city and state level candidates, will lead a new mail and field operation targeting the districts of City Council members undecided about the ban. NYCLASS, short for New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets, will target the Brooklyn districts of Council members Mathieu Eugene and Laurie Cumbo, along with the Manhattan district of Councilman Daniel Garodnick–in addition to several others that have yet to be revealed. 

TOUGH HAUL FOR BLAZ: Longtime de Blasio ally, the Working Families Party, opposes horse carriage ban(NYDN) * Bill gets bucked (NYDN) De Blasio ally Working Families Party lives up to its name by standing up to the superstar mayor it helped elect, and standing up for horse carriages and their drivers

The operation will cost in the “six figures” and last into the fall, according to a NYCLASS source. (Mr. Garodnick, Ms. Cumbo and Mr. Eugene did not immediately return requests for comment.) Mr. Sheinkopf, a consultant and lobbyist, has a long record of victories, though several of his City Council candidates failed to win office last year. He replaces the Advance Group, the firm that headed NYCLASS’ successful independent expenditure against Christine Quinn’s 2013 mayoral campaign but was dropped after a series of negative newspaper reports related to that effort surfaced.

The Advance Group is Under Investigation 

Banana NY: A Long History Of Sheinkopf Corruption Means Nothing To Power Brokers and Press

Sheinkopf took the 5th when asked questions by the NY former state Inspector General Joseph Fisch about the AEG scandal which is still being investigated by the feds as part of the AEG investigation.  The Feds are also investigating a Board Of Election (the cesspool of political corruption) contract for new machines that Sheinkopf was a lobbyist for. Feds investigate switch by Board of Elections ... - New York Post  "Sheinkopf copped a memo, (Barrett, Village Voice, 2010) too, obtaining it from an aide to the top Senate staffer, Angelo Aponte, who Sheinkopf personally installed in the key spot. He had the power to do that because the skillful Sheinkopf doubles as a lobbyist and as a political consultant, and had advised Senate Democrats in the elections that led to the 2008 majority, helping to make Malcolm Smith majority leader. Sheinkopf collected $356,741 in consulting fees from the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee at the same time that he was representing AEG and its precursor with Senate Democrats. Having worked for Bill Thompson and Mike Bloomberg most recently, Sheinkopf makes kings so he can then make deals with the kings he’s made."  More on Hank Sheinkopf More About

Banana NY:The Shame of New York

"If Only Thompson Would Have Let Me Run the Campaign We Would Have Won"
       Hank Sheinkopf Thompson Consultant    
Corrupt Hank Sheinkopf * Bribe $$$  As the state evaluated the billion-dollar proposals for the Aqueduct Racetrack racino in 2009, principals for the shadiest bidder gave thousands to a political committee controlled by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver — money that nobody today can account for. And months later, just before that scandal-plagued bidder was picked, Silver solicited “campaign dough” from Hank Sheinkopf, a friend who was lobbying for the company, the Aqueduct Entertainment Group. * Sheldon Silver on hot seat over racino bid as e-mails track money to political committee(NYP) Democratic Campaign Committee at the same time that he was representing AEG and its precursor with Senate Democrats. Having worked for Bill Thompson and Mike Bloomberg most recently, Sheinkopf makes kings so he can then make deals with the kings he’s made."  More on Hank Sheinkopf
More About Corrupt Hank Sheinkopf

Banana NY One Day Sheinkopf Attacks the WFP the Next Day He Works With the Group That Allowed Them To Take Over the City Govt

Dems adviser urging Cuomo to forget Working Families Party(NYP) A long time Democratic political strategist and current member of the state party is urging Gov. Cuomo to forget about the Working Families Party and focus on creating his own liberal third party. Hank Sheinkopf told The Post it would look bad if Cuomo sought and accepted the line given the party’s current state. “The guy who put Hevesi in jail could be part of a party under investigation,” Sheinkopf said speaking about a 2009 federal probe into the party regarding campaign related services. Sheinkopf, a well know Democratic strategist, said he was speaking not on behalf of the state party–where he was hired to do consulting work—but rather on his own. Accepting the WFP line, in its current state, would give Cuomo’s challenger, republican Rob Astorino, real ammo in the campaign, Sheinkopf said. Instead Sheinkopf believes Cuomo should form his own liberal party minority line “a party that doesn’t put pressure on the middle class”. “He has the popularity and resources,” Sheinkopf said of Cuomo’s potential to garner the necessary 50,000 votes to keep a smaller liberal party line in future elections.

Schneiderman Puts Together A Grand Jury to Investigate Criminal Charges Against Former DA Joe Hynes

Grand jury set to probe former Brooklyn D.A. Charles Hynes  (NYDN) New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has convened the panel in Brooklyn Supreme Court on allegations Hynes misappropriated public funds. The state's top lawman has empaneled a grand jury to probe possible criminal charges against former Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes and some of his office staff, the Daily News has learned.

Trump Sues JCOPE over Inaction of Schneiderman Complaint

Donald Trump sues JCOPE over its inaction on ethics complaint against Attorney General Schneiderman(NYDN)  Trump’s complaint accuses Schneiderman of hitting up the mega rich real estate tycoon’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner for campaign donations at the same time he was probing Trump University. Trump filed the complaint just a few months after Scheiderman brought a lawsuit accusing Trump of defrauding thousands of people through bogus courses offered by Trump University.

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How the Rats Took Over Frederick Douglass Houses

Gale A. Brewer ‏@galeabrewer 9m

NYCHA Blames Own Staff for Rat Scourge at Frederick Douglass Houses via @Dnainfo http://dnain.fo/1sBHkqt  Thx to CM Mark Levine-forum on rats

The New New Yorkers Are Dumb Hicks and the Elected Officials, Lobbyists and Permanent  Government Know it 

67% of New Yorkers Know Nothing About the Moreland Commission 

A new Siena poll found New York voters view corruption in state government as a serious issue, yet only about a third of them have followed recent developments about Cuomo’s disbanded Moreland Commission closely enough to be able to offer an informed opinion.*  “Three weeks after Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration was engulfed in scandal over his office’s alleged interference with the Moreland Commission, only a third of New Yorkers, 32 percent, have even heard of the now-defunct ethics panel, even as the percentage of voters who believe corruption is a “ serious problem” in state government has climbed to 86 percent, a new Siena poll shows.” 
New Yorkers believe Gov. Cuomo interfered with Moreland anti-corruption commission: Siena Poll (NYDN)  Most New Yorkers don't know much about Gov. Cuomo's corruption-fighting Moreland Commission -- but nearly twice as many believe newspaper reports that he and his office tampered with it than say they were just providing information, a poll released Monday finds. "Despite the political swirl, Cuomo continues to lead Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino by 32 points, down a little from 37 points three weeks ago," shows the new Siena Poll of likely gubernatorial voters.“While 32% say they’re familiar with Moreland or its work, 67% are not. Sixty-four percent say they’ve heard nothing or not very much about the federal investigation of the Moreland Commission. And a similar 63% say they don’t have enough information to judge whether actions by the governor and his staff should be characterized as potentially criminal, simply inappropriate, or perfectly appropriate,” Siena Pollster Steven Greenberg said.* Voters Call Corruption Serious But Aren’t Following Moreland Commission Fallout(NYO) * Uneducated &/or Uninformed Voters Support Cuomo: Voters Unaware, Unconcerned About Cuomo's Ethics (Newsmax)

When Negative Stories Are Printed by News About Airbnb or Cuomo's Moreland Problems Local TV News Makes Money and is the Main Source of News For Most Americans

Local TV News Makes More Money Keeping Us Misinformed and Giving the Special Interest News Control Though Paid Ads

TV Is Americans' Main Source of News - Gallup

The television news media in America: The dumbing down of a nation!

The FCC Wades Into the Newsroom(WSJ)

Why is the agency studying 'perceived station bias' and asking about coverage choices?

FCC report: Local TV ‘more important than ever,’ but thin on accountability reporting

The report notes the important role of television news but also describes how cutbacks have resulted in newsrooms without deep, beat-oriented expertise. It also says that news stations need to do a better job disclosing paid programming and how they serve the public interest.

How the News Makes Us Dumb - Amazon.com

A local TV trend: And now, the identical news (Wash Post)

Conan has done the local-news-anchors-reading-from-the-same-script bit several times before, such as a hilarious compilation of them earlier ...

Local TV News is Non-News | San Diego Reader

How Local TV News Make Millions Rehabilitating Candidates and Cleaning Up Policies Harmful to the Public

State Democratic Party Tried to Distract Public Attention From Cuomo's Moreland Scandal

Pro-Cuomo ad blitz to soften anti-corruption panel scandal’s hit(NYP) The state Democratic Party opened its war chest for an ad blitz promoting Gov. Cuomo to blunt a blistering report detailing how his administration meddled with an anti-corruption panel, records show. The state Democratic Campaign Committee spent $281,655 for ads that began airing July 19, one day after the governor’s office learned The New York Times was going to print a lengthy story about how Cuomo aides compromised the workings of the Moreland Commission panel.

Cuomo Best for Tax Payers to Close Moreland * Gov. Cuomo’s Moreland mess: He did it for us(NYP)  Rest easy, New York: In his handling of the Moreland Commission, which was investigating Albany’s corruption, Andrew Cuomo was only doing what’s best for us taxpayers.After five days in hiding, the governor emerged Monday to deploy some Clintonesque grammar to explain that it all depends what you mean by the words “interfered with.” Turns out in Cuomo’s office it means offering “advice.”* State Democrats launch new attack ad against Rob Astorino(NYDN) * Of the two dozen companies so far announced that will receive 10 years of tax breaks as a part of Start-Up NY, more than half are actually expansions of companies that already operate in New York or elsewhere, the Times Union writes: 

Today's Corrupt News

Most of Sampson Money Comes From unindicted co-conspirator in an extortion plot that figured in the racketeering trial of ex-Gambino boss Peter Gotti 

One of Sampson’s campaign donors is a mob associate(NYP)At least one major contributor doesn’t care that Brooklyn state Sen. John Sampson is running for re-election while facing corruption charges — a former legal client with ties to the mob, The Post has learned. Election records show the pol’s dwindling list of donors includes reputed Gambino crime-family associate George Fortunato, who last month gave $10,500. According to the Democrat’s latest campaign filing, the Brooklyn businessman provided more than 90 percent of the funds raised between July 15 and Aug. 4.


Another Pol Convicted, Baldeo

Democrat Albert Baldeo Convicted Of Obstructing Justice(NYO)

Tthe fact that Albert Baldeo lost his election does not excuse his corrupt conduct. With today’s verdict of guilty, an impartial federal jury has found that Baldeo lied and instructed others to lie to law enforcement agents investigating the source of his campaign contributions, and threatened and intimidated others in order to conceal the truth,” Mr. Bharara said in a statement. “These practices have no place in our politics or our justice system, and there should be no doubt that this Office will prosecute such conduct while it continues to vigorously investigate and prosecute political corruption in New York City and New York State.”

Feds Get the Computer of  GOP #2 Senator's Wife. Libous

State and federal investigators last week seized papers, a laptop and cell phones belonging to Frances Libous, a vice chair of the Workers Compensation Board and the wife of Sen. Tom Libous, who is under indictment, two people familiar with the raid said.





City At Last Understand That Fed Cuts Mean Less Money For Housing Repairs
Public Housing In City Reaches A Fiscal Crisis(NYT)
Federal subsidies for the New York City Housing Authority have been shrinking greatly since the 2000s, and its spending has been cut, repairs uncompleted and renovations put off.* After years of shrinking government investment in public housing, NYCHA has a $77 million budget deficit this year and unfunded capital needs totaling $18 billion, its officials say.
Brooklyn Congressman Proposes Public Housing Security Legislation(NY1)


RIP Fabian Palomino

Fabian Palomino, 90, Dies; Advised New York Governors(NYT)

W. Averell Harriman, Hugh L. Carey and both Mario M. Cuomo and Andrew M. Cuomo used Mr. Palomino’s counsel.  RIP Fabian G. Palomino, who advised Democratic governors of New York State from W. Averell Harriman to Andrew Cuomo and was particularly influential in the administration of Mario Cuomo, a friend since law school.

 

Thanks to the Lobbyists Its No Longer A Wonderful Life For Seniors On the Westside of Pottersville

“It’s horrible to move at our age,” said Lillian Schafer, 90, balking at the notion of leaving the assisted-living facility Williams Memorial Residence to go to East Harlem. A developer wants to build a luxury development on the sight of Schafer building. “All the way up there? East 125th Street. Oh my god!  That the way the new lobbyists private Tammany Hall unanswerable to the voters treat seniors when their is a buck to be made for the developers and themselves. New York City being overrun by developers has more in common with Pottersville than Bedford Falls and their is no George Bailey to save us.  Not even Clarence can't earn his angle wings against these money hungry lobbyists, Rosen-Potter and Kasirer-Potter and the developers they work for.  They even want to use the white seniors to push the gentrification of Harlem making new markets for them to push long term middle class residence out of the city.  Forget about the poor door.  Seniors who have built our city, defended our country and raised our families are now treated like lobbyists who run the new private Tammany Hall. The international faith-based organization which will run the new Harlem senior housing, promised it won’t increase rents for those who make the move for at least 18 months, and moving fees will also be paid.

Lobbyists for Developers Throw Seniors Who Have Built This City Out of Their Homes

Berlin Rosen who is working for both the mayor and developers all over the city is working with the Salvation Army who is pushing the senior out their long term community on the Westside. The developer interested in buying the senior home Brack Capital Real Estate has been represented by NYC's top lobbyists Suri Kasirer who is the biggerst lobbyists in the city.  “Moving from the Upper West Side to East Harlem is very difficult for a senior who is set in their routine and unfamiliar with a new neighborhood,” said James, organizing a protest last Wednesday denouncing the Salvation Army. “I am urging the Salvation Army and Brack-Capital to help keep these seniors on the Upper West Side.” It only a matter of time before the lobbyists in New York are hired by the Soylent Green company.

Berlin Rosen Joined At the Hip With A Congressman and AG

A group of spry seniors — including 82-year-old retired lawyer Eliot Loshak — are plotting to pressure the state Attorney General’s office to block the multimillion dollar contract. What the Seniors will soon find out the Lobbyist Berlin Rosen have long root many connected to AG Schneiderman.  Both partners in New York One’s letter lobbyist Berlin Rosen, Jonathan Rosen and Valerie Berlin worked for Schneiderman.  Berlin was his chief of staff when he was a NYS Senator. Valerie Berlin is married to Congressman Nadler's Chief of Staff Amy Rutkin. Congressman Nadler is against the senior move.  It A Wonderful Life in New York City Congressman Nadler and AG Schneiderman.  Is the way they treat senior who have built this city, defended our county and raised our families?  “The mission of a non-profit like the Salvation Army is to support, in this case, senior affordable housing, not to sell a building to an owner who is going to put in luxury housing,” the question the protested want answered.*PR "specialists now outnumber reporters by nearly 5 to 1" (Politico)

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The Privatization of the Tammany Hall Machine  

The Old Tammany Hall Machine was corrupt as corrupt as the lobbyists who have run today's New York's political system.  But the machine of the Boss Tweed era was far more responsive to voters and the communities that it served.  Terry Golway recent book explained how Tammany Hall depended on voter turnout for power.  To get votes the old machine offered services, provided jobs and protected the neighborhood where their votes came from. Tammany Hall governing style was responsible for creating New York's strong Neighborhoods of old. Tammany leader George Washington Plunkitt — the man who coined the phrase “honest graft” — met with constituents and lesser Tammany officials in his district several times a week to find out who was happy with Tammany’s services and who required some special attention. Today's lobbyist's controlled private machine gain power by getting electing candidates and feeding them with campaign contributions from their clients who are looking for city contracts or zoning changes, they never meet the voters.

Lobbyists Political Consultants Have At First Worked Side by Side With Party Bosses to Cut Themselves Into Election System . . .  They Are Now in the Process of Cutting Out Those Party Machines Who Brought Them In

Today's Lobbyist Private Political Machine did not replace the old Tammany Hall.  It replaced political parties machine running on fumes, using the election low and decreasing voter's turnout to stay in power.  The dumbing down of the press and the voting public and the end of organized political competition after the Eleanor Roosevelt who pushed out Tammany's de Sapio and the anti-Viet Nam reform movement, have left party bosses in power unchallenged.

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More on the Privatization of the New Tammany Hall Machine

WFP Tries to Duck Subpoenas to Delay Case Which is Close to Statue of Limitations

Are WFP Case Subpoenas Legal?(YNN) A key union affiliate of the Working Families Party is questioning the legality of the latest round of subpoenas issued by a special prosecutor investigating the labor-backed organization’s 2009 campaign activities. In an Aug. 5 letter to the special prosecutor, Roger Adler, the attorney for political action committee of the Communications Workers of America noted that by sending a July 1 subpoena to the union’s political arm, Adler was “proceeding as if that were a valid grand jury subpoena.” But in an Aug. 4 interview with Capital New York, Adler said “Grand Jury Number Two” in this long-standing case would not be impaneled until Friday, Sept. 5. That was consistent with a claim made in an email to the CWA PAC attorney, James Reif, of Gladstein Reif and Meginniss, in which, Reif wrote to Adler, “you stated that the Richmond County Grand Jury will begin taking testimony on September 5, 2014.” An attorney for Staten Island Councilwoman Debi Rose confirmed to The Staten Island Advance Aug. 5 that Rose had also received a subpoena, is not a target of Adler’s investigation and would also be “cooperating fully” with the special prosecutor.According to the Advance, Adler had also issued subpoenas to the WFP itself, the NYC Campaign Finance Board, 32 BJ SEIU, and District Council 37.

 How the WFP is Trying to Stop the Special Prosecutor

 The Working Families Party is trying to stop an investigation of a city council election launched by Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan, the prosecutor's ex parte application to be relieved of the case, and a judge's decision to grant the motion and appoint a special prosecutor without revealing why. Working Families Party v. Fisher, 59, centers on a probe Donovan launched into a 2009 City Council campaign and apparently involves the party's use of a not-for-profit arm to promote liberal Democrats. The WFP has challenged Donovan's authority to recuse himself and Fisher's authority to relieve the district attorney without "a showing of actual prejudice based on a demonstrated conflict of interest," as mandated by County Law §701. The Appellate Division, Second Department, last August rejected the party's petition and affirmed the appointment of Adler. It held that a writ of prohibition is suitable to challenge the appointment of a special district attorney only if the special D.A. is performing a quasi-judicial function, as opposed to conducting an investigation. In another case in the past WFP lawyer Avi Schick has been trying to quash subpoenas from a special prosecutor that involve a 2009 council race on Staten Island. * Boot special prosecutor in S.I. election probe, Working Families Party tells court(SI Advance)

The New Powerful WFP Machine and the Data and Field Cover-Up

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Hillary Distances 

Hillary slams Obama for ‘stupid’ foreign policies(NYP) Hillary Clinton blasts President Obama’s foreign policy in an interview published Sunday, saying her former boss’ failure to have a clear strategy for the Middle East has spawned the current ISIS crisis in Iraq.  “Great nations need organizing principles, and ‘Don’t do stupid stuff’ is not an organizing principle,” said Clinton, who was Obama’s first secretary of state and who is said to be mulling a run for the White House.*  In an interview with The Atlantic, Hillary Clinton blasted President Obama’s foreign policy, saying her former boss’ failure to have a clear strategy for the Middle East has spawned the current ISIS crisis in Iraq.

 

 

IT Firm That Got Away With Citytime Corruption Wins Another Contract So Much For Cleaning Up IT Contracts

Are we safe?(NYDN) Make sure the city’s 911 system really works.  Last year, after a speeding SUV struck and killed 4-year-old Ariel Russo, help was delayed for an inexcusable four minutes. The city scrambled to offer explanations and excuses, none of which answered the core question of whether a crucial system was up to its job. Each of last week’s three studies found that building the new police/fire/ambulance telephone dispatch system is costing taxpayers way more than anticipated, $2.3 billion instead of $1.3 billion, and taking far more time than planned — an insane 15 years instead of five.The blame is rightly being laid on the overuse of outside consultants, who must now be reined in by Information Technology and Telecommunications Commissioner Anne Roest.Meantime, Peters must probe whether any of the overruns have been due to malfeasance as opposed to just incompetence. In other words, was CityTime-style law-breaking involved? In probing Ariel’s death, which happened just as the NYPD’s police computer-aided dispatch was being activated, Gonzalez found damning evidence of delays, lost calls and system crashes.The new computer-aided dispatch systems for fire and EMS are yet to come online. Before any new parts of 911 are turned on, it must be shown to work. Shorris has ordered a review.

When It Comes to City IT Contracts Gartner is the Permanent Government

Consultant firm hired for city's municipal ID card plan was flagged for 'questionable spending' on another city tech project (NYDN) EXCLUSIVE: The firm, Gartner Inc., was awarded a no-bid $350,000 contract to get the controversial ID cards ready to go by the end of the year. The same firm had been flagged one year earlier for 'questionable spending and dubious timesheets' for a project that ballooned to $25 million. What made the Gartner selection even more puzzling was that it mirrors a tactic that led to the notorious CityTime scandal — hiring an outside consultant to make sure an important taxpayer-funded tech job is completed on time and without waste. Four years after the CityTime debacle, in which outside consultants managed to steal $500 million before getting caught, the rising costs of high-priced consultants are an ongoing concern on major city tech projects. DOI Commissioner Mark Peters recently cited “internal control weaknesses” in the way the city manages big tech jobs. And City Controller Scott Stringer found the 911 project’s governance “was inappropriately structured, overly reliant on consultants and ineffectively monitored.

”Gartner Inc. is a case in point. The California-based firm has a history of contracts with the city that starts out small and winds up costing taxpayers millions more than originally anticipated. The Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications hired Gartner in 2003 for “quality assurance” with an original contract amount of $10 million. Since then, the city has approved several contract modifications for multiple projects, including the 911 upgrade. As of last week, Gartner had been paid $83 million. On another Gartner contract with the Department of Consumer Affairs, then-Controller John Liu released an audit in 2013 red-flagging “questionable billing and dubious timesheets.

”DCA hired Gartner in 2007 to create an online system for businesses to apply for licenses — a confusing process that was being handled by multiple agencies. The project’s original contract was for $4.5 million and was to take two years. Liu’s auditors found timesheets that appeared as if they had been manufactured after auditors asked for them. The former controller also raised questions about $500,000 in payments on an earlier contract Gartner had overseeing creation of a GPS system to track city garbage trucks. His 2011 audit questioned whether Gartner was billing for items not related to that project. Liu sent his findings to the DOI in February 2013, but they declined to pursue the matter because there were no clear signs of fraud. \Gartner has seen its existing city contracts expanded by the Technology Development Corp., a city-funded nonprofit set up in 2012 by then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg to get control of big tech projects in the wake of CityTime. TDC is able to hire vendors without putting contracts out to bid. TDC does this by claiming the need for consultant work is time-sensitive, then expanding a consultant’s existing city contract with what are called “task orders.”
More on the Citytime Cover-Up

More on the 911 System Failure Scandal


So Much for Another Attempt to Clean Up the City's IT Contracts

Rebooting NYC gov’t’s broken IT-contract rules(NYP)

Last week, the Department of Investigation released its report on CityTime, the payroll-management system that has become the poster child for information-technology contracts gone wrong. DoI Commissioner Mark Peters has done a great service with this report, which details how the city failed to hold contractors accountable for keeping the CityTime project on time and on budget — in short, for failing to watch the clock in developing the city’s timekeeping system for its employees.

In 2012, the Comptroller’s Office issued an audit finding that Hewlett-Packard had padded time sheets, reaping millions of unearned dollars on a contract related to the E-911 dispatch system.The audit highlighted how HP and its subcontractors billed the city for work unrelated to the project — even stating on time sheets that workers had spent time killing water bugs in a bathroom and that workers attended meetings when they were clearly taking the day off. It also found that HP had failed to ensure that its consultants and subcontractors were qualified to perform the duties paid for by the city, and that time sheets were sometimes approved more than two years after the work was done.As Federal Judge George Daniels stated in sentencing the con artists behind CityTime, the city’s procurement system is “an invitation for not just waste but corruption and fraud for those who would take advantage of a bureaucratic mess,” and that without significant reform, “criminal prosecutions for fraud against the city will continue to be a routine part of the court’s docket.”

WSJ Says Bharara Goes Rogue Over Cuomo's Moreland Corruption  

POLITICO’s Jeff Smith says the Moreland mess has Cuomo in “serious trouble” and is “far more serious than some people believe.”  CUOMO’S GIFT TO BHARARA -- Capital’s Blake Zeff: “The governor may have given a gift to U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara when he and his top staff engineered positive statements from former Moreland Commission members, a move that could be construed as witness-tampering, a crime under federal law. “When the feds have expressed an interest in a matter, circling back and trying to get people to change or clarify their accounts really is a dangerous move,” Columbia Law professor Daniel Richman, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District,told Business Week last week. “Corporate counsels are generally careful about this, and one would have thought that the governor’s office would be too.”

Prosecutor Plays Hardball in Cuomo Inquiry(WSJ) Bharara Publicly Criticizes New York Governor, Keeps Justice Department Out of Loop. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara has charted a confrontational and independent course in his investigation of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's disbanding of an anticorruption commission, former prosecutors and political observers said. Mr. Bharara has launched a broad inquiry, including publicly criticizing the governor's dissolution of the commission and using tough prosecutorial tactics, all without seeking approval from the Justice Department in Washington, according to people familiar with the matter. Prosecutors customarily inform the department of matters of national importance, current and former federal officials say, though the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office, arguably the most powerful of the 93 nationwide, is given more free rein. 

Prosecutors are investigating allegations that the governor's aides sought to influence the commission's investigations, including whether they tried to stop it from referring some cases for prosecution, according to people familiar with the matter.  Mr. Bharara's tactics have included criticizing Mr. Cuomo during a radio interview in April for agreeing to disband the commission in exchange for lawmakers passing the ethics-overhaul bill that he sought. Mr. Cuomo has defended the deal. Mr. Bharara also issued preservation notices to state lawmakers and to the governor's office, instructing them to retain all records and documents related to the Moreland Commission. Generally, former federal prosecutors said, U.S. attorneys simply issue subpoenas. He took what former prosecutors called a rare step when he sent letters to Mr. Cuomo's office and the commission, saying the administration's contact with commissioners could represent witness tampering or obstruction of justice. Prosecutors generally don't give warning that actions could constitute crimes in the midst of continuing investigations.  * The Moreland Commission controversy may be starting to drain Gov. Cuomo's campaign acct according to the Daily News.(NYDN)

Big Push for Brooklyn Dem Convention 

Wednesday
Mayor de Blasio goes easy on trash talking rivals during Day 2 of DNC 2016 pitch(NYDN) * Brooklyn Is Fighting It Out for Democratic Convention(WSJ) * Mayor De Blasio Gets a Free Ride(WSJ)
SPOTTED at Gracie Mansion last night for the DNCNYC BBQ, hosted by Mayor Blasio: Alan Patricof, David Kovner, Robert Zimmerman, Cynthia Nixon, Stuart Appelbaum, Ruben Diaz Jr., Karen Keogh, Suri Kasirer, Fred Dixon and Kathy Hochul. Along with frankfurters, fried chicken and corn muffin were cupcakes that said “NYC.”
-- MAYOR’S DNC PITCH: RIDE OUR TRAINS -- Capital’s Gloria Pazmino: “De Blasio touted the city’s ‘vast’ public transportation offerings as yet another reason why the 2016 Democratic convention should be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. ‘We just had a lovely 25-minute subway ride from Rockefeller Center,’ … he said at a press conference in the Barclays Plaza on the second day of a tour with party officials. ‘[We] had great conversations along the way, about everything that New York City is … able to do to win this convention and make sure it’s a great convention for the Democratic Party.’” http://bit.ly/1oJ188T
--QUOTE OF DAY: “We learned a lot from the mistakes of 2004.” -- Bill de Blasio, on hosting political conventions. http://goo.gl/Zee2vd
--“De Blasio: Democratic National Convention in Brooklyn will mean 'a lot of money flowing',” by Newsday’s Emily Ngo: “The disruption to everyday commuters and residents during the summer of 2016 would be ‘limited and brief,’ … de Blasio said … The event would bring more than 30,000 attendees to the city, many of whom would stay in Manhattan hotels and travel to Brooklyn's Barclays Center … via traffic lanes, shuttles and ferries dedicated to the convention … de Blasio said the presidential nominating convention would likely take place in July or August, when more residents are on vacation, and the major events would likely occur over four nights.” http://nwsdy.li/1sU15bf


NYC giving swag bags, iPads, personalized Nets jerseys to DNC site-selection comm membrs

Clintons Support de Blasio’s Push to Bring Democratic Convention to Brooklyn(NYT)
efore Mayor Bill de Blasio began his bid to win the 2016 convention he made sure he had the Clintons’ blessing, three people familiar with the discussions said. * PULLING OUT THE STOPS: Mayor de Blasio dishing out gifts, gala to convince DNC committee to choose Brooklyn for 2016 convention(NYDN) * Courting a National Political Convention(WSJ) Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to host a two-day fete for Democratic National Committee officials starting Monday, in a bid to convince the party that New York has the transportation infrastructure to pull off its 2016 national convention.*Bill de Blasio has a lot to gain should Brooklyn win the 2016 Democratic National Convention (NYDN) Hosting the political extravaganza would be a priceless opportunity for the freshman mayor to star on the nation's political stage. Monday Update IT'S LIKE SHOVING NEW YORK DOWN EVERYBODY'S THROATS': Big Apple emerges as one of the top contenders to host 2016 Democratic National Convention, but many think it should go to swing state(NYDN) * Can @BilldeBlasio break Philly's "early edge" for #2016 DNC convention? He's pitching home boro Brooklyn this week.  * One of five cities bidding for the Democratic National Convention, Philadelphia appears to hold an early edge with a track record of hosting the major gathering — not to mention that both Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden have family ties to the state.*
$100 MILLION IN COMMITMENTS -- “NYC’s all-star convention roster,” by Maggie Haberman: The city “has put together a sweeping list of more than [70] people — ranging from Napster founder Sean Parker to Goldman Sachs Chairman Lloyd Blankfein to designer Diane von Furstenberg to union leaders — committed to raising the money to host the Democratic National Convention in Brooklyn in 2016. … [O]ne of the most surprising names is Parker — who has made moves to become a political force this cycle and who has ties to Deputy Mayor Peter Ragone.
“There are entertainment industry figures, like actress Cynthia Nixon, hiphop producer Russell Simmons and HBO chief Richard Plepler. There are donors with long ties to Bill and Hillary Clinton, like Alan Patricof and Ron Perelman, but also those now known primarily from the Barack Obama orbit, like financiers Robert Wolf, Mark Gallogly, Blair Effron and public-relations executive Michael Kempner. There are other Wall Street titans, like JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon and American Express’s Kenneth Chenault, real estate leaders like Douglas Durst and Marc Holliday, and business figures like Partnership for a Greater New York City president Kathy Wylde.
“

There are union leaders like Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union President Stuart Appelbaum and 32BJ SEIU President Hector Figueroa. There are communications executives like Verizon senior vice president Leecia Eve and AT&T executive Marissa Shorenstein. The goal of the list is to demonstrate a broad cross-section of people committed to the event, as well as an ability to fully fund a convention.” http://politi.co/XW4tHf-- De Blasio’s goal: The mayor’s effort to lure the 2016 Democratic convention helps him fulfill one of his top long-term objectives: showing the USA what progressive government looks like. From business (a jolt to the economy) to transportation (shuttling conventioneers) to security (managing protests and party crashers), the convention could instantly validate de Blasio’s administration as a progressive operation that can get things done, while keeping progressive values. The Republicans’ selection of Cleveland could be a helpful foil in at least one way. De Blasio aide Rebecca Katz tweeted: “I cannot believe the Cleveland Indians still have their logo. In 2014.” http://goo.gl/RtqGLO *
De Blasio's secret plan to nab the 2016 Democratic National Convention (NYDN)

City Officials Hope DNC Will Be in a Brooklyn State of Mind(NY1)

ew York City’s effort to bring the Democratic National Convention to the Barclays Center in 2016 — a bid that could help elevate Mayor Bill de Blasio’s national profile while infusing the party with a dash of Brooklyn Cool — reached the pep rally stage on Monday, as convention officials were welcomed for a two-day tour. 

-- “City events to pitch Brooklyn to DNC,” by Gloria Pazmino: “The week will begin with a media availability at Barclays Center, where the convention’s main events would be held. The Democratic National Committee’s technical advisory group will be met by Senator Charles Schumer, city first lady Chirlane McCray and a stack of Brooklyn Nets jerseys with their names printed on them, according to an A.P. report. … The mayor will not attend the event at Barclays Center, but on Monday evening he will attend a Democratic National Convention dinner with the site selection committee at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The event is invitation-only and closed to the press.” http://bit.ly/1kVRYWG --ATTENDING the 11:45 a.m. media avail at Barclays Center, per a Mayor’s Office release: “Schumer … Alicia Glen, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development … Bill Bratton … Polly Trottenberg, DOT Commissioner … Fred Dixon, President & CEO, NYC&Co. … Melissa Mark-Viverito … Laurie A. Cumbo, City Council Member … Eric Adams, Brooklyn Borough President … Bruce Ratner, Executive Chairman, Forest City Ratner Companies and Developer and Majority Owner of Barclays Center … Amy Dacey, DNC CEO.”Tuesday Update Traffic nightmare feared if DNC comes to Brooklyn in 2016(NYP) * 'TOLERANT, FERTILE AND EXHILARATING': New York politicians shower Brooklyn with praise in push to bring 2016 Democratic National Convention to Barclays Center(NYDN) * New York City Courts Democratic National Committee(NYDN) *Councilwoman Inez Barron, who represents East New York, isn’t supporting de Blasio’s push for Brooklyn to host the convention because there’s no evidence it will help the low-income residents in her district. The convention could bring a “traffic nightmare” to the Big Apple.
 


 

True News Has Been Reporting For Months That Airbnb is Warehousing Apartments Causing Rent to Go Up

Airbnb’s threat to affordable housing (NYDN) The website is taking thousands of units off the market

Judge Rules Against NYS Housing Law to Protect Airbnb 

Judge nixes illegal AIrbnb subletter’s eviction(NYP) A court ruling this week could open the floodgates for Big ­Apple apartment dwellers to sublet via the controversial home-share Web site Airbnb. The potentially precedent-setting ruling by a Manhattan Housing Court judge nixed the eviction of a Financial District resident who had been subletting her apartment through the San Francisco-based accommodations site — even though she admitted to breaking New York City law. *  In a potentially precedent-setting ruling, a Manhattan judge overturned the eviction of a resident who sublet her apartment through Airbnb and said the Multiple Dwelling Law is aimed at landlords, not tenants, the Post writes:  * The Post writes that when New York City landlords are forced by politicians to rent below the market rate, they will stop repairs and not expand supply, driving up rental prices in the non-regulated sector:

SEX, LIES AND AIRBNB: The debate about Airbnb is quickly devolving into a whore-a-phobia worthy of Hawthorne, writes C&S columnist Alexis Grenell, who argues that its foes are motivated by self-preservation: http://goo.gl/xXi8OU

Judge Kills AG Subpoena of Airbnb   

A state Supreme Court has ruled in Airbnb’s favor, quashing a subpoena from Schneiderman’s office requesting personal information and data about the website’s users.* Airbnb doesn’t have to give out ‘host’ records: judge(NYP)

 Senator Liz Krueger ‏@LizKrueger1m

Court decision gives Airbnb a little time, looks like that's it. AG prevailed on every point save one techical issue w/ breadth of subpoena.New York Judge Quashes Airbnb Subpoena(WSJ)

Helen Rosenthal ‏@HelenRosenthal 39s

Losing 13,000 units of #affordablehousing to #Airbnbbad4NYC @AGSchneiderman Not good for #UWS @efrost1 @westsiderag

Ted Hamm ‏@HammerDaily 

Might de Blasio's DNC bid really be about spurring hotel development and expansion of AirBnB in Brooklyn? * Big-time developers involved in DNC push-  --and AirBnB hired BdB's campaign manager @unitedNYblogs @AYReport

Airbnb Contributes Max to de Blasio and Other Pols

Why Pols Don't Speak Out on Airbnb It all About the Benjamins . . .

Bill de BlasioAirbnb and Uber's Latest Lobbying Tactic: Donate to Bill De Blasio * Airbnb Really Wants Bill De Blasio To Be Cool With Airbnb ... 

Lobbyist for Airbnb in NYC is Bulton St Johns 

Airbnb Ads Help Support the New Online News Blogs Capital, City and State and Local TV

The Capital News and City and State Blogs mix an advertising spin message from Airbnb at the same time when the day after the AG forced the company to release info to expose apartment bundlers who turned NYC apartments into hotels. Everytime bad news about Airbnb is printed these publication and the local TV stations get more ads.

Capital* A message from AIRBNB: DID YOU KNOW THAT BROOKLYN IS NOW A MAJOR TOURIST DESTINATION? Airbnb hosts welcomed 118,400 visitors to Brooklyn last year, generating $89 million in new economic activity for Brooklyn businesses and families. Airbnb guests are helping Brooklyn families afford their rent and supporting small businesses that help Brooklyn thrive* Airbnb Forced To Hand Over Anonymous User Records *The Morning Risk Report wonders if Airbnb hosts will balk at the NY attorney general combing through their records

City and State Airbnb Ads  Did you know that Airbnb will generate $768 million in economic activity in New York City this year?  Each day, more and more New Yorkers are opening their doors to visitors from around the world. Their guests are supporting your favorite local businesses, like pizza parlors, bagel shops, and coffee stands. Come learn more about how Airbnb is helping your neighborhood: 

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More about Airbnb

More on Gentrification

How NYC is Losing the Middle Class

When Negative Stories Are Printed by News About Airbnb or Cuomo's Moreland Problems Local TV News Makes Money

How Local TV News Make Millions Rehabilitating Candidates and Cleaning Up Policies Harmful to the Public

State Democratic Party Tried to Distract Public Attention From Cuomo's Moreland Scandal

Pro-Cuomo ad blitz to soften anti-corruption panel scandal’s hit(NYP) The state Democratic Party opened its war chest for an ad blitz promoting Gov. Cuomo to blunt a blistering report detailing how his administration meddled with an anti-corruption panel, records show. The state Democratic Campaign Committee spent $281,655 for ads that began airing July 19, one day after the governor’s office learned The New York Times was going to print a lengthy story about how Cuomo aides compromised the workings of the Moreland Commission panel.

Cuomo Best for Tax Payers to Close Moreland * Gov. Cuomo’s Moreland mess: He did it for us(NYP)  Rest easy, New York: In his handling of the Moreland Commission, which was investigating Albany’s corruption, Andrew Cuomo was only doing what’s best for us taxpayers.After five days in hiding, the governor emerged Monday to deploy some Clintonesque grammar to explain that it all depends what you mean by the words “interfered with.” Turns out in Cuomo’s office it means offering “advice.”* State Democrats launch new attack ad against Rob Astorino(NYDN) * Of the two dozen companies so far announced that will receive 10 years of tax breaks as a part of Start-Up NY, more than half are actually expansions of companies that already operate in New York or elsewhere, the Times Union writes: 

The Selling of Airbnb

Airbnb in New York: Sharing Startup Fights for Largest Market(www.businessweek.com)

Airbnb hires Mayor de Blasio's campaign manager for ...(NYDN)

Airbnb Finally Gets In the Game and Starts Poaching Politicos

Nick Reisman ‏@NickReisman 

START-UP NY ad and Cuomo 2014 ad touting improved credit rating and "ending political gridlock" just ran back to back on CBS Sunday Morning

Media Slows Moreland Coverage While Cuomo's TV Campagin Attack Storms 

Expect A Poll Soon That Cuomo is Holding His Lead SHOCKING

U.S. Probe Looks at Moreland Commission Referrals(WSJ)

U.S. prosecutors are examining whether New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo or his staff directed an anticorruption commission to not refer cases to district attorneys for prosecution, according to people familiar with the matter. * Federal prosecutors are now investigating whether anyone in the Cuomo administration encouraged the Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption to avoid referring cases to Albany County District Attorney* CNN Picks Up Cuomo-Moreland Story(cnn) * Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s re-election campaign has raised more than $600,000 since July 15, according to new campaign finance filings, State of Politics reports:

Moreland Scandal Has Been Good for Local TV and Lawyers

Gov. Cuomo spent $3.2 million from campaign account as Moreland Commission controversy raged(NYDN)  * Cuomo owes $10k to lawyer in Moreland Commission probe  * .@NYGovCuomo raised amid #Moreland fallout, sent $1.7M to state Dems for ads * Lawyer representing Cuomo in Moreland probe bills governor(NYP) * Cuomo's re-election campaign spent $1.1M on TV ads while fending off Moreland controversy(NYDN)

Moreland Lawyer $300,000

Douglas Muzzio ‏@musingmuttering 

“@GannettAlbany: Astorino: Why doesn’t anyone call for Moreland special prosecutor? (VIDEO) * Cuomo management style in spotlight amid Moreland corruption accusations - Newsday @Newsday
* Media bias in the Christie and Cuomo scandals * Bharara vs. Cuomo Emerges as Battle of Two N.Y. Sheriffs - Bloomberg via @BloombergNews * NY state will pay $550/hour for the lead attorney for the Moreland Commission, per contract approved by AG's office. (WSJ)
* Moreland Attorney To Cost State Up To $300K(YNN)* Hochul: Travel Aimed At Raising Name ID(YNN)* Duffy: No Comment On Special Prosecutor(YNN) * Rangel Defends Cuomo as Moreland Controversy Simmers * Nys dem party has paid same lawyer hired by @NYGovGuomo in moreland probe (NYDN)*  Nancy Pelosi has nothing to say about the Moreland Commission * Rescue New York PAC created to help money-challenged Rob Astorino in his bid for Governor(NYDN)*  A

LAWYER WHO DEFENDS HIMSELF… -- “Rangel on Cuomo's defense lawyer and his tormenter”: “[Charlie] Rangel, on hand for House minority leader Nancy Pelosi's endorsement of Cuomo's running mate Kathy Hochul, wasn't so kind in his comments about U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who is probing Cuomo's involvement with the anti-corruption panel the governor created and then abruptly disbanded.‘No prosecutor should be critical of anybody until the case goes before the grand jury,’ Rangel told reporters after the event on 72nd Street and Riverside Drive. ‘There’s certain people that make the accusations just to get a headline in the newspapers.’New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is refusing to budge from his decision not to help the Astorino financially despite growing pressure from others in the GOP for Christie to lend a hand.

NY's Pension Time Bomb Ignored

EDITORIAL: Progressives vs. pensions (NYP) Progressives style themselves as people who look to the future. After all, that’s the whole idea behind the word “progress.”But progressive dreams are smacking up against a hard reality: public-sector unions.At some point in the movement, progressives made these public workers their priority — over the public whom they are supposed to serve. That choice is now coming back to haunt them, because the unsustainable promises made to these government workers are increasingly robbing politicians of the money they need to finance their progressive ambitions. The New York Times likens the situation to a bathtub draining faster than the faucet is filling it. In one sentence, it sums up de Blasio’s problem: “Instead of getting smaller, the city’s pension hole just keeps getting bigger, forcing progressively more significant cutbacks in municipal programs and services every year.” That last line is the kicker: forcing progressively more significant cutbacks in municipal programs and services every year. Recently, city Comptroller Scott Stringer happily announced that the investment strategy for the city’s pension funds had managed to pull off a 17.4 percent increase this year. That’s terrific news. But one reason we have arrived at this dismal place is because those running these funds time and again have assumed high rates of return would remain constant. Truth is, they won’t. * EJ McMahon takes a closer look at NYC’s troubled pension funds.
 

Draining 1 Education Swamp 499 to Go

Draining the swamp (NYDN)

The de Blasio administration makes a little progress in reducing the Absent Teacher Reserve pool. Now, there's much tougher work ahead.NYC's costly Absent Teacher Reserve will shrink by 9% as a result of buy-outs. But where will the remaining tchrs go? * Michael Mulgrew defends Common Core: ‘I’m going to punch you in the face...These are our tools.’(NYDN) * New York state is shortchanging $5.9 billion to public schools: report(NYDN) * City Teachers, Staff Stuck in Limbo Take Buyout(WSJ) * The NY Post attacks Assembly Education Chair Deborah Glick for writing a letter demanding a ban on new charter schools in District 2, alleging that she is “selling out” black and Hispanic students that make up a quarter of the district:
More on Education  

Preparing Pre-K Press Spin

NEW IN CITY HALL -- Peter Kadushin has been hired as a communications advisor to deputy mayor Richard Buery, as City Hall prepares for the September launch of their universal pre-kindergarten program. Kadushin, who started earlier this week, did media relations for the United Federation of Teachers. And despite the suit and tie.
Someone Who Relates to the Young Press?
And despite the suit and tie, he’s also a pretty zen guy. Follow him at @PeterKadushin.

One-Legged Basketball?

New York City is considering partnering with a major soda company that “had some issues with the previous administration” as a corporate sponsor in an effort to improve basketball courts at parks around the city City considering soda company partnership to fix basketball courts at 630 parks

EXCLUSIVE: One of the corporate sponsors eager to cough up dollars was 'a soda company that had some issues with the previous administration,' according to emails obtained by The News through a Freedom of Information request.

Brooklyn Reformers Take Both Sides
Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Zephyr Teachout and Cuomo’s hand-picked LG running mate, former Rep. Kathy Hochul, attended the same Brooklyn Democratic club meeting last night.

Dadey's Citizens Union Sells Out Agains

Reformers to clash over redistricting amendment(CrainsNY)In an unusual split, New York's four major good-government groups are set to do battle with one another at the ballot box this November. Last week, Common Cause New York and NYPIRG announced they were launching a campaign against a constitutional amendment that would alter the state's once-a-decade redistricting process. New York's two other major good-government groups, Citizens Union and the League of Women Voters, are joining the fray—on the other side. The League of Women Voters also recently formed a campaign committee allowing it to spend in favor of the amendment. Citizens Union, which formed its own campaign committee earlier this year, is planning a fundraising effort to promote the amendment, according to Dick Dadey, the group's executive director.

Quinn and Dadey Announced Lobbying Reforms in 2008 to Cover Up the Council Slush Fund Scandal, That Were Never Passed
In 2008 Dick Dadey, executive director of the Citizens Union, joined Quinn to overhaul the lobbying rules and is now calling for all future Council appropriations to be monitored by an outside agency. “Given the speaker’s drive to create more transparency about the Council’s own budget and member items, it would have been appropriate to go public with this bad practice even if it did shine a bad light on the Council.”

Flashback: Council Redistricting Corruption Silence

Many of his fellow reformer felt that Citizens Union puppet general Dick Dadey sold out last year when he supported Albany's compromise to put off independent redistrict for 10 years.  But nothing can compare to Dadey and the rest of the goo goos, editorial boards and reformers silence on the corruption going on with the city council redistricting operation.  For starters the appointed council redistricting commission is controlled by two people supporting Quinn for mayor in 2013.  The council speaker herself and her puppet master the mayor.  Although the redistricting commission work has just begun there are already reports that county bosses Crowley and Lopez, ethic and minority leaders are already dealing with Quinn operatives to cut districts favorable to them or those they support in exchange for their endorsement for Quinn's 2013 mayoral bid.

Starved for Affection, More Likely Another Attemp At Image Repair

On today's cover: Anthony Weiner eyes restaurant charity in the Rockaways (AMNY)“Anthony Weiner to open Rockaway restaurant,” by Post’s Natalie O'Neill: “[E]x-congressman Anthony Weiner plans to open a restaurant in the Rockaways, featuring what is described as ‘locally sourced food,’ according to a report. The Rockaway Restoration Kitchen, which is in its early development phases, will serve up healthy grub and provide jobs to unemployed New Yorkers, according to the [Rockaway Times]. The eatery will sell ‘locally sourced food that satisfies the hunger of Rockaway residents,’ according to a description of the restaurant posted on Idealist.org.”




Lawmakers Spending Heavily On Legal Fees

Report: State Lawmakers Spending Heavily On Legal Fees(YNN) * State lawmakers spent over $1 million in taxpayer funds on outside attorneys over six months, from October 2013 to March 2014, with the Assembly leading the way spending more than $650,000, the Empire Center finds: 

 

Lobbyists Pushing Contracts Caused $2 Million Costs Overrun and A Broken 911 System

Gonzalez: De Blasio administration 'hits the refresh button' on massive overhaul of 911 system after reviews reveal years of chaos under Bloomberg EXCLUSIVE(NYDN)
Reviews of the project to bring the city's 911 system up to date revealed mismanagement and massive cost overruns. Controller Scott Stringer estimated costs may exceed $2.3 billion, nearly double the original $1.3 billion price tag.
The de Blasio administration has a new plan to rescue the city’s problem-plagued overhaul of the emergency 911 system. Top City Hall aides revealed the plan exclusively to the Daily News on Tuesday, following a two-month suspension of work on the mammoth technology project and a top-to-bottom review ordered by the mayor. “At every level we found issues that needed to be addressed,” First Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris told The News. “We were probably relying too much on outside consultants, (and) had too many middlemen taking pieces of the project off the top, making it run slower and in a more costly fashion.”

In 2007 Lobbyists George Arzt Was Hired by HP to Lobby HP to Lobby Deputy Mayor Skyler to Keep the Company on the 911 Project




Media Never Names the Lobbyist Who Made Money on the Broken 911 System . . .  Will the Investigators?
What role did 911 lobbyists play in giving Verzon gifts to NYPD Assistant Chief Charles (Chuck) Dowd?  The Death of Ariel Russo Did Not Even Stop the Corruption and Incompetence of the 911 System

Daily News the What Happen But Not the How and Why

Daily News Today Says 911 System Failed Ariel Russo But Do Not Name the Lobbyist for the Contractors or the reasons for NYPD's communication director Dowd being forced out and his aides jumping ship. Former Comptroller Liu said HP overbilled the city for $163 million and didn't properly deliver for years.   In 2012 Liu callled for a review of the HP contract by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. “because of the possibility of fraud in the solicitation and billing process.” Liu’s audit said that Hewlett Packard shouldn’t have been hired for the 911 work because it failed to meet the city’s technical requirements. Among the lobbyists to get paid by the city’s broken 911 system contractors wLiu also claimed that the city and HP hired unqualified project consultants and overbilled the city by another $50 million.as George Arzt, Mercury Public Affairs, LLC, Jennifer Carlson, Peter Barden, Jonathan Greenspun, Michael McKeon, Kasirer Consulting LLC. More on Corrupt Lobbyists More on Dark Pool Corrupt Lobbyists
More on Corrupt Lobbyists Arzt

911 Phone System Failure Scandal

NY Pols Duck and Cover On Cuomo and Other Corrupt Elected Officials    

Elect Officials Like the Cops Have A Wall of Silence on Not Talking About Their Corrupt Colleagues

HEAR NO EVIL, SEE NO EVIL: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Democrats in the state Legislature, and Rudy Giuliani are all performing the same duck-and-cover routine when it comes to commenting on Moreland Commission interference, writes City & State’s Morgan Pehme in his latest column:

Here’s Bill de Blasio on the Moreland Commission imbroglio in which Gov. Andrew Cuomo now finds himself steeped: “I’m not following it because I have a lot of other things to do. I try to keep up a bit with the world, but when I look at the media, I am focused on the things that affect New York directly.”What a crock!bringing shame upon their colleagues by tarnishing the institutions in which they serve, our electeds say nothing.* Chuck Schumer Mum on Andrew Cuomo’s Moreland Controversy(NYO) * In Spite Of Moreland Mess, Cuomo Still Earns Praise From Republican Lawmakers(YNN)

Three months after Ruben Wills was arrested for what Attorney General Eric Schneiderman described as “a shameful breach of the trust his constituents placed in him,” have any of his 47 fellow Democrats in the New York City Council called on him to resign? Why is it that the safest harbor for indicted politicians in this state is inside the halls of government? Not that Democrats are alone in laying on thick this appalling whitewash. Take Rudy Giuliani, who POLITICO’s Maggie Haberman quotes as saying, “The Cuomo situation, I can’t figure it out … I’m getting nervous that prosecutors are jumping [at a political case].” Wha—?! Let’s ignore for a second that Giuliani had to preface his remarks by disclosing that his law firm is representing individuals who might be questioned by investigators in connection with Moreland.

This is Rudy Giuliani! The crusading U.S. Attorney who made his entire career taking on political corruption! If anyone should be cheering on Preet Bharara, it’s Rudy! How low Giuliani has sunk since the days when he heroically brought powerful politicians like Meade Esposito and Mario Biaggi to justice. Has he forgotten his own words? “I don’t think there is anybody worse than a public official who sells his office and corrupts others—except maybe a murderer.” I guess the only remaining test for our elected officials’ tolerance of one another’s crimes is for one of them to actually commit murder. Then we’ll find out if that’s somehow an excusable offense, too.*  Polls Despite the governor’s continuing lead in a recent poll in the wake of the Moreland Commission scandal, the race is far from over as we wait to see if the scandal will release a bombshell that upends the election or fizzles out in the coming months, Michael Goodwin writes in the Post:  *Cuomo Says Staff Should Aid Inquiry(WSJ)
* “Experts say (Cuomo’s) bungling of a high-profile criminal dragnet…damaged his future as a crime-fighting policymaker.” *  “Cuomo is having a bad summer, though apparently not bad enough to jeopardize his re-election chances in November.”* Astorino: Why doesn't anyone call for Moreland special prosecutor? Politics on Hudson  *Democrats Seize On Astorino Inaccuracies (Updated)(YNN)  * Astorino Asks For Heroes, Perhaps Longer Than Just For One Day(NY1) * NY Post: “If Rob Astorino wants to be elected governor, he’ll have to start giving New Yorkers a reason to vote for him. Soon.”

Campaign Updates
City should make Liu pay old $525K campaign fine: Sen. Avella(NYP) Ex-city Comptroller John Liu has let his legal challenge of $525,000 in fines against his prior campaign languish for at least 18 months — as he sits on a new campaign war chest of $444,000, his ­opponent charged Tuesday. Liu was hit with the fines for illegally hanging more than 7,000 posters during his successful 2009 race for comptroller.

Cuomo's Friends Circle the Wagons

TV ads keep calling his opponent corrupt while the local TV news does not report the latest Moreland developments

Cuomo Aides Use Allies to Shore Up the Governor’s Image(NYT)

Wednesday Update
What Rob Astorino needs to beat Cuomo(NYP)If Rob Astorino wants to be elected governor, he’ll have to start giving New Yorkers a reason to vote for him. Soon. Polls confirm it. * Latest governor poll data intrigues in wake of Moreland Scandal(NYP Ed)

Gov. Cuomo says U.S. Attorney has not asked to speak with him about Moreland Commission (NYDN)
Based on emails released under the Freedom of Information Law, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s office tried to increase its support through other organizations.* Cuomo slip no gain for GOP rival Astorino in the polls(NYDN)* A new poll found Gov. Andrew Cuomo still leads Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino by 54 percent to 23 percent among registered voters, despite the governor’s recent bad publicity, The Wall Street Journal reports: * More than half of the 50 top donors to the state’s Republican party between 2003 and 2006 have given more to Cuomo and the Democrats this campaign cycle than they have to the GOP and Astorino, Capital New York reports:  v* The Moreland Commission had 15 cases pending against lawmakers, including state Assemblyman Dov Hikind and state Sen. George Maziarz, when Cuomo pulled the plug on it, theNew York Post writes:  While New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie refuses to weigh in on the scandal engulfing Cuomo over the Moreland Commission, the Republican National Committee on Monday called on the governor to "come clean," the Daily News writes:  * Cuomo’s use of campaign funds to hire a criminal attorney is hypocritical as he also pushes to adopt a new campaign finance model, the Post writes * Bloomberg *didn't* give to Cuomo's campaign this year - for the first time? (Capital)
Remember when a group of mayors skewered de Blasio over pre-K? Emails show Cuomo's fingerprints.(NYT) * Watertown Daily Times | Cuomo’s Moreland controversy may derail re-election bid  * Cuomo hired lawyer by May &"Rice has met multiple times with U.S. Atty". So that Moreland inner circle has known for some time. Cuomo.* the Real Estate Board of NY angle in the Moreland mess (NY1) * CUOMO’S PATAKI BASE: Andrew Cuomo has largely co-opted the state’s once-Republican donor base. More than half of the 50 top donors to the state Republican party between 2003 and 2006 have given more to Cuomo and the Democrats this campaign cycle than they have to the G.O.P. and Rob Astorino, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, an analysis by NYPIRG’s Bill Mahoney shows. Of the 50 donors who gave the most to the G.O.P. in the run-up to the 2006 gubernatorial election, 28 have given $5.5 million to Cuomo and the Democrats for the 2014 campaigns, compared to just $435,000 to Astorino and the Republicans. /1APUv9t

--“Cuomo’s Office Denies Using Private Email Accounts. But it Does,” by ProPublica’s Justin Elliott: “In its response this past March, Cuomo’s office issued a blanket denial: Staffers ‘do not use their personal email accounts for government business.’ … We obtained the Times’ request, and the response of the governor’s office, through our own public records request. …I was the recipient of an email regarding state business from the personal account of Cuomo aide Howard Glaser. Several people who communicate with the governor’s office on media or policy matters told me at the time they, too, had gotten emails from personal accounts.* In a previously unreported response to a public records request, the Cuomo administration claims staff do not use private email accounts for official business, but as previously reported in The Huffington Post, aides to the governor have done just that, ProPublica’s Justin Elliott writes
GOING FOR THE ‘TANGLED WEB’ OPPO -- Post’s Richard Johnson: “Sen. Chuck Schumer seems to be connected through a number of former staffers led by Preet Bharara. Bharara was Schumer’s chief counsel before President Obama picked him in 2009 on Schumer’s recommendation to be the US Attorney … ‘Schumer gave Preet his job, and Preet is still loyal to him,’ said one insider. Now that Bharara is investigating whether Cuomo interfered with the Moreland Commission before he put it out of business, a key witness could be Danya Perry, who was head of investigations for Moreland. ‘Her old boss Preet now has all her files,’ said my source.”
GOING FOR THE ‘TANGLED WEB’ OPPO -- Post’s Richard Johnson: “Sen. Chuck Schumer seems to be connected through a number of former staffers led by Preet Bharara. Bharara was Schumer’s chief counsel before President Obama picked him in 2009 on Schumer’s recommendation to be the US Attorney … ‘Schumer gave Preet his job, and Preet is still loyal to him,’ said one insider. Now that Bharara is investigating whether Cuomo interfered with the Moreland Commission before he put it out of business, a key witness could be Danya Perry, who was head of investigations for Moreland. ‘Her old boss Preet now has all her files,’ said my source.”* Astorino: Race Will ‘Shift Dramatically’(YNN) * Cuomo’s Legal Spending Draws Concern * Voters back Cuomo despite ethics concerns(NYP)* Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s use of his $35 million campaign war chest to represent his office in the ongoing Moreland Commission saga has drawn concern from Democratic state Senator Liz Krueger, as well as good-government groups, State of Politics reports: * Cuomo defended his decision to have his campaign account pay for a lawyer to represent his office in the ongoing Moreland Commission investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office, saying he could have used taxpayer dollars instead, State of Politics reports:* Cuomo released his April schedules today, which include meetings with good government groups and top Working Families Party officials weeks after dissolving the Moreland Commission, State of Politics reports: Interesting analysis from @mahoneyw: State's biggest GOP donors migrated to Cuomo, by @nahmias *Cuomo: ‘Public Dialogue’ Not Helpful On Moreland(YNN) * Phil Reisman has some editing advice for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s forthcoming political memoir.
 

zephyrteachout ‏@zephyrteachout

1/2 Good morning! Two days until Round 2 starts w Andrew Cuomo in a courthouse in Brooklyn. He is trying to prove I don't live in New York.* Teachout Endorsed By Progressive Group(NYO)

Cuomo's Brain-Washing: TV Ads, Emails

Proof The Culture of Protecting Corruption In Albany is Strong

'SHE'S NOT A RAT OR A SNITCH': Disgraced former Assemblywoman Gabriela Rosa refuses offer from U.S. attorney to wear wire(NYDN)U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara prosecuted Rosa for entering a sham marriage to gain citizenship, and then made her an offer to wear a wire in exchange for leniency, according to sources. But Rosa said no way.

 The WFP Nexus
2009 WFP . . . Data and Field . . .  Wolfe . . .  
Connecting to 2013 Spending Limits

Investigator wants to speak with Mayor de Blasio aide Emma Wolfe in Working Families Party probe(NYDN) Roger Bennett Adler sent a letter in September to Emma Wolfe, de Blasio’s director of intergovernmental affairs, asking for a sitdown, according to sources. The investigation is examining whether the party’s now-dismantled for-profit arm, Data & Field Services, gave cut-rate prices to Working Families candidates, giving them an unfair advantage in elections. The investigation is examining whether the party’s now-dismantled for-profit arm, Data & Field Services, gave cut-rate prices to Working Families candidates, giving them an unfair advantage in elections.

Prosecutor investigating Working Families Party sought interview with de Blasio aide Emma Wolfe
A special prosecutor investigating the Working Families Party’s relationship with get-out-the-vote corporation Data & Field Services wants to interview Emma Wolfe, an aide to Mayor Bill de Blasio, The Wall Street Journal reports:  Since 2012, the prosecutor, Roger Bennett Adler, has been investigating the Working Families Party's relationship with Data & Field Services, a corporation formed by the left-leaning party to provide its candidates with get-out-the-vote staffing and expertise. Investigators are looking at whether the for-profit firm charged significantly lower fees than is typical for such service, potentially providing an unfair advantage to favored candidates. 

WFP Lawyering Up To Stop An Investigation

According to people familiar with the matter, Mr. Adler last fall sought an interview with Ms. Wolfe, who was then deputy manager and political director of Mr. de Blasio's mayoral campaign and is now his director of intergovernmental affairs. There were discussions with an attorney representing Ms. Wolfe to arrange the interview, but the interview has yet to take place, these people said. Ms. Wolfe was a key player in Mr. de Blasio's 2009 campaign for public advocate and served as his chief of staff when he was in that position. She previously worked as an organizing and field director for the Working Families Party. The party has said its support for candidates in 2009 was legal and is seeking to have Mr. Adler removed from the investigation, arguing in court papers that the process used to select him was unlawful. The Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, is slated to hear arguments in the case on Tuesday. The Manhattan U.S. attorney's office probed the party's ties to Data & Field Services in 2010, but that probe has ended. Dan Donovan, the district attorney in Staten Island, also began investigating and later recused himself from the probe. Mr. Donovan's request for a special prosecutor, which was granted, is under seal.  Joe Dinkin, a spokesman for the party, said the legal requirements for appointing the special prosecutor weren't followed."The appointment should be voided and the matter returned to the DA," he said.

 2009 : Bill de Blasio's campaign used political consulting firm Data & Field Services, which operated out of the same office of the labor-backed Working Families Party. (City & State) * 2011 : Scott Levenson has close ties to the Working Families Party (City & State) * No firewalls: Working Families Party straddles thin line between party, nonprofit (NYDN 2009) * ACORN sowed seeds for de Blasio - The Advance Group* Data and Field Services - New York Daily News * The NYC Working Families Party Scam UPDATED(Daily Kos, 2009)

More About WFP Data and Field 
WFP, Acorn 2.0 and the New Progressive Machine

de Blasio Looking for Pre-K Space
Damn's the Church and State Issue

--“De Blasio’s Prekindergarten Expansion Collides With Church-State Divide,” by NYT’s Sharon Otterman: “The biblical story of Noah’s Ark will be taught, without mention of who told Noah to build it. Challah, the Jewish bread eaten on the Sabbath, will be baked, but no blessings said over it. Some crucifixes will be removed, but others left hanging. These are the kinds of church-state gymnastics that New York City and some religious schools are performing as Mayor Bill de Blasio expands government-funded prekindergarten. Because of inadequate public school capacity, the de Blasio administration has been urging religious schools and community organizations to consider hosting the added programs.” http://nyti.ms/1o9m1ty



Cuomo Top Aide Schwartz to Avoid Subpoena Moves to Meet With Feds

Cuomo aide to meet with prosecutors in commission probe (NYP)The top aide to Gov. Cuomo has agreed to meet with federal prosecutors investigating the governor’s disbanding of his own anti-corruption panel. Larry Schwartz voluntarily agreed to meet with prosecutors from US Attorney Preet Bharara’s office, according to a source with law-enforcement ties. Schwartz and others “want to avoid the embarrassment of a subpoena, so they proactively volunteered to go in,” the source said.Schwartz has been accused of contacting one of the panel’s co-chairs to yank a subpoena issued to an ad-buying firm that had worked for the governor’s campaign.* Top Cuomo Aide to Meet With Prosecutors(WSJ)  * "the commission had identified 15 lawmakers who may have been involved in potential criminal activity .."  * National Republican Committee weighs in on Moreland Commission scandal(NYDN)* National GOP Takes A Swipe At Cuomo And Rice(YNN)* Duffy: ‘I Have Faith’ In Cuomo(YNN) * A top official in the Westchester and Yonkers Independence parties called GOP gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino as a “f—ing racist liar.” * In response to a FOIL request, Cuomo’s office claims staff do not use private email accounts for official business, but that’s not actually true.Tuesday Update Gov. Cuomo’s criminal defense(NYP Ed)

Round 1 Teachout Still On the Ballot

RT @zephyrteachout Round 1. Cuomo's first effort to get me off the ballot, challenging 45,000+ petitions, fails. Thanks to all of you. *  Included in Cuomo's subpoena, in his effort to prove I don't live where I live: "Copies of all banks statements" of any kind since 2009.

zephyrteachout ‏@zephyrteachout 3h

Andrew Cuomo could take leadership this week by explaining his role in directing assistant AG interference w/ subpoenas to powerful friends.

Rice Might Be the Feds Guild to Document Cuomo's Interference With Moreland

Explains Bharara's Move With the AG Meet

Moreland Commission co-chair Kathleen Rice is 'assisting' feds with probe(NYDN)

A spokesman for Rice, who's also the Nassau County district attorney, confirmed that she's helping federal investigators, but would not comment on her role. Investigators are looking at the commission's abrupt end and whether Gov. Cuomo's administration interfered with the commission's work. Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, one of three people who co-chaired Gov. Cuomo’s anti-corruption commission, is “assisting” a federal probe into the governor’s handling of the panel, the Daily News has learned. Rice has met multiple times with U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, whose probers are investigating the circumstances surrounding the panel’s abrupt end and, specifically, whether the Cuomo administration interfered with the commission’s work, said a source with ties to the commission.* Before the Moreland Commission was mothballed this spring, the panel’s staffers pressed Albany County District Attorney David Soares to pursue their investigations and leads.

More Meat for Bharara

Before the Moreland Commission was mothballed this spring, the panel's staffers pressed Albany County District Attorney David Soares to pursue their investigations and leads, the Times Union’s Jim Odato reports:

 

NYP's Dicker Says Cuomo's "Crazed With Anger"

Cuomo, “crazed with anger” and increasingly abusive to those around him, fears the first round of public polling since the Moreland Commission scandal will take a major toll on his—until-now—sky-high popularity, the New York Post’s Fred Dicker reports: 

 
Cuomo, “crazed with anger” and increasingly abusive to those around him, fears the first round of public polling since the “Morelandgate” scandal will take a major toll on his — until-now — sky-high popularity, administration insiders tell Fred Dicker. 
Cuomo's Poll Fear Cuomo fears the worst as first polls after scandal approach(NYP)  Democratic gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout reiterated her call for Cuomo to resign if the allegations of his administration’s interference into the commission are true.

 

Pataki Merges National and State Politics to Blast Cuomo

'To me, it’s incomprehensible and disappointing': Former NY Gov. Pataki blasts Christie for failing to have Rob Astorino's back(NYDN)

 

 

 

 

Charity lived large as it stiffed staff: suit(NYP) A Queens nonprofit — which counts indicted Democratic state Sen. Malcolm Smith and ethics-probed Rep. Gregory Meeks as benefactors — cheated its workers out of wages while throwing lavish parties for friends of the charity’s chairman and CEO, a new lawsuit charges. Five former employees are suing the now-shuttered Jamaica Business Resource Center for $250,000 saying they stopped receiving full paychecks in 2012 and then were fired in 2013 for complaining about not getting paid.

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Council Bums Even Lie About Giving Lulus to Charities 

City Council members can’t prove they donated bonuses to charities(NYP) The bonuses, known as “lulus,” are doled out to members who take leadership roles or otherwise curry favor with the speaker. This included Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Queens), who for eight weeks was unable to provide a single receipt documenting what he has done with the $60,000 in lulus he has been allocated since 2010.  It was only after a Post reporter confronted him in person that Van Bramer’s office provided a short list of recipients, including the NAACP of Astoria and the 108th Precinct Community Council, but no amounts, dates or documentation. Those two groups confirmed they had received donations of $100 each from Van Bramer.he councilman also noted recently spending $25 on books at a charitable flea-market stand that he characterized as a contribution, and he said he gives $100 a year to a local church through a senior who asks for the donation. But his minimal list was more than what was offered by the bulk of council members, who provided no detail of charitable giving from their bonuses. Those include current Public Advocate Letitia James, Mathieu Eugene and Darlene Mealy of Brooklyn; Fernando Cabrera of The Bronx; Julissa Ferreras, Karen Koslowitz, Ruben Wills, and Peter Koo of Queens; and Rosie Mendez of Manhattan.Debi Rose (D-SI) said that she has given compensation to local nonprofits but that she considers the donations “private” and at her own discretion.Jane Carey, chief of staff to David Greenfield (D-Brooklyn), told The Post, “Councilman Greenfield does not share who he gives what charity to, as that would be seen as taking ‘credit’ for giving charity, which is contrary to religious Jewish values.” Citizens Union director Dick Dadey says council members who want credit for donating their lulus owe voters proof.


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NYT Exposes the City's Pension Shortfall 

City’s System for Pensions Shows Strain(NYT)

An examination of problems with New York City’s system reveals an investment strategy that has failed to keep up with costs, and a governing structure that permits politics to intrude.* City not getting predicted revenue from ballpark suites(NYDN)

 

 NYP On Monday Keeps the Pressue on the AG

New York’s mute attorney general(NYP Ed) New York’s attorney general played a key part when the Moreland Commission was announced last year. Not only did he choose more than a third of the people who would become members, he later deputized the entire panel. But following a public appearance Friday, he announced, well, he would not be saying anything about the state’s top corruption case — save to confirm he was cooperating with US Attorney Preet Bharara.
True, state law limits Schneiderman’s ability to take on Albany’s corruption. And if that’s what’s holding him back on Moreland, he should say so. After all, the original release announcing Moreland made clear that it had the authority to “promptly communicate any evidence of violations of existing laws to the appropriate law enforcement agencies, including the Attorney General.” True, state law limits Schneiderman’s ability to take on Albany’s corruption. And if that’s what’s holding him back on Moreland, he should say so. After all, the original release announcing Moreland made clear that it had the authority to “promptly communicate any evidence of violations of existing laws to the appropriate law enforcement agencies, including the Attorney General.”


NYP Says the AG Be Making More Enemies Like the Bulldozer . . .  They Were Not Happy With Spitzer Either

Dozens of key staffers fleeing Schneiderman’s office(NYP) Two dozen key staffers have fled state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office in the past two years, with most decrying “a lack of leadership,” former employees claim. Most of the lawyers and high-ranking operatives took less prestigious jobs. One ex-employee called the agency “rudderless.” “The reality was there wasn’t a lot of follow- through. There wasn’t any clear mandate. It just feels like there’s this leadership vacuum,” said the source. One who left is William Schaefer, who led the Public Integrity Bureau and is now working for the Brooklyn DA.




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On today's cover: Renters are forced to shell out more--whether they can afford it or not http://bit.ly/1sA9FvR  
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Crying Wolf About Corruption BackFires for Cuomo and AG 

Deputy FitzpartickFife

How Cuomo blew it(NYDN Ed) Where Gov. Cuomo went wrong — and where many associated with his disbanded ethics commission went wrong — was in mixing law enforcement with hardball Albany gamesmanship. Running for election four years ago, he said corruption and a loose ethical culture had fed the capital’s long-time dysfunction. He promised a clean-up, but the Legislature refused more than token moves on conflicts of interest and financial disclosure.Running for election four years ago, he said corruption and a loose ethical culture had fed the capital’s long-time dysfunction.

 He promised a clean-up, but the Legislature refused more than token moves on conflicts of interest and financial disclosure. His eventual decision to trade passage of get-tough laws for shutting down the commission took on overtones of obstructing justice because the commission was stocked with designated cops. Heightening the impression, panel cochairman William Fitzpatrick, an upstate Republican DA, talked openly about “following the money” and referring criminal cases to prosecutors.* Former aide to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo: “His style is an asset until it’s a liability.”

How Ending Moreland Caused the Poor Door 
- A Sherlock Holmes Caper All About the Benjamins

“This giveaway to One57 has all the makings of a perfect case for Cuomo’s Moreland Act commission: large campaign contributions changing hands, lawmakers operating behind closed doors, special interests gaining undeserved benefits and taxpayers getting the shaft.” A later editorial carried the headline, “Follow Cuomo’s money, too,” after Albany Bureau Chief Ken Lovett disclosed that the developer had given $300,000 to the governor’s campaign over the past two years, including $100,000 shortly before Cuomo signed the tax breaks into law.  Along the way, the governor’s office pressured the commission into dropping plans to subpoena the Real Estate Board of New York in favor of simply requesting information from the group.

Following controversies that Extell Development Company had been subpoenaed by the Moreland Commission and that Extell won approval from City Hall to legally segregate low-income residents to use a separate "poor door" as a building entrance, why are Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo keeping campaign contributions from Extell ?Extell is also the developer of the $2 billion luxury highrise known as One57 in Midtown Manhattan. This 75-story skyscraper is expected to cast shadows that, with other, nearby highrises, threaten to turn Central Park into Central Dark, according to The New York Daily News. One57 is the controversial building for which Extell made large campaign contributions to the campaign committee of Gov. Cuomo in apparent exchange for receiving $35 million worth of tax breaks.  Wealthy developers, like Extell, are misusing New York's 421-aproperty tax exemption program for billion dollar luxury condominium projects in order to spur sales from incentives typically reserved for buildings in that area which offer affordable housing, which One57 does not.  By some estimates, Mayor de Blasio accepted over $18,000 in campaign contributions from Extell, related entities, or related individuals.  For his part, Gov. Cuomo accepted over $300,000 in campaign contributions from Extell-related donors, according to some press reports.* Gov. Cuomo received $76,000 from real estate investors weeks before giving their property a tax break on bill (nydn) * Cuomo aide urged spin (TU) Moreland panel members were contacted, asked to tout commission's independence. Joseph Percoco, a longtime political aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, contacted several members of the state's now-shuttered anti-corruption commission in the past week and encouraged them to make public statements supporting the governor and affirming the panel's independence.

Cuomo Moreland Real Estate Cover Up  

How Albany's Manhattan Real Estate Tax Breaks Are Pushing Blacks and the Poor Out of Brooklyn

Cuomo administration failed to give up records related to REBNY(NYP) The Cuomo administration claimed last year there were no records of its contacts with an anti-corruption panel involving the Real Estate Board of New York — just three months after a top gubernatorial aide ordered the panel not to issue subpoenas to the influential real-estate group. The administration’s misleading account was made in writing to America Rising, a conservative PAC that had filed a Freedom of Information Law request in October for “any and all” communications between Cuomo staffers and the Moreland Commission panel about REBNY. Members of REBNY, who have donated $4 million to Gov. Cuomo since 2010, eventually turned over documents sought by the panel voluntarily. Remarkable as it might appear, the administration’s actions may not violate the law. Robert Freeman, executive director of the New York State Committee on Open Government, said the FOIL law was written so loosely that it doesn’t even specify how long phone logs have to be kept. The executive chamber has a “great deal of latitude of how long they keep records,” he said. “They don’t keep this stuff — they get rid of it.”* Pay-to-play: Related leads Cuomo donors getting tax credits (CrainsNY) The governor has received more than a half a million in campaign contributions from developers who received tax credits to revive industrial sites

$300,000 From Excell to Cuomo
Poor Door Developer

Gov. Cuomo's long-time city developer donor got more generous when it stood to get $35 million in tax breaks(NYDN) Corporations and people affiliated with Extell Development made more than $300,000 in donations to Cuomo since May 2012, around the same time the governor and lawmakers were weighing a housing bill that would save Extell millions over a decade.* In Our Opinion: Cuomo joins long list of N.Y. scandals-- The Daily Star



Pols  Give Tax Breaks to Lux Housing, Developers Give Money to the Pols

How New York Taxpayers and Help Luxury Developers and International Money Laundering Schemes 

The real reason why the rent is too high (NYDN)

Big developers flood politicians with cash  Both major candidates for mayor, Bill de Blasio and Joe Lhota, agree that an inadequate supply of affordable housing is a serious problem, and both have plans to create more. But what has not been discussed nearly enough is one of the major causes of the shortage: the way the real estate industry uses its massive campaign contributions to limit our affordable housing stock. This year, after receiving tons of money from well-placed donors, the governor and members of the state Legislature quietly gave away millions of your tax dollars to developers of luxury towers. The deal was so bad that it is being looked at by the Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption. The report found that four of the five developers used high contribution limits and loopholes to give more than $1.5 million to state elected officials, political parties and real estate PACs between 2008 and 2012, including at least $440,962 in 2012 alone. And Cuomo, who had to sign the legislation, was the biggest single recipient, pulling in $150,000 from the four developers in 2012.Probe these giveaways (NYDN)* * The deal to fast track the Atlantic Yards affordable housing site will end more than 11 years of hostilities over how downtown Brooklyn will change, am New York writes:  * "Owners of lower-priced homes have subsidized those at the top end – for years." http://lohud.us/1s0im3L  Why fair revaluation is needed.

In Exchange of Campaign Contributions NY Pols Set Up A Vehicle to Hide Money, Possibly Illegally Gotten

 Gov. Cuomo received $76,000 from real estate investors weeks before giving their property a tax break on bill (NYDN) * A luxury tower's tax breaks look more outrageous and suspicious by the day * The companies that will benefit, their lobbyists and PACs have donated $1.5 million to Albany campaign accounts over the past five years. The bill’s sponsors — Sen. Marty Golden and Assemblyman Keith Wright — professed ignorance. * Tax Breaks for Billionaires(http://metcouncilonhousing.org)
How the billionaire who bought $90 million NYC penthouse will get $210,000 tax break meant for low income housing (Daily Mail) Sheldon Silver aided Gov. Cuomo in sneaking through tax breaks for luxury  developer(NYDN)* Cuomo said he has no problem with the anti-corruption Moreland Commission he convened sending subpoenas to real estate companies that have contributed to his campaign, including Extell Development, the Times Union writes: * Assemblyman Keith Wright Sent Letter Acknowledging Developer Tax Breaks In Bill(NYDN) * Sheldon Silver aided Gov. Cuomo in sneaking through tax breaks for luxury developer(NYDN) * How the Rich Get a Big Real Estate Tax Break - NYTimes.com

Extell Sponsor of One57 Also Paid City Officials and Candidates
Moreland Tried to Look At City  Candidates Who Got Matching Funds From Extell's One57?

Gaming the System
It was not only Vito Lopez, Marty Golden, Keith Wright, Cuomo the Albany Assembly and Senate PACs of both parties that got money from Extell Development, sponsor of One57 for tax breaks.  At least 6 citywide candidates got the loot from the buildings developers.  Extell contributions to city officials were designed to take advantage of the public matching fund program.  Most were $175 with many of the same contributors giving to more than one candidate.  The Moreland Commission is looking into the state contributions and tax reductions connections, there is no indication if the commission will look into with the city pols for their cash.  They should.  George Arzt a flack for Extell works for at least two of the candidates who got money from the developer. If you wonder why the middle class keep getting pushed out of NYC, It has to do with the same candidates who promise to save the middle class feeding off the tit of the luxury developers.* Gov. Cuomo's long-time city developer donor got more generous when it stood to get $35 million in tax breaks(NYDN) * A towering insult - NY Daily News As the Daily News revealed last Tuesday, One57 is among five residential projects that were shoehorned into a real estate tax abatement program under language mysteriously written into legislation passed in Albany.  The companies that will benefit, their lobbyists and PACs have donated $1.5 million to Albany campaign accounts over the past five years. The bill’s sponsors — Sen. Marty Golden and Assemblyman Keith Wright — professed ignorance.
How Does the Media Let George Arzt Get Away With Flacking for Luxury Highrise Tax Breaks, While Running Major Campaigns?
 
EXTELL DEVELOPMENT COMPANY. Media Contact: George Arzt  at 212-608-0333
Can we expect the candidates like Katz that Arzt is trying to elect this year will help him get more tax breaks for luxury highrises. Subpoenas have gone to Gary Barnett’s Extell Development, sponsor of One57

Corrupt lobbyist

More About Corrupt Lobbyists

CM Miller Staffer Raises $$$ for Comrie During Work

Leroy Comrie Hungry for Money

City Council staffer sent fund-raising e-mails while working(NYP) A staffer for Queens Councilman Daneek Miller sent political fund-raising e-mails while working on the taxpayer dime, according to a Miller staffer and a source who shared the e-mail with The Post. Margaret Denson sent the plea for donations to ex-Councilman Leroy Comrie’s state Senate bid Wednesday. Denson claimed she was in the office but on a lunch break. “[The city] should investigate it,” said Katherine James, former Board of Elections deputy chief clerk who received the e-mail. “They’re not following the rules.”


Now the AG Has No Comment After the Meal With the U.S. Attorney  . . .  AG No Comment on the Independent Moreland Commission

Schneiderman: No Comment On Moreland

Schneiderman Breaks Silence on Moreland Commission(NY1)

When Governor Andrew Cuomo created the Moreland Commission to investigate public corruption, he was assisted by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who deputized 23 of the 25 commissioners with subpoena power. Earlier this year, Schneiderman argued in court documents that the commission was independent.  "The attorney general had a critical role here," said John Cahill, the Republican candidate for state attorney general. "Once the executive order was signed, the commission, the investigation really was in the hands of the attorney general, as he states clearly in his papers that this was an independent investigation.""The attorney general had a critical role here," said John Cahill, the Republican candidate for state attorney general. "Once the executive order was signed, the commission, the investigation really was in the hands of the attorney general, as he states clearly in his papers that this was an independent investigation." "He needs to come forward and tell the people of New York, the people that he serves, what he knew about this investigation, what he knew about the political interference," Cahill said. "These deputies were required to report to the attorney general on a weekly basis. Was that done? Did he know about political interference? If he did know, what did he do about it?* Attorney general stays quiet on Moreland panel Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

What Did the Weekly Reports of the Moreland Commission to the AG Say About the Governor's Staff?

The attorney general did receive weekly reports from the commission, although it's unclear what was in those reports. People familiar with the commission's work say they are unlikely to document instances of interference. However, others say it's also unlikely Schneiderman would not have heard about the Cuomo administration's interference. What he did, if he knew, remains unclear.* VIDEO: Schneiderman stays mum on Moreland Commission probe (LoHud)

Is the Party Line Covering Up Corruption . . . You Bet

Hochul Discusses Moreland Commission While Campaigning in Queens(NY1) Things aren't exactly coming up roses for the Cuomo campaign these days, but while the governor keeps a low profile following a rebuke from U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, his running mate, Kathy Hochul, is suddenly seemingly everywhere, backing Cuomo's position that he did not interfere with his anti-corruption commission.

 "When the Republican district attorney in Onondaga says that there's been no interference, I'm going to take him at his word," Hochul said."I had breakfast in Harlem this morning up at Sylvia's. Nobody asked me about it," Hochul said. "They want to know what the governor can do for them, help with jobs, help with education." Indeed, that is now apparently the party line, echoed by other Democrats campaigning alongside her Friday."The people that I represent, they care about affordable housing, they care about opportunities for their kids," said City Councilman Rory Lancman of Queens. Ironically, the Cuomo campaign had earlier been accused of keeping Hochul out of public view thanks to her conservative-leaning views on issues like immigration. In Queens, she emphasized her support for the Dream Act.* Reporters Roundtable: Cuomo's "bag of tricks" won't work against Bharara(NY Now)* How did Cuomo keep hidden that he had hired criminal defense attorney for 2 whole months ?* Moreland mess erodes Cuomo’s fear factor(Capital) *  A lesson of Watergate, 40 years on, for Andrew Cuomo(TU)

 
de Blasio's Move to the Mansion After They Stuck Oil

The Mayor’s Showroom
The de Blasios chose the wrong way to make Gracie Mansion look like a real home.Most professional decorators will tell you that you shouldn’t buy everything in a room from one store. The de Blasios’ den, with its lacquered coffee tables, mixed-print poufs and matted black-and-white photos, looks just like a West Elm showroom. If The Daily News hadn’t pointed out that those were family snaps, I wouldn’t have known. The den shot doesn’t show the TV, but you know the succulent plants that the stylist arranged on the table are soon to be replaced with remotes, snacks and feet. I admit that I winced when I saw the photo on Front + Main of Chirlane McCray with the West Elm stylist Johanna Mele. Why? Because decorating, of course, is still the province of the first lady. Despite Ms. McCray’s significant accomplishments and her policy role in the administration, it still falls to her to get the house in order.


 Even Cheating At Golf: Silver, Smith and Golden

FORE THE MONEY: Politicians hit the golf green to raise cash, even if they aren't golfers(NYP)
 For the people writing checks, and the politicians collecting them, the outings are seen as more enjoyable than cocktail receptions or rubber-chicken dinners.







Nobody is Enforcing the City's Conflict of Interests Law

Mayor's Slush Fund "One New York Conflict" of Interests Money

De Blasio’s ‘conflicting’ accepted donations(NYP) A nonprofit launched by Mayor de Blasio accepted money from at least two donors that his mayoral campaign had rejected because they had city contracts, a Post review found.Joseph and Chris Termini, owners of the yellow-school-bus companies Hoyt Transportation and Dak Transportation, respectively, each donated $4,500 to de Blasio’s mayoral-transition campaign in December. But their checks were ­returned just weeks later. The campaign refused to say why, but rules don’t allow firms doing business with the city to donate to the kitty of those about to take office — out of conflict-of-interest concerns.Yet the mayor’s Campaign for One New York — a cheerleading group that backed Hizzoner’s push to tax the wealthy for the expansion of universal pre-K — had no qualms accepting $10,000 from the Terminis in April. The Terminis, who have contracts with the school system, didn’t respond to requests for comment. Dan Levitan, a spokesman for both the mayoral campaign and Campaign for One New York, declined to explain the discrepancy. But the mayor said he saw no problem because the two campaigns had different goals.

de Blasio Not So Different When It Come to PACs From the Koch Brothers
Follow de Blasio’s Money(NYP)  de Blasio Campaign for One New York.is an organization that grew out of de Blasio’s campaign for mayor, is run by his former campaign associates and now lobbies only for his policies. Yet he insists it’s independent. Donors include businessmen from real-estate developer Donald Capoccia to Google founder Eric Schmidt. But the really big bucks came from — you guessed it — public-sector unions. The largest came from the American Federation of Teachers, parent organization of the United Federation of Teachers. The $350,000 contribution came just before the city came to terms with the UFT on generous teachers contract.
The next largest came from 1199 SEIU, which donated $250,000 and also represents many government workers.  When asked if he is comfortable with this, Mayor Bill went straight to the legalities. His personal campaign and Campaign for One New York are, he said, “very different realities.” He also noted that while campaign-finance laws generally impose limits on contributions to the campaigns of individual candidates, “when you’re talking about an issue-oriented organization, it’s a different approach.”He’s right about that. The Campaign for One New York is a 501(c)4, which is devoted to issues and not individuals. In principle, we have no problem with these groups. But there sure seems to be a double standard. Back when the 501(c)4s in question were conservative, we had Democrats such as Sen. Chuck Schumer demanding investigations and the IRS targeting them for special treatment. But when the leaders of public-sector unions have their parent organizations make six-figure deposits into a Democratic mayor’s pet lobbying group, even while they are negotiating with him over their own salaries and benefits, suddenly it’s no longer a problem.


de Blasio Defends His Dark Money Lobbying Group That He Used To Mislead New Yorkers About Closing LICH Hospital 

De Blasio defends lobbying group's contributions from firms that do business with the city(NYDN)

Mayor de Blasio defended a lobbying group formed to push his agenda for accepting donations from firms that do business with the city, a practice that is strictly limited for individual candidates.  The group, Campaign For One New York, dedicated to pushing de Blasio’s pre-K plan and his other priorities, has brought in $1.7 million in private donations.  A number of the donors have contracts or bids before the city. That includes real estate developers Donald Capoccia, who gave $10,000, and Jon Halpern, who gave $5000, and Queens contracting company Ashnu International, which kicked in $5000.People who do business with the city can give no more than $400 to a mayoral campaign, and candidates can’t get public matching funds for those donations like they can for others. Those limits don’t apply to lobbying groups like the Campaign For One New York, which also raked in big bucks from unions and others.  “They’re different realities,” de Blasio said when asked about the issue Monday.


A Dark Pool Lobbyist Slush Fund Tries to Fool the Public About A Broken Promise Not to Close A Hospital 

Alarm Raised About ‘Dark Money’ Behind de Blasio’s LICH - Fortis Letter

Brooklyn Heights Association joins fray, debunks ‘Reilly’ letter(Brooklyn Eagle)

The backlash continues against a letter sent out by a de Blasio lobbying group supporting the sale of Brooklyn’s Long Island College Hospital (LICH) to a developer.   The government watchdog group Common Cause raised alarms on Tuesday about “dark money” funding the mass mailing, and the Brooklyn Heights Association (BHA) has added its voice to those debunking the letter's claims. The controversial June 26 letter touts the “stand-alone ER” that will be replacing the historic hospital. Although it was signed by Carroll Gardens’ resident Gary Reilly, the letter was mailed from the headquarters of de Blasio lobbyists operating under the name “The Campaign for One New York.” In the letter, Reilly says, “I was asked by Mayor de Blasio to share my views on what [the sale of LICH] means for families in Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Downtown Brooklyn and Red Hook.”  The outcome, Reilly writes, “. . . is a lot better than we had reason to think one year ago.” With SUNY selling the hospital complex to developer Fortis Property Group, “We will have a freestanding, high quality emergency room, with up to 20 observational beds.” The letter has evoked a storm of criticism from residents of these neighborhoods who fought for more than a year to save the hospital, and who supported de Blasio in his campaign for mayor largely based on his promise to save LICH.  That promise was seemingly forgotten after the election, however.* Big city unions bankroll $1.7M to Mayor de Blasio's lobbying arm(NYDN)* * An advocacy group set up by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s campaign aides raised nearly $1.8 million during his first six months in office to promote his policy agenda, The Wall Street Journal reports:  * Apartment sharing website Airbnb, which is under fire for flouting New York City law, has hired Mayor Bill de Blasio’s former campaign manager Bill Hyers as a consultant, the Daily News reports


Daily News Reports A Conflict of Interest Violation During the Speakers Race But Does Not Do A Follow Up or A Demand to Enforce the Law

 
Daily News Charges Against Mark-Viverto

EXCLUSIVE: City Council Speaker candidate Melissa Mark-Viverito may have violated city ethics rules(NYDN) Mark-Viverito, an East Harlem councilwoman, accepted unpaid assistance from the Advance Group, a prominent lobbying firm working to further her candidacy (Daily News 11/27/2013)

Mark-Viverito Drops Advance

Melissa Mark-Viverito Drops Advance Group for Speaker Bid(NYO) Ms. Mark-Viverito insisted today that this was not the case but out of an “abundance of caution,” the relationship would end. Melissa Mark-Viverito Drops Advance Group for Speaker Bid - Blogs(TU)

Cuomo Criminal Lawyered Up in May

Andrew Cuomo hires criminal lawyer to represent governor's office as scandal over Moreland anti-corruption commission grows: sources EXCLUSIVE: Cuomo hired prominent white collar criminal defense lawyer Elkan Abramowitz in May to represent the governor’s office, sources told The News. Cuomo’s top aides, Secretary to the Governor Larry Schwartz and counsel Mylan Denerstein, have also hired their own personal attorneys, the sources said. Cuomo’s top aides, Secretary to the Governor Larry Schwartz and counsel Mylan Denerstein, have also hired their own personal attorneys, the sources said.


Cuomo to Albany: "Take the Money and  Run"

Fitting Woody Allan's Lawyer Represents Cuomo

Criminal defense lawyer Elkan Abramowitz, quietly hired several months ago to represent Cuomo in the Moreland Commission probe, said that the governor’s office will fully cooperate with the U.S. Attorney’s investigation, Gannett Albany reports:  * Cuomo Campaign To Pay For Moreland Attorney * EXCLUSIVE: Cuomo using $35 million campaign war chest to cover legal fees in Moreland probe(NYDN) * Insider: “Moreland has become the corporate welfare for corruption defense lawyers." * Attorney representing governor's office in federal probe has no contract(NYDN) * Cuomo using $35 million campaign war chest to cover lawyer fees over U.S. attorney's Moreland probe(NYDN)

Cuomo separately has sought advice from several lawyers, the sources said. Abramowitz confirmed to The News that he was hired to represent the executive chamber. He said he is serving in much the same role Denerstein might have filled if she wasn’t a potential witness.
Cuomo apparently irked Bharara with what appeared to be a coordinated effort with some commission members on Monday to beat back criticism that the governor and his aides interfered with the panel. On a day Cuomo was set to face the press for the first time since the controversy reignited last week, four commission members released statements defending the governor’s actions.
Bruce Blakeman, who is running for Congress on Long Island against Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, who co-chaired Cuomo's Moreland commission, ripped the Democrat for thus far staying silent nad called on her to come clean by releasing all her emails on the matter. Rice spokesman Eric Phillips said that’s not going to happen.* Sources: Joe Percoco recruited Moreland support statements; even offered to draft them:  * Astorino: ‘Mr. Cuomo’s Morelandgate’(YNN)
* Astorino Keeps Up Moreland Drumbeat (Updated)(YNN) * Although Cuomo hired Abramowitz three months ago, the lawyer never filed a contract with the state Attorney General’s Office for approval, the Daily News reports:  * .@zephyrteachout: "Andrew Cuomo couldn’t get 30 people to come see him in Poughkeepsie."



Albany Lawyers Up

So Shelly Hired a Penthouse Attorney and Andrew Hired Woody Allen's Attorney?

Andrew Cuomo is in trouble — but probably not for reelectionWashington Post * For the first time, Cuomo scrambles to play defense Opinion-Newsday *Cuomo Faces Legal Issues in Moreland Wall Street Journal * US Attorney presses Cuomo on witness tampering USA TODAY *Cuomo draws scrutiny from US attorney
Buffalo News  * Cuomo acknowledges federal inquiry; says office did nothing Poughkeepsie Journal * Aide seeks Cuomo aid Albany Times Union*Gov. Cuomo’s cover-up?(NYPED)Some of this contradicted earlier comments. For example, though co-chair William Fitzpatrick now says the governor honored the commission’s independence, the Times reported an e-mail in which he griped the governor’s office wasn’t treating the commission as independent. The Times says Bharara demanded that, “to the extent anyone attempts to influence or tamper with a witness’s recollection of events relevant to our investigation,” his office should be notified immediately.* A Daily News editorial notes that while Al Sharpton and other critics charge the NYPD with rampant, race-based brutality, it is unclear if de Blasio agrees, and until there is an even-handed review of over 1,000 complaints against the police force and a fair accounting of Eric Garner’s death, it will remain unclear if the brutality is endemic or isolated: http://goo.gl/gKgGDc

 Big Foot vs. Big Foot–Bharara’s warning to Cuomo & Co.(NYP Ed)  * It was Joseph Percoco, a longtime political aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who contacted several members of the now-shuttered commission in the past week and encouraged them to make public statements supporting the governor and affirming the panel’s independence. He even offered to provide drafts.* Cuomo’s Back-Room Style Draws a Potent Critic(NYT) Cuomo said his office was interested only in setting the record straight about the role it played in the handling of the disbanded anticorruption panel. * Trying to influence the commissioners while Bharara’s investigation is underway “put the governor is at risk in ways he was not before,” writes legal ethics Prof. Stephen Gillers. The US obstruction statutes are incredibly broad.” * Bharara’s investigators had already questioned delays in receiving thousands of emails and other documents they had subpoenaed from the panel more than two months ago.* Cuomo acknowledged having discussions with “relevant parties” about inaccuracies in news reports about his office’s involvement with the commission. * “Andrew Cuomo is having the roughest stretch of his political career since flaming out of the New York governor’s race in 2002,” POLITICO’s Maggie Haberman writes. “…The mess is almost entirely of his own making.” * In short: “Cuomo is in hot water for allegedly micromanaging his response to a scandal based on his own micromanagement.”* Cuomo Faces Legal Issues in Moreland(WSJ) * good ready by @jimmyvielkind Moreland mess turns @nygovcuomo into just another Albany politician  * Wife of chief Cuomo anti-corruption defender up for judgeship (NYP) * NYPost editorial: "Apparently it’s not as easy to laugh off a US attorney."(NYP Ed) * Erie County DA Frank A. Sedita III, a Moreland commissioner, defended commision co-chair, Onondaga County DA, Bill Fitzpatrick, calling him an “incorruptible public servant.”

How Come the Media Does Not Ask Teachout What She Thinks? Media Silence Also

zephyrteachout ‏@zephyrteachout

Silence in the face of crisis is not leadership. Andrew Cuomo must tell the people of New York whether he directed Schwartz to interfere.* The New York Times profiles Zephyr Teachout as an anti-corruption candidate who is garnering more and more attention as Cuomo comes under increased fire for his purported involvement in the Moreland Commission:*  I am running against Andrew Cuomo because “These are Reagan policies, these are not Democratic policies.” (MSNBC)

BridgeGate II?
InvestigatIon into Andrew Cuomo's dirty money for Tappan Zee.(Capital)
NJ Gov. Chris Christie, when asked to comment on the Moreland mess, said: Come up with another question; you’re wasting your time.”* Christie doubled down against GOP gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino, saying: “I don’t have the juice to make a 37-point race a competitive one.” More trouble for Cuomo's incompetent, smoke and mirror administration. A 4$ billion bridge; no way to pay for it.


Cuomo Tries to Distract the Press and Public

After The New York Times story on the governor's alleged interference in the Moreland Commission, Cuomo’s press office released nearly twice its average number of press releases—all on unrelated topics, Crain’s reports:

BhararaNado: Obstruction of Justice, Witness Tampering

U.S. Attorney Warns Cuomo on Ethics Investigation(NYT)

Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, threatened to investigate the administration of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo for possible obstruction of justice or witness tampering after the governor’s cancellation of his own anticorruption commission. The warning, in a sharply worded letter from Mr. Bharara’s office, came after several members of the panel issued public statements defending the governor’s handling of the panel, known as the Moreland Commission, which Mr. Cuomo created last year with promises of cleaning up corruption in state politics but shut down abruptly in March.

Cuomo Says He Was Only Setting the Record Stright

Cuomo Responds To Bharara’s Letter: No More Commenting On Moreland(YNN)

Cuomo on Thursday acknowledged the existence of the letter from Bharara’s office and that his office raised “concerns with relevant parties” in response to inaccurate reporting following the Times’ story.

“We are aware of the letter sent by the U.S Attorney for the Southern District. The New York Times published a story last week that generated a wave of news reports across the state, some with numerous inaccuracies, and we wanted to correct them,” Cuomo said. “We discussed these concerns with relevant parties.”

U.S. Attorney Rquested End to Public Dialogue and Cuomo Accepted
Cuomo added that due to Bharara requesting an end to a “public dialogue” he won’t have any additional statements to make on the Moreland issue.

“Several members of the Commission (District Attorneys and a law school dean) issued personal statements to correct the public record,” Cuomo said. “These statements reiterated comments they had made over the past year. As I believe the U.S. Attorney has made it clear that ongoing public dialogue is not helpful to his investigation, we will have no additional comment on the matter.”* In response to U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara’s warning about contact between the governor’s office and Moreland Commission members in recent days, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the communications were appropriate and that he would have nothing more to say on the matter, Gannett Albany reports: 

At least some of those statements were prompted by calls from the governor or his emissaries, according to people with direct knowledge of the situation who were unwilling to be named for fear of reprisal. One commissioner who received a call from an intermediary on behalf of the governor’s office said he found the call upsetting and declined to make a statement.

Did DA Fitzpartick Get An Offer He Could Not Refuse?

The letter from prosecutors, which was read to The New York Times, says, “We have reason to believe a number of commissioners recently have been contacted about the commission’s work, and some commissioners have been asked to issue public statements characterizing events and facts regarding the commission’s operation.” “To the extent anyone attempts to influence or tamper with a witness’s recollection of events relevant to our investigation, including the recollection of a commissioner or one of the commission’s employees, we request that you advise our office immediately, as we must consider whether such actions constitute obstruction of justice or tampering with witnesses that violate federal law.

”Just hours before Mr. Cuomo faced reporters, one of the co-chairs of the commission, William J. Fitzpatrick, released a three-page statement in which he asserted that “nobody ‘interfered’ with me or my co-chairs.”Facing questions from the news media, Mr. Cuomo repeatedly cited the statement by Mr. Fitzpatrick, the Onondaga County district attorney. The governor called the statement “very helpful,” explaining that Mr. Fitzpatrick “knows better than anyone else what happened with the Moreland Commission.” “Now we have facts that we can actually deal with, right?” Mr. Cuomo said. Mr. Fitzpatrick’s statement seemed at odds with frustration he had expressed to colleagues last year; in one email reported by The Times, he wrote that Mr. Cuomo’s office “needs to understand this is an INDEPENDENT commission and needs to be treated as such.” Mr. Cuomo dismissed that email as “snippets of conversations.”  Mr. Fitzpatrick’s statement on Monday also appeared to contradict previous statements he made to federal prosecutors, according to three people briefed on the matter but not authorized to speak on the record.

Mr. Fitzpatrick did not immediately return a call late Wednesday seeking comment.The letter noted “the commissioners and the commission’s employees are important witnesses in this ongoing investigation, and information from those with personal knowledge of facts of the investigation is highly material to that investigation.” The letter warned that tampering with the recollections of commission members or employees could be a crime, and directed them to preserve any records of “actual or attempted contact” along those lines. ** Cuomo never rescinded the executive order that established the Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption, leaving the panel in limbo and maintaining 23 of its 25 members as deputy attorneys general, the Times Union reports:  The fallout from the Moreland mess has now extended to impact Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice, one of the commission’s three co-chairs who has remained quiet about its demise. She’s running for Congress, and her GOP opponent, Bruce Blakeman, has seized on this issue. * Astorino: Cuomo’s Hole Getting Deeper(YNN) *The Fitzpatrick-Cuomo Connection(YNN) * Cuomo running mate: 'I can't imagine any pressure that would make these people.. say something that wasn't factual'  *Cuomo, Responding to U.S. Attorney, Seeks to Justify Recent Contacts...(NYT) * "Fitzpatrick’s wife...is a Court of Claims Judge...up for re-appointment...." The Fitzpatrick-Cuomo Connection (YNN) * “There’s this pathological need on the second floor for exact control – control  at a level that’s not really achievable, and not even healthy, over the  long-term.” vThe Moreland mess was again addressed on ”Morning Joe,” with MSNBC host Ari Melber remarking on the “serious cloud hanging over the governor’s mansion.” Mediaite notes that CNN, which employs Cuomo’s brother, Chris, has avoided the Moreland scandal, even as other national outlets have picked it up.* Rocland County DA Thomas Zugibe confirmed he was contacted by Cuomo’s office about issuing a Moreland statement, but didn’t feel pressured to do so.*( Rocland County DA Thomas Zugibe confirmed he was contacted by Cuomo’s office about issuing a Moreland statement, but didn’t feel pressured to do so.* Cuomo aide offered draft statements to and encouraged private email exchanges w/ ex-commission members in past week

Pablo Guzmán ‏@yoruba69 

"@fud31: Buying silence? Head of scandal-plagued Moreland Commission in line for cushy job http://nyp.st/1lYRmKt  via @nypost" Go get 'em.

zephyrteachout ‏@zephyrteachout

My running mate Tim Wu explains how Moreland meddling broke state laws via @capitalnewyork
Morning Joe "Ipso Racto" Cuomo

.@Morning_Joe re-hammers Cuomo, or: When you’re quoted saying “ipso facto,” you’re losing:

Bill Hammond ‏@NYDNHammond 

Bharara has prosecuted Al Qaeda members, drug kingpins, mobsters, Wall Street billionaires and mega-corporations. Not easily intimidated.* WashPost" "More trouble for Cuomo." via @washingtonpost* "Fitzpatrick’s wife...is a Court of Claims Judge...up for re-appointment...." The Fitzpatrick-Cuomo Connection (YNN)

The Short Life of an Anti-Corruption Commission(NYT, Timeline)

Dicker: Buying Silence? Head of Scandal-Plagued Moreland Commission in Line for Cushy Job 

Head of scandal-plagued Moreland Commission in line for cushy job(NYP) The executive director of Gov. Cuomo’s anti-corruption commission — accused of reporting its every move to Cuomo aides — is in line for a cushy landing at the State Insurance Fund, sources said. Although Cuomo disbanded the Moreland Commission panel in April, Executive Director Regina Calcaterra continues to receive her $175,000-a-year salary. One source said her move to the low-profile insurance agency, which sells disability and worker-compensation policies, wouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone familiar with government. “Anything in parole or insurance is a reward,” the source said. The governor’s office declined to comment about what Calcaterra is currently doing or where she might be headed.


Mayor and Brooklyn Boss Bad Timing Backs Cuomo and Sampson
De Blasio backs Cuomo through allegations of interfering with Moreland commission(NYDN)
Brooklyn Democratic boss backs a lawmaker facing criminal charges(NYDN)

How Can Former U.S. Attorney Giuliani Stay Out of This One?
 Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is not expected to back Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino in his run against Cuomo, but will instead remain on the sidelines, the Daily News writes: http://goo.gl/NCBhus *Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani won’t endorse his fellow Republican Astorino for governor because he’s “got a relationship with Andrew and thinks he’s doing a decent job.”

Cuomo Tried to Distract Before Bharara Letter
Gov. Cuomo wants Health Department to speed up medical marijuana availability(NYDN)

More Trouble for Former DA Hynes 

14 More Brooklyn Convictions Linked to Scarcella Are Examined(NYT)

The Brooklyn district attorney’s office has expanded the scope of its broad inquiry into Louis Scarcella, a former New York City police detective.* Another wrongful settlement surfaces under Hynes(NYP) * EXCLUSIVE: Brooklyn District Attorney declares man who wrongfully served 16 years in prison for killing rabbi 'innocent' (NYDN)  Kenneth Thompson believes that a 'travesty of justice happened' in the 1995 conviction of Jabbar Collins, which affect an ongoing $150 million federal lawsuit.


CM Dromm Continues His War On Charter Schools 

City Council committee puts the brakes on charter school expansion due to lack of oversight (NYDN)

City Council Daniel Dromm (D-Queens), who heads the city Education Committee, said the city has no control over the charter schools even though they are given $13,000 per student. An investigation into harsh discipline, rigged admissions and other allegations needs to be completed, reads a letter the committee will send to the state.

The NYT is Counting On an Un-Elected Prosecutor to Clean Up Albany

It’s not just Mr. Bharara’s job to clean up Albany. It is up to the voters to decide whether to go on endorsing business as usual. As the indictments and embarrassments continue (26 at latest count since 1999), New Yorkers will have to decide if their representatives are politicians they can trust, including Mr. Cuomo. * U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara appeared on PBS’ “Charlie Rose” and said his office will succeed in cleaning up corruption in Albany where the Moreland Commission failed “because if other people aren’t going to do it, then we’re going to do it,” Gannett Albany reports
* Bharara: “We are the people who do our jobs" (LoHud) * Bharara and Schneiderman Do Lunch(YNN)

 

After Closing Moreland Team Cuomo Tries to Close Team Teachout 

Challenge to Teachout focuses on residency(Capital) Cuomo's challenge to Democratic insurgent Zephyr Teachout will only focus on her residency, according to specific objections received Monday by the State Board of Elections. The two three-page packets were a follow-up to general objections that former senator Marty Connor, an election lawyer working for the Cuomo campaign, filed on behalf of two Hudson Valley voters. That filing contained no details, but Connor has repeated the same claims about Teachout's non-residency in a petition filed last week in Supreme Court in Brooklyn. *  D.I.D. members blown away by Zephyr (The Villageer)

CUOMO MANAGES ‘JOE’— “The upending of Cuomo’s national press strategy,” by Capital’s Laura Nahmias: When Governor Andrew Cuomo gave his inaugural address on January 1, 2011, after a campaign that pledged to clean up Albany, he asked the people of New York to help him mend a state government that had turned into a “national punchline." … Now, apparently, he's concerned that the national joke is on him, with everyone from Jon Stewart to Fox News to the hosts of MSNBC mocking him for his hobbling of an ethics commission and subsequent, progressively tortured explanations. ...After a particularly brutal ten-minute segment on "Morning Joe" on Monday, in which Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough cited the details of a brutal Times story to compare Cuomo unfavorably to scandal-damaged New Jersey governor Chris Christie, Cuomo called Brzezinski privately to explain his side of the story, according to the co-host. http://capi.tl/UHbKIJ--Moreland’s tab: The now-defunct state panel that was investigating public corruption spent over $350,000 in its nine months of existence for travel, information technology and data analysis. The records show the commission made its biggest payment on May 5, sending $175,000 to K2 Intelligence Services for “research and analysis.” Moreland contracted with K2 to help it analyze campaign finance and lobbying data gleaned from existing state databases. … Although it has been dead for three months, six Moreland Commission staffers—including its $175,000-a-year executive director, Regina Calcaterra—remain on the government payroll, Gannett reported. A source told Capital that Calcaterra will soon be taking a position at the New York State Insurance Fund. http://bit.ly/1klFPdp * Astorino scoffed at the controversy that erupted after he used a line from “The Godfather” to criticize Cuomo’s handling of the Moreland Commission, saying: “Next time I guess I’ll quote from the Wizard of Oz and maybe they’ll get upset with that too.”

The Affordable Housing Plan and News Conference That Nobody Understands What Affordable Is  

At announcement of affordable housing seminars, celebratory air out of sync with reality of some not-so-affordable units(AYR)

The flyer is here and in Spanish here

It's surely progress, the series of seminars announced yesterday to inform people how to apply for affordable housing lotteries, helping them ensure they properly fill out applications and try to clean up their credit.But the press conference yesterday at Borough Hall, led by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, with several elected officials, developers' representatives, and nonprofit organizers, had an air of celebration and triumph out of sync with the reality. "They're removing the 'No Vacancy'' sign," declared an effusive Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. "1100 [affordable] units will no longer be out of reach for the everyday Brooklynite." "This is so Brooklyn can stay in Brooklyn," declared 35th District Council Member Laurie Cumbo, who said the idea for seminars grew out of conversations she had on the campaign trail.

"We are extremely proud of our affordable housing program at Atlantic Yards," declared Forest City Ratner's Melissa Burch, the only developer's representative to speak at the press conference. (Forest City will have the largest amount of subsidized units, and its CEO co-chairs the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.)

Actually, the affordability of the coming subsidized units was glossed over significantly, as well as the difficulty of winning a highly competitive lottery, even with 50% of the units set aside for residents of the local Community Board (or Boards) where the project is located.

Subsidized ≠ "low income"

Though Rob Solano of Churches United for Fair Housing--the sponsor of the first seminar--spoke with emotion about ten people sharing a bathroom, and people having to sleep on couches, many of the affordable units will be out of reach of such low-income residents. (The first seminar is tomorrow at 6:30 pm at Brown Memorial Baptist Church, 484 Washington Avenue in Clinton Hill. RSVP to Churches United for Fair Housing, jaylin@cuffh.org.) No one at the press conference explained who'd be eligible for the 1100 units. Nor did they appear to welcome questions. DBP President Tucker Reed took three questions and chose, as the last questioner, someone who clearly wasn't press (no pen, notebook, or camera). When I asked Reed afterward how the 1100 units were split among low-, moderate-, and middle-income units, he said he didn't know but I could contact the developers.

As Cuomo's Moreland Shut Down Scandal Rages the U.S. Attorney Takes Credit for Cleaning Up Corruption in the Courtroom

A jury today found ex-Queens Councilman Dan Halloran guilty on all five counts of the corruption charges he faced stemming in part from his role in a bribery scheme to sell the GOP line in the 2013 NYC mayoral primary.

Dan Halloran guilty of masterminding failed $200K bribery scheme(NYP)
Ex-New York Councilman Is Convicted in Corruption Case(NYT)
Ex-Queens City Councilman Daniel Halloran convicted on corruption, bribery ...(NYDN)
Former Councilman Found Guilty of Bribery(WSJ)




US Attorney Preet Bharara issued the following statement:

A Dig At Cuomo?
“With today’s verdict of guilty reached by an impartial and independent jury, the clean-up of corruption in New York continues in courtrooms.

Malcolm Smith or Vinny Tabone?

As the jury unanimously found, Daniel Halloran played a key role in two distinct political corruption schemes: first, for $20,000, Halloran was willing and able to serve as a go-between to deliver bribes to political party officials, and second he also took nearly $25,000 in cash and illegal campaign contributions to steer $80,000 in City Council money to other bribe payers.”

“Dan Halloran was the lone defendant in the trial that just ended in his conviction, but he is unfortunately not alone in a crowded field of New York officials who are willing to sell out their offices for self-enrichment.”

“This Office will continue the vigorous prosecution of political corruption to secure for the people of New York – regardless of party affiliation – what they deserve: the honest labors of their elected representatives. And we will continue to partner with the FBI, whose outstanding investigative work in this case

More on Dan Halloran Trial

More on Smith and Tabone Corruption Trial

 

Seabrook Reject by the Garbage

Disgraced pol Larry Seabrook to have his name scraped off Bronx trash cans (NYDN)

IDC Falling Apart SHOCKING

State Senate Democrats' coalition deal on verge of falling apart: sources(NYDN) EXCLUSIVE: One of the breakaway Dems, Sen. David Valesky, said Tuesday that two Democratic senators in the rebellious Independent Democratic Conference have broken the agreement.Two Democratic senators’ continuing support for state Senate challenger Oliver Koppell, who’s running against Sen. Jeffrey Klein, has put the deal between the IDC and the mainstream Senate Democrats in jeopardy of falling apart


As Profits Dive NY Times Get High On Pot 

New York Times Profit Slips(WSJ)* 'New York Times' legalize pot editorial pushes debate USA TODAY * The New York Times' Explanation for Why It Still Drug-Tests Employees Is ...The Slatest (blog) * The New York Times Co. Posts $88.1 Million Loss ...(NYT) * New York Times Profit Sinks 85% - Wall Street Journal * New York Times Earnings Fall 54 Percent In Second Quarter(Huff Post)

Salon.com ‏@Salon 4m

This Jill Abramson admission tells you everything you need to know about the sorry state of the @NYTimes

de Blasio Blamed Bloomberg But As Councilman Voted for the Poor Door

When the lengthy text of a zoning resolution was amended by the City Council in July 2009,    then-Councilman Bill de Blasio — who arrived late to the meeting — was among the majority who voted “aye.”

One provision said developers of market-rate condos could include affordable units on site, instead of off-site, while allowing for the separation of a number of services that included the entrances. But de Blasio’s vote didn’t stop City Hall officials last week from putting the blame for the controversial Extell Development project at 40 Riverside Blvd. — which will have separate entrance for subsidized tenants — solely on former Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s team.  De Blasio voted for luxury building ‘poor door’ as councilman(NYP)

Mayor de Blasio and other officials denouncing “poor door” entrances for subsidized tenants in luxury buildings actually voted in favor of a measure that made such separation possible, a Post review found.Among the other elected officials who voted in favor of the 2009 zoning changes are current Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Public Advocate Letitia James. The two were among those who took part in a press conference on the steps of City Hall this past Friday condemning the prior administration for signing off on the project.* Beyond the poor door (NYDN Ed) It's a distraction from the core challenge of creating far more affordable housing for low- and middle-class New Yorkers

Last Week True News Went After the Progressives For Allowing A Poor Door, Today A Pol Woke Up  and the NYP Says Free Market Forces Will End the Poor Door 

Government ‘poor door’(NYP) The idea that the residents of these latter units will have a separate entrance has set off comparisons to Downton Abbey, where Lord Grantham and his brood live upstairs in sumptuous conditions, while the servants live down below.  It’s precisely their insistence on defining where poor people live that is responsible for poor doors, not to mention the tax breaks for developers and relief from some zoning restrictions.So why the poor door?

As The Post’s Steve Cuozzo reported more than a year ago, separate doors are required for this kind of the building. In part to make it easier down the road for the units to be managed separately by a non-profit. How much better and simpler it would be if the city did two things. First, just make it easier to build housing of any type. Second, give those who need subsidies vouchers they can use anywhere rather than assign them to a particular unit. Even if builders build just luxury units, when supply is expanded, people move up.  That means an apartment that was once luxury becomes middle class, and a middle-class apartment becomes working class, and down the line. If it weren’t put into government-designated buildings and units, we’d have much more mixing.

True News Keeps the Poor Door Story Alive

DOOR FOR THE POOR BLASTED: Elected officials want to ban affordable section entrances approved by Bloomberg administration(NYPD) “The two-door system is an affront to New Yorkers’ belief in fairness and diversity in our city,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.*  De Blasio seeks to an end to New York City's 'poor doors,' blames Bloomberg  (Newsday)

True News 
Last Week When Giuliani Was Mayor There Was No Building With A Poor Door

Despite having attended 15 of the sessions and received days-worth of orientation sessions, the newbies are scheduled for a first-of-its-kind group lesson on the workings of government during a “mock” Council session on Wednesday afternoon. “At the request of several freshmen Council Members, [we] will be holding a mock stated meeting along with a brief history of the council to more clearly explain the order and procedures which are followed at the stated meetings pursuant to law and council rule,” reads an email sent by the body’s senior director of community engagement, Karina Claudio Betancourt.Fellow freshman Laurie Cumbo (D-Brooklyn) said as a former director of a non-profit, she’d attended her fair share of stated meetings even before being elected.But Cumbo said the training is likely to benefit even the most experienced of the new members. “The same course can be taught by 10 different people and each time you would learn something new,” she said. Novice City Council members still don’t know what they’re doing (NYP)* New York City Approves 'Poor Door' for Luxury Apartment(Newsday)* BdB's rep on City Planning Commission to approve Extell's"poor door" development(NYP)* Manhattan Borough Presidents Gale Brewer at a press conference called for an end to “poor doors” in mixed-income housing developments—separate entrances for the affordable units and for the market-rate units, the Observer reports: 

Anti UFT Teacher Tenure Group Makes Its Move
  the Times Union reports:   * As tenure protections for teachers come under scrutiny nationwide, a look at recent disciplinary cases shows termination attempts often ended with fines, The Wall Street Journal reports: ** An obvious way to encourage more talented educators is to compensate teachers for excellence, rather than solely for seniority and advanced degrees, Chris Fazio, a Queens high school teacher, writes in the Daily News: ** An obvious way to encourage more talented educators is to compensate teachers for excellence, rather than solely for seniority and advanced degrees, Chris Fazio, a Queens high school teacher, writes in the Daily News:*The Department of Education is phasing out unhealthy lunch and breakfast items containing high levels of sodium and fat—which it promised to ban from school menus over a year ago, the Post writes:  * NYC fired 40 teachers over past 2 years, but hundreds more paid fines or still face hearings  …(WSJ) Tuesday Update Early School Parents Mad Parents in uproar as over 450 city schools make start time earlier to comply with new teachers union contract  (NYDN)* The state should rethink tenure as a way to reward teachers so that public schools become enterprises of learning, not a jobs program for bad teachers, the Post writes:  Seven families brought together by a new advocacy group created by ex-CNN anchor Campbell Brown filed their long-anticipated suit against New York yesterday, saying that tenure and seniority protections for teachers violate students’ rights to a sound basic education. Brown, who got teary announcing the lawsuit, played down her role in it, saying she’s “just proud to be holding the coats” of the plaintiffs.   The much-hyped Campbell Brown-backed lawsuit challenging the state’s teacher tenure law will be filed in Albany on Monday,*  New York Educators Fight Back on Attacks to Tenure(NYT)  * A report from the Families For Excellent Schools advocacy group shows that at nearly a quarter of New York City schools, 90 percent of students fail to read or do math at grade level, the Daily News reports: 
The United Federation of Teachers sent out a memo defending tenure laws after two parents groups in New York filed lawsuits to challenge it.

Do Lobbyists Have Anything to Do With the City Not Cleaning Up Its Corrupt Commputer Contract System? YOU BET

'Weaknesses' remain in city’s handling of computer contracts, nearly four years after explosive CityTime scandal: investigators(NYDN) The report found that CityTime contractors hired sub-contractors who in turn hired their own sub-contractors, some of whom were unknown to the city. Peterson says all sub-contractors should undergo exhaustive review. The city paid an outside consultant, Mark Mazer, to oversee CityTime, but he wound up masterminding the $500 million fraud. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. DOI says the city must assign a qualified city employee to that role for all future projects. The upgrade started in 2004 and was supposed to take three years and cost $1.3 billion. By 2012 it had grown to $2 billion — and wasn’t complete. Mayor de Blasio halted it in May after dispatchers complained of glitches that regularly delayed emergency response times. And Controller Scott Stringer held up a $6 million settlement with the project’s contractor, Hewlett Packard, due to an earlier audit that found $160 million in possible overbilling. DOI is now trying to determine what went wrong and whether fraud occurred. Peters’ recommendations will likely apply to the ongoing effort to upgrade the 911 system. CityTime Scandal Time Line

The Lobbyist Who Made Money on the Broken 911 System

Both Mercury and George Artz have been lobbyists for Hewlett-Packard which was the main contractor of the city's 911 emergency system that crashes a lot. The city 911 system is now being sued by the parents of 4-year-old Ariel Russo who claim she died because an ambulance to take the little girl to the hospital was delayed by a 911 crash.  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. More on Corrupt Lobbyists More on Dark Pool Corrupt Lobbyists

SHOCKING The City's Largest Lobbying Firm Kasirrer Was Deep Into the Corrupt of the Citytime Scandal
 The city’s top lobbyist has been retained to restore the battered reputation of a national company at the center of the CityTime scandal, one of the biggest rip-offs in municipal history. Records show that Suri Kasirer, who consistently reports earning more than any lobbyist working in city government, was hired Feb. 15 to work on behalf of Spherion Atlantic Enterprises.  The company hired the two computer consultants whom prosecutors charged with pulling off one of the biggest heists ever by embezzling $80 million of the $722 million in spending to build a new timekeeping system. Kasirer Consulting, the firm founded by Suri Kasirer. Her firm raked in about $6 million—about a tenth of all of the city lobbying dollars spent in 2012. The firm also earned nearly twice as much as its nearest competitor. Lobbyists Lined Up To Help Host Million-Dollar Bill de ...(NYDN)Oct 22, 2013 - The host committee of Bill de Blasio's million-dollar Monday-night ... Hospital, and A-list lobbyist Suri Kasirer, who has met with de Blasio on ...

Holtzman Should Give the City Her Lobbying Fees From From the Corrupt Citytime Project

Ms. Holtzman's lobbying firm was paid $120,000 in 2009, $90,000 in 2010, and $200,000 in 2011 by SAIC, the maker of CityTime, to lobby New York City politicians in order to keep NYC.gov paying CityTime's huge cost overruns. Eventually, it was estimated that SAIC over-billed New York City by $600 million, and Ms. Holtzman was one of the principal lobbyist being paid to keep that gravy train rolling. Her lobbying firm was paid $410,000 to keep the CityTime gravy train rolling into Ms. Holtzman's station. Holzman lobbied Borough President - Queens, NYC Council Members. Comptroller's Office, Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Office of The Mayor (OTM), Office of the Contract Services

Moreland Shut Down Breaking the Spirit of A Citizen Trying to Clean Up the Independence Party 

Charges Against Cuomo: Shut Down Moreland Get the Independence Line
Friday Political dissident says Cuomo got endorsement after Moreland disbanded(NYP)But a political dissident who asked Gov. Cuomo’s anti-corruption panel to look into a top Independence Party official thinks the way things turned out just stinks.Two months after Tom Reddy’s last interview with an investigator, the commission closed for business — and soon after Cuomo won the Independence Party ballot line.  “They were looking into it. The next thing you know, the Moreland Commission was disbanded and Cuomo gets the Independence Party endorsement,” said Reddy, a former West­ches­ter detective.In a letter to the panel and Cuomo last August, Reddy pleaded for an investigation of Westchester Independence Party leader Giulio Cavallo. In a letter to the panel and Cuomo last August, Reddy pleaded for an investigation of Westchester Independence Party leader Giulio Cavallo. “Mr. Cavallo has been boasting for years about his ability to squeeze elected officials for patronage jobs in exchange for the IP party line,” Reddy wrote. He also claimed Cavallo personally benefited by holding down a number of government jobs “for which he has done no work.” Initially, Reddy said the Moreland Commission panel took his charges seriously. He said he was contacted by chief investigator Robert Addolorado in December 2013 and again in January 2014.

Feds Would Have Used Rapfogel to Take Down Others . . .  AG Politics = Containment  

AG Does Nothing to Clean Up Albany

William Rapfogel, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's pal, gets 10 years for defrauding charity   (NYDN) The 59-year-old is sentenced Wednesday for his role in a $9 million scam. The former head of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty previously admitted his guilt, paying back $3 million.
Rapfogel Sentenced to Three and a Half Years for Stealing From Charity(NYT)

More on the Rapfogel Scandal Timeline 

Here Comes the $3.50 Fare Right After the Election 

DiNapoli Frets Possible MTA Funding Gap(YNN) The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s capital plan over the next five years could have a funding gap as high as $12 billion, a report released on Thursday by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office found.* MTA faces $12B funding gap for major capital projects: report(NYP)* Comptroller: MTA Needs More Funds for Capital Projects (WSJ) Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli warned the MTA may face a funding gap of more than $12 billion for its plan to finance repair and construction projects over the next five years* The MTA said recent contract agreements with its unions will cost an added $1 billion through 2016,(NYDN)  setting the stage for a debate over how the agency will pay for construction and repairs in coming years, The Wall Street Journal reports:

More on the MTA

Queens Tammany Hall Library No More 

Update 
Former Queens Library Trustees File Suit Against Borough President, State AG (NY1)

 8 Are Removed as Queens Library Trustees(NYT)

The dismissed members voted in April not to fire the director of the library system, who is under investigation. Eight members of the Queens Library board of trustees were dismissed by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the borough president, Melinda Katz after they voted in April against firing Thomas Galante* LONG OVERDUE: De Blasio, Queens borough president dump 8 library trustees who voted to save bookworm Gallante (NYDN)

Queens Boss Crowley Blows Up Trader Van Bramer's Queens Library Political Machine

In a letter to Queens Library trustees, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz demands that they rein in library President Thomas Galante and cut the $2 million payout he’d receive if he is dismissed, the Daily News’s Juan Gonzalez writes: 
* Flashback: City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer explodes at colleagues(NYDN) Van Bramer's colleagues questioned whether Van Bramer's ties to the Queens Library would compromise his ability to hold a hearing on the library's finances

More on the Queen's Library Scandal

Bloomberg Continues the Tradition of NY Mayors Making An Impact on Foreign Policy

F.A.A. Lifts Ban on U.S. Flights to and From Israel(NYT) * F.A.A. Lifts Ban on U.S. Flights to and From Israel(Time) * Why I Flew to Israel Featured-Bloomberg View * Mike Bloomberg in Israel: FAA wrong In-Depth-Politico* The Politics Behind the FAA's Israel Flight Ban

Tablet Magazine* CITY HALL MANAGES A CRISIS -- Insiders discuss their strategy: While Bill de Blasio vacations in Italy, top City Hall officials gave the Times and Eyewitness News a tick-tock, behind the scene look at how they handled the aftermath of Eric Garner’s death. The administration allied itself with Garner’s family, expressing sympathy for their loss, removing the gun and the badge from the main officer involved, and signaling deeper change is coming to the NYPD. In the long run, the administration will be judged by what tangible changes come to the NYPD in the wake of Garner’s death. * BLOOMBERG SPARS WITH STATE DEPARTMENT, WOLF BLITZER -- Capital’s Sally Goldenberg: Former mayor Michael Bloomberg said he "couldn't disagree more" with the U.S State Department's travel warning for Israel during a contentious televised interview on Wednesday afternoon. "Everybody seems comfortable," Bloomberg said, standing beside Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat during an interview on CNN with Wolf Blitzer. Bloomberg grew testy when Blitzer followed up by asking if the department's decision was "political." "Don't be ridiculous. Why would you think that?" Bloomberg began, calling the question "an outrage."* WARM WELCOME: Former Mayor Bloomberg gets presidential treatment on supportive visit to Israel(NYDN)* Mayor's Absence During Garner Ordeal Draws Ire(WSJ)

As Brooklyn Boss Supports Indicted Sampson Reformers Close Their Eyes

SEDDIO BACKING SAMPSON: State Sen. John Sampson’s political future has looked bleak ever since he was indicted on multiple federal corruption charges, but a powerful segment of the Brooklyn Democratic establishment is doing all it can to keep him in office, City & State reports:

Frank Seddio resigned a judgeship while under investigation by the state's judicial watchdog agency

Daily News asked Seddio to Release documents of  his Investigation to Them in the Name of His New Push for transparency Seddio - Many other people involved who Privacy  should be kept. Never a decision made We are not going to release the documents. Would Seddio ask the panel to open the files? And, just as important, would Seddio open the documents before the regulars voted on whether to make him party chairman? This did seem in keeping with Seddio’s vow to bring transparency to party operations.First, the PR man said Seddio would release the file only after the vote for a new boss. Then, the PR man said Seddio had entirely ruled out going public because the documents refer to other people whose privacy could be infringed.  Then, the PR man said Seddio would allow the Daily News to look at portions of the files with names blanked out, but no copying would be permitted. And he’d make the arrangements sometime after the vote.

Why Did the Daily News Leave Out the Name of Brooklyn Boss Seddio's PR Man?

First, the PR man said Seddio would release the file only after the vote for a new boss. Then, the PR man said Seddio had entirely ruled out going public because the documents refer to other people whose privacy could be infringed. Then, the PR man said Seddio would allow the Daily News to look at portions of the files with names blanked out, but no copying would be permitted. And he’d make the arrangements sometime after the vote. We’re not holding our breath. As the song goes, meet the new boss, same as the old boss.Frank Seddio picks up George Arzt for his push ... -  * Capital New York 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 Judy Menin Manhattan BP race run by Belin Rosen and George Arzt can you find out who told her to hire Melvin Lowe Melvin Lowe Under Investigation Hired by Menin truenewsfromchangenyc.blogspot.com *Menin’s spokesman George Arzt confirmed that Lowe was hired by the campaign to assist with petitioning, and said campaign ended its relationship with Lowe “after a very brief period” just as the news of Huntley’s wiretap list broke.  Arzt Gave almost $100,000 in campaign contributions to NY state candidates spread out over many years.* 2013-10-29 George Arzt - NYS Board of Elections Contributions - Disclosure.pdf George Arzt represents Excell One57 and dozens of other developers * George Arzt - NYC Lobbyist Search Result * More  George Arzt is A Bad Guy   * Extell George Arzt Moreland Commission  * George Arzt Communications, Inc. - NYC Lobbyist Search Result

It's About What the Reformers Don't Know or Want to Know

New Brooklyn Boss Frank Seddio visited a reform club last week and told the members that there is no corruption in the Kings County courts, told them patronage is not a bad thing and promised more transparency, as he served them cannolis he brought for them.  A couple of days before his visit the Daily News called his word worthless because he went back on his promised to release documents related to a state Commission on Judicial Conduct investigation of his conduct while running for Surrogate judge. The problem the reformers have with Seddio is that except for the Daily News warning the press has done very little to inform them who is the real Frank Seddio.  There is a lot to be learned by investigating how Seddio used the machine and government to make $$$ and remain * Brad Lander ‏@bradlander I think Frank Seddio may be the first Brooklyn Democratic County Leader ever to attend #CBID annual dinner!* *   THE HIGH COST OF LOW LIFES: The taxpayer money being spent to defend disgraced politicians like Vito Lopez could have been saved if Speaker Sheldon Silver had prioritized employee safety over the Assembly’s reputation, Alexis Grenell writes in City & State:   * True News: Seddio: Leave the Gun Take the Cannolis

Before Anything Will Change in This City, State and City the Public Has to Heed This Advice On the Video

Even With the media Feeding us Thorazine 24/7 and None Politician David Perdue Beat Georgia's Congressman Jack Kingston

Dark Money For A Dark Money Fund
The Creation of A Secret Govt to Rule NYC

School bus firms try to hide $40K in donations to mayoral nonprofit(NYP) School bus operators who need Mayor de Blasio’s help to retain lucrative city contracts contributed nearly $40,000 to a mayoral nonprofit — but took steps to hide the donations from public view, a Post review found. The school bus owners were among a number of special-interest groups that helped de Blasio’s Campaign for One New York raise $1.7 million in the first six months of 2014. But, unlike the yellow-cab firms and the teachers union, the bus owners tried to mask their involvement. Careful Bus Co. — which has $90 million in contracts set to expire in 2015 — gave nearly $10,000 through a number of LLC’s, including 88th Street Self Storage Inc. and First Investors Equipment Leasing Corp. Another donation is listed solely as coming from Richard Caparella, who is the brother-in-law of Careful Bus co-owner Marty Hoffman.

School bus operators who need New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s help to retain lucrative city contracts contributed nearly $40,000 to a mayoral nonprofit—but took steps to hide the donations from public view

“He asked me to donate” Caparella told The Post. L&M Bus, which has some $110 million in contracts set to expire next year, gave $15,000 via Stable Realty LLC which shares its Brooklyn address. And brothers Chris and Joseph Termini gave $10,000 without listing the firms they own — Dak and Hoyt Transportation.  The brothers had also tried to donate $4,500 each to de Blasio’s mayoral transition fund in December, but the campaign returned both donations.  BerlinRosen, which ran de Blasio’s mayoral campaign and is managing the Campaign for One New York, didn’t say why the money was refunded in one case and not the other. The Termini brothers declined to discuss their donations. Current school bus operators are at de Blasio’s mercy because they have contracts that require them to employ the most senior union staffers — which dramatically boosts operating expenses.Asked about the yellow-bus company donations, the mayor’s office referred questions to BerlinRosen. “The Campaign for One New York is supported by individuals, foundations and organizations committed to expanding early education and to the mayor’s broad progressive agenda,” said co-founder Jonathan Rosen.* Mayor de Blasio’s secret cash gifts(NYP) For a guy who whines about money in politics — and is always calling for more transparency — Mayor de Blasio sure gets his cash in a sneaky way. There’s a pattern here. In April, the same mayor’s group received $350,000 from the American Federation of Teachers just before the AFT’s local affiliate reached a big fat contract that included raises and retroactive pay the union had been demanding.  All together, the Campaign for One New York amassed $1.7 million in the six months Mayor Bill has been in office. Question is, how much of this has been snuck in by special interests trying to get on the mayor’s good side? The usual response is that these contributions show we need public financing of campaigns. But wait a minute. New York City already has public financing of campaigns. So how is that a solution?

A City Council BOE Takeover? 

Four people vying to become the newest Board of Elections commissioner—Lenore Kramer, Louise Dankberg, Leonard Kohen and Alan Schulkin—will line up to be grilled by the City Council in a series of private interviews tomorrow, the Daily News reports: http://goo.gl/geqDih

The Kasirer Reps Rapfogel's Met Council  Forest City Ratner Nexus

Rapfogel nwas ForestCity's partner on ncil Seward Park bid, charity show,etc  * Former Forest City Ratner lobbyist Melvin Lowe, Sampson crony, charged with corruption; charges do not involve developer(Atlantic Yards) The Forest City angles 1) Given that Forest City Ratner joinedwith the Met Council on a bid to redevelop the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area, the departure of Rapfogel--surely highlighted as a key executive in the bid package--casts a major shadow on that bid.  2) The Barclays Center chose to give the Met Council--and a music camp--profits from a  2/28/13 cantorial concert. Shouldn't investigators look into any ulterior motives, like buffing the developer's relationship with Silver as a prelude to that Seward Park bid? 3) The position of Rapfogel's son Michael, a Forest City VP of External Affairs who's the developer's chief legislative liaison, has to become a little uncomfortable, though he is of course not responsible for his father's actions. His mother Judy is still Silver's top aide, and that has to be the key legislative relationship. But the name Rapfogel is now associated with an emerging scandal. I've written at length about the ties between Forest City, Silver, and the Rapfogels.

Berlin Rosen is Working for Michael Blake Campaign

It New Yorkers Face Cheney Like Fake Reality (Brainwashing) and Tammany Hall Corruption

de Blasio Primary: Hospital Not Condos
Mayor's Flack: Condos No Full Hospital 

De Blasio-allied group defends LICH deal to brownstone Brooklyn(Capital)  The outside group that advocated for Mayor Bill de Blasio's pre-K plan is sending out a mailer praising a deal that resulted in a dramatic downsizing of Long Island College Hospital in Cobble Hill. The Campaign for One New York is the new iteration of UPKNYC, the advocacy group run by the mayor's former campaign aides that spent more than $1 million promoting the mayor's universal pre-K plan. When its name change was announced in May, the group's spokesman, former de Blasio campaign aide Jonathan Rosen, told the Wall Street Journal that it would "build on the grassroots energy of UPKNYC and last fall's  campaign to support the mayor's bold, progressive agenda as it continues to move forward — building the affordable housing we need, fighting inequality, and ensuring that every child receives a great education." The mayor got arrested during his mayoral campaign protesting the prospect of the hospital's closure. * BerlinRosen's current and recent clients include Two Trees Management Negotiations between Mr. de Blasio’s team and Mr. Walentas’s firm took place over the last few days. The two men share a mutual adviser: Jonathan Rosen, one of the mayor’s top political hands and the chief executive of a public affairs firm, Berlin Rosen, that counts Mr. Walentas’s company as a client.

A Lobbyists Who Grew Out of the WFP's Data and Field Swamp is Not Telling New Yorkers How to Think?

LICH had been losing millions of dollars a month.  In February, when the mayor announced a "truly historic" agreement with those community groups, health care unions, and the State University of New York that he hoped would save the hospital, he gave a shout-out to Reilly. Following a messy few months, the state has gone back to negotiating with the partner that it had been talking to in the first place: Fortis Property Group. The deal will not include a full service hospital.The campaign would not disclose how much it spent on the mailer, who its donors are, or how many homes the mailer was sent to. The group's spokesman Dan Levitan said it would disclose its donors in its July 15 filing with the state's Joint Commission on Public Ethics. “The Campaign for One New York and many of the activists involved in preserving healthcare at LICH believe it is important that people in the community understand the many critical services that will be still be provided there, including an emergency room, cancer center, HIV/AIDS clinic, as well as urgent, primary, and preventative outpatient services in more than a dozen specialties," he said, in a statement. The mayor's office had no immediate comment. de Blasio Doublespeak   Rent freeze or rent hike? Sources say de Blasioadministration wanted both (Capital) Several members of the board said that a top aide from the de Blasio administration urged them to vote for the increases. (CrainsNY)

The Real Build New York Campaign

Construction projects prelude donations for Cuomo(NYP)State government contracts are paving the way for political donations to Gov. Cuomo, a Post analysis of records reveals.A $3.8 million project to repair a portion of the Saw Mill River Parkway in Pleasantville served as a prelude to $15,000 in contributions to Cuomo’s re-election, including from the contractor who won the bid. According to Board of Elections records, William Schultz, owner of W.M. Schultz Construction in Saratoga County, donated $5,000 to Cuomo six months after repaving a stretch of the Saw Mill to reduce flooding. “The project had nothing to do with the contribution,” Schultz told The Post. Within a year after the project was complete, Cuomo received $10,000 more in contributions from four businesses near the construction site.Two were first-time donors to Cuomo — ECCO III Enterprises, which dropped $5,000 into the governor’s campaign account, and Hughes Contracting Industries, which contributed $3,000.  The companies — all located on Saw Mill River Road just off the parkway that was paved — did not return calls for comment.





NYP Left Out that Assembly Wright As NY County Leaders Gets Judges Their Jobs 

 Assemblyman Keith Wright pushed a court to reinstate his top aide’s driver’s license after she was busted for a 4 a.m. DWI in Harlem last month, where she dropped his name and threatened cops, the Post reports: 







NYP Left Out that Cumbo Campaign Was Fined By the CFB Because Her Consultant the Advance Group Mixed Citizen United $$$ With Her Campaign Contributions  
More Member Items Abuse
Once again our City Council is proving — with your tax dollars — that even a good cause can start to lookugly when it looks to political connections for funding.  The latest example is Brooklyn Councilmember Laurie Cumbo’s $1.4 million taxpayer-financed gift to the Museum of Contemporary Arts. Her donations will be matched by another $1.4 million in the mayor’s executive budget, for a grand total of $2.8 million for this museum. That’s a nice chunk of change. One other relevant point: Cumbo is the founder of this museum.

We don’t suggest that any of this is illegal. But that’s the smelly part, at least with regard to council member items. This is money that the council’s politicians take from taxpayers and ladle out to their pet projects and causes without even a vote. The worthiness of the cause being supported is irrelevant. In fact, we think by participating in a process so open to abuse, non-profits risk their good names. Remember, member items were part of William Rapfogel’s scam at the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty. So we’re with Mayor de Blasio on this. End member items. And let these worthy causes raise money the old-fashioned way — either by persuading private benefactors to contribute, or, when taxpayer dollars are involved, by holding an up or down legislative vote.

The CFB Finds the Advance Coordinated PAC NYCLASS $$$ and Campaign $$$

The Investigation Of the Advance Group NYCLASS Corruption Continues With Fines Against Two CN Cumbo and Levenson  
City council members fined over money from anti-horse carriage group(NYP)Two city council members were slapped with hefty fines for accepting prohibited campaign contributions from a group at the center of the Central Park horse carriage brouhaha. Freshman member Laurie Cumbo (D-Brooklyn) was fined $7,868, and newbie Mark Levine (D-Manhattan) was fined $8,686 by the city’s Campaign Finance Board for accepting over-the-limit funding from a “prohibited source.” The board found that the funding source for both campaigns – New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Street (NYCLASS) – was too intertwined with the candidates’ consultant, The Advance Group (TAG).Campaigns are prohibited from coordinating with third-party groups that make “independent” expenditures. Yet TAG president and lobbyist Scott Levenson was political director for NYCLASS, and both groups shared the same office space.* Two NYC campaigns fined over cash from animal rights group(Newsday) But NYCLASS and The Advance Group were intertwined -- NYCLASS' political director doubled as The Advance Group's president, for example -- and spending by NYCLASS "could not be and" was "not independent" of the campaigns, the finance board said. The contributions were over the $2,750 limit as nonindependent spending and weren't reported by the campaigns, the board said. Cumbo and Levine responded with a joint statement, saying their campaigns are opposed to outside spending in elections.* 2 City Council members fined thousands for accepting improper campaign funds from anti-carriage horse group NYCLASS(NYDN)


Tale of Two One Building: How Developer's Campaign Contribution Led to the Poor Door

City OKs UWS development with ‘poor door’ for residents(NYP) The city approved a developer’s controversial plans for a “poor door” on the Upper West Side, The Post has learned.Extell came under fire last year when it introduced plans for a 33-story luxury condo with a separate entrance for affordable-housing tenants.A spokesman for the Department of Housing Preservation and Development confirmed that the agency had approved Extell’s application for the Inclusionary Housing Program. Under the program, developers may build larger properties in exchange for providing on- or off-site low-income housing. The development will have 219 units overlooking the waterfront and 55 affordable units in a “building segment” facing the street.

Extell Wants to Segregate the Poor

Upper West Side condo has separate entrances for rich and poor(NYP)

 This is rich! The poor will use a separate door under plans for a new Upper West Side luxury tower — where affordable housing will be segregated from ritzy waterfront condos despite being in the.

As the Millions in Tax Breaks to Excell Has Shown Real Estate Developers Already Own Albany and the Governor

In an interview, Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York, a government watchdog group, indicated that the multimillion-dollar effort was a significant shift in city politics and might alter the nature of campaigning on the local level.  “The entire point of a City Council race is to reflect the needs of the neighborhoods in a district,” Ms. Lerner said. “This undercuts the neighborhood-based nature of a district and replaces neighborhood concerns with industry concerns.

How Real Estate $$$ Run Politics in NYC

Cuomo $300,000 from Extell

On Real Estate Contributors Subpoenas

Cuomo said he has no problem with the anti-corruption Moreland Commission he convened sending subpoenas to real estate companies that have contributed to his campaign, including Extell Development, the Times Union writes:  

Gov. Cuomo's long-time city developer donor got more generous when it stood to get $35 million in tax breaks(NYDN) Corporations and people affiliated with Extell Development made more than $300,000 in donations to Cuomo since May 2012, around the same time the governor and lawmakers were weighing a housing bill that would save Extell millions over a decade.Two corporations tied to Extell Development each contributed $50,000 to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s campaign the same day the Assembly passed a housing bill with tax breaks for five developers, including Extell, the Daily News reports: *Sheldon Silver aided Gov. Cuomo in sneaking through tax breaks for luxury developer(NYDN) * Gov. Cuomo's long-time city developer donor got more generous when it stood to get $35 million in tax breaks(NYDN) Corporations and people affiliated with Extell Development made more than $300,000 in donations to Cuomo since May 2012, around the same time the governor and lawmakers were weighing a housing bill that would save Extell millions over a decade.* Towering corruption (NYDN) Commission must find the truth about Albany's tax breaks for luxury highrises* New York City real estate companies are exploiting a loophole in state election law that considers limited liability corporations as individuals, allowing them to contribute up to $150,000 through LLCs that they own for different sites, Crain’s Insider reports

True News Exclusive: Will Moreland Look At City Officials/ Candidates Who Got Matching Funds From Extell's One57?

Gaming the System

It was not only Vito Lopez, Marty Golden, Keith Wright, Cuomo the Albany Assembly and Senate PACs of both parties that got money from Extell Development, sponsor of One57 for tax breaks.  At least 6 citywide candidates got the loot from the buildings developers.  Extell contributions to city officials were designed to take advantage of the public matching fund program.  Most were $175 with many of the same contributors giving to more than one candidate.  The Moreland Commission is looking into the state contributions and tax reductions connections, there is no indication if the commission will look into with the city pols for their cash.  They should.  George Arzt a flack for Extell works for at least two of the candidates who got money from the developer. If you wonder why the middle class keep getting pushed out of NYC, It has to do with the same candidates who promise to save the middle class feeding off the tit of the luxury developers.

A towering insult - NY Daily News

As the Daily News revealed last Tuesday, One57 is among five residential projects that were shoehorned into a real estate tax abatement program under language mysteriously written into legislation passed in Albany.  The companies that will benefit, their lobbyists and PACs have donated $1.5 million to Albany campaign accounts over the past five years. The bill’s sponsors — Sen. Marty Golden and Assemblyman Keith Wright — professed ignorance.* How the Rich Get a Big Real Estate Tax Break - NYTimes.com * Assemblyman Keith Wright Sent Letter Acknowledging Developer Tax Breaks In Bill(NYDN)

Wright Tries to Blame Vito Lopez
Wright is furious at Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver for dragging him into a controversy over tax breaks awarded to five city developers, the Daily News’s Ken Lovett writes: http://nydn.us/15ZsRDH  Wright inherited the bill after Silver replaced former Assembly Housing Committee Vito Lopez, who was removed because of his sexual harassment scandal. The bill is the subject of an investigation, in which high-level politicians allegedly received money from real estate developers

 Albany's Tax Breaks Turn Into Foreign Aide for the Rich

Silver Builds Affordable Housing for the Residents of Qatar Not Middle Class and Poor New Yorkers   Qatar Prime Minister – New Owner of the $100 Million New York’s Most Expensive Penthouse

How Much Has New York Lost To Florida? * Qatar Prime Minister – New Owner of the $100 Million New York’s Most Expensive Penthouse

International Office Investment Up Also

New York’s improving economy coupled with high demand from global investors have driven Manhattan office-building values back to where they were before the crash, The Wall Street Journal writes:

How Does the Media Let George Arzt Get Away With Flacking for Luxury Highrise Tax Breaks, While Running Major Campaigns?

Extell Corrupt Lobbyist Arzt Flacks for Brooklyn Boss Seddio

“Frank left the job because the bench was less-than-scintillating,” said Seddio spokesman George Artz. “Frank is a people person, and he found the post wasn’t for him.” You think after losing with Hynes Artz would have gotten out of Brooklyn?* * 2013-10-29 George Arzt - NYS Board of Elections Contributions - Disclosure.pdf George Arzt represents Excell One57 and dozens of other developers * George Arzt - NYC LobbyistSearch Result * More  George Arzt is A Bad Guy LobbyistsWho has done a lot of harm(True News)  *  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. * George ArztCommunications, Inc. - NYC Lobbyist Search Result
More on Arzt and Other Corrupt Lobbyists  

EXTELL DEVELOPMENT COMPANY. Media Contact: George Arzt  at 212-608-0333 Can we expect the candidates like Katz that Arzt is trying to elect this year will help him get more tax breaks for luxury highrises. Subpoenas have gone to Gary Barnett’s Extell Development, sponsor of One57 *Extell Lobbyist Money is Also Flying At the Hudson Yards

Real Estate Developers, Tax Breaks and Politics

Has the City Council Forgoten Something? 

NYC weathers six months of a progressive City Council(NYP)
1.  ID for undocumented aliens, transgender people or anyone else who for whatever reason doesn’t possess legal proof of identity, the municipal ID card has been presented as a means of integrating a shadowed community of New Yorkers into society. Council member Danny Dromm, the lead sponsor of the muni ID bill, has repeatedly said that the card will become the “must-have accessory” for all “real” New Yorkers. Councilmember Mark Weprin echoed this sentiment, saying during the vote on the bill that “we live in the coolest city in the world, right? And now we’re going to have a membership card, and people will want to be part of that club.”

2. Leave it to the City Council to throw a couple ridiculous crusades into the mix. Council member Peter Koo, who was born in China, wants all textbook references to the Sea of Japan also to call it the “East Sea.” Indicted council member Ruben Wills has introduced a law to establish a nine-member Cricket Task Force to promote the sport in the city. Neither has passed (yet).
3. The new budget may not raise taxes, but that doesn’t mean the City Council isn’t trying to nickle and dime in other ways. Council member Brad Lander wants the city’s stores to start levying a 10-cent fee (which the stores will keep) for every bag they give customers to carry their stuff out of the store. Handleless bags for use inside the store, such as for produce, are exempt, as are bags for pharmacy prescriptions. It hasn’t come to a vote yet.
4. Perhaps the biggest piece of legislation was overriding Michael Bloomberg’s veto of the paid-sick-leave bill and passing an expanded version of the bill.
Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal writes dozens of animal rights bills — winning favor of animal activists(NYDN)

NYT Who Endorsed Rangel's Opponent Never Forgets 

Charlie Rangel's Charitable Giving Shrinks Along With Fund-Raising Clout(NYT) When Charlie Rangel was riding high as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, one way Mr. Rangel, a Harlem Democrat, helped his profile was by giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to charitable organizations. Those days are long gone.

Labor Commissioner Hires His Ex Company

Labor commissioner gives no-bid contract to firm he founded(NYP)  The city’s top labor negotiator turned to some familiar faces to help hammer out dozens of municipal contracts, by bringing on the consulting firm he founded.Three months after Robert Linn was appointed labor commissioner, the city inked a $99,500 no-bid contract with Linn & Logan Consulting, Inc., founded by Linn in 1995.He served as executive director until January’s appointment. Linn got clearance from the Conflicts of Interest Board. Mayor de Blasio spokesman Phil Walzak said the urgency of contract talks precluded soliciting bids.

It Was Cuomo's Best of Days and Worst of Days

 U.S. Issues Subpoena in Inquiry on Cuomo’s Closing of Moreland Commission(NYT) Federal prosecutors have subpoenaed the assistant to the panel’s former executive director to testify, suggesting that the criminal inquiry has moved to a new stage. Federal agents served the subpoena on the assistant, Heather Green, on Wednesday morning, appearing at her doorstep before 7 a.m., the people said. Ms. Green, who is not believed to be a target of the inquiry, worked as an executive assistant to the anticorruption panel’s former executive director, Regina Calcaterra, until Mr. Cuomo announced he was disbanding the panel, known as the Moreland Commission, on March 29. 

The subpoena, according to two people who have seen it or been briefed on its contents, asked for documents and correspondence, including any communications with Mr. Cuomo and his senior aides. It also directed Ms. Green to appear July 28 to testify before a grand jury in Manhattan, the people said. Separately, Mylan L. Denerstein, counsel to the governor, has agreed to be interviewed in early August by federal prosecutors about her involvement with the panel, one of the people said. The U.S. Attorney Preet.Bharara appeared on a radio show days later and, in an unusual move, sharply criticized Mr. Cuomo’s decision, saying his actions made it appear as though the governor had bargained away corruption cases as part of a political deal. Mr. Bharara also referred to allegations that Mr. Cuomo and his aides had interfered with the commission’s investigations, steering them away from the governor and his allies.The direction of Mr. Bharara’s criminal inquiry remains unclear, but it appears to be focused on whether shuttering the panel, or any actions before it, interfered with any prospective federal investigations. It was not immediately clear how Ms. Green’s testimony fit into the criminal inquiry. While news reports have disclosed that several subpoenas had already been served in connection with the investigation, all of those were for documents and other materials, not for testimony.

How Cuomo got his picture-perfect LIRR moment(Capital) “[T]he deal looks like a significant win, allowing him to collect credit for averting a … costly transit mess, and avoiding a confrontation with a union fresh off tamping down a near-revolt on his left at the recent Working Families Party convention. … [T]he governor's late appearance in the drama … comes straight out of the Cuomo playbook. (He did a similar thing in April as the M.T.A. and its Transport Workers Union Local 100 reached a tentative contract for about 34,000 bus and subway workers.) So Cuomo only became involved in the LIRR talks—publicly at least—in the day leading up to the accord. “He had previously suggested that it was an issue for Congress, not the governor (even though he effectively controls the M.T.A.). Then his staff got involved with negotiations behind the scenes … Experts on labor negotiations say that it was always unlikely for Cuomo to become involved in the railroad talks unless he a knew there was a deal to be made, particularly in an election year. And … the union negotiators were unlikely to agree to terms until a few days before the strike was set to occur. If they came back three weeks ago with a tentative deal, their membership may have rejected it believing more could be done

Bill Hammond ‏@NYDNHammond 

"Better to cave before (an LIRR strike) than after,while reaching essentially the same result." 

More on the Moreland Commission

NYP is Demanding the Mayor's PAC One NY Give Back the UFT $$$  

Give the money back, Mayor de Blasio(NYP) Maybe Mayor de Blasio’s spokesman is right: There’s “zero” connection between the sweetheart deal the teachers union won from the city and $350,000 its parent union donated to Mayor Bill’s Super PAC.  Maybe it’s also just a coincidence, as Crain’s reported, that the donation from the American Federation of Teachers to the Campaign for One New York came less than a month before the mayor agreed to a nine-year-contract with its New York local whose health “savings” are vague but whose retroactive pay is all too real.  StudentsFirstNY has called for an investigation. In a letter to the chairman of the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board, the organization says “New Yorkers deserve to know whether it is a conflict of interest for Mayor de Blasio to take large Super PAC contributions from a union with whom he is negotiating a new contract.”

NYPD Getting Good Press On Its Efforts to Stop the Increase in Shootings 

Three gang members charged in shooting of gathered mourners(NYP)*Cops bust eight alleged gun runners in Brooklyn(NYP)

For Six Months True News Has Been Reporting That the Council Speaker Paid A Lobbyists Who Was Lobbying Her . . . Today the Daily News Reports the Same Info As Exclusive 

EXCLUSIVE: City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito paid $28G to lobbying firm for consulting, while they lobbied her on behalf of clients(NYDN) During the period that she was paying Pitta Bishop Del Giorno & Giblin, the firm lobbied her office and members of the City Council on behalf of at least a half-dozen clients, according to lobbying reports filed with the city clerk’s office. Simultaneously paying and being lobbied by the same firm is legal, but the practice has been criticized by good-government  groups worried that such a cozy relationship can give lobbyists special access to a politician. The Daily News between Dec. 1 and July 11, her campaign, Viverito NY, wrote six checks ranging from $722 to $6,630 to the firm Pitta Bishop Del Giorno & Giblin, the campaign finance statements show.On 11/27/2013 the Daily News wrote a story that forced the speakers hand.

Daily News Dumb Crook Reporters?

The Daily News Does Not Even Understand That It Was Them Who Forced the Speaker to Pay Lobbyists Pitta Bishop Del Giorno When They Wrote A Story Attacking the Advance Groups Free Help to Mark-Viverito to Make Her Council Speaker.  A Violation of the City Ethics Rules for Lobbyists.  EXCLUSIVE: City Council Speaker candidate Melissa Mark-Viverito may have violated city ethics rules(NYDN) Mark-Viverito, an East Harlem councilwoman, accepted unpaid assistance from the Advance Group, a prominent lobbying firm working to further her candidacy (Daily News 11/27/2013)

If the Daily News Wants to Keep the Horses They Should Work On Exposing the Advance Groups Corruption Before Their Friends Cover It Up
A kick in the teeth (NYDN Ed) The Daily News delivers nearly 40,000 carriage horse petitions to City Hall, but Mayor de Blasio has blinders on

As Reported in True News for Months

Lobbyists Are the New Party Bosses 

Melissa Mark-Viverito spent big bucks on speaker's race, campaign filings show

  Mark-Viverito spent significant amounts on campaign consultants - paying $22,352 to consultants Pitta Bishop Del Giorno Giblin. She also owes that firm another $6250.She paid $8295 to Amelia Adams from New York Communities for Change, now a top staffer on her city payroll, $10,000 to H Strategies, where her now-communications director Eric Koch then worked, and $10,000 to Jon Paul Lupo, who worked on her speaker campaign and is now a top aide to Mayor de Blasio.  She also donated $8500 to the Working Families Party.  Mark-Viverito collected donations from unions 1199 SEIU, CWA Local 1180, and 32BJ. An opponent of the proposed big soda ban, she also got $1000 from Coca Cola’s PAC.* Mark-Viverito spent $106K on bid to become speaker(Capital)

Flashback  Why Did the Daily News Keep Out Its Own Story About the Advance Group Illegally Working for Speaker Mark-Viverito?

 
Daily News Charges Against Mark-Viverto

EXCLUSIVE: City Council Speaker candidate Melissa Mark-Viverito may have violated city ethics rules(NYDN) Mark-Viverito, an East Harlem councilwoman, accepted unpaid assistance from the Advance Group, a prominent lobbying firm working to further her candidacy (Daily News 11/27/2013)

Mark-Viverito Drops Advance

Melissa Mark-Viverito Drops Advance Group for Speaker Bid(NYO) Ms. Mark-Viverito insisted today that this was not the case but out of an “abundance of caution,” the relationship would end. Melissa Mark-Viverito Drops Advance Group for Speaker Bid - Blogs(TU)

To the Winner Lobbyists Goes the Spoils (City Council)
Since the 2013 elections Pitta Bishop Del Giorno & Giblin has picked up of 70 clients to lobby for. 51 clients to lobby the city council, 17 to lobby the office of the mayor

Another big winner of 2013 made a similar argument. Jon Del Giorno, sitting in his firm's 28th-floor conference room a few blocks from City Hall, downplayed the notion that his closeness with Ms. Mark-Viverito will help his firm, Pitta Bishop Del Giorno & Giblin, which has hovered near the bottom of, or just out of, the top-10 list.  Pitta Bishop has done Ms. Mark-Viverito's election-law compliance since 2005, and last year Mr. Del Giorno quarterbacked her uphill speaker bid. In a clever and unprecedented move, the firm set up a 2017 campaign account for an unspecified office with the state Board of Elections, which allowed Ms. Mark-Viverito to raise $100,000 and hire a full staff for her run, despite needing just 26 votes from council colleagues to win. More than $21,000 of the money reportedly came from Pitta Bishop's long roster of business and labor clients, and gave Ms. Mark-Viverito an edge over her rivals. Common Cause New York said the new speaker was "exploiting" the state's lax campaign-finance system.

The Speakers Lobbyists Cash In

Lobby for the City Council Pitta Bishop Del Giorno & Giblin,: MedReview, Inc.,  Meadows Office Supply Co., Inc.,  National Lighthouse Museum,  Simon Wiesenthal Center, Inc.,  Knickerbocker Plaza LLC,  Local 420 AFSCME AFL-CIO,  Vera Institute of Justice, Inc.,   Hotel, Restaurant & Club Employees & Bartenders Union Local 6, New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council AFL-CIO,   Detectives Endowment Association Police Department, City of New York Inc.,  Lakeside Manor Home For Adults Inc.,   Community Health Center of Richmond, Inc,,  Grasmere and Cameron Lakes Bluebelt Conservancy, Inc.,  Plumbers and Gasfitters Local Union No. 1 of the United Association,  New York State Conference of IUOE,  Richmond Uni Home Care, Inc.,  Adco Electrical Corp,  BIO-REFERENCE LABORATORIES, INC.,   New York Hotel Trades Council and Hotel Assoc. of NYC, Inc. Health Benefits Fund,  LOCAL 372 NEW YORK CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION EMPLOYEES,  UNITE HERE,  MagnaCare Administrative Services, LLC,  District Council No. 4, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, AFL-CIO, A.T.U.-Division 1181-1061 AFL-CIO,  OFFICE &PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION LOCAL 153,  International Union of Painters and Allied Trades DC 9 ,  RICHMOND UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER,  BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc.,  International Union of Operating Engineers Local 14-14B,  Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A,  Glenwood Management Corp.,  LOCAL UNION NO. 94-94A-94B, I.U.O.E., AFL-CIO,  NYSARC, INC., NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER,    New York Black Operator's Injury Compensation Fund, Inc.,    UNIFORMED SANITATIONMEN'S ASS'N LOCAL 831 - I.B.T,   Associated Brick Mason Contractors of Greater New York, Inc.,  East Side Alliance Against Overdevelopment, Inc.,   Urgent-MD Hewlett Management LLC , SOSH Architects, P.A.,, Lobby for the City Council and office of the mayor Pitta Bishop Del Giorno & Giblin,:  New York Wheel LLC, WellPoint, Inc.,  Pier A Battery Park Associates, LLC,  Garage Employees Local Union No. 272,  Staten Island Marine Development, LLC,  The Francis School,  Chef's Choice Cash & Carry Food Distributor, Inc.,  THE WITKOFF GROUP LLC,  Il Commandatore Restaurant Inc.,  RJ LEE GROUP, INC.,  Cameron Club of Staten island, Inc.,  Milrose Consultants, Inc.,  Jewish Community Center of Staten Island, Inc,  UNIFORMED FIRE ALARM DISPATCHERS BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION, INC. , Lobby for the office of the mayor Pitta Bishop Del Giorno & Giblin,:  Gardeners/Growers/Landscapers Association of New York, Inc.,  Council of School Supervisors and Administrators,  SOSH Architects, P.A.

After 6 Months Building Commissioner
 Leaders Named for Buildings Dept. and Police Review Board(NYT)

Mayor Bill de Blasio named a commissioner to the Department of Buildings, which is responsible for making sure that the nearly one million buildings in New York City are safe.* Mayor Appoints Buildings Commissioner, Seeks Changes (WSJ)

Host of de Blasio's One NY Slush Fund Fund Raiser  is A Lobbyists for A Queens Developer Whose Project Will Destroy de Blasio Afforable Housing  Goals 
Davidoff and Malito Represents 2030 Astoria Developers Who Want to Build Astoria Cove Waterfront Development Which Will Raise Rents In Queens

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s affordable housing ambitions are being tested by the Astoria Cove project, a 2.2-million-square-foot development on the Queens waterfront that is raising fears of skyrocketing rents, The Wall Street Journal writes: 

Monday the NYT Was Wrong When They Said Lobbyists Davidoff Was Adopt de Blasio's Agenda
From the NYT Lobbying Group Adopts de Blasio’s Agenda(NYT)
The One New York event was hosted by the lobbying firm of Davidoff Hutcher & Citron. Sid Davidoff, one of the firm’s partners — who was married at City Hall earlier this year in a ceremony officiated by the mayor* The One New York event was hosted by the lobbying firm of Davidoff Hutcher & Citron. Sid Davidoff, one of the firm’s partners — who was married at City Hall earlier this year in a ceremony officiated by the mayor

Mayor de Blasio says donors to his lobbying group expect nothing in return(NYDN)

de Blasio's One New York Lobbyist Works to Bring Brooklyn Gentrification and Rising Rents to Queens

 Davidoff Cashing in Again  5-building complex OK'd for Queens waterfront (CrainsNY) The City Planning Department has given a preliminary thumbs-up to a proposed residential project set to include three towers, each with as many as 32 stories, plus a pair of six-floor buildings farther inland, with a total of 1,698 apartments. "This project will take what is presently an isolated and desolate, underutilized area and transform it into a vibrant mixed-use community," said Howard Weiss, chair of Davidoff Hutcher & Citron's land-use group, who is representing the developer. Astoria Cove, south of Astoria Park on a gritty waterfront peninsula, is being developed by 2030 Astoria Developers Group, which includes Queens-based Alma Realty. The property will include 295 units of affordable housing, a public school and a supermarket, plus a waterfront park that will be open to the public.

Lobbyists the New Permanent Government 

This is What the Activists Are Upset About?

 Anti-Walmart Coalition Battling Big Box Store at Astoria Cove(INYO)

Lobbying Group Adopts de Blasio’s Agenda(NYT) Campaign for One New York began advocating universal prekindergarten, but it has moved on to other issues dear to Mayor Bill de Blasio. de Blasio has had his hands full in his first six months in office, with labor contracts, budgets and day-to-day crises to negotiate. But he made time last month to headline a fund-raiser for a new lobbying group: one seeking to promote his political agenda.

Mr. de Blasio, who has called himself a strong proponent of transparency, did not disclose the event on his schedule, and has not mentioned it since. But one New York City vendor subsequently posted a picture of himself on his company’s website talking with the mayor at the chummy event, which was sponsored by one of the city’s biggest lobbying firms and held at the Friars Club in Manhattan Asked about the photo, the vendor declined to discuss it with a reporter; it was taken off the website. But the mayor’s appearance at the June 10 fund-raiser provides a rare glimpse at Mr. de Blasio’s political operation as it continues to take shape outside the confines of City Hall. Created by his campaign strategists to promote his plans for universal prekindergarten, the lobbying entity, initially called UPKNYC but renamed the Campaign for One New York, has begun branching out to advocate other aspects of the mayor’s agenda. Campaign for One New York, a lobbying group that can accept contributions of unlimited size and has to disclose only large ones, has taken up de Blasio’s political agenda

Who is Funding the One New York PAC
Wendy Neu Who Funded NYCLASS Also Funding One NY

The group, which is called Campaign for One New York, was previously known as UPKNYC. It raised nearly $1.8 million, much of it from labor unions, including the American Federation of Teachers; 1199 S.E.I.U., the health care workers’ union; and Unite Here, the hotel workers’ union formerly headed by a cousin of Mr. de Blasio. The Rockefeller Family Fund, which publicly supported Mr. de Blasio’s prekindergarten plan, contributed $250,000.  Among them were several real estate developers, including JSR Capital ($50,000), the Toll Brothers ($25,000), Argent Ventures ($10,000) and Donald Capoccia (10,000). Several taxi companies; a lawyer and former taxi commissioner, Matthew Daus; and Frias Transportation Infrastructure, a company that has developed technology to record taxis’ trips, also contributed.  Eric Schmidt, the chief executive of Google, gave $50,000; Alexander Levin, a real estate developer, contributed $20,000; and Wendy Neu, the chief executive of an electronics recycling firm who last year supported a political action committee devoted to defeating Christine C. Quinn in the mayoral race, contributed $25,000.* Mayor de Blasio's pre-k lobbying group took in $800K fromunions including #AFT, $1.76m total(WNYC)* Unions raised $1.7M for mayoral non-profit group(NYP)* An total $625,000 was donated by three union groups: SEIU Local 1199, the giant healthcare union that was first to back de Blasio’s 2013 campaign; Unite Here, formerly headed by de Blasio’s cousin John Wilhem; and New York Progress PAC, which spent $1 million fighting Joe Lhota in last year’s general election. “To have a newly elected mayor start a nonprofit organization to support his big initiative — and then go calling for dollars from those who are involved in the city’s business — is unseemly,” said Dick Dadey, director of the good government group Citizens Union.* De Blasio’s union rally at public school broke rules, critics say(NYP)* Before @UFT contract, teachers gave to Mayor @BilldeBlasiocharity(CrainsNY)* * The same day in April that a nonprofit lobbying group closely tied to de Blasio received a $350,000 donation from the American Federation of Teachers, the nonprofit group spent exactly $350,000 to continue running campaign-style television ads touting the mayor's accomplishments, Crain’s reports: 


The NYT Left Out Two Other Attempts to Game the CFB NYCLASS and Data and Field

“It makes it seem as if public policy and the people’s business is up for sale to the largest bidder,” Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York, a government watchdog group.  “This is getting around New York City’s campaign finance system in an unseemly way,” she added.

Notice What the NYT Left Out

1. Jonathan Rosen Who Runs UPKNYC is Not A Registered Lobbyists

2. Johnathan Rosen was Representing the Developer in the Dominos Sugar Deal With the City

3. Johnathan Rosen in 2009 Worked for All the Candidates That Got Help from  Data & Field

On Tuesday, the Campaign for One New York will file a list of contributors with the state. Lobbyists are required to disclose only donations exceeding $5,000, but a spokesman for the group, Jonathan Rosen, said in a statement that it would disclose “all of our fund-raising and spending, beyond what the law requires.” Mr. Parikh said in the post on his company’s website that the event was hosted by the lobbying firm of Davidoff Hutcher & Citron. Sid Davidoff, one of the firm’s partners — who was married at City Hall earlier this year in a ceremony officiated by the mayor — referred questions about the event to Dan Levitan, who works for Mr. Rose

de Blasio Slush Fund 1NY Update . . .  Where the $$ Comes From . . . BHA Debunks Letter About Saving the Hospital and NYT Spins More Crap to Protect Mayor

Does the NYT Think Than An Emergency Room That Does Not Even Treat Heart Attacks is A de Blasio Achievement?

Installation cost the city plenty, but there’s no monitoring

When residents of several public housing complexes learned three years ago that new closed circuit cameras would be installed in their lobbies and elevators, they were optimistic that safety in their buildings would greatly improve.
Three years later, however, residents of one complex say that the New York City Housing Authority has so badly mismanaged the project that they feel no safer now than they did before the cameras were installed.

Moore Houses on East 149th St. near St. Mary’s Park was one of five local complexes that received the cameras, electronic keys and mechanical door locks as part of an initiative to take a bite out of crime, thanks to a $3.2 million allocation from City Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo in 2011.
But residents contend that NYCHA has never assigned anyone to watch a bank of monitors that the cameras’  images are transmitted to, on the ground floor of one of Moore’s four residential buildings. When they have complained to housing officials that the expensive cameras are going to waste, they say the agency has told them it lacks the manpower to oversee the project.
Residents have urged NYCHA to allow tenants themselves to oversee the monitors, but housing officials have declined.
- See more at: http://www.motthavenherald.com/2014/07/08/safety-cameras-bust-say-nycha-tenants/#sthash.5zfURTPW.dpuf

Safety cameras are a bust, say NYCHA tenants

"To judge from its expenditures, One New York’s purpose seems to be less to push for Mr. de Blasio’s proposals than to make sure that he gets credit for his 

Backlash grows over a controversial letter supporting the sale of LICH to a developer, sent out by de Blasio lobbyists. 

Alarm raised about ‘dark money’ behind de Blasio’s LICH - Fortis letter

Brooklyn Heights Association joins fray, debunks ‘Reilly’ letter(Brooklyn Eagle)

The backlash continues against a letter sent out by a de Blasio lobbying group supporting the sale of Brooklyn’s Long Island College Hospital (LICH) to a developer.   The government watchdog group Common Cause raised alarms on Tuesday about “dark money” funding the mass mailing, and the Brooklyn Heights Association (BHA) has added its voice to those debunking the letter's claims. The controversial June 26 letter touts the “stand-alone ER” that will be replacing the historic hospital. Although it was signed by Carroll Gardens’ resident Gary Reilly, the letter was mailed from the headquarters of de Blasio lobbyists operating under the name “The Campaign for One New York.” In the letter, Reilly says, “I was asked by Mayor de Blasio to share my views on what [the sale of LICH] means for families in Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Downtown Brooklyn and Red Hook.”  The outcome, Reilly writes, “. . . is a lot better than we had reason to think one year ago.” With SUNY selling the hospital complex to developer Fortis Property Group, “We will have a freestanding, high quality emergency room, with up to 20 observational beds.” The letter has evoked a storm of criticism from residents of these neighborhoods who fought for more than a year to save the hospital, and who supported de Blasio in his campaign for mayor largely based on his promise to save LICH.  That promise was seemingly forgotten after the election, however.* Big city unions bankroll $1.7M to Mayor de Blasio's lobbying arm(NYDN)* * An advocacy group set up by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s campaign aides raised nearly $1.8 million during his first six months in office to promote his policy agenda, The Wall Street Journal reports:

Sal Albanese ‏@SalAlbaneseNYC

@HammerDaily hopefully we are not returning to the days of @BarrettNation & Jack Newfield's book "City For Sale"

Safety cameras are a bust, say NYCHA tenants

NYT Says de Blasio's Lobbyists is Advocating True News Calls It Brainwashing and Misleadin

Who Will Investigate Berlin Rosen Who Worked for Brooklyn DA Thompson, AG Schniderman, de Blasio and the Council Speaker? 

Both the Advance Group and Berlin Rosen worked for Comptroller Stringer and CM Mark Levine and Laurie Cumbo were fined for his connection to Advance. Berlin Rosen also worked for NYS AG Schniderman. Mayor de Blasio and Comptroller Stringer. Brandford worked with Berlin for the AG and for Comptroller Stringer along with the Advance Group.

The NYT Left Out The Fact That A Major Promise of the Mayor's Campaign Was to Keep LICH A Full Service Hospital, He Even Got Arrested Protesting the Proposed Closing

Since the city received state funding for prekindergarten, the group has turned to other issues. Recently, it sent a letter to residents of Brooklyn, defending the outcome of the long legal battle over the closing of Long Island College Hospital, as well as Mr. de Blasio’s role in it.  Some have criticized the mayor for declaring in February that he had “saved” the hospital, after which it effectively closed. It is being sold to a developer to be turned into condominiums; there will be some health care services, including a free-standing emergency room, on the site.  The letter, signed by Gary Reilly of the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association, said that, thanks in part to Mr. de Blasio, the outcome was “a lot better than what we had reason to think one year ago.”

True News Wags the NYT Wrote About the UPKNYC Hospital Mailing Last Week

It New Yorkers Face Cheney Like Fake Reality (Brainwashing) and Tammany Hall Corruption

de Blasio Primary: Hospital Not Condos
Mayor's Flack: Condos No Full Hospital 

De Blasio-allied group defends LICH deal to brownstone Brooklyn(Capital)  The outside group that advocated for Mayor Bill de Blasio's pre-K plan is sending out a mailer praising a deal that resulted in a dramatic downsizing of Long Island College Hospital in Cobble Hill. The Campaign for One New York is the new iteration of UPKNYC, the advocacy group run by the mayor's former campaign aides that spent more than $1 million promoting the mayor's universal pre-K plan. When its name change was announced in May, the group's spokesman, former de Blasio campaign aide Jonathan Rosen, told the Wall Street Journal that it would "build on the grassroots energy of UPKNYC and last fall's  campaign to support the mayor's bold, progressive agenda as it continues to move forward — building the affordable housing we need, fighting inequality, and ensuring that every child receives a great education." The mayor got arrested during his mayoral campaign protesting the prospect of the hospital's closure. * BerlinRosen's current and recent clients include Two Trees Management Negotiations between Mr. de Blasio’s team and Mr. Walentas’s firm took place over the last few days. The two men share a mutual adviser: Jonathan Rosen, one of the mayor’s top political hands and the chief executive of a public affairs firm, Berlin Rosen, that counts Mr. Walentas’s company as a client.

A Lobbyists Who Grew Out of the WFP's Data and Field Swamp is Not Telling New Yorkers How to Think?

LICH had been losing millions of dollars a month.  In February, when the mayor announced a "truly historic" agreement with those community groups, health care unions, and the State University of New York that he hoped would save the hospital, he gave a shout-out to Reilly. Following a messy few months, the state has gone back to negotiating with the partner that it had been talking to in the first place: Fortis Property Group. The deal will not include a full service hospital.The campaign would not disclose how much it spent on the mailer, who its donors are, or how many homes the mailer was sent to. The group's spokesman Dan Levitan said it would disclose its donors in its July 15 filing with the state's Joint Commission on Public Ethics. “The Campaign for One New York and many of the activists involved in preserving healthcare at LICH believe it is important that people in the community understand the many critical services that will be still be provided there, including an emergency room, cancer center, HIV/AIDS clinic, as well as urgent, primary, and preventative outpatient services in more than a dozen specialties," he said, in a statement. The mayor's office had no immediate comment. de Blasio Doublespeak   Rent freeze or rent hike? Sources say de Blasioadministration wanted both (Capital) Several members of the board said that a top aide from the de Blasio administration urged them to vote for the increases. (CrainsNY)

The UPKNYC event was hosted by the lobbying firm of Davidoff Hutcher & Citron. Sid Davidoff, one of the firm’s partners — who was married at City Hall earlier this year in a ceremony officiated by the mayor
De Blasio Performs First Marriage at City Hall(NYO) between lobbyists Sid Davidoff. and Linda Stasi, a columnist for the Daily News.Sid Davidoff, an early de Blasio backer and longtime friend whom insiders view as one of the big winners of the 2013 elections. Has gotten the following contracts in 2014 to lobby the mayor: Telebeam Telecommunications Corporation,   New York Cosmos LLC,  Association of Water and Sewer Excavators Inc.,  Madelaine Chocolate Novelties, Inc.,   AMERICAN RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES INC.,  Election Systems & Software, Inc.,  Touro College,  Abbott Laboratories,  Times Square District Management Association, Inc.,  Oxford Nursing Home, Inc.,  New York Community Bancorp, Inc.,   Marshall E Bloomfield ESQ,Palladia, Inc.,   RCN Telecom Services, LLC,  AbbVie, Inc,  2030 Astoria Developers, LLC.,   HUNTS POINT TERMINAL PRODUCE COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION INC,  Taxicab Service Association Inc.,  Master Plumbers Council of the City of New York, Inc,  American Recycling LLC,  FIGLI DI SAN GENNARO, INC. ***Here is City Hall lobbyist Davidoff telling Earl Lewis on NY1 that the mayor will be OK

 Davidoff Cashing in Again  5-building complex OK'd for Queens waterfront (CrainsNY) The City Planning Department has given a preliminary thumbs-up to a proposed residential project set to include three towers, each with as many as 32 stories, plus a pair of six-floor buildings farther inland, with a total of 1,698 apartments. "This project will take what is presently an isolated and desolate, underutilized area and transform it into a vibrant mixed-use community," said Howard Weiss, chair of Davidoff Hutcher & Citron's land-use group, who is representing the developer. Astoria Cove, south of Astoria Park on a gritty waterfront peninsula, is being developed by 2030 Astoria Developers Group, which includes Queens-based Alma Realty. The property will include 295 units of affordable housing, a public school and a supermarket, plus a waterfront park that will be open to the public.

Lobbyists the New Permanent Government
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How Come Berlin Rosen Answered A NYT Reporter Question For City Hall?

Berlin Rosen Operates In the Dark Pools of Power and NYC Lobbyist
NYT Michael Powell - A couple of weeks back, I called the mayor’s press office and asked about Mr. de Blasio’s perhaps too-optimistic cost projections for prekindergarten.  Twenty minutes later, I heard from Dan Levitan of Berlin Rosen, which is the “it” P.R. firm of the city’s left and a close adviser to the mayor. He advised that I should study the mayor’s proposals carefully if I presumed to take “a skeptical look” at prekindergarten. I asked if Berlin Rosen had a contract to handle queries placed with the mayor’s office. He replied that he handled the “campaign” for pre-K. Lobbyists Search for Berlin Rosen * When Campaign Aides Are Lobbyists, Questions Mount - City Limits(City Limits) * 8 Lobbyists Consultants and Citizen United  * True News (The Bund): Dark Pools * City Hall's new 'in' crowd of lobbyists (CrainsNY) Lobbyists behind the campaigns of ascendant power brokers are now poised to cash in.*  The Perma-Campaign: For Bill de Blasio, the Race Never Ends(NYO)

More $$$ for Berlin Rosen?
You’ve Got Mail: Fund-Raising Emails Bombard Inboxes More Frequently Than Ever(NYO)

Mayor Boycotting John Gambling

After 15 years of weekly chats with NYC mayors, legendaryradio host John Gambling has found a mayor he cannot book

Sal Albanese @SalAlbaneseNYC

I think these guys are as good as Cheney in creating their own reality. It's the "progressive" version

In the End Media Coverage Drives Crime Policy

Why Does it Take A Murder of A Child to OK NYCHA Cameras to Be Installed?

Nearly a year after NYCHA got $500,000 in taxpayer dollars to install security cameras in all the lobbies at the Boulevard Houses, the city approved the plan — a day after the tragic stabbing attack on two children in a Boulevard elevator. Witnesses say the attacker fled via the lobby after the brutal assault. Why the cameras had not yet been installed remained unclear.* DE BLASIO’S SAFETY PLAN: “Everything we have”: Responding to a surge in violence in the city's public housing projects, and a particularly violent weekend in which 13 people were wounded by gunfire and a 6-year-old was murdered, the Mayor said last night that the city will use “everything we have” to curb violence at public housing developments: “We are going to see a much more visible presence of the NYPD in some of the housing developments that have the worst troubles.”*Homeless Families to Public Housing NYCHA to Allocate Approximately 750 Units a Year to Homeless Families Dozens of Suspected Gang Members Arrested in Raid of 2 Harlem Housing Projects: The police raid was aimed at...

The Media Held A Black Mayor Accountable to Increase In Shootings?

Dave Do Something

During the Dinkins administration a front-page headline in the New York Post had screamed: “Dave do something!”— a direct call to then mayor David Dinkins to get crime down fast.  Today shooting in the city are up after years of going down.  Not only is the press not digging into the reasons for the increase, but they are not holding the mayor’s feet to the fire while New Yorkers are shot.  With the press of the press and the resulting public press  Dinkins' with the help of Albany and the council speaker dramatically increase the size of the NYPD.  Today we have a press that allows mayor  and his flacks to chose the issues that are covered in the media.  Nobody in the media wants to talk about the growing shooting problem and the reason for it.   The press will not hold today's incumbents feet to the filed like that did former Mayor Dinkins.

More on Lobbyists the New Permanent Government

NYT Supports the Brooklyn DA Low Level Pot Policy 

A Sensible Marijuana Policy in Brooklyn(NYT Ed)

The district attorney served justice and common sense in saying he wouldn’t prosecute low-level pot cases.

de Blasio Goes to Bat for His Political Union Machine 

In an extraordinary use of his office to help union allies, Mayor de Blasio Monday night put the squeeze on Cablevision, telling its disaffected workers involved in a private labor dispute, “I am with you every step of the way.” The mayor’s intercession on behalf of the Communication Workers of America — one of the first unions to endorse him for City Hall — came at a union rally, from which the public was barred even though it was held at PS 66 in Canarsie, Brooklyn. “De Blasio said, ‘I am with you every step of the way,’ ” recalled Eric Ocasio, 34, a Cablevision worker for seven years.

More on the Campaign to Control the State Senate 
And $$$ Reports

The abrupt retirement of Sen. George Maziarz gives the Senate GOP another seat to defend, which means less resources for other challengers and incumbents facing tough re-election campaigns. When the Republicans were redesigning district seats to help protect vulnerable members a couple of years ago, they figured Maziarz was so politically strong that he could take on a bunch of Democratic voters from Buffalo Sen. Mark Grisanti and absorb them into his district without fear of losing. That move may come back to bite them. “The landscape keeps changing and the map keeps getting more difficult for Republicans,” said Queens Sen. Michael Gianaris, head of the Democrats’ campaign committee.* * State Senate Republicans will have nearly $5 million in the bank as of the latest campaign finance filing, the caucus reports, including $3.7 million raised in the last six months, the Daily News reports: * But no member of the conference has contributed so far to Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino’s campaign, Gannett Albany writes: http://goo.gl/hqfvlc  * John Liu has raised more than half a million dollars and has $440,000 in cash on hand in his bid against Sen. Tony Avella, who has raised only $132,000 this period, with $88,000 on hand, State of Politics reports: http://goo.gl/iu7xlZ* GOP Attorney General candidate John Cahill has raised $1.67 million, while his Democratic opponent, incumbent Eric Schneiderman, reported having $6 million on hand back in January, the Daily News writes: http://goo.gl/9PCuGf * Rep. Michael Grimm raised just $23,430 last month, according to campaign finance reports, with nearly all of it coming from 18 mostly local donors, the Observer reports: http://goo.gl/BGQqGY* Cuomo’s Campaign Holds a Wide Lead in Fund-Raising(NYT)*S.J. Jung and Toby Stavisky Neck and Neck in Cash War(NYO) * Skelos And Klein Lead In Senate Fundraising(YNN)* Klein Campaign Knocks Koppell For Delayed Disclosure(YNN)*Klein Mob $$$ IDC Leader Jeff Klein took a $10,000 campaign donation from a mafia-linked realty company – the same firm he rents his district office space from.* Senate Republicans warn of ‘leftist’ de Blasio takeover(Capital) Republicans claim Dems are in pocket of de Blasio and W.F.P.

Arroyo Gambling Ways 
 Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo not only won reelection last year despite nearly getting kicked off the ballot for signature fraud, she also reported $5,000 to $44,000 in gambling winnings in 2013

Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo’s income was boosted with gambling winnings*JACKPOT: Lucky City Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo wins big - reporting $5G to $44G in winnings - during monthly 'gambling' trips to the racinos(NYDN)
* Slotsa luck for mom-and-daughter pols(NYP).* Cuomo hauls in $8.4M for re election campaign(NYP)* Cuomo raises $8.5M, leaves Rob Astorino trailing behind in polls(NYDN) * Rep. Michael Grimm's fundraising in dumps following indictment(NYDN)* * Gov. Andrew Cuomo has raised $33 million for his campaign, including large donations from charter school backers and a variety of real estate, financial and entertainment elites, The New York Times writes: * The campaign of Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is set to announce having raised $2.6 million during the most recent six-month filing period, with $6.9 million on hand, State of Politics writes: 

* Teachout-Wu Raise $277K(YNN)* Steven Spielberg and his wife gave Cuomo $30K  via @capitalnewyork* Per disclosure report, @NYGovCuomo Reaches Out To JewishDonors and Voters  * @NYGovCuomo friend and donor Ken Langone and his wife Elaine gave $82,000 to the GOP attorney general candidate, @CahillForAG* Gianaris: State Senate Republicans Are Running Scared(NYO)* Pretty mindblowing stat: Cuomo has raised four-fifths of his campaign money from donors giving $40 *thousand* or more, per @mahoneyw* Why pols don't change NY state's porous election laws: MT @YanceyRoy Developer Leonard Litwin has given Cuomo $1M through subsidiaries.* With Few Campaign Dollars, Smith and Sampson Limp Towards Election Day(NYO)* The Conscious Uncoupling of Skelos and Klein(YNN)* Astorino On Cuomo’s ‘Transactional’ Donations(YNN)* NYPIRG: Cuomo’s Big Dollars Versus Astorino’s Small Dollars(YNN)* Cuomo And Astorino Give A Tale Of Two Economies(YNN)* Analyzing Astorino’s Filing, Democrats Point To Hydrofracking Donors(YNN)* Sen. George Maziarz is leaving office with $1.1 million in his campaign account. *Republican comptroller hopeful Bob Antonacci wonders why it took Democratic incumbent Tom DiNapoli this long to audit the “Open For Business” campaign.* Scandal-scarred Sens. John Sampson and Malcolm Smith have less than $16,000 between them for re-election fights against contenders with far more cash and institutional support.* Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams failed to include rental income on his financial disclosure form.* Langones Give To Cahill(YNN)

Reporters Spin Political Outcomes . . .  Mayor Quinn  

Heading off Cuomo’s Tim Wu problem(Capital) Growing up running his father’s races and helping him govern has made Andrew Cuomo a political operator of exceedingly rare skill. Having seen the old man’s mistakes and misfortunes first-hand, Cuomo has reacted with determination and force at the merest possibility of anything similar befalling him. Hence the spectacle of the governor’s newly reconfirmed ally, the Working Families Party, taking a shot at a little-known lieutenant governor candidate, Tim Wu, on Thursday. The cause of the broadside, like its target, was relatively obscure. (Wu, a Columbia Law professor and leading advocate of net neutrality, had told a radio host he’d like to relieve small businesses of “red tape,” a comment that caused W.F.P. to “strongly disagree” with his “slippery slope” position on the Scaffold Law.) Cuomo, as has been widely discussed, has picked former Western New York congresswoman Kathy Hochul to be his lieutenant governor. In the general election, she may help him do better in the region than he did last time, when he ran against area bu

City Government Needs A Cash Fix? 

De Blasio administration won't rule out East River tolls (CrainsNY)

Almost From Out of Nowhere, Some of NY's Most Established Industries are Now Finding Their Business Models Under Siege, Thanks to New Technology 

Sunday Bloomberg, allies pouring money into Lyft and Uber(NYP)

Take Airbnb, an online service that connects people who want a place to stay with people who have space to rent — and is diverting revenues from hotels.  Or look at Uber, the app that allows riders to call and pay for a cab via their smartphones. Uber is upsetting yellow cabs.  But it gets crazier. Now Uber and the yellow cabs are both complaining about Lyft, a ride-sharing app that has car owners driving passengers for a “suggested donation” rather than a fare. Lyft postponed its debut in New York — complete with the bushy pink mustaches its drivers affix to their cars — because of a legal back and forth with city and state officials.On behalf of ordinary residents benefitting from the greater choice, better service and lower prices these apps are bringing, we say: Let the disruption continue!* Lyft Company Officials Due In Court To Discuss TLCCompliance  * Car-hailing app Lyft won't launch in NYC yet as company, regulators fight in court(NYDN)Tuesday Update * A Manhattan judge gave lawyers for the ride-sharing app Lyft and regulators who oppose the organization until Friday to work out a deal for the car-hailing company to operate legally, the Daily News reports: 

Weakness of Elected Prosecutors In Political Corruption Cases

Wills charges Schneiderman tried race-baiting in 2010 primary(NYP) State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman tried to play the race card in his 2010 primary battle against Nassau DA Kathleen Rice, drafting a fellow Dem to do his dirty work, new court papers charge. Schneiderman asked state Sen. Shirley Huntley, who is black and was supporting him, to call Rice, the white prosecutor running against him in the Democratic primary for state attorney general, a racist, according to the filing.  “Schneiderman asked for Huntley’s support as her district was significantly African-American and was thought to be the tipping point for the race,” according to court papers filed last week by embattled City Councilman Ruben Wills, Huntley’s former top aide. Schneiderman, who was then a state senator, wanted Huntley to say Rice used her position to “unfairly and disproportionately prosecute African-Americans,” court papers say. “He encouraged Huntley to gather crowds in predominately minority neighborhoods and then publicly and falsely accuse Kathleen Rice of racism,” according to the filing.  Huntley, who represented southeast Queens, refused Schneiderman’s request, sparking bad blood between the two, court papers say.  Wills — who was indicted by the Attorney General’s Office in May on charges of stealing more than $30,000 in taxpayer money from a charity he founded and using some of the cash for shopping sprees — may just be trying to save himself with the race-baiting allegations. The allegations came in a legal filing in which Wills is seeking to remove Schneiderman from his case and have a special prosecutor appointed.  Huntley was recently released from federal prison. She pleaded guilty in 2013 to taking $87,000 from a nonprofit she started. Schneiderman began investigating charities linked to her shortly after he took office in 2011.  Huntley declined to comment but said of Schneiderman in a 2013 videotaped interview posted to YouTube that “There were things that he asked me to do that were not kosher.”* Indicted pol seeks Schneiderman's removal from case

Crain's New York Business (blog)-Jul 9, 2014*  Wills says he refused to wear wire  * Rangel aide linked to nonprofit looted by Wills: officials(NYP)

Escaping Schneiderman?  It Looks Like Huntley Ran to the Feds After the AG Indicted Her

Flashback Huntley Indicted By Schneiderman But the Case Was Secretly Turned Over to the Feds, After Which the Senator Taped 8 of Her Fellow Elected Officials Including Wills
State Senator From Queens Is Indicted(NYT, Aug 27, 2012) The charges were filed by Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman in Mineola because the nonprofit agency lists a Nassau County address as its headquarters.Second Albany Legislator Secretly Taped Colleagues(NYT) May 3, 2013* Former state Sen. Shirley Huntley has no regrets about secretly recording her colleagues for the feds: 'I could care less what the politicians think about me'(NYDN)*

Wills Opponents Attacked in His 2010 Campaign for the Mission Profit Money 
  Shirley Huntley Explains How Everyone Was Totally Out to Get Her(NYO, 6/22/13) A month from serving a year-long prison sentence, Ms. Huntley claimed, for example, that she was singled out for an investigation because she didn’t tell her constituents that the current attorney general’s electoral opponent was “a racist and only locks up black people” during the campaign.“He was upset with me about certain things that he wanted me to do,” Ms. Huntley said of Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a former colleague in the State Senate before he ran for higher office in 2010. Mr. Schneiderman faced a crowded field in the Democratic primary, including Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, whom Ms. Huntley alleged she was asked to malign.“I was not a fan of Kathleen Rice because I don’t know her but I was not going to do anything that was going to damage her reputation,” Ms. Huntley explained. “I wasn’t going to do that. I was not going to go to black folks and tell them they need to jump up and down and say, ‘Kathleen Rice is a racist and only locks up black people.’”* A month from serving a year-long prison sentence, Ms. Huntley claimed, for example, that she was singled out for an investigation because she didn’t tell her constituents that the current attorney general’s electoral opponent was “a racist and only locks up black people” during the campaign. “He was upset with me about certain things thaat he wanted me to do,” Ms. Huntley said of Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a former colleague in the State Senate before he ran for higher office in 2010. Mr. Schneiderman faced a crowded field in the Democratic primary, including Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, whom Ms. Huntley alleged she was asked to malign. “I was not a fan of Kathleen Rice because I don’t know her but I was not going to do anything that was going to damage her reputation,” Ms. Huntley explained. “I wasn’t going to do that. I was not going to go to black folks and tell them they need to jump up and down and say, ‘Kathleen Rice is a racist and only locks up black people.’”* Queens Councilman Ruben Wills arrested by AG (May 7, 2014)

Daily News Say Schneiderman  would show great courage by backing out on principle by Not Defending A Lawsuit to Do Away With Teacher Tenure

Think of the kids, Eric(NYDN Ed) Cast into defending New York’s education-deadening teacher tenure laws, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman faces the prospect of arguing against the interests of children and for those of teachers unions. As a “progressive” in a Democratic Party in tune with labor (see Mayor de Blasio’s defense of tenure), Schneiderman may be quite comfortable battling a tenure challenge. His office says he has not formulated a position on the merits of two lawsuits — one filed, one soon to be filed — challenging New York’s lifetime job protections for teachers, no matter how poorly they do their jobs . Whatever the case, the litigation will test his mettle in an election year.

Blame the Elected Officials Who Fail to Treat the Mentally Ill for the Jail Horror 

Every sentence of this @NYTMetro story on brutal assaults onmentally ill at Rikers is completely horrifying

Campaign Consutants Lobbyists Who Run the Council Take Over the BOE - Ballot Knock Offs of Candidates Who Don't Hire Them? 

Back Continuing The Tammany Hall Future 

Board of Elections President Greg Soumas quits ahead of possible ouster in City Council power play(NYDN) Ahead of his possible ouster by the City Council, Board of Elections President Gregory Soumas quit in a terse Friday note."By this letter, I resign my position as commissioner of the Board of Elections of the city of New York effective immediately," the Manhattan Democrat wrote to Board Secretary Michael Michel.Soumas, an attorney and former district leader, was first appointed to the 10-member bipartisan Board in 2005. As first reported in the Daily News Monday, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito was poised to potentially ignore Manhattan Democratic Chairman Keith Wright's hopes of keeping Soumas on. But because Wright missed a legal deadline to tell the Council he wanted to reappoint Soumas, the Council seized control of the appointment process. By replacing Soumas with a candidate of her own, Mark-Viverito could intensify her influence over the Board and its host of patronage jobs.
But Soumas's resignation could potentially throw the speaker's plan off track. As news of his bow-out spread Friday, there were conflicting arguments about whether the appointment power still rested with Mark-Viverito and the Council, or whether it would reset the clock for Wright to make another pick.Frederic Umane, the Manhattan Republican commissioner, said the Council would pick a replacement for Soumas -- but said the timing of his departure, right during petition season, was tough and that it would be hard to find a new commissioner "as talented and knowlegeabe as Commissioner Soumas.* Councilwoman funds expansion of museum she founded  via @capitalnewyork

SHOCKING Campaign Promises of Less Tickets Untrue 

NYC has given out a lot of tickets this year(NYP) City enforcement agents set a ticket-blitz record this year by handing out 57,166 tickets in April, the most of any month in three years — despite Mayor de Blasio’s pledge to cut back on the summons avalanche. In the previous five months of 2013, agents gave out just 197,278 tickets, or 40,363 fewer. “The thing that we’re focused on immediately is ending the arbitrary ticket blitzes that were revenue-based,” the mayor said in February, two months after taking office. He even cut projected fines revenue from $859 million to $789 million.  In March, the City Council with the mayor’s support made changes in regulations that officials estimated would reduce fine revenues by 25 percent. But the number of restaurant summonses given out in May was 2,239, down only slightly from 2,336 in May 2013.  The Sanitation Department, which accounts for more than 60 percent of all ECB summonses, wrote 40,517 tickets in April, also a three-year record.  The FDNY also had a big month this March, the second-highest month on recent record blazing ahead with 5,411 violations.The ECB collected more than $67 million between January and June, compared to about $66 million in the same time period last year, officials said.

Another Return to Coney Island?  de Blasio Test Dunks the Speaker to Possible Return of Shoot the Freak Booth   

DE BLASIO HAS A BALL: Mayor tries to dunk City Council speaker at Brooklyn cookout ahead of family vacation in Italy(NYDN) More from the Council outing. Speaker @MMViverito waits to get dunked again, this time by CM @JumaaneWilliams I

Donovan Richards ‏@DRichards

I thought I was loved by @MMViverito until she dunked me #LMAO

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Stringer Tracking of Court Costs Questioned 

Comptroller's New Claim-Mapping Tool Shows Trends, HasGlitches (Gotham)* New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer’s Claimstat will not save taxpayers money as long as the city keeps making “bad judgment calls” like the precedent-setting $40.7 million payout to the Central Park 5, the Post writes: http://goo.gl/iWymm8

Media Covers Pols Promises As Mission Accomplished 

Gonzalez: Mayor de Blasio calls overcrowded public schools 'unacceptable'(NYDN)
He spoke a day after a new audit by city Controller Scott Stringer found a shocking one-third of nearly 1,500 school buildings were overcrowded in 2012.

A Clue Of No Education Leadership 

Running Against Bloomberg's Education Policy is Not Policy

Top administrators fleeing de Blasio’s Dept. of Education(NYP)  The de Blasio administration’s warmer, fuzzier approach toward teachers apparently hasn’t reached senior staffers at the Department of Education — they’re quitting in droves, sources told The Post. As many as 100 top-level administrators have left the state Department of Education since January amid low morale due to mismanagement

de Blasio 180 on 420   

DE BLASIO ALLIES IN POT RIFT -- Mayor agrees with both -- Capital’s Azi Paybarah: Two of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s allies appear to disagree over how to deal with first-time offenders charged with possession of small amounts of marijuana. Brooklyn D.A. Ken Thompson announced Tuesday that his office will no longer prosecute most first-time offenders for possession of small amounts of marijuana. Police commissioner Bill Bratton said the news “will not result in any changes” at the NYPD and that officers will continue to arrest people for that offense. Later, a de Blasio spokeswoman said the mayor agreed with both Thompson and Bratton.

Drone Gentrification  

Hazardous skies as city’s drone unchecked population soars(NYP)

What CrainsNY Should Look At Who Gets Chin's Member Item Dollars? Not Seniors?  

COUNCILWOMAN CHIN: CRAIN’S ARTICLES ARE “ILL-INFORMED AND POORLY-REASONED”: In an opinion piece in the Observer, Councilwoman Margaret Chin took Crain’s Thornton McEnery to task for two news articles on bus stop clocks. McEnery wrote that “City Council members are throwing millions of dollars at a problem that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has, to a large extent, already solved.” In her reply, Chin said his “tone and one-sided perspective” are “clear.” She also called his “reasoning … false, disappointing and, based on the facts of the matter, also somewhat confusing.”

Vito and Kellner Live On As District Leaders? 

Vito Lopez and Micah Kellner Still Seeking Political Posts(NYO) Vito Lopez, the former assemblyman and Brooklyn Democratic boss who was forced from office after being accused of sexually harassing his staffers, filed petitions to run again for his position as a district leader and state committeeman, according to Board of Elections documents. And Assemblyman Micah Kellner, the Upper East Side pol who chose not to seek re-election after his own sexual harassment scandal, also moved forward with his state committee bid after the Observer first reported his intentions in May.

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SAFE HOUSE: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a comprehensive plan today to improve the safety of NYCHA developments around the city. City & State’s Azure Gilman breaks down five of the key changes:

Forget the Patronage Gain, Will The Council Speaker Become the New Political Boss?

Melissa Mark-Viverito A Gatekeeper Deciding Who Will Run in New York

Tuesday Update

Speaker Says in the Council Hands - Wait She Control the Council

Melissa Mark-Viverito on elections board prez's future: "It's in the Council's hands."(NYDN( City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito personally acknowledged Monday that lawmakers might ignore the recommendation of Manhattan's Democratic Party boss and appoint a new Board of Elections commissioner of their own choosing. In discussing the possibility -- raised by the News -- Mark-Viverito did not tip her hand as to whether Board President Gregory Soumas would be replaced. By taking over the commissioner selection process, Mark-Viverito stands to gain influence over patronage hiring and firing at the Board.

Elected Officials Take Over the Political Machine

What is next if you try to run against an incumbent councilman you get knock off the ballot?

EXCLUSIVE: Melissa Mark-Viverito may replace Board of Elections head with her own pick(NYDN)  City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito may dump election president Gregory Soumas for a pick of her own, giving her power and control of a host of patronage jobs. One of the perks of being a county boss is having the power to appoint elections commissioners.—expanding her power and control of a host of patronage jobs

Michael Benjamin ‏@SquarePegDem 

Council Speaker Mark-Viverito should focus on city policy, rather than political revenge scenarios for her pal,...

Elected officials have for the most part taken over the role of district leaders. Is anyone looking at the centralization of power into the hands of elected officials?

de Blasio Raise Funds for A Democratic State Senate . . .  Where is the Trust  

IDC Said They Would Join Democrats?

Mayor de Blasio helped Democrats raise a half-million dollars last week toward reclaiming control of the state Senate. De Blasio headlined a Wednesday night fund-raiser that drew more than 200 people at up to $25,000 a head. “It’s a tremendous start to the campaign season, and we very much appreciate the mayor’s support,” said Queens Sen. Michael Gianaris, head of the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee.
The Senate Dems in January reported having virtually no money in their coffers after retiring a multimillion-dollar debt. Besides the mayor, Wednesday’s event drew state Controller Thomas DiNapoli, city Controller Scott Stringer and powerful union heads who helped create a coalition with de Blasio aimed at winning the Senate for the Dems. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio de Blasio helped Democrats raise a half-million dollars last week toward reclaiming control of the state Senate, headlining fund-raiser that drew more than 200 people at up to $25,000 a head. Neither Cuomo nor IDC Leader Jeff Klein attended.* Queens BP Melinda Katz broke from the Democratic pack and endorsed her former rival, NYC Comptroller John Liu, in his primary challenge to Sen. Tony Avella.* Klein Files 9,000 Petition Signatures(YNN)* Queens Borough President Melinda Katz backed former rival John Liu in his bid to unseat State Sen. Tony Avella, who is a member of the breakaway Independent Democratic Conference, the Daily News reports:




NYT A Year Laters Discovers That Albany's Redistricing Reform is Bull Shit 

New York’s Mapmaking Scandal(NYT) A constitutional amendment would only make it easier for legislators to continue to draw district maps that help no one but the incumbents. In his 2010 campaign for governor, Andrew Cuomo promised to end “partisan gerrymandering,” in which lawmakers draw their own districts. He failed to do that, and instead, as governor, signed onto a set of legislative maps in 2012 that were carefully designed to keep legislators safely in their jobs.Then, he and lawmakers came up with a counterfeit reform, a constitutional amendment on November’s ballot that would only make matters worse and make it harder to clean up the whole inbred process for years to come. The flawed maps created in 2012 will be in use until 2022. The constitutional amendment would put a new, virtually permanent system in place for the next round of mapmaking that starts after the 2020 census. The amendment sets up a bipartisan commission, a majority of whose members are appointed by legislative leaders. The possibilities for partisan gridlock are endless, and it will take another constitutional amendment to make any corrections of what is destined to be a flawed system. In a recent report, Common Cause/NY, New York Public Interest Research Group and Effective NY warned that the amendment would only make it easier for New York legislators to continue to draw district maps that help no one but the incumbents. Amendment supporters say the maps would be drawn by a bipartisan, independent commission, with co-executive directors, one Democrat and one Republican. That sounds reasonable, except that it is much the same as the state’s Board of Elections, one of the least effective public operations in New York. That board is also bipartisan, which often means stalemate, not compromise. Under this new system, if the Legislature does not like the commission’s maps, they can vote them down and send them back for amendments. If the maps return and the lawmakers still don’t approve, they can vote them down and then draw their own, much as they do now. This amendment is not a reform. It is another way to maintain the status quo, and does not deserve voters’ support.

Why is There No Journalism School Looking At the Quality of Reporting 
How the City Council Going To Name A Street After Thomas Paine if They Don't Even Know Who He Is?

 An effort is under way to change the name of tony Barrow Street in the West Village to honor Thomas Paine, the 18th century writer who helped inspire the American Revolution. “Thomas Paine is like the Founding Fathers’ founding father. He’s the one who made the convincing case for independence,” writes Dylan DePice in an online petition to the City Council calling for the switch. “The guy who did as much as anyone to spark the creation of a country founded on religious liberty deserves to be honored for it.”Barrow, which runs from Washington Place to the West Side Highway, was once called Reason Street, in honor of Paine’s 1795 “The Age of Reason.” The street became city property in 1809 and was renamed Barrow to honor rich landowner Thomas Barrow, a vestryman at nearby Trinity Church. * Freedom of the press came of age in NYC (NYDN) When a newspaper publisher was accused of seditious libel.

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The Burial Site of 11,500 New Yorkers, Many Who Gave Their Lives Fighting For America Again Goes Unnoticed on the Nations Birthday

The Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument in Brooklyn's FortGreenPark.
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A Challenge From A Left Activists Against Cuomo? Is the WFP Behind It, Or is This Don Quixote?

Teachout: I have petition signatures to run against Cuomo(NYP) Leftist Fordham law prof Zephyr Teachout says she has rounded up more than enough signatures to run against Gov. Cuomo in the September Democratic primary.A minimum of 15,000 valid signatures is required. Teachout says she already has 27,000 and is looking to reach 45,000 by Thursday’s deadline. But Cuomo’s office refuses to say if he intends to challenge those signatures — a sign that he’s seriously considering that option. If nothing else, a legal challenge by the governor’s campaign would tie up the novice challenger in expensive legal proceedings and force her to devote resources to lawyers instead of voters.Signatures can be challenged on numerous grounds, starting with whether the signer is actually a registered Democratic voter. When activists in the Working Families Party attempted to run Teachout as their candidate on the WFP ballot line this coming November, Cuomo cut a deal to push the party’s agenda and get the line himself.

zephyrteachout ‏@zephyrteachout 

"Cuomo’s office refuses to say if he intends to challenge those signatures." We are ready for court and the primary! 



Did political operatives for Gov. Cuomo bully The New York Times into changing its headline ?

Azi @Azi

Follow

the @nytimes are a changing. #BeforeAndAfter cc @tmcgev @joepompeo @HuffPostMedia @brianstelter @onthemedia

Is Rangel Going Rogue? 

Rangel gets payback on teachers union, boosts charter schools(NYP) Hell hath no fury like a congressman scorned. Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel is giving the teachers union a lesson in political retribution for snubbing him and endorsing his rival

Daily News Bangs Rangel for Opposing Downsizing Subsidies Apartments
Pandering in a crisis (NYDN Ed)  The fix to a housing problem is staring us in the face. Because Congress has disastrously cut housing programs, the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development has no choice but to push such downsizing. Many of the tenants live in buildings that used to be part of New York’s middle-income Mitchell-Lama program. As that expired, the buildings became market-rate luxury properties, Single occupants like the one in Tribeca are being shifted to studio apartments. Their rent will stay constant, but the city’s subsidy will fall and the savings will be diverted to others. Regardless, at a City Hall rally on Wednesday, politicians, including Reps. Charlie Rangel and Carolyn Maloney, decried the de Blasio administration’s actions.

The Mayor's Disconnect With Some  

'WITH THIS MAYOR, WE FEEL MUCH MORE LEFT OUT': Mayor de Blasio's Staten Island 4th of July parade appearance draws some boos(NYDN)

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Brooklyn BP Slush Fund OK With City's Ethic Board 

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams cleared to raise money for his One Brooklyn Fund(NYDN) Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams thinks Brooklyn doesn’t get enough charitable dollars –and the fund he’s creating to remedy that is now a step closer to reality. The city’s ethics board in June cleared Adams to fundraise on behalf of the One Brooklyn Fund as a city-affiliated non-profit.A spokesman for the Borough President's office denied previously published reports that Adams solicited checks for the non-profit before the fund even existed.* Nonprofit run out of Adams’ office hit up donors before city OK(NYP)

de Blasio At A Secret Meeting with Muslim Leaders 

Discusses Shutdown of NYPD Demographics Unit
Mayor de Blasio discusses shutdown of NYPD Demographics Unit at Ramadan dinner(NYDN) “Muslim New Yorkers are still fighting for basic human rights,” de Blasio said at the Gracie Mansion dinner, according to prepared remarks distributed by his office. “We recently shut down the Demographics Unit at NYPD, which conducted surveillance on Muslim New Yorkers. Because it’s unfair to single out people on the sole basis of their religion.” De Blasio’s Iftar dinner was initially listed on his schedule as open to the press, but aides later updated the schedule to say the press would not be allowed in. His office distributed a copy of his prepared remarks.

de Port Authority buried Bad News With A Holiday Dump 

PortAuthority report "punting several thorny issues" on a Thursday beforea holiday. (WNYC)  The Port Authority has drawn scorn, derision, and multiple federal and state investigations in the wake of the Bridgegate scandal, which has exposed the Authority as dysfunctional — and possibly criminal  in its actions.The five-page document, delivered on a hasty schedule by demand of the governors themselves, mostly restated problems that have been extensively aired in the wake of Bridgegate: that the Authority needs to restoreits mission and reform the way its leadership is currently chosen. The Authority's current leadership model might be described as the governors of New York and New Jersey dividing the baby in two.

US Attorney Seeks Pension of Former Councilman Convicted of Stealing Public Cash

 Former City Councilman Miguel Martinez, who was serving a federal sentence for stealing public cash, appeared in federal court in Manhattan Wednesday, as the U.S. attorney wants something else from him: his pension. Former City Councilman Miguel Martinez, who was serving a federal sentence for stealing public cash, appeared in federal court in Manhattan Wednesday, as the U.S. attorney wants something else from him: his pension. Martinez is one of the first former elected officials to face that question after spending years behind bars. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara has a long list of public officials he has put in cuffs. In the last week alone, he brought charges against upstate state Senator Thomas Libous and now-former Assemblywoman Gabriela Rosa.  That lengthy resume of catching so-called corruption, though, is not enough. Bharara wants their pensions, too. On top of Martinez, Bharara is going after former City Councilman Larry Seabrook's pension. Seabrook is serving time for directing public cash to his friends and family. The U.S. attorney also has also his eye on state Senator Malcolm Smith, who will be facing a public corruption trial next year. If convicted, Smith's pension could be on the line, too. (Video NY1)

It Is Going to Get More Experience to Live and Work in New York

Insurers on New York State’s Health Exchange Seek Significant Rate Increases(NYT)

The exchange, which has prided itself on being affordable, is facing requests for increases as high as 28 percent next year for some customers. New York’s health exchange, which has prided itself on being affordable, is now facing requests for increases as high as 28 percent next year for some customers of MetroPlus—the most popular plan on the exchange. “In our case, the advertised rent is triple what we are now paying. We aren’t alone. In the past year, all kinds of pioneering restaurants that helped set the table for their respective neighborhoods — including Mesa Grill, in the Flatiron district, and WD-50 on the Lower East Side — have each lost out to untenable rent escalations. My hunch is that they won’t be replaced by restaurants that will become similar pillars of their neighborhood.”*Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, the chair of the Assembly Health Committee, is seeking a probe of double-digit rate increases that New York insurers are requesting for new Affordable Care Act policies

Sally Goldenberg ‏@SallyGold  

Why property tax bills will rise, despite de Blasio's boast

 “Many New York City homeowners are facing another spike in their property tax bills even though the overall tax rate is not increasing and the mayor said this week he is “proud” his Fiscal Year 2015 budget did not raise taxes. … due to a combination of factors, including an increase in overall assessed value, a Fiscal Year 2015 budget that banks on more money from the real-estate levy than last year and a state-mandated increase in bills, most homeowners will indeed pay more this fiscal year.” 

Rents Going Up for Restaurants Also

There Goes the Neighborhood Cafe(NYT)Rising rents are killing off Manhattan’s local restaurants
Subways and Railroad Fares Going Up After the State Elections 
Middle class commuters are being unfairly squeezed by the Long Island Rail Road union workers who are threatening to strike and Gov. Andrew Cuomo must step up to protect them, the Post writes: 

Shocking Building Inspectors Still Corrupt

 2 Companies Accused of Faking Safety Checks at Building Sites(NYT)

Seven people were charged in a scheme that paid untrained people to visit far more construction sites than a trained safety manager could inspect in a single day.* Seven Indicted in Connection with Buildings Inspection Fraud(NY1)

The Fish Stinks At the Columbia University Head

EXCLUSIVE: City's building design boss will continue side job at Columbia University with pay, housing and tuition benefits(NYDN) Feniosky Pena-Mora received a waiver from ethics rules so can keep teaching at Columbia University and receive a salary, housing and tuition benefits. The compensation is on top of the $205,180 he earns as the city's design and construction commissioner. Feniosky Pena-Mora, New York City’s new design and construction commissioner, received a waiver from ethics rules so he can continue teaching at Columbia University and receive housing and tuition benefits, on top of his $205,180 city salary.

Just What NY's Corrupt Pols Need About Pot of Slush Funds  

New York officials must take the $4.4 billion settlement gained from FNP Paribas and devote it to long-term investments in infrastructure rather than pouring it into pet programs for which there will be no funding when the money runs out, the Daily News writes: * Cuomo needs to resist inevitable calls to splurge with BNPP$$$

Update of the Senate IDC Primaries  

Unwinding The Senate Primaries(YNN)* 32BJ Endorses Klein(YNN)* Influential union 32BJ SEIU backs Sen Klein in effort tounite IDC with Dems to form Dem majority in Senate(Newsday)* After IDC Deal With Democrats, John Liu Soldiers On(NYO)* Senate Republicans have unleashed a new fund-raising email attacking NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and his attempts to help the Democrats grab control of the chamber.Astorino says he can win the “ground game” against Cuomo this fall.
It appears NYC Councilman Fernando Cabrera’s primary challenge to Sen. Gustavo Rivera would fail IDC Leader Jeff Klein’s litmus test.
GOP AG candidate John Cahill differs from Astorino on the Common Core, and also blames AG Eric Schneiderman in part for tis bothced rollout.
In the heat of campaign season, emails begging for cash are bombarding inboxes with ever increasing frequency.
More labor endorsements for IDC Leader Jeff Klein.

The Incumbent Protection Campaign Poster Law  

In A City Where Few Vote, Why is the City Giving Out Fines 4 Posters Designed to GOTV?

 New York City has assessed $105,075 in fines to campaigns in the 13th Congressional District for illegally posting signs on public property as they campaigned ahead of the June 24 primary, Capital New York reports:

 Jacqueline Saved More Than Grand Central Station

“Grand Central Entrance Named For Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis,” by CBS New York: “A newly-renovated entrance at Grand Central Terminal has been named for former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.A special dedication ceremony was held Monday.In 1975, Onassis led a movement against a plan to build a 55-story tower on top of the landmarked building. Three year later, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the city’s Landmark Law, which was being challenged by developers. … The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Foyer at Park Avenue and East 42nd Street features a plaque honoring her efforts.” 

Haggerty Loses Appeal 

 The state Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of political consultant John Haggerty for siphoning $750,000 from the 2009 re-election campaign of then-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg,
The Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of GOP operativeJohn Haggerty … * Court Of Appeals Upholds Haggerty Conviction(YNN)

More About the Haggerty Trial

Spinning the Spinner Loeser Reach Out to WFP to Expand His Base 

Loeser Who Represents Charter Schools Hires WFP Flack Who Fought Against Them for the UFT
Loeser hires Working Families spokesman(Capital) Stu Loeser & Co., the consulting firm founded by a longtime spokesman for Michael Bloomberg, has hired Khan Shoieb, who will leave his job as the New York communications director for the Working Families Party.  Shoieb recently defended the W.F.P.'s deal with Governor Andrew Cuomo, in aconfidential memo to state committee members that was leaked to the press. According to Shoieb, the party was minutes away from endorsing one of Cuomo's more liberal challengers, but was able to convince the governor to help the liberal-leaning party achieve a number of priorities, including raising the minimum wage and helping Democrats take control of the State Senate. “What else was the WFP supposed to get?” Shoieb asked in the memo. Loeser's firm represents a number of pro-business, pro-growth clients, but he said Shoieb's progressive background won't create a conflict.*  A report on the state of public education by New York City’s budget oversight agency found schools in the city are becoming more crowded and the number of students in temporary housing situations, including homeless shelters, has shot up, The New York Times writes: * 'WE'RE LOOKING AT A CRISIS': Number of homeless students struggling through school leaps in 2012-2013(NYDN)

Question to the NYT: Where are the None Weak Points in the City's Education System?

Amid de Blasio’s Pre-K Push, a Bid to Boost Learning at a Weak Point in the Pipeline(NYT) With prekindergarten classes set to grow under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s ambitious plan, the ad hoc in-home day care providers that serve thousands of city children are getting fresh attention.* Public education needs to move from a system where the government’s sole concern is about running its own schools to where it gives every child options by encouraging more good schools, no matter where they come from, the Post writes:* A children’s crusade (NYDN Ed) Lawsuit fights the good fight to put good teachers in every classroom * New York City will allocate another $23 million for arts education in the upcoming school year to hire 120 new teachers and help rehabilitate dilapidated arts facilities in dozens of schools, the Associated Press reports: * Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina defended hiring uncertified teachers—including college grads with no experience or teaching certificate—for pre-kindergarten programs, the Daily News reports:  * New York City’s Public Schools Are Poorer and More Crowded, Report Says(NYT)* City summer school student numbers fall by 25%(NYDN)

FARIÑA on ‘the only thing that’s going to change the system’ -- Capital’s Eliza Shaprio: “New York City schools chancellor Carmen Fariña laid out a partial blueprint for improving student performance across the school system in an interview with Capital on Wednesday, after months of questions on how she plans to implement the sorts of systemic change she's talked about in broad terms. ...’I believe strongly that what we missed in the past was that we worried so much about structures, that we forgot that real change happens in the classroom,’ said Fariña. “Fariña said she does not believe the school system can ‘handle” a series of large, system-wide changes, as were implemented during the Bloomberg years. ‘This is not about making change for its own sake to create a chaos theory,’ she said, adding that professional development, which she called a ‘missing piece’ during the Bloomberg years, ‘is the only thing that’s going to change the system.’”*Earlier city school start times due to teachers’ contract(NYP)

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Moral Compass Reporters Generation Lost: Kemptem, Breslin, Hamill, Barrett, Newfield

What has become increasing clear in the first 6 months of this new city government is that this new brand of progressives is mostly a spin to gain public support at the polls.mToday's progressives are very different from the progressives that reformed government 100 years ago. These new progressives spin social issues while ignoring the government reforms that protect those social issues.  Today's progressive city council use member items slush funds for their reelection campaigns and help the campaign consultants that elected them lobby city agencies on behalf of their clients who have hired them.  As life long progressive reporter Wayne Barrett demands to know why are progressives protecting a teachers union over students needs?  Today's progressives pols protect the UFT because of the major role that union played in getting them elected. It takes a neighborhood to build a moral compass. As the city continues to gentrify it is destroying local neighborhood structures that helped build our city's moral compass.  Even the black church's of central Brooklyn are selling to the real estate developers. The question must be asked what has happen to the moral compass that made New York for generations a class act.  It was in NYC that FDR's new deal reforms moral compass was born.

Defining Deviancy Down Progressive Selfies

In 1993, a man from from the greatest generation described what is happening to today's New York moral compass. When most of today's city council were in diapers Sen. Daniel P. Moynihan published an most important pieces of social theory entitled" Defining Deviancy Down." that explains their governing behavior. Moynihan believed that there is a limit to the amount of deviant behavior any community can "afford to recognize" His basic idea is that we had moved the bar for what we, as a culture and political behavior, defined as acceptable, down. Moynihan believed “we have been redefining deviancy so as to exempt much conduct previously stigmatized, and also quietly raising the ‘normal’ level in categories where behavior is now abnormal by any earlier standard.”  Moynihan would not be shocked by the fact that New York's voters have continue to reelect their Albany and City Council legislatures despite the dysfunctionalism and corruption that has destroyed the economy of the state and sent dozens of elected officials to jail, the poor into depression like suffering and the middle class fleeing the city.

Cuomo Uses the NYT Today to Spin For Gay Votes On this Pride Weekend

 Cuomo Plan Seeks to End New York’s AIDS Epidemic(NYT)

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said he would announce on Sunday a plan for more-aggressive testing and treatment, a result of months of negotiations with AIDS activists.* Gov. Cuomo sets goal of ending AIDS epidemic by 2020(NYDN)

How Can the Mayor's Flacks Bully A Press That is Already Dead?
PressNecrophilia . .  In America Today More Important to Spin or Control the Press Than Fixing Government

'We need to attack, not react,' de Blasio press secretary tells PR staff in pep talk(NYDN)  When it comes to making it in the world's toughest media market, Mayor de Blasio's top spokesman apparently thinks the best defense is a good offense. “We need to attack, not react – no bunker mentality,” City Hall Press Secretary Phil Walzak said at a Thursday gathering of about 50 city agency PR staffers, according to a Daily News tipster. “Be aggressive. Tell your story loudly and proudly," Walzak urged the crew in his tough-guy pep talk, our source said."We live in a very combative media environment." Some who attended the gathering -- held to introduce the flacks to their new point woman, Andrea Hagelgans -- felt Walzak's advice was “over the top,” the insider added. The meeting came a week after de Blasio hired Hagelgans--who led Planned Parenthood’s aggressive response to the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s decision to withdraw funding -- to coordinate media ops for his cabinet and all city agencies.Hizzoner decided to retool his press strategy after staggering through a series of PR fiascos early in his term. We have reached out to Walzak for comment, and will update if we hear back...



Amazing How the Press Reports Campaign Spin As Real  . . .  Learned Nothing From Mayor's Race . . . Pathetic  

Monday Update
State Republicans slam Mayor de Blasio's push to regain Senate for Democrats(NYDN) The push by the mayor for Democratic control in Albany is being vilified as 'a city-led agenda that will stop at nothing to take from suburban taxpayers.'

IDC-Dem Deal Really? No details formally announced. But sources say the alliance between Jeff Klein and Andrea Stewart-Cousins will "mirror" current IDC-GOP pact * IDC Agrees to Unite With Democratic Conference in Albany(NYO) * Why won’t the IDC and regular Senate Democrats reunify until after the November election? It’s a question of numbers. * Breakaway faction of Democrats in state Senate will joinparty in 2015 (NYDN) * Klein: To Be Clear, IDC Isn’t Rejoining Regular Dems(YNN) * IDC-Dem Deal Could Bring Valesky A GOP Challenger (Updated)(YNN) 

Why Does Reporters Not Assume Doubt After the 2013 Promises Died?

@SalAlbaneseNYC is not happy about LICH  @HuffPostNY "LICH Hospital already served its purpose as de Blasio's campaign prop."