_____________________________CityTime 3 Guilty - What Did the City Know?The largest and most brazen fraud in city history![]()
3 Found Guilty in CityTime Corruption Trial (NYT) Mark Mazer, a former consultant to the city’s Office of Payroll Administration, was convicted of fraud and other charges; he was accused of taking about $30 million in kickbacks for steering work to favored contractors on the project, called CityTime. Originally budgeted at $63 million, the cost of the project exploded to about $700 million by 2011, with almost all of the more than $600 million that the city paid to the prime contractor, Science Applications International Corporation, or S.A.I.C., “tainted, directly or indirectly, by fraud,”
an indictment charged.
Another defendant, Gerard Denault, S.A.I.C.’s project manager for CityTime, was accused of taking $9 million in kickbacks, and also was convicted on Friday of fraud and other charges. He was acquitted on a count of conspiracy to commit bribery. A third man, Dmitry Aronshtein (whose name has also been spelled Dimitry) was convicted of paying bribes and kickbacks in return for receiving work on the CityTime project.*
CityTime scammers guilty(NYP) *
Three CityTime consultants found guilty of scamming NYC in massive fraud(NYDN) Mark Mazer, the mastermind of the scheme and lead defendant in the trial, and Gerard Denault, both face life in prison. A third consultant, Dimitry Aronshtein faces up to 20 years in prison.
Holtzman Should Give the City Her Lobbying Fees From From the Corrupt Citytime ProjectMs. 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
CityTime ATM Nobody Noticed?Not One City Employee Has Been Indicted ridiculous in CityTime corruption trial(NYDN) A key defendant in the CityTime corruption trial repeatedly stumbled and contradicted himself on the witness stand Tuesday during the last day of testimony.*
Accused CityTime scammers ‘treated city like ATM machine’(NYP) The accused mastermind behind the massive CityTime payroll scam and his two trusted accomplices made out like bandits on the taxpayers’ dime, prosecutors told a Manhattan federal jury on Tuesday in closing statements at the high-profile trial. “Each one of these three men made a fortune,” said Assistant US Attorney Andrew Goldstein, referring to CityTime kingpin Mark Mazer and co-defendants Gerard Denault and Dimitry Aronshtein. “They treated the city like their own giant ATM machine.” The government alleges Mazer pocketed $30 million through the kickback scheme while Denault made $9 million and Aronshtin $5 million. SAIC last year paid the city $500 million to avoid prosecution for profiting from the scandal, in which the cost of a new, high-tech municipal payroll system ballooned from $63 million to more than $600 million.
_____________________________________ Stop and Frisk Stands for BloombergNext Mayor Will Decide 'Frisk' Policy
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Stop-And-Frisk Ruling (NY1) *
Judges Decline to Reverse Stop-and-Frisk Ruling, All but Ending Mayor’s Fight(NYT) The move all but ends the Bloomberg administration’s ability to legally contest a judge’s order against the policing practice. The city had sought to have Judge Scheindlin’s ruling vacated, citing questions about her impartiality. But on Friday the appeals court declined the request, effectively saying the appeal process should run its course. The appeals court added that the city could renew its request later as part of the full appeal.*
Appeals court won’t toss NYC stop-frisk rulings(NYP) *
More rulings on stop & frisk(NYP Ed)*
Fight to the finish (NYDN) Manhattan Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin’s discredited stop-and-frisk ruling may yet be the final and unjust word on the most significant civil-rights case brought in New York City in decades. That would be a travesty.*
Next Mayor Will Decide 'Frisk' Policy(WSJ)More on the Scheindlin's Stop and Frisk Decision _____________________________________Times Jumps Gun of Willets Clear OutThe End of Willets Point (NYT) An earlier version of this article and its accompanying slide show misstated how the city has acquired land in Willets Point. It could invoke eminent domain. It has not done so yet. _____________________________________Attempted Moreland Mugging _____________________________________NYT A Tale of Two Jobs ReportsThe Fact That Unemployment Went Up Again is Buried In the Upbeat Story by the NYT and Not Seen As An Emergency Problem By Pols That Most Be Solved NYT Cheerleader Higher UnemploymentNYT Did Not Report That the NYC Unemployment Rate Rose to 8.7% Until the Second Half of Their Story About Record High Number. That kind of Rose Color story on employment removes the press on the city's elected officials to do anything about the rising unemployment rate.
Record High for Number of Jobs in New York City(NYT)The New York State Department of Labor issued a report showing that the number of jobs in New York City rose to a record high of more than 3.98 million, and that the city has added 313,000 jobs since the bottom of the last recession. _____________________________________Disrupting the Criminal Justice _____________________________________Another Child Shot Brooklyn girl, 14, shot in leg on way home from school — 3 years after brother drowned(NYDN) Star student Tamia Tucker, 14, was hit in the leg at Sutter and Euclid Aves. at 3:30 p.m. The teen was listed in stable condition Friday night at Kings County Hospital, recovering from the wound to her left thigh.
.... _____________________________________Cats GOP Bottom Feeder Civil War
Catsimatidis Wants to Own the NYC GOP And Kick Out Republicans He Does Not ControlCatsimatidis clan gave over $19K to aid Michael Grimm’s challenger(NYP)
The in-laws of state GOP chairman Ed Cox are trying to knock off the only Republican congressman in New York City – Staten Island Rep. Michael Grimm, The Post has learned. Billionaire supermarket mogul John Catsimatidis and his family have pumped $19,800 into the campaign of Grimm’s Democratic challenger, Brooklyn Councilman Domenic Recchia, campaign records show.
* Former Republican mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis and his family members have given $19,800 to Brooklyn Democratic City Councilman Domenic Recchia for his congressional run against Rep. Michael Grimm, the Staten Island Advance reports:More on the GOP Bottom feeders _____________________________________Liu's Pension Memo to Stringer LiWill Stringer Go After Those Politically Connected Pension Managers?City pension fees jump 28%(NYP)
Firms that manage the city’s five pension funds saw their fees skyrocket by 28 percent last year, a report has found. The $100 million single-year leap brought the city’s total fees to the private managers in fiscal year 2013 to $472.5 million.
_____________________________________Cuomo Cherry Picks Radio HostsThe New York Times looked at Gov. Andrew Cuomo‘s strong preference for Albany-area radio interviews, noting he “fields questions from a few friendly hosts — and not their listeners — and it does not seem to matter that the stations have small audiences or that there is little advance notice of the appearances.” More from the piece: “‘The radio is a specific medium to talk to the political class, primarily in Albany,’ Mr. Cuomo said in an interview. ‘It’s an effective way to communicate with a limited, inside group of people.’ (Asked why he does not appear on television shows like ‘Meet the Press,’ he responded, ‘Then you would say I’m running for president.’)”
_____________________________________Media Advance PAC Cover UpDaily News Cherry Picks From A Larger Advance Group Corruption Story to Achieve Its Political Goals Daily News Uses Advance Connection to An Anti-Gay PAC To Attack or Undercut Mark-Viverito Support from Three CM attacked by the PACNew York City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito’s ties to the consulting firm Advance Group may be hurting her candidacy for speaker(NYDN) The Advance Group, which is providing unpaid consultants to Mark-Viverito, worked for the City Action Coaltion PAC, which lists 'traditional marriage' as its platform and supported opponents of gay City Council candidates. The firm, headed by Scott Levenson, also collected more than $73,000 from the City Action Coalition PAC — a group that lists “sanctity of life for the born and unborn” and “traditional marriage” as its platform. The PAC spent tens of thousands of dollars during the primary campaign on mailers stressing “family values” and on robocalls for opponents to three gay City Council candidates: Rosie Mendez, Ritchie Torres and Carlos Menchaca. “(Melissa) picked someone who was paid to hurt Council members,” said another Council member. “You are who you associate with, and the Advance Group paid their bills off an anti-gay agenda.”*
Bill de Blasio’s transition committee full of campaign supporters(NYP)NY Consultant Lobbyists Culture of Doing Favors Has Created A Monopoly and 100% Corruption
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These same big 8 consultants also have the same monopolized control of citywide, state election and law enforcement elections. There operating model resembles organize crime after the
Apalachin crime meeting. That 1957 meeting included over 100 mobsters including "Joe the Barber," divided the illegal operations of loan sharking, narcotics trafficking and gambling
controlled by the late Albert Anastasia. The big 8 include: the Advance Group, the Parkside Group/Marathon Strategies (join at the hip), Berlin Rosen, Mercury Public Affairs, Brandford Communications, George Arzt, Multi-Media, Hudson TJ and Red Horse. Like the Apalachin mobsters the consultants/lobbyist has divided up New York to control the government and rake in corrupt lobbying dollars. Also like the mobsters the big 8 may even be about the law. A Surprise Progressive Takeover of City Hall - Party Leaders, Partnership and Permanent Government Caught Flatfooted
_____________________________________The New Tammany HallThe New Machine are the Campaign Consultant LobbyistsThe 8 royal families of New York City include: the Advance Group, the Parkside Group/Marathon Strategies (join at the hip), Berlin Rosen, Mercury Public Affairs, Brandford Communications, George Arzt, Multi-Media, Hudson TJ and Red Horse. The new Tammany Hall is Worse Than the old Tammany Hall The Old delivered services to the communities this new one does not
Organized Crime PoliticsThe New Tammany Hall
Operating in Secret Dark Pools A Mob of Campaign Consultants/ Lobbyists Coup d'État of New York Government Goes Unreported * Will LGBT Groups Protest Scott Levenson for Espousing Anti-Gay Att(Video) * Advance Group President Scott Levenson attended a birthday event in July for City Councilwoman Inez Dickens that doubled as a party supporting her speaker bid, despite his stated support for another speaker candidate, City & State reports: Political Goodfellas Royals
Eight campaign consultants all but one are also lobbyists, have monopolized NYC elections system that only the Justice Department using the
Sherman Antitrust Act can bust. These consultants run every important campaign in New York.
The campaign monopoly is only part of a conspiracy that is not only about who gets elected. It is also part of a second conspiracy to make money off of government as lobbyist or insiders. There is serious evidence of illegal coordination between the Independent Expenditure PACs and consultants
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In this monopoly consultants work with each other at the same time they are oppose them in other races.
Some consultants help other consultant’s candidates often at the expense of their own clients. Two Consultant Lobbyists the Advance Group and the Parkside Group were involved in every competitive council race and even some that did not have races through Independent Expenditure PACs they control. These IE PACS have muscled their way in to having seats at the table along the Democratic
Party bosses that will pick the next council speaker. The big 8 along with the special interests whose millions fund PACs, have sabotage the whole idea of local representation and local elections. The pols are more loyal to the centralized campaign consultants and their money backers, the new ruling class, than they are to the voters in their districts. Lobbyists ExtortionWhat Happens When Lobbbyists Who Ran PACS And Broke the Law With the Candidate Knowledge Ask the Councilmembers for Help With Support for Government Contracts? The consultants work like Wall Street investors who trade in dark pools beyond the control of regulators. In NY's dark pool campaign consultants/lobbyists, special interests and elected officials make deals with each other hidden from public view. To understand the reasons for the takeover you must also be aware that the business opportunities for consultants don’t end on primary or election day. In an excellent investigation of the dangers the newly elected Cuomo would face from lobbyist, Wayne Barrett wrote in the Village Voice in 2010. that campaign consultant lobbyist "Sheinkopf one of the worse consultant lobbyist, makes kings so he can then make deals with the kings he’s made."Main Stream Media Ignores Advance Corruption Story Already Published In CrainsNY and True News Who Was the Political Operative Running Anti Gay PAC?![]()
"The firm admitted its work for City Action Coalition PAC was problematic. “We did a favor for a political operative that we have a longstanding relationship with by sending his mailer to a printer,” an Advance Group spokeswoman said. “It was a mistake that we regret and is completely inconsistent with our history.” A Mark-Viverito spokesman, who first denied the pol was working with the Advance Group, said, “Melissa’s campaign, based on her progressive, inclusive, and effective tenure on the Council, is generating support from individuals across NYC.”
Fox5 Has the Advance Group Debating Horse Carriages Why Should the City Pay Million for Public Financing of Campaigns If the Race for Speaker is Being Run By A Lobbyists Which Was Part of A Larger Conspiracy of Political Consultants to Game the CFB Daily News - The Advance Group is providing unpaid consultants to Mark-Viverito’s City Council leadership bid, the firm said.
Queens Tribune Endorsed Parkside's Weprin's Speaker's Guy A Takeover Of Journalism by Lobbyist and Politicians (2011 True News)NYT said A Court, Not Votes, Sustains a Political Machine in Queens. True News said it was much more than the court that was fueling that political machine.
Breaking Carolyn Ryan Who Has Deep Political Support At the NYT is Out of NYCWith a number of young progressives among them, the new members are likely to work with Mayor Bill de Blasio to expand workers’ rights and impose new burdens on businesses. Bloomberg had for years been a conservative counterweight against the 51-member Council.*
'New York Times' charts new course on Washington coverage: Carolyn Ryan(Capital) * Gray Lady’s ‘Israel lobby’ fixation(NYP Ed) _____________________________________
Non Profits Pay to Play
Pay to Develop CM Extortion NYT Catches OnA Week After CrainsNY Report CM Carrera $$$ Demands for Allowing An Ice Rink With Jobs to Be Built At the Kingsbridge Armory the NYT Writes the Same Story![]()
New drama for Kingsbridge Armory(CrainsNY)Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera tried to secure $99 million for his defunct charity confirms In yet another twist in the quest to redevelop Kingsbridge Armory, the local City Councilman is reportedly withholding his support months after a failed attempt to extract a massive donation package for his personal charity. City Councilman Fernando Cabrera holds enormous decision-making power over that final approval, but his support for the ice center has wavered, and the reasoning behind that hesitation might be rooted in a request he made during an earlier phase of the process.
A Nov. 14
report by
Norwood News alleges that Mr. Cabrera met with the developers of the project in March during the final stages of negotiations over a community benefits agreement. In that meeting,
Norwood News reports and
Crain's has confirmed through numerous sources, Mr. Cabrera requested that $100,000 a year be donated for the next 99 years to a group called Community Action Unlimited, a charity that Mr. Cabrera presided over prior to his election to the City Council. That request was rebuffed by the developer. Mr. Cabrera's office also claimed that the councilman is no longer engaged directly with Community Action Unlimited, which
Crain's has learned never registered as a charity with the state attorney general and had its nonprofit status revoked by the Internal Revenue Service in 2011 after failing to comply with filing regulations for three consecutive years. It remains unclear whether the organization remains in existence, and Mr. Cabrera's office was not able to say.*
Scrutiny Over Bronx Councilman’s Demands for Ice Center Plan(NYT)Political Consultant Lobbbyist Artz Calls A Councilman's None Profit A Conflict of Interests“It looks like a conflict for the councilman to be involved with a nonprofit and trying to funnel money that benefits that nonprofit,” veteran consultant George Arzt summed up. _____________________________________de Blasio Transition TeamDaily News Lack of Criminal Justice Experts is A Joke![]()
Mayor-elect
Bill de Blasio’s 60-person-strong transition team features eight leaders from the arts (including actress
Cynthia Nixon) four real estate industry types, five clergymen (though no Catholics — oops, that’ll be 10 Hail Marys), a brace of liberal Democratic warhorses, social activists, physicians and a lone criminal justice expert, Jeremy Travis, president of John Jay College. Protecting New Yorkers from street crime and from terrorism is the mayor’s top responsibility. Why, then, did Bill de Boss devote only 1.67% of the personnel on this first panel to public safety? Obviously because this group, too unwieldy to be taken seriously, was assembled simply to check boxes and make people feel good. It’s all cosmetic, right? Right?*
* Mayor Michael Bloomberg likened Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s overwhelming victory to changing fashions, dismissing arguments that there was “Bloomberg fatigue,” Politicker writes:After putting family at center of his campaign, does de Blasio now get to declare them off-limits ti scrutiny? (Buzz Feed)*
Bill's busy day: De Blasio unveils 60-member transition team, talks to top NYPD commissioner candidates *
Bill de Blasio’s Transition Team Highlights Break With Bloomberg(NYO) *
Mayor Bloomberg Announces de Blasio Will Inherit ‘Historic’ Balanced Budget(NYO) *
Catholic Group Slams de Blasio for Transition Team’s ‘Insult’(NYO)*
* Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he is handing his successor a balanced budget for the next two years, the first mayor to do so in modern history, but the Bill de Blasio transition team is skeptical of the numbers, Crain’s writes: * * De Blasio is under fire from the Catholic League because he did not put any Catholic priests on his 60-person transition team, but did include other religious leaders, The Daily News writes: * Did Catholic League criticize Giuliani Transition - 1 Protestant Minister, head of NARAL NY & no priests? *For the first time in the city’s modern history, Mayor Bloomberg
announced the incoming mayor will inherit a balanced budget. …that’s
thanks to higher-than-expected tax revenues, robust bids for hundreds of taxi medallions, some penny pinching and a couple of timely real estate deals.*
Bloomberg Says He’ll Leave de Blasio No Deficit(NYT) *
De Blasio hearing plenty of policing advice — from ex-cons(NYP) _____________________________________Cuomo Overtime .. _____________________________________BOE Investigates ItselfNYC Board Of Elections Chief: No Evidence Of Widespread Misdirection From Nov. 5 Pollworkers(NYDN) City Board of Elections boss Michael Ryan says the agency will check out complaints that pollworkers wrongly pushed people to vote straight ticket*
Board Of Elections Says Claims Of Poll Worker Misconduct Were Isolated Misunderstandings(NY1)The Next Council Speaker Could End BOE CorruptionDoes the Daily News Think A Candidate Running for Council Speaker Will Pledge to End Member Items or Lulus for the People He or She is Seeking Votes From?
Waste of TimeThe Daily News makes the case for a package of New York City Council legislative reforms that would even out member items allocations, but advocates for taking it a step further and eliminating member items altogether. The Daily News does say that de Blasio who during the campaign said he would end member items does have a backdoor way to end them. The key is the mayor-controlled Procurement Policy Board, which sets guidelines on city spending. As mayor, de Blasio will fill three of the five seats. Under the City Charter, contracts must be awarded by competitive sealed bidding, though the board may allow exceptions. And that’s exactly it did, carving out a loophole for Council slush in 1991. Once the board closes the loophole, bye-bye slush fund.
Question Daily News Must Asked Council Speaker CandidatesThe Daily News Should Ask Each of the Council Speaker Candidates If They Will Use Their Power to Confirm Board of Election Commissioner to Demand Reforms of That Corruption InstitutionThe Council Has the Power to Clean Up the BOEQuinn and a gang of 4 GOP councilmember used the power to confirm BOE commissioners to throw out commissioner in Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and the Bronx. The result is that GOP party leaders patronage appoints to the BOE are being replaced by people from the councilmembers and their friends. Why is the media not demand that the next council speaker clean out the BOE and restore Democracy to New York City? * Bloomberg rips NYC's scanner voting machines over privacy(NYDN)NYT Weak Partial Solutions to Corruption Problems At the BOELow-Stress Voting(NYT Ed) New York and other states with outdated election schedules should provide a two-week voting period instead of cramming it all into one day.
The Times urges New York to pass legislation authorizing early in-person voting, citing a Brennan Center for Justice survey that found that early voting solves a myriad of Election Day problems such as long lines and broken machines _____________________________________After Bloomberg ![]()
BLOOMBERG’S BIG PLANS for his post-mayoralty: sources familiar with his thinking say he intends to spend a few weeks on vacation, after which he’ll get to work on blending his philanthropic activity, political advocacy and business pursuits on a massive scale. His foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, will continue to focus on public health, education, the environment, the arts and urban innovation. His Independence USA super PAC, which can get directly involved in elections, will keep pushing on guns and immigration. He’ll also continue to facilitate the political activity of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. And as Capital first reported, he’ll involve himself in Bloomberg View, the opinion arm of Bloomberg LP, and provide guidance to other parts of the busines. Pointing to Bloomberg Philanthropies’ previous involvement in anti-obesity advertising and research in Mexico, a source familiar with the mayor’s plans said, “We’ll look to see whether or not the soda tax can be replicated in municipalities or states in this country.”
_____________________________________A Real Estate Deal to Close A HospitalWhere is the Investigation?Why Did SUNY Buy LICH for SUNY $205,350,000 owned by Continuum Health Partners If They Never Had the Resources to support A Hospital? Now the WSJ Reports the Growing Debt of the Hospital is More Than A Real Estate Deal Will Take In
The SUNY Board of Trustees held a hearing in Manhattan on the fate of Long Island College Hospital.(NY1)NY1: “It’s not a matter of mismanagement,” said SUNY Board Chairman Carl McCall. “LICH has never had the resources to provide the kind of support that that community wants and probably needs, and we did not have those resources either. And you say that the folks there are angry. They are angry, and I understand that. But we have a lot of people here in SUNY.” McCall said that there isn’t much that they can do right now because of the court case, but they are considering some proposals to turn the hospital into an urgent care facility and also possible condominiums." *
#SaveLICH: SUNY Hearing, McCall Says Condos Possible *Growing Hospital Debt State University of New York officials say that Long Island College Hospital’s mounting financial liabilities have climbed to $500 million, far more than the proceeds expected from the sale of the property, the Journal writes* Many of New York City’s financially strapped hospitals are scrambling to sign up people for health care through the state exchange or through Medicaid, as they brace for $22 billion in federal cuts over the next eight years, The Wall Street Journal reports: * "
SUNY chair Carl McCall to de Blasio re LICH: Transfer it from state to city "Maybe they can do a better job."
--DE BLASIO'S BLEEDING HOSPITAL— Capital's Dan Goldberg: “As a mayoral candidate, Bill de Blasio took ownership of the cause of keeping the financially beleaguered Long Island College Hospital open. Now that he's almost mayor, it's not at all clear what he's going to do with it. ... Andrew Cuomo, … the public official with the most power to affect the hospital's circumstances, wants nothing whatsoever to do with it.”
More About Closing Hospitals de Blasio Loves New YorkMr. de Blasio
was unimpressed with New Jersey Gov.
Chris Christie suggesting New Yorkers should flee to his state. “Governor Christie’s latest political stunt doesn’t merit a serious response,” de Blasio spokeswoman Lis Smith said yesterday. “New York City is the greatest city in the world and will continue to be under Mayor-elect de Blasio.” * While
The Epoch Times has more on the de Blasio
white truffle story, including the fact that
Roger Turgeon, principal of the cooking school he donated it to, “had never cooked with a white truffle before. So he decided to invite chefs from restaurants that serve truffles.”
Meng Mugged “While this was a frightening ordeal, I fortunately was not seriously injured,” -Grace MengRep. Grace Meng attacked, robbed(Wash Post)Congresswoman Grace Meng Attacked and Robbed Last Night(NYO)New York City Legislator Mugged on Capitol Hill(NYT)
* Rep. Grace Meng, New York’s first Asian-American congresswoman, was mugged near her home in Washington, D.C. Tuesday night, suffering multiple bruises and a blow to the back of her head, and losing her Gucci tote bag to the mugger* Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng violently mugged for her Gucci handbag near Capitol Hill(NYDN) _____________________________________Race and Shootings Stats Even the NYP Says the Team Progressive is the Most Powerful Force in the CityThe
New York Postwas unenthused with Mr. de Blasio’s claim that “powerful forces” are mobilizing against his lefty agenda, pointing to the Progressive Caucus’s mobilization in the speaker’s race.
Council progressive caucus seeks to pick next Speaker(NYP Ed)Meanwhile, Crain’s New York Business reports that the Council’s Progressive Caucus — which is about to grow in size come Jan. 1 — has enlisted a top union official to negotiate on its behalf in the battle to select a new speaker, the city’s second-most-powerful job. The official tapped to represent the caucus during negotiations for speaker is Alison Hirsh, political director of the powerful building-workers union, 32BJ SEIU. Hirsh is also a former chief of staff to serial sexual harasser Vito Lopez. In addition to sitting at the table with the county bosses who will decide the new speaker, she will round up votes for the caucus’s preferred candidate once it settles on one. Just who that candidate will be hasn’t yet been decided. “The official tapped to represent the caucus during negotiations for speaker is Alison Hirsh, political director of the powerful building-workers union, 32BJ SEIU. Hirsh is also a former chief of staff to serial sexual harasser Vito Lopez.” “Under a Mayor de Blasio, this is not so much a conflict of interest as a confluence of interests... a larger and stronger progressive caucus within the council effectively means unions will be calling many of the shots.”
20 Progressives Councilmembers Say They Are United Party Leaders ExtinctionThe populist groundswell that swept Bill de Blasio to victory in the mayoral election is reshaping the City Council as well, with a cadre of fiercely liberal council members demanding a voice in choosing that body’s next speaker. Kenneth Sherrill, a professor emeritus of political science at Hunter College, said the rise of the progressive caucus could portend the emergence of a new two-party system in New York City – not Democrats and Republicans, but centrist Democrats and more liberal Democrats. Brad Lander, a Democrat from Brooklyn and the co-chairman of the progressive caucus, said that the 20 caucus members — some of them already serving on the Council, and some who will be serving for the first time — made the commitment to stick together at a caucus retreat at the Bronx Zoo. The caucus’s effort to control a bloc of votes in the race for speaker is a departure from the past, when the speakership was effectively decided by county Democratic Party chairmen. Now the progressive caucus is seeking to ally with one or more of the county delegations to put together enough votes to elect a speaker.*
Jumaane Williams Speaker Bid Slams Into Social Issues(NYO)
The Partnership's Kathy Wylde Lost NYC for the 1%Sticking with the Party Leaders, Parkside Too Long The early favorite seems to be Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-Man.), who’s backed by the health-care-workers union. Hirsh, of course, is playing a dual role here. On the one hand, she negotiates on behalf of the council’s progressive caucus. On the other hand, she’s still a union lobbyist who will be seeking to persuade the same caucus (and other members of the council) to do Big Labor’s bidding. Under a Mayor de Blasio, this is not so much a conflict of interest as a confluence of interests. On Saturday, de Blasio complained it will not be “easy” to enact his progressive agenda because “powerful forces” are mobilizing against him. But it looks to us as though the most powerful interests have already mobilized — and they are all playing for the progressive team.
More on the Speakers RaceCan the MirRam Group Pull the Bronx Into Supporting Melissa Mark-Viverito for Speaker? LUIS A. MIRANDA, JR., ROBERTO RAMIREZ, ESQ and EDUARDO CASTELL consultant group MirRam worked for Melissa Mark-Viverito in her election campaign and are working to make her speaker. Other councilmembers they worked for are:
Ferreras, Julissa, Arroyo, Maria, Espaillat, Adriano NYC Another Test of Progressive Governing DE BLASIO’S MAYORALTY A TEST FOR PROGRESSIVES:Bill de Blasio’s mayoralty will be a litmus test for the city’s progressive movement, beginning with his appointments to key positions in the administration and extending to his first 100 days in office, writes Nick Powell: * Progressive Caucus Debates Open Or Secret Ballot In Speaker's Race (NYDN) * .:
5 of 6 City Council Speaker candidates are in the running thanks to Quinn & MRB extending term limits.
.
Progressives and NYPIRG Sending Cuomo A Message
IDC Jeff Klein Does 180 Supports Pre-K Tax
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@TheRevAl: just to call yourself independent is of no value. #peoplespriorities* Democratic legislators move to take @deBlasioNYC's message of inequality statewide: at a rally, @KarimCamara laments "a tale of two states." * NYPIRG Wants Ethics Probe Of Political Parties * NYPIRG Wants State Ethics Agency To Get Tough On Lobbying By Politi...(NYDN) * QUOTE OF THE DAY: “There is little doubt that certain political parties have engaged in lobbying as defined under the law. We urge the commission to review lobbying spending by all political parties, issue a formal opinion holding that such activities trigger registration and reporting requirements under the law where appropriate, and direct that these committees register as lobbying entities, report their activities, and ensure that they comply with other provisions of the lobbying law.” – NYPIRG, in a complaint to JCOPE, via Gannett Albany.* The Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus outlined their legislative agenda.* The Rev. Al Sharpton on the Senate IDC: “There is a difference between co-option and coalition.”* State Senate co-Leader Jeff Klein said that he wants Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio to succeed and indicated he will help shepherd de Blasio’s tax i ncrease on the wealthy to pay for universal pre-K programs through the Senate, NY1 reports: * IDC member Diane Savino thinks there’s“almost no chance” of de Blasio’s plan to tax rich NYC residents not passing next year, but her Republican colleague, Sen. Andrew Lanza, disagrees.The Godfather Rev. of the New Progressive GovernmentSharpton Pushes A Senate Coalition 'INDEPENDENT' OR OWNED?— Observer's Kamelia Kilawan: Members of the State Legislature's Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian caucus rallied with the Rev. Al Sharpton to unveil their legislative priorities, and push those in their way. Exactly who those opponents are is up in the air, but Sharpton seemed to single out the state Senate's Independent Democratic Conference: “I’m all for building coalitions but coalitions are based on agendas,” he said. “Coalitions that do not have the agenda of those that are working class and those that are needy and those that are not getting their fair share—that is not a coalition, that’s a co-option.” Klein stressed his relationship with de Blasio and his support for his pre-K plan.
And de Blasio reciprocated, telling NY1's Zack Fink: “It’s a good relationship. I have known him for a long time and I very much appreciate his support on early childhood education and after school.”
de Blasio At Sharpton's National Action NetworkPaying Respect to the Godfather . just compared to obama "Bill de Blasio will not walk on water on the Hudson" Sharpton saying we elected a mayor, not a savior
. But its a new day of progress". Sharpton notes campaigning is different than governing; nods.* Six minutes into his speech, brings up his full day pre k plan and talks going to Albany for a tax hike.*
De Blasio Thanks Supporters And Reiterates His Vision For NYC With Sharpton In Harlem (NY1) *
Bill de Blasio: 'cleared the air' with NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly(NYDN) De Blasio says after the New York top cop’s comment that the mayor-elect and other politicians were ‘full of s---’ the pair spoke and ‘we’re moving forward.’ *
De Blasio pushes ‘aggressive agenda’ at Sharpton meeting(NYP) *
De Blasio meets with Ray Kelly, to 'clear the air' | Capital New York *The Victory Lap: Incoming Elected Officials Visit Sharpton's Harlem HQ To Talk Progressive Change(NYT) _____________________________________ NYC Health Care ExchangeGov. Andrew Cuomo said that the state does not need to allow a one-year reprieve in insurance policy cancellations of substandard health policies, proposed by President Obama, because the health care exchange rollout is going well, the New York Daily News writes:* Representatives of New York’s health exchange said confusion over the malfunctioning federal Obamacare website likely hurt early enrollment in the state, though 48,162 people have enrolled in health plans through the exchange, the Times Union reports: http://bit.ly/17HgZZs* The Daily News’ Bill Hammond writes that Cuomo’s claims that the state hasn’t had the same issues as the federal government in signing people up for Obamacare is because the state hardly has any direct-pay insurance market left: http://nydn.us/1aoI1ZR NY HEALTH CARE ALREADY BROKEN —Daily News' Bill Hammond: New York comes out looking good in the federal Obamacare mess because its system was broken long ago, by none other than former Gov. Mario Cuomo. Reforms passed in 1993 heavily regulated and essentially destroyed the direct-pay insurance market, Hammond writes.
Out of Touch Wylde Panics Must Go
True News Loser of the 2013 Election The Partnership's Kathy WyldeIf you think the Giants are having a bad year check out the head of the Partnership. Wylede allowed the Working Families Party to take over the mayor's and Public Advocate's office. She now must count on Virginia resident Corrupt Queens' Boss Joe Crowley to line up enough councilmembers to elect Mark Weprin as Council Speaker. As long as Wyde is in power there will never be reform of the city's corrupt party leadership or Board of elections.
OFFICIAL DISPATCH from Lhota's closed-door meeting yesterday, via Kathy Wylde of the Partnership for NYC: "Joe Lhota met with about thirty members of the Partnership for New York City today to detail priorities he would focus on as mayor including support for job creation, making the city more affordable, and ensuring that it remains safe. the big question was whether there is a path to victory for a Republican in an increasingly Democratic town. Joe argued that most New Yorkers agree with him on big issues if he can get his name known and his message across. Those attending included CEOs from finance, real estate, media and law. The Partnership has met with all mayoral candidates, but does not make endorsements. Joe was introduced by Loews CEO Jim Tisch."
Escape New York First Shot in the de Blasio Boarder WarChristie: Move to New Jersey to get away from de Blasio(NYP) The garrulous Garden State governor said during a speech to The Wall Street Journal CEO Council Monday that New York is going in the “wrong direction” — especially since de Blasio’s election as mayor — and that residents should consider a change.“You have a new mayor in New York who is aggressively talking about increasing taxes in New York City. A Connecticut candidate for governor ran TV ads in the city last week encouraging New Yorkers to come to his state instead.
NYC EconomyBoyland's Father A Bribe Bag Man? Boyland Jr. sent dad to collect bribe money: prosecutors(NYP) Prosecutors will argue that Boyland Jr. used his old man to pick up the check to distance himself from his dirty dealing. “At trial the jury will hear a recording on which the defendant boasts that he uses a ‘bag man’ or a ‘middle guy’ so that he can stay clean,” prosecutors wrote in the filing. “This evidence is powerful proof that Boyland Sr. was a co-conspirator who knew he was collecting a criminal bribe and not a legitimate campaign contribution.”
A Brooklyn federal court filing showed that Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. had his own father pick up a bribe from an undercover agent, with William Boyland Sr. picking up a $3,000 check from a man he believed to be a real estate developer.
More on the William Boyland _____________________________________ Ray Kelly ![]()
After the Worse Covered Election in Recent Memory A Elite Group of Journalists Are Going On A Panel Tuesday to Tell Us All What A Great Job They Did. And That is Not Worse of It. Mayoral candidate Sal Albanese said her got more press coverage when he demanded Weiner leave the race than the the whole campaign when he talked about issues the other candidates were not talking about.
How the Media Lost the Race for Mayor(City Limits)They Will Share the Stage With the Advance's Group's Scott Levenson who gamed the election process and manipulated campaigns and the so called reporters coverage in ways they will never understand or care to learn about.
Group Think Masterbation Journalist Dumb Down the Public and Tell Each Other What A Great Job They DidThis generation of journalist do not understand that fair elections and an informed public are important to the well being of every New Yorker.
Participants will include: Kate Taylor,
The New York Times; Maggie Haberman, Politico; Brian Lehrer, WNYC; Scott Levenson, The Advance Group; Stu Loeser, political strategist; Errol Louis, NY 1; and Joel Siegel,
New York Daily News.
Moderator: Greg David,
Crain’s New York Business columnist and director of the Business & Economics Reporting Program at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.
_____________________________________ More Guns On the StreetsEvery Candidate Running for Off This Year Promised to Take More Guns Off the Street Twelve more shootings and 89 fewer guns recovered Fewer guns seized since stop-frisk ruling(NYP) Since Manhattan federal Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled the NYPD’s use of stop-and-frisk was unconstitutional three months ago, city cops have made nearly 12 percent fewer gun seizures.*
Gov. Cuomo's gun-control laws may persuade gun makers to leave N.Y.(NYDN)“Of course, [Scheindlin’s] ruling is responsible for this,’’ a confident police source griped. “There’s a definite cause and effect here.”
Less Murders Via City Hall: Through Sunday has seen 79 fewer than at this point last year: 294 murders in 2013 v. 373 murders in 2012
_____________________________________Stevenson US Attorney Not Fair?
Stevenson Tries to Move His Trial Out of Bharara's Reach Because the U.S. Attorney Testified At Moreland That He Would Move to Take His Pension AwayAssemblyman Eric Stevenson, who is charged with taking more than $20,000 in bribes, said he cannot get a fair trial because U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Stevenson and other corrupt politicians shouldn’t receive pensions‘Bribe pol’ claims Bharara’s pension comments will prevent ‘fair trial’(NYP) He’s accused of taking more than $20,000 in bribes, but Assemblyman Eric Stevenson claims he can’t get a “fair trial” because US Attorney Preet Bharara told an Albany panel that guys like him shouldn’t get a pension. Despite his indictment, which attracted wide media coverage, Stevenson claims Bharara is trying the case “in the court of public opinion,” referring to bombshell testimony the prosecutor gave in September to Gov. Cuomo’s Commission to Investigate Public Corruption. Bharara said he’d use existing federal forfeiture laws to slap convicted pols with fines to claw back any money derived from a public pension “so that the punishment fits the crime and … we can taken the profit out of that crime.” “In that vein,” he added, “we have today filed bills of particulars in two pending public corruption cases — United States vs. Malcolm Smith and United States vs. Eric Stevenson, et al. — giving notice of our intent to go after the pensions of elected officials convicted of corruption charges.”
_____________________________________Moreland AttacksNegative Research Done By Those in Albany Trying to Stop MorelandNassau DA Kathleen Rice accepted $1M in contributions through a loophole that anti-corruption panel SHE RUNS is probing(NYDN) Kathleen Rice co-chairs Gov. Cuomo's anti-corruption commission but still accepted more than $1 million from LLCs, which are not held to $5,000 annual corporate contribution limit. The loophole allows corporations to give unlimited amounts to candidates by creating subsidiaries known as LLCs, whose donation limits are 30 times higher than those imposed on regular corporations.
_____________________________________Cuomo 2014- Cuomo Stockpiles Cash(WSJ)
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, facing no formidable re-election challenger yet, has raised by far the most money of any gubernatorial candidate in the country entering a 2014 race.Cuomo has raised the most money of any gubernatorial candidate entering a 2014 race, with $27.8 million, fueling speculation as to what he would do with the leftover money from the race, when he’s expected to spend $20 million to $30 million * A “huge loophole” could allow Gov. Cuomo to take some of his state-raised money to the national level.* * Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino knocked Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos and Assembly Republican Leader Brian Kolb, saying he would run for governor as a Conservative if both aren’t ousted from office, State of Politics writes: - More on the 2014 Governor's Race
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Cuomo Praises Kelly Agrees Some People Full of Crap Gov. Cuomo Praises NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly; Agrees That Some People Aren't Genuine (NYDN) * . says she has asked to make
Philip Banks the next police commissioner *
Bloomberg’s Governors Island represents the best parts of the modern city. Can De Blasio keep it up? (NY Mag) *
Gov. Cuomo: Ray Kelly is a ‘gifted leader’(NYP)“To the extent the police commissioner suggested some people are not genuine in life, I think that’s true,” Cuomo said during an event at LaGuardia airport.*
Yes, Some Are 'Not Genuine,' Cuomo Says(WSJ) Cuomo weighed in on New York City Police Commissioner’s published criticisms of Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio, saying he thought Kelly’s comments were true in that some people are not genuine* Ray Kelly Remembers John F. Kennedy's Assassination (WSJ)
More on Ray Kelly Where Investigations Go to Die BOE![]()
INVESTIGATIVE IRONY: Cuomo, as attorney general, passed on probing Onondaga County DA Bill Fitzpatrick—Daily News' Ken Lovett: "The attached allegation was received by this office," Cuomo's office wrote in a letter to Board of Elections Commissioner Evelyn Aquila on Jan. 10, 2008. "After a careful review of the documents, we have determined that the issue mentioned pertain to your office. Accordingly, we are referring this material to you for whatever action you deem appropriate." A source close to Cuomo says that by law, the Board of Elections has sole jurisdiction over election laws. "Not much else could have been done," the source said. "It really shouldn't have gone to the AG's office in the first place." Ultimately, the Board of Elections--where Cuomo now says complaints go to die--did nothing, citing limited resources
* The Times Union argues in favor of requiring political parties to report to the Joint Commission on Public Ethics on their spending on lobbying-style campaigns, using the state Democratic committee’s glowing ad campaign about Cuomo as an example: http://bit.ly/I4sQLg
Dicker and the NYP Keeps Pushing AstorinoAgainst CuomoWestchester County Executive Rob Astorino was invited to a fundraising event held by the Republican Governors Association in Scottsdale, Arizona, hoping to win the RGA’s help in raising money to challenge Cuomo in 2014, the New York Post’s Fred Dicker writes * Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino, a former 2010 Republican gubernatorial candidate, said that Astorino could be a good candidate, calling him “an up-and-comer” and “a bright star,” while still weighing entering the race himself, the Daily News’ ATEST POLL — Siena Research Institute survey finds Gov. Andrew Cuomo with record low approval rating, but still trouncing potential challengers: The poll of registered voters found Cuomo's job approval at 44 percent, down from 52 percent last month. He is still viewed favorably by over 60 percent of those surveyed. In a hypothetical 2014 matchup, Cuomo would trounce Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino 63-24, coast pass Republican State Chairman Ed Cox 62-25 and blow out Carl Paladino 65-24. Cox, who has never held elective office, was known to 41 percent of voters surveyed, compared to Astorino, who registered with just a quarter of the statewide electorate. Half of voters know Paladino, but more have an unfavorable impression than a favorable one. Read the crosstabs:http://goo.gl/vY4KtG G.O.P. JOCKEYING — Buffalo News headline, 'GOP looking for a strategy to outflank Paladino's Conservative threat'— Bob McCarthy: Though New York Republican Party leaders are lying low and declined to comment after’s Paladino’s threat, others warn that the party must revive its “Rockefeller Republican” roots and neutralize Paladino if it harbors any hope of beating incumbent Democrat Andrew M. Cuomo next year. “In order to build a coalition, especially when you’re the minority party, you need to remember you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar,” said John J. Faso, the 2006 Republican nominee for governor. “It can be counterproductive to get into this kind of rhetoric and name-calling.”
http://goo.gl/rPdjhq *
Whipped up a quick map of legislative vacancies in the city. Really concentrated in Central & Eastern Brooklyn: (NYO) *
* The Journal News’ Phil Reisman evaluates Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino’s chances in potentially challenging Cuomo for governor in 2014, drawing on a parallel between a former county executive running against Mario Cuomo:*
Phil Reisman games out Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino’s chances against Cuomo in 2014, recalling the 1986 election when another popular GOP county executive from Westchester, Andrew O’Rourke, was creamed by Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo, who had just completed his first term at the time.*
* Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and his wife spent an hour behind closed doors with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and his wife at the Republican Governors Association meeting, Gannett Albany writes: _____________________________________The Death of the Party Machine? The City Source Scandal Led to NYC Public Campaign Fiance System Lobbyists Consultants and Their Progressive Friends Gamed the System with the Help of Supreme Court's Citizen United DecisionIn 1986 the Bronx County Leader Stanley Friedman, Brooklyn Boss Esposito and a bunch of Queens party hacks were found guilty for trying to take over the city's Parking Violations Bureau into a tool for their corrupt personal profit. Donald Manes killed himself before the trial. Brooklyn boss Meade Esposito got his in a later trial. Up until this year the county leader would decide among themselves on who would be council speaker. Council speakers have historically been selected by leaders of borough political machines lining up votes and getting patronage jobs and plum committee chairmanships for friends and allies. But as their power to elect or unelect council members has waned, unions have filled the vacuum, with the labor-backed Working Families Party playing a part in electing much of the council.
Beyond the Campaign finance lawNow everyone is spending money to elect council members through PAC and even spending money in the race for speaker. Because this type of competition for Speaker has never happen before their are no rules recording what is being spent with the CFB or the State Board of Elections _____________________________________The Fight for the Control of NYPower Shifting in Council Speakers Race
This year new players entered the power play to pick the next speaker. Progressive councilmembers elected by a group of 8 campaign consultants lobbyists and unions. Together this new coalition are challenging the control of the old party bosses. The party bosses joining with the Partnership and REBNY's Jobs4NY have gotten with the new politics even hired their own lobbyists the corrupt Partside Group. The union progressive coalition is trying to elect Melissa Mark-Viverito with their general the corrupt Advance Group and the Party leaders general is Even Stavisky's Parkside. Both groups are spending money trying to influence the press and council members to support their candidate.
In the race for council speaker, A New Kingmaker(CrainsNY) Ms. Mark-Viverito, who also works with consultants at the MirRam Group. Which could put away some of the councilmembers
Bronx Democratic Party Chairman Carl Heastie. County primarily after patronage and committee chairs. pushing for rules reform to give the individual councilmember more power
Partnership and Permanent Government Counting On the Disconnected Corrupt Party Leaders Deliver. Can They?Late Queens Boss Thomas Manton Lead Deal Maker in Last Three Council Speakers Races . . . Is Crowley Up to the Task? The Queens Democratic Boss has taken the lead in electing the last three council speakers making deals with mostly the Bronx Party leader. The late Thomas Manton made Peter Vallone, GMiller and Quinn. Together Queens and the Bronx have 20 members (Queens 12, Bronx 8). Weprin who is wildly considered the Queens Bosses candidate has contributed to 6 Brooklyn council candidates and 1 Staten Island council candidate. Weprin also contributed 10,000 to the Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn and WFP Party. The one thing that is unknown is the big role the union and real estate PACs and WFP played this year electing councilmembers,will cut into the power of the Queens boss to make a deal* Progressive Caucus and Queens County Begin to Collide(NYO)
CrainsNY Offers Details of A Blowup between the Queens Democratic Machine and the Progressive Caucus ![]()
A recent negotiating snafu demonstrates the conflict between the city's old and new political forces. About three weeks ago, council members from Queens who are part of the Progressive Caucus scheduled a meeting at the Queens office of law firm Sweeney Gallo Reich & Bolz. The firm's partners run the day-to-day operations of the borough's Democratic Party, and the progressives hoped to persuade them to partner in lining up the 26 votes needed to elect a speaker. Just hours before the meeting, the leaders of the Queens Democratic machine learned that Ms. Hirsh of 32BJ would attend in her capacity as lead negotiator, according to multiple sources. The Democratic leadership, whose executive director declined to comment, demanded that only elected officials be allowed in the room. The Progressive Caucus refused, and the meeting was canceled, sparking tensions between the two most powerful forces in this year's speaker race. A flurry of phone calls seeking to mend the rift has ensued, according to sources.
_____________________________________Inside Werpin Team Leader ParksideParkside Has Built A Monopoly Through Their Partnership With the Corrupt Queens Democratic Organization and Its Connection to the Permanent Government
Mclaughlin Helped Create Parkside, Many of the Groups That Brian Was Convicted for Ripping Off Hired Parkside As A Consultant Parkside worked for Mclaughlin and the
Petrocelli lighting company who Brian was convicted of fixing the city's biding process. Mclaughlin was also convicted for ripping off his own union that Parkside worked for. Parkside runs almost ever campaign for the Queens Democratic Organization. *
Consultants Parkside Come To Crowley’s Defense After Weprin Defeat. Both Parkside and Crowley have gamed the Election system to make $$$
In Queens, Political Center Is in Surrogate's Court - NYTimes.com.
Crowley hangs onto power mostly through their operative Parkside and mike Nussbaum Multi Media which is both a political consultant and VP or a lot of Queens Newspapers. Relationships between consultants are not required to be recorded. So there is no way to tell how big Parkside Monopoly of politics, lobbying and local journalism is in Queens.
A Takeover Of Journalism by Lobbyist and Politicians. Most to the state election Parkside runs in Queens are fixed special elections that does not require heavy lifting to win. In the council races in 2009 Parkside faced matching funds and multi-candidates field. In those races Parkside lost 5 of the 6 Queens races they ran.
Organize Crime Politics and Lobbying: Make Money From Government or Connections to Government
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Parkside was very deeply involved in the city council slush fund scandal. Stavisky group was paid a total of $1.7 million by more than 40 clients in 2005, nonprofit receiving member items from the city council. In 2005 in a NYT article Dick Dadey executive director of Citizens Union expressed concern about what he called "a growing problem" of council members being lobbied by firms that serve as political consultants to many of them. A top union official who was labor's lead negotiator in the deal to pass landmark paid-sick-leave legislation this year is now the chief negotiator for the council's Progressive Caucus in the horse-trading that will determine the next speaker. Alison Hirsh, the political director of the influential building workers' union, 32BJ SEIU, is bargaining with the county Democratic bosses who control other blocs of votes in the race. Ms. Hirsh's role is indicative of organized labor's growing power in city government, attributable in part to Bill de Blasio's union-backed election and the withering influence of traditional Democratic clubhouse leaders.
Alison Hirsh From Vito Lopez to the Progressives?Making A deal on Jobs, None Profit Contracts, Member Items and Future IndictmentsMs. Hirsh is a well-connected operative who helped hammer out the deal to elect Ms. Quinn in 2005 on behalf of then-Brooklyn Democratic leader Vito Lopez. Still, her role this time as lead negotiator struck a number of lawmakers as highly unusual because of her dual role as a powerful lobbyist.*CrainsNY and Parkside's Past Attacks on Advance
CrainsNY on the Advance Groups Double Dipping.Progressive Council Candidates GroupSome observers believe the 11-member Progressive Caucus, which formed in 2010 and is expected to grow substantially following the 2013 elections, will be the most powerful force this year in picking the next speaker. The closely affiliated Progressive Caucus is hoping to hold together a bloc of some 15 to 18 council members—and perhaps even more—who will be loyal to the labor leaders rather than to county Democratic machines. The coalition appears to be more interested in pushing a progressive ideological agenda than in winning the usual perks. During outgoing Council Speaker Christine Quinn's eight-year tenure, much of that agenda was bottled up or watered down as she sought to accommodate the business community's concerns, a fate the progressives are looking to avoid with the next speaker. The Council's Progressive Caucus has also been hoping to play a significant role in the race – while also pledging to create more openness in the Council's sometimes-opaque dealings. With 17 members in next year's Council, the Caucus could give a powerful boost to a candidate and several of its members who are eyeing the speakership, most notably Melissa Mark-Viverto. Costa Constantinides, Council Member Margaret Chin, Council Member Daniel Dromm, Council Member Julissa Ferreras, Ben Kallos, Council Member Brad Lander, Mark Levine, Council Member Stephen Levin, Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, Council Member Donovan Richards, Council Member Debi Rose, Ritchie Torres, Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, Council Member Jumaane D. WilliamsMore on the Speaker Race _____________________________________The New Tammany HallThe New Machine are the Campaign Consultant LobbyistsThe 8 royal families of New York City include: the Advance Group, the Parkside Group/Marathon Strategies (join at the hip), Berlin Rosen, Mercury Public Affairs, Brandford Communications, George Arzt, Multi-Media, Hudson TJ and Red Horse. The new Tammany Hall is Worse Than the old Tammany Hall The Old delivered services to the communities this new one does not
Organized Crime PoliticsThe New Tammany Hall
Operating in Secret Dark Pools A Mob of Campaign Consultants/ Lobbyists Coup d'État of New York Government Goes Unreported Political Goodfellas Royals
Eight campaign consultants all but one are also lobbyists, have monopolized NYC elections system that only the Justice Department using the
Sherman Antitrust Act can bust. These consultants run every important campaign in New York.
The campaign monopoly is only part of a conspiracy that is not only about who gets elected. It is also part of a second conspiracy to make money off of government as lobbyist or insiders. There is serious evidence of illegal coordination between the Independent Expenditure PACs and consultants
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In this monopoly consultants work with each other at the same time they are oppose them in other races.
Some consultants help other consultant’s candidates often at the expense of their own clients. Two Consultant Lobbyists the Advance Group and the Parkside Group were involved in every competitive council race and even some that did not have races through Independent Expenditure PACs they control. These IE PACS have muscled their way in to having seats at the table along the Democratic
Party bosses that will pick the next council speaker. The big 8 along with the special interests whose millions fund PACs, have sabotage the whole idea of local representation and local elections. The pols are more loyal to the centralized campaign consultants and their money backers, the new ruling class, than they are to the voters in their districts. The consultants work like Wall Street investors who trade in dark pools beyond the control of regulators. In NY's dark pool campaign consultants/lobbyists, special interests and elected officials make deals with each other hidden from public view. To understand the reasons for the takeover you must also be aware that the business opportunities for consultants don’t end on primary or election day. In an excellent investigation of the dangers the newly elected Cuomo would face from lobbyist, Wayne Barrett wrote in the Village Voice in 2010. that campaign consultant lobbyist "Sheinkopf one of the worse consultant lobbyist, makes kings so he can then make deals with the kings he’s made."
The NYT Has Nothing About the Council Speakers Race or the Background Deals Being Cut to Elect the New SpeakerNew Council Turn to the Left No Conservative Counterweight NYT's Dear in Headlight Reporting New York City Council set to lean further to the left as 21 new members come aboard(NYDN)With a number of young progressives among them, the new members are likely to work with Mayor Bill de Blasio to expand workers’ rights and impose new burdens on businesses. Bloomberg had for years been a conservative counterweight against the 51-member Council.
The Political Class Takeover _____________________________________Journalism LostThe Lost Art of Jimmy Breslin JournalismTo younger colleagues: the story isn't always the person with the title. Why Jimmy Breslin is a legend in his timePrints of the city (NYDN Ed) Toasting legendary columnist Jimmy Breslin. Far too long ago, Stanley Walker, legendary city editor of the New York Herald Tribune, described the newspaper you are reading as “a jolly, rollicking brother of all humanity.” The memorable phrase came to mind with
Jimmy Breslin’s induction into the Deadline Club’s Hall of Fame. It well fits the man. Breslin came to journalism equipped with the painter’s eye for detail, the composer’s ear for the music of New York speech and a heart that could write. Good columnist? No. Great columnist, one day hilarious, the next heartbreaking, unafraid, on the right guy’s side, always authentic, even when peopling his pieces with characters of the imagination.
More on Jimmy Breslin _____________________________________Public Housing NYCHA drops $9M a year on private law firms in long battles against tenants who claim unsafe conditions(NYDN)* Opponents of the New York City Housing Authority’s controversial land lease plan, which raises funds by building market-rate apartments on public housing land, are suing to block the plan, The Observer writes: Hundreds of public housing tenants filed suit to stop Bloomberg’s plan to lease city Housing Authority property in Manhattan for construction of private luxury residential buildings.* Ban on Former Inmates in Public Housing Is Eased(NYT) The New York City Housing Authority will begin a pilot program next month that aims to help recently released prisoners reunite with their families. *
HUD Storm-Protection Competition Will Narrow Ideas Big and Small(NYT) *
NYC public housing eases ban on former inmates(WSJ)More on NYCHA _____________________________________Broken Party Leaders Whose Fault ?.Surprising Strength of Union Candidate Mark-Viverito Real Estate and Party Leader Permanent Government Caught Flat FootedA Team of Progressives, WFP Like in the Mayoral Campaign Fill the Void Union power play in council speaker race(NYP) Members of the labor union that helped propel Bill de Blasio into City Hall aren’t just pushing for his pal to become City Council speaker — they’re also trying to clear the field of rivals. Local 1199 representatives, who are actively backing de Blasio ally Melissa Mark-Viverito for the top council spot, have pressured Bronx Councilwoman Annabel Palma to drop out of the race. “I believe the [union] aggression happening this time is one that we’ve not seen before,” said Palma, who, like Viverito, is a former organizer for the health-care workers’ union.
The Permanent Government Split Panic Out of Touch Partnership Party Bosses Try to Use A Hiram Monserrate's Damaged Councilwoman to Split Mark-Viverito Latino Vote To Get A Win for WeprinPro-Business Group Tried to Push Ferreras Into Speaker’s Race: Source (NYO) The Partnership, led by
Kathryn Wylde, confirmed a meeting had taken place on that date, but insisted that no recruitment effort occurred and that the only topics broached pertained to the district’s business climate. Ms. Ferreras is a member of the council’s left-leaning Progressive Caucus, but also appears to be somewhat appealing to business interests. Her support of the controversial Willets Point development, a boon to the real estate community, as well as a business improvement district in Corona, suggest a Speaker Ferreras would be willing to closely cooperate with the business community. She also recently negotiated a land deal with the United States Tennis Association in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
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True News Last Week As the NYP, Daily New and NYT Lost Power the Working Families Party Takes OverWHAT TO LOOK FOR: Bill de Blasio is expected to be declared the winner of the mayor’s race shortly after the polls close tonight at 9 p.m. Joining him in the winners' circle will also be the leaders of the Working Families Party. In April of 2001, four months after Michael Bloomberg was sworn in as mayor, the W.F.P. had only 2044 registered voters. In 2009, the first year the party formally backed a mayoral candidate, the W.F.P. got one-fifth the number of votes for its candidate, Bill Thompson, that the Independence Party did with Michael BloombergToday, with de Blasio’s victory, the W.F.P. is also set to displace the Independence Party as New York City’s dominant third-party
player. If polls hold steady, de Blasio and the W.F.P. will have proven that there can be political gold in talking about economic injustice.
. _____________________________________Speaker Race..Pay to Vote Speaker Campaign Score Card Mark WeprinPaid Consultant Lobbyists Hudson TG $12,000 even though he had no race. He paid mission control $45,000 for mailingsCD 12 Andy King $2700, CD 11 Cohen for Council $1,000 Brandford, CD 40 Com to Reelect Mathieu Eugene $1,000 ,
CD 14 Cabrera for City Council $1,000 Brandford, CD 37 Espinal for City Council $2750 Advance,
CD 43 Gentile for the Future $1,000 Advance,
CD 16 Gibson for City Council $2750 Brandford,
CD 22 Friends of Costa Constantinide $1,000, CD 33 Levin 2013 $5,600 Berlin Rosen, CD 46 Maisel for Council $1,000, CD 31 Re-elect Donovan Richards 2013 $2,750 Berllin Rosen,
CD 41 Re-elect Mealy $2750,
CD 49 The Debi Rose Campaign Committ $1000, CD 17 Vote Vallone 2013 $2750 Mercury, People for Diaz $5000, Democratic Org of Queens Count $10,000, Kings County Democratic Commit $10,000, New Yorkers for De Blasio $4,950, Bronx Democratic County Comm. $10,000, Working Families Party $10,000.
Daniel GarodnickPaid Consultant Lobbyists Berlin Rosen $50,000 Even though he had no race, Garodnick also paid Bedford Grove LLCAndy King 2013 $500, Arroyo 2013 $500,
Friends of Antonio Reynoso $2,750, Friends of Costa Constantinide $2,750, Re-elect Darlene Mealy $2,750, RE-ELECT DONOVAN RICHARDS 2013 $2,750, Rosie Mendez 2013 $2,750, Friends of Daniel Dromm $500, Gibson for City Council $2,750, Jumaane Williams for the 45th $1,000, Levin 2013 $5,600, New Yorkers for de Blasio $4,950, Friends of Torres $2,750, People for Ydanis $1,750, Vote Vallone 2013 $2,750, The Debi Rose Campaign, Committ $2,000, People for Diaz $500. Crowley Leadership Fund $1,000, Democratic Org of Queens City $3,000, Kings County Democratic Commit $2,000, Working Families Party $1,000, Stringer 2013 $4,950
.Progressive Council Candidates Group The Council's Progressive Caucus has also been hoping to play a significant role in the race – while also pledging to create more openness in the Council's sometimes-opaque dealings. With 17 members in next year's Council, the Caucus could give a powerful boost to a candidate and several of its members who are eyeing the speakership, most notably Melissa Mark-Viverto. Costa Constantinides, Council Member Margaret Chin, Council Member Daniel Dromm, Council Member Julissa Ferreras, Ben Kallos, Council Member Brad Lander, Mark Levine, Council Member Stephen Levin, Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, Council Member Donovan Richards, Council Member Debi Rose, Ritchie Torres, Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, Council Member Jumaane D. Williams. More on the Speaker Race _____________________________________Bloomberg Closing Game![]()
Finishing Touches Elusive for Mayor(WSJ)
As his 12-year run at City Hall winds down, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is working to leave his final imprints on life in the city, from the environment to transportation to policing.* Our LaGuardia(NYDN) Michael Bloomberg's shadow is the equal to that cast by the city's greatest mayor
Bloomberg Era Ends _____________________________________2nd Indictment in Rapfogel Scandal ![]()
A second person
has been indicted in the Met Council scandal, this time a Long Island insurance agent.*
Insurer Charged With Theft From a Charity(NYT) Joseph Ross was arrested on Wednesday and charged with helping a longtime Jewish community leader loot more than $7 million from the Metropolitan New York Council on Jewish Poverty.The insurance company, Century Coverage in Valley Stream, N.Y., has provided its services to the organization, known as Met Council, for more than two decades. It appears that investigators have concluded that the amount of money stolen between the early 1990s and August 2013 was greater than they had believed. In the complaint charging Mr. Rapfogel, the total amount of the theft was listed as in excess of $5 million. But the complaint against Mr. Ross says the total amount of money stolen was in excess of $7 million.*
Disgraced Sheldon Silver pal gave kickback money to politicians: alleged co-conspirator(NYDN)William Rapfogel, the former head of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, ordered some of the $7 million in illicit profits from the charity kickback scheme to go to politicians, his alleged co-conspirator said. Joseph Ross, whose insurance brokerage company was allegedly involved in the scheme, says that he regularly delivered to Rapfogel checks for political contributions.
Rapfogel Public Matching Fund Corruption Scandal
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A Sheldon Silver pal who’s enmeshed in a massive charity kickback scheme ordered some of the illicit profits to go to politicians, his alleged co-conspirator said. A filing Thursday by the state Attorney General’s Office says Joseph Ross admitted that former Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty head William Rapfogel told him “to make contributions to campaigns of various politicians and to political organizations” using some of the $7 million in kickback money they’d pocketed over the years. The complaint against Mr. Ross, which was sworn out by Gerard Matheson, an investigator with the attorney general’s office, said that Mr. Rapfogel used some of the stolen money to provide political contributions to candidates for city, state and federal offices in the names of Century owners and employees. It said that Mr. Rapfogel instructed Mr. Ross to make contributions to various candidates and political organizations, and that Mr. Ross regularly delivered checks for the contributions to Mr. Rapfogel. The complaint said that more than $120,000 was provided to candidates for city offices, and tens of thousands of dollars more went to candidates for state and federal offices. Met Council, a nonprofit organization that receives tens of millions of dollars in city, state and federal financing, cannot legally make such contributions itself.*
Insurer charged with theft from NYC Jewish charity(WSJ) The NYC Pols Were Getting Checks From Employees of A Long Island Insurance Firm and They Did Not Know Anything Was Wrong? Come on“Pursuant to this agreement, the defendant regularly delivered checks for political contributions to Rapfogel, who in turn gave the checks to the various politicians and their political organizations,” the court papers say. The filing does not identify the politicians, and there's no indication the recipients were aware the funds were tainted."A spokeswoman for the AG’s office declined comment on the specific complaint, but said, “Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is committed to rooting out corruption in New York’s not-for-profit sector.”
Rapfogel's Non Profit Tax Shelters Connects to political payoffs _____________________________________
911 System Cost Overruns
Fines No Legal Cases Again _____________________________________Last Ugly Days of HynesA New Dispute Emerges in Brooklyn Prosecutor’s Office(NYT)The office of District Attorney Charles J. Hynes of Brooklyn, who was ousted by voters after 24 years, fired an assistant who forwarded embarrassing emails about his campaign that BuzzFeed published.
Vecchinoe First to the DoorMore Brooklyn DA dysfunction: Top Hynes prosecutor Michael Vecchione will split rather than help with transitionOutgoing Brooklyn DA wants probe of ‘forged’ bigot e-mails(NYP)Thompson Wants Delay in Rabbi Case(WSJ) Brooklyn DA-elect Thompson seeks a delay in the prosecution of an Orthodox rabbi charged with sex abuse
A mess grows in Brooklyn (NYDN Ed) Joe Hynes’ disgrace exit. With the defeat of Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes after six terms in office, there appeared to be little reason to comment further on his misrule of the city’s largest prosecution office. No such luck. His last years were shadowed by a long failure to effectively prosecute sex abuse in the insular ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, a powerful voting bloc; by accusations (taken seriously by two federal judges) that top lieutenant Michael Vecchione had railroaded a man named Jabbar Collins for a rabbi’s murder; and by evidence that now-retired Detective Louis Scarcella may have helped the DA’s office win convictions with hyped evidence.
Case Suffers Setback (Jewish Week)
More on the Brooklyn DA _____________________________________Bronx GOP Boss Savino Going to RatPreet Bharara Has Started the Dominoes Falling Former Bronx GOP Chairman Jay Savino
pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges.
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — The former Republican Party chairman in the Bronx has pleaded guilty to corruption charges, admitting to accepting a bribe to let a Democratic state senator run for New York City mayor as a Republican. Joseph Savino entered the plea to three public corruption counts Tuesday in federal court in White Plains.*
Former Bronx GOP Chairman Jay Savino Pleads Guilty To Corruption Charges(NYDN)*
Former Bronx GOP Chairman Pleads Guilty In Connection With ...(NY1)*
Savino pleads guilty in corruption scandal with Spring Valley ties(LoHud) *
Ex-Bronx GOP boss pleads guilty in corruption case(TU) *
Ex-Bronx GOP boss pleads guilty in corruption case(WSJ) * Ex-Bronx County Republican Chairman Joseph Savino pleads guilty to bribery ...(Bronx 12)Savino admitted participating in the plot between November 2012 and April 2013 to aid state Sen. Malcolm Smith in getting on this year's mayoral ballot. Savino, who remains free on $250,000 bond, will serve as a cooperating witness against the other defendants in the case, according to his plea agreement. Smith, Halloran, Tabone, Spring Valley Mayor Noramie Jasmin and Spring Valley Deputy Mayor Joseph Desmaret have all pleaded not guilty to bribery and other charges.
Savino copped to taking a $15,000 bribe from an undercover agent in exchange for agreeing to help Smith get a Wilson-Pakula waiver to compete in the primary without switching his registration. The feds say in court papers that Savino could apply to enter the witness protection program as the entrenched ex-politico’s cooperation “is likely to reveal activities of individuals who might use violence, force, and intimidation against” him and his family. He faces up to 30 years in prison and nine years of supervised release when he’s sentenced on Feb 25 – although he’s likely to get a significantly reduced sentence. His lawyer Robert LaRusso said he’d seek probation for Savino.
We Hear Your Now Melvin Lowe ![]()
Because he is a Democrat, Smith needed three Republican leaders' permission. According to court papers, Savino accepted $15,000 from an undercover FBI agent last Feb. 1 at a Manhattan restaurant. As part of the plea, he must forfeit the money. Savino faces up to 30 years in prison at a Feb. 25 sentencing.*
Political Consultant Melvin Lowe Arrested in Corruption Case ...Savino Throws Halloran Under the Bus
Joseph “Jay” Savino told White Plains federal Judge Kenneth Karas that Councilman Dan Halloran instigated the entire scheme to get state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) on the GOP ballot for mayor.The fallen Bronx power broker said the deal was concocted after he reached out to Halloran in January 2013 for help ensuring that the City Council didn’t replace one of Savino’s hand-picked commissioners on the city’s Board of Elections. “He basically told me the only way I would keep my commissioner is to come to this lunch,” Savino said. Savino said he met with Halloran and others – including an undercover agent he referred to as “Raj” — at Spark’s Steak House in Midtown on February 1. There, Savino said, it was proposed that he’d be hired for legal services on development projects in Rockland County and the Bronx in exchange for him helping get Smith on the GOP mayoral ballot. Savino said he agreed to accept a $30,000 retainer — including $15,000 up front.
Because he is a Democrat, Smith needed GOP support in at least three boroughs to run as a Republican without changing his party affiliation. Smith had Halloran allegedly set up meetings with Savino and Queens Republican Vice Chairman Vincent Tabone to arrange bribes for their support, while Halloran pocketed thousands for himself, prosecutors said.
When we hear from the U.S. Attorney next Moreland will as Katy Perry says ROAR
“Basically I’m just gonna walk the earth . . . You know, walk the earth, meet people . . . get into adventures. Like Caine from ‘Kung Fu.’"US Attorney Preet BhararaBharara's Pulp Fiction Journey to Restore New York's Democracy The Manhattan US attorney, Preet Bharara,
stunned attendees at the DealBook conference when during a Q&A when he reeled off a “Pulp Fiction” speech.
Who knew Preet Bharara’s a Quentin Tarantino fan? The Manhattan US attorney stunned attendees at the DealBook conference when during a Q&A when he reeled off a “Pulp Fiction” speech. “When asked about future plans, he said, ‘I’m gonna answer the way Samuel L. Jackson did at the end of ‘Pulp Fiction.’ And then he recited — from memory — [the film’s] ‘walk the earth’ speech, including the ‘Kung Fu’ reference. It was awesome!” said a spy. The lines include Jackson telling John Travolta when asked, “You’re really thinking about quitting?” as a hit man, “Basically I’m just gonna walk the earth . . . You know, walk the earth, meet people . . . get into adventures. Like Caine from ‘Kung Fu.’ ” Others at the conference Tuesday included Barry Diller, Daniel Loeb, Elon Musk and David Karp. Our spy said Bharara got a more muted response when he took the stage, but “won them over.” Perhaps attendees were relieved Bharara, who’s gone after SAC Capital and Galleon Group, didn’t use another Tarantino line, “I’m-a get medieval on your ass.”
_____________________________________Killing A Great NewspaperThe NYT Has No Story About Bronx Boss Savino Guility Plea But Does Have A Story About Baldwin Stalker TrialNYT iis not even covering Savino's Guilty plea which could very soon take most of New York's government down
& the legend . A chilly stakeout for all
On Baldwin Patrol in Lower Manhattan w/ The local news on TV who copy the NYT on corruption stories they cover also all had Baldwin stories and no coverage of Savino plea.
In Court, Baldwin Tells of Stalker ‘Out of Hitchcock’(NYT)NY Post:
"The stampede for the exits continues at Jill Abramson’s beleaguered New York Times." *
A U.S. attorney is investigating anti-Semitism claims in a New York school district (NYT) _____________________________________Judges Do Not Understand Gang Revenge
@SquarePegDem Appeals court judges don't live in areas of NY where gangs get even with NYPD tipsters. - On January 1, 2014 the NYC government with have no Veterans. The last Veteran is Councilman Al Vann. Prior to attending college, Vann joined the United States Marine Corps where he rose to the rank of sergeant. Just who does this new NYC government represent? In coming councilman Rery
Lancman served in the National Guard. _____________________________________Health CareThe state Health Department
announced that nearly 50,000 New Yorkers have enrolled in health insurance plans since Oct. 1, and nearly half signed up for Medicaid.
Enrollment in New York’s health insurance exchange is
meeting initial hopes for the program, according to local, state and national health care experts who assessed the latest enrollment data.
New York is a rare bright spot, because six weeks into the rollout of Obamacare, some of the online insurance exchanges run by states
are continuing to have serious technological problems, often mirroring the issues plaguing the much larger federal exchange.
_____________________________________More Citi Bikes ComingNew York City plans to add 4,000 bikes to its Citi Bike program, however nearly 45 percent of the bike share stations planned for certain locations in the spring were moved because of residents’ objections, according to a DOT report, the Post reports: , _____________________________________Dump Down Local MediaMedia Failed At Its Coverage of Campaign 2013 but WNBC TV Does Give Us Bloopers Campaign bloopers: Highlights (and lowlights) from the 2013 New York City mayoral race |
WATCH: (WNBC) Mayoral candidate Sal Albanese Sal Albanese states thanks to poor coverage of the race, the former councilman argues,
New York's voters are the real losers. (City Limits). New Yorkers are bombarded with a dumbed-down discourse that focuses on sensationalism and the political horserace. This trend is not only pushing smart, underpaid reporters to premium niche sites read mostly by the chattering class; it's hurting our citizens. Then, the Anthony Weiner Circus came to town. Newspaper editors put public safety, failing schools, and the affordability crisis aside in favor of anatomical puns. In a real twist, I received more quotes in the month of July, when I called for Mr. Weiner to step out of the race, than during the preceding six months.Elections have consequences, and so does the way that we cover them. For the sake of our city's future, we must demand better.
, _____________________________________Church Cuts _____________________________________How Many Flip the Ballot?How Many Voters Didn’t Flip Over the Ballot? (NY Mag) as many as
27 percent of voters may have never even turned over the page. According to
a preliminary Board of Elections count, 1,026,168 people voted for mayor on Tuesday, but the ballot prop with the most votes — Prop 1, on the limited legalization of casino gambling — only received 756,250 votes.
_____________________________________Bloomberg LegacyBloomberg Pays Bodyguard Cops to Keep Their Mouths Shut![]()
Legacy Mode Trans Fat:Bloomberg Declares Victory After FDA Plans Trans Fat Ban * Part of Bloomberg’s legacy: An FDA trans-fat ban.* Does the Bloomberg Administration Deserve Credit for the Federal Trans Fat Policy Shift?(WSJ)Bodyguards Bloomberg giving NYPD bodyguards jobs to ‘keep their mouths shut’(NYP) *
Bloomberg's Next Job(WSJ) *
Bloomberg giving NYPD bodyguards jobs to ‘keep their mouths shut’(NYP) The cops currently assigned to the outgoing mayor’s security detail
have been told there are six-figure
jobs waiting for them protecting him as a private citizen. Georgina Bloomberg, who’s pregnant with Mayor Bloomberg’s first grandchild,
says her father“isn’t particularly good with children,” adding: “I’m not sure I’ll be having him babysit.*
Zap trans fats (NYDN Ed)
Kudos to the FDA for targeting a true public health threat Federal regulators have wisely followed where
Mayor Bloomberg led: Artificial trans fats are now on Washington’s naughty list, on the path to being pulled off store shelves.*
‘We Must Be Doing Something Right’: Bloomberg Cheers Federal Trans Fats Ban(NYO) *
An Overdue Ban on Trans Fats(NYT Ed) *
If It Happened There: Twilight of an Oligarch(Slate)* The New York City Council will hold a hearing Monday on a bill prohibiting the use and sale of plastic foam cups and plates, with Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway testifying on behalf of the Bloomberg administration, the New York Post reports: _____________________________________Daily News Wants Albany Term LimitsThe Daily News Uses the Defeat of the Proposal to Raise the Retirement Age for Judges to State the Public Wants All the Old Bums Out of AlbanyAlbany Term Limits Retire the hacks (NYDN Ed)
The Daily News suggests that voters’ rejection of a ballot initiative to raise the age of judges shows they are disgusted with public servants serving too long and suggests the Moreland Commission should call for term limits The landslide defeat of a ballot proposal to raise the retirement age for judges sent a powerful message — one that
Gov. Cuomo’s anti-corruption commission would do well to heed: New Yorkers have a healthy distaste for public officials who overstay their welcome. Are you listening,
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver? Can you hear us, Senate leaders Dean Skelos and Jeff Klein? If Moreland commission co-chairs William Fitzpatrick, Kathleen Rice and Milton Williams are serious about changing state government, they must put term limits on the table for overdue debate.
Daily News No Shame The Daily News Goes After Quinn for Supporting the Overturning of Term Limits A Policy They Supported"No single factor did more to tank the candidacy of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn than her role in overriding term limits for Mayor Bloomberg, herself and other city officer holders that voters had approved twice."*
The Second Most Powerful Democrat in New York State(YNN) _____________________________________New Staten Island BP _____________________________________Media Failure Campaign 2013
The Media Failed During the Entire 2013 to Get the Candidates to Say How They Would Pay for the Union Contracts and Increase Pension and Health Care CostsThere is still a lot of uncertainty about how de Blasio will negotiate union contracts for police, firefighters and teachers, but labor is optimistic and happy to at least have a mayor who will negotiate, NY1 reports * The Daily News says that throughout the campaign de Blasio left unresolved how he would create economic equality and drive down crime, and the need to get “clarity" on his approach to these issues is "fast-approaching" and "inescapable”:After the Quinn Endorsement Proved the Media Disconnect From New Yorkers. The Fools At the NYT & NYP Are Still Telling the New Mayor What To DoThe New York Times opines that it is Bill de Blasio’s moment after voters said loudly that they support his unabashed “progressive values,” but he must fight the impulse to get testy when he suffers inevitable setbacks:*
The Post writes that the legal case challenging Judge Shira Scheindlin’s ruling on stop-and-frisk is “a gift” to de Blasio because it saves him from having to impose the “most dangerous promise of his campaign"* Bill de Blasio & ‘Death Wish’ NY(NYP)Corrupt Surrogate CourtAnother Conviction from the Corrupt Surrogate Court Stealing From the Dead Court DA Vance announced the trial conviction of Richard Paul, the former bookkeeper for the Kings County Public Administrator’s Office, for stealing more than $2.6 million from the estates of individuals who died without a will by manipulating the agency’s check writing system. Paul was found guilty by a jury in New York State Supreme Court of Grand Larceny in the First Degree and Defrauding the Government. Taryn Miller was convicted by the same jury of Grand Larceny in the First Degree for helping facilitate the scheme, and receiving stolen funds. Both defendants are expected to be sentenced on December 5, 2013. * Corruption and the Surrogate Court (True News)
* Surrogate's Court And Why It Should Go (True News)No Media Coverage of the Surrogate Trial More on the Corruption in the Surrogate Court _____________________________________Journalism FailureThe Media Reports Indictments Does Not InvestigateContractor Who Ran Special Education Pre-K Programs Is Charged With Fraud(NYT)Cheon Park, who the authorities said diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars in government money to himself, was charged with mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
Media Ignores U.S. Attorney Plea to Investigate CorruptionBharara: No Investigative Reporting Equals More CorruptionBharara to JournalistInvestigate Stop Copying My Press Releases "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 said. "Groundbreaking corruption coverage is not just good copy, it's a path to good government." BhararaPreet challenges journos to do investigative reporting (CrainsNY)The press has a role to play, Mr. Bharara said, noting that he is saddened by recent reports of newspaper closings and staff downsizing. "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," he said. "Groundbreaking corruption coverage is not just good copy, it's a path to good government."*
\Bruno Lawyers Want An April Trial(YNN) _____________________________________Gambling Dark Pool $$$Gambling Follow the Money If You CanNew York Jobs Now Committee took in $1.425,000 but only spent $360,000 according to the State Board of Elections filings.
Stu Loeser: The former press secretary for Mayor Mike Bloomberg helped lead NY Jobs Now, a coalition of pro-casino interests, in advocating for the constitutional amendment that passed Tuesday, yet there is no record of him being paid. The State BOE is know for its poor campaign filing system and the fact that it has nobody investigating improper filings or fraud. We do know that gambling interests contributed to New York Jobs Now: Monticello' Empire Resorts $125,000, Genting New York $500,000, Saratoga Harness Racing $250,000, Yonkers Racing Corporation $500,000.* NY casinos poised to explode after 'yes' vote(NYDN) * A day after voters approved a New York state constitutional amendment allowing up to seven commercially operated casinos, investors were
already placing their bets on where the gambling palaces might be located.* Many developers
are expected to wait until New York City opens up as a potential site for casinos * While Proposal 1 coasted to approval statewide, buoyed by large victories on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley,
Capital Region voters sent a far less enthusiastic message. * New York’s gaming win
is a loss for its neighbors that already have casinos.* conference members despite numerous problems in recent months.
Former Lobbying Commission Executive Director
David Grandeau accuses Moreland Commission members of actively raising campaign cash from people it’s investigating.*
Dark Money Groups Fund Dark Money Groups That Fund Dark Money Groups That Fund...(Huff Post)________________________________________ Organized Crime Politics: The New Tammany Hall Operating in Secret Dark Pools A Mob of Campaign Consultants/ Lobbyists Coup d'État of New York Government Goes Unreported
Political Goodfellas
Eight campaign consultants all but one are also lobbyists, have monopolized NYC elections system that only the Justice Department using the
Sherman Antitrust Act can bust. These consultants run every important campaign in New York.
The campaign monopoly is only part of a conspiracy that is not only about who gets elected. It is also part of a second conspiracy to make money off of government as lobbyist or insiders. There is serious evidence of illegal coordination between the Independent Expenditure PACs and consultants. The data of big 8 working together is massive. In the 20 competitive races for the city council this year’s these big 8 consultants helped 98 of the 54 competitive candidates in those races. Consultants were able to help more candidates in the races by being on more than one side in the same race. They don't only compete with each other as one would think.
Does the TU Think Gambling and Race Track Interests Contributed Big Bucks for More School Aid, Jobs and Lower Taxes? There were a lot of promises made by lawmakers in regard to the expansion of casino gambling, including more school aid, jobs, and lower taxes, and the Times Union writes that New Yorkers should insist they be kept: The Daily News Knows Much More Than They Are Saying About the PACsThe price of politics(NYDN Ed)
The 2013 election introduced New Yorkers to a flood of independent political spending that must now force a rethinking of the city’s campaign-finance system. The ultimate winner of the mayor’s race, Bill de Blasio benefited not only from that onslaught against a rival, but also from $485,000 worth of advertising on his behalf by the hospital workers union and other left-leaning groups. Republican contender Joe Lhota, meanwhile, got $500,000 in outside help courtesy of conservative billionaire David Koch. Also, real estate interests — operating under the name Jobs4NY — poured $5 million into 22 City Council races, in some cases vastly outspending the candidates they backed.
:
New York Is a One-Party Town Again New York Republicans: The city's factional GOP establishment sabotaged Mr. Lhota at every turn. There was bitter infighting in the Queens and Brooklyn Republican wings of the party. The chairman of the Bronx Republican organization and vice-chairman of its Queens counterpart were indicted for allegedly trying to sell off their endorsements to Democratic Sen. Malcolm Smith. And Mr. Lhota's Republican primary rival, John Catsimatidis, couldn't stop taking shots at a Mr. Lhota even after their summer-long battle was over. In City Council races, all the viable GOP underdogs were crushed: Dennis Saffran lost to Paul Vallone in Queens, former state Sen. David Storobin fell to Chaim Deutsch in southern Brooklyn, and John Quaglione couldn't oust Councilman Vincent Gentile in Bay Ridge. Meanwhile, District Attorney Charles "Joe" Hynes' 50-point loss on the GOP line to Democrat Kenneth Thompson reinforced the belief that a Republican cannot win a boroughwide race in Brooklyn. The city's GOP chairs will also have to live going forward without Mayor Michael Bloomberg pouring Money into their coffers.*
GOP’s victories spell hope for NY governor’s seat: Chair(NYDN) _____________________________________Dying Newspaper Power![]()
Biggest E-Day Loser: NYPost/Dicker. Wrong on casinos, wrong on DeBlasio, wrong on judges. / motto: "Right to be Wrong"Murdoch's Power Lost Over 36 YearsDe Blasio’s two-borough campaign trail(NYP) Bill de Blasio promised not to be Manhattan-centric if he’s elected mayor Tuesday — but the only other borough he’s shown much love on the campaign trail is his own. A review of de Blasio’s campaign itinerary since the Sept. 10 primary shows the Brooklyn-based Democrat made 27 stops in Manhattan — the most of any borough — followed by 16 in Brooklyn. That left the three remaining outer boroughs getting short shrift: He made seven visits to Queens, four to The Bronx and just two to Staten Island.*
New York Post Asks if Mayor de Blasio Will Rap With Violent Gangbangers(NYP) _____________________________________MTA Fares Washington CutsGet on the money train(NYDN Ed) Take the subway, commuter rail or bus to work? We thought so. Dislike wasting money? You don’t say! This one’s for you. Hanging in the balance in Washington is a measure that could soon cost thousands of mass transit commuters across New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut a $500 annual tax hike (and the same for other transit riders nationwide). A lot of grocery money will come out of a lot of pocketbooks and wallets starting in just over a month — unless Congress and the President get off their collective duff. * In the Post, the Manhattan Institute’s Nicole Gelinas crunches the numbers on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s 2014 budget, noting that the MTA’s fire hikes “magically” appear after Cuomo’s 2014 re-election campaign: http://bit.ly/1bTOvhROn Oct. 24, 5,985,311 subway rides were taken in New York City – the most in recorded history, according to an internal memo prepared by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority last week.
More on the MTA 5Pointz, a Graffiti Mecca in Queens, Is Wiped Clean Overnight(NYT)Graffiti artwork at Long Island City's 5Pointz was whitewashed in preparation for the building's demolition—soon, it will become a $400 million residential and retail development.
________________________________ _____________________________________Economy and Pushing Out Middle Class Median household income in NYC dropped 6%. See the change by neighborhood: New York State Exposed: Is the SAFE Act driving businesses out of NY? Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the state Thruway Authority over uncertainty of funding for the new Tappan Zee Bridge, Gannett Albany reports: New pipeline to NYC "gathers gas from a handful of sources, including the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania" * The proposal by Cuomo’s first tax commission to charge sales tax on clothing and footwear under $110 would punish NYC shoppers, critics say, while the tax break to offset it excludes renters. * . Kathy Wylde says NYC has lost 100K middle-income jobs over last decade.
_____________________________________Education _____________________________________Sandy FraudThe federal Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, responsible for identifying fraud in the nearly $58 billion superstorm Sandy aid package, says it is struggling to track grants, loans, and contracts most vulnerable to misuse, Newsday reports:More on Sandy _____________________________________Toll Increase Push Middle Class Out Starting December 1st, E-Z Pass tolls on the George Washington Bridge, Lincoln Tunnel, and Holland Tunnel will increase by 75 cents to $11 during peak hours, while off-peak they will increase from $8.25 to $9, the Post reports: _____________________________________Homeless Up NYCNew York City’s homeless population increased by 13 percent, with 64,060 people in shelters or on the street at the beginning of this year, bucking a national trend as the number of homeless people in the U.S. dropped by 4 percent from 2012, the Times writes: _____________________________________MediaWith the exception of a few future candidates for the executive editor job and a couple of eccentrics, I'd wager that given the high wages TV pays, the news networks could collect the byline of..
The Fix: Ron Burgundy sings Rob Ford’s campaign song How Politico's Mike Allen plays softball with the publication's advertisers(Wash Post)
NY Times describes Chris Matthews as: "a cable news 'snarling head' who fundamentally gets his history wrong"
Recent News On the Media _____________________________________Wall Street* State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said there are more settlements to come with financial institutions stemming from the financial crisis of 2008, The Daily News writes: http://nydn.us/17NsE9l* The Times praises the $13 billion settlement with JP Morgan Chase, despite the deal not holding individuals accountable, and credits state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for obtaining the settlement: http://nyti.ms/1joQH3FJPMORGAN PAYS $13 BILLION — The bank also admitted its guilt in defrauding investors and contributed to the financial meltdown — Capital's Scott Waldman: The U.S. Department of Justice has announced a $13 billion settlement with JPMorgan Chase, after an investigation into allegations that the bank misled investors over risky mortgage securities before the 2008 financial crisis. The settlement was negotiated through the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group, a joint state and federal working group formed in 2012 and co-chaired by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Today’s settlement is a major victory in the fight to hold those who caused the financial crisis accountable.” – Eric Schneiderman, the state attorney general, on the $13 billion settlement with JPMorgan Chase, via The New York Times. * JPMorgan Chase’s landmark $13 billion civil settlement with the U.S. Justice Department concludes a suit brought by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, The New York Times reports: _____________________________________WashingtonPresident on conference call w/U.S. negotiating team in Geneva
President Obama Delivers Statement on Iranian Nuclear Deal
Saturday Government's Health Law Deadlines Shift Again - Alexis Simendinger, RCP
Change Is Hard and Often Messy - Charles Blow, New York Times
How a Presidency Unravels - George Will, Washington Post
Republicans'"Playbook" to Deny Health Care - Rep. Steve Israel, CNN
Think Obamacare Can't Be Repealed? - John Judis, The New Republic
Democrats Give Up 2014 With the Filibuster - Megan McArdle, Bloomberg
Bring On the Liberal Judges - Adam Serwer, MSNBC
The Lies That Sold Obamacare - Mona Charen, National Review
Obamacare Is Not Like Iraq and Katrina - Ezra Klein, Washington Post
Yellen Needs Rules - Larry Kudlow, Investor's Business Daily
Why Quitting Social Media Is a Losing Proposition - Rachel Lu, Federalist
JFK Conspiracy Deniers Are in Denial - Oliver Stone, USA Today
The Kennedys' Greek Tragedy - Danial Mendelsohn, The New Yorker
Final Thoughts on JFK - Pegg Noonan, Wall Street Journal
Bill de Blasio's Curious Form of "Populism" - Fred Siegel, Weekly Standard
Republicans' Tempest Over the Health Law - Robert Reich, Huffington Post
Knockouts High and Low - Mark Steyn, National Review
The Senate Changes, for the Worse - Washington Post
A Crude Partisan Move by Senate Democrats - Chicago Tribune
Why Liberals Should Defend Obamacare - The Nation
Manias, Panics and Obamacare Crashes - Wall Street Journal
FridaySen. Al Franken says he's open to delaying individual mandate (Wash Post)
THE END OF THE SENATE AS WE KNOW IT: Harry Reid pushes through the NUCLEAR OPTION, throwing out decades of precedent to stop GOP's ability to block Obama noms(NYDN)Senate Democrats voted to effect "the most fundamental alteration of its rules in more than in a generation"by taking away the ability of the minority to filibuster most presidential nominees. Harry Reid spearheaded the move, joined by Chuck Schumer, who had previously been reluctant to pull the trigger. Republicans reacted furiously "We all know that today is a sad day," said Schumer, who helped negotiate several deals to avoid the "nuclear option," as recently as mid-July.
The Democrats' Naked Power Grab - Dana Milbank, Washington Post
Harry Reid's Triumph - Scott Lemieux, The American Prospect
Obama Democrats Return to Ramming Speed - Chris Stirewalt, FOX News
Way to Nuke 'em, Harry - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post
Obamacare Problems Are Features, Not Bugs - Michael Barone, Examiner
The South's New Lost Cause - Timothy Egan, New York Times
Dems Can't Escape the Plague of Obamacare - Ed Rogers, Washington Post
The Health Care Law Got Me Covered - Lori Greenstein Bremner, CNN
How Obama Has Hobbled the Economy - Daniel Henninger, Wall St. Jrnl
Expanding Social Security - Paul Krugman, New York Times
Our "Sucker's Deal" With Iran - Charles Krauthammer, National Review
Republicans Are In Big Trouble - Sally Kohn, The Daily Beast
How to Win the Obama-Walker Voters - Gov. Scott Walker, Wall St. Journal
Arne Duncan Finally Speaks His Mind - Carlo Rotella, Boston Globe
Time to Pull the Plug on MSNBC? - Carl M. Cannon, RealClearPolitics
C.S. Lewis: Rescuing Desire - Michael Gerson, Washington Post
Kennedy's Legacy of Inspiration - Robert Dallek, New York Times
Obama Job Approval:Gallup 39% | RCP Avg 40.5% |
Generic: Dems +1EditorialsObama No Longer Walking on Water - The Economist
Democracy Returns to the Senate - New York Times
Campaign to Save Obamacare Full of Fibs - Las Vegas Review-Journal
JFK Embodied a Confident America - Orange County Register
Last 30 Days in Washington Coverage
... _____________________________________Law and OrderSaturday1 dead in spate of Bronx shootings(NYP)Nurse admits stealing medical cocaine from hospital(NYP)
Pol: NYPD hides true hike in park crimes(NYP)
Santa look-alike ‘pushes’ elderly man onto subway tracks(NYP)
NYPD vs. Port Authority in WTC power struggle(NYP)Another Brooklyn Knockout Friday Man Indicted in the Killing of ‘Baby Hope’(NYT)
Murder Convictions Upheld in 3 Impaired Driving Cases(NYT)Accused ‘Baby Hope’ killer told cops 4 different stories(NYP)First day of freedom for innocent man in 25 years(NYP)Ex-con busted in Midtown burglary spree(NYP)(NYP)Cops cuff ‘subway robber’(NYP) * Mayor Michael Bloomberg is launching an investigation into the prison-guard slowdown that kept hundreds of Rikers Island inmates from reaching their court dates, allegedly a union ploy to block a prisoner from testifying against two guards who beat him, the Post writes: Last 30 Days of Crime Conservation Group Keeps Buying Land, Helping State Parks Grow(NYT)
Robin's report last night was straight out of the Star Wars bar scene where double talk got rid of the guards. What the NY1 reporter did not understand in his report last night about getting Thompson's reaction to Smith's arrests was that he was really talking to Svengli ventriloquist political consultant/lobbyist Hank Sheinkopf who puts words in both men's mouth and strategy into both men's game plans. As every old political bull knows Sheinkopf has been advising and working for Smith for years and was the architect behind smith mayoral plan. As the great Wayne Barrett said in 2010 Sheinkopf makes kings so he can then make deals with the kings he’s made. So when NY1's Robin got a quote from Thompson attacking Quinn for Smith's corruption, he was really getting Sheinkopf attacking his own plan. 
182G in Fat Cats donations (NYP) That’s a lot of green apples! Billionaire supermarket magnate John Catsimatidis has pumped more than $182,000 into the city’s county Republican committees — and now has three of the five GOP leaders’ support in his mayoral bid. 
Malcolm ignites GOP war(NYP) The city Republican Party is at war with itself in the wake of the Malcolm Smith corruption scandal, sources said yesterday. State Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn) is maneuvering to oust Craig Eaton as the Kings County Republican chairman. In the wake of the Malcolm Smith corruption scandal, state Sen. Martin Golden is hoping to oust Craig Eaton as the Kings County Republican chairman, while Republican activists are calling for the Queens GOP Chairman Phil Ragusa to step down, the New York Post writes: Pemberton responds in an email, "I come to Florida after New Year’s Eve and return usually in April or May." Usually? Golden backs Joe Lhota for mayor, while Eaton supports John Catsimatidis.* Golden hungry for answers — but could get Eaton!(Brooklyn Paper)
Councilman Halloran had an affair with co-ed: sources(NYP) The Queens city councilman at the center of the Malcolm Smith corruption scandal was a lousy husband, too — throwing away his marriage for a co-ed staffer half his age, The Post has learned. Dan Halloran, 41 — who is charged in a bribe scheme to get state state Sen. Smith into the mayoral race — repeatedly hooked up with Meaghan Mapes, then 21, in her Queens home between 2010 and 2011, sources said.She served as his deputy chief of staff during that same period, earning $30,000.* City Councilman Dan Halloran's 2009 opponent, Kevin Kim, said he's considering a rematch. [Paul H.B. Shin and Lisa Colangelo]
‘Affair’ dad hits Halloran (NYP) Disgraced City Councilman Dan Halloran preyed upon the “naive” staffer with whom he carried on a yearlong affair — and should rot in jail, the woman’s father told The Post yesterday. 
Rival campaigns’ plan of attack for Anthony Weiner: Hit him where it hurts (NYP) The city’s mayoral hopefuls are sharpening their knives — and Anthony Weiner better be ready to answer the hard questions about his sexting scandal. Sources in the camps of several campaigns said they have been in dirt-digging overdrive ever since...* His reach exceeds his grope(NYP)
Cuomo’s Re-election Machinery Is Already at Work(NYT)With the next election for governor more than 18 months away, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and the state Democrats are stepping up their effort. * In anticipation of his re-election campaign, the state Democratic Party has begun broadcasting a series of television commercials praising Gov. Cuomo for shepherding a gun control measure through the State Legislature. State Democratic Party spending at least $1.5 million on ads on his behalf.* Cuomo Cleared to Bring Girlfriend When He Rides State Planes
Crooked pol wins another month of freedom... to go to the dentist(NYP)
DA Charles Hynes, others blast former federal prosecutor for representing state Democrats under investigation in alleged Aqueduct racino scandal(NYDN) DA Charles Hynes, others blast former federal prosecutor for representing state Democrats under investigation in alleged Aqueduct racino scandal
Critics stomp on stained wine pol(NYP) Good-government groups and a fellow Democrat yesterday criticized Bronx state Sen. Jeff Klein for pushing a bill benefiting a national wine distributor that contributed $33,000 to his campaign.* Sen. Jeff Klein lost a key elections law case in 2004 that could have bankrupted his campaign, but didn’t.
Now pols want to ban worker credit checks (NYP) The city’s business and labor leaders are at odds again, this time over the City Council’s latest effort to meddle in the privat. 
Luxe Marty-party funder$torm(NYP) Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz threw himself a lavish going-away party last night — a celeb-studded bash accompanying his two-months-late State of the Borough Address and paid for with funds from the term-limited official’s Brooklyn...The price tag: $150,000 to $200,000, sources said.“It’s money that could have gone to [Hurricane] Sandy relief or another worthy cause rather than this fiasco,” said one source.* Comedy is King at Brooklyn BP Markowitz's Final Annual Speech * Brooklyn BP Gives Final "State Of The Borough" Address(NY1) * Marty's last stand-up! Markowitz goes comedic at final state of the boro (Brooklyn Paper) * "How much Markowitz used his powers to improve people's lives, as opposed to putting smiles on their faces, immortalizing himself, and going to bat for some favored developers, will remain in question." [Norman Oder]*
Comedian Jonathan Winters dead at 87(NYP)
Vid alibi bid in slayings (NYP) The Staten Island man accused of killing three Brooklyn shopkeepers shouted in court yesterday that subway-surveillance video will prove his innocence. 
‘Hate’ rap in mezuzah burnings(NYP) * Hate-Crime Charges in Brooklyn Fires(NYT) * Man Faces Hate Crime Charges In Brooklyn Burning Spree(NY1) * Man accused of torching mezuzahs in 
Video of Brooklyn woman’s fatal shooting is played at trial of two men charged in rooftop gunplay(NYP)
Bronx man freed after 38 years in prison as judge tosses child-murder conviction(NYP) * Blaming Defense, Judge Frees Man Convicted in ’75 Murder(NYT) * New York City judge vacates conviction in 1975 child de (WABC)
Suzannah B. Troy
maggie haberman
Police hunt for rapist in Brooklyn(NYDN)
Gambino soldier sentenced to community service(NYDN)
Hatzolah paramedics tied up, robbed of $, car(NYDN)
Jimmy Oddo
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Steven Shepard
Joel Siegel
Donald J. Trump
Ben Smith
carolynryan
Comeback Kim? Ex-City Council candidate may join race(NYDN)
Fredric U. Dicker
Michael Powell
Jimmy Vielkind
Nick Confessore
Bill Hammond
Sarah Steiner
Report: City may leave Sandy vics homeless(NYDN)
Probe opens into court clerk union spending(NYDN)
Cops: This is a perv(NYDN)
2 arrested in rape torture plot connected to 'Cannibal Cop' (NYDN)
Charles J. Hynes
Capitol Confidential
ken lovett
Jerry Skurnik
Sally Goldenberg
Michael Benjamin
NYCHA allows payment of new parking fees in installment (NYDN)
howard wolfson
The Minority Rules
Woman admits to stealing $1 million from cemetery(NYDN)
St. John's students upset Pete King to speak(NYDN)
Sal Albanese
ken lovett
Ryan Karben
Tom Robbins
Gov. David Paterson
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De Blasio and Crowley Make Amends at Queens Three Kings Celebration(
