| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold with Jonathan Custodio | Presented by Opportunities for NY | After weeks of getting battered with accusations he covered up nursing home deaths, Gov. Andrew Cuomo now finds himself engulfed in a new firestorm over a former aide's allegations he sexually harassed her. Read Lindsey Boylan's full account for yourself if you haven't already, but to recap: she says the governor kissed her without her consent at his Manhattan office and once suggested they play strip poker while on a flight. Cuomo went dark on Wednesday, never addressing the allegations himself (after a spokesperson issued a blanket denial ) and nixing a regular press briefing his office had announced that morning. It's not unusual for Cuomo to let dust settle for a day or two when a hit takes him by surprise. But if he plans to keep up appearances in the fight against Covid-19, we should get another live briefing Friday at the latest where he'll have to answer for the accusations. Some of the state's top Democrats are taking the new charges quite seriously. State Sen. Liz Krueger is calling for an investigation, even if it means employing the Joint Commission on Public Ethics. Few in Albany view JCOPE as a model for accountability these days, and Krueger said if necessary, the panel should deliberate without the governor's appointees. "This is deeply disturbing," Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said in a statement. "Clearly, there is no place for this type of behavior in the workplace or anywhere else." And state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, who previously worked in the Cuomo administration, said she witnessed similar behavior by the governor. "I have no doubt that this is true," she tweeted. On the other side of the aisle, a group of Republican state senators sent a letter to Attorney General Tish James Wednesday night asking for a formal investigation by an independent special prosecutor. And no, that nursing home controversy isn't going anywhere either. State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker is due to be grilled at a legislative hearing today, where he'll face questions about the state's withholding of information about thousands of nursing home residents who died from Covid-19. IT'S THURSDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: EDurkin@politico.com and agronewold@politico.com, or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold WHERE'S ANDREW? In Albany with no announced public schedule. WHERE'S BILL? Visiting Leaders of Tomorrow Middle School to mark middle schools reopening, then holding a media availability and signing several bills. EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: Cuomo's office is looking for a press secretary. | | | | A message from Opportunities for NY: New York faces a $15 billion budget deficit and high unemployment. Let's bring RELIEF to our State by awarding THREE downstate gaming licenses through an OPEN and TRANSPARENT competition. All three voter-approved licenses will bring THOUSANDS OF UNION JOBS and billions in revenue to New York State. Learn more at: opportunitiesforny.com | | |
|  | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | THE PHENOMENON of de Blasio fatigue underpinning New York City's mayoral race has extended to first lady Chirlane McCray. Since the beginning of Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration, McCray has played a high-profile, often criticized role in his administration...Now, the Democratic candidates looking to succeed him — most of whom are trying to run away from de Blasio in one way or another — say they would largely scrap or significantly scale back the expansive profile the mayor has carved out for his wife over the last seven years. The lone exception is Andrew Yang. Other leading candidates say their partners will not be part of New York City's day-to-day governance. "My partner will not have a role in my administration, nor will he have program staff," said former mayoral attorney and MSNBC commentator Maya Wiley. POLITICO's Erin Durkin "THE QUEENS City Council District 31 special election became the city's first contest triggering ranked choice voting selections after polls closed Tuesday night without any candidate securing a big enough lead to win outright. Voters cast just under 7,000 in-person ballots in the race to replace former City Council member Donovan Richards, who now serves as borough president. Selvena Brooks-Powers notched about 38% of all first choice votes in early and special election day voting, giving her a 207-vote lead over Pesach Osina, who received 35%, according to the city Board of Elections...The final results will not be available until sometime next month, following a one-week wait to receive absentee ballots that New York made available on demand as a pandemic measure. Ranking tabulations will begin after that." The City's Christine Chung "TENS OF THOUSANDS of public school kids will head back to their middle school classrooms Thursday for the first time since November, in a new era of the COVID-19 vaccine that has seemed to offer some hope amidst a rocky school year. As the citywide positive testing rate for COVID-19 passed a 3% threshold last fall, Mayor Bill de Blasio decided to shutter the city's in-person school system for two weeks in November and all students went to full remote learning. In December, de Blasio then reopened schools for the youngest students and students with disabilities for in-person learning, while middle school and high school students stayed on full-time remote learning. High schoolers remain on full-time remote learning with no date yet announced for returning to in-person learning. Striking an upbeat note at his press briefing Wednesday, de Blasio hailed New York City's school system as a national model and hinted at a possible return to school 'relatively soon' for high schoolers as well." Gothamist's Sophia Chang and WNYC's Jessica Gould "EMPLOYMENT IN New York City's arts, entertainment and recreation sector plummeted by 66 percent from December 2019 to December 2020 , according to a report released on Wednesday by the New York State Comptroller's office that detailed the economy's devastation from the coronavirus and the serious obstacles to recovery. The report from Thomas DiNapoli's office said that the sector had seen the largest drop of all the parts of the city's economy. A full comeback, it said, would depend upon significant government assistance. The sector 'is a cornerstone of the city's ability to attract businesses, residents and visitors alike,' the report said. 'Yet the sector relies on audiences who gather to take part in shared experiences, and this way of life has been significantly disrupted by the pandemic.' Although nearly all business has been affected by the pandemic, its impact on arts, entertainment and recreation entities has been particularly striking." New York Times' Colin Moynihan "CITY COUNCIL members want to yank crash investigations from the NYPD and put them under the authority of the Department of Transportation — but both agencies railed against the idea on Wednesday . Testifying via Zoom on Wednesday, DOT and NYPD officials hit back at the council bill, which they claimed would 'effectively decriminalize vehicular deaths.' 'Shifting these investigations to DOT, an agency without specialized law enforcement expertise — at least in the first few years — could severely compromise prosecutors' cases and lead to fewer convictions, effectively decriminalizing vehicular deaths and bringing fewer reckless drivers to justice,' DOT First Deputy Commissioner Margaret Forgione said." New York Post's David Meyer — Out of 4,000 crashes with critical injuries last year, the NYPD's collision investigation squad only investigated 374. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Assemblymembers Yuh-Line Niou, Robert Carroll, and Khaleel Anderson are endorsing City Council Member Brad Lander in his bid for city comptroller. "From showing solidarity with workers on strike for better conditions, helping elders seeking emergency shelter after Superstorm Sandy, or supporting communities confronting rising hate crimes fueled by racism, Brad will do the work necessary to lead the city through the difficult recovery ahead as our next Comptroller," Niou said. — The Bronx Democratic Party and Sen. Jamaal Bailey, its chairman, are endorsing Sen. Brian Benjamin for comptroller, the latest in a series of endorsements he has received from Bronx pols. "My campaign has quickly gained the support of the Bronx, and I look forward to working with this influential group and all the Bronx legislators that have already endorsed my candidacy in building a stronger New York City as your next Comptroller," Benjamin said. | | | | NEW - "THE RECAST" NEWSLETTER: Power dynamics are changing. "Influence" is changing. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. "The Recast" is our new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy and power in America. And POLITICO is recasting how we report on this crucial intersection, bringing you fresh insights, scoops, dispatches from across the country and new voices that challenge "business as usual." Don't miss out on this important new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | |
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | HEALTH Commissioner Howard Zucker is expected to mount the latest defense of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's handling of Covid-19 nursing home deaths during a legislative budget hearing on Thursday. The commissioner, who stepped to the governor's defense last week, is slated to join Department of Financial Services Superintendent Linda Lacewell and Acting Medicaid Inspector General Erin Ives in testifying at a hearing on the health and Medicaid-related provisions of the governor's Fiscal Year 2022 budget, an annual ritual that is typically focused more on policy than politics. This year, however, lawmakers will use the hearing as a way to publicly press Zucker about policies enacted last year as the coronavirus spread across New York — most notably a contentious March 25 Department of Health nursing home readmission advisory at the center of the debate. And Zucker's testimony — which was pushed back from the hearing's 9:30 a.m. start time to closer to 11 a.m. — has drawn greater interest amid growing scrutiny of the governor in the weeks since the hearing was rescheduled from Feb. 3, including new sexual harassment allegations lodged against Cuomo on Wednesday. That attention comes somewhat to the chagrin of some Albany health care policy observers, who were looking to dive into the budget's Medicaid plan and other related proposals. POLITICO's Shannon Young "LAWMAKERS and critics are raising questions about the donations and ties as the governor and his administration are embroiled in a ballooning controversy over Cuomo's office admitting it failed to make the total death toll of nursing home residents killed by COVID public due to a federal probe. According to campaign finance records, Cuomo accepted at least $126,000 from the Greater New York Hospital Association and other industry groups and related lobbyists in the months surrounding last year's budget, which included an 11th-hour amendment granting New York nursing homes broad legal protections from lawsuits and criminal prosecutions as the state became the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S." New York Daily News' Tim Balk and Denis Slattery — Alex Pareene in The New Republic: "What is happening now is that fans of Andrew Cuomo the television character are being introduced to Andrew Cuomo the newspaper character." — Gothamist: Ron Kim, A Self-Described "Nobody From Flushing," Seizes The Progressive Spotlight — "The New York State Republican Party will contact thousands of voters in districts of 'marginal' Democratic lawmakers in a bid to pressure the Democratic-controlled Legislature to conduct a vigorous 'subpoena-driven' probe of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's COVID-19 nursing home scandal. — "House Republicans are pushing New York U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat, to subpoena Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to testify before Congress about nursing home resident deaths in New York." RECOVERY LAB — How the Buffalo Bills could help reopen Broadway : New York used aggressive Covid testing to let Buffalo Bills fans attend the playoffs. Now the state thinks the approach could hold the keys to reopening the New York we all know, from Madison Square Garden to the theaters on Broadway, Shannon Young reports. If successful, New York could offer a blueprint to other states for how to safely reintroduce large-scale events and reopen major entertainment venues even before the country is fully vaccinated. It's a bridge, New York leaders say, to a post-Covid world. But it's all a big if. POLITICO's Shannon Young #UpstateAmerica: New in the Tonawanda Common Council public record is a mysterious email spat between city officials and the mayor, who doesn't want to talk about his recent vacation and does not "care what anyone's opinion is." | | | |   | | |
| | Biden and the Boroughs | | "SO LONG, city of anarchy. President Biden late Wednesday rescinded a controversial order from his predecessor that labeled New York an 'anarchist jurisdiction' in a dubious attempt to strip the city of federal funding. Without further explanation, the White House said in a statement that Biden had rolled back former President Donald Trump's Sept. 20 order, which directed federal agencies to review all grants and funds for New York because the city was supposedly 'permitting anarchy, violence and destruction.'" New York Daily News' Chris Sommerfeldt | | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | "THE MANHATTAN DISTRICT attorney's office has subpoenaed financial records related to Steve Bannon's crowd-funding border-wall effort , signaling that its criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump's chief strategist is advancing, according to people familiar with the matter. Prosecutors sent the subpoenas after Trump pardoned Bannon in late January for federal conspiracy crimes tied to the southern border-wall project, making Bannon among the Trump world figures — including the former president — subjects of criminal investigations by Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance." CNN's Kara Scannell | | | | TUNE IN TO GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe and start listening today. | | | | |
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — The de Blasio administration will fund a program, previously left out of the budget, that will require repeat reckless drivers to take a safety class. — New mass vaccination sites opened their doors at Brooklyn's Medgar Evers College and York College in Queens. — Nassau County Executive Laura Curran's police reform plan needs to get more aggressive to be effective, some of her critics say. — Additional research shows more contagious variants of the coronavirus are spreading in New York City. — NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan is retiring. — Fernando Mateo earned mayoral endorsements from the Bronx and Queens Republican parties. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Tom Nides … Mona Charen … CNN's Hadas Gold and Barbara Levin … Bob Schieffer … Andy Rosenthal is 65 … U.S. Chamber's Andrew Burk … Lauren Kapp … NFL's Jonathan Nabavi … Jessica Yellin … Tim Berry … Eric Wall MEDIAWATCH: WCBS City Hall reporter Rich Lamb retires on Friday after a 50-year career where he earned a reputation as an expert questioner of mayors going back to Abe Beame, and one of the kindest people to grace the city's halls of power. His last day will be 43 years to the day after his first assignment for WCBS, covering the Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge. At Lamb's last mayoral press briefing on Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio offered a tribute: "Fifty years of letting New Yorkers know what's going on, telling them the truth, being a voice we could trust and a smart, decent voice at that." True to form, Lamb did not let his final questions to the mayor go to waste, asking him about his plans after leaving office and why anyone would want his job in the first place. "Please do me a favor and make some news, okay?" Lamb said. | | | | A message from Opportunities for NY: As New York looks to recover from COVID-19 and the resulting economic crisis, we must deploy a bold solution: expand downstate gaming for all THREE downstate casino licenses. An open and transparent competition for the three licenses will: - Generate 200,000 new jobs, including 70,000 local union jobs
- Bring $1.5 billion in immediate state revenue
- Achieve $900 million in reoccurring revenue for our State.
Voters already approved the THREE licenses in 2013, and the time to act is NOW! Our State needs equitable and sustainable growth for our communities. Awarding the remaining THREE downstate casino licenses will put New York on a pathway forward. We cannot take the easy way out - our State needs fair competition TODAY. To learn more, visit opportunitiesforny.com | | |
| | REAL ESTATE | | "AS MORE candidates join the New York City mayoral race, they threaten to hit a critical threshold: how many fit on a Zoom screen. With just four months until the Democratic primary that is sure to determine the winner, candidates have been facing off in adjacent squares like an extended Brady family. More than 40 are running, and given New York's progressive electorate, their overlap on positions is considerable — notably in their distancing themselves from the unpopular Mayor Bill de Blasio. But on real estate issues, differences emerge . Contenders including Comptroller Scott Stringer have derided developers' tax breaks and refused their money, while others have condemned demonization of the industry." The Real Deal's Kathryn Brenzel
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