| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold with Jonathan Custodio | Presented by New Yorkers for Responsible Gaming | Gov. Andrew Cuomo is entering perhaps one of the most pivotal weeks of his decades-long political career, a sentence that would have been unthinkable a month ago. It's the one-year anniversary of the first confirmed Covid-19 case in New York and Cuomo has gone into hiding. A second woman came forward this weekend to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment, saying the governor asked her inappropriate questions about her sex life, including whether she'd ever been with an older man. The accusations by Charlotte Bennett come on top of those detailed by Lindsey Boylan last week, and leave an already besieged governor in even deeper trouble. Efforts by Cuomo's office to dictate the terms of an investigation into his behavior started with a stumble. Initially, they announced plans to appoint a former federal judge, Barbara Jones, to conduct the probe. That plan quickly fell flat: An investigation isn't truly independent, critics noted, if it is led by someone handpicked by the target. And it shouldn't be overlooked that Jones has worked with longtime Cuomo adviser Steve Cohen. In a series of statements issued in quick succession Sunday, state Attorney General Tish James asked for a formal referral to allow her to investigate the matter with subpoena power. Cuomo scrapped his original probe plan and said he would ask James and the state's chief judge to jointly select an independent lawyer to investigate. Another torrent of criticism ensued, including from James, who said she would "not accept" that proposal because a referral was necessary to carry out an independent investigation she wanted. Finally, Cuomo's office agreed and James said she will hire a law firm and deputize its attorneys to conduct a rigorous investigation. Cuomo's written response to the allegations themselves came Sunday evening: "At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way," he said. "I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that." It's a guessing game how long Cuomo will stay away from the camera, or what strategy he'll attempt to wriggle out of this mess. But to any woman, and many men, who have worked under powerful New York politicians, the interactions described by Boylan and Bennett are all too familiar, and that doesn't bode well for the governor. The accusations recast a dynamic largely considered "an Albany norm" as workplace harassment, and might very well open a floodgate for more stories that have been hidden or minimized for years. IT'S MONDAY. 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? Appearing on Ebro in the Morning, holding a media availability and appearing on NY1's Inside City Hall. | | A message from New Yorkers for Responsible Gaming: With COVID crippling the economy and creating a $14.5 billion state budget deficit, accelerating growth of EXISTING gaming FACILITIES Downstate can be a win-win for all of New York. A recent NYS Gaming Commission study estimated it "could generate between $420 million and $630 million" annually, creating thousands of Union jobs with industry-leading wages and benefits and billions for public education. Join the 70% of New Yorkers who support accelerated gaming options for downstate facilities. Learn more | | |
|  | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | "RICHARD A. CARRANZA, who was hired just three years ago to reshape the nation's largest public school system, announced on Friday that he would resign in March , an abrupt move that comes after heated disagreements with Mayor Bill de Blasio over desegregation policies and in the middle of the city's push to return thousands more students to classrooms. Mr. Carranza, 54, will be replaced as schools chancellor by Meisha Porter, a longtime city educator and current Bronx superintendent. Ms. Porter, 47, will become the first Black woman to lead the sprawling New York City system, which has over one million students and 1,800 schools. She will take over as chancellor on March 15." New York Times' Eliza Shapiro — From the beginning of Richard Carranza's tenure as head of the biggest school system in America, things haven't been easy . He started out as Mayor Bill de Blasio's second choice after Miami schools chief Alberto Carvalho turned down the job in a tortuous televised school board meeting in 2018. From there, Carranza headed into the buzz saw of city education politics, where his stated mission to diversify one of the most segregated school systems in the country drew no end of political opposition and a catalog of racial epithets that persisted even to Friday, when he announced his departure. POLITICO's Madina Touré — "Ms. Porter's deep experience in New York City schools will be put to the test, in one of the most challenging tasks facing any education official in the country... The mayor has vowed a return to full-time schooling this fall. Ms. Porter will be tasked with pulling that off, by transitioning from what is now mostly part-time in-person learning back to the pre-pandemic schedule." New York Times' Kate Taylor and Eliza Shapiro "MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO on Sunday called for the revocation of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's emergency authority over local governments — and two independent probes following a second "disturbing" allegation of sexual harassment lodged by a one-time staffer. Hizzoner's blistering statement cited not only the harassment claims now leveled against Cuomo by two women — including former aide Charlotte Bennett, who spoke out Saturday — but also efforts by Cuomo's administration to cover up the extent of coronavirus deaths in nursing homes, as first reported by The Post. 'New Yorkers have seen detailed, documented accounts of sexual harassment, multiple instances of intimidation, and the admitted withholding of information on the deaths of over 15,000 people,' said de Blasio. 'Questions of this magnitude cannot hang over the heads of New Yorkers as we fight off a pandemic and economic crisis. It's clear what must now take place.'" New York Post's Aaron Feis — Some Democratic mayoral candidates are calling for Cuomo to resign if the charges are true, while others pushed for an independent investigation. CITY COUNCIL Speaker Corey Johnson is gearing up to announce his bid for comptroller — calling politicians and unions to gauge support, putting together a staff and asking Council members to gather petition signatures for him. Johnson's expected entry into the race, likely to be official in the coming days, is already scrambling the field in a contest that has so far been eclipsed by the crowded mayoral election. The money he raised from his foregone mayoral bid as well as his name recognition immediately make Johnson a leading contender in a multicandidate field that includes Council Member Brad Lander and state Sen. Brian Benjamin. POLITICO's Sally Goldenberg and Joe Anuta | | | | DON'T MISS "THE RECAST": 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 and 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 | | "AS GOV. ANDREW CUOMO confronts a second allegation of sexual harassment by a former employee, women who have worked for and around him say that years of cringe-worthy moments served as warning signals. 'Andrew Cuomo has been doing all of this in plain sight,' said Alexis Grenell, a political strategist who writes about the nexus of gender and power. The most recent allegations come from Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old former adviser who told The New York Times the then-62-year-old governor asked last June if she ever had sex with an older man, along with other questions about her personal life. That date fell after Cuomo put into effect a requirement for sexual harassment training for all employees statewide — part of a package of laws spurred by the #MeToo movement that grew after numerous sexual assault allegations were leveled against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. A top Cuomo aide, Rich Azzopardi, told THE CITY that the governor and unspecified senior staff have received the training, which was required as of Oct. 2, 2019. " THE CITY's Josefa Velasquez — 'Who is Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, first in line to succeed Gov. Cuomo?' "Under state law, Hochul, 62, would succeed Cuomo as governor should he resign or be impeached. 'Kathy is absolutely ready,' Erie County Democratic Party chairman Jeremy Zellner told The Post on Sunday." New York Post's Carl Campanile and Aaron Feis — SENSING A PATTERN? "The phone rang just before midnight on Jan. 11, 2012. The caller, Howard B. Glaser, who was Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's bellicose director of state operations, had learned that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had just filed comments unfavorable to the state's impact studies on hydrofracking. Glaser was on a mission to have the EPA analysis rescinded before the midnight deadline for receiving public comments expired. At that time, the Cuomo administration was on a path to approve the controversial natural gas drilling technique in New York — a position that would be reversed months later. Judith Enck, then the regional administrator for the EPA's Region 2, which includes New York and New Jersey, answered the call. 'This was not your garden-variety threatening someone: He was asking me to withdraw a public document that we had submitted,' said Enck, who took detailed notes of the call and shared them with the Times Union. 'I know the Cuomo crew is rough-and-tumble, but to say unless you withdraw this document I'm going to destroy you — that entered a whole new zone. The call was very abusive.'" Times Union's Brendan J. Lyons and Edward McKinley "PROPONENTS of legalizing recreational marijuana in New York are putting their weight behind a bill in the state legislature, saying they prefer it to the competing framework that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has included as part of his proposed $193 billion budget. Associations representing growers and medical marijuana companies that operate in the state as well as the Drug Policy Alliance, which supports legalizing the drug for social-justice reasons, issued a rare joint statement in support of the pending Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, or MRTA." "State lawmakers have spent the past two weeks considering ways to be more assertive over matters of policy, which Mr. Cuomo has dominated since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic a year ago. The course they choose could have consequences on the contours of marijuana legalization in the state. 'This is really a question of whether the Legislature will stand up to the governor, use the power which it has in this moment, and fight for just and equitable policies,' said Jeremy Saunders, co-executive director of VOCAL-NY, a grass-roots lobbying organization that supports legalizing marijuana." Wall Street Journal's Jimmy Vielkind "HOTEL WORKERS in New York state will now be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination , Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday. Citing an overall increase to the state's supply of vaccines and the dangers that hotel workers face as front-line workers — particularly with some hotels in New York acting as quarantine spaces for people who have tested positive for the coronavirus — the governor said localities can add them to the '1B' vaccine prioritization group. About 10 million people in New York are currently eligible to receive the vaccine, according to the state." Spectrum's Nick Reisman "MORE THAN five years ago, Andrew M. Cuomo, the governor of New York, signed an executive order to address a persistent concern: Police officers were rarely held accountable for killing unarmed people. Often, those who died were Black. The solution was to take the cases out of the hands of local prosecutors, whose close relationships with the police led to accusations of bias, and hand them over to the office of the state attorney general. But the change in the legal process has not altered the results. Of the 43 investigations that the attorney general's office has conducted in the years since, none has yet led to a conviction. Three officers have been charged — two with murder and another with assault, the office said. About a quarter of the investigations are still open." New York Times' Sarah Maslin Nir, Jonah E. Bromwich and Benjamin Weiser #UpstateAmerica: So sorry that we missed this important update last week. Guy Fieri's Flavortown made it to the Capital Region. | | | |   | | |
| | Scranton on the Hudson | | WHITE HOUSE press secretary Jen Psaki on Sunday said President Joe Biden supports an "independent review" of the sexual harassment accusations leveled against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week by a pair of former aides — adding that it was personally difficult for her to read the latest account of alleged misconduct by the governor... Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," Psaki did not answer directly on Sunday when asked whether Biden believes either Bennett's or Cuomo's account, but said the president "has been consistent that he believes that every woman should be heard." "Charlotte should be treated with respect and dignity. So should Lindsey," Psaki said. "And there should be an independent review looking into these allegations. And that's certainly something [Biden] supports and we believe should move forward as quickly as possible."...Psaki described the accusations by Boylan and Bennett as "serious," and said specifically of Bennett's account to the Times: "It was hard to read that story, as a woman." POLITICO's Quint Forgey — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the allegations "credible." | | | | Did you know that POLITICO Pro has coverage and tools at the state level? All the state legislative and regulatory tracking, budget documents, state agency contact information, and everything else you need to stay ahead of state policy movement integrate into our smart and customizable platform. Learn more and become a Pro today. | | | | |
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — A former employee at an Upper West Side Trader Joe's says they were fired for asking management for more protections against Covid-19. — Hundreds of people rallied Saturday against anti-Asian hate crimes. — The City Council is considering legislation that would refund low-level fines that small businesses have been issued during the pandemic, and ease penalties going forward. — The city is investing in a new Covid-19 rapid test. — The Manhattan Republican Party endorsed Fernando Mateo for mayor. — Cesar Vargas, who was the first undocumented immigrant admitted to the New York State Bar before becoming a U.S. Citizen, is running for Staten Island borough president as a Democrat. — An elderly Bronx woman died when her oxygen tank gave out while she was climbing stairs to her 19th floor apartment during a power outage. — Mass vaccination sites in Brooklyn and Queens opened up to all eligible residents of those boroughs. — New York City's coronavirus infection are dropping slower than the rest of the state. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Steve Holmgren … Jonathan Lipman … Meghan Milloy … Giulia Giannangeli, LD for Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) … Nigel Duara … Hannah Klain is 3-0 … POLITICO's Lorraine Woellert … Cheyenne Klotz … (was Sunday): Paul Krugman … Ira Forman ... WaPo's Sarah Ellison … NYT's Lisa Lerer … Meredith Kopit Levien, CEO of the New York Times (5-0) … Jessie Singleton Lazarus ... Pete Williams … (was Saturday): Chelsea Clinton … Ralph Nader … Jill Chappell Adly … Rebecca Sinderbrand FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Andrew Yang has tapped a New York political strategist with ties to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries for his mayoral campaign. André Richardson , founder of direct mail, polling and field operations firm Paragon Strategies, will join Yang's team as senior adviser for politics and strategy. Richardson worked as Jeffries' New York political director and founded Build the Bench, a professional networking organization for people of color in New York politics. "When you have been on enough campaigns, you know when you're on a winning one. Andrew Yang for New York is one of those campaigns," Richardson said in a statement announcing his new role. — Sally Goldenberg | | A message from New Yorkers for Responsible Gaming: With COVID crippling the economy and leaving us with a $14.5 billion state budget deficit, accelerating the growth of EXISTING gaming FACILITIES Downstate can be a win-win for all of New York. A recent NYS Gaming Commission study estimated it "could generate between $420 million and $630 million" annually as well as help create thousands of Union jobs with industry-leading wages and benefits and billions in revenue for public education. Join the 70% of New Yorkers statewide that support accelerated gaming options for downstate facilities. Learn more | | |
| | REAL ESTATE | | "WHEN Douglas Jemal bought the vacant Seneca One tower out of foreclosure more than four years ago, there was plenty of skepticism about what he could do. Buffalo's tallest building, with more than 1.2 million square feet of total space, was empty. Its major tenants had pulled out three years earlier, creating an exodus that threw the 38-story building's finances into chaos and eventually thrust the owner into a loan default. No one thought the building could be refilled quickly or easily, and certainly not all by offices. Local experts worried that dumping that much empty commercial space onto the downtown market would cause rents to plummet. Some had even suggested the building should be reduced in height or even demolished. Even Jemal – a veteran of the Washington, D.C., real estate market – acknowledged that it would take time, and would likely involve a mix of uses. Fast forward to 2021, and Seneca One has a redesigned look, a new central focus and a growing tenant list that has the complex more than three-fourths filled." Buffalo News' Jonathan D. Epstein MAYORAL CANDIDATES WERE divided on Saturday over the push to wipe out rents that have piled up over the course of the Covid-19 crisis, while still committing to tenant-friendly appointments to a board that sets rates for rent-regulated units. Picking sides: Speaking at a forum hosted by a trio of tenant groups, Eric Adams, Scott Stringer, Carlos Menchaca and Dianne Morales each said New York should cancel rent and mortgage payments amid the economic damage brought on by the pandemic. POLITICO's Janaki Chadha "MUCH of the housing market has gone missing . On suburban streets and in many urban neighborhoods, across large and midsize metro areas, many homes that would have typically come up for sale over the past year never did. Even in cities with a pandemic glut of empty apartments and falling rents, it has become incredibly hard to buy a home. Today, if you're looking for one, you're likely to see only about half as many homes for sale as were available last winter, according to data from Altos Research, a firm that tracks the market nationwide. That's a record-shattering decline in inventory, following years of steady erosion. And it's one flashing sign that the housing market — which can defy basic laws of economics even in normal times — is acting very, very strangely." New York Times' Emily Badger and Quoctrung Bui
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