News: POLITICO New York Playbook: Republican debate slugfest — Garcia tangles on the trail after surge

Thursday, May 27, 2021

POLITICO New York Playbook: Republican debate slugfest — Garcia tangles on the trail after surge — Morales rocked by staff shakeup

May 27, 2021

By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold with Jonathan Custodio

Presented by Equinor

We've spilled a lot of ink on the many Democrats running for mayor, but don't forget there's a Republican primary next month too. Candidates Fernando Mateo and Curtis Sliwa met (virtually) last night for their first official debate, and things got ugly — fast.

Within the first few minutes, the candidates called each other a compulsive liar, a clown, and a criminal.

Mateo, an advocate for bodegas and taxi drivers, blasted Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, for only recently joining the Republican party. "Today we're going to take the mask off his face and show every Republican out there who the true Republican is," he said. Sliwa, meanwhile, dinged Mateo for raising "illegal" contributions for Mayor Bill de Blasio "that helped him ruin this city," and for the Inwood bar he owned that got shut down amid various violations. "You were running a criminal enterprise," Sliwa said.

Things went on like that for a while, with Mateo also blasting Sliwa as a "subway rider" who only knows how to communicate "with his 13 cats and his 14 litter boxes in his house." Both candidates were found in flagrant violation of NY1's no props rule. It was that kind of night.

The eventual winner of this contest will emerge an extreme underdog. But with the primary taking place in June this year instead of the usual September, they'll have four-plus months of the general election campaign to make things interesting for the Democratic nominee.

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? Touring the East Side Access project.

WHERE'S BILL? Holding a media availability.

DAYS TO THE PRIMARY: 26

THE FUTURE OF INFRASTRUCTURE: Recovery Lab, POLITICO's project exploring the policy challenges on the road to pandemic recovery, is back this month to take a look at the future of infrastructure. Across the country, in communities large and small, Covid-19 has forced a reassessment of how we use public infrastructure, including street space, broadband, airports and even the Postal Service. Read our Recovery Lab package here.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: New York Playbook will not publish on Monday, May 31. We'll be back on our normal schedule on Tuesday, June 1.

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WHAT CITY HALL'S READING

Garcia talks infrastructure on her first day as a mayoral frontrunner, by POLITICO's Erin Durkin and Joe Anuta: Fresh off a poll putting her at the top of the field for the first time in the mayor's race, Kathryn Garcia hit the campaign trail to talk infrastructure — and parried new criticism from opponents who have begun to target her as her campaign gains steam. Garcia, the former sanitation commissioner, ranked first in a poll released Tuesday by Emerson College and PIX11 News. A different survey by Fontas Advisors found her in a statistical tie for second place, with Eric Adams in first. "I'm running for mayor to make the city I've always called home safer, healthier and more livable for all New Yorkers — a message that is clearly resonating as we have all seen from the latest polls," Garcia said during a press conference Wednesday outside the new Moynihan Train Hall…

Her rivals, who had spoken kindly of her when she was not viewed as a threat, almost immediately began to take digs at her record after her strong showing in the polls Tuesday. "Right now New Yorkers complain to me just about every day about the piles of trash that we're seeing around us that get higher and higher," Andrew Yang said Wednesday on WNYC's "The Brian Lehrer Show," echoing a common complaint about Garcia's time as sanitation chief.

— Garcia lacked a few details when pressed about her plans for the BQE.

Inside the staff shakeup rocking the Morales campaign weeks ahead of Election Day , by POLITICO's Sally Goldenberg: Dianne Morales has positioned herself as the progressive champion in a crowded field of mayoral candidates. Now that reputation is being threatened by a staff shakeup over accusations of mistreatment, inadequate pay and lack of unionization and health care. Whitney Hu, Morales' campaign manager, resigned in recent days after presenting concerns over how a member of the team treated Black and brown employees, according to someone familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss a sensitive subject. "They created a very toxic environment for a lot of the young Black and brown people who joined the campaign," the person said, adding the staffer in question belittled other employees.

— "NYC mayoral candidate Dianne Morales got property tax exemption, but was she eligible?" by New York Daily News' Michael Gartland

" NYC mayoral candidate Scott Stringer unveils anti-crime plan, rails against NYPD's progress closing murder cases," by New York Daily News' Michael Gartland: "Comptroller and mayoral contender Scott Stringer unveiled plans to turn the tide on rising crime Wednesday — and decried alarming statistics showing the NYPD is solving fewer than half of its homicide cases compared to almost 20 years ago. Stringer, who's lagged in recent polls, stood outside police headquarters to assure voters his approach would cut crime, but also avoid returning to what some regard as the heavy-handed tactics taken by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani in the 1990s."

— Adams said he would terminate abusive cops within three months of an incident. He also called for a crackdown on illegal all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes.

— Yang said he'd rein in de Blasio's "undisciplined" spending in the city budget.

"Southern Brooklyn's Ongoing COVID Suffering Shows Toll of Disinformation and Disconnection," by The City's Josefa Velasquez, Ann Choi and Clifford Michel: "In a city celebrating a vaccine-powered decline in COVID cases, the southern shore of Brooklyn stands out as a landscape of extended suffering and loss. Last month, 47 people died of COVID in the zone stretching from Sea Gate and Coney Island in the west to Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach to the east — accounting for just 1% of the city population but 4% of all virus fatalities, Health Department stats show. As many as six of the dead had been living at a Coney Island nursing home designated for COVID patients. But even taking that into account, area death and hospitalization rates still far exceed the rest of the city's."

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The city's largest municipal workers union, DC 37, is launching a $500,000 push to support Eric Adams for mayor as well as other candidates the union has endorsed. The push will include phone banking, direct mail, digital ads, and e-mails and will primarily target members of the union, which includes 150,000 city workers and another 50,000 retirees. An online ad by the union labels Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, a champion of essential workers. The union says its workers generally turn out for local elections at rates 15 percent higher than the electorate overall.

— Manhattan DA candidate Dan Quart won the endorsement of the founder of a Chinatown bank once pursued by the district attorney for mortgage fraud and later cleared. Thomas Sung founded Abacus Federal Savings Bank, the only bank prosecuted for mortgage fraud by DA Cy Vance after the 2008 financial crisis. It was found not guilty, profiled by the New Yorker and later became the subject of a sympathetic documentary film , "Abacus: Small Enough to Jail." Quart, a state Assemblymember, has sided with the Chinatown community bank in the battle and pushed to rein in the DA's use of asset forfeiture funds. "In this troubling time, when hate crimes are rampant against minorities, discrimination is everywhere, and the rights of minorities are being ignored, we need true and just law enforcement," Sung said.

SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel.

WHAT ALBANY'S READING

"N.Y. Assemblyman Lavine defends contract in brief update on Cuomo impeachment probe," Daily News' Denis Slattery: "The Assemblyman leading the impeachment probe into Gov. Cuomo pushed back Wednesday on criticisms about how much money has been allotted to the investigation. Assemblyman Charles Lavine (D-Nassau) defend the $250,000 initial contract with law firm Davis Polk, tasked with diving into myriad allegations of sexual harassment against the governor and other scandals surrounding the Cuomo administration. 'It is not true that only $250,000 has been allocated for the entirety of the investigation,' Lavine said during a brief public update about the probe. 'Rather the Assembly puts an initial cap on its contracts in order to allow the comptroller to disburse that amount.'

"'The cap may be amended as needed and it will need to be amended here,' he added. So far, 75 individuals and entities with relevant information have been contacted or interviewed by investigators with Davis Polk, Lavine said. A hotline set up for the probe has received 125 voicemails and investigators are reviewing 165 emails sent in. Investigators have reviewed 'tens of thousands of pages of documents,' including emails, texts, photographs, personnel records and training materials."

" Gov. Cuomo not changing a thing despite mounting sex, nursing home scandals," by New York Post's Kevin Sheehan, Bernadette Hogan and Bruce Golding: "Regrets, he has none — even if it seems like he should maybe have one or two. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday brushed off the swarm of scandals threatening his political career and his administration, saying he hasn't changed a thing in the way he — or his staff — conduct themselves behind the scenes... 'Yeah. Well, people have criticisms, yeah. And [I] take every criticism seriously and evaluate every criticism,' he claimed in response to a question from The Post on whether he has changed anything about the way he or his staff conduct business in light of all the allegations."

"How New York State Let Covid-19 Run Rampant in Prisons," by New York Focus' Akash V. Mehta: "Few New Yorkers have been left as unprotected against the virus as the tens of thousands of people caught within its prison system. As Covid-19 surged across the state throughout the last year, just around ten percent of the prison population was granted early release. The other ninety percent — more than 32,000 people — have remained incarcerated, packed in facilities where social distancing is effectively impossible and health conditions are extremely poor...

"Until late March, when a judge intervened, the governor even refused to provide most people in prison with vaccines. 'You show me a Covid best practice, and I'll show you a place that DOCCS has failed,' said Alexander Horwitz, executive director of New Yorkers United for Justice, a coalition of New York criminal justice reform organizations. 'There isn't another area of life in New York where mass testing hasn't been the standard. There is no other population that is in general poor health and confined to congregate settings that has not been prioritized for vaccines.'"

"State to raffle off college scholarships to young people who get COVID-19 vaccine," by Newsday staff: "Get a shot, get a free ride to college. New York State will raffle off 50 full scholarships — including tuition and room and board — to any public college or university, in an effort to encourage young people to get the COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Wednesday. The raffle program will start Thursday and run through July 7. Anyone from 12 to 17 years old who gets their first Pfizer shot during that time will be eligible for the drawings, Cuomo said."

#UpstateAmerica: Washington County's Cambridge Junior-Senior High School had to recall its yearbooks after a Hitler reference somehow made it through the entire editing process.

AROUND NEW YORK

— The Legislature passed a bill creating a nine-member commission to address cyberbullying.

— Your flu symptoms this year might be from tick-borne diseases, not Covid-19. Both are not good.

— Georgia Pestana was named the city's next corporation counsel, the first woman and first Latina to hold the job.

— The subway suffered its worst rush hour meltdown since the beginning of the pandemic.

— The only person to face criminal charges in the deaths of 20 people killed in the 2018 limousine crash in Schoharie will appear in court on July 7.

— A new awards program will honor the best outdoor dining setups.

— The white woman who gained notoriety for calling police on a Black bird watcher in Central Park is suing her former employer for firing her over the incident.

— Seven city correction officers were charged with taking thousands of dollars in bribes to smuggle razor blades, drugs and other contraband to inmates.

— The New York Daily News endorsed Tali Farhadian Weinstein for Manhattan district attorney.

— Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn and Council Member Justin Brannan are backing Robert Cornegy for borough president.

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.

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Henry Kissinger is 98 … David Plouffe … NYT's Campbell Robertson and Noam Scheiber … Andrew Seidman ... NBC's Cynthia McFadden … AP's Andrew Harnik … POLITICO's Randy Lemmerman … WSJ's Ben Cohen

HOT JOB: Staff editor , weddings, NYT: "Listen: If you think that the D.C. bureau or the politics desk deals with people lying to them or hiding facts, wait till you start asking someone about their dating history."

IN MEMORIAM — "Jerry Schmetterer, ex-Daily Newser and former Brooklyn DA's spokesman, dies at 77"

MAKING MOVES — Sunny Mehta is now working in international marketing strategy and fan development at the NFL. He most recently was VP at Marathon Strategies and is also a POLITICO alum. … Mylan Denerstein and Andrew Lance have been named partners-in-charge for Gibson Dunn's New York office. … Elie Jacobs has joined Purposeful Communications as a partner, joining his old Brunswick Group colleague and former head of global communications at NASDAQ, Frank De Maria. Jacobs will be servicing his existing EJ Strategies LLC clients through Purposeful.

MEDIAWATCH — Andrea Bernstein (@AndreaWNYC): "Some personal news: After 20+ amazing years @wnyc, I am leaving to work with @ilyamarritz on an investigative podcast with @pineapplemedia. Very VERY excited for this new chapter. … But you'll continue to hear us on public radio as we follow the criminal and civil cases against Trump" … Reuben Jones is now Washington multimedia journalist at Spectrum News. He most recently was a multimedia journalist in Charlotte, N.C. for Spectrum News.

— Per Talking Biz News: "Anne Riley Moffat has been named senior editor on the energy and commodities team at Bloomberg News. ... She has been consumer editor and team leader since April 2018, overseeing news about retail, restaurants and other consumer companies."

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REAL ESTATE

"Broker's Fees Are Officially Un-Banned (For Now)," by Gothamist's Jake Offenhartz: "The short-lived ban on broker's fees is officially history. On Tuesday, the New York Department of State quietly walked back its bombshell guidance that aimed to block brokers from collecting a commission from tenants. Real estate agents may continue charging prospective tenants, the new guidance states, because state rent laws 'do not, in and of themselves, prohibit a landlord's agent from collecting a 'broker fee' from a prospective tenant.' New York is one of just a handful of cities nationwide where tenants regularly fork over thousands of dollars to brokers. The guidance will not immediately change the existing rules on broker's fees, which have been legal since a New York court issued an injunction last February, just days after the state's original guidance to ban them."

"The Vessel, a Tourist Draw, to Reopen With Changes After Several Deaths," by The New York Times' Michael Gold: "The Vessel, the labyrinth of staircases at Hudson Yards that closed four months ago after several people killed themselves there, will reopen on Friday with measures in place designed to reduce the risk of suicides. But the Related Companies, the developer of Hudson Yards, said it would not raise the height of barriers along the sculpture's walkways, a change that a local community board had been pushing for and that research has shown would be an effective deterrent. Instead, security will be tripled, and visitors will no longer be allowed to hike up the steps of the Vessel alone. … Tickets — which were previously free but now will generally cost $10 — and signs will carry messages discouraging suicides."

"Low-Income Renters Who Fell Behind Face Staggering Debts," by The New York Times' Stefanos Chen: "The pandemic has drastically deepened debt for New York's low-income renters, people who were teetering even before the outbreak and who have been hanging on thanks to an eviction moratorium that is set to expire this summer, according to a report released Wednesday by the New York University Furman Center. In an analysis of 13,163 units that focused on a subset of the city's affordable housing, the average rent owed by households with arrears through the year ending February 2021 jumped 66 percent, to $3,435 from $2,073. That represents more than two months of rent for 60 percent of the households analyzed, which normally paid $1,500 a month or less. While the share of renters who owed some amount of back rent in that period increased moderately, from about 50 percent to 55 percent, many of those who fell behind faced staggering debts."

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