News: POLITICO New York Playbook: Waiting for Tish — NYPD won’t release Adams’ disciplinary records

Friday, July 9, 2021

POLITICO New York Playbook: Waiting for Tish — NYPD won’t release Adams’ disciplinary records — Mayor sued over homeless moves

Jul 09, 2021

By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Téa Kvetenadze

Presented by Association of American Universities

A new-ish bit in New York political circles and Twitter feeds is naming the warmer months after whichever elected official has embraced leisure and recreation. The Summer of _____ usually suggests that the person's workload and political stakes are low enough to publicly indulge in sunshine, ziplines, rollercoasters and Tommy Bahama linens.

While this year's titleholder might very well be Attorney General Letitia James, it's not exactly for vacation vibes.

The Summer of Tish has instead pulled the political world into partial purgatory, awaiting the results of an investigation that could alter the fate of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and recast the landscape for Democrats and Republicans moving into an election year, Anna writes this morning.

Waiting on Tish's conclusions is what Cuomo, in his initial apology following allegations from former aides this spring that ranged from sexual harassment to groping, asked his peers and constituents to do before making judgments. It's what top Democrats from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to President Joe Biden said they would do, when asked at the time to weigh in on what the consequences for Cuomo's reported behavior should be. And it's what Cuomo critics have dreaded, saying that it buys him enough time to let the initial outrage blow over.

Like it or not, it's the phase that New York is now in, with the mayoral primary wrapping up and legislative session mostly finished. The looming question is just how damning the report might be and who will stick to their guns when more details about the allegations are laid bare. Biden said in March that if the stories are confirmed, Cuomo should resign, and will likely "end up being prosecuted, too."

It means New York's Democratic political apparatus sits in a status of semi-uncertainty even as the 2022 election season begins to heat up. The Assembly's impeachment investigation is on a slow burn. And potential Democratic primary challengers are waiting to see if they'd face a wounded Cuomo, a vindicated Cuomo, or perhaps no Cuomo at all.

As one high-level Capitol staffer noted, at this point "everything is an impossibly mapped-out political game theory."

IT'S FRIDAY. 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? No public schedule.

WHERE'S BILL? Traveling to Connecticut.

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WHAT CITY HALL'S READING

NYPD won't release Adams' disciplinary records, by POLITICO's Erin Durkin: The NYPD has refused to release disciplinary records for Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams despite a state law meant to lift the veil of secrecy around such documents. Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, was an NYPD cop for 22 years, retiring as a captain in 2006. The future mayoral candidate was one of the department's most vocal internal critics and founded a reform group, 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care. He has spoken publicly about being the target of four Internal Affairs Bureau investigations. The NYPD has not released any documents related to Adams' time as an officer, though, denying requests by POLITICO under the state's Freedom of Information Law.

The state Legislature last year voted to make police disciplinary records public, repealing a law known as 50-a that kept them confidential … The Civilian Complaint Review Board, by contrast, released a trove of records for the police veteran turned politician, showing he was never the subject of a civilian complaint. Adams was named as a witness in five complaints from 2002 to 2004, when he was a police lieutenant.

— Adams said he will stick to his pledge to name the city's first woman police commissioner and has been talking to three female candidates for the job.

"In Mayoral Primary, Spending in Support of Adams More Than Combined Total for Garcia and Wiley," by Gotham Gazette's Samar Khurshid: "Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams claimed victory in the Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday, with 50.5% of ranked-choice votes after almost all absentee votes were counted, beating former sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia by one percentage point. He credited 'an historic, diverse, five-borough coalition led by working-class New Yorkers' for propelling him to victory. But both because of and in order to assemble that coalition, Adams was the beneficiary of the the second-most spending in the primary, with his campaign expenditures and outside spending on his behalf totaling just under $17.8 million through the day before primary day, according to the latest disclosures with the New York City Campaign Finance Board."

— Half a dozen independent candidates will appear on minor party ballot lines in the November general election.

"Disabled homeless sue Mayor de Blasio for moving them back into NYC shelters ," by New York Daily News' Molly Crane-Newman: "Mayor de Blasio broke the law by rushing homeless, disabled New Yorkers out of hotel rooms for shelters without notice, a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court Thursday alleges. More than 650 disabled people were moved out of single-occupancy hotel rooms in Manhattan on June 23, 24, and 25, with no time to prepare, the Legal Aid Society claims in a suit against the city. 'The city's rushed decision to arbitrarily move thousands of homeless New Yorkers from safe accommodations back to local, crowded shelters is both illegal and inhumane,' said Josh Goldfein, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society."

— "As They Return to Group Shelters, Homeless New Yorkers Make Vaccine Choices," by City Limits' David Brand

"'Literacy blitz' and other ways de Blasio plans to spend $635 million to help NYC students catch up," by Chalkbeat's Amy Zimmer and Pooja Salhotra: "New York City will infuse public schools with $635 million for an academic recovery plan that includes a universal literacy screening through second grade, after-school help for students with disabilities, and college counseling services for all juniors and seniors, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter announced Thursday. The announcement provided long-awaited details on how some of the influx of federal stimulus money — expected to total $6.9 billion over three years — will be used to support the city's nearly 1 million students and close what the mayor has called 'the COVID achievement gap.'"

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WHAT ALBANY'S READING

"After $5.1M book deal, Cuomo calls pandemic 'tremendous personal benefit,'" by New York Post's Bernadette Hogan and Bruce Golding: "Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday called it a 'tremendous personal benefit' to have led New York state amid the coronavirus crisis — during which he scored $5.1 million for his pandemic memoir. In a speech to his fellow governors that was loaded with presumably unintentional double meanings, Cuomo told them that they all 'have a new credibility.' 'Very few people were going through what we went through and we went through it together,' he said. 'And speaking for myself, it was a tremendous personal benefit.'"

Money spent on lobbying fell 10 percent during the pandemic, by POLITICO's Bill Mahoney: A total of $268.1 million was spent lobbying state and local governments in New York in 2020, according to numbers released by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics on Thursday. That's the second-highest total ever. But it also represents one of the biggest drops on record; the 2019 figure was $298.1 million. The $248.7 million spent directly paying lobbyists isn't down much from the $255 million in 2019. But the total spent on expenses plummeted — about $43 million in 2019, and $20 million last year.

" State releases long-awaited police use of force data," by Capitol Pressroom's David Lombardo: "Nearly two years after police departments around New York were required to begin submitting detailed information to the state about incidents involving use of force — including the race of officers and subjects — the Cuomo administration has released more than 15 months of acquired data. The data reporting requirement was added to the state budget adopted in the spring of 2019 and required law enforcement agencies to document instances when officers used force in the line of duty, including brandishing or discharging a firearm, applying chokeholds, displaying or deploying pepper spray and utilizing a baton. During the budget debate on the issue, proponents of the requirements argued they could inform future police training, identify problematic trends and increase transparency, while critics contended it would have a 'chilling effect' on appropriate use of force."

— "New York Regulations Allow Cops Stripped of Training Credentials to Be Rehired," by New York Focus' Arno Pedram and Luca Powell

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Sixty survivors of human trafficking sent a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushing him to sign the START Act, which would allow courts to vacate criminal convictions that result from sex or labor trafficking. "These convictions also make it much more difficult to rebuild our lives, creating hurdles for obtaining employment, student loans, housing, or legal immigration status. It is traumatic enough that trafficking survivors have to deal with the long term effects of being exploited. Survivors should not also have to carry the weight and burden of criminal records," they write in the letter, along with the Legal Aid Society. The bill was passed by the Legislature and is awaiting Cuomo's signature.

#UpstateAmerica: Gypsy moth caterpillars are wreaking havoc on upstate, "raining down feces on hikers and endangering the tourist season as property owners fret over long-term damage to trees," Gannett reports.

FROM THE DELEGATION

"Schumer, Velazquez demand Biden find $80 billion in fed funding for NYCHA," by New York Daily News' Michael Gartland: "Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) called on President Biden on Thursday to double the funding he's proposed to fix public housing during a tour of a Brooklyn NYCHA complex which highlighted the long-standing problems they're seeking to remedy. Biden has proposed pouring $40 billion into public housing throughout the U.S. over the next several years, but Schumer and Velazquez are saying it's not enough and ultimately want the federal government to pony up more than $80 billion to address the mold, old roofs, leaky pipes and other squalid conditions that have plagued New York City Housing Authority residents for so many years."

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — New York House candidates represent five of the top 20 spenders in the nation in last year's election, according to data from the soon-to-be-released edition of the Almanac of American Politics. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was the top Democratic spender at $25.2 million, while her unsuccessful Republican challenger John Cummings was #9 on the GOP side at $10.9 million. Former Rep. Max Rose, who lost his re-election bid on Staten Island, was fourth on the Democratic side at $9.5 million and Nancy Goroff who ran unsuccessfully on Long Island was eight at $8.1 million. Upstate Rep. Elise Stefanik ranked seventh among Republicans, spending $11.3 million.

— Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is one of just two senators with 100 percent liberal voting records, according to the Almanac's vote ratings. The other is Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Former Rep. Eliot Engel got a 100 percent score on the House side — but was defeated in a primary challenge from his left, nonetheless. Reps. Nydia Velazquez and Adriano Espaillat were also among nine House Democrats who got perfect liberal scores. Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Grace Meng both notched 99 percent.

TRUMP'S NEW YORK

"Giuliani's DC law license suspended until NY case resolved," by The Associated Press: "The District of Columbia Court of Appeals suspended Rudy Giuliani's D.C. law license Wednesday pending the disposition of his New York suspension. In a two-page order the court cited the action last month by a New York appeals court and said Giuliani is 'suspended from the practice of law in the District of Columbia pending final disposition of this proceeding.' Giuliani, former President Donald Trump's lawyer throughout his efforts to have the 2020 election overturned, was suspended from practicing law by the New York court because he made false statements while trying to get courts to overturn Trump's loss in the presidential race."

"Michael Avenatti Sentenced to 2 1/2 Years for Trying to Extort Nike," by Wall Street Journal's Rebecca Davis O'Brien and Corinne Ramey: "Michael Avenatti, whose star turn as Stormy Daniels's pugnacious lawyer ended two years ago in a flurry of criminal charges, was sentenced Thursday to 2 1/2 years in prison for trying to extort Nike Inc. for more than $20 million. Mr. Avenatti, 50 years old, was convicted after a jury trial in February 2020 on all three counts he faced: extortion, transmission of interstate communications with intent to extort, and wire fraud. The case grew out of Mr. Avenatti's threats to expose purported corruption in Nike's elite basketball program unless the apparel giant paid him to conduct an internal investigation."

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AROUND NEW YORK

— Heavy rains flooded subways and roads.

— Master's programs at Columbia University are leaving students with high debt that they don't make enough money to pay off after they graduate.

— A Staten Island bar owner who publicly flouted Covid regulations and then allegedly hit a sheriff's deputy with his car is suing the sheriff's department for false arrest and defamation.

— Comptroller nominee Brad Lander is backing a lawsuit by current city Comptroller Scott Stringer seeking to end the mayor's emergency contracting authority.

— City after-school programs are scaling back their hours or canceling services altogether after the Department of Education nearly tripled a fee they had to pay to use school facilities.

— Attorney General Tish James said New York will receive at least $200 million under a $4.5 billion multistate agreement with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler Family.

— The New York State Association of Counties and New York State Association of County Coroners and Medical Examiners have relaunched their "See the Signs, Save a Life" campaign.

— The New York Power Authority will pilot blending green hydrogen with gas to fuel an existing power plant.

— The Board of Elections has asked the Department of Justice and the state attorney general to investigate whether a City Council candidate on Staten Island ran an illegal ballot-harvesting and forgery operation.

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Patrick Steel … ACLU's Anthony Romero and KP Trueblood … Fox Business' Lori Rothman … AP's Tom Beaumont … CNN's Jeff Simon ... NYT's Amy Fiscus … Mercury's Kirill Goncharenko … Floyd Abrams … HuffPost's Amanda Terkel … Donna Imperato of BCW … George-Alexander Attia … Matthew Yurus ... Matt Samuels

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Bradley Singer, a talent agent for WME who represents, among others, Tamron Hall, Sunny Hostin, and POLITICO's Tara Palmeri and Eugene Daniels, and Kate Nexon, EVP of domestic TV and digital sales at Lionsgate, on Wednesday welcomed Paige Nexon Singer. She's named in memory of her late grandparents Phil and Pam. Pic

MAKING MOVES — Emily Tisch Sussman is now a senior adviser to PL + US. She is the former VP of campaigns for the Center for American Progress Action Fund and senior adviser to Swing Left. (h/t POLITICO Playbook) … Ross Wallenstein has started Wall to Wall Communications, where he is CEO. He most recently was director of communications for David Weprin's campaign for NYC comptroller and is also an alum of J Strategies and Marino.

… Nelson Mills is joining VC Lux Capital as a venture associate focusing on investment in health care technology and deep tech. He most recently was an investor with Global Founders Capital where he invested in WOMBO, Breach Insurance, and Goodcover.

MEDIAWATCH — "How May Edwards became the forgotten whistleblower," by WaPo's Sarah Ellison

— Per a New York Times internal memo: "Kate Kelly, who covers Wall Street for the Business desk, will join the Washington bureau in September to write about lobbying, big money and the world of influence." … Talking Biz News: "Former Wall Street Journal real estate reporter Candace Jackson will be joining The New York Times to cover California real estate for the Real Estate section and other sections as well."

JAVANKA MANSION WATCH — The Real Deal's Katherine Kallergis: "Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner acquired a waterfront South Florida home — a six-bedroom, 8,510-square-foot mansion — for $24 million, The Real Deal has learned. … The 1.3-acre estate, with manicured landscaping, reflecting pools, a double staircase, a resort-style pool and a large dock, hit the market in October for nearly $25 million."

A message from Association of American Universities:

University of Rochester and America's leading research universities are at the forefront of battling against COVID-19 and working to protect us from future pandemics. We power the solutions that solve problems and create jobs. We are the nurses, engineers, and physicians fighting this crisis on the front line. We are the hospitals and labs across the country that provide the best care and discover the latest treatments, tests, and vaccines to get our communities back on track. This is all made possible by a robust government-university partnership that has fueled the greatest medical, technological and economic breakthroughs of the last 70-plus years. Then, as now, America's universities are stepping up to fight this virus, and protect the health and security of our nation. Learn More.

REAL ESTATE

"Judge chucks lawsuit seeking to halt Soho rezoning," by The Real Deal's Kathryn Brenzel: "One hurdle is out of the way for the planned rezoning of Soho and Noho. Judge Arthur Engoron on Wednesday tossed a lawsuit that sought to halt the rezoning, finding that the de Blasio administration had provided adequate notice that it was launching the land use review process. The lawsuit had accused the city of failing to give legally required information about its intent to certify the rezoning application — the first step of the city's Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, or Ulurp — 30 days before doing so."

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