News: POLITICO New York Playbook: All the Governor’s Men (and Women) — Assembly sets deadline for impeachment evidence

Friday, August 6, 2021

POLITICO New York Playbook: All the Governor’s Men (and Women) — Assembly sets deadline for impeachment evidence — No state guidance for schools

Aug 06, 2021

By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Téa Kvetenadze

SPOTTED: Gov. Andrew Cuomo catching some time at the pool with his Director of Offices, Stephanie Benton, and her laptop. Plotting their next moves? Hard to say, but according to a statement from his office yesterday afternoon, Team Cuomo is mustering a defense as the Assembly wraps up its impeachment probe.

After Attorney General Tish James' report — and its aftermath — lit a fire in its members' bellies, the Assembly's Judiciary Committee informed the administration on Thursday that Cuomo has until next Friday to produce any final evidence he might like to share for their separate probe.

"The Governor appreciates the opportunity," Cuomo's communications director Rich Azzopardi responded in a statement. "We will be cooperating."

That fighting stance, along with yesterday's release of a 13-page legal analysis of why the administration disagrees with James' conclusion that Cuomo "impermissibly retaliated" against alleged harassment victim Lindsey Boylan, is the clearest signal yet that a resignation could be a ways off.

And if you thought Cuomo's staff would lie low after harsh portrayals in James' 168-page report, think again. Top aide Melissa DeRosa, who told investigators that she hated when Cuomo called her and other senior staff "mean girls," quite literally evoked the movie "Mean Girls" Thursday evening when she accused New York Post reporter Bernadette Hogan of a "bizarre" "obsession" with her in a now deleted tweet. (Welcome, Bernadette!)

That was shortly after Hogan and Post reporters Carl Campanile and Bruce Golding published a story detailing descriptions of DeRosa from former colleagues that included anonymous quotes like "She is a ruthless, heartless, evil human being who will rip your heart out in order to get what she wants."

DeRosa's hardly the only top aide whose professional reputation took a hit when her actions on behalf of the governor were laid bare. According to HuffPost , employees at the Human Rights Campaign laid into their president, former Cuomo counsel Alphonso David, "for nearly an hour and a half ― and asked him to resign several times" during a meeting on Wednesday.

This is New York, so no one could ignore taking a glimpse into the inner machinations of the Cuomo cohort that James' office offered so freely in the report. Nick Niedzwiadek and Anna wrote the guide to all of the governor's men — and women — involved.

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 yet.

WHERE'S BILL? In New York City with no public events scheduled.

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WHAT ALBANY'S READING

"Fear of crossing Cuomo dissipates as pols, staff unload after AG report," by Newsday's Yancey Roy and Michael Gormley: "Cuomo has always had vocal critics. But what is different now is current staffers, former staffers, political allies and lawmakers, who previously may have felt muzzled, now are unloading on the governor. Emails and texts produced by James' investigation are showing cracks in the governor's inner circle. One legislator criticized the governor for demanding 'absolute loyalty' and 'fealty' during his 11 years in office. A former financial commissioner called Cuomo's denials 'despicable.' Basil Seggos, the current environmental commissioner, said on Twitter Cuomo's alleged conduct was 'outrageous and unacceptable.' Sheila Poole, the commissioner of children and family services, reportedly sent a memo to her staff saying she was 'appalled and angry.' Even Kathy Hochul, Cuomo's hand-picked lieutenant governor, called his behavior 'repulsive.'

"Governing New York for 11 years with a bruising and bullying style now comes at a cost for Cuomo as he sees old allies fleeing and no state lawmakers standing up for him, Cuomo insiders acknowledged. 'People have so much pent-up anger and frustration with the governor for years, but it was outweighed by the fear of him and his political power,' an administration official said. That, the source said, is over."

— ActBlue said it's no longer processing donations to Cuomo's campaign.

"How Kathy Hochul Went from Cuomo's Surrogate to Brink of Replacing Him," by The City's Clifford Michel: "Shortly after sexual harassment allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo surfaced, his press office stopped regularly publishing the public schedule of his next in line: Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul. The former member of Congress from Buffalo, who had simply expressed support for the investigation launched by State Attorney General Letitia James, went about her largely powerless job, attending ceremonies and making it a point of pride to visit all of New York's 62 counties at least once annually. Among them: Bronx County, where Hochul attended the local Democratic Party's 'unity' celebration last week following Eric Adams' win in the mayoral primary. The 62-year-old Democrat, elected in 2014, made her presence known in a far bigger fashion this week when she declared Cuomo's behavior, as outlined in James' report, 'repulsive' — and called on him to step down."

Hospital execs still mum on Cuomo after 1199 calls for his ouster, by POLITICO's Amanda Eisenberg and Shannon Young: The state's largest health care workers union has joined the ranks of virtually everyone else in New York calling for Gov. Andrew Cuomo's ouster, shifting the focus to the state's powerful hospital industry — among Cuomo's most prominent and loyal allies. 1199SEIU President George Gresham issued a statement Thursday afternoon calling for Cuomo's resignation following "substantiated claims of sexual harassment." "Labor unions are responsible for fighting for safer working conditions and rights for workers, and this includes the right to be free from harassment," Gresham said in a statement. "No one can be exempt, and no one is above the law." 1199's statement, which followed calls from health care unions NYSNA, DC37 and 32BJ, now makes the silence of top hospital executives, who have long benefited from an alliance with the governor, all the more conspicuous.

No school guidance from state DOH this fall, superintendents told, by POLITICO's Michelle Bocanegra: The Cuomo administration has advised superintendents that neither the governor's office nor the state health department will be issuing guidance for schools reopening this fall, according to a group representing superintendents. In a letter to members shared with POLITICO, the New York State Council of School Superintendents told members it was advised of the development from the governor's office on Wednesday afternoon. School districts have been imploring the state for months to release guidance as soon as possible, as students are expected to return to buildings in a matter of weeks. … Howard Zucker, the state health commissioner, said that with the end of the declared public health emergency in late June, "school districts are reestablished as the controlling entity for schools."

... State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa urged Zucker to reconsider the state's decision to leave school reopening guidance up to local authorities, saying it should weigh "DOH's statutory responsibilities as the state agency devoted to protecting the public health."

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WHAT CITY HALL'S READING

"When Money Can't Buy Shots: New York City's Vaccine Holdouts," by Bloomberg's Henry Goldman and Amy Yee: "New York City, once the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic, is hitting a plateau in vaccinating enough of its population against the virus. In the ZIP codes with the lowest participation rates, reasons for resisting the shot range from mistrust and misinformation to inaccessibility and indifference. In Far Rockaway, Queens, only 34% of residents are vaccinated, according to data from the city's health department. Dmitriy Gelfand, who owns the Smartshop Pharmacy on Beach Channel Drive, says demand for shots has dissipated since March and he now has 200 Moderna vaccines he's struggling to give away. 'What can you do? You can't push everybody, you can't force it,' he said. 'Some are afraid and say they don't know what it's going to do to them. Others say it's not the right time.'...

"The biggest holdouts are mostly Black and Orthodox Jewish communities in the outer boroughs, where 17 ZIP codes have vaccination rates of 40% or less. That includes the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Midwood, Canarsie, Ocean-Hill-Brownsville, Crown Heights and Borough Park. Participation rates have also lagged in politically conservative areas of Staten Island. In Far Rockaway, all three groups predominate."

— State Sen. James Sanders charged that the de Blasio administration missed an opportunity by failing to send a vaccine bus to a public event in Far Rockaway.

— Vaccinations among public hospital workers jumped by 189 percent after a requirement to get the shot or weekly testing was announced.

— Republican mayoral hopeful Curtis Sliwa protested the new vaccine mandate, and was jeered by counterprotesters.

" Dozens Of NYC Public School Buildings May Not Be Able To Fit Their Students At 3 Feet Apart This Fall," by WNYC's Jessica Gould: "With just over a month until the new academic year kicks off, some New York City public school principals said they still don't know how to fit all their students back into buildings. Administrators said they're grappling with federal social distancing guidelines, trying to figure out how to make them work, and gauge whether they'll be enforced. 'Honestly, I've talked to a lot of my colleagues about this and it seems like everyone is just guessing,' said one middle school principal in Brooklyn, who declined to give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the press. The guidance that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released last month recommends universal masking and three feet of social distancing, but it emphasized that the top priority is getting kids back into classrooms.'"

"'Get the hell out': De Blasio says 'narcissist' Cuomo isn't helping New Yorkers by staying in office," by New York Daily News' Chris Sommerfeldt: "Mayor de Blasio stepped up his attacks against Gov. Cuomo on Thursday, excoriating him as a Trump-like 'narcissist' who's stifling New York's pandemic recovery by staying in office despite a state attorney general report corroborating accusations that he sexually harassed 11 women. Taking blistering aim at the governor for the second day in a row, de Blasio said in his daily briefing from City Hall that he's confident Cuomo's refusal to resign is to blame for a string of recent administrative hiccups, like the delayed rollout of rental relief to hundreds of thousands of struggling New Yorkers. 'It's hurting the people in New York state and New York City — there's no question,' de Blasio said. 'You know, a guy who spends 11 hours having to testify about his sexual harassment and assaults is not a guy who's focusing on just fighting COVID or getting us federal aid or getting rent relief money to people who need it.'"

— "Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams maintained Thursday that he hopes Gov. Andrew Cuomo steps down and is quickly booted from office by lawmakers if he refuses to do so, while insisting that he has no regrets about standing alongside the scandal-scarred governor at a recent event."

"He Has Asthma and Cancer. But He Still Was Moved to a Crowded Shelter," by The New York Times' Andy Newman: "Michael Garrett, 54 and homeless, has congestive heart failure, asthma and a defibrillator in his chest. He also has cancer, for which he is receiving chemo and radiation. And because of all that, he has a letter from the city telling him that he cannot be housed in a barracks-style group shelter, where 20 people often share a room. But early Thursday morning, that is exactly where Mr. Garrett was sent, in one of the latest glitches in New York City's shelter system as it struggles to relocate 8,000 homeless people to group shelters from the hotels where they had been placed to stem the spread of Covid-19. ... Hours later, Judge Valerie E. Caproni of federal court in Manhattan ordered the city to stop the moves until Aug. 19, and to come up with a more detailed plan that addressed the needs of people — like Mr. Garrett — whose health problems and disabilities qualify them for exemptions from the transfers."

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FROM THE DELEGATION

"Rep. Ritchie Torres pushes vaccine mandate for Americans boarding all flights," by New York Daily News' Tim Balk: "If Rep. Ritchie Torres has his way, vaccine hesitancy won't fly. Torres (D-N.Y) said Thursday that he was embarking on a push to require that eligible Americans get immunized against COVID-19 for domestic and international air travel, introducing a bill that would cement the rule into law and penning a letter to the Transportation Security Administration pleading for such a policy. Almost 30% of U.S. adults have not received a single coronavirus vaccine dose, according to federal data, even as the highly contagious delta variant wreaks havoc across swaths of the country."

AROUND NEW YORK

— Albany is reinstituting a mask order for all city employees and within all city buildings, effective immediately.

— Q&A with Times Union Editor Casey Seiler: 'How Andrew Cuomo Holds On to Power'

— Colombian artist Maluma will perform at the city's Central Park reopening concert.

— Police are probing the death of a Queens lawyer as a homicide after he was found dead in his office.

— A suspect has been arrested in connection with the hit-and-run death of "Gone Girl" actress Lisa Banes.

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter … Krysia Lenzo … Steptoe's Elizabeth Burks … Cherie Paquette Gillan … Travis Kalanick … Michael Glennon is 35 … Deena Abu-Lughod … Sarah Tames … Lyndsey Wajert

MEDIAWATCH — CNN fired three unvaccinated employees it found had been coming to the office in violation of its requirement.

REAL ESTATE

"Judge Temporarily Freezes Plan to Truck Frigid Liquid Natural Gas to Brooklyn," by The City's Samantha Maldonado: "Environmental activists protesting changes to National Grid's Greenpoint hub for more than a year are claiming a legal victory — but the utility is pushing back. Following a court order, National Grid last week stopped construction work at the Brooklyn site that could be used to load and unload trucks containing liquefied natural gas, or LNG. LNG is predominantly methane gas cooled to liquid state and kept at minus-260 degrees — nearly as frigid as Saturn. The process reduces the gas' volume, making for easier transportation. But trucking the combustible gas within the city has raised concerns around environmental and safety risks. A state Supreme Court judge on July 27 ordered National Grid to temporarily halt construction that would support possible LNG trucking to its North Brooklyn site, which is also at the center of a controversial pipeline plan."

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