| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia | There was some trepidation among backers of congestion pricing when Kathy Hochul, as she prepared to replace Andrew Cuomo as governor, took a rather equivocal stance on the scheme to charge drivers entering the heart of Manhattan. The governor's position is murky no longer: Hochul offered a full-throated embrace of the policy when asked about it on Wednesday. "I have supported, I do support and I will support — no question, my support for congestion pricing," she said. "And I've already asked the question, how do we reduce the timeframe?" About that timeframe: The MTA has announced plans to spend 16 months on an environmental assessment, after which a vendor will have another 10 months to install tolling technology. Mayor Bill de Blasio, for one, has called that schedule ridiculous. This comes as climate change has become the political topic du jour after the remnants of Hurricane Ida killed more than a dozen people in the city. And in a new report, the Regional Plan Association finds that transit ridership is still down by half compared to before the pandemic while driving trips across tunnels and bridges are actually higher than pre-pandemic levels. Beyond congestion pricing, Hochul will be taking a hard look at a host of infrastructure and transit projects prized by her predecessor. Cuomo's planned AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport, for one, has been the subject of a full-court press from opponents hoping the new governor will scrap it. Hochul said she'll be "looking closely" at it and other projects. As for the many Cuomo loyalists still installed across related boards and agencies, Hochul said she'll be looking to "professionalize these boards." And as for one high-profile Cuomo loyalist in particular, she declared: "Larry Schwartz is not part of my administration." She did not elaborate, but last we checked he remains a member of the MTA board. For how much longer? We'll see. 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 KATHY? Swearing in Brian Benjamin as lieutenant governor and attending a Planned Parenthood rally for abortion access. WHERE'S BILL? Speaking at a Council of Religious Leaders meeting and holding a media availability. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "So this is what this room looks like." — Senate Deputy Majority Leader and Cuomo nemesis Mike Gianaris at Gov. Kathy Hochul's press conference in the governor's Manhattan office ANOTHER ONE: "If it has half of what I've read, you should be interested in reading it." — Republican Assemblymember Marjorie Byrnes, to Spectrum News on the Judiciary Committee's Cuomo investigation, which could be finished by Oct.1 |  | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | Lower-income communities showed less engagement with ranked-choice voting in NYC primary, by POLITICO's Joe Anuta: Ranked-choice voting premiered on its biggest American stage during New York City's June primary — and while 90 percent of Democratic voters used it to pick a nominee for mayor, an economic divide emerged between those who adopted the practice fully and those who did not. A POLITICO analysis of recently released election data shows that some whiter, wealthier neighborhoods were more likely to employ the new ranking system than lower income areas of the city, many of which are home to Black, Latino and Asian communities. And voters in the south Bronx had a higher incidence of ballot mistakes, which invalidated some of their picks. Bloomberg offers some leadership lessons to Hochul, by POLITICO's Erin Durkin: Former Mayor Mike Bloomberg joined Gov. Kathy Hochul at the Sept. 11 memorial, where they expressed confidence the city would bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic as it did from the terrorist attacks two decades ago — but Bloomberg said the new governor may have to lose some friends to make it happen. "What the governor has to do is reach out to everybody — not try to be everybody's friend. Not try to give everybody everything they want," Bloomberg, who became mayor in the aftermath of the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, said when asked what advice he had for Hochul. "She's got to be a leader, rather than a panderer," he said. — Op-Ed: "Michael Bloomberg: How New York City Can Bounce Back, Again" "NYPD union head Edward Mullins accused of flouting department rules for posting police report against de Blasio's daughter," by New York Daily News' Rocco Parascandola: "Fiery NYPD union head Edward Mullins was accused Wednesday of violating department rules by posting on Twitter a police report against Mayor de Blasio's daughter — but his lawyer argued that labor leaders are protected by the First Amendment. The contrasting arguments played out in a departmental trial room at NYPD headquarters at One Police Plaza in Lower Manhattan during the first day of Mullins' departmental hearing — a highly unusual proceeding for a union official. Mullins, the head of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, is known for his no-holds-barred criticisms of the NYPD's top brass and Mayor de Blasio." "NYC, teachers union continue negotiations over COVID vaccine mandate," by Chalkbeat's Christina Veiga: "New York City will agree to keep teachers with vaccine exemptions on the job after their union filed a labor complaint over the issue, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday. But negotiations continue over what will happen to teachers who aren't vaccinated and don't have a religious or medical exemption. There are just days to go until the nation's largest school system is set to begin classes on Sept. 13, without an option for students to learn virtually. All education department employees — including almost 80,000 teachers — are required to be vaccinated. They have until Sept. 27 to receive their first dose. The United Federation of Teachers, or UFT, filed a complaint last week with the Public Employment Relations Board saying the city refused to accommodate teachers who can't be vaccinated because of medical or religious reasons." — "New School Year Brings New Concerns of Pandemic 'Educational Neglect' Child Welfare Probes," by The City's Eileen Grench "' This Is a Disaster': What I learned listening to secret recordings of the agency trying to investigate the city's lifeguard corps," by New York Magazine's David Gauvey Herbert: "When New Yorkers head to beaches and pools for one last swim this summer, they will do so under the unwatchful eye of the city's lifeguard corps. With more than 1,300 guards working during a typical season, it is the country's largest seasonal force — and something of a national joke in the profession with a fatality rate that, at points, has been three times the U.S. average. This summer, the troubles have continued … It turns out the watchdogs' watchdogs have also been, in a sense, asleep in the chair. For nearly two years, the city's Department of Investigation has been sitting on a draft report that would expose allegations of gross misconduct among lifeguards, according to covert audio recordings of the agency's internal meetings that were sent to me." — "Report Recommends Slashing Number of NYC Board of Elections Commissioners," by Gothamist's Brigid Bergin FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Two New York City operatives who raised more than $6 million to boost Eric Adams' mayoral campaign have joined forces to launch a consulting firm, Moonshot Strategies . Jenny Sedlis — former executive director of charter school booster StudentsFirstNY — founded the firm with Jason Ortiz, a lobbyist and strategist who ran the political division of the Hotel Trades Council. Ortiz continued to advise the union, as well as hedge fund billionaires Steven Cohen and Daniel Loeb and nonprofits like the Vera Institute of Justice, at his firm Blue Suit Strategies. He and Sedlis would not discuss their clients, but did announce their first hire: longtime media fixture Jennifer Fermino. Most recently communications director to City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Fermino spent 12 years as a reporter with the New York Post before becoming City Hall bureau chief for the Daily News. She was named the company's managing director of communications. Democratic strategist James Freedland will work with Moonshot on certain projects. — Sally Goldenberg | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "Gov. Hochul says mandating COVID vaccine for schoolkids 'certainly an option' amid lagging rates," by Daily News's Chris Sommerfeldt: "Gov. Hochul affirmed Wednesday that she's not ruling out mandating coronavirus vaccinations for middle and high school students in New York as inoculation rates among those kids remain troublingly low despite the fall semester being around the corner. Only about 50% of New Yorkers between ages 12 and 17 are fully immunized against COVID-19, according to Health Department data, and Hochul said that has her concerned enough to keep 'all options on the table,' including a statewide vaccination mandate for schools. 'That is certainly an option,' she said in a briefing at her Midtown Manhattan office, 'but I'm also aware that, yeah, this is something that parents are very, very anxious about.'" "Buffalo attorney is Heastie's pick for Cannabis Control Board," by Times Union's Josh Solomon: "Adam W. Perry, a well-known Buffalo attorney, is Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie's pick to serve a three-year term on the state's Cannabis Control Board, which is charged with regulating the marijuana industry. … Perry is a longtime Buffalo resident and a partner at Hodgson Ross law firm. His law practice has focused on labor disputes and employment issues, according to a biography page on the firm's website. He has represented the city, its housing authority, and the district attorney, according to the Buffalo News. In 2015, the city of Buffalo named Aug. 6 as 'Adam W. Perry Day.'" — Hochul made 11 appointments to her administration's press and operations teams, many of whom are currently working for her or have in the past. "Governor Hochul Promised a 'New Era of Transparency.' So Far, Details are Scarce." by New York Focus's Sam Mellins: "Hochul's team has stayed tight-lipped on the details of her plans. 'The Counsel to the Governor is working on a new, expedited FOIL process to fulfill past and future requests as quickly as possible,' spokesperson Haley Viccaro wrote over email. 'More details on the FOIL process and these initiatives will be shared soon.' Notably, Viccaro declined to say whether Hochul will continue a controversial Cuomo-era policy of requiring responses to politically 'sensitive' FOIL requests to get approved by the governor's office before being sent out. Viccaro also declined to provide a deadline by which state agencies would be expected to produce the compliance reports mentioned in Hochul's speech … But Andrew Cuomo too ran for governor in 2010 on a pledge 'to make the state government the most transparent and accountable in history,' and transparency experts are waiting for Hochul's policy details." "Federal court upholds Percoco conviction on corruption charges," by Newsday's Yancey Roy: "A federal court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of Joseph Percoco, the former closest aide of ex-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, on corruption charges. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit also upheld the convictions of four others in the 'Buffalo Billion' scandal, including Alain Kaloyeros, the former powerful state university official who oversaw Cuomo's signature upstate development project. In doing so, the court rejected arguments there was insufficient evidence for conviction. Percoco was convicted in 2018 and sentenced to six years in prison for taking more than $300,000 in bribes from a developer and an energy company to exercise his clout in state government. Kaloyeros, who founded the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, was convicted of bid-rigging for steering lucrative contracts to Syracuse and Buffalo developers. In 2018, he was sentenced to 42 months in prison." "Will NY's COVID Vaccine Mandate for Health Care Workers Trigger Staff Shortages? What to Know," by Lohud's David Robinson: "New York's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers has ignited concerns that nearly 130,000 unvaccinated staff at hospitals and nursing homes will soon lose their jobs, potentially triggering a workforce crisis as delta variant cases surge. The vaccine mandate approved recently by a key Department of Health council and Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker also reversed a plan to allow health care workers to refuse COVID-19 shots due to religious beliefs.Health care workers may still claim limited medical exemptions to the COVID-19 shots, but otherwise they must get the first dose by Sept. 27 or lose their job, according to the order issued by Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration." #UpstateAmerica: Commence Pumpkin Spice Season, because the fall foliage report has emerged. We're looking at "traces of goldenrod and copper" and "soft maples providing a patchy, rhubarb splatter." | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is expected to return in its traditional form this year. — The city is rolling out turbo charging stations for electric cars in a Manhattan municipal parking garage. — A former CIA officer and counterterrorism official is vying for Rep. Elise Stefanik's congressional seat. — NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman was sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison. — Citi Bike set a usership record when Hurricane Ida knocked out most of the city's subway lines. — NYPD officers who fail to get vaccinated or get a weekly Covid-19 test will be sent home without pay starting Monday. — "Beached Rat Carcasses Indicate Mass Rodent Death During Ida, Experts Say" — New Yorkers paint murals throughout the city in remembrance of the 20-year anniversary of 9/11. — Long Island police are still searching for artifacts stolen in August from a Jewish temple, including two handwritten Torahs. — A Staten Island bride finds difficulty in obtaining a marriage license due to continuous pandemic closures. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: WaPo's Matt Bai … HuffPost's Jonathan Cohn … Breitbart's Matt Boyle … David Freedlander … Lauren Hackett … Michael Greenwald … Augusta (Mellon) Rhoades … AP's Matt Lee … Miranda Barbot, VP at BerlinRosen and former NYC DOE press secretary | | REAL ESTATE | | "NYC Council bill would give hotel workers up to $1K a week in severance," by New York Daily News' Michael Gartland : "Unemployed hotel workers could get a big financial boost under a New York City Council bill that would require hotel owners to pay them up to $1,000 a week in severance, a move that could also serve as incentive for hotels to reopen. The new bill, which Queens Councilman Francisco Moya plans to introduce Wednesday, would target hotels where 75% or more of workers remain unemployed, or where at least 50% of rooms remain out of use." " Ex-Brooklyn construction union boss sentenced to 5 years for bribery scheme," by Real Deal's Kathryn Brenzel: "Surrounded by colleagues celebrating the holiday season, two labor leaders hatched a plan in 2017: They would rig how new members were accepted into the carpenters' union. Salvatore Tagliaferro, former president of Local 926, was sentenced on Wednesday to 60 months in prison, with two years of supervised release, for his role in a scheme that saw hundreds of union membership cards traded for cash bribes. He must also pay the union $145,000 in restitution and forfeit nearly $300,000."
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