News : POLITICO New York Playbook: De Blasio sticks by embattled security chief

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

POLITICO New York Playbook: De Blasio sticks by embattled security chief

Oct 13, 2021

By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia

Presented by Equinor

The head of Mayor Bill de Blasio's NYPD security detail could face criminal charges for obstructing an official investigation into the misuse of the unit. But unless and until he does, he'll remain on full duty and keep his prestigious post, de Blasio said Tuesday.

NYPD Inspector Howard Redmond "actively obstructed and sought to thwart this investigation," the Department of Investigation found in a report released last week . To wit: he refused to turn over his City Hall-issued phone to investigators, sought to destroy his NYPD phone, and deleted all communications from both devices before they could be handed over. DOI found his conduct serious enough that they referred him to the Manhattan District Attorney for potential criminal prosecution, saying he could face obstruction of justice charges.

None of that particularly bothers de Blasio, who continues to rip the DOI report as unfair after it concluded he misused his official detail for political and personal purposes. Redmond won't face internal discipline and remains on full duty, the mayor said Tuesday when asked about the inspector's status.

"The NYPD has looked at the information provided. They don't see a reason for further charges," de Blasio said. "We have not heard from the Manhattan DA. And so, at this point, it's simply an allegation. He continues to do his work on behalf of the people. He's spent almost 30 years in the service of people. He will continue."

That leaves the ball in the court of the district attorney, who has said he is reviewing DOI's referral.

IT'S WEDNESDAY. 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? Holding a Covid-19 briefing in Manhattan.

WHERE'S BILL? Holding a media availability.

ABOVE THE FOLD — "Poll: Hochul has solid support statewide, leads potential primary rivals," by Newsday's Michael Gormley: "A poll released Tuesday shows Gov. Kathy Hochul, after 50 days in office, is seen favorably by most New Yorkers and so far leads her potential Democratic primary opponents. The Marist poll also found that nearly three-quarters of Democrats say they don't want former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to run for the office from which he resigned in August. ...At this time, Hochul has a double-digit lead over her potential Democratic primary candidates next summer. ... Cuomo's standing, even within the party he led for three terms as governor, appears to have improved slightly from an August poll, but remains low at 42%, with 53% disapproving of him, the poll shows."

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WHAT CITY HALL'S READING

"With Cuomo Out, $2.1 Billion La Guardia AirTrain Is Halted," by The New York Times' Patrick McGeehan: "The brakes have officially been slammed on the plan to build a $2.1 billion AirTrain to La Guardia Airport. The agency that operates the airport, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said on Tuesday afternoon that it would "pause further action" on the project, which had been heavily pushed by former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Mr. Cuomo's successor, Gov. Kathy Hochul, has called for a review of alternatives to the AirTrain plan, which has been a target of criticism from community groups and elected officials. Among the complaints were that its out-of-the-way route would deter riders and that it would harm property values in the neighborhoods that surround La Guardia in northern Queens."

"Mayor de Blasio's $1 Million Bill: He Owes Lawyers, Lobbyists and Taxpayers," by The City's Greg B. Smith: "As he hints at running for governor, lame duck mayor Bill de Blasio has racked up nearly $1 million in debts to lawyers, campaign consultants and taxpayers that records indicate he currently can't pay. The mayor owes one of the city's biggest lobbyist law firms upwards of $435,000. On Thursday, the city's Department of Investigation commissioner informed him he must reimburse taxpayers nearly $320,000 for his use of an NYPD securing detail during his failed 2019 cross-country presidential campaign. Meanwhile, the latest filings for his various campaign and political action committees reveal he's got more than $182,500 in outstanding campaign debts — and only about $11,800 cash on hand. Between all of this, he owes upwards of $929,000, THE CITY found."

— Greenwood Cemetery is de Blasio's new favorite strolling spot.

Adams distances himself from de Blasio's gifted and talented plan , by POLITICO's Erin Durkin: Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams said he won't be bound by Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to scrap gifted and talented education classes, vowing instead to expand special programs for advanced students. Adams gave few details about what his own plan will look like but said he might start from scratch rather than keeping the plan de Blasio implements during his final months in office. "I'm going to reserve my right to look at the mayor's plan, look through it, but to roll out my plan that is going to be an expansion of accelerated learning," Adams told reporters after a campaign event in Brooklyn. "I don't believe what he did speaks for me."

"NYC mayoral race heats up as Sliwa goes on attack, Adams rips rival's campaign as a 'circus,'" by New York Daily News' Tim Balk: "Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa are getting ready to do battle ahead of their first debate before the general election for New York City's race for mayor. Sliwa, the long-shot Republican nominee, issued a barrage of broadsides against his well-funded Democratic rival on Tuesday, suggesting Adams is beholden to special interests and is reckless for saying he'd carry a gun as mayor. Adams, a former NYPD captain, responded to the stunt-prone Sliwa by describing his campaign as fundamentally unserious. 'If he wants to participate in a circus, that's fine,' Adams told reporters after surveying a newly planted urban farm in Brownsville, Brooklyn. 'I'm just not buying the tickets.'"

— "Can Eric Adams Square His Pro-Police Image With Support For Community-Led Solutions to Violence?" by The Trace's Chip Brownlee

Advisory council calls for discounted MTA rail tickets to spur recovery , by POLITICO's Danielle Muoio Dunn: A diverse coalition of transportation experts and elected officials plan to rally on Wednesday for discounted commuter rail tickets, arguing the fare slash is necessary to draw back riders who fled public transit at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The groups will call on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to expand its Atlantic Ticket pilot program — which offers discounted tickets for riders traveling to and from eligible stations in southeast Queens and Brooklyn. A weekly ticket purchased through the program costs $60 and includes free transfers to MTA buses and subways.

THE MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE 2021 IS HERE: POLITICO is excited to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage and insights from one of the largest and most influential gatherings of experts reinventing finance, health, technology, philanthropy, industry and media. Don't miss a thing from the 24th annual Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, from Oct. 17 to 20. Can't make it? We've got you covered. Planning to attend? Enhance your #MIGlobal experience and subscribe today.

WHAT ALBANY'S READING

"Judge deals a blow to NY's COVID vaccine mandate for health care workers," by USA Today Network's David Robinson: "A federal judge issued a ruling Tuesday requiring New York to allow religious exemptions to the state's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for medical workers. U.S. District Judge David Hurd of Utica granted a preliminary injunction temporarily barring New York state and employers from enforcing the COVID-19 vaccine mandate against medical workers claiming a legitimate religious exemption. The order comes after Hurd last month issued a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of the mandate in relation to religious beliefs, citing a lawsuit that claimed the removal of a religious exemption was unconstitutional. The mandate required most medical workers statewide to get the first COVID-19 vaccine dose by Sept. 27, or lose their jobs. It prodded about 55,000 workers to get the shot, but left the fate of at least 35,600 other workers refusing shots uncertain."

"Gov. Hochul apologizes to families of nursing home COVID victims in closed-door meeting," New York Post's Bernadette Hogan and Tamar Lapin: "Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday held a closed-door meeting with relatives of nursing home residents killed by COVID-19 — and apologized to them for the pain caused by her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo's, handling of the crisis, The Post has learned. The families, led by Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Queens), presented the governor with a list of demands, including elder-care reforms and that the state own up for its controversial directive believed to have increased the death toll among nursing home residents. 'At the very top of the meeting, after we introduced ourselves, she (Hochul) leaned in pretty hard and opened up with an apology to the families about what they had to go through as a result of these policies,' Kim said."

"Hochul scraps Cuomo's 'defense' program critics say helped suppress negative information," by Times Union's Chris Bragg: "Gov. Kathy Hochul is ending a program begun under her predecessor, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, which had helped suppress negative information about Cuomo and his administration. In 2015, longtime Cuomo aide Linda Lacewell — known within his administration as the governor's 'Minister of Defense' — started the state's first-ever 'ethics, risk and compliance' initiative. When announced, the program was framed as bringing a private-sector risk management model to state agencies and public authorities. But for Cuomo's office, the job also meant managing negative information that might come to light — a practice that exploded into public view this year during the controversy over Cuomo's alleged suppression of nursing home death data.

"Lacewell embedded highly paid senior attorneys in two dozen state agencies, who served as the eyes and ears of the governor's office, reporting back to the Executive Chamber. Most recently, the position of chief special counsel within the Executive Chamber was held by Victoria Lane, who'd begun the job in April. According to a person with knowledge of the matter, Hochul's office recently offered Lane the chance to be reassigned, after informing her that her position and the program were being eliminated. Lane, who could not be reached for comment on Monday, is said to have resigned instead. The two dozen special counsels for 'ethics, risk and compliance' within agencies and public authorities will also be offered the chance for reassignment."

— ICYMI from TU's Rachel Silberstein: "Malatras to stay on as SUNY Chancellor despite link to nursing home scandal"

"Cuomo book approval faces new challenge," Times Union's Chris Bragg: "A week from now, when New York's ethics commission holds its next meeting, a commissioner is planning to again try and have the agency's approval of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's book deal rescinded. After failing by a vote do so at a September meeting, Commissioner Gary Lavine is planning a different tact: A motion arguing that JCOPE staff never had the authority to issue the approval."

— The New York Daily News' editorial board published a 60-plus-page letter written this summer by a lawyer for Cuomo to the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's office asking investigators to drop a criminal probe into the administration's handling of Covid-19 nursing home death data.

#UpstateAmerica: Somehow a vanilla- scented orchid (known as "fragrant ladies' tresses") that's not found anywhere else in the state popped up near Onondaga Lake, a Superfund site, "which has had years of being considered the most polluted lake in the world."

TRUMP'S NEW YORK

"Trump tees off on Mayor de Blasio in Bronx golf course feud," by New York Daily News' Chris Sommerfeldt and Dave Goldiner: "Former President Trump took a hard swing and a miss at Mayor de Blasio on Tuesday over his plan to find a new operator for his eponymous golf course in the Bronx. Calling the planned switcheroo 'so unfair,' Trump accused Hizzoner of playing politics by stripping his company of the contract to run the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point in the South Bronx. 'Mayor de Blasio ... wants to CONFISCATE the project from me for no reason whatsoever, and terminate my long-term arrangement with the city,' Trump wrote in an email. 'De Blasio wants to take it away after all of the work was so successfully done, and so much money was spent.'"

FROM THE DELEGATION

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The New York Immigration Coalition is launching a new TV ad pressing Sen. Chuck Schumer to get a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants included in Congress' budget reconciliation package. "Immigrants are essential members of our communities. They were on the front lines keeping our country running during Covid. We can't let them be forced back into the shadows," says the ad, which will run in New York and Washington, D.C., starting today. "Sen. Schumer, we don't need any more broken promises." They are also running ads on a jumbotron truck outside Schumer's Brooklyn home.

AROUND NEW YORK

— The City Council found the NYPD is failing to respond to complaints about placard abuse.

— The Brooklyn Nets won't allow Kyrie Irving to play or practice with the team unless he complies with the city's vaccine mandate.

— The state's highest court unanimously upheld the city's "right of way" law.

— A SoHo business improvement district proposed banning cars from parts of the neighborhood to aid its recovery from the pandemic.

— A federal judge shot down another challenge to New York City's school vaccine mandate.

— A Mount Vernon woman was arrested for fake vehicle registration ... and 21 fake vaccination cards.

— 'Expungements, licenses, and local opt-outs: Here's what's next for NY's marijuana rollout'

— A 27-year-old man was held on $15,000 bail after attempting to abduct a toddler in broad daylight in the Bronx.

— After being canceled because of breakthrough Covid-19 cases, Disney's "Aladdin" returns to Broadway.

— The vaccine mandate is causing some New Yorkers to consider leaving the city.

"A FOREIGN POLICY BUILT FOR WOMEN" – JOIN US THURSDAY FOR A WOMEN RULE CONVERSATION: Building a foreign policy agenda with women at the center has shown that it can advance broader social, economic and political goals. It also requires having women in influential decision-making positions. Join POLITICO Magazine senior editor Usha Sahay for a joint conversation with Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the State Department's chief diversity and inclusion officer, and Ambassador Bonnie Denise Jenkins, undersecretary for arms control and international security, focused on the roadblocks preventing more women from rising through the ranks of diplomacy and why closing the foreign policy gender gap matters. REGISTER HERE.

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) … Tiffany Trump … Fox News' Harris Faulkner … Ari Fleischer … Billy Bush is 5-0 … Finsbury Glover Hering's Jack Krumholtz, Nedra Pickler and Gregg Rothschild … NBC's Rebecca Shabad … Michael Tomasky … Steven Gutkin … Lilian Lin Yigu … Regina Hing … Edelman's Michael Newell … (was Tuesday): Seth D. Harris ... Tony Ressler ... Charles S. Temel ... Raanan Agus (h/ts Jewish Insider)

MAKING MOVES — Antoinette Rangel will be an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. She most recently was a judicial law clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and is an Obama WH and Hillary 2016 alum. … Ben Lazarus has returned to WilmerHale as an associate. He most recently was a law clerk to Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis in the Eastern District of New York. ... David Kimelman is joining Caring Across Generations as legislative manager. He previously was senior legislative assistant for Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.).

WEEKEND WEDDING — Lindsay Walters, SVP for U.S. public affairs at Edelman, recently married Patrick Clifton. The couple, who met while working in the West Wing in the Trump White House, wed at St. Joseph's on The Brandywine in Wilmington with a reception at the bride's family farm in Chadds Ford, Pa. Pic by Andrea Hanks ... Fun staged pic of the couple with many of their guests

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Jamie Matese, manager of federal government relations at National Grid and a Peter King alum, and Trevor Matese, VP of commercial real estate at the Congressional Bank, welcomed James John Matese on Monday. He joins big sister Grace.

FOR YOUR RADAR — "PR Firm Sard Verbinnen to Merge With Finsbury Glover Hering," by WSJ's Cara Lombardo

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REAL ESTATE

"Flood Insurance Hikes Haunt Homeowners Still Recovering From Ida and Henri," by The City's Samantha Maldonado : "Premiums will be going up for most of the 53,000 New York City property owners covered by the federal flood insurance system, government stats reviewed by THE CITY show. The National Flood Insurance Program rates that took effect Oct. 1 for new policyholders — and will hit in April for existing ones — have homeowners like Brooklyn's Carly Baker-Rice facing new stress, on top of the toll of recent storms. Baker-Rice and her husband bought their house in Red Hook last June in a move from Fort Greene, even though they predicted they'd eventually be 'up to their knees in sewage' due to flooding in their new place, she said."

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