| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia | Today, New York City will elect its next mayor. Democrat Eric Adams is the heavy favorite against Republican Curtis Sliwa, leading by a huge margin in the only public poll in the race. On the final day of a long campaign, both candidates crisscrossed the city to make their closing pitches. Adams rallied with unions in Manhattan, greeted commuters in Queens, and capped his day with a who's who of local Democrats in Harlem. The Democrat hoped to finish out the race the same way he began it: Rallying his base and touting his personal story as the son of a poor single mother and a victim of police brutality who went on to become an NYPD captain, the first Black Brooklyn borough president and, with any luck, the mayor of the nation's most populous city. But instead, our Sally Goldenberg, Deanna Garcia and Amanda Eisenberg report, Adams was forced to grapple with one of the thornier challenges he will face if he gets the job: how to handle a city worker vaccine mandate, which has become the hot-button issue of the campaign's closing days. "This is about a life and death situation and it's irresponsible for any candidate to throw him or herself in the middle of this," said the man who will likely soon be boss to 378,000 municipal employees. Sliwa, on his own barnstorming tour featuring a parade float trip through Manhattan with former Gov. George Pataki and a late-night visit to L&B Spumoni Gardens, made opposition to the vaccine mandate his signature issue. (If he does pull off the upset and win, he also promises to retire the red beret.) In other citywide races, Democrat Brad Lander is the overwhelming favorite for city comptroller, and Jumaane Williams is likely to be re-elected as public advocate — though he already has his eye on the next thing, the governor's race. For more competitive contests, keep an eye on a handful of hard-fought City Council races: Democratic candidate Felicia Singh is hoping to flip the last Republican seat in Queens, while Republican nominee and county GOP chair Joann Ariola is fighting to keep her party's lone foothold in the borough. On Staten Island, Democrat Sal Albanese and Republican David Carr are vying for another open seat now in Republican hands. Meanwhile, Republicans are trying for a pickup in a purple district in southern Brooklyn whose most recent Democratic representative is heading to prison for tax fraud. If you really want a nail-biter, look west, where New York state's second largest city awaits the outcome of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown's reelection write-in campaign against India Walton, who is the Democratic nominee for his spot. Read up on more items to watch from Erin and our David Giambusso, and don't forget to vote. Also, you can watch the results of Adams' victory — or Sliwa's upset — trickle in on our results page. IT'S TUESDAY. 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 briefing and making an announcement with the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center. WHERE'S BILL? Appearing on MSNBC's Morning Joe and CNN's New Day and holding a media availability. WHERE'S ERIC? Voting at P.S. 81 in Brooklyn and greeting voters at P.S. 375. WHERE'S CURTIS? Voting at Frank McCourt high school on the Upper West Side. WHERE'S TISH? Voting at P.S. 11 Purvis J. Behan Elementary School in Brooklyn. | | | | JOIN TODAY FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE AIR TRAVEL: As delegates descend on Glasgow for the COP26 global climate summit, reducing carbon emissions in the aviation sector will play a critical role in the progress of fighting climate change. Join POLITICO for a deep-dive conversation that will explore the increased use of sustainable aviation fuel, better performance aircraft, and other breakthroughs in to cut greenhouse gas emissions and meet broader sustainability goals. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
|  | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | NYC puts 9,000 workers on unpaid leave as vaccine mandate kicks in, by POLITICO's Erin Durkin: New York City placed 9,000 city workers on leave without pay Monday as its coronavirus vaccine mandate for the public workforce kicked in. The requirement ordered by Mayor Bill de Blasio — one of the most aggressive in the nation — has pushed the vaccination rate among all city workers to 91 percent. But at least 21,000 city workers covered by the mandate remain unvaccinated: 9,000 who have now been barred from working, and another 12,000 who have applied for religious or medical exemptions. The latter group is being allowed to work until decisions on those exemptions are made in the coming days. The total city workforce is roughly 378,000. "This mandate was the right thing to do," de Blasio said Monday. "We now see it worked." First responder and uniformed agencies have some of the lowest vaccination rates, though they have climbed in recent days. "N.Y. Cabbies Stage Hunger Strike for More Aid: 'We're Not Backing Down,'" by the New York Times' Brian M. Rosenthal: "When Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in March a plan to spend tens of millions of dollars to help New York's taxi drivers, many praised the move. For years, officials had stood by as cabbies were channeled into exploitative loans that crushed them under mountains of debt. Finally, it seemed, the city was fixing an injustice. But an influential group of drivers is now urging recipients not to accept the city's help, pressing for a more ambitious — and expensive — bailout in a fight that has escalated into a hunger strike. Bhairavi Desai, the head of the group, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, said she and a dozen others stopped eating on Oct. 20 to push the city into offering more aid. 'We're not backing down,' Ms. Desai said." "Dante de Blasio and Yale Friend Make City Hall Videos Touting Mayor's Accomplishments," by The City's Katie Honan | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "Hochul outsources fundraising to Albany's top lobbyists," by Times Union's Chris Bragg: "Her campaign is outsourcing a significant chunk of its fundraising to Albany's top lobbying firms, including a few featuring partners that were key witnesses caught up in past corruption cases. Hochul's fundraising practice is legal. Yet at her swearing-in ceremony in August, Hochul had said one of her priorities was "changing the culture of Albany." But as she seeks to win a full term as governor next year, her campaign fundraising tactics have accelerated a longstanding practice in Albany's political culture. Already, some eight lobbying firms with major Albany operations have held campaign fundraising events for Hochul, according to people with knowledge of the events. These types of events have usually been exclusive, attendance limited only to the lobbying firm and its clients, many of whom have extensive business interest before Hochul's administration. For private events where Hochul appears in person, Hochul's campaign has in at least some instances asked the lobbying firms to commit to raising at least $250,000." "Cuomo blames criminal charges on 'incompetence and abuse of the law,'" by New York Post's Lee Brown: "Disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo claims there is 'zero evidence' to support the criminal charges against him — ripping the legal move as 'the worst combination of politics, incompetence and abuse of the law.' In a lengthy rebuttal Sunday, Cuomo attacked the "unprecedented move" by Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple to file groping charges "without the authorization of or coordination with the district attorney.' 'Apple DID, however, admit he had been coordinating with Tish James,' he said of New York's attorney general, who earlier in the year announced the damning investigation that found Cuomo sexually harassed a slew of women — sparking his resignation." — HOCHUL, when asked about Cuomo's reaction at a bill-signing in NYC on Monday, said she would continue to leave the matters up to individuals on the legal and law enforcement side. "I am too busy to pay attention to this," she told reporters. — JAMES told NY1's Zack Fink: "This is nothing more than an attempt by the former governor to undermine and criticize this report. Some would describe it as the big lie." "Hochul expects 'cordial relationship' with Attorney General James to continue," by Spectrum's Nick Reisman: "By day, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James have the constitutional requirement of their offices working together. But on the campaign trail, Hochul and James are both competitors for the Democratic nomination for governor over the next eight months. Hochul on Monday insisted their relationship can be maintained despite the political swirl. 'I understand the difference between politics and the need to govern,' Hochul said. 'We will continue to have a very cordial relationship is my expectation.'" NEW HOCHUL HIRES: The governor announced four new picks for top administration roles, including a nomination for Kerri Neifeld to be commissioner of the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. "Former Assemblyman Brian Kolb admits to driving while impaired in 2019 crash," by Democrat and Chronicle's Victoria E. Freile: "Former New York State Assemblyman Brian Kolb on Monday pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired in Victor Town Court. The plea is connected to a 2019 incident, after he crashed his state-issued sport utility vehicle into a ditch in front of his home in Victor, Ontario County, on New Year's Eve. Damage to the vehicle in the Dec. 31, 2019 crash appeared to be minimal. At the scene, Kolb failed a field sobriety test and was taken into custody, according to the Ontario County Sheriff's Office. In court Monday morning, Kolb admitted to driving while his ability was impaired, according to court records. Penfield Town Judge James Mulley, who oversaw the case within Victor Town Court, imposed a fine of $500 and suspended Kolb's driver's license for 90 days, according to court records. Kolb is also required to attend a victim impact panel and complete an impaired driver program." #UpstateAmerica: A Schenectady contractor has no plans to let up the one-man, rain-or-shine protest he's been waging for the past eight weeks against the local court system over about $750. | | | | BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we've got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don't miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now. | | | | |
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Domestic violence survivors will be allowed to have their voter records kept private by signing an affidavit under newly enacted legislation. — The state's Paid Family Leave program has been expanded to include sibling care. — Robert Durst was indicted by a grand jury on a second-degree murder charge for the 1982 killing of his wife. — The EPA wants to designate an underground chemical spill in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, a federal Superfund site. — New York's top judge said he wants to expand the capacity in courtrooms to get through a growing backlog of cases from the Covid-19 pandemic. — The Erie County Health Department stopped 258 people from entering Highmark Stadium for Sunday's Bills game because they didn't have proof of vaccination. — A Buffalo principal has been paid $606,000 during a nearly 4½-year suspension as the district struggles to fire her. — The union representing state troopers has launched a fundraising effort to support Christopher G. Baldner, who was indicted last week on murder and manslaughter charges. — Costumed assailants pretended to be trick or treaters before pulling a gun and attacking a Brooklyn man in his home. — A woman was shot in the eye while looking through her peephole in her Upper West Side apartment. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Makan Delrahim … Fox News' Cam Cawthorne … Kevin Cirilli … Celeste Lavin of HuffPost … Daniela Pierre Bravo … Sofia Vilar of J Strategies … APCO Worldwide's Jay Solomon … Larry Fink … David Schwimmer MEDIAWATCH — Greg Kelly had some trouble riding the bus. — Per Talking Biz News: Emma Goldberg is joining the NYT's Business desk as their new future of work reporter. She most recently was an assistant for the editorial board. … The Wall Street Journal has hired Joseph Pisani as a reporter on its speed and trending desk. Pisani has been at the Associated Press covering retail and online shopping." … "Jane Thier has joined Fortune magazine to cover all things leadership. She previously was a reporter at Industry Dive." MAKING MOVES — Peter Lauria is joining the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as vice president and editor in chief of USChamber.com and Kevin Gaherty is joining as executive director of data and email products. (h/t POLITICO Influence) … Jason Ginenthal is now VP of healthcare media at FleishmanHillard. He most recently was a freelance PR consultant. | | REAL ESTATE | | "Bill to Require All-Electric Buildings in New York State Gets a Jump-Start," by The City's Samantha Maldonado: "The effort to electrify buildings is getting a new boost — this time, at the state level. While a bill in the City Council that would effectively ban gas hook-ups for new construction is stalled in negotiations, state lawmakers are pushing a more sweeping measure that would require new buildings across the state to be all-electric by 2024. And by 2023, an all-electric building would not be able to convert to using fossil fuels." " City Council candidate Allie Ryan arrested trying to block demolition of East River Park," by Village Sun's Lincoln Anderson: "City Council candidate Allie Ryan and fellow protesters were arrested by police Monday around 2 p.m. as they were trying to block demolition of the East River Park tennis courts, part of the start of the East Side Coastal Resiliency project. After a brief standoff with a smaller group of officers, a massive police force eventually descended on the tennis courts. 'You are interfering with planned construction authorized by the Parks Department,' a police announcement blared. 'If you do not move you will be subject to arrest.'"
| | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment