News: POLITICO New York Playbook: Eric Adams vs. the left

Monday, March 21, 2022

POLITICO New York Playbook: Eric Adams vs. the left

Mar 21, 2022

By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia

Presented by New Yorkers for Responsible Gaming

Progressives have never been too fond of New York City Mayor Eric Adams. And the feeling is mutual. But so far, our Sally Goldenberg reports, the city's assorted lefties haven't figured out a way to effectively fight back.

Now there's a new effort on the horizon to unify the left in opposition to Adams' vision for the city — and just as importantly, unite behind an agenda of their own. The left-leaning alliance called "The People's Plan" has been several years in the making.

"I don't think it's a secret that the left has been in disarray," said the group's coordinator, Zara Nasir. "I'm not trying to hide it. This is an attempt to do something a little bit more coordinated and aligned than things have been."

Adams has been a hard man to fight for a few reasons. For one thing, he isn't cowed by opposition. On the contrary, he talks about how much he loves hecklers and the thrill he gets from walking out of City Hall to see a bunch of people protesting him. "Damn, it's good to be in New York," Adams said recently, summing up his reaction to that sight. Or as former City Council Member David Greenfield put it: "If anything, the left-wing criticism only seems to embolden him — he almost relishes it." The mayor's biography, as a Black man who grew up poor and was beaten by police before working his way up through the NYPD, also makes him a harder foe to villify than, say, the last mayor who got progressives this riled up, billionaire Mike Bloomberg.

The activists know they have their work cut out for them. For the first big battle, they've zeroed in on Adams' budget, which makes cuts to city agencies across the board, with a big City Hall rally last week kicking off the new alliance. Their objections include a lack of investment in dilapidated public housing, insufficient funds for affordable housing, too much money for charter schools compared to traditional public schools, and cuts to sanitation. How much sway they can achieve in the new political order will be shown in part through negotiations toward a final budget over the next few months.

IT'S MONDAY. 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.

WHERE'S ERIC? Speaking at the Philanthropy Roundtable, attending the Rainbow Push Coalition and Citizenship Education Fund's 25th Annual Wall Street Project Economic Summit, making an NYPD announcement, and hosting the Girl Scouts of Greater New York's Troop 6000 for a reception at Gracie Mansion.

A message from New Yorkers for Responsible Gaming:

Since 2011, Resorts World continues to deliver on its commitment to make significant investments in the community through jobs, infrastructure, and philanthropic support. Training programs in partnership with the New York Hotel Trades Council will help thousands of hospitality workers regain their lost employment. We'll be prepared on day one to make these new hires, generate additional revenue for New York's public schools and drive an economic boon for local small businesses. Find out how: www.NYforResponsibleGaming.org

What City Hall's reading

New city health commissioner has history of leadership issues in previous role, by POLITICO's Amanda Eisenberg: Five and a half years ago, Ashwin Vasan was picked to head up a new unit within the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. He was charged with securing millions of dollars in outside funding and building an innovative program that connected health and criminal justice. His supervisors were generally happy with the job he was doing, according to agency personnel records . His work, they wrote in a performance review, "greatly exceeds expectations." But employees who worked with Vasan at the time say his tenure was rocky and he clashed with team members, three people said in interviews. His supervisors took the step of arranging for him to undergo management coaching, according to one performance evaluation. And his work there ended abruptly three years ago, according to staffers.

" NYC's new health czar makes case for keeping private sector vaccine mandate and masks for young kids," by New York Daily News' Chris Sommerfeldt and Michael Gartland: "Mayor Adams' newly minted health commissioner recommended Friday that the city should indefinitely maintain its mask mandate for kids younger than 5, striking a more cautious tone than his boss, who would prefer to scrap the restriction sooner rather than later. Dr. Ashwin Vasan laid out the case for continued pandemic caution during a COVID-19 briefing in Queens, his first since taking over as the city's health commissioner earlier this week. The two primary coronavirus restrictions that remain in effect are the school mask mandate for kids younger than 5 and the vaccine mandate for the city's private workforce — and Vasan said he believes neither of those requirements should be lifted anytime soon."

— The new BA.2 sub-variant now accounts for about 30 percent of Covid-19 cases in the city.

— The daily average of confirmed cases over a 7-day period, as of March 20, ticked up to 610, compared to 492 a week earlier.

— A group of parents rallied at City Hall Sunday against the continued school mask mandate for children under 5, who are ineligible for a vaccine.

" After Scaffold Tragedy, Top Adams Aide Enlisted Lobbyist to Fight Developer Penalties," by The City's Greg B. Smith: "On June 30, 2019, a warm and windy Sunday, a 32-year-old up-and-coming accountant named Haley Keating sat in the open courtyard of a Brooklyn bar celebrating a job promotion she'd just received that morning. Then from out of the blue sky came hundreds of pounds of catastrophe. Steel scaffolding 12 stories above plummeted from an adjacent condo under construction, blown off the roof by a sudden gust. The heavy frame crashed into the courtyard, smashing into Haley's head, causing serious and long-lasting brain trauma that reversed the promising trajectory of her life. Nearly three years later, the limited liability corporation that owns the condo building, 243 Development LLC, and one of its principals, Vadem 'Dean' Brodsky — who was also site safety manager on the project — have yet to pay a dime in penalties for this. One reason why appears to be the behind-the-scenes intervention of one of the most powerful men in the city right now: Frank Carone, chief of staff to Mayor Eric Adams."

"Councilmembers direct sharp questions and criticism at NYPD during budget hearing ," by WNYC's Matt Katz

"NYC Education Dept.'s newly-created division to support kids in foster care still hasn't hired any staffers," by New York Daily News' Michael Elsen-Rooney: "A new division created late last year by the city Department of Education to hire the agency's first-ever full-time staffers dedicated to overseeing the education of kids in foster care hasn't yet brought on any employees. The unit, which then-mayor-elect Eric Adams singled out as a potential part of his proposal to support foster kids, was launched in December with plans to hire half of its staff by the end of January. Four months later, the division has yet to hire a single staffer — and advocates are urging the city to pick up the pace."

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WHAT ALBANY'S READING

BUDGET CRUNCHTIME GUIDE: "No New Taxes, but Plenty to Fight Over in New York's Looming Budget," by The New York Times' Luis Ferré-Sadurní

New York cannabis regulations are in limbo. But the pot industry is booming on reservations, by POLITICO's Meghan Brink: In this small town in western New York, nearly 20 marijuana dispensaries have opened up in just the last few months. Located on the Seneca Nation of Indians' reservation, the shops sell weed from behind the counters of gas stations, in roadside sheds and on Main Street storefronts, all without a license to do so. The proliferation of the shops has beaten New York's own plans to open dispensaries after the state Legislature legalized recreational marijuana last year. State officials said it is legal for the tribes across New York to sell marijuana before regulators have adopted their own rules because the tribes have sovereignty. Therefore, tribal governments have been able to develop and implement their own rules and regulations around retail sales and cultivation of marijuana, outpacing the statewide plans and reaping the financial benefits.

State ethics agency tries again to force Cuomo to return book money, by POLITICO's Bill Mahoney: The Joint Commission on Public Ethics has ordered former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to repay the money he has received from his $5.1 million book deal in 2020. JCOPE has made similar attempts to take action on the book deal in recent months. But this is the most direct order it has issued on the subject and likely sets up a legal battle in the coming months. "Another day, another embarrassing display of ineptitude by JJOKE's kangaroo court," said Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi in a statement. "We'll see them in a real one." The ethics agency has been discussing action on Cuomo's pandemic memoir, "American Crisis," for nearly a year. While its staff granted him the permission to write it in 2020, one of the conditions was that state resources not be used.

— Cuomo lunched with Hotel Trades Council head Peter Ward last week.

— The new scathing audit of the Cuomo administration's handling of nursing homes could lead to long-awaited industry changes, health care experts say.

Amid tension between New York and New Jersey, one governor fundraises for the other, by POLITICO's Ry Rivard: On Monday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced she was suing New Jersey. On Wednesday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy hosted a fundraiser for her. Such is the complicated relationship between the two states and their Democratic governors, where tension and cooperation occur simultaneously. Murphy, who was a major fundraiser for the Democratic Party before running for governor, hosted the two-hour fundraiser with first lady Tammy Murphy Wednesday evening at their private home in Monmouth County. Guests, mainly from labor and business groups, were asked to donate at least $5,000 each.

"Hochul keeps delaying nursing home staffing rules, raising concerns among unions, advocates," by Gothamist's Caroline Lewis: "It took years of advocacy and a scandal-ridden pandemic for state lawmakers to pass minimum staffing requirements for New York's nursing homes last May. But just as those rules were supposed to take effect on January 1st, Gov. Kathy Hochul decided to give long-term care facilities some leeway. The governor issued an executive order on December 31st postponing enforcement of the rules for 30 days, citing a state of emergency she had declared due to a health care workforce shortage. At the time, the move seemed to be related to the omicron variant. COVID-19 cases had spiked in recent weeks, exacerbating staffing issues at hospitals and nursing homes. But Hochul has since extended her executive order multiple times, most recently delaying enforcement of the rules, through the end of March."

New York might spend $3B or more for universal child care. Here's what the money would do, by POLITICO's Meghan Brink: The Senate and Assembly made child care a priority in their one-house budget resolutions earlier this month, promising to make record investments above the $2.3 billion that Gov. Kathy Hochul pitched in January.

— Attorney General Tish James is calling for child care expansion in the state.

#UpstateAmerica: Opposition is growing to a new Customs and Border Protection station near Fisher's Landing in Jefferson County, in defense of the St. Lawrence River's apex predator, the muskie.

A message from New Yorkers for Responsible Gaming:

FROM THE DELEGATION

"U.S. business would have to disclose ties to Russia under new bill from Rep. Ritchie Torres," by New York Daily News' Shant Shahrigian: "Saying companies that do business with Russia are playing 'Russian roulette with the hard-earned dollars of the investing public,' Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-Bronx) says U.S. companies should have to disclose any such ties. He plans to introduce a bill Monday that would require publicly traded companies to make the disclosure in their filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission."

" Schumer and Gillibrand push to keep NYC veterans hospitals open," by New York Daily News' Shant Shahrigian: "The feds should back off plans to close hospitals for military veterans in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Dutchess County, say New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. The Democratic duo recently wrote Veterans Affairs Commissioner Denis McDonough urging him to keep the centers, which serve an estimated 6 million vets, open. Shutting them down 'would be devastating for our veterans,' Schumer told the Daily News on Sunday. 'So many of our veterans depend on these hospitals, so many depend on the services these hospitals give people,' he said. 'This is one of the most intense concentrations of veterans in the country.'"

Biden and the Boroughs

"Meeker Avenue Plume becomes NYC's fourth Superfund site," by Gothamist's Nathan Kensinger: "The Meeker Avenue Plume in Brooklyn has been added to the Superfund National Priorities List, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this week — making it New York City's fourth federal Superfund site. The plume is an underground reservoir of toxic chemicals found beneath the streets of northern Brooklyn, mostly in Greenpoint and East Williamsburg. First discovered in 2005, its footprint encompasses about 45 blocks of residential, commercial and industrial properties, including hundreds of homes and apartment buildings. The pollution in the plume came from local dry cleaning businesses, foundries and metalworking shops — and has seeped into the soil and groundwater, according to the EPA."

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AROUND NEW YORK

— City DAs said underpaid prosecutors overwhelmed by a mammoth backlog of cases are quitting in droves.

— At least five officials have Covid-19 following the New York State Association of Counties' annual conference in Colonie last week, where Gov. Kathy Hochul also spoke.

— A detainee died at Rikers Island on Friday, the third so far this year.

— The city is aiming to make 500 more intersections accessible to blind pedestrians next year.

— A missing Connecticut hiker was found dead in the Adirondacks after attempting to hike Mount Colden via the Trap Dike route.

— A new ruling could prevent rich New Yorkers from shopping for divorce court judges in their vacation homes' counties.

— A group of Jewish teen girls kicked off two KLM/Delta flights from Amsterdam to New York sued the airline in Brooklyn federal court.

— A man accused of an unprovoked attack on a Queens toddler was released after a previous arrest for punching a 9-year-old girl.

— Hundreds of people marched against a jail planned for Chinatown that's part of the plan to shut down and replace Rikers.

— An MTA conductor was arrested for allegedly using a fake EMT placard to park illegally.

— Protesters against a Clinton Hill sex shop were outnumbered by counter-demonstrators supporting the business.

— A Queens landlord hung two giant banners accusing his tenants of not paying rent.

— Michael Grimm, a former U.S. representative from Staten Island, is in Ukraine, working as a correspondent for Newsmax.

— "$87.50 for 3 Minutes: Inside the Hot Market for Videos of Idling Trucks," by The New York Times' Michael Wilson

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: The Dispatch's Jonah Goldberg … CNN's John Berman is 5-0 … BCW Global's Brian Ellner ... Morgan Lewis' Fred Fielding … Stephen Marche … Keith Rabin … (was Sunday):Kevin Hassett … Hamilton Place Strategies' Elliott Owensby … NBC News' Benjy Sarlin … MSNBC's Jack Bohrer … Edelman's Ryan Zimmerman … Jason Lifton … AJ Jacobs …

… (was Saturday): Jill Abramson … Leonard Lauder … Alissa Krinsky … Axios' Kayla Cook … Carla Frank of the White House … KPMG's Ian Hainline … NBC's Emma Gottlieb … ProPublica's T. Christian Miller … Megan Lasaponara (h/t Erin Perrine) … Craig Hatkoff … Jonathan R. Rod … Kia Baskerville … Matthew Pennello

MEDIAWATCH — Per Talking Biz News: "Julia Reinstein is now a senior reporter at BuzzFeed News working on the breaking news beat. Recently, she was a reporter covering national general assignment stories on a wide range of topics."

A message from New Yorkers for Responsible Gaming:

Since opening in 2011, Resorts World continues to deliver on its commitment to make significant investments in the community through jobs, infrastructure, and philanthropic support. To date, we've invested more than $1.1 billion in the property, and we'll be in position to elevate that support significantly, if provided a full casino license. We are committed to doubling our workforce in Queens, offering more than 1,000 new union jobs that include the highest wages in the entire casino industry nationwide. Our training and transition programs in partnership with the New York Hotel Trades Council will help thousands of hospitality workers regain their lost employment. We'll be prepared on day one to make these new hires, generate additional revenue for New York's public schools and drive an economic boon for local small businesses. Find out how: www.NYforResponsibleGaming.org

Real Estate

"NYC landlord wants to oust mask critic who allegedly harassed neighbors," by New York Post's Kathianne Boniello: "An unhinged Manhattan tenant is making life miserable for anyone in his building who follows pandemic mandates — even screaming at a mom that her 5-year-old's face covering was causing 'brain damage,' according to a lawsuit. Richard J. Hughes, 53, has allegedly harassed tenants at 307 East 44th St., ripped down signs throughout the 17-story building about social distancing and mask-wearing, and yelled at the building's property manager, the landlord, Beaux Arts II LLC, claimed in a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit."

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