News : POLITICO New York Playbook: NYC campaign targets Florida over ‘Don’t Say Gay’

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

POLITICO New York Playbook: NYC campaign targets Florida over ‘Don’t Say Gay’

Apr 05, 2022

By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia

New York City Mayor Eric Adams got off to a rocky start with the LGBTQ community here at home. But a controversial law in Florida has given the mayor an opportunity to both shore up his gay rights bona fides and take a few shots at a rival state.

Adams kicked off an ad campaign aimed at showing New York's support for LGBTQ Floridians and encouraging them to ditch a hostile state and pack their bags for the Big Apple. "We are going to loudly show our support and say to those living in Florida, 'Listen, we want you here in New York,'" Adams said at City Hall yesterday.

For much of the Covid-19 pandemic, the trend has been going the other way. New Yorkers have headed for the Sunshine State, and Adams has tried to lure them back on the grounds that Florida is boring. After Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill by opponents, which bans instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade, Adams is inviting Floridians to move to New York on more political grounds. (Yes, this is the same politician who once told transplants to New York to go back to Ohio and Iowa. He has evolved.)

The privately funded campaign will place digital billboards in five Florida cities, one of them featuring a colorful collage of the word "GAY" and the phrase, "Come to the city where you can say whatever you want." (Team DeSantis countered that if anyone wants to leave for a "crime-ridden socialist dystopia," good riddance.)

For Adams, it's a welcome change of subject after he angered LGBTQ advocates by appointing three men with a history of anti-gay stances to prominent positions in his administration. But it's easier to denounce a Republican-backed law in a faraway state than to satisfy the calls of people in the city he runs: Adams declined to commit to including LGBTQ studies in the public school curriculum, creating a City Hall office for LGBTQ affairs, or other demands that have been presented to him.

"We believe he made a big mistake in making those appointments," said Allen Roskoff, head of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club. Still, he said he wanted to "move on" and work with the mayor where possible, including on the billboard campaign. "There's a lot that we can do together."

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? Speaking at Court of Appeals investitures.

WHERE'S ERIC? Participating in a roundtable discussion with students about civic engagement, meeting with Bethel Gospel Assembly, and appearing on CNN+.

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What City Hall's reading

"Salary Disclosure In NYC: Not So Fast, Say Some on City Council," by The City's Yoav Gonen: "Just weeks before a new law takes effect requiring most employers to post salary ranges in help wanted ads, City Council members are moving to postpone it — and make changes that the law's proponents warn would 'gut' the measure's aim to promote equal pay. Business leaders say the revisions, slated for a public hearing on Tuesday, are the least the Council can do to head off what they warn could be unintended effects. The salary transparency law, which garnered the approval of 41 of 51 members in the final days of the Council's last term, mandates that businesses with five or more employees post a 'good faith' minimum and maximum salary in advertisements for job openings."

"Brooklyn Democratic Party Director Resigns Following Uproar Over 'Pizzagate' Posts," by The City's George Joseph: "Andy Marte, a former registered Republican with an apparent penchant for tweeting about Pizzagate, is out as the director of Brooklyn Democratic Party. In an email, a Brooklyn Democratic party spokesperson confirmed that Marte resigned last week, just a few months after party leaders announced his appointment to the administrative post. The party declined to answer questions about what prompted his resignation, and Marte did not respond to requests for comment. His departure comes on the heels of a report by THE CITY probing his past GOP voter registration and pro-Trump tweets on an account featuring his name, photo and biography. Those posts included a tweet showcasing an image of a van covered with messages about the far-right Pizzagate conspiracy theory, appearing to hail former President Donald Trump for 'taking down Pedophile networks.'"

"Angry mom who confronted Adams on toddler mask mandate fired from city job," by New York Post's Susan Edelman, Haley Brown and Gabrielle Fonrouge: "The Big Apple mom who crashed Mayor Eric Adams' press conference Monday to blast him over his tot mask mandate was fired shortly afterward from her job at the city Law Department, The Post has learned. Daniela Jampel, who served as an assistant corporation counsel, learned she was canned less than an hour after she confronted a caught-off-guard and apparently annoyed Adams over when he would 'unmask our toddlers.'"

" Unlicensed marijuana dispensaries multiply in New York City despite warnings from state regulators," by Gothamist's Caroline Lewis: "On a recent afternoon, a sales associate at Street Lawyer Services, a marijuana dispensary on the Lower East Side, scrolled through the shop's inventory on a screen as Oliver, a return customer, looked on. Because of the store's 'gifting' model, he was technically there to purchase digital content such as a video or mixtape that just happened to come with a cannabis gift of his choice. Oliver chose a $40 'content pack' that included THC edibles packaged to look like a popular brand of sour gummies. … But as official as a branded storefront may seem, the unlicensed dispensaries that have been popping up on the Lower East Side and in other parts of New York City are just as unregulated as any delivery service."

"Largest-known NYC survey finds affordable housing, reducing homelessness seen as keys to public safety," by Gothamist's Elizabeth Kim: "A civic engagement group called NYC Speaks released results on Tuesday of what was being billed as New York City's largest-ever policy survey. Officials said that 62,000 respondents offered their opinions on a range of issues from public safety and infrastructure to education and racial equity. In one of the more revealing findings, adults who were asked to pick three public safety priorities chose affordable housing and reducing homelessness most often. Those priorities were followed by sending 'trained mental health first responders instead of police officers' to those experiencing a mental health crisis."

WHAT ALBANY'S READING

Hochul: Budget timeline, transparency are 'very normal', by POLITICO's Anna Gronewold: Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday that the state budget — four days late and counting — and a host of unresolved issues that have prevented leaders from announcing any deals "is very normal," and she anticipates it will be "wrapped up in a very short time." Hochul, after receiving a booster shot for the Covid-19 vaccine Monday in the state Capitol, affirmed that the Legislature will pass extenders to ensure thousands of state workers will get paid as negotiations continue past the start of the fiscal year, which began April 1. But she did not say whether any deals have been struck with legislative leaders and declined to offer a definitive timeline or sense of concern about a future conclusion. "Last year, it was April 7, it's gone as far as April 9 in 2017," she said. "So, again, we're just working through the process. These are complicated issues. There's a lot of passion behind them. I understand that. So we're going to take the time to make sure we answer all the questions from the members to their leaders, and that's the give and take that's going on. Again, it may not be customary, but I'm demonstrating how I'm governing very differently."

— City & State: ' COVID-19 is back in City Hall and the Capitol, but that hasn't changed the public health strategy'

— "Criminal justice changes mulled in final budget negotiations ," by Times Union's Brendan J. Lyons and Joshua Solomon: "The negotiations are unfolding as Senate Democrats and Gov. Kathy Hochul's office have reached a consensus on changes to multiple criminal justice statutes; the Assembly's Democratic majority have yet to sign off on the proposals. Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie's office has been discussing the issues with prosecutors, including talks over the weekend with the district attorneys in New York City's five boroughs. Those conversations have taken place even though Heastie had said his conference would not negotiate policy issues in the budget. 'There were positive discussions between district attorneys and the advocates, without staffs on the call, and I think we landed in a good place,' Heastie told reporters at the Capitol Monday morning."

— More from Solomon: "Lawmakers may avoid making sweeping changes to Kendra's Law, which allows in the involuntary commitment of people struggling with severe mental illness. Instead, they are looking at substantial additions to the state's bail laws related to mental health, according to senators involved in the discussions."

— Law school deans expected to play a role in JCOPE replacement, by POLITICO's Bill Mahoney: The new entity, which would replace the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, has been dubbed the "Independent Commission on Ethics and Lobbying" and is being discussed as part of budget negotiations for the fiscal year that started April 1. Officials would make "recommendations, then there will be a group of law school deans who vet those people and give us a shorter list then the original pool," said Senate Finance Chair Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan). "And then from that shorter list, the appointments would be made." Appointments to JCOPE, which has faced a long list of accusations of toothlessness since it was created by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2011, have been made directly by elected officials. The governor gets six, including the chair; the majority leaders of the Legislature get three apiece and the minority leaders each get one. "We expanded the number of appointments," Krueger said of the proposal."

— Seems like there still could be a deal for to-go booze after all.

" Appellate court stays ruling that threw out state's redistricting maps," by Newsday's Yancey Roy: "A midlevel state court on Monday put on a hold a lower-court ruling that had thrown out New York's new election maps for Congress and the State Legislature as unconstitutional. The temporary 'stay,' issued by the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court in Western New York, does two major things. It keeps in place — for now — New York's official 2022 political calendar, which mandates that candidates who want to run for Congress or state offices in the June primary turn in petitions by the end of Thursday. Second, it sets the next stage for Thursday, where, at a hearing, Democrats will move for a permanent stay as a Republican-backed lawsuit winds through the legal system, which could take months."

"New York saw record overdose deaths in 2020, health officials say," by Spectrum's Nick Resiman: "A record number of people died of drug-involved overdose deaths in 2020 in New York, part of a nationwide trend amid the onset of the COVID pandemic, according to a report released Monday by the state Department of Health. Many of deaths are attributed to opioids and in particular fentanyl, which health officials believe is increasingly prevalent on the illicit drug market. More broadly, the sharp rise in opioid deaths across the country and in New York reflect the growing concerns over so-called 'deaths of despair' as the pandemic severed long-standing social connections."

#UpstateAmerica: It was a stormy first day of fishing season, but "opening day is like a religious holiday."

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TRUMP'S NEW YORK

"'Dating Coach' Charged in Capitol Riot Gets Prison Term for Gun Crime," by The New York Times' Sarah Maslin Nir: "A self styled dating coach who prosecutors say participated in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was sentenced to three and a half years in prison after he pleaded guilty to a gun possession charge in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday — a case that emerged through a search warrant related to his apparent involvement in the riot. In dozens of videos and articles posted online, the man, Samuel Fisher, portrayed himself as Brad Holiday, an expert at picking up women. His posts mixed misogynist remarks with far right messages and support for former President Donald J. Trump, and included accounts of his own participation in the Capitol riot."

AROUND NEW YORK

— Adams said he plans to remake his famous 2011 video showing parents how to search their kids' rooms.

— Baristas at Starbucks' upscale Reserve Roastery coffee shop in Manhattan voted to unionize.

— More than 168,000 riders got free subway and bus fares through the OMNY system's new fare-capping program.

— The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Brooklyn man who said he had been falsely accused by police officers of resisting arrest, allowing him to sue for malicious prosecution.

— The number of missed medical appointments in city jails jumped again in February despite a court order requiring the Department of Correction to address the problem.

— The family of a 12-year-old boy shot to death in Brooklyn pleaded for anyone with information about the shooting to come forward.

— Thoroughbred trainer Bob Baffert will not be allowed to compete at New York horse racing tracks through at least July 2.

— IBM convened an official coalition of tech companies, universities and government organizations to rally for a multibillion-dollar federal computer chip research program at Albany Nanotech.

— Rensselaer County Executive Steven F. McLaughlin is asking a judge to dismiss a two-count felony indictment related to improper use of campaign funds.

— Rochester mobster Dominic Taddeo was caught in Miami after escaping federal custody.

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Mary Katharine Ham, author and CNN commentator … Dan Berman of CNN Politics, a POLITICO alum … former Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) … Adam Rubenstein … Garrett Marquis is 39 … NYT's Jill Rayfield … former FCC Chair Tom Wheeler … PayPal's Howard Wachtel … Joseph Lelyveld ... Stanley B. Stern ... Wilson Shirley … Scott Clifford

MAKING MOVES — Tom Brady has joined Consello, Declan Kelly's new PR firm based in New York. More from the FT … Ricardo Martinez Campos has joined NYC Kids RISE as director of research and evaluation. He was previously director of the Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants.

MEDIAWATCH — POLITICO's Eugene Daniels is also joining Morning Joe as a senior contributor and MSNBC political analyst. ... Mike Del Moro is leaving "Morning Joe" after almost four years as a booking producer to be the comms manager for broadcast at Meta based in New York. Before "Morning Joe," he was a segment producer at "Good Morning America." (h/t POLITICO Playbook)

Real Estate

"Oft Overlooked on Brooklyn-Queens Border, The Hole Shows Risks of Ignoring Environment," by The City's Samantha Maldonado: "Clement Bailey didn't know what to expect when he moved from Flatbush just as the city shut down in March 2020 He'd bought a two-family house in The Hole, a low-lying neighborhood wedged between South Conduit Avenue and Linden Boulevard that straddles the border lines of East New York, Brooklyn, and Lindenwood, Queens. Some call it the 'Jewel Streets' neighborhood, for thoroughfares with sparkling names like Sapphire, Emerald, Amber and Ruby. But the area sits below the city's municipal sewer network. With swampy flooding, septic seepage and illegal dumping, the atmosphere is lackluster."

"Luxury NY Apartment Dwellers to Take Out Own Trash if Workers Strike," by Bloomberg's Skylar Woodhouse: "Residents of high-rise luxury apartments might have to take out their own trash and retrieve packages themselves as the doormen and staff for 3,000 New York buildings threaten to go on strike. The union contract for more than 30,000 workers from buildings owned by companies including Vornado Realty Trust and Related Cos. expires April 20. The property managers are looking to cut back employees' vacation days and sick leave, while forcing staff to cover more of their healthcare costs, now fully borne by the management firms. Building owners and managers haven't proposed specific figures for wages, according to Kyle Bragg, president of the SEIU 32BJ union representing the workers. Negotiations are far from over: there are seven more bargaining sessions scheduled before April 20, a union spokesperson said."

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