News: POLITICO New York Playbook: One Dem debate down, one to go

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

POLITICO New York Playbook: One Dem debate down, one to go

Jun 08, 2022

By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Julian Shen-Berro

Presented by CVS Health

The three Democrats running for governor went head to head in a debate last night, but we're hard-pressed to say that we now know more about them than we did 24 hours ago.

Neither New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams nor Rep. Tom Suozzi of Long Island strayed from their ideological positions to Gov. Kathy Hochul's left and right, respectively, or their attacks on her nine months in office. Those include her approach to crime, a deal for the state to pay $600 million for a Buffalo Bills stadium, or the federal corruption charges that led her first lieutenant governor to resign.

Hochul took the chance to offer detailed rebuttals to those complaints, but stayed in her cool defense rather than rising with attacks of her own. She didn't have to. Hochul is a heavily favored incumbent with more than $18 million on hand compared to Suozzi's $2.7 million and Williams' $131,000. She doesn't need — and likely doesn't want — a big moment to switch it up.

The other two might, but that was absent Tuesday evening. Of the three, Williams revealed the most of himself as a human being, at one point listing names of former high school classmates who died from gun violence. When speaking about how officials should address those in mental health crises, he described his experiences living with Tourette syndrome and nearly being removed from an Amtrak train because of passengers who didn't understand.

"These things are not theoretical to me," he said. "It's not just things I read about in the paper or I see on TV. These are things that I've dealt with, my family's dealt with, my constituents have dealt with."

That kind of storytelling — to pull in voters with personality or voice they might not get through other campaign materials — only appeared in the final moments of the debate, a lightning round in which we learned all three candidates kind of believe in ghosts . Round Two is scheduled for June 16, and the Republican candidates will debate one another on Monday.

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? In New York City with no public events scheduled.

WHERE'S ERIC? In Washington D.C. meeting with the New York City congressional delegation, testifying on gun violence before the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee, and traveling back to New York City to speak at the opening night of the 2022 Tribeca Festival.

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What City Hall's reading

Fight between former Giuliani aide and democratic Socialist tanks major housing project, by POLITICO's Sally Goldenberg and Janaki Chadha: He's a flashy financial investor with a taste for gourmet cuisine and expensive suits. She's a Democratic socialist who called the NYPD a "white supremacist institution" and sympathized with Russia as it invaded Ukraine. The paths of two of the more eccentric figures in New York's political and real estate circles would likely not have crossed, but for a massive piece of land in Harlem. On the West 145th Street site that houses Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network, the financier sees prime development opportunity for nearly 1,000 new apartments — while the City Council member sees unchecked greed threatening the Black epicenter of New York City. The tension between the brash businessman and novice politician boiled over last week, when a stalemate led him to yank his proposal and blow off a meeting with high-ranking members of Mayor Eric Adams' administration.

Adams and Bloomberg team up on education, causing concern among charter critics, by POLITICO's Madina Touré: One morning in April, a familiar face arrived on the front steps of New York City Hall — the former mayor, Michael Bloomberg, who had not been to the building since he left office over eight years ago. He was there to launch a $50 million initiative through his philanthropic organization to support summer learning for about 25,000 New York City charter students who had significant learning gaps exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic — and was flanked by Mayor Eric Adams and schools Chancellor David Banks. "Welcome back," Adams said, as he and Bloomberg walked into the Blue Room at City Hall to kick off a press conference about the initiative.

"MTA lifts weekly COVID testing requirement for unvaxxed workers," by amNewYork's Kevin Duggan

" Battle over voting rights for noncitizen residents in NYC elections officially enters courtroom," by WNYC's Brigid Bergin: "When it comes to civic engagement, Hina Naveed stands in a category of her own. The 32-year-old came to this country with her family more than two decades ago so her older sister could receive treatment for a rare brain condition at a children's hospital in Massachusetts. Her family, originally from Pakistan, came from the United Arab Emirates. They overstayed their visa to continue the medical treatment, which ultimately saved her sister's life. Naveed went on to become both a registered nurse and an attorney, after witnessing the compassion her sister received, along with the systemic failures in the health care system."

"The Blame Game: City Pols Didn't Back Bill Allowing NYC to Control its Own Speed Limits, State Lawmakers Say," by Streetsblog's Julianne Cuba: "The legislative session in Albany just ended, but the finger pointing has only gotten started. State lawmakers are blaming their colleagues in the five boroughs for failing to support Sammy's Law — a bill that would have allowed New York City to set its own speed limits below 25 miles per hour, and which advocates, pols, and even the mayor had long sought amid one of the deadliest years for traffic violence since the start of Vision Zero. Like the state's reauthorization and expansion of the city's school-zone speed camera program, Sammy's Law required what's called a 'home rule' message from the 51-member City Council. But to the confusion and surprise of pols upstate (and some downstate), the Council did not give it."

"City follows through on budget cuts to schools with fewer students," by WNYC's Jessica Gould: "While New York City public school principals await the fiscal fallout from a state mandate for smaller classrooms, some are seeing their budgets drop already because of declining enrollment at their schools. Mayor Eric Adams' administration has been clear that it plans to 'rightsize' the budgets at schools where enrollments have gone down, arguing that schools with fewer students require fewer resources. Principals received their initial budgets this week and are still digesting the impact."

WHAT ALBANY'S READING

"Hochul pushing abortion rights amendment in campaign ad after session finishes," by Times Union's Joshua Solomon: "Gov. Kathy Hochul is airing two campaign ads that highlight her continued push for an amendment to the New York Constitution to protect a person's right to an abortion. The advertising blitz is taking place despite the scheduled legislative session concluding last week without accomplishing that goal. It remains possible that the governor will summon lawmakers back to the Capitol before an August deadline to pass an amendment and ensure it can reach the ballot box by 2024. If so, it also could be accomplished ahead of the governor's potential general election race."

"Hochul says New York cryptomining bill under review," Spectrum's Nick Reisman: "A bill that would place a two-year moratorium on a controversial cryptomining process is under review, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday said. The governor did not commit to signing the legislation, which was approved in the waning days of the legislative session last week. 'We'll be looking at all the bills looking very, very closely,' she said during an event in New York City signing a measure that would convert former hotels into affordable housing. 'So we have a lot of work to do over the next six months.'"

WHY NOT? " Phil Ramos looks to run for Assembly and Senate at same time," by Newsday's Yancey Roy: "Assemb. Phil Ramos is trying to simultaneously run for two seats in the State Legislature, a strategy open to him after a court-ordered redrawing of State Senate districts. Ramos (D-Brentwood) already is on the ballot for State Assembly, running for an 11th term. But he's also gathering petitions to run in an Aug. 23 primary for the 4th Senate District That would pit him against Monica Martinez, who is backed by Suffolk County Democratic Chairman Richard Schaffer, and set up a huge intra-party battle in the Hispanic-plurality Senate district. Ramos told Newsday that although he's running for reelection in the Assembly, his preference is to be in the Senate where he can 'do bigger and better things for the county.' Schaffer called running for two office at once the 'height of arrogance.'"

"Hochul Starts to Follow the Campaign Finance Law She Had Previously Broken," by New York Focus's Sam Mellins: "Gov. Kathy Hochul's campaign has finally gotten serious about following a 2019 law meant to crack down on corporate dark money in New York elections, campaign filings show. She made required disclosures identifying her recent donors — and pledged not to spend money received from past donors whose identities she hasn't yet tracked down. Those filings show leaders in the nursing home industry were among the most prolific donors through limited liability companies, or LLCs, even as Hochul vows to investigate how thousands died of COVID contracted in nursing homes."

"State lawmakers OK ban on sale of dogs, cats, rabbits by pet stores," by Newsday's Michael Gormley : "Pet stores statewide no longer would be able to sell dogs, cats and rabbits under a bill approved by the State Legislature. The measure, which needs Gov. Kathy Hochul's signature, is designed to shut down 'puppy mills' that supply some pet stores. Critics characterize the bill as an overreach that will close even responsible pet stores. 'Puppy mills breed cruelty,' said the bill's co-sponsor, Assemb. Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan). 'The cute puppies, kittens and bunnies in pet store windows mask a sad reality: These animals are products of horrific neglect in puppy mills.'"

#UpstateAmerica: An activist allegedly shut down Albany City Court by bringing plastic containers full of hundreds of cockroaches, which they released during a proceeding.

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FROM THE DELEGATION

"Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is backing a challenge to Rep. Sean Maloney, who also leads Democrats' campaign strategy," by The New York Times' Shane Goldmacher: "Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is endorsing State Senator Alessandra Biaggi in her bid to unseat Representative Sean Patrick Maloney, putting the progressive leader in direct opposition to the chairman of the powerful Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The endorsement, which will include a fund-raising email on Tuesday, will add progressive credibility to Ms. Biaggi's campaign and intensifies the threat at home to Mr. Maloney, who is overseeing the party's strategy nationally as Democrats try to maintain their tenuous hold on the House."

— HISTORY LESSON: "New York's redistricting chaos is part of Andrew Cuomo's legacy"

TRUMP'S NEW YORK

"Juror's 'Political Bias' Prompts Mistrial in 'Build the Wall' Case," by The New York Times' Colin Moynihan: "A federal judge declared a mistrial on Tuesday in the case of Timothy Shea, a Colorado man accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a nonprofit group that had collected $25 million to privately fulfill Donald J. Trump's promise to create a barrier between the United States and Mexico. The declaration came after 11 jurors sent a note last week to Judge Analisa Torres of Federal District Court in Manhattan, asking that she remove the 12th, who they said had spoken of a 'government witch hunt' and refused to deliberate based on evidence."

AROUND NEW YORK

— The commission overseeing City Council redistricting process delayed the release of proposed maps so it could gather more public input.

— The Sanitation Department is opening up its civil service exam for the first time in seven years.

— A poll found that 42 percent of city residents would drive into Manhattan less often with congestion pricing in place.

— Another poll found that 72 percent of city residents think Adams is doing better than or as well as his predecessor, Bill de Blasio.

— Harvey Weinstein filed a $5 million lawsuit against Chrysler over his 2019 accident in Westchester, which his Jeep's brakes allegedly failed.

— A prominent Manhattan doctor has been accused of sexual assault.

— A man was arrested for allegedly pushing a woman onto the tracks at a Bronx subway station over the weekend. The woman was pulled from the tracks by others on the platform.

— Four LGBTQ+ groups boycotted Adams' remarks at a Tuesday Pride reception at Gracie Mansion, part of the continued backlash against his controversial hires.

— CHARTS: How likely various things are to kill you in New York City, compared to everywhere else.

— Employees at a Starbucks in Astoria voted to unionize.

— East Hampton is moving to close its airport.

— A water main break caused flooding and left hundreds of homes without water in Long Island City.

— Outside donors are spending in a Assembly primary in the Bronx.

— Two men will row from the Hudson River to Ireland, embarking on the more than 3,000 mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean later this week.

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Cory Fritz of FTI Consulting … CNN and HBO Max's Justin Peligri … Julianna Margulies … Condé Nast's Patrick Garrigan … The Bulwark's Hannah Yoest … CNN's Sonia Moghe … NBC News PR's Sarah DeCaro … Deloitte's Hira Ahmad … Eric Kuhn … Jordana Cepelewicz … Avery Brooks

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Shontell Smith , who is best known in New York's political circles for running the show for state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, is leaving government for the private sector. Tusk Strategies CEO Chris Coffey, who recently launched a cryptocurrency practice, tapped Smith to be his second-in-command as executive vice president of the 35-person firm. Smith will oversee public policy campaigns in New York state and elsewhere, following her time as chief of staff and majority counsel to the Senate Democratic majority conference in Albany. Coffey took the reins of Tusk last year, after founder Bradley Tusk left to focus on his venture capital firm, philanthropic organization and new bookstore. — Sally Goldenberg

MAKING MOVES — Griffin Romney, who is the son of Scott Romney, brother of Ronna McDaniel and nephew of Mitt Romney, is joining Kirkland Ellis as an associate in New York City. He graduated last week from Harvard Law. … Chris Sharrock has been promoted to be vice president for U.N. affairs and international organizations at Microsoft. He joined Microsoft last October after working for 18 years in the British government. … Raphaella Baek has been promoted to be product manager for digital wealth at Citi. …

… Kivvit has hired Greg Jawski as managing director, Pakhi Kane as general manager, and Melissa Ariza as senior associate to its New York office. Jawski most recently was executive vice president and NY/CHI market leader at Porter Novelli. Kane most recently was deputy executive director at Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center.

MEDIAWATCH — Kara Swisher is leaving the NYT to return to Vox, where she will "host a new interview show at the Vox Media Podcast Network that will serve as a companion to 'Pivot,' a business and technology program she's co-hosted with New York University professor Scott Galloway for nearly four years," per Bloomberg.

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Real Estate

"Gov. Hochul signs NYC hotel-to-housing conversion bill in boost for Mayor Adams and city residents," by New York Daily News' Chris Sommerfeldt: "Gov. Hochul signed a bill Tuesday that paves the way for underutilized hotels in the city to be converted into apartments, giving a boost to Mayor Adams who has characterized the legislation as a critical tool for tackling New York's housing crisis. The bill — which Adams pushed state lawmakers to pass for weeks — gives the city the power to quickly approve such conversions by allowing hotels to retain their existing certificates of occupancy as opposed to having to secure new ones. It also unlocks $200 million in state funding for the city to bankroll hotel-to-housing conversions."

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