| | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Julian Shen-Berro | Presented by Con Edison | NYCHA boss Gregory Russ is stepping down as CEO, following a controversy over possible arsenic in the water at a Manhattan public housing complex. But if this was intended to look like a housecleaning, it's not a very thorough one: Russ will step away from day-to-day management of NYCHA, but remain as chair of the authority's board. This comes after tests identified arsenic in the water at the Jacob Riis Houses, leaving residents unable to drink their tap for more than a week. The city later announced those test results had been incorrect, and cleared the water for consumption. In between, officials said tests had detected Legionella bacteria, but later said that was a false alarm too. The decision to split NYCHA management into separate chair and CEO positions isn't a response to the Riis debacle, though the timing of the announcement might be. Such a reorganization was approved in June as part of a transformation plan for the troubled housing system. Despite the diminished role, The City reports that Russ will still be making $258,000 a year, though that's a cut from his current salary of $414,000. He'll also continue to get reimbursed for travel between New York and his home in Minnesota (yes, he commutes from Minnesota). Russ, a holdover from the de Blasio administration, took over at NYCHA in 2019. He has presided over major changes at the authority designed to steer more money toward crumbling housing developments, including through private development on public housing property and a public-private trust to manage certain complexes. The management shakeup will take effect next week. Executive vice president Lisa Bova-Hiatt will be interim CEO while a search is conducted for a permanent leader. "We cannot wait any longer to make transformational changes so NYCHA can provide safe, high-quality homes for New Yorkers," Adams said. IT'S FRIDAY. 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 Jersey, briefly, delivering remarks at the 2022 Democratic Governors Association Fall Policy Conference. WHERE'S ERIC? Speaking at the U.S. Africa Business Conference, making a parks announcement, raising the African Union flag, meeting with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, speaking at the Roberto Clemente Foundation Gala and the Farah Delance Foundation's Filipino American Awards.
| | A message from Con Edison: As the 2nd largest solar producer in North America, Con Edison is working to power our home with 100% clean energy, transforming New York into an example of sustainability for the rest of the world. From homes to apartments and everywhere in between, renewables, like solar, are just the beginning of our renewable future. See Our Energy Future | | | |  | WHAT CITY HALL IS READING | | "Related Companies and Wynn to Bid for New Casino in Midtown Manhattan," by The New York Times' Dana Rubinstein, Nicole Hong and Matthew Haag: "One of New York City's most prolific developers on Thursday announced that it was teaming up with a Las Vegas gambling giant to bid on a casino in Midtown Manhattan. The bid by Related Companies, the developer of Hudson Yards, and Wynn Resorts represents the first publicly announced bid for one of three new casino licenses open to city developers. The casino would be situated on the still-undeveloped western half of the Hudson Yards, the largest mixed-use private real estate development in American history. In April, state lawmakers approved up to three full-service casinos for the New York City area, setting off a frenzy between gambling companies and real estate developers to tap into the crown jewel of the country's gambling market." "After calling for a reassessment of shelter practices, NYC officials are vague on what will change," by Gothamist's Elizabeth Kim: "Facing concerns among advocates for the homeless after an uptick in New York City's homeless population, local officials offered conflicting responses on how the city intended to comply with its right-to-shelter law. Following a tour of a new Manhattan intake center on Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams brushed off a question about New York City's mandate that requires the city to offer shelter to people in need, instead punting it to his chief counsel, Brendan McGuire. 'We did not say that we're reassessing the right to shelter,' said McGuire. 'What we said was that we're reassessing the city practices with respect to the right to shelter.' The remarks offered few specifics on exactly what changes would be made around the legal requirement, which has been the foundation of the city's shelter system for decades." — "Texas Sent Busloads of Migrants to 'Live' in a Brooklyn Heights Office Building," by Curbed's Gaby Del Valle "Hochul's 'you do you' guidance ending mask mandate rankles some disabled New Yorkers," by WNYC's Stephen Nessen: "Waiting in a motorized wheelchair for a subway in Flatbush, Brooklyn, Cara Liebowitz said she had one feeling when Gov. Kathy Hochul dropped the mask mandate on public transportation and shared a cheeky MTA poster with new guidance that stated 'you do you.' I was honestly horrified,' Liebowitz recalled. The MTA poster reads 'masks are encouraged, but optional.' It depicts four figures, with one wearing a mask only over its nose. 'Let's respect each other's choices,' the poster continues. The poster, which will be at some 10,000 MTA locations, drew some laughs on Twitter. But Liebowitz, who has cerebral palsy, asthma, and is at high risk of COVID-19 complications, wasn't a fan of the joke. 'Your decision could seriously disable or kill somebody from COVID,' she said. 'People are still dying from COVID and getting long COVID.'" — More than 3.7 million people rode the subway on Wednesday, the first time that number has been hit since March 2020. "' Communities of Interest' Clash Over New Council Maps in Southeast Queens," by The City's Haidee Chu: "In the hours following the five-alarm Richmond Hill fire in June that ravaged a row of houses, killed three family members, and left more than 40 people homeless, Annetta Seecharran felt abandoned in her efforts to scramble for resources and support for the victims. Not one elected official showed up that day, Seecharran told THE CITY. 'I called and I called and I called,' Seecharran, who heads the Indo-Caribbean and South Asian community development organization Chhaya in Queens, told THE CITY. 'And there was no response.'"
| | | | DON'T MISS - MILKEN INSTITUTE ASIA SUMMIT : Go inside the 9th annual Milken Institute Asia Summit, taking place from September 28-30, with a special edition of POLITICO's Global Insider newsletter, featuring exclusive coverage and insights from this important gathering. Stay up to speed with daily updates from the summit, which brings together more than 1,200 of the world's most influential leaders from business, government, finance, technology, and academia. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "Zeldin ad hammering Hochul on New York crime features Oakland, Calif. assault, older incidents," by Daily News' Denis Slattery: "A new ad from Rep. Lee Zeldin slamming Gov. Hochul over rising crime includes video clips of shootings and assaults that occurred before she became governor and one incident that took place in California, not New York … 'You're looking at actual violent crimes caught on camera in Kathy Hochul's New York, and it's getting much worse on Kathy Hochul's watch,' a voiceover intones as images and videos of shootings and other crimes flash across the screen. Some of the clips feature recent headline-grabbing attacks from across the city, including video of a convicted sex offender who allegedly cold-cocked a man on a Bronx street. However, out of the 13 harrowing incidents shown in the ad, six predate Hochul replacing Andrew Cuomo as governor last year. And a seventh features an assault on a 91-year-old man that took place in Oakland, Calif., nearly two years ago." — Zeldin accused Hochul of stonewalling on debates. "Latest lawsuit targeting NY gun ban centers on parks, public transit and private property," by Buffalo News' Patrick Lakamp: "A lawsuit filed this week in federal court in Buffalo seeks to block parts of a recently passed New York State law that bans carrying firearms in parks and public transit. The lawsuit brought by two local gun owners and two national Second Amendment rights organizations also seeks to overturn a provision that puts all private property off-limits to firearms without the expressed consent of the property owners. Those filing the lawsuit called the anti-carry presumption on private property 'a massive restriction on the right to bear arms.'" " Do historical reenactments violate NY gun law? Organizers cancel events amid confusion," by Utica Observer-Dispatch's Neal Simon and Brandon Whiting: "'[Hochul's] saying that they're going to pass new legislation to exempt the enactments,' said Boyce Jr. 'But so far I have not seen an actual bill that's been signed by the governor.' In the meantime, organizers are left wondering how to move forward. Organizers of the German Flatts event said in a Facebook message their vendors had committed to other events once the reenactment was canceled, and there are no plans in place to reschedule it. Terry Parker, who started the event in Angelica 18 years ago and leads the small organizing group, said there are no plans to revive their Civil War Weekend event, either. And while Hochul's statement gives hope events like Angelica's may return, 'We didn't really want to be the test case and get my friends arrested,' Parker said." #UpstateAmerica: You know those highway signs that say "State Police aircraft used in speed enforcement"? That's not happening.
| | | | A message from Con Edison:   | | | | | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | Meet the Brooklyn judge now at the epicenter of the Mar-a-Lago records case, by POLITICO's Erin Durkin: Raymond Dearie, a senior federal judge, has overseen an international corruption case involving the highest levels of professional soccer. He authorized a highly secretive warrant to surveil a former campaign aide to Donald Trump. And he's spent years taking on mobsters in New York City. But now, the 78-year-old Ronald Reagan appointee faces one of the thorniest legal tasks of his well-regarded career: sifting through files seized from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. A Florida-based federal judge on Thursday appointed Dearie to lead the "special master" review of those records amid a criminal investigation into the former president's handling of documents marked classified. … Lawyers and litigants who have appeared before Dearie describe him as independent, thorough and even-handed jurist who is fit to wrangle the dueling sides. As much as any judge put in this difficult position, they say he's up to the task. "Trump Golf Course's Saudi Tournament Likely As NYC Says Hands Are Tied ," by Patch's Matt Troutman: "An impassioned push by 9/11 families to end former President Donald Trump's contract to run a public Bronx golf course — on which he plans to host a controversial Saudi-backed tournament — has hit an unlikely rough: Mayor Eric Adams' administration. City parks officials pointedly didn't attend a City Council hearing Thursday that laid out ways to sever ties with the former president's company, which runs Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point on public land. Instead, Adams officials issued written testimony that effectively argued their hands are tied by the city's contract with Trump — and terminating it would be costly."
| | | | Join POLITICO Live on Tuesday, Sept. 20 to dive into how federal regulators, members of Congress, and the White House are seeking to write the rules on digital currencies, including stablecoins. The panel will also cover the tax implications of crypto, which could be an impediment to broader adoption and the geopolitical factors that the U.S. is considering as it begins to draw regulatory frameworks for crypto. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — The Civilian Complaint Review Board will now be able to investigate allegations of bias-based policing, racial profiling, and improper use of body cameras. — Hochul signed legislation to expand eligibility for student loan forgiveness for public service workers. — A Queens pol criticized the Department of Transportation for delaying pedestrian and bike improvements on the Queensboro Bridge. — The MTA spent $3 million more than it should have on signal upgrades due to poor communication, an investigation found. — Cardi B pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges stemming from a Queens strip club attack. — NRG Energy wants to sell its Astoria fossil fuel plant to an offshore wind developer after it was denied a state permit to repower the facility. — A proposed New York law would require employers to let standing workers sit down whenever possible. — The city is recruiting educators from the Dominican Republic to address a shortage of bilingual teachers. — The city's unemployment rate jumped in August, but only because more people started looking for work. — Amazon has stopped selling covers that obstruct license plates from being read for tolls to New York addresses. — An NYPD officer who said other cops sexually harassed her will get a $1 million settlement. — The New York state troopers union is backing former Newsmax host Joseph Pinion in his race against Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Jason Zengerle … Jill Lesser of Finsbury Glover Hering … NBC's Richard Engel … CNN's Angelica Grimaldi and Hannah Sarisohn … Josh Benson of Old Town Media … ABC News' Ester Wells … NYT's Kevin Yamamura … Molly Hensley-Clancy … Andy Serwer … Rory Hammond … Tristan White MAKING MOVES — Evergreen Strategy Group has hired Rahkendra Ice and Lucy Coady as directors. Ice was previously the deputy director of communications and digital media at Girl Up, an initiative of the United Nations. Coady comes from Share Our Strength where she was a director of the No Kid Hungry Campaign.
| | A message from Con Edison: From building a 22nd century grid to installing 400,000 EV charging ports by 2035, Con Edison is committed to shaping the new energy future—for our fellow New Yorkers and the generations to come.
And we can all do our part too. Small changes like switching to clean heating and cooling technology make a big difference for your home and our world. See Our Energy Future | | | | | Real Estate | | "Survey: 49% of Manhattan workers in-office on average day," by NY1: "Nearly half of office employees in Manhattan are currently working from their offices on an average weekday, a survey released Thursday found. A survey conducted by the Partnership for New York City between Aug. 29 and Sept. 12 also found that an overwhelming majority worked a hybrid schedule. The number of Manhattan office employees who made it to their workplaces on an average weekday jumped to 49% compared with April's 38%, but that figure is projected to climb to 54% by January, the survey found. The Partnership, a nonprofit organization comprised of New York City-based business leaders and companies, called the increase a 'slow but steady' one. As of this month, only 9% of Manhattan's office employees had returned to their workplaces five days a week, according to the survey." "Hundreds of Harlem Tenants Can Proceed with Class Action Suit Over Rent Fraud Claims, Judge Rules," by City Limits' David Brand: "Hundreds of tenants across 11 Harlem buildings can now band together to challenge a landlord accused of illegally hiking rents in their stabilized apartments after a state judge approved their unique class action lawsuit last month. The tenants say the landlord, a collection of single-entity LLCs tied to the firms Big City Properties and Magnolia Holdings, inflated rents by making phony individual apartment improvement claims, failing to register units with the state and withholding stabilized leases despite receiving city tax breaks." " Harlem Health Center To Be Bulldozed For Housing, Surprising Neighbors," by Patch's Nick Garber: "The city's hospital system plans to demolish a prominent Hamilton Heights medical center and replace it with a supportive housing development, stunning some neighbors who fear it could cause a loss of health services. Plans for redeveloping the health center, a brick building that spans a full block of Amsterdam Avenue between West 145th and 146th streets, were detailed during a Sept. 8 meeting by Community Board 9 — organized after the appearance of dumpsters outside the clinic sparked questions about its future." | | | | 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 | | | | |
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