| | | | |  | | By Anna Gronewold, Sally Goldenberg and Eleonora Francica | Presented by Ørsted and Eversource | A group of billionaires threw their money behind then-candidate Eric Adams during the 2021 New York City mayoral race, deeming him ideologically aligned with them on taxes, policing and charter schools. Their contributions to a $7 million pro-Adams committee boosted him in a tight race. Now Adams is caught between the wishes of those backers and the cost of a pro-charter proposal from Gov. Kathy Hochul. Then there's the New York Post. The influential and unforgiving tabloid has largely spared the mayor from its sharpest jabs — but uses its news and editorial pages to unapologetically advocate for charter schools — is none too pleased with Adams' stance. “Does Mayor Eric Adams back charter schools, as he claims? Because it’s starting to look like he’s doing the teachers union’s dirty work and moving to block them, especially after his lame testimony in Albany on Wednesday,” the paper wrote in an editorial Wednesday evening.
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams testifies before the New York State Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means Committees in Albany on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. | Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office | This is what the barbs are about: “If the state raises the charter cap as proposed, we will need more resources,” he told lawmakers. “We believe it will cost us over $1 billion dollars to site these schools and cover the required per-student tuition — money we do not have.” He declined to take the bait from fellow Democrat John Liu, a state senator, to criticize the publicly-funded-but-privately-managed charters. And he made a point of backing charter boosters’ call to fill vacant “zombie” schools, provided the state pays for it. A review of Adams’ statements from the campaign trail shows he put guardrails around his support for charter schools, while still appealing to donors who want them expanded. Some aides say those financial backers — Dan Loeb, Steve Cohen, Paul Tudor Jones, Ken Griffin — were primarily motivated by his tough-on-crime stance. All four declined comment, as did the architects of the independent expenditure — Jason Ortiz and Jenny Sedlis — who still represent Cohen and Griffin through their lobbying firm, Moonshot Strategies. But Adams has competing interests to consider. He wants more state aid for an influx of asylum seekers from Latin America and the cash-strapped MTA. He’s also in the middle of negotiating a contract with the United Federation of Teachers, which adamantly opposes charter schools, and his administration has faced backlash when co-locating charters within traditional public schools. IT’S THURSDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: agronewold@politico.com and sgoldenberg@politico.com or on Twitter: @annagronewold and @sallygold WHERE’S KATHY? Airing a pre-taped interview with WAMC’s Alan Chartock, speaking at the Chinese-American Planning Council’s 58th Annual Lunar New Year Benefit and receiving the 2023 Medal for High Civic Service at the 91st Annual Citizens Budget Commission Gala. WHERE’S ERIC? Making a parks-related announcement and speaking at Business Outreach Center Network's Power Forward: Black Business Conference, Wildflower Studios Toppling Off Ceremony, Tech:NYC’s Annual Board Meeting, Assemblymember Gibbs’ Black History Month Celebration and Citizens Budget Commission's Annual Gala. QUOTES OF THE DAY: ”I’m just an overall good guy” — Mayor Eric Adams, to Albany lawmakers during his budget testimony.
“I’m not sure that gets you anything in Albany, but thanks for sharing.” — Senate Finance Chair Liz Krueger PROGRAMMING NOTE: New York Playbook will not publish on Monday in observance of Presidents Day. After the hiatus, we'll be back on Tuesday.
| | | | A message from Ørsted and Eversource: New Yorkers are building an equitable clean energy industry. Learn more. | | | |  | WHAT CITY HALL IS READING | | “Before Sex Abuse Arrest, Brooklyn Lawmaker’s Aide Received Nearly $200,000 in State Payments to His Company,” by THE CITY’s George Joseph: “A company established by Joseph Brady, who led an upstate biker gang while serving as a top legislative aide to a Brooklyn state lawmaker, received nearly $200,000 in state government payments in the years before his 2020 arrest for sex abuse charges, according to reimbursement records obtained by THE CITY. The state comptroller’s office is investigating those payments, most of which went to Excelsior Waste and Recycling LLC, a Rensselaer-based firm that Brady filed incorporation paperwork for less than three weeks before the government payouts began.” “NYC judge orders company co-founded by Adams adviser Frank Carone to pay $726K in overdue rent,” by Daily News’ Chris Sommerfeldt: “A company co-founded by Frank Carone, Mayor Adams’ recently departed chief of staff, must pay a prominent New York City real estate firm more than $726,000 to settle a long-running rent debt, a Manhattan judge ruled this week. The company, Financial Vision Group, is in the health insurance field, and signed a lease in 2019 for an office space in a Manhattan building owned by SL Green, one of the city’s largest commercial landlords. But Financial Vision allegedly stopped paying rent in June 2020 — prompting SL Green to file a lawsuit last year against the company, as first reported by the Daily News.” “‘#teamsendthemback’: Private emails reveal cozy relationship, cooperation between NYC correction officers and ICE,” by WNYC’s Arya Sundaram and Matt Katz: “DOC officers scheduled release times to facilitate ICE pickups, preemptively scheduled pickups for ineligible immigrants in their custody and shared unsolicited information that could be used to expedite removals, according to the emails. The communications were at odds with current DOC policy restricting such cooperation, an agency official testified at the hearing. Some emails also appeared to violate city law restricting the DOC from cooperating with federal immigration authorities, immigration rights advocates and multiple City Council members said.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Restaurant owners are putting renewed pressure on lawmakers to create rules for a permanent Open Restaurants program, with spring weather right around the corner. In a letter to the full City Council, first obtained by POLITICO, dozens of restaurateurs said the temporary Open Restaurants program has been a lifeline during the pandemic and stressed the “need to know what the program will look like moving forward so we are able to plan accordingly.” Signatories include Marcus Samuelsson Group, Union Square Hospitality Group and Daniel Boulud’s The Dinex Group. A bill introduced at the request of the mayor to create a permanent outdoor restaurant program has been stuck in limbo, with only three sponsors in the Council. — Danielle Muoio Dunn
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | LaSalle turned down, again, by POLITICO’s Anna Gronewold: The full Democratic-controlled state Senate spurned Gov. Kathy Hochul’s pick for chief judge, putting an end to weeks of a political stalemate that has baffled the state’s political observers by its seeming futility. The state Senate voted 39-20 against Hector LaSalle’s confirmation on Wednesday, an outright rejection of the Democratic governor that Senate leadership predicted as early as late December. “The nomination was brought to the Senate floor, as has been requested for weeks, and unsurprisingly, it did not prevail. There should be no further questions on the viability of this nomination,” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters after the vote. “Buffalo grocery store mass shooter apologizes for racist attack and receives sentence of life in prison,” by CNN’s Mark Morales, Eric Levenson and Aya Elamroussi: “The 19-year-old White man who killed 10 people in a racist mass shooting at a grocery store in a predominantly Black area of Buffalo last May apologized to the victims’ families and was sentenced to life in prison during an emotional court hearing Wednesday. “In the end, the judge sentenced Gendron to life in prison on each of the terrorism and murder charges and offered a stern rebuke of him. ‘There is no place for you or your ignorant, hateful and evil ideologies in a civilized society,’ she said. ‘There can be no mercy for you, no understanding, no second chances. The damage you have caused is too great, and the people you have hurt are too valuable to this community. You will never see the light of day as a free man ever again.’” “NY Gov. Hochul, Democrats poised to raise taxes. But on whom?” by WNYC’s Jon Campbell: “Hochul proposed a $227 billion state budget in January that would increase a payroll tax in the MTA region, extend higher tax rates on wealthy corporations, and even increase the annual fee for snowmobile registration from $90 to $125 for residents. Those proposals are drawing a wave of criticism — from left-leaning Democrats who want her to do more to tax the rich, Republicans who want her to eschew tax hikes altogether, and suburbanites who say the payroll tax increase will trickle down to employees throughout the New York City region.” #UpstateAmerica: The Thriving Center of Psychology ranks Buffalo first in the country for cities with the most single women. Make of that what you will.
| | | | A message from Ørsted and Eversource:   | | | | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | “George Santos Married a Brazilian Woman. House Is Asked to Find Out Why,” by The New York Times’ Grace Ashford, Miriam Jordan and Michael Gold: “By 2019, Mr. Santos was divorced, not long before he launched his first congressional campaign. But the old relationship drew new scrutiny on Wednesday, via a letter filed with ethics watchdogs in the House of Representatives requesting an investigation into whether Mr. Santos has violated federal immigration laws.” | | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | “Judge to Trump: Too late to offer DNA to rebut rape claim,” by The Associated Press’ Larry Neumeister: “Former President Donald Trump missed his chance to use his DNA to try to prove he didn’t rape a longtime magazine advice columnist, a federal judge said Wednesday, clearing away a potential roadblock to an April trial. Judge Lewis A. Kaplan rejected the 11th-hour offer by Trump’s legal team to provide a DNA sample to rebut claims E. Jean Carroll first made publicly in a 2019 book. Kaplan said that lawyers for Trump and Carroll had over three years to make DNA an issue in the case and that both chose not to do so.”
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Retiring NYSUT President Andy Pallotta is declaring victory against Andrew Cuomo. — New York City police officers shot more people in 2021 than they did in the previous year, but fewer people died, according to the NYPD’s latest use of force report. — The next migrant relief center will open at the Wingate by Wyndham hotel in Long Island City. — “Chris Cuomo: ‘I was going to kill everybody and myself’ after CNN firing” — Chick-fil-A is opening a rest stop for food delivery workers on the Upper East Side. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | |
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Robert Allbritton … NYT’s Jennifer Steinhauer … Ty Trippet … Paul Blake … Mike Warren … Carl Icahn … Kevin Robillard … Meagan Murphy … David Keating … Adam Sharp … Andrew Kirk … Ed O’Keefe … Anna Cook … Joe Concha
MAKING MOVES — Drew Hanchett is now chief health information officer for the NYS Department of Health. He most recently was acting executive director of the environment, energy and transportation portfolio of the NYS Office of IT Services. … Zachary Bishop has been promoted to be corporate comms manager for thought leadership and media relations at IBM. … Keelin Flynn has been promoted to be an assistant account executive at Prosek Partners. MEDIAWATCH — Shelly Banjo has been named regional managing editor of global business at Bloomberg. She most recently was New York bureau chief at Bloomberg.
| | | | A message from Ørsted and Eversource: What does it take to build an equitable clean energy industry?
It takes partnership.
Sunrise Wind is built on partnership. Partnership between the world’s leading offshore wind developer, Ørsted, and national energy experts, Eversource.
And partnership with the unions, schools, and community groups that are essential to delivering one of the state’s biggest infrastructure projects. | | | | | Real Estate | | “Developer Delays Penn Station Project, Citing Economic Conditions,” by The New York Times’ Stefanos Chen: “Vornado Realty Trust, the developer hoping to remake the skyline around Pennsylvania Station with a bundle of new office towers, has put the brakes on the massive redevelopment plan for now as interest rates remain high and the real estate market struggles to recover from the pandemic.” “NYC real estate firms accused of housing discrimination face sweeping lawsuit,” by WNYC’s David Brand: “Dozens of New York City real estate firms accused of discriminating against people with rental assistance vouchers will soon be forced to explain their practices in court. A federal judge on Tuesday greenlighted a sweeping lawsuit from a housing rights watchdog against 77 real estate brokerages and property owners for systematically denying apartments to applicants with Section 8 vouchers — an illegal but pervasive practice known as source of income discrimination.”
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