| | | | |  | | By Joe Anuta, Anna Gronewold and Eleonora Francica | Presented by CVS Health | | 
New York City Mayor Eric Adams in Times Square. | Ted Shaffrey/AP Photo | New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been doing some spring cleaning at City Hall. Adams recently penned an executive order, first reported by POLITICO, that codifies major changes to the administration’s senior leadership — and in the process telegraphs some of his priorities as he looks to improve the delivery of city services in his second year. Many administrations tweak the structure of governance as they go along. In this case, Chief Advisor Ingrid Lewis-Martin, the mayor’s closest confidante, was initially brought aboard without any agencies to oversee, preferring the freedom of a more at-large position. Under the new configuration, she now supervises a pair of divisions that include the Office of Appointments, which plays a major role in bringing on senior staff. Lewis-Martin has been the right hand of the mayor for nearly two decades, and knows better than most what he looks for in a new hire. At the same time, the penchant she shares with Adams for turning to close allies for high-paying government jobs has at times drawn scrutiny, criticism and, in at least one case, has backfired altogether. The head of the intergovernmental affairs division, Tiffany Raspberry, was also empowered in the recent shakeup. The unit, which was engulfed in infighting and disorganization last year, had previously reported to the mayor’s first chief of staff, Frank Carone, who wielded significant influence during his year in city government. Now Raspberry reports directly to the mayor as the administration hones a new strategy in Albany. Not everyone’s station improved, however. While the city’s sheriff was initially slated to report to Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, the decision was quickly reversed in practice and amended in last week’s order after the administration learned the City Charter prohibited it. (The sheriff reports to the Department of Finance.) And while First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright gained oversight over several new divisions — some of which were pulled from her previous role — she also had to give up oversight of education-related matters like the Panel for Educational Policy owing to her relationship with the schools chancellor, who is her partner. Spokesperson Fabien Levy said many of the changes had already been put into practice last year but were included in last week’s order to formalize and summarize the shifts. For example, Raspberry has been reporting to the mayor since then, as has Levy himself, who moved up the municipal ladder in the executive order and no longer answers to the communications director. IT’S THURSDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: agronewold@politico.com or on Twitter: @annagronewold WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany with no announced public schedule. WHERE’S ERIC? In the Bronx, making a technology-related announcement at the NYCHA Bronx River Community Center and delivering remarks at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Rat Academy workshop. In the afternoon, the mayor will deliver remarks at the Clinton Foundation's Urban Transformation Roundtable. He will then visit the Council of Jewish Organizations of Staten Island's 48th annual pre-Passover food distribution. In the evening, the mayor will deliver remarks at the event commemorating the 2023 United Nations Water Conference at the New York Public Library in New York City. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Is there anything y’all like about this administration? Anything?” — Adams to The New York Times’ Jeff Mays during a rant about recent press coverage (after mistaking a POLITICO reporter for a Gray Lady correspondent). WHERE’S ANTONIO: In D.C. for the National Lieutenant Governors Association meeting.
| | A message from CVS Health: CVS Health: from the simplest of needs to more complex care. Learn more. | | | |  | WHAT CITY HALL IS READING | | “NYC’s weirdest new club is outside the Manhattan courthouse,” from WNYC’s Gwynne Hogan: “Tuesday came and went without an arrest or much of an outcry from Trump fans. But that didn't stop droves of reporters — and, to a lesser extent, supporters and protesters — from posting up outside the courthouse, aching for a glimpse of a potentially historic occasion.” “Give the city a say in tax giveaways, council tells Albany,” by Crain’s New York’s Nick Garber: “City Council leaders have taken the unusual step of telling Albany lawmakers what they want to see in this year’s state budget—foremost among them, local review of specific state-imposed tax breaks they view as ineffective.” “Mayor Adams backs NYC correction commissioner in Rikers Island doctor ban over social media posts,” by Daily News’ Michael Gartland and Graham Rayman: “‘He’s a doctor. He should know the level of professional standards that he should carry out,’ Adams said. ‘He put out information that was in contradiction to the CDC. People were putting fentanyl in mail. They were soaking it in mail. His statement was in contradiction to that.’” — “Why Does Rikers Island Still Lock People in Shower Stalls?” by New York Focus’ Chris Gelardi “Queens Assemblyman Lobs Bill to Help Mets Owner’s Casino Swing,” by THE CITY’s Katie Honan: “The legislation introduced by Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry (D-Queens) calls for the parking lot to be developed for ‘a gaming facility and, in conjunction with such facility, commercial, retail, entertainment, recreational, hotel, convention, and or community facility uses,’ according to the bill text. Because the Citi Field lot is technically parkland, designated in 1939 as part of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, it requires state intervention to ‘alienate’ it to facilitate construction.”
| | | | 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 | | “Hochul defends outside support as Bloomberg money pours in,” by Times Union’s Joshua Solomon: “‘I’m happy to receive the support of the people from all over the state of New York,’ Hochul said without mentioning Bloomberg, while noting that her support network extends from ‘Buffalo to Long Island.’ Hochul also deflected questions on the quasi-political campaign that is being leveraged by the Washington-based social welfare nonprofit, American Opportunity, which has registered as a lobbyist in New York but has not yet filed paperwork with the Department of State despite spending millions in New York TV ads.” — “Advocates slam Hochul over billionaire backers as they push for increasing taxes on New York’s wealthy,” by Daily News’ Denis Slattery: “Advocates hoping to see New York’s wealthiest residents pay more taxes are accusing Gov. Hochul of catering to rich and powerful donors as she negotiates a state spending plan with lawmakers. A new review from a coalition of groups pushing to increase social services and raise taxes on the state’s top earners comes on the heels of a report that billionaire and former mayor Michael Bloomberg ponied up $5 million for an ad blitz backing Hochul’s budget priorities, including amending bail laws and lifting the charter school cap.” — “We have the strength to get it done. We just need the f—-ing money they owe us,” says a new $20K ad buy from the Invest in Our New York campaign. “Hochul defends bail law changes, public safety funds in executive budget,” by Spectrum’s Kate Lisa: “Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday defended the public safety initiatives in her executive budget proposal, including her push to change the state's bail reform laws, after releasing new statewide crime data from the state Department of Criminal Justice Services.” — ABOUT THAT: “We’ve done bail reform several times. We’ve done hearings already this year looking at the data that’s coming out. I don't think there’s much room in either house of the Legislature to take on bail again.” — Manhattan Democrat and Senate Finance Chair Liz Krueger to Gotham Gazette’s Ben Max #UpstateAmerica: “Pretty Little Liars” is filming upstate again this spring and summer, and the call for extras is out.
| | | | A message from CVS Health:   | | | | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — “Inside a Brooklyn School Teaching the Course That Florida Banned.” — NYC Audubon will come up with a new name amid concerns about the racist legacy of the 19th-century naturalist and illustrator John James Audubon. — City firefighters rescued a group of children who crawled into and subsequently became lost in a Staten Island storm drain. Good clean fun! — Do bedrooms need windows? Mayor Adams says maybe not, and New Yorkers have opinions. — FBI agents took a man into custody after he threatened to jump from the 31st floor of a Midtown building during an hourslong standoff.
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: The Intercept’s Ryan Grim … Maggie Gage of OneMain Financial … Mike Berman of Citadel … APCO Worldwide’s Joanna London … McKinsey’s Tara Maller … Don O’Brien … Daniel Udell … Maya Lau
| | A message from CVS Health: No matter who you are, where you are, or what you need to take care of your health, CVS Health is there for you. In your community, on your phone, or in your home, CVS Health connects you to care that’s high quality, convenient, and affordable--however you need it.
Learn more. | | | | | Real Estate | |
“Hudson Valley Towns Have a New York City Problem,” by THE CITY’s Safiyah Riddle: “These trends are also documented in neighboring Putnam, Dutchess, Orange counties. The number of New York City residents moving to the Hudson Valley and Catskills region increased by 124.4% in the first year of the pandemic, estimates CBRE Group, a real estate investment company. The exact impact of this pandemic surge is hard to calculate. But the rapid changes have reignited debate in town meetings and community forums about vacation rentals and second homes across the region, where municipalities are considering closing schools and volunteer fire departments as the number of full-time residents wane.”
“HPD starts hunt for nonprofits to run expanded $4M-a-year tenant organizing program,” by amNY’s Ethan Stark-Miller: “The city Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is allocating $4 million annually to expand a de Blasio-era pilot program aimed at organizing tenants in rent-regulated buildings, while releasing a request for proposals (RFP) seeking nonprofits who can implement the initiative’s next phase, amNewYork Metro has learned.”
| | | | 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 | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment