News: Hochul: Ardila should go

Friday, March 17, 2023

Hochul: Ardila should go

Mar 17, 2023

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is pictured.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul addresses the media during a press conference in New York on March. 13, 2023. | Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo

Gov. Kathy Hochul said Democratic Assemblymember Juan Ardila should step down amid allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior that occurred eight years ago, escalating a week of calls for the freshman Queens-based lawmaker’s resignation.

"It is intolerable and unacceptable what he did," Hochul told reporters after an unrelated event yesterday. "I support the survivors and their call for accountability and yes, he should resign."

Ardila, in a Monday article, was said to have inappropriately touched one woman while she was drunk at a party in 2015 and, on the same evening, exposed himself to a different woman shortly after kissing her in a bathroom. After a variety of responses, he apologized on Tuesday, saying his role was not to debate the facts but to listen and engage in a “process of accountability.”

That did not satisfy multiple progressive Democrats and Queens elected officials who supported Ardila’s 2022 campaign and now are calling for his resignation, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, and state Sens. Kristen Gonzalez, Julia Salazar and Mike Gianaris. The Working Families Party rescinded its endorsement and Ardila’s predecessor, longtime Assemblymember Catherine Nolan, said her former district should find someone new.

The next steps are unclear. Speaker Carl Heastie said on Wednesday that it’s unlikely the chamber’s ethics committee will investigate. He condemned Ardila’s past behavior but said a resignation would be something “Juan and his constituents have to think about.”

Ardila has not publicly commented since Tuesday. If he decides to wait it out, he would hardly be the first New York lawmaker to weather such allegations. But a call for resignation from the highest-ranking Democrat in the state and de facto leader of the state party is hardly something to ignore.

SIDENOTE: A long look down one hypothetical road finds that a special election could be a bit of a headache for Queens Democrats, where there are vacancies for two of the four district leaders who would be responsible for nominating a candidate.

One of the women who spoke to the Chronicle told The New York Times on Thursday she did so to provide information about an elected official. “I don’t know what my place should be aside from telling my story and letting people know who’s representing them,” she said. “I think they deserve better.”

IT’S FRIDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: agronewold@politico.com or on Twitter: @annagronewold

WHERE’S KATHY? In Buffalo in the morning to make an announcement with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. After that, she will arrive in New York City, where she’ll march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

WHERE’S ERIC? Hosting a St. Patrick’s Day reception at Gracie Mansion before attending a church service. Then he will appear live on Q 104.3 FM before visiting Connolly’s Pub and Restaurant on the east side. After that he will march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and attend a holiday luncheon with Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

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What City Hall's reading

A peek into the finances of former chief of staff Frank Carone, by POLITICO’s Joe Anuta: When Frank Carone gave up his perch atop a well-connected Brooklyn law firm to become Mayor Eric Adams’ chief of staff in 2021, he vowed to put his assets into a blind trust and create a self-maintained firewall between himself and any former clients who might seek favor from city government. The setup was still extremely lucrative. Carone grew his investment portfolio by at least $1 million last year, according to a city-mandated document released Wednesday.

“Owner of Madison Square Garden Had State Liquor Investigator Tailed,” by The New York Times’ Dana Rubinstein and Corey Kilgannon: “Mr. Stravalle called the police, who later pulled over the private detective on the Long Island Expressway, according to an account Mr. Stravalle gave to the New York Department of State, which regulates members of the profession. In court papers filed this week, MSG Entertainment acknowledged it had hired a private eye, which it called ‘s common and lawful practice.’ Officials later said they did so to tail Mr. Stravalle.”

“Ex-Judge Accuses Brooklyn Democratic Operatives of Undermining Judicial Independence,” THE CITY’s George Joseph: “In a blistering 600-page court filing, a former state Supreme Court judge has accused several prominent lawyers affiliated with the Brooklyn Democratic Party of committing professional misconduct in a successful campaign to oust her from the bench.”

“Bigger bottle refunds to garbage boats: NYC Council votes yes on batch of environmental bills,” by WNYC’s Rosemary Misdary: “The New York City Council overwhelmingly passed a trio of environmental bills, after the measures received near unanimous favor in a series of committee votes on Thursday. The first bill would create an office for marine debris disposal and vessel surrendering to address the problem of microplastics and abandoned boats in the city’s waterways. It was followed by a bill to amend the city’s green building standards.”

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

“MAGA and Martinis: Is This the Future of the N.Y. Republican Party?” by The New York Times’ Jesse McKinley and Maggie Haberman: “Within three days and 160 miles of each other, two divergent paths for New York Republicans were on full display last week. The first came at a subterranean bar in Little Italy in Manhattan, where Roger J. Stone Jr. held court as more than 200 millennial and millennial-adjacent Republicans nibbled on miniature pigs-in-a-blanket decorated with tiny Russian and Ukrainian flags…

“The next Monday, several hundred Republicans gathered at an airport Marriott in Albany to formally — and unanimously — vote to return Edward F. Cox, the 76-year-old son-in-law of Richard Nixon, to the post of party chair, in an event with no electronica or cigars, but lots of heavy emphasis on the nefariousness of the state’s dominant Democrats.”

“NYS lowers minimum scores for student proficiency in math, English,” by Times Union’s Kathleen Moore: “New York will change what it takes for students to reach “proficiency” on state math and English language arts tests, calling last year’s lower scores the ‘new normal.’”

“Albany Democrats’ counter to Gov. Hochul’s housing plan won’t work: NYU,” by New York Post’s Nolan Hicks and Zach Williams: “The incentives-only housing plan rolled out by Albany Democrats this week as a counter to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s more stick-heavy approach won’t build the homes and apartments New York needs to fix its housing crisis, a new study finds. The blistering assessment comes from researchers at New York University’s Furman Center — which is headed by the Big Apple’s former housing commissioner, Vicki Been.”

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL pledged on Thursday to continue pressing for changes to the state's bail laws. Despite growing opposition from the Democratic-controlled Legislature, Hochul wants a third round of modifications, particularly on one piece of the law she said hinders judges' ability to set bail in major cases. "What I'm going after is the serious felonies, serious cases involving guns, where a judge right now has serious conflicts in the law," Hochul said on FOX5 New York. — Joseph Spector

#UpstateAmerica: Sugar shacks are opening up to visitors this weekend. “Maple syrup, you know, is in our blood up here,” said one Brownville producer.

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AROUND NEW YORK

— "A $100 Billion Bet on Semiconductors Hinges on Remaking Upstate New York’s Workforce," by Wall Street Journal's Annie Linskey and Joseph De Avila

— New York City high school students will soon be able to ride the city ferry system at a discount and receive a municipal ID that grants them free access to museums and cultural institutions.

— Jean Kim, whose allegations of sexual abuse torpedoed politician Scott Stringer’s 2021 mayoral bid, filed a new lawsuit.

— “A map of NYC’s park benches could help save them, thanks to these CUNY students.”

— Drugs, cash and razor blades are reportedly flowing into the city’s juvenile detention centers through a network of employees.

— The chief editor of the Jewish Press was arrested because of his interference with police officers during the Jan. 6 riot.

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SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Laurel Strategies’ Alan Fleischmann … Tim Burger … Eileen O’Connor of the Rockefeller Foundation … Hill+Knowlton’s Judy Stecker (4-0) … WSJ’s Anna Rafdal … Andrew Kovalcin of Advanced Advocacy … NBC’s Sally Bronston … Carl Leubsdorf … Trey Sherman of “The Problem with Jon Stewart” … NRDC’s Mark Drajem … MSNBC’s Tiffany Mullon … Yahoo’s Dylan Stableford … Mark Paustenbach … CNN’s Kate Sullivan … Scott Schwaitzberg … James Flexner

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Real Estate

“Bank failures spell more grim news for New York office landlords,” by Crain’s New York Business’ Aaron Elstein: “Not only do the past week’s stunning failures eliminate two tenants from the rolls, but other banks, venture capital firms and other institutions are expected to take steps to lower costs, which would mean employing fewer people and renting less office space. The timing is unfortunate for landlords already coping with the loss of tenants from other sectors and the persistence of remote work. ‘There is no market for office buildings except for the One Vanderbilts of the world,’ Piper Sandler analyst Alexander Goldfarb said, referring to the new Midtown tower developed by SL Green Realty.”