Progressives call Adams xenophobic. And worse.

POLITICO's must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable New Yorkers

Sep 08, 2023 View in browser   By Jeff Coltin and Nick Reisman Sen. Jessica Ramos said Adams’ Wednesday night comments about migrants enraged her. | Hans Pennink/AP Photo New York Mayor Eric Adams’ comments kept state Sen. Jessica Ramos up at night. “I had a really tough time falling asleep, thinking about the idiocy that was spewed at a town hall,” she told Playbook on Thursday. Adams is no stranger to provocative rhetoric. But his riff Wednesday night that housing and serving migrants “will destroy New York City” really hit a nerve on the political left. “Repugnant MAGA garbage,” said socialist New York City Councilmember Tiffany Cabán. “Dangerous xenophobia,” wrote progressive Councilmember Shahana Hanif. Ramos’ Colombian mother migrated across the U.S.-Mexico border. Her father overstayed a visa, she said: “And perhaps that's what has me so enraged.” The mayor’s focus should be on uniting the city and overcoming the challenges, the Queens Democrat said, “Not doubling down on the already existing divisive and xenophobic rhetoric that can create a very troubling environment for immigrants here in our city.” City Hall’s defense? The hoopla brought attention to “a crisis NYC has been managing largely alone” (even if it came in the form of Fox News stories). And Adams himself shot back Thursday at the Republicans who have praised his dire words. “The Trump Republicans created this mess,” by not passing immigration reform. They’re also picking up just half his message. It’s true — Adams’ words could give whiplash. Sometimes he’s spoken with pride about his city built on migration. But he wasn’t particularly clear at the town hall whether he was complaining about the financial burden of serving asylum-seekers or complaining about the presence of migrants themselves. After the backlash, NY1 anchor Errol Louis made a prediction that’s hard to bet against: Adams “will lash out at progressives, the media, haters, waiters, etc. for quoting and questioning his exact words.” Ramos may welcome that. She’s on the relatively short list of potential candidates who could challenge Adams from the left in 2025. And Adams’ handling of the migrant crisis — and his words — will be used by anyone running against him. “People have asked me” to run, Ramos confirmed. She’s running for reelection in 2024, but as for mayor “time will tell.” HAPPY FRIDAY. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman. WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany with no public schedule. WHERE’S ERIC? Speaking at the Queens County Farm Museum’s 40th annual Queens County Fair and attending a Ralph Lauren showcase during New York Fashion Week. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “A Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course would capture the attention of the sports world while driving tourism and economic impact for upstate New York,” — NYRA spokesperson Pat McKenna on the prospect of moving the last leg of the Triple Crown as Belmont undergoes renovations.   DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO APP: Stay in the know with the 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. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID.     ABOVE THE FOLD Gov. Kathy Hochul celebrates her win over Republican challenger Lee Zeldin at an election night party last November in New York City. Now she's gearing up for 2026. | Alex Kent/Getty Images HOCHUL 2026: Gov. Kathy Hochul appears to be getting ready for 2026. Hochul’s campaign this week submitted updated paperwork with the state Board of Elections that signaled she has hired a new campaign treasurer and that she is running for reelection in the 2026 cycle, an elections official confirmed. The updated filing is only the latest indication Hochul wants to seek a second full term after becoming the first woman elected governor of New York a year ago. As of July, Hochul’s campaign had $4.3 million in cash on hand after raising $4.5 million in the first six months of the year. She’s also held fundraisers this summer, including events in the Hamptons. — Nick Reisman WHAT CITY HALL IS READING About 21,000 migrant children had their first day of school in NYC on Thursday. | Andres Kudacki/AP New York City schools, with its more than 1 million students, started classes Thursday with 21,000 migrant students, POLITICO reported. And the new students, many of them part of asylum-seeker families, are offering additional challenges to the schools. Some education officials are criticizing the district for not doing more to help the roughly 1,700 schools in the system address the migrant surge. Naveed Hasan, an elected Manhattan representative for the Panel for Educational Policy, the city education department’s governing body, called the support so far “insufficient given the need that all of these students have and the families have.” But Schools Chancellor David Banks and Adams defended their efforts, saying they are ensuring all students are provided an equal education. “It is the story of New York City; we don’t treat people as outsiders,” Banks said. “We welcome them with open arms, and that’s what we have been doing here.” New York City is not alone in finding desks for new migrant students. POLITICO’s Katelyn Cordero explains the efforts upstate, too. — Joseph Spector More from the city: — 9/11 victims’ relatives are pushing Adams to release documents concerning what the city knew about toxic air at Ground Zero (Vanity Fair) — The NYPD seized migrants’ mopeds outside a shelter, and arrested six people when they resisted (The City) — Somebody’s been filing bogus short term rental complaints against just about every NYC elected official (Gothamist) WHAT ALBANY'S READING Assemblymember Marianne Buttenschon introduced legislation that would ensure local governments in New York have a warning before New York City sends migrants their way. | Hans Pennink/AP Photo MIGRANT PLANNING: Assemblymember Marianne Buttenschon wants local governments in New York to have a heads up if New York City is sending migrants to shelter in motels and hotels. Buttenschon, a Democrat, introduced legislation with Republican Sen. Jim Tedisco meant to address what has become a sore point for county leaders in the suburbs and upstate New York. “My concern is for the individuals I represent as well as my local leaders that I work with to make sure they’re aware of further individuals who could be coming in and needed services,” she told Playbook in an interview. The measure is meant to address the need for planning as well as the concerns raised by voters in her upstate district. “I represent my constituents and these concerns have been brought forward numerous times,” she said. Of course, this is opposite of what Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Queens) proposed Wednesday. — Nick Reisman FASHION WORKERS’ PROTECTIONS: As the writers and actors strikes continue in the entertainment industry, fashion workers are pushing for workplace protections as well. The Model Alliance on Friday is set to join with members of SAG and the Writers Guild in Manhattan to push for the passage of the Fashion Workers Act in the Legislature. The measure would create a range of protections for fashion industry workers, including the establishment of zero-tolerance policies for abuse. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo will appear at a Brooklyn Democratic Club next week. (New York Post) — Attorney General Tish James will hold a public hearing on the closure of a birthing center in Troy. (Spectrum News) — Some upstate Republicans in the Assembly are calling for more spending on tourism. (WAMC)   JOIN US ON 9/12 FOR A TALK ON THE NEW AGE OF TRAVELING: In this new era of American travel, trending preferences like wellness tourism, alternative lodging and work-from-anywhere culture provide new but challenging opportunities for industry and policy leaders alike. Join POLITICO on Sept. 12 for an expert discussion examining how the resilience of the tourism and travel industries is driving post-pandemic recovery. REGISTER HERE.     FROM THE DELEGATION Republican Rep. Brandon Williams got flak from union president Mario Cilento for his vote against stronger FAA rules for pilot training. | Mario Tama/Getty Images WON’T FLY WITH LABOR: New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento dinged Republican Rep. Brandon Williams for his vote against stronger FAA rules for pilot training. The change had otherwise drawn bipartisan support from the New York House delegation. "As a union movement, the safety and well-being of our members is the highest priority,” Cilento said in a statement to Playbook. “This is especially critical in the airline industry. It's unthinkable that any member of Congress would vote against a bipartisan amendment to maintain common sense pilot training requirements, thereby putting workers, passengers and the general public at greater risk.” Williams’ Central New York House district is considered a battleground seat for Democrats seeking to regain their majority. Williams’ office did not return messages seeking comment. — Nick Reisman — Read the George Santos “vulnerability report” that showed top Republicans doubted his biography long before he was elected (CBS News) AROUND NEW YORK — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is teaching a class at Columbia University (New York Times) — Upstate advocates are urging more government spending for Amtrak. (WTEN) — Election integrity activists are showing up unannounced at people’s homes across the state and questioning discrepancies in their voter registration records. (LoHud) SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN HAPPY BIRTHDAY: CNN’s Alayna Treene … NBC’s Maura Barrett … Ali Pardo of the House GOP Conference … former NEC Director Al Hubbard … Harry Liberman … Bob Bierman … Carey Hickox … Andrei Berman … (was Thursday): Beverly Cannold ... Suzyn Waldman ... Gregory Zuckerman OUT AND ABOUT: Billionaire political donor John Catsimatidis threw a 75th birthday party at Cipriani in Midtown on Thursday night, where he also honored his WABC radio DJ Cousin Brucie. The Republican businessman gives to Democrats too, so it was the kind of party where Hillary Clinton bear-hugged former GOP Rep. Peter King (“I haven’t seen her in a while. We get along,” he quipped). And where Hochul sat next to the host, just five feet in front of state Republican Party Chair Ed Cox. Pics SPOTTED: Former Gov. David Paterson, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Anthony Weiner, Malcolm Smith, Laura Curran, Rob Astorino, Curtis Sliwa, Bo Dietl, Chele Farley, Manhattan GOP Chair Andrea Catsimatidis, Judge Madeline Singas, Jeanine Pirro, Sid Rosenberg and Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. MAKING MOVES — On the firm’s second anniversary, Moonshot Strategies has hired Gabriel Schnake Mahl. He was previously senior advisor at the state Department of Financial Services and associate director in former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s budget office. MEDIAWATCH — Bob Brooks has joined Newsmax as an anchor and correspondent based in New York. He most recently was a reporter and fill-in anchor for ABC’s Philadelphia affiliate WPVI. … PIX11 reporter Ayana Harry is joining NY1’s political unit. Real Estate — A Long Island City office building will become a migrant shelter for about 1,000 asylum seekers (Crain’s New York Business)   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

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe.