| | | | |  | | By Nick Reisman and Jeff Coltin | With help from Irie Sentner
|  Gov. Kathy Hochul will be one of six state-level chief executives taking part in POLITICO’s Governors Summit today in Washington. | Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul | | New York Minute: For a swing seat Republican, Rep. Marc Molinaro has cultivated a surprisingly close relationship with House Speaker Mike Johnson, POLITICO reported this week. That, of course, comes with benefits. Johnson heads to Binghamton today to fundraise for Molinaro. The duo will also visit the Broome County Sheriff’s Office. The NY GOP convention will be going on just blocks away, but the party leader isn’t expected to show face. “Things didn’t align and that’s fine,” a party spokesperson said. Johnson’s also joining Rep. Brandon Williams at a golf club fundraiser outside of Utica. Read more on the speaker’s latest New York visit below. — Jeff Coltin HOCHUL LIVE: Global crosscurrents have ripped through New York. Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has been at the center of it all. An influx of more than 170,000 migrants has strained state and local government budgets. The Israel-Hamas war in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks has opened a generational and ideological seam within the Democratic Party. And the fight for control of the House will play out in New York’s half dozen or so swing districts – races that could determine the country’s path for the next two years. Hochul will be one of six state-level chief executives taking part in POLITICO’s Governors Summit today in Washington. It’s an exclusive conversation on the big issues facing the state. Hochul became governor in 2021 following the resignation of Andrew Cuomo and has had to navigate the deepening uncertainty facing New York’s place in the world and the rapidly changing politics of this decade. She won a full term in 2022 by a comparatively narrow 5-point margin against Republican Lee Zeldin, who campaigned heavily on voters’ concerns over crime and public safety. Hochul, a former House member and lieutenant governor, has managed the politically complex state with a seemingly low-drama approach to one of the most high-profile government executive jobs in the country. She’s avoided the smashmouth fights that can often occur between governors and New York City mayors, making herself a public ally of Eric Adams. But she has also sharpened her elbows politically, after getting hosed by legislative leaders on some of her priorities last year like housing policy. In recent weeks the governor has taken an assertive role as her party’s leader to push Republicans in Congress to act on an ultimately doomed border security bill. Hochul has slammed House Republicans for not backing the Senate-negotiated border package; House GOP lawmakers have called for a meeting with her, which she hasn’t taken them up on. She also became a prominent surrogate for her former rival, Democrat Tom Suozzi, in his successful campaign to run for the House seat he abandoned to challenge her in a primary two years ago. Hochul this week in an interview with MSNBC took a victory lap after Suozzi’s win, pointing to abortion rights as a pivotal issue for voters in the Long Island suburbs. “Republicans were saying ‘we’re going to win this one, people are angry.’ But I’ll tell you, you put abortion in the conversation, that is a clear line,” she said. Hochul had previously met with Suozzi for a clear-the-air meeting in Albany, during which she advised him to campaign on abortion rights — a topic he highlighted while also getting aggressive on matters of border security and public safety. But she also set aside the past rivalry and slights from Suozzi circa 2022 as she made a push for his candidacy in the final days of the special election. “I’m a Democrat and an American first,” she said. “I know how important it is we take back the House of Representatives.” – Nick Reisman IT’S THURSDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman. WHERE’S KATHY? In Washington, D.C. participating in in POLITICO’s 2024 Governors Summit Fireside Chat. WHERE’S ERIC? Traveling back to New York City from St. Louis, Mo., and hosting a reception celebrating Lunar New Year. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?” — Queens resident Victor Starsky, questioning Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar about attending events outside her district, comparing her to the cartoon character who also wears the color red, via the Queens Chronicle.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | | 
Mike Sapraicone, a retired NYPD detective from Nassau County, is the GOP pick to take on U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. | Courtesy of Sapraicone for Congress | GRAND OLD PARTY: New York Republicans are gathering today in Binghamton, where they’ll nominate Mike Sapraicone to take on U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. A top Republican familiar with the process said Sapraicone, a retired NYPD detective from Nassau County, has secured more than enough support from county chairs to avoid petitioning and be the party’s pick. But the MAGA wing of the party is rallying around Newsmax journalist Cara Castronuova, who’s told the Post she’ll primary Sapraicone if she gets enough support at the convention to get on the ballot. Primary or not, Gillibrand will be heavily favored as a blue state Democrat in a presidential year with a massive war chest. (More on her new labor coalition below.) NYGOP Chair Ed Cox told Playbook there have been times of strife over the last decade in the party, but “we are so unified as a party right now … young people are coming to the fore.” Sapraicone is 67, but the de facto host of the convention is Broome County Republican Party Chair Benji Federman, who’s just 29. And the city’s Republican Mayor Jared Kraham, is 31. “We have a pretty robust young Republican club in Broome,” Federman told Playbook, and the largest women’s Republican club in the state too. “We’ve hemorrhaged a lot of women supporters over the past four years or eight years, you could say, and we’re trying to get back those younger demographics, those female suburban voter demographics.” That message may clash with the party picking Sapraicone. But his spokesperson Scott Glick told Playbook he’s got wide appeal: “He’s traveled around, he’s talking to people, he’s speaking to everybody, and seems to be resonating based on the endorsements he’s getting.” — Jeff Coltin and Emily Ngo JOHNSON WELCOMED BY BOX TRUCK BILLBOARDS: A billboard-bearing box truck will attempt to shame Speaker Johnson for being a “rich tax cheat” as he hits two fundraisers with Reps. Brandon Williams and Marc Molinaro this morning, Playbook has learned. The mobile billboards, paid for by the self-described “nonpartisan” group Empire State Voices, will park right outside fundraisers featuring Johnson and the local reps. in New Hartford and Binghamton, the group said. “While Congressman Molinaro is wining and dining his wealthy donors at these high-dollar fundraisers, countless New York families are struggling just to make ends meet,” Maria Martinez, Executive Director of Empire State Voices, said in a statement. The group says they are targeting the two New York Republicans and their House leader for voting for bills that gut funding to the IRS. Empire State Voices claims an IRS funding cut would hamper the agency’s ability to perform audits of billionaires and large corporations. In a statement to Playbook, Molinaro said the group’s efforts were done at the behest of his NY-19 Democratic opponent Josh Riley. “I’m taking this opportunity to show my support for law enforcement and celebrate the work they do to keep this community safe,” the congressman said. “DC lawyer Josh Riley could do the same. Instead, he and his allies are organizing protests with far-left groups.” Empire State Voices has been running ads and putting up highway billboards against Molinaro, Williams and other Republicans in their districts since May as part of a seven-figure media blitz. The group wouldn’t say who’s bankrolling their efforts, and claimed “none of our funding comes from partisan groups.” “We don’t engage in partisan electoral activity,” the group’s spokesperson, Axel Mark, told Playbook. — Jason Beeferman
| | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
Mayor Eric Adams canceled a 5 percent budget cut planned for April. | Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office | RESTORING BUDGET CUTS: The mayor has canceled a 5 percent budget cut planned for April. Citing reduced spending on migrants, Adams announced Wednesday that the upcoming savings plan, called a program to eliminate the gap, is off the table. While the news might help ward off further criticism of cuts — which were first announced in the fall and have proven deeply unpopular — they could also hurt his case for more state and federal aid. The Citizens Budget Commission, an organization pushing for fiscal conservatism from city and state officials, said the rollback was ill-advised, citing $3.6 billion in unaccounted-for costs. Today, they are out with a new analysis showing city spending grew at four times the rate of inflation between 2012 and 2019 and barely slowed through Covid and the resulting recession. The commission argued the mayor needs to further curtail spending to ward off even tougher decisions down the road. — Joe Anuta DOE MOVES: The city's public school system has named a new tech chief as it navigates the aftermath of a blunder that saw students and teachers locked out of virtual classrooms during a recent snowstorm. Intekhab Shakil, most recently the chief information officer at the city Law Department, will assume the position on Monday. Shakil will be tasked with supervising technology used by schools, students and families, the Department of Education told POLITICO. “As the largest public school system in the nation, New York City Public Schools needed a visionary ready to join me in moving our schools into the future, prioritizing student safety, and advocating for continued accessibility for all. I am thrilled to have found this partner in Intekhab Shakil,” schools Chancellor David Banks said in a statement. The DOE has been running without a permanent chief information officer since the summer, when Anuraag Sharma stepped down after four years in the position — a move following several data breaches, though it was said to have been a voluntary decision. Scott Strickland — who has decades of experience in technology, including six years at the DOE — has been serving as the interim officer. Critics blasted the city for failing to have a permanent leader in place amid the recent remote learning fiasco, though a DOE spokesperson said the search only recently wrapped. The storm debacle was a blow to Banks and the mayor, who insisted schools were ready for the first significant test of the city’s no-snow day approach. Now New Yorkers await the results of an analysis to determine what went wrong after the officials both blamed IBM — the tech giant that provides a crucial part of the remote learning system — and acknowledged the city dropped the ball. — Madina Touré More from the city: — A law allowing non-citizens to vote in city elections is unconstitutional and illegal, a state appeals court ruled — marking a win for the Republican elected officials who sued to block it. (POLITICO) — Adams jetted to Missouri to tour the office of a city contractor with Chief Technology Officer Matt Fraser — even as a ban on taxpayer-funded out-of-state travel remains in place. (Daily News) — Correction officers on Rikers Island are increasingly using pepper spray to subdue detainees who fight guards or try to kill themselves. (Gothamist)
| | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | | 
An organization of small-county Democratic leaders and activists joined the ranks of critics who have blasted the pending New York congressional map. | Hans Pennink/AP | DRC PANS MAP: The Democratic Rural Conference wants state lawmakers to reject the proposed House map. The organization of small-county Democratic leaders and activists in a statement to Playbook joined the ranks of critics who have blasted the pending map. The new lines make only a handful of changes to the existing House map — a map that GOP officials have largely called fair. But a growing number of Democrats and their allies have called for the map, approved by the Independent Redistricting Committee, to be tossed aside. “These proposed lines will result once again in huge, uncompetitive congressional districts across much of upstate that promote extremism and leave members of the smaller party with representatives completely unsympathetic to their concerns,” the group wrote in its statement. The DRC has held sway among statewide leaders, and the group’s annual conference is often a must-attend for Democrats seeking office in New York. Uncertainty hangs over whether the map will be approved by the state Senate and Assembly. State lawmakers return to Albany on Monday. — Nick Reisman RORY, OUT: Rory Lancman, the former Assembly member and New York City Council from Queens, announced he won’t be running for state Senate after all. The Democrat who now lives in Great Neck was considering running for the seat held by Republican state Sen. Jack Martins. Kim Keiserman and Josh Lafazan are the leading contenders. – Jeff Coltin More from Albany: — Longtime DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos is calling it quits. (POLITICOPro) — AG Tish James in a report determined police in Saratoga Springs acted unconstitutionally when retaliating against BLM advocates. (Spectrum News) — AARP is warning Hochul’s budget could have an adverse impact on family caregivers. (Buffalo News)
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | | 
The most politically active unions in the state threw their support behind Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. | Mary Altaffer/AP | UNIONS FOR KG: A host of labor unions today are throwing their support behind Gillibrand’s reelection campaign. The endorsements for Gillibrand from labor include the most politically active unions in the state: DC37, Hotel Trades Council, 32BJ SEIU, Uniformed Firefighters Association, New York State Nurses Association, Workers United, Transportation Workers Union, RWDSU, Council of School Supervisors and Administrators and IBEW Local 3. She is also getting the backing of John Durso, the president of the Long Island Federation of Labor, Westchester-Putnam Central Labor Body President Tom Carey and President Dan Maloney of the Rochester Labor Council. “I am honored to have the endorsement of New York’s powerful unions, who work tirelessly on behalf of working families, and relentlessly pursue fair wages, strong benefits and safe working conditions,” the well-funded Democrat said in a statement to Playbook. Her campaign is rolling out the endorsements as Republicans prepare to nominate Sapraicone to challenge her in November. — Nick Reisman More from the delegation: — West Seneca Supervisor Gary Dickson is the Republican’s nominee in an April 30 special election for the Buffalo-area congressional seat vacated by Brian Higgins. (POLITICO) — The White House is considering executive action to restrict migrants’ ability to seek asylum at the US-Mexico border if they crossed illegally (CNN)
| | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — A Maricopa County, Ariz. prosecutor refused to extradite a 26-year-old murder suspect to New York City, saying she didn’t trust Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to keep him in custody. (New York Post) — Taxi regulators were hit with a lawsuit charging they have “no intention of even attempting” to meet their goal of making half of New York City’s taxi fleet wheelchair accessible by 2023. (New York Times) — Nassau County police cannot demand gun permit applicants get drug tested and provide other proof of good character to obtain a handgun license, a state Supreme Court justice ruled. (Newsday)
| | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman IN MEMORIAM: Janet Allon, senior director for communications and public affairs at Global Strategy Group, a longtime flack and reporter in and around city politics, died this weekend after a brief and sudden illness, per her son Jonah. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.) … Viet Dinh … Alyssa Mastromonaco … MSNBC’s Dan Holway … CNN’s Laurie Ure … NBC’s Keir Simmons … AP’s Michael Biesecker … Jim Friedlich … Sarah Elizabeth Clark … (WAS WEDNESDAY): Jonathan Safran Foer ... David Wessel ... Peter Salovey ... Randy Lerner ... Jay S. Schaefer
| | YOUR NEW YORK NUMBER OF THE DAY | | | | 5,000 The number of NYCHA apartments, roughly, that are sitting empty, per THE CITY — a total that grown tenfold in spite of a plan to speed up the process. | | | | | | 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