| | | | |  | | By Janaki Chadha, Emily Ngo, Jeff Coltin and Nick Reisman | Presented by New Yorkers for Local Businesses | With help from Shawn Ness
|  Dan Doctoroff, an aide to former Mayor Mike Bloomberg, was given the Felix Rohatyn Award by the Citizens Budget Commission. | Saeed Kahn/AFP/Getty Images | | A top Bloomberg aide credited with rebuilding New York City after 9/11 — and who is now fighting a neurodegenerative disease — was feted by a prominent civic group Thursday at a gala that drew a who’s who of government and business elite. Dan Doctoroff, former deputy mayor for economic development and rebuilding under Mayor Mike Bloomberg, was honored by the Citizens Budget Commission with an award named for Felix Rohatyn, who’s credited with saving New York from a different disaster: the 1970s fiscal crisis. Doctoroff is now the founder and chair of Target ALS, a foundation dedicated to advancing research on the disease, which he was diagnosed with in late 2021. “Dan fought for New York, he believed in New York, and we are better for it. But now he has one more battle to fight,” said Ed Skyler, former deputy mayor for operations under Bloomberg, who presented the award. He noted Doctoroff has set a goal of raising $250 million for ALS research. “If you know Dan, you know that it’s a matter of when, and not if, this ambitious goal will be met. So let’s join him in this battle.” Doctoroff served as deputy mayor from 2002 to 2008. He led initiatives that transformed swaths of the city, from the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan to the development of Hudson Yards, to the rezoning of some 6,000 city blocks — including plans that radically changed the character of neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Long Island City. Doctoroff came down with Covid and could not attend the event. Sharon Greenberger, his first chief of staff, accepted the award on his behalf. She read remarks from Doctoroff, in which he reflected on his philosophy and legacy. “In my mind, a city was like any other product,” Greenberger read. “It had customers, it had competitors, it had to be marketed. How would you know if you were doing your job successfully? The answer: more people would choose New York over other places to live.” “When Bloomberg took office, parts of the city had been largely untouched since the city’s darkest days in the 1970s,” he continued. “With carefully considered investment, many of those neighborhoods are now among the city’s hottest and fastest growing.” He also oversaw initiatives to build a new Yankee Stadium, Citi Field and the Barclays Center, and led ultimately unsuccessful efforts to bring the 2012 Olympics to New York. Doctoroff, described in one recent profile as “[Robert] Moses in a hurry,” is seen as instrumental to the city’s resurgence after 9/11, but the myriad initiatives he pursued also left him with a controversial legacy. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams gave remarks at CBC’s gala, which was held at the ritzy Cipriani Wall Street. The event drew top city and state officials, who schmoozed with politicians, lobbyists, real estate and business executives and civic leaders. John C. Williams, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, won the organization’s annual high civic service award. — Janaki Chadha IT’S FRIDAY. Wow. Go, you. You’re almost to the weekend. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | | | A message from New Yorkers for Local Businesses: Costs have risen and I’m trying to do right by my employees. I’ve been a small business owner for 30 years, and I don’t think Albany realizes how much harder it’s gotten to keep a small business afloat in New York. I just hope they’ll consider how much local businesses mean to their communities, particularly in small towns like mine, before passing legislation that could wipe us out. - Renee Reardon, Restaurant Owner in the Capital Region. Learn more about how New Yorkers for Local Businesses is fighting back at NYforLocalBusinesses.com. | | | WHERE’S KATHY? Making an economic development announcement in Binghamton and delivering remarks at the Irish Unity Summit in New York City. WHERE’S ERIC? Appearing live on NY1’s “Mornings on 1,” then on FOX5’s “Good Day New York,” then on PIX11’s “PIX11 Morning News,” then on 1010 WINS’ “Morning Dive,” and his final media appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” delivering remarks at the 30th-anniversary commemoration of the death of Ari Halberstam, meeting with the President of Ecuador H.E. Daniel Noboa. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “A lot of people are catastrophizing the congestion pricing. … It’s not the end of the world.” — Park Slope resident Michael Ring, at an MTA hearing on the toll plan Thursday, per a surprisingly positive story in the Post.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | | 
Every challenger to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has their own baggage that they will have to navigate during the election. | Emily Ngo/POLITICO | HOT DOG! THIS PRIMARY: One GOP candidate for U.S. Senate is under heated attack for contributing to Attorney General Tish James, his critics knocking him for not being Republican enough. But another contender is a former enrolled Democrat. And a third has donated to left-leaning Rep. Jamaal Bowman. None have a real shot at unseating Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. None plan to abandon their efforts without a fight — even if it’s only against each other in the Republican primary. On Thursday, the deadline for Mike Sapraicone, a retired NYPD detective turned businessman who has donated to both parties, to decline his party’s designation came and went with him insisting he’s staying in. Also Thursday, Newsmax and Gateway Pundit reporter Cara Castronuova and George Pataki-backed businessperson Josh Eisen appeared together at the Roosevelt Hotel migrant intake center in Manhattan to denounce President Joe Biden’s border policies while pitching themselves as best positioned to take him on. “The sanctuary city chickens have come to roost,” Eisen said. “We’re here to fight for Donald Trump. We’re here to fight for his policies,” said Castronuova, a literal champion boxer. Meanwhile, news that Sapraicone’s security firm had donated $1,000 to James, who prosecuted Trump for fraud, had trickled up to the former president, Playbook has learned. As a result, former Long Island Rep. Pete King tried to get Sapraicone to step down and Nassau County GOP leaders met with Sapraicone to pressure him to drop out. Sapraicone is resolute about running, having secured 86 percent of the GOP vote and 97 percent of the Conservative Party vote at the state conventions last week. A spokesperson referred Playbook back to a lengthy statement that in part noted that Sapraicone and Trump both “built successful businesses and attended Mets games in adjacent boxes where I was lucky to share a hot dog and a brief word with him.” The statement was catnip for critics like Eisen campaign manager Peter Giunta, who posted on X: “Sapraicone went from never-Trump to ‘I shared a hot dog lady and the tramp style with Donald Trump.’” — Emily Ngo
| | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine is using AI to write memos. He is also advancing legislation that would require employees to disclose if they used AI to create anything for the public. | William Alatriste/NYC Council Media Unit | AI BEEP: Staffers in Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine’s office are already using artificial intelligence programs like ChatGPT to help write internal memos — so the office is publishing a policy memo to guide the use of AI. Levine will highlight it in his State of the Borough address on Sunday at Hunter College. The four-page policy includes a requirement that employees disclose when AI was used to create anything for the public and bans its use in advising constituents on legal matters. Levine’s guidance comes as a similar plan from City Hall is more than a month late. Adams released an AI Action Plan in October, setting a goal to provide preliminary guidance on the use of AI tools like Large Language Models “within three months.” Adams was also looking to hire an AI Czar a year ago, but the role has never been announced. The city’s Office of Technology and Innovation is leading that effort. “OTI is partnering with stakeholders across the public and private sectors, industry experts, and beyond to build processes and safeguards that ensure AI tools are deployed responsibly and effectively by city government agencies,” a spokesperson said. “We’re excited to announce an update on our progress in the coming weeks.” — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — The FBI raided Flushing’s New World Mall, where Adams raised money and hosted campaign operations, as well as homes owned by fundraiser and aide Winnie Greco. (THE CITY) — The city doesn’t track where migrants who exit shelters land, and there are fresh questions about the well-being of newcomers who set out on their own. (Gothamist) — Assuming that Adams has kept all his cryptocurrency holdings, his portfolio is now up 36 percent, or roughly $10,000. (Hell Gate)
| | | | A message from New Yorkers for Local Businesses:   | | | | | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | | 
Transport Workers Union President John Samuelsen aired an ad that reads "SCREW YOU!!!" right next to a picture of Gov. Kathy Hochul's face. | John Minchillo/AP | TWU PEACE, DERAILED: The Transport Workers Union is back on the warpath against Hochul over an MTA contract negotiation — running digital ads with a big “SCREW YOU!!!” message by her face. The Metro-North mechanics and train car cleaners all live in the Hudson Valley, “the districts that Democrats need to win. And Hochul keeps tormenting them,” TWU President John Samuelsen told Playbook. “Hochul goes and brags she’s the face of the Democratic Party. And then she sticks it up the ass of suburban commuter rail workers.” A source close to Hochul pointed to her previous comments that she “can govern with strength” and she — like Samuelsen — is Irish: “Irish Alzheimer’s is you forget everything except the grudge.” The same workers reached a deal in November after a fierce public campaign calling Hochul a “fraudster” and worse. TWU had bought airtime in Buffalo for a particularly harsh anti-Hochul TV ad, two sources familiar with the plan told Playbook, but it never aired since they struck an agreement. But that contract was retroactive. Now they need a new one, and Samuelsen’s accusing the MTA of lowballing the union. The “Screw You” ads have run on the Post’s website, but Empire Report turned TWU down. The bad relations played out after union subway conductors didn’t staff trains on the A and C lines for hours Thursday morning, in response to a member being violently slashed. MTA leaders called it an illegal wildcat strike, while a union spokesperson said it was simply an effort to ensure safety — and “Hochul’s MTA” calling it anything else is “shameful, but par for the course, unfortunately.” — Jeff Coltin WFP AND LANDER SPLIT: The race to take Assemblymember Danny O’Donnell’s Upper West Side seat has familiar friends taking opposing sides. Candidate Eli Northrup, a public defender, will announce a slate of endorsements from powerful progressive names later today. Among them is the Working Families Party, Playbook is the first to report. Northrup is also set to announce the endorsements of Assemblymembers Amanda Septimo, Anna Kelles and Latrice Walker. But city Comptroller Brad Lander, one of the WFP’s most steadfast and highest-ranking allies, is backing former Hochul policy director Micah Lasher in the race, Playbook learned. Lasher’s got the lion’s share of endorsements so far, including Reps. Jerry Nadler and Adriano Espaillat, but opponents are pushing back. Real estate lobbyist Melissa Rosenberg announced the endorsement of progressive PAC Run for Something Thursday, and knocked Lasher for being part of “a corrupt old boys club designed to lock (women) out of leadership.” — Jason Beeferman CLIMATE PLUS HOUSING: Left-leaning advocates are making a push for a legislative package meant to expand housing while also addressing climate change. The proposal, called Livable New York, is aimed at expanding low-income housing through subsidies generated by “targeted taxation on the rich.” At the same time, the measure would require all buildings to use renewable forms of energy, forgoing oil and gas. “Solving our state’s biggest problems requires big solutions,” Bronx Sen. Gustavo Rivera, the bill’s sponsor, said. “We need to solve four coinciding crises: housing, climate, migration, and jobs. We want the livable future all New Yorkers rightfully deserve, so we're proposing a bold social program that delivers results at the scale New York needs.” The legislation draws together two key themes that have dominated the Legislature in recent years: housing and energy. But those are also the most complex issues facing state officials. A sweeping housing package backed by Hochul last year failed to gain traction, while the state’s push to reach its renewable energy goals has faced headwinds. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — Former Budget Director Robert Mujica is advising a major hospital lobbying organization. (NYS Focus) — Supermarkets in New York are once again making a push to sell wine. (LoHud)
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | | 
The Congressional Integrity Project wants Republicans to stop talking about impeaching President Joe Biden. They have launched an ad campaign to try and convince them. | Evan Vucci/AP | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: A Democratic-allied group wants talk of impeaching President Joe Biden to end. The Congressional Integrity Project will launch a campaign, including digital ads, mobile billboards and a new website to dissuade House Republicans from a removal effort. Total spending for the effort is expected to reach seven figures and is part of a broader national campaign from the group. Ads will be seen in the districts of New York GOP Reps. Anthony D’Esposito, Michael Lawler, Marc Molinaro and Brandon Williams. All Republicans are first-term lawmakers that Democrats want to unseat this year. The campaign comes after former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov was charged with lying about the Biden family to investigators. “It’s time for Congress and the country to move on,” the group’s executive director Kyle Herrig said. “These conspiracy theories and lies have been proven false for years and the revelation about Smirnov is just the punctuation mark to what has been a ridiculous investigation that uncovered zero evidence of wrongdoing by the president.” — Nick Reisman More from Congress: — Rep. Tom Suozzi is back, and he’s got advice for Biden. (POLITICO) — Suozzi’s win is giving Democrats a jolt of confidence trying to retake Rep. Nick LaLota’s east end seat. (Gothamist)
| | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — Nassau County published text messages that it said presented a “smoking gun” showing Hofstra University has coordinated with Steve Cohen to hurt another casino bid. (Daily News) — Onondaga County is preparing for thousands of Micron Technology workers to move to the region. (State of Politics) — A Russian national living in New York pleaded guilty to sending American military technology to Russia after they invaded Ukraine. (Daily News)
| | | | A message from New Yorkers for Local Businesses: Rising costs, an unstable economy, and a hostile business environment have made it harder than ever to start, manage, or grow a small business in New York. New Yorkers for Local Businesses is fighting back against misguided bills that threaten New York’s economic recovery. Learn more here. | | | | | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman MAKING MOVES — Marie Mark has been named the executive director of the Immigrant Defense Project. She has spent more than eight years at the organization, most recently as interim executive director. ... Palak Kaushal is now an associate VP in the corporate and legislation team at Kasirer. She most recently was deputy chief of staff at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. MEDIAWATCH: NY1 political anchor Errol Louis is launching a weekly national show called “The Big Deal” on Spectrum News networks … Streetsblog reporter Julianne Cuba is joining Crain’s New York to cover real estate. — Per Playbook PM: "After laying off several dozen D.C. bureau staffers earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal has now laid off five foreign reporters as well, six current and former Journal staffers told our Daniel Lippman. Alastair Gale in Japan, Luciana Magalhaes in Brazil, Juan Montes in Mexico and Eric Sylvers and Francis X. Rocca in Italy all were let go earlier this week, according to the sources. "'We are devastated that more of our colleagues at WSJ have been laid off this week across our World team & 13 union members were cut from non-News departments last week — all despite Dow Jones posting record profits in FY2023,' Dow Jones' union tweeted out Thursday morning. "A Journal rep said in a short interview that 'we are always looking for how to better prioritize our resources and strengthen our foreign correspondent network' and said the layoffs will not affect their international coverage, with 160 staffers remaining around the world." MAKING MOVES: Gabe Tobias is now the campaign manager for Rep. Jamaal Bowman as he faces reelection. He was a member of the 2020 Bowman team when he was a senior adviser at Justice Democrats. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Lorraine Woellert … ABC’s Ian Sbalcio … Steve Holmgren … Nigel Duara … Kasey Lovett … ON SATURDAY: John Tritt, deputy political director for 32BJ SEIU … (WAS THURSDAY): Roman Frydman ... Abby Joseph Cohen.
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