| | | | |  | | By Jeff Coltin, Nick Reisman and Emily Ngo | With help from Shawn Ness
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Rep. Nicole Malliotakis and City Council Member Justin Brannan are debating if Staten Island should be separate from the rest of the five boroughs. | Loic Venance/Getty Images | “Should Staten Island stay, or should Staten Island go” could have been one hell of a congressional campaign battle between Rep. Nicole Malliotakis and City Council Member Justin Brannan. Instead, a new report from the Independent Budget Office highlighting the complexity and expense of the borough seceding from the rest of the city will likely be met with a shrug. “It doesn’t tell us anything new,” said City Council Member Joe Borelli, a son of Staten Island and the most outspoken advocate for secession today — or as he calls it, “municipal control” or “municipal self-determination.” Brannan asked the IBO to look into a hypothetical case of Staten Island becoming its own city. It found that secession “is highly complex” and “would either be more expensive for Staten Island residents, require an independent Staten Island to reduce benefits and services to residents, or both.” That proves secession advocates are foolish, Brannan said. “For as long as I can remember, elected officials and candidates for office in Richmond County have been pushing the snake oil of secession as a panacea for every perceived problem in a borough where everyone agrees the city could always do more,” he said in a statement to Playbook. “But secession would only make daily life harder for regular, hardworking Staten Islanders, the city's most unionized borough.” But Brannan represents Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, tied to Staten Island by the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, but a world away. Why does he care? Presumably, because Brannan was seriously considering running for Congress, taking on Malliotakis in November. The report would have given him something official to point to when asked about the emotionally charged issue of secession. Malliotakis knows the political power of secession talk and brought it up again on Fox News last year in response to migrant shelters opening up in her district. "We didn’t vote for your policies. We should not be subjected to your policies,” she said of the borough, which leans Republican. But redistricting kept NY-11 the same. Brannan decided not to run, and national Democrats are basically ceding it to Malliotakis by not devoting any resources. Malliotakis is expected to coast to victory with little opposition from either Democratic lawyer Andrea Morse or DEI consultant Sarah Blas. Brannan is term-limited out from the council at the end of 2025 and could run in the future, but it would be tough for any Brooklynite to win the majority Staten Island district — especially if they refuse to pay lip service to secession, no matter how far-fetched the idea. “I could not possibly think of a worse campaign strategy on Staten Island,” Borelli said, “than saying Staten Island will be forever tied to progressive City Hall.” — Jeff Coltin HAPPY FRIDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists.
Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | WHERE’S KATHY? In New York City and Suffolk County making a higher education budget announcement. WHERE’S ERIC? Meeting with Consul General of Israel Ofir Akunis, then with Haitian community leaders, delivering remarks at the Society of Asian Federal Officers’ 33rd annual awards and scholarship banquet. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “It doesn’t occupy one inch of space in my mind. I don’t process that; I don’t entertain that.” — Gov. Kathy Hochul when asked Thursday about former Gov. Andrew Cuomo potentially running for mayor or governor.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | 
The state is going to spend $500,000 on an assessment of how the Holocaust is taught in schools. Assemblymember Charles Lavine thinks that teaching citizens to be good people is paramount. | Hans Pennink/AP | SCHOOL’S OUT: New York is going to spend $500,000 to update and assess Holocaust curricula in schools — money included in the newly approved state budget that some Democratic lawmakers believe is well-timed. The state is updating efforts to teach kids about the Holocaust as protests over the Israel-Hamas war have swept over college campuses in New York and around the country. “We have moved away for far too long from teaching our children first and foremost to be good citizens,” Assemblymember Charles Lavine told Playbook. “In order to do that, our students must know history, and they must know civics, and they must know mass communication. These are essential skills, and they are a life and death matter.” Lavine, the chair of the National Association of Jewish Legislators, has been alarmed by the rise in antisemitism over the last several years. Concerns have been heightened, too, as some campus protesters have been condemned for antisemitic comments and chants. And state officials have paid more attention to Holocaust education. Two years ago, lawmakers and Hochul agreed to review how the Holocaust was being taught in New York schools. “Our solemn obligation as the government of the state of New York is to ensure the safety of all of our citizens,” Lavine said. “The rise in antisemitism and the rise in hatred over the last years is something we have not experienced in this nation for a century.” New York has the largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel, and support for the country has typically been considered a bedrock principle of state politics. The war in Gaza, however, has divided members of the Democratic conference in the state Assembly. And more broadly, some lawmakers — including those elected with the backing of the Democratic Socialists of America — have been supportive of protests at college campuses while also condemning antisemitic rhetoric. Police this week arrested protesters at campuses, including Columbia University and Fordham University. Hochul said Thursday her office was monitoring college campuses outside the city as commencement events are getting underway this month. “Not every situation is the same,” Hochul told reporters. “We’re a nation of laws, but also we follow the constitution and it allows people to gather and peacefully protest.” — Nick Reisman
| | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | |  Former President Donald Trump stopped at a fire station to thank the FDNY for their work with pizza and a campaign photo-op. | Michael Santiago/Getty Images | TRUMP VISITS FDNY: After his criminal court appearance Thursday, former President Donald Trump stopped by a fire station in Midtown Manhattan for a campaign photo-op with firefighters and boxes of pizza. (Xeno’s, on 52nd Street, for the curious.) He lined up and took photos with firefighters and signed a firehouse journal during a 10-minute visit. “He was thanking them for the work they do,” FDNY spokesperson Jim Long, who was inside, told Playbook. “They were the best, he said, but he’s not going to tell them that.” Long said the Trump campaign asked to visit — and paid for the 10 pizzas. The firefighters greeted him with applause and cheers, highlighting the support he has in one of the more conservative branches of city government. After Trump won in 2016, firefighters had to be reminded they couldn’t post photos of him in firehouses, due to a longstanding ban on political displays in the government buildings. Another department spokesperson, Amanda Farinacci, downplayed the controversial candidate's appearance. “We appreciate whoever supports our members at the FDNY, no matter their political affiliation,” she said in a statement. The International Association of Fire Fighters, which represents FDNY members, endorsed Joe Biden early in the 2020 cycle, drawing anger from Trump. The union has yet to weigh in on 2024, and the local branch didn’t respond to a request for comment. — Jeff Coltin WALK THE WALK: How has City Hall changed since the Tammany Hall days? HAS it changed? That’s one of the subjects of “Money, Power, and Party Bosses: The Civic Center in the 19th Century”a free walking tour hosted by Citizens Union’s Ben Weinberg Sunday. It’s one of dozens of Jane’s Walks happening this weekend, inspired by urbanist Jane Jacobs and organized by the Municipal Art Society. — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — A state constitutional amendment introduced this week would move New York City’s mayoral election and other races in cities across the state to even-numbered years. (POLITICO Pro) — A since-deleted tweet deriding Council Member Tiffany Cabán from NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell is fueling growing concern his antics may violate rules barring political activity. (Daily News) — More than two-thirds of protesters arrested at Columbia and City College were released with summonses, and eyes are on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s handling of the cases. (City & State)
| | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | |  New Yorkers for Better Recycling want to reform the bottle deposit laws. | Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Ocean Conservancy | BEVERAGE BOTTLERS VS. BOTTLE DEPOSIT SYSTEM: Beverage bottlers are allying with a few community groups to push for a complete revamp of the state’s bottle deposit law. The new group is not supporting an increase to the 5-cent deposit, as some environmental groups and redemption centers have pushed with increasing urgency over the last few years. Instead, the newly formed New Yorkers for Better Recycling coalition wants to “reform” the system into one where the industry plays a greater role. They want a system “in which the producers of recyclable materials are responsible for funding and operating the collection system with appropriate government oversight,” the coalition’s announcement states. “Producers pay into the system and run it so that they can get more materials back to be remade into new products.” The coalition’s membership list is primarily from the industry that packages and distributes both Pepsi and Coca-Cola beverages: Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast, Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of New York and the New York State Pepsi Bottlers Association. The Korean American Grocers Organization and the Korean American Alliance of Greater New York, which share leadership, and several clergy organizations are also members, according to a list provided by the coalition. “We have an obligation to ensure we’re doing everything possible to improve the way we recycle in our state, and we can only do that by re-working the system,” said Kwang Min Park, president of the Korean American Grocers Association, in a statement. A spokesperson for the organization said the coalition has not taken a position on any specific bill. The proposal to revamp the bottle deposit law and give the industry more of a role is likely to meet strong opposition from environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers who are pushing for a higher deposit and an expansion of the law to more types of beverage containers. “Leaving the packaging industry to control the recycling system in New York is like leaving Dracula in charge of the blood bank,” said NYPIRG’s Blair Horner. He said the system needs to be modernized and expanded, not “defanged.” The redemption rate for bottles with a deposit was 70 percent in 2021, far higher than recycling rates for other materials, according to state data. — Marie J. French MODEL ENDORSEMENTS: A proposal that would enshrine a package of labor protections for fashion models has won the backing of a pair of influential unions that represent entertainment industry workers. The Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America East endorsed the measure, known as the Fashion Workers Act. “This labor fight, like any other, draws its strength from unity,” Sara Ziff, the executive director of the advocacy group Model Alliance, said. “The Model Alliance is grateful to have SAG-AFTRA and WGAE behind us as we work to pass the Fashion Workers Act in New York this spring, and we look forward to building worker power together across industries.” Supporters of the legislation want the measure considered in the post-budget portion of the legislative session, set to begin Monday and run until June 6. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — John Howard, a top Cuomo aide, and a member of the Public Service Commission until last month talked about New York’s energy future and its troubles. (POLITICO Pro) — New York is overhauling its best practices for early childhood reading, and schools will have to comply with the new rules. (LoHud) — An existential fight for the political soul of Bed-Stuy is brewing between Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman and political newcomer Eon Huntley. (City & State)
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | | 
A law professor at Columbia co-hosted a fundraiser for Rep. Jamaal Bowman. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | FIRST IN NEW YORK PLAYBOOK — BOWMAN’S BACKER: One of the co-hosts of a fundraiser Rep. Jamaal Bowman held on Thursday night is a Columbia law professor who was criticized at the recent congressional hearing on antisemitism at Columbia for comments she made about Israeli students. Katherine Franke, the director of the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School, was listed as a co-host of the Bowman fundraiser at the Upper West Side home of Jennifer Hirsch, according to the invite for the event, whose hosts also included former Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger and JFREJ’s Sophie Ellman-Golan. Rep. Elise Stefanik recently interrogated Columbia president Minouche Shafik about what disciplinary action had been taken against Franke, who Stefanik alleged had said that Israeli students who had served in the I.D.F. were “dangerous” and shouldn’t be on campus. Although Franke has strenuously denied making the supposed comments and Shafik said it was “not what she intended to say,” she also said such a statement was “completely unacceptable and discriminatory” and that a senior university official had spoken to her. The New York Times reported that Franke had said that she told a radio show that some students who were previously IDF soldiers had “harassed” pro-Palestinian protestors, referring to an incident where some of them were sprayed with a hazardous chemical in January. Franke, who wrote in The Nation in early April that Columbia is “waging a war on dissent,” didn’t respond to a request for comment. Bowman’s Thursday event was jointly held with city Comptroller Brad Lander, who was criticized by some Jewish Democrats on Thursday for hosting it with the Squad member, who has been sharply critical of how Israel has conducted the war in Gaza. Lander, however, didn’t attend in person, since he’s in Denmark on a green jobs junket. “Jamaal Bowman is holding a fundraiser with a leading legal scholar targeted by Republicans in a hearing, while George Latimer is holding a fundraiser with Trump donor Anthony Scavo, after holding a previous fundraiser in the home of Trump donor Alex Dubitsky,” Bowman spokesperson Bill Neidhardt said in a statement. “Latimer’s MAGA money is a major issue for Democratic voters.” — Daniel Lippman BATTERY POWER BROKERS: A broad coalition of consumer organizations and business groups has endorsed Rep. Ritchie Torres’ proposal to create a federal consumer product safety standard for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in electric scooters and e-bikes. The batteries have played a role in recent residential fires and have become a growing concern for safety advocates. “I’m grateful to the hundreds of first responders who continue to bravely respond to these incidents and do all they can to save lives and property, but the time has come for the federal government to act because this problem is not isolated to just New York,” Torres said in a statement. Those endorsing the bill, including the Partnership for New York City, Doordash and Consumer Reports, urged House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a letter this week to bring the measure up for a vote, calling it “critical safety legislation.” — Nick Reisman More from Congress: — Jeffries isn’t speaker yet, but the Democrat may be the most powerful person in Congress. (Associated Press) — The rematch between Rep. Marc Molinaro and Josh Riley is quickly turning bitter and personal. (Spectrum)
| | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S ENERGY SUMMIT: The future of energy faces a crossroads in 2024 as policymakers and industry leaders shape new rules, investments and technologies. Join POLITICO’s Energy Summit on June 5 as we convene top voices to examine the shifting global policy environment in a year of major elections in the U.S. and around the world. POLITICO will examine how governments are writing and rewriting new rules for the energy future and America’s own role as a major exporter. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — Queens Democratic judicial candidate Julie Milner seemingly called for Biden’s execution online. (Queens Eagle) — Albany’s I-787 could be in store for a glow-up. (Times Union) — Monroe County DA Sandra Doorley is offering a written apology after her confrontation with a police officer. (Democrat and Chronicle) — A study says Black migrants in New York are more likely to face eviction notices. (Gothamist)
| | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman MEDIAWATCH — “WSJ shifting Asia ops to Singapore, layoffs occurring,” by Talking Biz News’ Chris Roush. MAKING MOVES: Legal Services NYC has named Shervon M. Small as executive director. He was previously attorney-in-charge of the Bronx office of the Legal Aid Society. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NBC/MSNBC’s Willie Geist … NBC’s Stephen Labaton … Claudia Russo … Chris Bodenner … SKDK’s Stephen Krupin … Charter’s Catherine Bohigian … (WAS THURSDAY): Alon Ben-Meir … David Weprin.
| | YOUR NEW YORK NUMBER OF THE DAY | | | | 10.6 percent The increase in operating aid that will go to the four university centers in the SUNY system. The faculty union, however, isn’t pleased with how the money is being allocated. | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
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