| | | | |  | | By Madina Touré, Timmy Facciola, Nick Reisman, Emily Ngo and Jeff Coltin | | Presented by |  | | | |  United Jewish Appeal of Greater New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York hosted the October 7th memorial. | Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office | Some of New York’s highest-ranking Democratic politicians joined hundreds of mourners Monday night to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel. Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, Attorney General Letitia James, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand attended a memorial in Central Park to honor the victims. About 1,200 Israelis were killed, and Hamas took 250 hostages. “On October 7th, Hamas displayed such viciousness to try to scare Israelis, Americans and the world into submission – but they failed,” Schumer said before lighting a candle. United Jewish Appeal of Greater New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York hosted the service. The elected officials stood solemnly onstage as a cantor sang a memorial prayer. A screen displaying a photo montage of the victims played in the background. More than 50 rabbis sang the mourner’s kaddish, a Jewish prayer marking the anniversary of a loved one’s death. Meanwhile, at a separate memorial at Union Square organized by progressive Jewish organizations — including Jews For Racial & Economic Justice — city representatives read the names of Israeli, Palestinian and Lebanese victims who have lost their lives over the last year. Those elected officials included Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who would become acting mayor if Adams resigns, and Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim and pro-Palestinian legislator who’s exploring a run for mayor. “What brought me to this action today was its commitment to upholding the dignity of each person whose life has been stolen from us,” Mamdani told Playbook following the service, referring to Palestinian and Lebanese death tolls of 41,000 and 2,000, respectively. Others who attended that event included Council member Shahana Hanif, the first female Muslim member of the lawmaking body, and fellow Brooklyn Council member Sandy Nurse. Students at institutions citywide also commemorated the anniversary by staging a walkout as part of the “Week of Rage” led by the national Students for Justice in Palestine. They later convened in Washington Square Park for a citywide action organized by Within Our Lifetime, a pro-Palestinian group. That demonstration prompted Assemblywoman Nily Rozic — the first Israeli-born state assemblymember — and six other Queens lawmakers to send a letter to City University of New York Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez questioning recent social media posts from SJP’s Queens College chapter endorsing such actions. “We write to express our deep concern regarding [the events] that, far from being protected First Amendment expression, constitutes unprotected incitement of violence against, and calls for the harassment of Jewish students,” the pols wrote in the missive. They urged CUNY to enforce a zero-tolerance policy and implement recommendations from an independent review commissioned by Hochul. CUNY spokesperson Noah Gardy said the university will do so — and deployed additional safety officers to campuses. — Madina Touré and Timmy Facciola
HAPPY TUESDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | | | A message from Uber: New York City Uber riders pay $700 Million in taxes and fees annually* That’s more than the entire budget for New York City Parks Department. *Based on trips originating from NYC in 2023. Learn more. | | | WHERE’S KATHY? In Pennsylvania, Westchester County and New York City. WHERE’S ERIC? Making a public safety-related announcement with the interim NYPD commissioner, holding his weekly off-topic news conference and hosting a reception celebrating Hispanic culture and heritage at Gracie Mansion. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “You’re out in here in the middle of the night, trying to get comments from these yuk yuks?” — Actor Liev Schreiber, speaking to Hell Gate as he left a restaurant near Zero Bond, whose patrons were being interviewed by the outlet about Adams’ indictment.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | 
Rep. Pat Ryan is one of the entrenched House Democrats getting a boost in ads. | Hans Pennink/AP | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: The powerful statewide teachers union has launched an ad and mail blitz in seven battleground House districts to boost Democrats. The rollout – which includes digital ads, radio spots and mailers — is part of a $2 million effort the New York State United Teachers first unveiled in August. The ads first started appearing this weekend. NY Common Ground, the group’s federal independent expenditure committee, is targeting House races from Long Island to Syracuse. Democrats want to flip five House seats in New York that are held by first-term Republicans — swing districts that could determine which party controls the closely divided chamber next year. The initial digital ads will appear in the districts where Democrats Josh Riley, John Mannion, Laura Gillen and Mondaire Jones are running. Democrats are also trying to hold onto two seats occupied by Reps. Pat Ryan and Tom Suozzi. Cable ads will also air in Jones’ Hudson Valley race as well as on broadcast stations in the Binghamton market, where Riley is running. The largely positive ads draw heavily on the candidates’ biographies. NYSUT aimed the spot at swing voters who are considered “lower-propensity” — people who typically don’t turn out for every election, but could prove a decisive factor in a close race. “As educators we model civility and cooperation in the classroom and that’s the example we’re asking for in our political leaders and what this campaign is all about,” NYSUT President Melinda Person said in a statement to Playbook. In prior election cycles, the teachers union has spent heavily in state-level races. But with Democrats holding supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature, the labor group has turned its focus to hotly contested House races. “Battleground House New York Republicans have spent the past two years working towards common sense solutions to problems that face New Yorkers,” said Savannah Viar, a spokesperson for the House Republicans’ campaign arm. “Their records speak for themselves and that is why they will be re-elected this fall.” Separately, two Emerson College polls showed tight races in the Hudson Valley: Republican Rep. Mike Lawler is in a virtual tie with Jones, 45 percent to 44 percent, while Ryan holds a 5 percentage point lead over Republican Alison Esposito, 48 percent to 43 percent. — Nick Reisman | | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
Maria Torres-Springer serves as deputy mayor for economic development and workforce. | Getty Images for The Asian American Foundation | MTS FOR FDM?: Amid the spate of resignations following federal corruption investigations and Mayor Adams’ indictment, the mayor is looking to elevate a trusted insider to be his next first deputy mayor. The top contender is Maria Torres-Springer, deputy mayor for housing, economic development and workforce, POLITICO reports. Five people familiar with the appointment process said Adams was on the cusp of naming Torres-Springer as the successor to Sheena Wright, his outgoing first deputy mayor. — Jeff Coltin CLEARING OUT: Four more Adams aides were also heading for the door amid the scandal as of late Monday, POLITICO’s Sally Goldenberg scooped. Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks announced his resignation after getting caught up in his second federal investigation. Winnie Greco, the mayor’s Asian liaison and a campaign fundraiser, also resigned Monday, her lawyer confirmed, more than seven months after federal investigators raided her home. Another community affairs staffer, Mohammed Bahi, is leaving. The New York Post editorial board, which is influential in the Adams administration, last year criticized Bahi for his role in founding an alleged radical Muslim organization. Ahsan Chughtai, a senior mayoral adviser for South Asian and Muslim affairs, was fired last week, the Daily News reported. And Adams’ Turkish liaison Rana Abbasova, who has been on unpaid leave since federal agents raided her home last fall, has been fired. NBC New York may have a clue as to the timing. It reported Monday evening that Adams’ lawyer said federal prosecutors turned over evidence Sunday that could discredit her as the key cooperating witness against the mayor. — Emily Ngo and Jeff Coltin RATING THE MMR: Adams’ Mayor’s Management Report for fiscal year 2024 isn’t the window into his administration it should be, the Citizens Budget Commission said in a report released overnight. The data-heavy MMR, as it’s often referred to, is intended to provide transparency into city agencies’ operations, but it still measures “what the City is doing” rather than “how well the City is doing its work,” the CBC says. Listing inputs, processes and outputs rather than outcomes, quality and efficiency is a long-standing shortcoming, the nonpartisan nonprofit said. The last MMR also didn’t link program performance data to spending, lacked resident and customer feedback and was missing targets for metrics where performance can be assessed, the group said. “The MMR was innovative in the 1970s but has not kept up with the times,” the CBC’s report reads. “It is neither part of a citywide performance management system, nor does it include the types of actionable data that managers require.” City Hall responded that it is working toward or has already implemented some of the CBC’s recommendations. Adams spokesperson Liz Garcia said, “We welcome conversations with the CBC to discuss ways to build on our new tools — that they list as recommendations in their report — which have already helped us create more transparency and accountability in city government.” — Emily Ngo More from the city: — The city Department of Investigation is probing an Adams administration contract to provide migrants with prepaid debit cards to help them buy food and basic supplies. (Daily News) — Former GOP mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis is mulling another bid for City Hall if Eric Adams is ousted. (New York Post) — A former bureau chief at the Bronx district attorney’s office was fired after pushing subordinates to vote for her in a “Fab Over 40” beauty contest. (Gothamist)
| | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | |  “This win reinforces how our state’s tough anti-fraud laws help protect New Yorkers and ensure bad actors cannot abuse their power, wealth, or influence,” Letitia James said. | Bebeto Matthews/AP | PHARMA BRO’S LOSS: Attorney General Letitia James scored a victory Monday after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from Martin Shkreli, the so-called “pharma bro” who was sued by her office and federal regulators. The move left in place a lower court’s lifetime ban on Shkreli from the pharmaceutical industry. Shkreli gained notoriety nationwide after his company sharply increased the price of an anti-parasitic drug. James’ office, along with the Federal Trade Commission, sued him over illegal and monopolistic behavior. “This win reinforces how our state’s tough anti-fraud laws help protect New Yorkers and ensure bad actors cannot abuse their power, wealth, or influence,” James said. — Nick Reisman MONEY WATCH: Assembly lawmakers today will gauge how effective taxpayer dollars have been when creating jobs. An Assembly panel composed of the Economic Development and Small Business committees will hold a public hearing on the state’s approach toward leveraging public money to expand job growth. The state has had some notable misses: Heavily subsidized businesses like solar panel companies in western New York have struggled even with its help. There are also questions over the state’s generous film tax credit program, which costs $700 million a year. The hearing comes as state and federal money is being poured into semiconductor manufacturing in central New York. The spending is meant to shore up a sector that has struggled economically. Critics of the plan to spend billions of dollars in state and federal money for an expansion of Micron Technology outside of Syracuse question whether the return on investment will ever be realized. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — Former Gov. David Paterson recounted how he and his stepson were attacked on the Upper East Side. (New York Post) — Little has been made public since the state inspector general launched an investigation into corruption complaints at the Adirondack Park Agency. (Times Union) — Twenty colleges in New York lack polling places despite state law. (Times Union)
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | — How embracing Trump could hurt or help Long Island Republicans in November. (City & State) — Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi is sharing the wealth with candidates at the state level on Long Island. (City & State) — IBEW Local 325 hosted GOP Rep. Marc Molinaro and touted how he has been endorsed by nearly three dozen labor unions. (WIVT/WBGH)
| | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — An organization offering “lucrative Chaplaincy positions” and a coveted parking placard isn’t sanctioned by city or state agencies. (StreetsblogNYC) — The state is making it harder to get out of a ticket for passing a school bus. (Times Union) — Mayor Adams and Turkey: an examination of the history of public officials and luxury travel. (Newsday)
| | | | A message from Uber: Ever thought about what it’s like to drive for Uber in New York?
Uber Drivers earn $32 per hour.* And that’s before incentives and tips
They also get benefits including dental insurance, vision coverage, mental health support, and workers’ compensation through the Black Car Fund and Driver Benefits Fund.
*Average earnings per online hour from January - July 2024 based on trips originating from NYC
Learn more. | | | | | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman MAKING MOVES: Lillian Doctoroff, formerly of LaSalle Network, and Francisco Blanco, an aide to City Council member Diana Ayala, are now associates at Kasirer. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) … New Yorkers for Equal Rights’ Sasha Neha Ahuja … Valerie Vazquez of Adams’ Community Affairs Unit … NYC BOE’s Michael Ryan … Cara Noel … the Rev. Jesse Jackson … Steve Coll of The Economist … NBC’s Dan Gallo and Victoria Correia … Molly Erman ... Lillie Belle (Viebranz) Renner … (WAS MONDAY): Matthew Sklar ... Daniel Mael Missed Monday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here. | | | | 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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