Over the next few days and weeks, we will be developing a full plan for those wishing to advertise here. If you are interested in advertising, contact me at robert.harding22@gmail.com.
It is my goal to make this the best blog possible. That doesn’t happen without you.
More coming tomorrow on ads and what to expect from the “new” Excelsior Files.
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This weekend’s prize for the highest quality coverage is a tie between the Plattsburgh Press Republican and the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.
On Sunday the Press Republican hit journalism paydirt on two energy stories. The most significant is the news that talks are underway between the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and Canadian energy producers to import “up to 2,000 megawatts of power from multiple sources, including hydropower from Canada.” Cheap power would be a boon to northern New York’s economy. The second energy piece covered the St. Regis Mohawk’s desire for cheap power to help run its casino and bingo hall.
The D&C had the best state news coverage this weekend with an assist from Gannett’s Albany bureau. While Gannett provided an overview piece on the potential for incumbents losing their seats in the next election, the D&C attended a meeting where a local legislator got an earful from voters who are angry are about high taxes and what’s been going on in Albany.
The Weekend’s Top Editorials
The Poughkeepsie Journal on Sunday hammered the Legislature on two points – disclosure of pork spending and allocation of internal resources. Their mild conclusion: “A level playing field would be best for all New Yorkers.”
The Glens Falls Post Star takes the state to task for failing to pay its taxes to the city and county of Saratoga. I like their suggestion that those entities seize the track and put it up for sale. The taxpayers of New York would surely make out much better from a privately held track operation in Saratoga than what we get from NYRA.
The Kingston Freeman editorial board recaps the sorry story of what went on in the State Senate in June with the added footnote that individual legislators in their coverage area don’t seem to have learned any lessons from the fiasco. “All of which leads to the conclusion that no reform of Albany worthy of the name will come from within,” writes the Freeman. “Only the voters can clean these houses.”
Best (& Worst) Columns
Tom Carroll, long-time charter school champion and activist, has six suggestions for incoming State Education Commissioner David Steiner in a piece published Sunday in the Albany Times Union. Let’s hope Steiner incorporates Carroll’s ideas into a plan to shake up the bureaucracy in Albany. No part of our government gets less value for the cost or is as critical for New York’s future than our educational system.
Casey Seiler, also writing in the Times Union, interjects a bit of humor into the down on Albany theme, suggesting that Steve Wynn be required to purchase the Empire State Plaza and the Capitol building (which he could then lease back to the state) in order to get the lucrative VLT contract at Aqueduct that he desires.
The Prize for the worst column of the weekend goes to Michael Marinaccio, supervisor of the Town of Dickinson and president of the Broome County Association of Towns and Villages. Marinaccio’s column in the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin, which I am not criticizing for publishing it, is called “Consolidations gone wild”. Marinaccio is critical of the newly passed legislation introduced at the behest of the state’s attorney general and signed into law by Gov. Paterson is designed to make it easier for the public to bring local government consolidation to the voters.
Marinaccio fails to state that the reason the law change was needed was that the prior requirements were so onerous that incumbent politicians could easily prevent consolidations no matter how much desired by the majority of the residents of the affected jurisdictions.
Further Marinaccio’s criticisms fail on two grounds. First, no consolidations will go through without voter approvals. Second, although Marinaccio dislikes some of the procedural rules he had a chance to fix them up front by participating in drawing up the legislation! He had to know that reform was on the table and because of his position had multiple channels to provide input – through the state associations that he is a member of and through his local legislators.
While the title Marinaccio’s piece is designed to cast fear in the minds of the public, the problem with consolidations is that they are not happening fast enough. Case in point: a study reported today in the Jamestown Post-Journal and other papers points out that school consolidations in eight counties in Western New York would result in a savings of $133 million a year!
Of course many incumbent politicians are not in favor of consolidation. The choice is simple: continue to pay high property taxes to support the salaries, pensions, cars, offices, computers and other equipment for supervisors and other local officials or consolidate.
Footnote on Newspaper Websites: Why are they Sooo Slow?
Have you noticed how long it takes newspaper websites — even including the Empire Page — to load these days? That’s because we are jamming our home pages with videos and all kinds of multi-media ads.
The Value Click ad server network is most often the primary culprit in slowing down the loading of the Empire Page. I’m considering kicking them off the home page. Let me know if you think I should.
Newspapers however don’t have the luxury of demanding faster load times from those ad networks. It’s one of the consequences of the changes taking place in the economies of print journalism. At the very time when newspapers need to generate more traffic on their websites, they are dependent on ad networks whose primary client is the advertiser.
Links to all of the above news items and 400+ additional news stories, columns and editorials posted by the Empire Page’s editors this weekend are available for less than a quarter a day. Click here to subscribe.
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The Editor’s View:
-Peter Pollak thinks “liquor store owners would be wise to accept” Sen. Liz Krueger and Assemblyman Joseph Morelle’s “The Wine Industry and Liquor Store Revitalization Act,” which offers a “comprehensive compromise solution” to allowing supermarkets and other licensed merchants to sell wine.
The Daily Politics:
-Elizabeth Benjamin shares excerpts from NYCLU posts on YouTube featuring its forum for public advocate candidates held earlier this week.
-Mayor Bloomberg is looking for a “well-spoken, persuasive, confident, and hard-working” field worker to rally the Jewish vote in Brooklyn and Queens.
-The Working Families Party makes a “special effort on behalf of six of its endorsed City Council candidates.”
-Liz doesn’t see the confirmation of Gov. David Paterson’s nominee to head the MTA, Jay Walder coming up next week in the Senate’s scheduled session.
-AG Andrew Cuomo says the governor being at a party in the middle of the week is “totally appropriate.”
-Manhattan DA hopeful Leslie Crocker Snyder “touts her endorsement by the New York Times”… problem is, it’s an endorsement from 2005.
-Mayor Bloomberg thought NY1’s Josh Robin’s question about a fourth term “was a joke,” and says “no” he won’t be running for mayor in 2013.
PolitickerNY:
-Jason Horowitz writes “more and more” of the New York Democratic delegation is getting “used to the idea that (Kirsten) Gillibrand will indeed go unchallenged and be the state’s junior senator for the foreseeable future.”
-Jimmy Vielkind asks Sean Hennessey, chairman of the Jefferson County Democratic Committee, about the biggest challenge in picking a candidate for NY-23.
-AG Andrew Cuomo says, “When there’s a difference between the governor, the executive and the legislative branch, I stay out of it.”
-Ed Cox, the son-in-law of Richard Nixon and a longtime party activist, “is gauging support for a bid to become the state G.O.P. chairman.”
-Azi Paybarah shares video of “David Weprin further distancing himself from that stiff persona at a July 17 music festival in Brooklyn.”
-Paybarah speculates Mark Green’s campaign is expecting rival Bill de Blasio “to benefit disproportionately from his supporters in the labor community.”
-Paybarah shares audio, provided by Mayor Bloomberg’s campaign, of small-business owner Sean Kavanagh-Dowsett bashing Council Speaker Christine Quinn at a Bill Thompson event.
-Mayor Bloomberg is off to campaign in the Catskills this Sunday in “hunt for city voters.”
Albany Watch:
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-Cara Matthews writes Unshackle Upstate urges Gov. Paterson and the Legislature to “close the budget gap by cutting costs” and “giving back what they’ve taken… by reducing the costs of living, working and running a business in this state.”
-Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb calls for a meeting with Gov. Paterson and other leaders of the Senate and Assembly, saying in light of the $2.1 billion budget gap, the state “cannot afford to wait until September… to outline and enact specific cost reductions for achieving the savings needed.”
Capitol Confidential:
-Rick Karlin writes some of former Senate Republican Majority Leader Joe Bruno’s initiatives in the Capitol Region have “stalled or simply gone away.”
NY Fiscal Watch:
-E.J. McMahon reports “more than one-third of the projected growth in next year’s gap, and over half the growth in the gap for fiscal 2013, can be traced to spending increases beyond those forecast by the Division of the Budget just three months ago.”
Daily Intel:
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Press Releases:
-New York State Association of Counties: The latest edition of NYSAC’s Economy Watch reflects NYS’s daunting economic outlook – trends that were underscored yesterday by Governor David Paterson’s updated state financial plan, which highlights a mid-year budget gap of $2.1 billion.
-Business Council of NYS: The Business Council elects two new members, William J. Golden and Gail Grimmett.
-NYS Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli: The market value of the New York State Common Retirement Fund increased to approximately $116.5 billion after investments posted a positive 7.7 percent rate of return for the quarter ended June 30, 2009, the first quarter in the fiscal year.
-Comptroller DiNapoli releases a follow-up audit saying the NYS Thruway Authority has made insufficient progress in how it manages debt issuances after a 2005 audit identified questions about how firms were hired to sell debt and whether best prices were obtained.
-NYS Thruway Authority: Pavement repair projects between Interchange 42 (Geneva) and Interchange 44 (Canandaigua) will necessitate daily lane closures in both the eastbound and westbound directions beginning at 7 a.m. on Monday, August 3 through Wednesday, August 6, weather permitting.
-Mountainview Avenue Bridge, which crosses over the Thruway (I-87) one-half mile north of Interchange 11 (Nyack, US Route 9W), weather permitting, will be reopened Saturday, August 1, approximately three weeks ahead of schedule.
-Fuel services will be temporarily unavailable to motorists at the Mohawk Travel Plaza, located on I-90 eastbound between Interchanges 27 (Amsterdam) and 26 (Schenectady), at milepost 172, beginning at 7 a.m. on Monday, August 3 until Friday morning, August 14.
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The Daily Politics:
-Elizabeth Benjamin reports a four-judge appellate panel unanimously upholds a decision to allow Richard Ravitch to “exercise all of the powers of the lieutentant governor post with the exception of the ability to preside over the Senate and cast a tie-breaking vote there.”
-The Free and Equal Elections Foundation “chastised Mayor Bloomberg’s campaign for petition challenges filed by one of his GOP operatives, John Haggerty Jr.”
-Gov. Paterson will be hosting the Democratic Governors Association Summer Policy Conference in Saratoga Springs this weekend which will be attended by only a handful of governors and a “host of special interests.”
-Assemblyman Nelson Castro jumps City comptroller candidate Melinda Katz’s ship and endorses Councilman John Liu.
PolitickerNY:
-Steve Kornacki writes unless Gov. Paterson has the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2010, Republican Rudy Giuliani won’t run.
-Jimmy Vielkind reports the courts rule, for now, Richard Ravitch “can exercise the powers of lieutenant governor, but can’t provide over the state Senate.”
-Brooklyn Republican Chairman Craig Eaton says his “Draft Rudy” movement —to run for governor in 2010 — is “picking up steam.”
-Azi Paybarah writes Bill Thompson supporter, Stuart Applebaum, tells Mayor Bloomberg to “spend it all,” since, he says, the more the mayor spends the worse he does among voters.
-NYC Council candidate Matgaret Chin’s campaign manager Jake Itzkowitz tweets “Politicians should be able to use the ‘N’ word in attacking ignorance & racism. Aren’t we a mature enough culture for that?”
-Reid Pillifant offers an overview of Richard Ravitch’s court hearing on his appointment as lieutenant governor.
The Daily Intel:
-Chris Rovzar reports Sen. Hiram Monserrate will stand trial on Sept. 14 for slashing his girlfriend in the face with a broken glass.
WFP:
-Charles Lenchner lists the Working Families Party’s endorsed candidates for NYC Council.
Albany Watch:
-Cara Matthews writes state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says the state’s $2.1 billion projected deficit “illustrates a bad habit New York has—spending money it doesn’t have.”
-Jospeh Spector reports the state Senate is scheduled to return to session next Thursday, Aug. 6 at 10 a.m. “to tackle mayoral control of New York City schools and other legislation.”
NY Fiscal Watch:
-E.J. McMahon writes “some of the financial details released by the Division of the Budget today are getting even more worrisome” such as projected negative cash balances in November and December 2009.
-Nicole Gelinas reports states, like New York, facing the biggest deficits have had “unsustainable growth in tax revenues, much of it from the financial and real-estate sectors” feeding “unsustainable growth in operating spending, which far outpaced inflation.”
-Healthcare to retirees has grown by 36 percent in the three years since the NYC has had to report it, and will near the $100 billion mark in less than a half decade and Mayor Bloomberg is “using a long-term store of savings to cover its immediate budget gap.”
Runnin’ Scared:
-Wayne Barrett writes the latest poll numbers show “Bill Thompson is now a real candidate for mayor” and should be treaded as one.
Opinion:
-New York Post would like the Court of Appeals to decide if Richard Ravitch’s appointment as lieutenant gov. is legal or not as quickly as possible.
-Albany Times Union writes about the state’s deficit of $2.1 billion, “Clearly, the governor was much closer to reality back in December than he and the Legislature ended up being in April.”
-New York Daily News calls on Gov. Paterson to “challenge the Legislature to address New York’s long-term needs rather than to craft short-term fixes bound to fail… think big and deliver big.”
-The Daily News thinks the state State should honor former state Senator Olga Mendez by passing equal labor rights for New York’s farmworkers.
-Rochester Democrat & Chronicle writes the “unprecedented rate” at which the state’s budget gap is widening calls for “a radical response by Gov. David Paterson and the state Legislature.”
-Syracuse Post-Standard hopes the state Division of Human Rights’ ability to impose new fines doesn’t spur more discriminators to take their chances in court.
-The Post-Standard writes, “Gov. David Paterson deserves a pat on the back” for signing a bill to “sweeten tax credits for the renovation of historic buildings.”
-Clyde Haberman, of the New York Times, writes, “Some leading political lights act as if the state is their empire, not part of a republic in which supreme power is supposed to rest with its citizens.”
-Marsha Gordon, president and CEO of The Business Council of Westchester, hopes “when the state legislature re-convenes this fall (or sooner) reality will set in and our legislators will make the hard decisions required to get our state moving in the right direction economically.”
Meetings/Press Conferences:
-Governor David A. Paterson will be in Albany and Saratoga County today. He has no public schedule.
Press Releases:
-Siena Research Institute: NYS consumer confidence was unchanged in July, while the nation’s confidence decreased 4.8 points.
-Governor David A. Paterson: Director of Communications Peter E. Kauffmann states the governor is “pleased that Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch can continue to serve alongside Governor Paterson to help navigate the State through this historic economic crisis.”
-Gov. Paterson announces the City of Plattsburgh will receive approximately $2 million in clean water funding from the federal stimulus monies.
-Gov. Paterson is “incredibly pleased that Secretary Tom Vilsack of the United States Department of Agriculture will support raising the price support for dairy products as a first step to relieve some of the financial strain experienced by dairy farmers across the nation.”
-NYS Comptoller Thomas P. DiNapoli: Comptroller DiNapoli says “the state still has not made enough progress toward aligning recurring spending with recurring revenues.”
]]>- Kenneth Adams, president & CEO of The Business Council of New York State, calls on lawmakers to be mindful of the cost of federal health care reform on New York businesses. The Link.
- Jennifer K. Levine writes that Gov. Paterson is still considering pushing for a tax on natural gas production.
Daily Politics:
- Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, attacked Mayor Bloomberg for spending so much money in his campaign writes Liz Benjamin.
- Benjamin notes that the Mayor hasn’t rule out the possibility that if he wins this year, he’ll run for a 4th term.
- Conservative Party chairman Mike Long reportedly supports Republican businessman Doug Hoffman’s winning line C in the 23rd Congressional race.
- Ken Lovett reports that Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said nice things about Gov. Paterson on the day when the Gov. reported a worsening of the state’s fiscal situation.
- Some people in the Bronx think Pedro Espada is doing a great job. Liz Benjamin reports Espada is being honored tonite as Senator of the Year by a Bronx community group which is also honoring Tom Golisano, NY1’s Dominic Carter, state Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Thompson, and comptroller candidate/Councilman John Liu.
Capitol Confidential:
- Assemblyman Richard Brodsky has suffered a setback in his effort to investigate the deals cut to build the new Yankee Stadium. State Supreme Court Justice John Egan quashed a subpoena that Brodsky sought for access to thousands of pages of documents about the new $1.5 billion stadium reports Casey Seiler.
- James Odato, covering the licensing of video lottery terminals at the Aquaduct race track, reports the Div. of the Budget expects to take in $145 million in the 2010 fiscal year.
- The Gov. released data concerning the state’s fiscal situation today. Rich Karlin has the details.
- It looks more and more likely that both the Assembly and the Senate will return to Albany August 6 to vote on the agreement reached over the NYC school control issue reports Irene Jay Liu. Who knows what else they may take up.
- Liu also reports that Kirsten Gillibrand has received the endorsement of CSEA in her anticipated run for a full term as U.S. Senator in 2010.
Politicker NY:
- Mayor Bloomberg is defending a plan to tax residential property owners to generate revenue to pay for a business improvement project planned for the High Line Park area of Manhattan reports Azi Paybarah.
- Jimmy Vielkind reports on the state’s $2.1 budget deficit and confirms the Senate’s intention of returning to Albany August 6 to vote on NYC schools.
- Vielkind also reports on Republican representative John McHugh’s testimony at his Army Secretary nomination hearings today in Washington.
- Paybarah has the transcript for the Bloomberg won’t ruling out a 4th term interview exchange.
Daily Intel:
- The results of extensive analysis of the relationship between performance and compensation at banks that received TARP money was released today by the office of the Attorney General. Their conclusions are made clear by the report’s title “”No Rhyme, No Reason: The ‘Heads I Win, Tails You Lose’ Bank Bonus Culture.”
Planet Albany:
- Bob Connor comments on the likelihood that Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings will get the convention center.
The Wonkster:
- Courtney Gross reported on Rudy Guiliani’s comments this morning at a Crain’s New York Business breakfast concerning the conditions under which he might consider running for governor in 2010.
Press Releases:
- Stephen J. Acquario, Exec. Dir. of the NYS Assoc. of Counties, hit the wire soon after Gov. Paterson reported the legislature would have to return to Albany in the fall to deal with a $2.1 billion deficit stating New York “must reduce spending, provide local governments with increased flexibility and foster an economic growth strategy…”
- SUNY Upstate Medical Center now offers the newest, research-validated method of treatment of combat-related post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Representatives from more than 500 credit unions will be attending their annual convention in Saratoga Springs beginning Aug. 2.
- Rehabilitation of the Raquette River Boat Launch will begin this fall, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Regional Director Betsy Lowe announced today.
- The Business Council of NYS is urging Congress to consider the rising cost of health insurance coverage as the deliberate over reform proposals.
- CSEA announced its support for Gillibrand.
- The State Office of General Services announced the awarding of bids for five contracts representing more than $3.9 M in new construction, providing work in Seneca and Dutchess counties of New York. OGS also announced additional construction opportunities.
- The 2009 African American Family Day, with the theme “Celebrating the African Diaspora,” will take place on Saturday, August 1st, from noon until 7:00 p.m. at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York.
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The Editor’s View:
-Peter Pollak writes “the only (state government) reform that counts” would be one that allows legislative district lines to be “drawn with an eye of making districts more competitive instead of safer for incumbents.”
PolitickerNY:
-Steve Kornacki writes the “specific question” in the latest Quinnipiac poll might be to blame for Mayor Bloomberg’s shrinking lead over Bill Thompson.
-Jimmy Vielkind reports Governor David Paterson is “minimizing the consequences” of the labor-Democratic leader meeting in Kingston.
The Daily Politics:
-Elizabeth Benjamin reports Gov. Paterson issues “a mild rebuke” for those focusing on elections, which are over a year away, and not more pressing things like the state’s budget.
Albany Watch:
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Capitol Confidential:
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-Jay Liu thinks AG Andrew Cuomo’s “facial expression is a dead giveaway tell.”
-CSEA announces its endorsement of Kirsten Gillibrand for the U.S. Senate in 2010.
Room Eight:
-Gatemouth endorses Marty Markowitz in the Democratic party for Borough President and tells why.
NYC Council Watch:
-Seth Barron isn’t in favor of Mayor Bloomberg’s “vision of a revamped Coney Island as year-round tourist destination.”
Opinion:
-New York Times thinks New York’s new education commissioner David Steiner’s “experience gives him credibility in what should rightly become a review of teacher training and teacher certification across the state.”
-Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin calls the newly signed New York State Rehabilitation Tax Credit “a gain when factoring the impact of upgrading properties, such as constructions jobs, higher land values, a broader tax base and possible business expansion in the commercial buildings.”
-New York Daily News isn’t impressed with the $35 million to protect NYC mass transit Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is offering.
-New York Post bids president of the United Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten farewell writing she “did her job well.”
-The Post supports Councilmember Simcha Felder’s call to do away with the NYC public advocate office.
-Syracuse Post-Standard writes, “The man at the middle of all the Senate drama -- Pedro Espada -- is beginning to enjoy some of the fruits of his less-than-ethical summer adventure.”
-The Post-Standard thinks Sen. John DeFrancisco “defending the indefensible” should be “a losing proposition” for the public servant.
Meetings/Press Conferences:
-Governor David A. Paterson will be in NYC and Albany today. He has no public schedule.
-SUNY Platsburgh: SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher will visit the SUNY Plattsburgh campus this Friday, July 31.
-NYS Office of General Services: The 2009 African American Family Day, with the theme “Celebrating the African Diaspora,” will take place on Saturday, August 1, from noon until 7:00 p.m. at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza in Albany.
-A funeral mass for former NYS Senator Olga Mendez, who died Wednesday morning, will be held at 9 a.m. on Monday, August 3, at the Church of the Holy Agony,1834 3rd Avenue, NYC.
Press Releases:
-NYS Conference of Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans: NYSCOP supports a managed care measure signed into law by Gov. Paterson, enhancing provider and consumer rights without exorbitantly increasing the cost of coverage.
-NYS Department of Environmental Conservation: A written examination for individuals interested in obtaining a license to use leashed tracking dogs to find wounded or injured big game animals is scheduled for Friday, August 28 from 10 a.m. until noon at designated DEC regional offices.
-Governor David A. Paterson: Gov. Paterson directs flags on NYS government buildings be flown at half-staff on Thursday, July 30 in honor of Lance Corporal Jeremy Lasher of Oneida, who was killed while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province.
-Gov. Paterson signs three Governor’s Program bills that will make health insurance more affordable and improve access to health care for New Yorkers.
-Gov. Paterson is “deeply saddened” about the passing of former Senator Olga Méndez.
-NYS Attorney General Andrew Cuomo: AG Cuomo calls the Reunion Company’s decision to adopt his Wind Industry Ethics Code a “great step forward.”
-NYS Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli: The $109.9 billion New York State Common Retirement Fund in June closed three transactions totaling about $155 million.
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The Daily Politics:
-Elizabeth Benjamin reports “a fair amount of scrambling going on today to convince Gov. David Paterson unions are not yet ready to abandon him en masse.”
-Mayor Bloomberg releases a statement expressing “deep sadness” about the death of former Sen. Olga Mendez.
-Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand hires Peter Hatch as her new state director.
-Attorney General Andrew Cuomo maintains “his only plan at this time is to run for re-election as attorney general - unless, of course, he decides to change careers altogether.”
-Mayor Bloomberg won’t say he wants to abolish the City’s pubic advocate’s office, but he’ll “think long and hard about it.”
-NYC Comptroll Bill Thompson insists he has “no interest at all” in the state Comptroller’s position.
-Democrat-turned-Republican former Rep. Herman Badillo endorses Mayor Bloomberg.
Capitol Confidential:
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PolitickerNY:
-Azi Paybarah shares a citywide campaign ad looking to hire a researcher.
-City Council Member Simcha Felder argues for the elimination of the public advocate’s office.
-Paybarah shares “the invite to Charlie Rangel’s August 11 birthday party fund-raiser.”
-Bloomberg campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson attempts a “side-by-side comparison” of Mayor Bloomberg and Bill Thompson’s “education legacy.”
-Jimmy Vielkind writes Attorney General Andrew Cuomo says he’s trying to “stay away from the politics” and “stay focused” on doing the job people elected him to do.
-Vielkind shares an affidavit from former governor Hugh Carey praising Richard Ravitch and supporting his appointment as lieutenant governor.
-Dan French is the “latest Democrat to remove his name from consideration to replace John McHugh in Congress.”
The Borrero Report:
-Gerson Borrero reports former state Senator Olga Mendez, 82, has died, losing her battle with cancer.
Albany Watch:
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NY Fiscal Watch:
-E.J. McMahon writes a state “universal single-payer plan would ‘save’ money only when compared (at just the right acute angle, of course) to other ‘universal’ coverage options, including individual health insurance mandates.”
Daily Intel:
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PlanetAlbany:
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The Wonkster:
-Courtney Gross and Dan Compitello describe last night’s debate for City Councilman David Yassky’s seat as a “smackdown.”
Runnin’ Scared:
-Roy Edroso writes mayoral candidate Tony Avella is “finally getting some press attention” but the media “portrays him as a madman.”
-Edroso thinks Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand “knows how the game is played.”
Meetings/Press Conferences:
-Governor David A. Paterson’s Executive Order 10 Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Task Force and the Council of Urban Professionals will host a panel presentation and professional networking event from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Thursday July 30 at 26 Federal Plaza, (corner Broadway and Worth), NYC.
Press Releases:
-Preservation League of NYS: Governor David Paterson signs legislation greatly improving the NYS Rehabilitation Tax Credit program.
-Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood: Emergency Contraception is now available “over the counter” without a prescription to women ages 17 and older at local Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood health centers in Albany, Hudson and Troy, and a new EC product called Plan B One-Step will be available in August.
-NYS Attorney General Andrew Cuomo: AG Cuomo announces 16 companies representing the vast majority of wind energy activity in NYS have signed his Wind Industry Ethics Code, facilitating the development of renewable energy while helping assure that the industry is acting properly and within the law.
-NYS Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli: The public can now do in-depth comparisons of how their
community is managing its money in contrast to other local governments on Open Book New York (www.openbooknewyork.com).
-Working Families Party: City Council member Gale Brewer along with the NYS Paid Family Leave Coalition and A Better Balance: The Work and Family Legal Center will announce the 2009 campaign launch for an Earned Paid Sick Time Bill covering private sector workers in New York City.
-Governor David A. Paterson: Gov. Paterson signs legislation to extend affordable housing program in Brookyn.
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Capitol Confidential:
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The Daily Politics:
-Elizabeth Benjamin reports Gen. Colin Powell gives “his out-of-the-blue support” for Mayor Bloomberg during a interview with CNN’s Larry King.
-Labor leaders complain to Dems in a closed-door summit in Kingston, “they aren’t seeing enough bang for their political buck.”
-The city Board of Elections restores Councilman Robert Jackson, but not Councilman Alan Gerson, to the ballot during a “regularly-scheduled meeting.”
-Benjamin thinks there’ll be a lot more linking Mayor Bloomberg to the GOP from mayoral candidate Bill Thompson’s camp.
-The Hotel & Motel Trades Council endorses Councilman John Liu for NYC comptroller.
Runnin’ Scared:
-Roy Edroso reports “in a quick reversal” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has decided to give the NYPD $35 million in stimulus money.
PolitickerNY:
-Jason Horowitz writes Democratic candidates shouldn’t count on “NY’s political-donor network or lots of easy money.”
-Jimmy Vielkind writes Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is looking more and more like a viable contender for governor in 2010.
-Assemblywoman Addie Russell will not seek the Democratic nomination for NY-23, leaving an “increasingly sparse Democratic bench.”
-Labor leaders tell Democratic Party leaders they aren’t happy.
-State Assembly members say Senate amendments to the school governance bill will get a “fair—if firm—shake.”
-Azi Paybarah shares the transcripts of Colin Powell endorsing Mayor Bloomberg on “Larry King.”
-Steven H. Richman, counsel to the Board of Elections, defends himself against accusations by Bill de Blasio’s lawyers that he is to blame for de Blasio’s ballot troubles.
-Paybarah looks at NYC public advocate candidate Eric Gioia’s campaign to date.
-City Councilman Alan Gerson has been removed from the ballot by the city Board of Elections.
-Councilman Lew Fidler “has made it his mission to remind everyone of Michael Bloomberg’s Republican affiliation.”
Room Eight:
-Larry Littlefield writes, with NYC schools spending well over the national average per student, “funding is no longer an excuse for any educational deficiencies in the city.”
Albany Watch:
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Opinion:
-New York Daily News writes Pres. Obama is following Pres. Bush’s example by not giving NYC any federal funds for the NYPD.
-Albany Times Union looks forward to seeing how David M. Steiner, the new state education commissioner, raises the quality of teacher performance.
-Poughkeepsie Journal asks: “Whatever happened to public service?”
-New York Post writes Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand flip-flops again, this time it’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
-Rochester Democrat & Chronicle would like to see Gov. Paterson sign a bill reforming public authorities.
-Syracuse Post-Standard would also like to see Gov. Paterson sign a bill reforming public authorities.
-State Senator Joseph Griffo doesn’t think state government reforms are coming “far enough or fast enough.”
-Juan Gonzalez, of the New York Daily News, reports taxpayers shell out “an average of $250,000 last year for each of 63 computer consultants a little-known Florida-based firm supplied to the Department of Education.”
-Nicole Gelinas, a contributing editor to City Journal, writes NYC shouldn’t “relax” now that Wall Street profits are booming again.
-Stan Dworkin, a former Rockland County legislator, writes legislators living outside their districts “keeps officials out of the loop of interest of their constituents, leaving them unfamiliar with the true needs of the voters they are elected to represent.”
Meetings/Press Conferences:
-Governor David A. Paterson is in NYC, Erie County and Monroe County today.
10 a.m. The governor will sign the Starrett City Housing Complex Refinancing Bill at Starrett City Community Center, 1540 Van Siclen Avenue, Brooklyn.
1 p.m. The governor will sign the Historical Preservation Tax Credit Bill at the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, 25 Nottingham Court, Buffalo.
3:30 p.m. The governor will sign the Health Care Program Bills at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Flaum Atrium, 415 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester.
Press Releases:
-NYS Thruway Authority: The pavement rehabilitation project along I-190 (Niagara Thruway) in Grand Island has been rescheduled due to weather-related issues, with work beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, August 1, and continuing through Saturday, August 8.
-The Business Council of NYS: Prominent business groups speak out as Rep. John Hall’s Democratic party attempts to force a government healthcare takeover.
-Governor David A. Paterson: Gov. Paterson bestows Police Officer of the Year honors on two members of the New York City Police Department, detectives Russel Timoshenko and Herman Yan.
-Gov. Paterson announces $30 million in federal stimulus funding for affordable housing developments across the state.
-Gov. Paterson announces power allocations to spur economic development in Western New York.
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The Editor’s View:
-Peter Pollak recommends Power Ambition Glory, a study of ancient leaders written by Steve Forbes and John Prevas, as a summer read for current and future CEOs — and politicians.
The Daily Politics:
-Elizabeth Benjamin reports the NYC Board of Elections rules: Councilman Bill de Blasio is “restored to the ballot in the public advocate race.”
-SEIU 1199 releases its endorsements with “a few notable exceptions.”
-Two NYC comptroller candidates, councilmen David Yassky and Join Liu “stood side-by-side this morning and sang each other’s praises” while announcing legislation allowing bike riders to park indoors.
-Q pollster Mickey Carroll believes the mayoral race between Bloomberg and Comptroller Bill Thompson has “tightened” for reasons other than the mayor being “saddled with the word ‘Republican’.”
-The state Senate begins a “staffing shake-up.”
Capitol Confidential:
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-State Senator Liz Krueger introduces a bill that, if passed, would “profoundly change the way alcohol is sold in New York.”
-Irene Jay Liu shares who’s in and who’s out in Senate-power positions.
PolitickerNY:
-Azi Paybarah reports Mayor Bloomberg is “frustrated” about the NYPD not getting federal stimulus funds, but says, “In some senses it’s a compliment we got left out.”
-City Councilman Robert Jackson of Manhattan is also having some trouble with the city Board of Elections and ballot lines.
-Bill de Blasio is back on the ballot as a NYC public advocate candidate.
-Pollster Peter Feld doesn’t think today’s Quinnipiac poll should be hyped as a major shift in the City’s mayoral race.
-Unite Here endorse city comptroller candidate John Liu and the Uniformed Fire Officers Association endorse Melinda Katz.
-Mayor Bloomberg’s campaign blames Bloomberg’s shrinking lead over Comptroller Bill Thompson on the word “Republican.”
-Jimmy Vielkind writes John Alvarez, a real estate broker from Hannibal and an Army reservist currently serving in Iraq, is “hoping to get into the race” to replace Congressman John McHugh on the Conservative line.
-“Democratic elders” meet in Kingston and say their meeting is “not about David Paterson or the 2010 ticket.”
-Katherine Jose writes of New York women’s groups for and against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Carolyn Maloney.
NY Fiscal Watch:
-Nicole Gelinas writes NYC’s labor force growth is “good news” for the city’s financial recovery and incentive for fixing the city’s cost structure.
-Gelinas thinks NYC should put more focus on reforming City and state pension benefits to increase funds for transit and it’s police force, rather than rely on federal funds the City is “continually short-changed” on.
Daily Intel:
-Erica Orden questions the effects of New York City relying on public-private parks partnerships.
-Chris Rovzar writes Lee Landor, now-former press secretary to Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer, was “forced to resign over” Facebook posts allegedly calling Henry Louis Gates “a racist,” President Obama “O-dumb-a,” and saying racial profiling exists “for good reason.”
-According to Rovzar, the NYPD isn’t receiving federal stimulus funds because “New York has a low crime rate, a large police force, and a well-managed budget.”
Runnin’ Scared:
-Tom Robbins reports Congressman Charlie Rangel “hammered hard” at Mayor Bloomberg for seeking a third term.
Meetings/Press Conferences:
-President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York William C. Dudley will address members of the Association for a Better New York at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow at the Grand Hyatt New York, Manhattan Ballroom, 42nd Street at Park Avenue, Manhattan.
Press Releases:
-NYS Thruway Authority: A pavement rehabilitation project along I-190 (Niagara Thruway) in Grand Island will begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, July 29 and continue through Wednesday, August 5, weather permitting.
-Business Council of NYS: New York’s per-pupil spending in 2006-2007 was the highest in the nation, 65 percent above the national average, according to data released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau.
-NYS Department of Labor: The Labor Department is continuing to collaborate with trainers, workers, the New York Racing Association (NYRA), and advocates to improve the conditions of backstretch workers at Saratoga and other race courses in the state.
-NYS Department of Environmental Conservation: An Air Quality Health Advisory has been issued for the Lower Hudson Valley region of New York State for Tuesday, July 28 in effect until 11 p.m.
-NYS Insurance Department: Insurance regulators from NY and China sign a cooperation arrangement ensuring the prudent conduct of insurer obligations on the part of many of the world’s largest insurance businesses.
-NYS Higher Education Services Corporation: New York’s commitment to college students continues to be unsurpassed - providing the most need-based grant dollars per undergraduate student for the 2007-2008 academic year, and over the past ten years, according to a national survey by the National Association of State Grant and Aid Programs.
-NYS Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo: The state attorney general’s office has sent cease-and-desist letters to over 100 companies demanding they immediately stop selling imitation toy guns that are easily confused with real weapons in New York State.
-State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli: Three health care providers, Nanuet Medial Services, Albany Multi-Medicine Group and TotalCare Medical PC, overcharged the NYS Health Insurance Program $1.3 million.
-The Council of the City of New York: City officials gathered today on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge to celebrate the expected passage of the Bicycle Access Bill.
-The NYC Council launches a new web-based legislative research tool designed to meet the ever-increasing demand for open access to public records — http://legistar.council.nyc.gov.
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