Working Families Breakfast Reading – News from around NY
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QUOTE OF THE DAY — September 25, 2009
“You look at Bill and myself, he might be a little bit taller, but I think that we see eye to eye on issues that affect working families throughout the city”
-Margaret Chin, who stands at 4-foot-11, joining six other successful City Council insurgents to endorse Bill de Blasio, who clears 6-foot-5, for public advocate, on WNYC.
STATE NEWS
Paterson
NY Post ( Brendan Scott): Poll to O: Let NYers fire Dave
Excuse us, Mr. President! It’s our job to toss the governor! Six in 10 New Yorkers believe President Obama was wrong in his attempt to force Gov. Paterson from the 2010 gubernatorial race, according to the latest Marist College poll. The statewide survey of registered voters nonetheless found little sympathy for the beleaguered governor. Job approval for both Paterson and the president slipped to all-time lows in the days since Obama’s intervention came to light.
See also:
Buffalo News ( Tom Precious): Voters fault Obama bid to dump Paterson
Gannett ( Cara Matthews): Poll: N.Y. voters say Obama wrong to meddle in state politics
Politics, Etc
NY Times ( Jeremy Peters): Slyly, Giuliani Says He Feels for Paterson
He just could not resist. Rudolph W. Giuliani, the subject of fevered speculation about whether he will run for governor, was asked on Thursday what he thought of President Obama’s efforts to discourage Gov. David A. Paterson from seeking election in 2010. “Oh gosh,” Mr. Giuliani said, a sly grin on his face. “I don’t interfere in Democratic politics when I shouldn’t.” Then he proceeded to do just that… “That’s an awful lot of pressure to put on a governor, the president of the United States telling you not to run for office.”
Labor, Workforce
Albany Times Union ( Rick Karlin): Add us to buyout, state workers ask
A major state employee union and a group representing managers have an unusual request for Gov. David Paterson: Let our people go. Dissatisfied at the number of $20,000 severance packages granted to their members, the Public Employees Federation plans to send Paterson a list of more than 400 members who wanted to take the buyout, but were turned down. “We’re going to get those names and go right to the governor,” said PEF spokeswoman Darcy Wells.
Investigations
NY Times ( Ralph Blumenthal): Doctor Testifies in Monserrate Trial
“I can’t believe he did this to me! My face! My face! I can’t believe my face!” Those were the first words Karla Giraldo, State Senator Hiram Monserrate’s companion, spoke on Dec. 19, 2008, to an emergency room doctor who had asked about her bleeding cut, the doctor testified on Thursday. “I asked her to elaborate,” the doctor, Dawne Kort of Long Island Jewish Medical Center, said in State Supreme Court in Queens, where Mr. Monserrate is standing trial on assault charges. “She said they were fighting. She asked for a glass of water, and he shoved it in her face.”
See also:
NY Post ( Gorta and Geller): Hiram slashed my face!
NYC NEWS
Politics, Etc.
NY Times ( Kareem Fahim): Sparks Finally Fly as Comptroller Candidates Meet in Final Debate
This week, when Councilman David Yassky released a television advertisement questioning the honesty of Councilman John C. Liu, his rival in the Democratic primary runoff for city comptroller, a drop of suspense enlivened the sleeping contest. There was one debate to go before next Tuesday’s vote. Would the two men finally attack each other? Or would they tiptoe around each other politely, as they had throughout the race and in two earlier debates? Minutes into the Thursday night debate, held at the NY1 News television studio, there was an answer: sparks flew.
See also:
Daily News ( Einhorn and Katz): Controller hopefuls John Liu, David Yassky sling mud in debate
NY Post ( David Seifman): Yassky lashes Liu on pensions in debate
Daily News ( Frank Lombardi): City Council newbies promise big changes at City Hall
They’re not officially elected yet, but a batch of City Council newbies signalled Thursday that City Hall is in for some boat-rocking over the next four years. Seven of the newcomers who won Democratic nominations in last week’s primary, stood on the steps of City Hall to endorse Bill de Blasio for public advocate… Many of the newcomers are grassroots, progressive activists, and most won their primaries with the help of the Working Families Party, which also backs de Blasio. Five of the newcomers defeated two-term incumbents, while the others won seats being vacated by incumbents seeking higher offices, like de Blasio.
See also:
NY Observer Blog: De Blasio Gets More W.F.P. Support, Sees Term Limits as a Topic With Voters
Bill de Blasio was endorsed by the five City Council candidates who won their Democratic primaries with strong help from the Working Families Party.
WNYC: De Blasio Collects Endorsements
Queens Tribute (Michael Lanza): Dem primaries bring WFP victories
The Working Families Party asserted itself as a growing political force last week – flexing its muscles during New York City’s Democratic primaries and building on its record of electoral success in Albany. In an election marred by record lows for voter turnout – the four-way comptroller race led in votes cast with only 352,000 citywide – the party boasted of more than 230,000 homes visited by field operatives in the weeks leading up to the primaries… In Queens, the results were apparent – eight out of 10 WFP endorsed council candidates were elected. The remaining two candidates came within a few hundred votes of victory.
Daily News ( Bob Kappstatter Column): Tussle mars Bronx Democratic convention to nominate judicial candidates
The chairman of the Bronx Democratic Party and a local assemblyman got into an in-your-face blowup Thursday night at what was supposed to be a relatively scripted convention to nominate judicial candidates. Yelling and jabbing his finger, Assemblyman Peter Rivera had to be held back from Assemblyman and Party Boss Carl Heastie. Rivera has been orchestrating political moves by party dissidents loyal to deposed leader Assemblyman Jose Rivera, no relation.
Education
Daily News ( Meredith Kolodner): Across the city class sizes soar and many more schools feel the ’sardine’ squeeze with jammed rooms
Many public schools that were never crowded in the past are bursting at the seams this year, despite city promises that class sizes will go down. Intermediate School 227 in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, had no classes with more than 30 students in it last year. Now it has 15, including one for English language learners. Teachers scramble to move desks between classes to accommodate all the children. In some classes, students must share books.
Daily News ( Rachel Monahan): NYC high school graduates not ready for success in college: Report
Large numbers of city high school graduates aren’t ready for college, a former City University dean charges in a report to be released on Thursday. Only 7.5% of grads take all the high school courses necessary for college preparation, he found. “Although New York City’s public schools are graduating more students and more of them are going on to college, high rates of remedial course-taking and low graduation rates indicate a need to improve academic preparation,” writes John Garvey, former Teacher Academy and Collaborative Programs dean.
Housing, Development
NY Post ( Rich Calder): Nets sale embarrasses Marty
He’s been the biggest booster of the controversial Atlantic Yards project that includes bringing the New Jersey Nets to Brooklyn, but Borough President Marty Markowitz has been oddly silent since a Russian billionaire swooped in to try and save the project this week. Political operatives close to Markowitz say he’s red-faced over developer Bruce Ratner’s plans to sell a majority stake in the NBA’s Nets to Mikhail Prokhorov. The 44-year-old playboy would also finance the project’s long-stalled arena, and potentially salvage the residential and commercial portions of Atlantic Yards.
Etc.
NY Times ( Johnston and Shane): Terror Case Called One of Most Serious in Years
Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, senior government officials have announced dozens of terrorism cases that on closer examination seemed to diminish as legitimate threats. The accumulating evidence against a Denver airport shuttle driver suggests he may be different, with some investigators calling his case the most serious in years. Documents filed in Brooklyn against the driver, Najibullah Zazi, contend he bought chemicals needed to build a bomb – hydrogen peroxide, acetone and hydrochloric acid – and in doing so, Mr. Zazi took a critical step made by few other terrorism suspects.
WESTCHESTER/ROCKLAND/HUDSON VALLEY NEWS
Journal News ( Diana Costello): Aug. homes sales, prices tumble in region
The number of existing homes sold last month compared to a year earlier hinted that it was still a buyer’s market despite recent gains – with home sales sliding more drastically in the Lower Hudson Valley than statewide. The New York State Association of Realtors Inc. released figures Thursday showing that both the number of homes sold and the median home prices suffered in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties compared to August 2008. The hardest hit came in Putnam County, where 18.2 percent fewer homes were sold. Westchester County experienced a 13.9 percent drop, and Rockland recorded a 5 percent decrease.
LONG ISLAND NEWS
NY Times ( Danny Hakim): Paterson Endorses Shinnecock Tribe’s Bid for Recognition
Gov. David A. Paterson has endorsed an Indian tribe’s bid for federal recognition, an important step for a tribe that wants to build the first casino in New York City or its suburbs. Mr. Paterson is the first governor to make such a public embrace of the marathon effort by the Shinnecock Indian Nation to gain recognition. In a Sept. 22 letter to Ken Salazar, the secretary of the interior, the governor wrote, “to say federal recognition of the Shinnecock is long overdue would be an understatement” and called for the Obama administration to recognize the tribe, which is based in Southampton, N.Y.
CENTRAL NY/FINGERLAKES/SOUTHERN TIER NEWS
Democrat and Chronicle ( Jill Terreri): Most of Monroe’s congressional delegation supports tax credit extension
The popular first-time homebuyer tax credit would be extended, if Monroe County’s congressional delegation has anything to say about it. Most of the bipartisan group of lawmakers that makes up the county’s delegation is generally in favor of extending the credit. The program, which provides up to $8,000 to households earning less than $75,000 or $150,000 for married couples, has helped stabilize the housing market nationally and encouraged sales of homes less than $200,000. Though it has been deemed a success in many circles, especially among real estate agents, it is also regarded as expensive.
Post-Standard ( Michelle Breidenbach): Syracuse mayoral candidates take questions from North Side business owners
One North Salina Street restaurant owner is afraid to sign a lease to expand into the building next door until he gets a liquor license, which could take up to a year. Another business owner said petty thieves are getting brave about breaking into cars in daylight. The owner of a motorcycle shop wants to know why his property taxes are paying for tax credits for other businesses.
CAPITOL REGION/NORTH COUNTRY NEWS
Albany Times Union ( Jordan Carleo-Evangelist): Ellis not giving up race
Nine days after losing the Democratic primary to Mayor Jerry Jennings, and following more than a week of speculation, Corey Ellis on Thursday signaled that he will continue to campaign in the general election on the Working Families Party line. In an e-mail to supporters, Ellis thanked those who backed him and declared “the race to determine the next mayor of Albany is not over. Not by a long shot.” Ellis has the WFP line on the ballot whether he actively campaigns or not. While his message didn’t explicitly say what the one-term councilman from Arbor Hill intends to do, it noted: “We have come so far but this campaign will continue only if we have the financial support of voters like you.
Albany Times Union ( Jordan Carleo-Evangelist): Triple tie takes primary out of voters’ hands
In politics, ties are rare. So a triple dead heat is just about unheard of. Somebody, somewhere is kicking him- or herself for not making it to the polls Sept. 15 to vote in the Independence Party primary for Ballston Town Board because now George Seymour, Mary Beth Hynes and Jeremy Knight are tied at 34 votes each and the voters have no say in who gets the coveted third-party line. Election night results put Seymour and Knight at 34 votes each; an absentee ballot opened this week bumped Hynes up to 34.
WESTERN NY NEWS
Buffalo News ( Robert McCarthy): Democrats, GOP back Troutman, Burns in Supreme Court contest
The chairmen of Erie County’s Democratic and Republican parties have struck a deal cross-endorsing two sitting jurists for State Supreme Court this year, virtually guaranteeing their election in November. Supreme Court Justice Christopher J. Burns, a Republican, and Erie County Judge Shirley Troutman, a Democrat, will receive bipartisan backing. James P. Domagalski, chairman of the Erie County Republican Party, confirmed the agreement, reached Thursday.
NATIONAL NEWS
NY Times ( Ian Urbina): Protesters Are Met by Tear Gas at G-20 Conference
As the two-day Group of 20 meeting brought leaders of the world’s industrialized nations here Thursday, the police were out in force, patrolling on bicycles, foot and horseback, by river and by air. In the afternoon, protesters trying to march toward the convention center where the gathering is being held encountered roaming squads of police officers carrying plastic shields and batons. The police fired a sound cannon that emitted shrill beeps, causing demonstrators to cover their ears and back up, then threw tear gas canisters that released clouds of white smoke and stun grenades that exploded with sharp flashes of light.
See also:
NY Times ( Edmund Andrews): Global Economic Forum to Expand Permanently
NY Times ( Halbfinger and Kocieniewski): Meanwhile, Next Door, It’s Team Obama for Corzine
While President Obama’s political team seeks to nudge David A. Paterson out of the New York governorship, they are fully engaged in trying to get Gov. Jon S. Corzine re-elected here. Every TV ad that Mr. Corzine puts on the air is being screened by the president’s team. The governor’s aides are giving daily briefings to the White House. Mr. Obama’s pollsters have taken over for Mr. Corzine’s polling team, and White House operatives are on the ground for everything from internal strategy sessions to obscure pep rallies with Latino supporters.
NY Times ( Paul Krugman Column): It’s Easy Being Green
So, have you enjoyed the debate over health care reform? Have you been impressed by the civility of the discussion and the intellectual honesty of reform opponents? If so, you’ll love the next big debate: the fight over climate change. The House has already passed a fairly strong cap-and-trade climate bill, the Waxman-Markey act, which if it becomes law would eventually lead to sharp reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. But on climate change, as on health care, the sticking point will be the Senate. And the usual suspects are doing their best to prevent action.
NY Times ( Nagourney and Sussman): In Poll, Public Wary of Obama on War and Health
President Obama is confronting declining support for his handling of the war in Afghanistan and an electorate confused and anxious about a health care overhaul as he prepares for pivotal battles over both issues, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. But Mr. Obama is going into the fall having retained considerable political strength. At 56 percent, his approval rating is down from earlier in the year but still reasonably strong at this point compared with recent presidents.
