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Winning by Losing in Comptroller Spat
February 7th, 2007

In a political setback for Governor Eliot Spitzer, it looks like Assemblymember Tom DiNapoli from Long Island could be selected as state comptroller by the end of the day over the governor’s objections.

But Spitzer may win by losing, said two former officials at a forum on city-state relations at Baruch College this morning, since Spitzer seems to be taking a principled stand against the cronyism of the legislature.

“This is a setback for him, but in some ways this is a victory because public opinion is clearly on his side,” said former State Comptroller Carl McCall, who was involved in selecting the three candidates that the assembly seems poised to reject.

Former US Senator Al D’Amato agrees, saying that Spitzer will not be diminished for making a public stand that is perceived as one of the first steps in an ongoing battle to reform Albany.

“He’s still the 800 pound gorilla. He has the power, he has the clout,” said D’Amato. “This is one little episode; it comes early on. There are going to be much bigger fights.”

By Joshua Brustein on February 7, 2007, 11:31 am
In category: Albany, Gotham City | No Comments »

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Ortiz for Comptroller?
February 6th, 2007

Felix Ortiz is making a last minute attempt to revive his bid for state comptroller. The Brooklyn member of the State Assembly applied for the position and was interviewed by the screening panel. He seemed to drop off the radar after the panel selected three top candidates and Ortiz was not among them. But Capitol Confidential reports today that a group of Hispanic business and political leaders is endorsing Ortiz at a noon press conference on the steps of New York City Hall. And Ortizs office has issued a press released listing a number of prominent Hispanics who back Ortiz. It includes a statement by Peter Fontanes of the New York State Hispanic American and Migrant Association, who cites Ortizs experiences in the legislature and with the city budget office. Fontanes, concludes, The people of New York State would be best served with Assemblyman Felix Ortiz. He would not only help balance the budget but he would balance the state leadership by bringing true diversity to our state government.

And the Times reports that other Assembly members, including Richard Brodsky and Joseph Morelle, continue to campaign for the job.

But all their efforts may be for naught. In another posting, Capitol Confidential writes that the legislature is all but set to select Nassau County Assemblymember Tom DiNapoli as comptroller perhaps as early as tomorrow.

And what about the once heralded process for choosing a comptroller where the legislature would select Alan Hevesis successor from among a group designated as qualified by a panel of three former comptrollers? Well it turns out it didnt work very well, according to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority leader Joe Bruno. Silver called the process flawed, Capitol Confidential reports. He faulted the members (all former comptrollers) for sitting through the screening proceedings like bumps on a log, not asking one question, not one question.’

But Governor Eliot Spitzer says it would be wrong for the legislature, which under the constitution gets to appoint the next comptroller, to back out now. Quoted in Empire Zone, the governor says, each of us whether youre in business, whether youre in government, whether youre in the not-for-profit sector, wherever you happen to be when you publicly agree to a deal of that sort, its time to live up to it.

For more, see The Comptroller Conundrum in Gotham Gazette.

By Gail Robinson on February 6, 2007, 12:00 pm
In category: Albany, Electoral Politics, Gotham City, Public Finance | No Comments »

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Countdown to a Comptroller
February 5th, 2007

In an editorial on who should be the next New York State comptroller, the Daily News urges the state legislature to choose among the three finalists selected by a screening committee. There is no question, it says, that the panel choose well in anointing city finance commissioner Martha Stark, Nassau Country Comptroller Howard Weitzman and investment banker William Mulrow. It was a laugh riot to hear [members of the state Assembly] complain that the panel, composed of three former state and city controllers, had been rigged against them.

But if the Posts Fred Dicker is to be believed, the News advice may be too late. He reports that the Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver will be ready for the legislature to vote on a comptroller no later than a week from today and the winner will be not be Stark, Weitzman or Mulrow. Instead Silver will back Nassau County Assemblymember Tom DiNapoli in part because he enjoys strong support from Nassau County Republican senators. In the Daily News, Joe Mahoney disagrees. That is, he writes, the way it looked last week. But now, he says, influential people are pushing for Stark, an African American and the only woman in the running. Al Sharpton is lobbying for her, and Democratic members of the state Senate, led by Malcolm Smith of Queens, also are expected to support Stark, Mahoney writes.

The legislature selects the comptroller with every member getting a single vote. The fight over who gets to replace Alan Hevesi as the states fiscal monitor has been shaping up as a showdown between Silver and Governor Eliot Spitzer, who many see as having influenced selection panels decisions.

For more on what the comptroller does and the current battle, see The Comptroller Conundrum in Gotham Gazette.

By Gail Robinson on February 5, 2007, 12:49 pm
In category: Albany, Electoral Politics, Gotham City, Public Finance | No Comments »

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General Tso's: Another Reason to Be Proud You're a New Yorker
February 5th, 2007

The Times Magazine has a story this week that will interest those New Yorkers who take pride in the fact that they live in the city that invented Santa Claus and came up with the word “hooker”. It turns out that the ever-popular sweet-and-savory dish of Chinese take-out fame — General Tso’s chicken — was created at a restaurant on 44th street.

By Joshua Brustein on February 5, 2007, 12:38 pm
In category: Gotham City | No Comments »

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Keeping the Subways Running Smoothly
February 5th, 2007

Albany is letting NYC’s subways go to seed while it pays a disproportionate amount to keep commuter train lines in top shape, a report from city Comptroller William Thompson released last Thursday claimed. At the same time, the MTA is increasingly stricken with debt, and its capital plan is far over budget.

“News of this kind feels like one shoe dropping,” writes the Times in an editorial today, “in this case leaving open the possibility of a fare hike, service cuts, or both.”

For this part, the comptroller wants to see more money — some $673 million — from Albany to pay for the needed maintenance and upgrades to fans that get smoke out of the tunnels, and lighting and communication systems.

The Times agrees that the system is being underfunded, and says that “a realistic contribution from Albany” is needed. If it comes down to it, the paper argues, maintenance must take priority over development projects like the 2nd Avenue Subway.

The Post also weighs in. It agrees with Thompson’s diagnosis, but says he is making the wrong prescription.

“If there’s not enough money to keep the system’s infrastructure up to speed, perhaps the fare should go up.”

By Joshua Brustein on February 5, 2007, 12:25 pm
In category: Gotham City, Transportation | 1 Comment »

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$ From Health System --> $ For Education System = Good Idea
February 3rd, 2007

Editorials in both the Daily Newsand the New York Times approve (with caveats) Governor Eliot Spitzers plan to reform the medical system in New York, slowing down the rate of growth, in order to free up money to beef up the schools.

The Daily News: The $120.6 billion budget he proposed this week was an assault on Albany’s misplaced priorities. Schools in places that need help most, such as the city, would go to the top of the list, while hospitals and nursing homes accustomed to consuming ever more money would get smaller increases in funding

The Times: The heart of the governors plan is to drive New Yorks health care system, now heavily reliant on high-cost care in hospitals and nursing homes, toward greater use of outpatient clinics, home care and primary care in the community. Virtually all health experts agree that is the way to go

By Jonathan Mandell on February 3, 2007, 5:17 pm
In category: Albany, Education, Gotham City, Health, Public Finance | No Comments »

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Risk Your Life For $25,100 A Year
February 3rd, 2007

An editorial in the New York Times finds the new starting salary of $25,100 for new police hires to be jarring, unreasonable, a paupers sum and a good explanation for why the New York Police Department has been unable to recruit enough new police officers. The future recruits had their salaries lowered by 27 percent in exchange for an increase for current police officers in the last contract negotiations between the police department and the police union. Both sides have bemoaned the low pay for recruits; now they need to get to the table with ideas to raise it, so New York can get the quality of new officers it needs and deserves.

By Jonathan Mandell on February 3, 2007, 12:49 pm
In category: Crime & Safety, Gotham City, Public Finance | 1 Comment »

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Asian and Latina Suicide
February 2nd, 2007

An editorial in El Diario/La Prensa praises the City Council hearing this week about the high rate of attempted suicide among Latina teenagers and elderly Asian women, and endorses two crucial approaches to intervention: the need to de-stigmatize mental health problems and tackle the shortage of culturally and linguistically competent professionals. For the Latina teenagers, both detection and intervention, El Diario said, should be concentrated in the schools.

By Jonathan Mandell on February 2, 2007, 5:58 pm
In category: Demographics, Education, Gotham City, Health, Social Services | 2 Comments »

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Behind the Bus Botch
February 1st, 2007

Anyone who thinks the private sector always does a better job than government might want to look at this weeks school bus fiasco. “The plan to consolidate city school bus lines has left parents raging at Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and Mayor Michael Bloomberg,” according to todays Times. And it turns out the scheme was not hatched by educrats at Tweed Courthouse but, according to the Daily News, by Alvarez & Marsal, a pricey private consulting firm that the education department hired last year at a cost of $15.8 million to suggest ways to save money. The bus changes were originally supposed to slash $20 million, but thats since been revised to $12 million

In an editorial, the News questions the figures behind what it sees as a numbskull decision. Let’s do the subtraction, it says. How much is being spent rerouting buses to fix the problems created by the changes? How much was spent mailing out 130,000 completely vague notices to parents? How much to field all the phone calls coming in?

And Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum sees red flags. It is a troubling sign that one of the first Alvarez & Marsal initiatives involves the cutting of a vital service that has a direct effect on students. More troubling is the reckless manner in which the bus route cuts were structured, she said in a letter to Klein released to the press. If these are the kind of ideas that A&M is bringing to the table, then it is incumbent upon you and your staff to say thanks, but no thanks.… and move to terminate A&Ms contract.

This is not the first time Alvarez & Marsal has come under attack. When the firm got the contact last year, the News reported that it is billing taxpayers as much as $450 an hour for consultants’ time plus charging as much as $500 per day per employee for unspecified expenses including the cost of living in the city.

And, like some other contractors hired by the Department of Education, it got the work without having to go through a bidding processing. Even though Bloomberg has repeatedly said that he and he alone controls the schools, the department wriggles out of the contracting rules that apply to other city agencies by saying the education department is an agency of the state. Such convoluted reasoning and the hiring of Alvarez & Marsal prompted City Comptroller William Thompson to say in September, The Department of Education is not above the law even if they act as if they are.” And City Council education committee chair Robert Jackson, complained, “There is virtually no oversight of the Department of Educations contracting practices even though D.O.E. is the single largest purchaser of goods and services among city agencies.

Questioned about the deal, contracting chief David Ross told an irate City Council committee that “everyone knew” Alvarez would win the contract so there was little point spending time on competitive bidding. How did they know Alvarez would win? the Voice reported. Well, Alvarez had done work in other cities, but most importantly, Ross said, They had people on the ground. Why did they have people on the ground? Because Alvarez was already working in the schools on a contract funded by the private Fund for Public Schools. Who chairs the Fund for Public Schools? Chancellor Joel Klein.”

The firms other big educational clients have been New Orleans and St. Louis. In New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina derailed its efforts. And in St. Louis, according to the Sun, the firm patted itself on the back for a job well done, saying the district no longer faced bankruptcy. But that judgment may have been premature. Last December, the district teetered on the financial brink and was in danger of losing its accreditation. The president of the school board, Veronica O’Brien, blames her own agency’s incompetence for the problems, but she added, Alvarez & Marsal “weren’t that great of a help.

By Gail Robinson on February 1, 2007, 1:19 pm
In category: Education, Gotham City, Public Finance, Transportation | 2 Comments »

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A Brave Budget; The Beginning of a Battle
February 1st, 2007

Eliot Spitzer has proposed “one of the boldest, bravest budget proposals in Albany in many years,” gushes the New York Times in an editorial this morning. It says the new governor has “made good on [his] promise to start upending the ailing culture in Albany.”

While the Times doesn’t find anything to criticize in Spitzer’s proposed budget, it has singled out his plan to change the formulas through which school funding is determined as its most exciting aspect.

EJ McMahon of the Manhattan Institute, however, says that “Spitzer’s ‘new paradigm’ looks a lot like the old one,” in the New York Post. Noting that the governor is calling for a greater increase in funding than George Pataki proposed in his last eight years as governor, McMahon wonders whether Spitzer will succeed in keeping the legislature from significantly increasing the cost, as usually happens.

By all accounts Spitzer has started a fight with the legislature, and some of the state’s more powerful political interests with his proposal. (The Politicker has posted a copy of what looks like an opening salvo from health care union SEIU 1199). The Sun says the governor may have bitten off more than he can chew, likening his effort to overturn the status quo to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s failed attempt to make New York City’s elections non-partisan.

Spitzer believes that he is a steamroller, and can push his changes through, according to The Politicker. State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno responds by regaling a New York Times reporter with an amusing anecdote about his own failed attempt to use a steamroller on the farm, and predicts that Spitzer’s combativeness guarantees another late budget.

By Joshua Brustein on February 1, 2007, 12:26 pm
In category: Albany, Gotham City, Public Finance | No Comments »

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NYC Bloggers, WNBC, And "Link Love"
February 1st, 2007

WNBC held an NYC Blogger Summit last night, attempting an erasing of the division between the broadcaster and the blogger.

The event brought together around 100 bloggers of all stripes from political bloggers (Urban Elephants, NYPress) to Brooklyn bloggers (Gowanus Lounge, OnlyTheBlogKnowsBrooklyn) to a blogger offering material about pop culture and his cat.
Our industry is changing, and you are a huge part of that, said Erin Monteiro, who will act as WNBCs new liaison between the blogosphere and the network. Bloggers have expanded the media universe.

While the newsroom at WNBC keeps tabs on a handful of blogs to stay current with breaking news and opinions, they now want to make this relationship more formal. Much of the event was geared towards encouraging bloggers to offer stories to WNBC. If they are used for broadcast, credit would be awarded on air, as well as in other ways – such as some link-love on the WNBC Web site.

But some of the bloggers were skeptical. The major blogs already do that. Why should we look to you? said the blogger known as Fish Bowl.

In response, Sree Sreenivasan, WNBC’s technology reporter and the events moderator, expressed hope that WNBC will be added to that list. (Sreenivasan, who is also the dean of students at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism offers a page on WNBC that could be called Blogging 101)

And we have some of the older people, a new readership, added another NBC-er.

As an example of the importance of blogs in the newsgathering process, Phil OBrien, executive producer at WNBC, talked about looking to Gothamist to see if they had information on a recent gorilla ad campaign that caused a stir in Boston.

But it seems that WNBC has its work cut out for them: A survey they distributed in anticipation of the event showed that none of those surveyed found local television Web sites helpful for their blogs, and only three percent considered local television helpful.

So how could local broadcasters improve on that? Lyceum noted that since Much of your content doesnt have much value ten minutes after it airs, you could release it, so that bloggers could utilize the content.

Were working on that, Monteiro said.

By Mike Muller on February 1, 2007, 8:48 am
In category: Community Development, Gotham City, Tech | 4 Comments »

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