Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Citizens Union

David Howard King

State Government Editor of The Gotham Gazette 

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued its final Hurricane Sandy service assessment yesterday. The report found that The National Weather Service offered valuable services during the storm but found room for improvement. The most prominent area that needed improvement according to NOAA was communicating the impact of storm surges to residents. (read the full report)

Recent Reports
Sewage Overflows Caused By SandyGaps In Financial Services For Low Income Immigrant HouseholdsBenefits Of Extending Tuition Benefits To Undocumented ImmigrantsGrowing Gotham:A Survey of NYC's Minority and Women Owned Businesses 88 Percent Of Parks Score A Or B: Good News? more recent reports.

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The state's ethics commission issued a report yesterday that not only detailed a torrent of inappropriate behavior by Assemblyman Vito Lopez but that tore into Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and his staff for shielding the lawmaker. At one point after two women made sexual harassment complaints against Lopez the report states that Silver's office relocated the women to other positions which enabled Lopez to hire two more women who he also harassed. The report details Lopez asking a staffer to give him eye drops for pink eye, demanding staffers share hotels with them, forcing them to feel his tumors, looking for a large apartment in Albany to share with one of them and perhaps most shockingly Lopez demanded a female staffer continue massaging his hand after the woman told Lopez she was uncomfortable because she had been raped in college. The Joint Commission on Public Ethics' report was released after a special prosecutor found no criminal wrongdoing by Lopez or Silver. Lopez issued a statement saying he was under attack by people wishing to destroy him. JCOPE's report was released by the legislature after facing mounting pressure. Members of the legislature also tried to redact large swaths of the report relating to the performance of Assembly staffers during the matter. JCOPE, which has members appointed by Silver, did not authorize an investigation into the behavior of Silver and the Assembly in the matter. Yesterday, Silver's spokesman defended him in a statement and Silver renewed his call for Lopez to resign


Other Stories We're Following

Weiner Said to be Struggling to Find Campaign Staff (NY Times)

State Reviewing Pay For Fast-Food Workers (NY Times)

Judge Blocks City Plan For New Taxis (NY Times)

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The Assembly and Speaker Sheldon Silver took a shellacking in reports today by Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan and the Joint Commission on Public ethics for their handling of sexual harassment charges against Assemblyman Vito Lopez. 

Donovan found that the secretive manner in which initial sexual harassment charges were handled against Lopez only "encouraged" the assemblyman to continue his pattern of harassment. According to JCOPE's report, two staffers who accused Lopez of harassment and filed complaints were moved off Lopez's payroll; Lopez then hired new female staffers and pressured them for intimate relationships. 

Silver's office has undoubtedly been fielding a bevy of calls from reporters regarding the findings of both reports.

Silver's spokesman Michael Whyland issued a statement defending his boss saying, "A full review of the facts by both JCOPE and the Special Prosecutor has found that all actions by the Assembly were lawful and there was no basis for an ethics complaint against the Speaker or his staff." 

Whyland also used the opportunity to reiterate that Silver has called for Lopez's resignation and still wants him to resign. "Given that the JCOPE investigation has found significant violations of the Public Officers Law by Assemblyman Lopez, Speaker Silver renews his call for him to resign," said Whyland in the statement. 

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants everyone to stop staring at the car crash that has been the string of federal indictments against sitting Albany legislators and get back to their jobs. 

"We got most of our work done in the budget and before the budget, which is usually the way, but there items that we have left for this session and on top of it because of the charges of the prosecutors we’re using it as an opportunity to pass the reform agenda. The reform agenda is new and is complicated,” Cuomo told Susan Arbetter on Capitol Pressroom this morning. ”The Republicans made their point again they’re against public financing, but there are other points of the reform agenda aslo." 

But talk around legislative circles is that the Senate is loathe to be in Albany because it doesn't want to be pressured into doing Cuomo's bidding.

A number of legislators and advocates think this year could be less productive than last year which was the least-productive in recent Albany history. 

Today's Senate session was cancelled in honor of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot and, according to Republican spokesman Scott Reif, to save taxpayers money. 

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Tagged in: Andrew Cuomo

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The City's plan for spending federal disaster recovery aid has been approved by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The first $1.7 billion in federal funding will be released this summer. Most of the funds, $648 million, will go to repairing homes and strengthening them against future flooding. There is also funding for low income rentals subsidies, city infrastructure and loans for businesses. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and HUD secretary Shaun Donovan are scheduled to announce the plan's approval today at City Hall. Those looking for grants will be able to apply by calling the city's 311 help line or by going to nyc.gov


Other Stories We're Following

Peralta Won't Comment on Legal Fees (Crain's)

State Senator Huntley Sentenced to a Year For Corruption (NY Times)

In Wake of Scandals, Cuomo Defends His Ethics Agency (Capital Tonight)

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