
Gov. Cuomo (photo: Governor's Office, flickr)
For the second year in a row, in his January State of the State, Governor Andrew Cuomo laid out an ambitious ethics reform agenda that touched on a variety of issues and aimed at restoring public trust in New York State’s scandal-plagued government. But, also for a second year in a row, Cuomo has not followed up with any discernible public push to rally support for that agenda or put pressure on members of the state Legislature to pass it.
Acknowledging that corruption and greed had tainted all branches of government, including his executive branch, Cuomo said on January 11 in Albany, “Imagine what we could do if we had the complete confidence of the people. If we had that confidence, there is nothing we couldn’t do – and I am not going to stop until I get there.”
Cuomo outlined his ten-point ethics and good government agenda in his Albany State of the State speech, his 2017 policy book, and his executive budget proposal -- which is significant in that the governor is again proposing to push through government ethics policy in the state’s spending plan. The budget process is where Cuomo has the most leverage over the Legislature, but that has not paved the way for pushing through reform measures.
The governor’s agenda -- put forth after major corruption scandals in the Legislature and the governor’s inner circle over the past two years -- includes campaign finance reform and transparency and oversight measures. “This bill contains provisions needed to enact into law major components of legislation relating to Good Government and Ethics Reform,” Cuomo’s budget bill says, under “purpose.”
But while Cuomo outlined the need for new campaign finance and ethics measures and proposed a slate of reforms, as in years past, the governor has made virtually no mention of these reforms since, nor has he indicated how he will persuade a resistant Legislature to pass them. Cuomo has made a variety of public appearances since his early January State of the State tour, but none have focused on government ethics or campaign finance reform.
A spokesperson for the governor said that Cuomo’s priorities have not shifted, and that ethics will factor into budget negotiations this month. Cuomo and legislative leaders must agree to a new state budget by the April 1 start to the next fiscal year.
“The Governor has included comprehensive ethics reform in his Executive Budget proposal just as he has every other year. We will continue to strongly advocate for the passage of these meaningful reforms and we urge the Legislature to join us in this effort,” said Cuomo spokesperson Abbey Fashouer, in a statement to Gotham Gazette.
While Cuomo may pursue ethics measures in closed-door negotiations, his public priorities have been elsewhere. The governor has promoted state infrastructure spending and investments in Central Brooklyn, traveled to Israel to condemn anti-semitism and show solidarity, and made other public appearances, including a rare cabinet meeting at the Capitol.
Meanwhile, this week the two legislative houses passed their one-house budget resolutions, and offered little indication that the governor’s ethics agenda or reforms sought by good government advocates are on the precipice. Over the six-plus years Cuomo has been governor, there have been various incremental ethics reform measures passed, but they have proved insufficient in preventing corruption in state government.
In 2016, in the wake of the arrests of then Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos on public corruption charges, Cuomo proposed similar reforms in his State of the State, but was criticized for neglecting to push for them publicly. Most of the measures were not passed -- particularly because of an obstinate Republican majority in the Senate -- and those that did were again seen as small, mostly symbolic steps, insufficient for fixing Albany’s systemic pattern of corruption.
Then, last year, the spotlight moved from the Legislature to the Cuomo administration and orbit. Nine Cuomo associates, including his longtime friend and advisor Joseph Percoco, were arrested for their roles in a massive bid-rigging, bribery, and kickback scandal related to Cuomo’s Buffalo Billion and other economic development efforts. This increased scrutiny in his own front yard, coupled with an increasingly fraught relationship with state legislators may diminish some of the governor’s willingness to barter for the reforms, according to John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany.
"His moral authority to pummel the Legislature is not very high right now. Because instead of the Legislature being on political trial because of Skelos and Silver, it’s the governor this time,” Kaehny said. “So every time the governor brings up issues like limits on outside income -- which good government groups advocate for -- for legislators, they are just going to say, ‘well, who’s on trial, you or us?’"
In the wake of the scandal, Cuomo renewed his call for ethics reforms and vowed to appoint a procurement officer to review all state contracts “with an eye towards eliminating any wrongdoing, conflicts of interest or collusion.” But, this and other proposals Cuomo has made for new ways in which he will monitor executive branch operations have come up short for critics who note that Cuomo’s solutions keep mechanisms under his purview, instead of empowering independent, outside regulators.
Cuomo sought to levy some of his proposed ethics reforms at the Legislature, including term limits for lawmakers and restrictions on outside income, in exchange for a pay raise, a move that enraged state lawmakers who have not seen a salary increase since 1999. A pay raise commission imploded and talks went nowhere, though they could be resurrected when the “three men in a room” start to hash things out.
"I think any hope in big progress this session was wrecked by the whole fight over the pay raise, which was perceived as incredibly bad faith by the governor by the Legislature,” said Kaehny.
Also quieter this year are editorial boards and good government groups, who last March called on those “three men in a room” -- Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie -- to have an open and transparent meeting on proposed ethics reforms.
This budget season, advocates and reformers in and out of government have turned their attention to a clean contracting campaign as a result of the bid-rigging scandal. Many have called for reinstating Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s power to review contracts that go through government-created nonprofits, like those at the center of the economic development scandal. Cuomo and the Legislature voted to strip DiNapoli of this authority in 2011.
Little has seemed to grab the attention of legislators, other than many Democrats in both chambers who are pushing for campaign finance reform, starting with closure of the LLC loophole. And Cuomo, defiant in the face of calls for reforms that bring outside oversight to his administration, does not seem particularly animated by his desire to push through ethics and campaign finance reform.
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by Rachel Silberstein, State government reporter, Gotham Gazette
@RachelSilby @GothamGazette

Heastie, Cuomo, Flanagan (photo: Kevin P. Coughlin/Governor's Office)
In one-house budgets passed this week, the state Legislature showed little evidence that new government ethics, voting, and campaign finance reform measures will be passed in Albany any time soon. This, despite persistent issues with public corruption, antiquated election laws, and the ongoing ability for wealthy interests to donate virtually unlimited sums to politicians.
Through his January State of the State tour, 2017 policy book, and executive budget, Governor Andrew Cuomo laid out his proposals for such measures -- an ambitious reform agenda, but one that the governor has done little to promote publicly since January.
On Wednesday, the Democrat-led Assembly aligned itself with Cuomo, a second-term Democrat, on measures like voting and campaign finance reform, while separating on other items related to transparency and budget control. The Republican majority in the Senate, on the other hand, rejected virtually all of Cuomo’s “good government and ethics” proposals.
The one-house budgets are statements of priority from the majorities of the two legislative houses, and set the stage for the final weeks of negotiation before a new state budget is agreed upon before the April 1 start to the new fiscal year. Government ethics, voting, and campaign finance reform do not appear to be particularly high on the list of priorities for Cuomo, the Assembly majority, the Senate majority, or the Senate’s Independent Democratic Conference (a group of eight breakaway Democrats that has a coalition agreement with Senate Republicans but nevertheless put forward its own conference budget resolution on Wednesday).
Both the Senate and Assembly majorities pushed back on Cuomo’s move to secure more control of the budget, specifically a provision Cuomo had outlined that would allow the governor to slash funding mid-year in the event of federal cuts without consulting the Legislature. The legislative majorities also both rejected Cuomo’s call for the creation of new inspectors general appointed by the governor’s office to oversee the Port Authority and the State Education Department. They also indicated that they oppose proposals that expand the powers of the state Inspector General and extend the state’s freedom of information law (FOIL) to the Legislature.
However, a major difference between the two chambers is the status of the infamous “LLC loophole,” which permits politicians to benefit from virtually unlimited corporate campaign contributions -- its closure, good government groups say, is essential to stemming pay-to-play politics and corruption.
An Assembly bill to close the loophole, sponsored by Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh, has passed multiple times with bipartisan support, and Cuomo has indicated he would sign the legislation if passed by both houses. Yet, the Senate has not brought such legislation to the floor for a vote, despite a companion bill existing for years.
Both Cuomo’s executive budget proposal and the Assembly’s one-house resolution recommend that LLCs be subject to the same campaign contribution limitations as other corporations and require that the owners of each limited liability company be disclosed, but the Senate GOP’s resolution makes no mention of the legislation. It vaguely indicates that the Senate will “consider modifications” to the governor’s ethics and good governance proposals. “Any ethics reform requires balanced and measured actions to ensure New Yorkers are best served by their public officials,” the Senate document states.
Senator Daniel Squadron, who sponsors the Senate bill to close the LLC Loophole, criticized the Senate Majority's removal of a measure from the budget resolution in a statement referencing the recent firing of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who has famously crusaded against corrupt Albany lawmakers, including the former leaders of both legislative houses. "The vacancy in the Southern District of New York is a reminder that the Senate Majority must no longer be vacant on real ethics reform,” Squadron, a New York City Democrat, said in a statement. "There's a clear step to help get big money out of New York politics: closing the LLC Loophole. Taking that step will begin to reduce corruption and restore faith in government.”
On the Senate floor Wednesday, Squadron asked Senator Catharine Young, a Republican from Chautauqua and Allegany Counties who chairs the Senate finance committee, for confirmation that the Senate Majority will not block closure of the LLC loophole in the final budget.
“Under the Article XII bill that we introduced, we did not make any modification to the governor’s proposal, however in the resolution we say we are open to making modifications to the governor’s proposal,” responded Young.
Cuomo's wide-ranging, 10-point ethics reform agenda advocates for a public campaign financing system, early voting, and several additional measures that reform-minded advocates and legislators have been calling for, as well as others of his own.
One of the governor’s proposals would require lawmakers consult the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee regarding any outside income, but stops short of banning such income. Cuomo also wants to significantly cap the outside income legislators can make. Legislators addressed the proposal in February, when the Senate and Assembly passed a joint resolution requiring any legislator earning more than $5,000 in outside income to seek an advisory opinion from the Legislative Ethics Commission as to whether the employment is consistent with the Public Officers Law.
In their budget resolutions, the Assembly and Senate both call for increased disclosure and transparency requirements for the members of Cuomo’s 10 Regional Economic Development Councils (REDCs), which have been accused by lawmakers of self-dealing. The Legislature want to require council members to file annual financial disclosure statements, adhere to the Code of Ethics and FOIL requirements in the Public Officers Law, and abide by the open meetings law.
Cuomo and his allies have pushed back on the idea of these disclosure requirements, saying that the regulations would make it difficult to recruit new members, who are volunteers and typically successful businesspeople.
“Now several members want to derail the REDCs by requiring their members to disclose personal financial information to a degree that is inappropriate for a private citizen volunteer,’’ Virginia Horvath and Jeff Belt, co-chairs of the governor's Western New York regional economic development council, wrote in a Feb. 27 letter to Western New York legislators, according to the Buffalo News.
Meanwhile, in campaign finance reform, the Assembly is proposing new legislation to “prohibit housekeeping monies from being transferred or contributed out of the account to another segregated housekeeping account” or to be used “for political communications referencing a candidate.” An Assembly spokesperson confirmed to Gotham Gazette that this proposal is in response to tactics used by both Senate Republicans and the Independent Democratic Conference during recent election cycles.
While both Cuomo and Assembly Democrats favor creating a system of public campaign financing, perhaps similar to New York City’s, the Assembly did not specifically include that in its one-house and Senate Republicans in their one-house budget resolution again expressed opposition to taxpayer-funded campaigns. Senate Republicans also stated that they do not believe a full-time professional Legislature best represents the state -- meaning they do not want to see strict limits placed on legislators’ outside income.
The Senate majority also stated its objection to Cuomo’s proposal that the Legislature and the Legislative Ethics Commission become subject to the same freedom of information law provisions to which executive agencies are subject.
“The legislative process is inherently open to the public for input, scrutiny and review. In contrast, the public is made aware of many Executive agency activities only after they occur. As such, for purposes of freedom of information law, these branches are treated differently,” the Senate’s one-house resolution states.
The resolution notes that confidentiality is necessary with respect to the legislative ethics commission in order to encourage individuals to seek ethics guidance.
As for voting reform, the Assembly voted to agree with Cuomo’s calls for automatic registration and early voting, but recommends a period of early voting commencing eight days before an election rather than the 12-day window proposed by the governor. Like the rest of Cuomo’s reform proposals, the Senate did not give indication of support to voting reforms.
As usual, there was little drama in the Assembly, where Democrats hold a wide majority margin. But, in the Senate proceedings grew contentious Wednesday when mainline Democrats were forced, with little notice, to vote on two one-house resolutions, one for the Senate Majority and one for the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC). This, while Senate Democrats were blocked from submitting their own resolution for a vote. In a headed session on the Senate floor, Democratic conference members, led by Minority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, objected to the unprecedented change in procedure, and expressed dismay that most of their policies were not represented in either the majority or IDC budget proposal.
Senator Michael Gianaris, deputy leader of the mainline Democrats, asked for his conference to have a chance to put forth its own resolution, a request that was denied by a chamber vote.
The IDC’s resolution, written in broader strokes than the Republican majority’s, suggests that its members are on board with all of the governor’s proposed ethics reforms, including closure of the LLC loophole. While the IDC has some influence with Senate Republicans given that the breakaway conference helps bolster the GOP’s razor thin majority, it is unlikely that influence will extend to significant ethics, voting, or campaign finance reform this year.
“The Governor has included comprehensive ethics reform in his Executive Budget proposal just as he has every other year," said Cuomo spokesperson Abbey Fashouer. "We strongly urge the Legislature to join us in this effort and pass these proposals this year.”
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by Rachel Silberstein, State government reporter, Gotham Gazette
@RachelSilby @GothamGazette

New York City Hall
What to watch for this week in New York politics:
The week starts with many eyes on Preet Bharara, who was fired Saturday from his position as United State Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Bharara refused to resign when asked to along with the country's 45 other U.S. attorneys appointed by President Barack Obama, as is common practice when a new federal administration omes into power. Bharara's lone refusal, though, came under special circumstances: in November, then President-elect Donald Trump had met with Bharara and asked if he would stay on -- Bharara told reporters in the Trump Tower lobby that he intended to do so. But, that had appeared at the time to be part of Trump's new relationship with Senator Charles Schumer, whom Bharara once worked for, and that Trump-Schumer relationship has since soured. There are also a multitude of other possible reasons that Trump allowed Attorney General Jeff Sessions to let Bharara go, including cases Bharara has worked on in the past.
Bharara's office is in the midst of an investigation into Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration. The top prosecutor's departure does not necessarily mean one thing or another for the case, which has been going on for almost a year. Meanwhile, prosecutors who had been working under Bharara are also preparing for trial in the cases relating to indictments of aides, associates, and donors to Governor Andrew Cuomo -- those charges, stemming from bid-rigging and other alleged crimes, related to the governor's economic development programming. Those trials will also proceed, but without Bharara at the top of the prosecutorial food chain.
On Twitter Sunday, Bharara took a swipe at Cuomo, writing, "By the way, now I know what the Moreland Commission must have felt like." He was referring, of course, to the short-lived commission to investigate public corruption that Cuomo formed to much fanfare, then disbanded as part of a political compromise when it had been looking at behavior involving his donors, among many other things. Bharara's office picked up the investigations Moreland had started, and some material helped in its prosecutions of former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, but Bharara wound up publicly clearing Cuomo of any federal crimes.
So, we'll see what's next for Bharara and for the office he leaves behind.
Meanwhile, there's a lot more happening this week in New York politics, including a variety of City Council budget hearings, special events, and more -- keep in mind, though, that the city is expected to be hit by a blizzard of sorts on Tuesday, which could lead to many cancellations and postponements.
In Albany, the one-house budgets are due this week from the Assembly and Senate. These budgets will kick negotiations among the two majorities, Gov. Cuomo, and IDC Leader Jeff Klein into higher gear. A state budget is due by April 1.
There are many events this week to be aware of - see our day-by-day rundown below.
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The run of the week in detail:
Monday
Mayor de Blasio has three public events on his schedule Monday: at 10:30 a.m. in Times Square, de Blasio "will unveil a new Ladders for Leaders advertising campaign; at noon in the Bronx, "Mayor de Blasio, First Lady Chirlane McCray, Police Commissioner James O’Neill and Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett will host a press conference to announce the Administration’s new plan to combat the opioid epidemic;" and in the 7 and 10 p.m. hours, the mayor will make his weekly appearance on NY1's Road to City Hall.
At 7 p.m. Monday Governor Cuomo will speak at "Raise the Age Evening of Action" at Central Synagogue in Manhattan.
At the City Council on Monday, there will be preliminary budget hearings held by the Committee on Governmental Operations; Committee on Aging; and Committee on Public Housing, with the following tenative schedule for different departmental appearances before the different Council committees (see schedule for locations):
The New York State Legislature will be in session on Monday in Albany.
At the State Senate on Monday: The Senate Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Capital Investment will meet at 9 a.m. in Albany to “examine the project delivery method known as design-build and examine executive budget proposals related to design-build.”
Starting at 9 a.m Monday, the New York State Board of Regents will hold its monthly meeting, which will continue on Tuesday, at SUNY Albany.
At 9 a.m. Monday, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Council Members Margaret Chin and Antonio Reynoso, Section 8 tenants, and housing advocates will hold a rally on the steps of City Hall to rally support for Velazquez’s “Landlord Accountability Act.”
On Monday morning, Paul Massey will formally launch his mayoral campaign in Flushing, Queens. He'll tour Kissena Farms Kosher Supermarket, then hold a media availability. Massey has held one City Hall press conference and appeared at a variety of public events, including a few candidate forums. [From Gotham Gazette, read: Focused on De Blasio, Massey Makes City Hall Campaign Debut]
At 10:30 a.m. Monday hear Gotham Gazette's Ben Max on WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show, where he'll join the host and NY1's Grace Rauh to discuss Mayor de Blasio's budget and comments de Blasio made Friday about how he approaches the budget, budget negotiations with the City Council, New Yorkers reading budget documents, and more. Stream at WNYC.org or listen at 93.9FM.
On Monday at 11 a.m. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will speak on a panel at the Just Food Conference at Teachers College.
On Monday, the NYCLU will hold a Day of Action asking the New York State Legislature to pass legislation to protect civil rights and liberties. At noon, there will be a rally in Albany featuring NYCLU executive director Donna Lieberman; Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner; Erika Christensen, “a woman affected by New York’s outdated abortion law;” National Institute for Reproductive Rights president Andrea Miller; Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts! CEO Robin Chappelle Golston; New York State Defenders Association Executive Defenders Association executive director Jonathan Gradess; and others.
On Monday at noon at A’Dar Lounge in Manhattan, the city Department of Small Business Services and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito "will announce nearly $9 million in neighborhood revitalization grants" for community-based organizations across the city "to strengthen commercial corridors." Along with SBS Commissioner Gregg Bishop and Mark-Viverito, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, program grantee David Nocenti of Union Settlement, and others will participate.
At noon Monday, a rally will be held at Governor Cuomo’s New York City office to demand that the governor address the homelessness crisis, adopt new progressive taxation policies, and commit to resisting the policies coming from Washington. Activists led by Vocal-NY and including representatives of a variety of groups plan to commit civil disobedience by blocking traffic on Third Avenue.
At noon Monday, the City Council Progressive Caucus and Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus will hold a rally at City Hall to protest the Trump administration’s budget cuts to NYCHA. City Council Member Ritchie Torres, chair of the Council’s public housing committee, “will announce an update in the amount of money NYCHA is expecting to lose this year.” Council members will also be joined by Rep. Nydia Velazquez, Comptroller Scott Stringer, “dozens of public housing residents, housing and advocacy organizations including Legal Aid Society, CAAAV, Community Voices Heard, Grand St. Settlement, FPWA, Enterprise, and more.” The rally will preface the aforementioned City Council budget hearing on public housing.
At 6 p.m. Monday, a public meeting will be held regarding the merger of Frederick Douglass Academy IV Secondary School and the Brooklyn Academy of Global Finance, both Renewal schools.
On Monday at 6:30 p.m., schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña will deliver "brief remarks at the Third Annual Shubert High School Festival" at The Music Box Theatre in Manhattan.
At 7 p.m. on Monday, the Urban Justice Center will host “Defending Our Sanctuary City,” a panel discussion featuring City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito; Ravi Ragbir, organizer at New Sanctuary Coalition and an immigrant rights activist; Lourdes Rosado, Civil Rights Bureau Chief in the office of the New York State Attorney General; and Alisha Williams, Senior Staff Attorney at the Peter Cicchino Youth Project at UJC.
Tuesday
NOTE: all of the events listed for Tuesday are subject to cancellation given the expected snowstorm.*** This post may not reflect cancellations.***
At the City Council on Tuesday:
Also at the City Council on Tuesday, there will be preliminary budget hearings held by the Committee on Public Safety and the Committee on Technology with the following tenative schedule:
The New York State Legislature will be in session on Tuesday in Albany.
At 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, the Center for New York City Law will host “Building Mega-Projects: Lessons from the Second Avenue Subway,” with Michael Horodniceanu, President of MTA Capital Construction Company.
On Tuesday there will be a half-day conference, "Options for Community-friendly Real Estate Development for Faith-based Organizations" at Deutsche Bank, 60 Wall Street, is being sponsored by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer "for faith-based organizations facing these challenges. We’ll discuss all aspects of community-sensitive planning and development, including strategies for community engagement, alternative development models, and policy considerations on structural preservation as well as affordable housing development and preservation."
At 9 a.m. Tuesday, the New York City Board of Correction will hold a public meeting at 125 Worth St in Manhattan.
At 9 a.m. Tuesday, the New York City Industrial Development Agency will hold a Board of Directors meeting.
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will host the first of two public hearings of their “Gifted and Talented Task Force,” focusing on “gifted and talented education in New York City public schools, as well as the admissions process for the city’s specialized schools,” at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza in Brooklyn.
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, John Jay College of Criminal Justice will host a community information forum regarding the upcoming referendum on whether to call a state constitutional convention. Panelists and moderators will include Michael Benjamin of the New York Post; Brigid Bergin of WNYC; Josh Robin of NY1; Dick Dadey of Citizen Union; and Evan Davis, the former president of the New York City Bar Association and current senior counsel at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP.
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Public Advocate Letitia James will hold a "Talk to Tish" town hall for residents of the South Bronx at the Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education.
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, City Council Member Laurie Cumbo will continue her “Community Exchange Series.” Cumbo will discuss “Status Update on the Bedford Union Armory Part 2” at Medgar Evers College.
***Reminder: all of the events listed for Tuesday are subject to cancellation given the expected snowstorm.*** This post may not reflect cancellations.*** This is true for all events listed here.
Wednesday
At the City Council on Wednesday:
The City Council on Wednesday will also hold a preliminary budget hearing of the Committee on Housing and Buildings with The Department of Housing Preservation and Development at 10 a.m. and The Department of Buildings at 12 p.m.
The New York State Legislature will be in session on Wednesday in Albany.
At 8 a.m. Wednesday, the Association for a Better New York will host a “Panel on Proposed Federal Policies & The Impact on the New York City Budget,” featuring Maria Doulis, Vice President of the Citizens Budget Commission; Dean Fuleihan, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget; Robert F. Mujica Jr., Director of the New York State Division of the Budget; and Preston Niblack, the deputy comptroller of New York City. Public Advocate Letitia James is among those who will attend the event.
At 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Manhattan Institute will host “Student Discipline and Disorder,” discussing the potential ramifications of the “discipline reform” movement sweeping across American school districts, aiming to curb the disproportionate rates of suspension for black and Latino students. The event will feature opening remarks from Howard Husock, vice president of research and publications at MI, followed by a presentation by MI Senior Fellow Max Eden, and finally a panel featuring Eden, Office of Safety and Youth Development CEO Lois Herrera, Local 237 Director of Law Enforcement Derek Jackson, and Senior Policy Fellow at the Center of the American Experiment Katherine Kersten; the panel will be moderated by Husock. (Event has been postponed due to the snow storm.)
At noon Wednesday, there will be a "Faith Over Fear" press conference outside City Hall. Public Advocate Letitia James is among those participating.
At 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, "Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman will announce a massive organized crime ring take down."
At 6 p.m. Wednesday, a public meeting will be held regarding the closure of the Monroe Academy for Visual Arts & Design, a Renewal school.
At 6 p.m. Wednesday, the New York City Bar Association will host “Yes or No in November: Discussing a Constitutional Convention for New York,” about the upcoming referendum regarding whether New York State should convene a constitutional convention to examine its provisions regarding government ethics and citizen protections. The event will connect to the one from the night before, and will feature Barbara Bartoletti, of the League of Women Voters of New York State; Michael Cardozo, of Proskauer Rose LLP; Dick Dadey, of Citizens Union; Evan Davis, of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP; Hank Greenberg, of Greenberg Traurig LLP; Helen Hershkoff, of NYU School of Law; Adriene Holder, of the Civil Practice Legal Aid Society of NYC; Roberta Kaplan, of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, and Garrison LLP; and Jerry Kremer, of Empire Government Strategies.
At 6 p.m. Wednesday, the City Council is hosting its annual "Women's Herstory Month Celebration," led by the Council's Women's Caucus, which is currently chaired by Council Members Laurie Cumbo and Helen Rosenthal. Speaker Mark-Viverito will deliver remarks; and the event will honor eleven "women in the labor movement for their invaluable contributions to workers' rights and the strengthening of New York City's economy."
At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, the city Parks Department will host a scoping meeting to discuss potential improvement to Lost Battalion Hall Park in Queens.
Mayor de Blasio is scheduled to hold a town hall meeting on Wednesday night in Manhattan, hosted by City Council Member Corey Johnson, at Lab High School. A number of other local elected officials are co-hosts, though as is customary, the local Council member, Johnson, will emcee. Public Advocate Letitia James will attend and may deliver brief remarks.
Thursday
At the City Council on Thursday:
The Committee on Environmental Protection will meet at 2 p.m. to discuss flood mitigation in Southeast Queens.
At 9 a.m. Thursday, the Center for New York City Affairs will host “College Affordability: Will New York Lead the Way,” a discussion with community leaders regarding Governor Cuomo’s free college proposal at the New School’s Theresa Lang Student Center. Following opening remarks by New School President David van Zandt, author Sara Goldrick-Rab will join a discussion with Kimberly Cline, President of Long Island University; Mike Fabricant, first vice president, Professional Staff Congress, City University of New York; James Skoufis, an Assemblyman representing Orange and Rockland Counties; and Kevin Stump, the northeast director of Young Invincibles. [From Gotham Gazette, read: Assembly Members Propose Changes to Cuomo’s Free-Tuition Plan]
At 3 p.m. Thursday, the Center for Community and Ethnic Media at CUNY Journalism School will hold a panel discussing the city’s commitment to keep New York affordable and welcoming, as well as the “Start by Asking” joint campaign by the Robin Hood Foundation and the city. The panel will feature Nisha Agarwal, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs; Steve Banks, Commissioner of the Department of Social Services; Lorelei Salas, Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs; Regina Schwartz, the mayor’s Public Engagement Unit Director; and Steven Lee, the managing director of income security at the Robin Hood Foundation. Event postponed.
At 6 p.m. Thursday, a public meeting will be held regarding the closure of the Leadership Institute, a Renewal school.
At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, the Brooklyn Historical Society will host “The Legacy of Jane Jacobs,” whose book “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” “sent shockwaves through the architecture and planning worlds.” The New York Times’ Ginia Bellafante will speak with documentary filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer, co-founder of Friends of the High Line Robert Hammond, and Dr. Samuel Zipp, Associate Professor of American and Urban Studies at Brown University and co-editor of “Little Plans: The Short Works of Jane Jacobs.”
Friday and the weekend
Friday is the annual Student Voter Registration Day in New York City.
At 7 p.m. Friday, Delta Sigma Theta’s Queens Alumnae Chapter will host “Women in Politics II, Beyond the Voting Booth: Harnessing our Collective Power” at Queens Borough Hall. Tunisha Walker, Senior Vice President of Capalino + Company, will moderate a panel featuring Bertha Lewis, founder and president of the Black Institute; Tara Martin, political director of the NYS Nurses Association; and Afua Atta Mensah, executive director of Community Voices Heard.
On Friday evening at 7 p.m., City Council Members Laurie Cumbo and Jumaane D. Williams will "commemorate Women's Herstory Month by honoring seven extraordinary women from New York City who are blazing the trail in advocacy and public service." Nisha Agarwal of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs will deliver keynote remarks.
At 11:30 a.m. Sunday, the Riders’ Alliance will hold “Fare Hike Rally and Action: NYers Demand #FairFares” at Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. [From Gotham Gazette, read: Saying City 'Can't Afford' 'Fair Fares,' De Blasio Points to State]
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Have events or topics for us to include in an upcoming Week Ahead in New York Politics? E-mail Gotham Gazette executive editor Ben Max any time: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (please use "For Week Ahead" as email subject).
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by Ben Brachfeld and Ben Max
@GothamGazette