
New York City Hall
What to watch for this week in New York politics:
Will there be a special session in Albany before the end of the year? That's one question we're looking for an answer to as the week begins. Time is running low for one to occur before the holidays at the end of the month. Governor Andrew Cuomo has said he wants to hold one to deal with a variety of issues, including pay raises for legislators and executive branch employees and other reforms to the legislator position, plus 421-a and more.
Meanwhile, here in the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio continues to move his reelection campaign along. On Sunday de Blasio spoke at Parkchester Baptist Church in the Bronx and received the re-election endorsement of Assemblymember Luis Sepulveda, the first state-level endorsement of the mayor’s reelection campaign, which has kicked off with several union endorsements and the backing of former Mayor David Dinkins and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
On Sunday afternoon, in his official capacity as mayor, de Blasio delivered remarks at the New York Progressive Action Network Conference. De Blasio begins his week with three public events Monday -- see below for details.
Also Sunday, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, with faith leaders, announced “a new push for additional federal anti-terror funding to help safeguard civil, religious and community institutions.” Gillibrand cited the NYPD reporting a 30 percent jump in hate crimes throughout the city in 2016, and her office said she “will call for additional funding in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Homeland Security appropriations bill for the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Non-Profit Security Grant Program (NSGP). This additional funding would help ensure the protection of non-profit facilities and places of worship from potential threats. The Senate is currently debating the measure and is set to vote on it next week.”
This week, we're watching for news out of Albany on a special session and much more. As always, there's a great deal happening all over the city, with many events to be aware of -- see our day-by-day rundown below.
***Do you have events or topics for us to include in an upcoming Week Ahead in New York Politics?
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The run of the week in detail:
Monday
On Monday, Mayor de Blasio has three public events: at 10 a.m. at the First Precinct, "de Blasio and Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill will host a press conference to discuss crime statistics." "In the evening, the Mayor will appear on NY1’s Inside City Hall...Later the Mayor will deliver remarks at the Brooklyn Bar Association's Annual Dinner." The mayor is also hosting "a meeting with the Executive Committee of the New York Conference of Mayors at Gracie Mansion" that is closed to the press and public.
At the City Council on Monday:
At 8 a.m. Monday, the Association for a Better New York will have a breakfast with William C. Dudley, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Dudley “will present a macroeconomic outlook and what it means for New York.”
At 10 a.m. Monday in Albany, the New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Education will hold a public hearing “to examine and study existing and new ways to support and improve the academic success of English Language Learner students in New York State’s school districts.”
On Monday at 10 a.m., “New York City Council Member Andy King and Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina will visit all schools on Evander Childs High School campus.”
At 10:30 a.m. Monday near Trump Tower, City Council Transportation Chair Ydanis Rodriguez “will call on President-Elect Donald Trump to move his transition headquarters out of New York City to ease traffic congestion in midtown Manhattan.”
At 4 p.m. Monday at York College, there will be a public hearing on the MTA’s proposed fare hikes.
On Monday at 5:30 p.m., the New York City Council will hold an event for World AIDS Day at City Hall.
On Monday at 6:30 p.m., New York Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, the Mayor's Community Affairs Unit, and the Legal Aid Society will host a “Know Your Rights Forum” in Corona. This event will be an “informational forum about immigration concerns under the Trump Administration” where “families in Corona--one of the largest immigrant communities in New York City--will be able to ask questions and receive resources from City agencies.”
Tuesday
"On Tuesday, Mayor de Blasio will hold public hearings for and sign 17 pieces of legislation – Intros. 738-A, 1079-A, 1088-A, 1090-A, 1093-A, 1094-A, 1098-A, 1100-A, 1101 and 1102, in relation to gas safety; Intro. 1124-A, in relation to establishing an electric vehicle charging station pilot program; Intro. 1183-A, in relation to establishing a task force on affordability, admissions and graduation rates at the City University of New York; Intro 1228-B, in relation to amending the New York City charter to review the operations, policies, programs and practices of the Department of Correction; Intro. 300-A, in relation to the removal of snow and ice from fire hydrants; Intro. 1147-A, in relation to establishing an office of crime victim services; and Intros. 1213-A and 1214-A, in relation to services provided to NYCHA residents, including the jobs-plus program."
"In the evening, the Mayor and First Lady Chirlane McCray will attend The Nation Institute’s 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner."
At the City Council on Tuesday: The City Council will hold a Stated Meeting at 1:30 p.m. This will be prefaced by the usual pre-stated press conference hosted by Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.
"The New York City Council on Tuesday will introduce a package of laws that would improve jobs in the fast food industry and other retail jobs, providing more regular schedules and access to more hours for workers so they can plan their lives and support their families. The council is also introducing a first-of-its-kind bill that would enable fast food workers to set up a non-profit organization in order to advocate for themselves and their families and improve their communities." Council members, workers led by 32BJ SEIU, and advocates will rally at 10 a.m. at City Hall.
On Tuesday, Stroock, Stroock, and Lavan will host a forum called "Can Media Actions Impair Justice?" The panel will explore the view held by some that “justice—in civil and criminal cases—may be under serious attack by today's news, editorial and internet coverage.” The forum will include Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, Senior Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York; Justice John M. Leventhal, Associate Justice, Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York Second Judicial Department; William K. Rashbaum, Reporter at the New York Times; and Judge Shira A. Scheindlin (Ret.), Stroock Of Counsel. Robert Abrams, former New York State Attorney General and Chair of Stroock's Government Relations Practice Group; and Joel Cohen, former Special Prosecutor and Stroock Of Counsel, will be the moderators of the forum.
On Tuesday at 8:30 a.m., the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce will host a breakfast with NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill.
At 11 a.m. Tuesday in Albany, "Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman will release a report on voting rights across New York State, detailing the results of his inquiry into the unprecedented level of voting complaints regarding the April 2016 presidential primary, and outlining a comprehensive set of reforms to address these issues."
At noon Tuesday, the New York City Bar Association will have a luncheon with NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill. The NYPD Commissioner will “discuss the NYPD’s efforts to address and improve public safety and quality-of-life conditions” and also “share his vision of joining police and community resources to achieve these goals.”
At noon Tuesday, the Brennan Center for Justice will have a film screening of "Rikers," a documentary. After the screening, there will be a panel discussion on “the crisis of incarceration in America through the stories of those who’ve been imprisoned” at Rikers, including panelists Dr. Ernest Drucker, Professor, NYU College of Global Public Health and author, A Plague of Prisons: The Epidemiology of Mass Incarceration in America; Lauren-Brooke “LB” Eisen, Senior Counsel, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law; and Glenn E. Martin, Founder and President, JustLeadershipUSA, national leader and criminal justice reform advocate.
On Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., NYC Votes will hold a public hearing on the 2016 elections. NYC Votes is inviting people to “share your voting story, listen to the testimonies of other voters and to help NYC Votes improve its voter outreach and education.”
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, the Association for a Better New York Young Professionals will continue its “What’s On Tap?” series with City Council Member Ritchie Torres. Torres “will share his experiences in public service and civic leadership, his current priorities for the City Council, and his thoughts on what's next for New York post-election.”
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Baruch College will hold “Trump’s First 100 Days: What Will He Actually Do?” Speakers include Baruch President Mitchel B. Wallerstein on Defense/National Security, Professor Els de Graauw on Immigration Policy, Professor Hector Cordero-Guzmán on Workforce Issues, Professor Judith Kafka on K-12 Education, Clinical Professor Jeffrey Apfel on Higher Education, Professor John Casey on The Landscape for Nonprofits/Civil Society, Professor Dahlia Remler on Health Care Policy, Professor Tom Halper on The Court & Appointments, Professor Eric Gander on The Court & The First Amendment, and Professor David Jones on Congress.
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, the New York City Bar Association will hold “An Evening with Judge Margo K. Brodie, United States District Court Judge, EDNY.” Brodie will “share reflections on her career path, advice on how to navigate the legal profession, and the responsibilities and benefits of being an active member of the profession.”
Wednesday
At the City Council on Wednesday: The Committee on Health will meet at 1 p.m. to discuss proposed laws that deal with the reporting of HPV vaccination rates, the use of long-acting reversible contraceptives, and maternal mortality.
On Wednesday, the New York City Housing Conference will hold its 43rd Annual Awards Program and “Keys to Opportunity” conference. New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will be the keynote speaker. Honorees will include Shola Olatoye, CEO of NYCHA. Panel discussions will include a “Federal Policy Update,” “Connecting Services to Housing,” “Planning for Year-15,” “Winning Strategies For Community Engagement,” “How to Make Housing Healthier,” and “City & State Financing Programs.” Panelists will include City Council Members Donovan Richards and Jumaane Williams and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
Thursday
At the City Council on Thursday:
On Thursday at 3 p.m., the Center for Community and Ethnic Media at CUNY Journalism School will release a new research study: "NYC's Ethnic Media in the Digital Age," from Matthew Matsaganis, Ph.D. Associate Professor, University at Albany, State University of New York.
On Thursday at 6:30 p.m., the Museum of the City of New York will hold “Zoning at New Heights: Supertalls and the Accidental Skyline.” This event will “consider whether or not the zoning regulations that were created to tame towers during the rise of the skyscraper in the early 20th century have kept pace with the evolving skyline.” John Cetra, AIA, Founding Principal, Cetra Ruddy; Raphaël Fischler, Associate Professor at the School of Urban Planning, McGill ; Terrence O'Neal, Chair of the Land Use and Waterfront Committee, Community Board 6; Michael T. Sillerman, Partner, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP; and Carol Willis, Founding Director of the The Skyscraper Museum will be the panelists. Edith Hsu-Chen from the NYC Department of City Planning Director for Manhattan will be the moderator.
On Thursday at 6:30 p.m., New York City Council Member Dan Garodnick will host “A Call To Action: Advancing NY Values from Your House to the White House.” At this event, people will “learn how over the next four years we can advance and preserve the values that make New York City great.” This event is co-sponsored by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Borough President Gale Brewer, Senator Liz Krueger, and Assembly Member Dan Quart. The event will include a panel discussion and an advocacy resource fair, with groups like Planned Parenthood NYC, the New York Civil Liberties Union, Make The Road New York, The Anti-Violence Project, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Anti-Defamation League, Coalition for the Homeless, and the New York Immigration Coalition. Panelists will include Rashida Richardson, New York Civil Liberties Union; Daniel Altschuler, Make the Road New York; Elizabeth Adams, Planned Parenthood of NYC; and Yasmin Safdie,The Anti-Violence Project.
Friday and the weekend
Nothing on our radar for Friday or the weekend as of the start of the week. Among things that could be on the docket: Mayor Bill de Blasio is likely to make his weekly appearance on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show on Friday morning.
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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).
***
by Brendan Birth and Ben Max
@GothamGazette

(photo via The Governor's Office)
After months of deliberating, a commission tasked with recommending salary adjustments for state lawmakers and executive branch employees met for the final time on Nov. 15 and did not suggest raises. The salary of New York state legislators has remained the same since 1999, and could stay unchanged until the commission meets again in another four years, as established by the 2015 law that created a new process for such pay raises.
Governor Andrew Cuomo and members of the Senate and Assembly could override their recent decision to leave raises up to a commission and pass compensation reform earlier.
One of the main arguments made in support of raising lawmaker salaries is that a higher salary would “attract the best possible people to pursue the position,” since “a depressed salary will eventually discourage qualified people from pursuing those offices,” as Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie wrote in a letter sent to the commission Oct. 5.
Though the notion that increasing politicians’ pay is needed to attract better candidates to office may be quite disagreeable to the public, Heastie is not alone in that line of thinking.
Some government reform advocates, academics, and, naturally, Heastie’s appointee to the commission, Roman Hedges, have argued that better pay generates increased competition among candidates, leading to more choices for voters, and, as Hedges put it, would attract “the best people available” and create a “more professional Legislature."
But is that true? The body of academic research examining this question has produced somewhat mixed results, though the findings generally support the claim. Most studies have shown that higher wages do result in increased political competition and attract more educated candidates (more college degree holders). Most research also shows that higher pay increases the rate at which incumbents seek reelection.
Some studies shows that higher salaries improve lawmakers’ performance in office (as measured by the number of bills submitted and approved), while others have found that lawmakers with higher salaries spend less time on legislative activities.
New York State lawmakers currently earn a base salary of $79,500 annually for what is technically a part-time job. Lawmakers may still hold employment elsewhere and earn outside income (and almost half do), and most lawmakers earn an additional $9,000-$41,500 annually from legislative stipends, or lulus, and also get per diems for traveling to Albany.
Even though they haven’t had a raise in 17 years and the job is part-time, New York lawmakers are still the third highest paid in the nation, behind only California ($100,113 per year) and Pennsylvania ($85,339). How often state legislatures meet and how they function differ vastly from state to state, with some, like New Hampshire, paying its lawmakers only $100 a year in order to maintain a more citizen legislature.
Had New York state lawmakers’ salaries kept up with inflation, legislators would earn about $114,000 annually. The median household income in New York is $58,687. New York City Council members recently voted themselves raises, to increase the base salary to $148,500 per year, but they also banned outside income and lulus, and are subject to a maximum of two four-year terms. There are no term limits in the state Legislature, which is “in session” from January to June each year.
Peverill Squire, a political science professor at the University of Missouri, has a body of research measuring the impact of salaries on state lawmakers across the United States. Overall, Squire has found that more seats go uncontested when legislative pay is lower (giving voters fewer choices); higher pay allows lawmakers to spend more time on their legislative responsibilities; and higher salaries are more likely to attract lawmakers who hold college degrees. For example, 88 percent of California state lawmakers, who earn $100,113 annually, have college degrees, while only 49 percent of New Hampshire state lawmakers, who earn $100 annually, have graduated from college.
Squire sent testimony to the New York State compensation commission, per the commission’s request, summarizing some of the findings from academic literature examining the influence of salaries on lawmakers. More professionalized legislatures (meaning legislatures that meet longer and supply lawmakers with higher salaries and more staff) pass a greater percentage of bills overall and enact more bills per legislative day.
Squire also noted that turnover declines as salary levels increase (the effects of which are debatable), and that lawmakers in legislatures with a higher degree of professionalization “have more contact with their constituents” and “are more attentive to their concerns.”
Some academics and policy experts caution against thinking of higher salaries as a panacea for Albany’s dysfunction. New York lawmakers are relatively well-paid among state legislatures nationally, yet that has neither deterred corruption in the state capital nor resulted in a more functional legislature.
The state Legislature is “more transactional than they’ve ever been,” said E.J. McMahon, research director of the Empire Center, a conservative think tank that studies the state economy and public policy. “At this point, by historical standards for sure, the Governor and the state Legislature, given their responsibilities, are not paid enough…but the Legislature stands out for how poor a job it does in many ways,” McMahon said.
“They introduce thousands and thousands of bills, do very little in the way of real deliberation,” McMahon added, highlighting frustrations raised in responses to a public opinion survey posted on the compensation commission’s website. “They’re as bad as they’ve ever been at waiting till the last minute to sheepishly go along and rubber stamp something that legislative leaders have cut a deal on” with the governor, McMahon said.
Adjusting the compensation levels of elected officials is a tricky situation for many reasons, especially because lawmakers inevitably have to prompt their own raise in some way, which is always a politically unfavorable move. And in New York, legislators living in and around New York City have a far greater cost of living than others.
“I think we need to pay people commensurate with our expectations of them,” said Gerald Benjamin, professor of political science and director of the Benjamin Center at SUNY New Paltz, who served on a compensation commission in Ulster County. Benjamin would prefer that state lawmakers do “full-time work for full-time pay,” in accordance with what is needed to “live reasonably as a family person in New York.”
Yet since that needed amount would differ in different areas of the state, “and compensation needs to be equal because of the nature of the task,” compensation would be skewed toward the higher end, and salaries should “be adjusted formulaically after a base is established…Pay must be targeted to open up the possibility to serve to a broad spectrum of New Yorkers,” Benjamin said.
Benjamin’s suggestion calls attention to the difficulty of adjusting the salaries of elected officials based on one measurement alone, which is what led Italian economists Stefano Gagliarducci and Tommaso Nannicini to examine the relationship between pay and the quality of Italian mayors, as the wage of mayors in Italy depends on population size. Like New York state lawmakers, Italian mayors may also earn outside income. Gagliarducci and Nannicini found that higher wages attracted more educated candidates (as measured by the amount of years spent in school).
Another study examined whether higher wages improve lawmakers’ performance in office, increase competition for office, and attract “higher quality candidates” amongst municipal councilors in Brazil after a constitutional amendment introduced caps on their wages according to population size, resulting in some legislators receiving higher pay than others.
Economists Claudio Ferraz and Frederico Finan analyzed the educational and professional background of everyone who ran for municipal government in the year the amendment took effect, and tracked what the winning candidates did while in office. They found that higher wages increased political competition by attracting more candidates (though it also increased reelection rates among incumbent candidates), and attracted more educated legislators with more experience, though this effect was modest. As with New York state lawmakers, the role of a municipal councilor in Brazil is not a full-time position, and a majority of councilors still have an additional professional role.
Additionally, Ferraz and Finan found that higher salaries improved politicians’ performance in office, as measured by both the number of bills submitted by legislators and the number of bills approved, which they believe may be due to the higher incentive to be reelected.
However, not all academic research points to the same conclusion. In 2014, Columbia Business School economist Raymond Fisman and others analyzed the impact of salaries on the educational background of members of the European Parliament, and the performance of those MEPs while in office (as a law had just been introduced which equalized MEPs’ salaries, which had previously differed significantly) and found that increased salaries actually decreased the number of MEPs who came from highly-ranked universities.
Like Ferraz and Finan, however, Fisman also found that higher salaries also increased the number of incumbents who ran for reelection, and that higher salaries did “induce more political competition.”
Significantly, Fisman’s study found that MEPs whose pay increased did not become more productive in terms of their attendance at legislative sessions or their legislative output (including the number of reports prepared, written declarations, motions for resolutions, etc.). The researchers concluded that in this instance, “monetary incentives have no discernible impact on politicians’ effort, which seems more influenced by non pecuniary motivations.”
Fisman believes this could perhaps be the result of extrinsic rewards (more money) overriding the intrinsic ones (a personal calling to represent people). Though most academic research has found that higher pay does indeed increase political competition by prompting more candidates to run for office, Fisman’s findings suggest that higher pay may not necessarily lead to “better” representatives, though the additional money does attract some candidates who may not have otherwise run for office.
“There is a relationship between higher pay and inducing more people to run,” said Fritz Schwarz, Jr., chief counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice and chair of New York City’s 2015 quadrennial advisory commission, which was called to evaluate the salaries of the city’s elected officials and led to pay raises for City Council members, the Mayor, and other positions. “But I think it’s not a one-to-one relationship,” Schwarz said. “There are good people who choose to run with the low pay, and not everybody who is induced to run with the high pay is going to be Alexander Hamilton or James Madison.”
Another 2014 study, one which examined the salaries of state legislators and governors across the United States over the past 60 years, found that politicians in states with higher wages “spend greater time on fund-raising and on constituent services, but no more time on legislative activities.” Professors Elizabeth Lyons at the University of California and Mitchell Hoffman at the University of Toronto caution that their findings call into question the claim that increasing legislators’ salaries will improve the quality of state governments. However, their study did again find that higher salaries are associated with increases in political competitiveness, though the effect was modest.
Overall, most studies find that higher pay does lead to more competitive elections, which is good for voters, and generally attracts candidates with more years of education. Higher pay alone does not necessarily improve the performance of politicians while in office, which is itself tricky to define, though it does give them a greater incentive to get reelected, which may influence them to work harder to maintain their position.
Adjusted for inflation, New York state lawmakers are making less now than at most points since their last raise, in 1999. State lawmakers in California and Pennsylvania, the two states that pay their legislators more than New York, regularly see their salaries increased incrementally every year -- Pennsylvania's are pegged to a cost of living adjustment and in California a commission meets every year to adjust legislator salaries.
The question of whether or not lawmakers should receive a raise often becomes entangled by other questions: should they be able to earn outside income, or should the position be considered full-time? Should members who don’t hold leadership positions still receive stipends? Should pay be based on how effective lawmakers actually are?
Strong differences of opinion on these questions ultimately led to the state compensation commission’s failure to do the one thing it was called to do: recommend salary adjustments.
Government reform advocates, academics, and even some members of the commission were generally in agreement that New York state lawmakers ought to be paid a bit more, despite the fact that they are already the third highest paid lawmakers in the nation and Albany is still very dysfunctional. Governor Andrew Cuomo and his appointees to the compensation commission are, in fact, demanding other reforms to the position, like limits on outside income, in exchange for a salary increase -- something legislative leaders have balked at and called inappropriate given the duties of the commission.
“I think a lot of legislators in both houses, in both parties, are very frustrated with the way things work, and pay is a varying part of that frustration for some of them,” said McMahon. “But most of them are not going to be any less frustrated - they’ll simply be paid more and just as frustrated. They see how badly the system works and they’d like to change it, but they can’t figure out how to do it.”
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by Meg O'Connor, Gotham Gazette
@megoconnor13 @GothamGazette

New York City Hall
What to watch for this week in New York politics:
This week we're continuing to watch President-elect Donald Trump fill out his cabinet while examining his conflicts of interest, which he has said don't matter, and his erratic and dangerous behavior, such as Trump tweeting on Sunday, "In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally." Trump has no proof for such claims, and appears set on continuing his assault on key democratic institutions and norms.
Cloe to home, we're continuing to track and probe how New York City and State are responding to a Trump presidency and preparing for his potential policies, based on his campaign agenda. New York Democrats such as Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, and many others, have had to face the reality of a Trump victory and what it could mean for the state and city. In sum, they've promised to work with Trump if he is going to put forward policies to invest in infrastructure and help workers and others struggling with employment, education, loans, and more; but to fight Trump if he attempts to deport millions of immigrants, including those in the country illegally, create a Muslim registry, or fulfill other campaign promises. They've also responded with worry to some of Trump's early appointments.
This week after the Thanksgiving holiday will be a busy one in New York politics, with a packed City Council schedule, including the second of two Stated meetings this month, at which new bills are introduced and bills that have passed committee are voted on by the full Council. City Council Member Costa Constantinides will chair an enviromental committee hearing on Monday and he has written a new op-ed column for Gotham Gazette discussing his belief that the city has additional responsibility to fight climate change in light of Trump's election and promises to undo progress made in fighting global warming.
Mayor de Blasio begins his week with one public event: his weekly appearance on NY1's Inside City Hall.
See our day-by-day rundown of the week ahead in New York politics below.
***Do you have events or topics for us to include in an upcoming Week Ahead in New York Politics?
e-mail Gotham Gazette editor Ben Max: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.***
The run of the week in detail:
Monday
At the City Council on Monday:
At 1 p.m. Monday, the City Planning Commission will hold a review session.
At 1 p.m. Monday at City Hall, “The Legal Aid Society along with Brooklyn Defender Services will join other defender organizations, community advocates, stakeholders and U.S. Congress Member Hakeem Jeffries and New York State Assembly Member Dan Quart to call on Governor Cuomo to sign S6483A/A9042A – legislation to treat folding knives as work tools not weapons...S6483A/A9042A passed the New York State Legislature in June (117-12 in the Assembly and 61-1 in the Senate) and will soon be sent to the Governor’s office for consideration.”
Tuesday
At 9 a.m. Tuesday, Governor Cuomo will deliver remarks at the Capital Region Sustainability Conference in Schenectady.
At 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, "Mayor de Blasio, Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill and Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg will host a press conference to make an announcement regarding Vision Zero."
At 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in Albany, "The New York State Assembly will hold a public hearing to examine the condition of the state’s election infrastructure with a focus on measures that are in place to protect the integrity of the system against cyber-infiltration or attack. Election Law Committee Chair Michael J. Cusick and Election Day Operations and Voter Disenfranchisement Subcommittee Chair David Buchwald will take testimony on the integrity of the state’s election infrastructure and address reports about foreign governments attempting to infiltrate American voter registration records."
At the City Council on Tuesday:
At 11 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall, the Women's Caucus of the City Council, led by Speaker Mark-Viverito and chairs Helen Rosenthal and Laurie Cumbo, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and Public Advocate Letitia James will be holding an "Equality Rally" at which they will announce a new package of legislation that will be formally introduced at the City Council afterward. They will be joined by advocates and service provider organizations.
The Joint Commission on Public Ethics will hold a meeting on Tuesday in Albany.
On Tuesday, Working Families Party “activists will be joining tens of thousands of people to rally for higher wages in more than 340 cities and nearly 20 of the nation’s busiest airports. In NYC, we'll be linking arms with fast food workers and airport workers in the fight for $15 to send a loud and clear message: we won’t back down.” Actions will include “fast food civil disobedience” and “airport shutdown” at Newark Airport. City Comptroller Scott Stringer and Public Advocate Letitia James will rally with workers on Tuesday morning.
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, City Council Member Jumaane Williams will hold a town hall meeting to address both city initiatives and constituent issues. District Leader Josue Pierre will also be at this town hall.
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, State Senator Liz Krueger will host “Making Change in Your Neighborhood: How to Work with Your Government to Improve Your Community.” Activists and representatives such as John Raskin of Riders Alliance, Elaine Walsh of East 86th Street Association, and M. Umair Khan of the Office of the NYC Public Advocate will speak at this event.
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña will attend a town hall meeting of District 8’s Community Education Council at Bronx Community High School.
Wednesday
At the City Council on Wednesday:
At 8 a.m. Wednesday, City & State NY “will convene leaders in government, public policy, and the industry to discuss labor relations and its effect on public projects in New York.” Robert Asaro-Angelo, the Eastern Regional Representative of the United States Department of Labor, will deliver the keynote. Lorelei Salas, the Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs; City Council Member I. Daneek Miller; and State Senator Phil Boyle will be among those on the various panels.
At 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, New York Law School will have a breakfast forum on “Celebrating 100 Years of NYC Zoning: Setting the Future Agenda for Developers and Policy Makers.” The moderator is Ross F. Moskowitz, Partner of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP. The panelists will include Commissioner Vicki Been, New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development; New York City Council Member David G. Greenfield, Chair of the Committee on Land Use; Andrew Kimball, CEO, Industry City; and Ron Moelis, CEO, L+M Development Partners.
At 9 a.m. Wednesday, the Center for New York City Affairs will hold a panel discussion on how to make New York City Public Schools more integrated. The panelists will be Josh Wallack, Deputy Chancellor of Strategy and Policy; City Council Member Brad Lander; Voyka Soto, Organizer, Power to Harlem Parents; and Shino Tanikawa, president, District 2 Community Education Council. Clara Hemphill, director of education policy and InsideSchools, will be the moderator.
At 10 a.m. Wednesday, the City Planning Commission will hold a public meeting.
At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Riders Alliance will hold “Where Do We Go from Here: Albany, Washington and Transit after the Election.” Participants will “talk about our top priorities for 2017 and what the shifting political climate in Albany means for public transit in the year ahead.” State Senator Brad Hoylman, Dan Rivoli of the Daily News, and Veronica Vanterpool of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign will be the panelists. Dr. Christina Greer of Fordham University will moderate.
Thursday
At the City Council on Thursday:
“The next public meeting of the New York City Campaign Finance Board will be held on Thursday, December 1, at 10:00 AM.”
At noon Thursday, the Human Services Council will hold a press conference on the steps of City Hall for its OTPS (Other than Personal Services) Campaign. More information on the campaign can be found here.
At 3 p.m. Thursday, the Center for Community and Ethnic Media at CUNY Journalism School will host a Q&A with Tom Finkelpearl, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Errol Louis of NY1 and the CUNY J-School will host.
Friday and the weekend
At 9 a.m. Friday, the The New York City Council, in collaboration with Brooklyn Law School and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, will hold “The Next 100 Years of Brooklyn Zoning.” This event is a “conference on the future of Brooklyn zoning featuring leaders from government, developer and advocacy communities.” Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen is the featured speaker, and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, City Council Land Use Chair David Greenfield, and Council Members Rafael Espinal, Brad Lander, Stephen Levin and Antonio Reynoso will participate.
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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).
***
by Brendan Birth and Ben Max
@GothamGazette