New York City Hall
What to watch for this week in New York politics:
This week we're watching the end of the legislative session in Albany - seven scheduled days left! - and the final city budget negotiations here in New York City.
There are seven legislative session days left in Albany, if lawmakers use all of them, including this week’s four meetings Monday through Thursday. Mayoral control of New York City schools must be dealt with - it is due to expire at the end of June. There are a variety of other high-profile issues that may see legislation, but lawmakers might do a bare minimum and get out of town. All 213 seats in the Assembly (150) and Senate (63) are up for election this fall and legislators may be eager to devote their full-time attention to their home districts, campaign fund-raising, and re-election efforts. [Read our rundown of the key issues at play that may actually get dealt with, and a few high-profile ones that seem to be completely off the table.]
We may see a city budget deal this week, well before the June 30 end of the fiscal year. There are whispers that the Council wants to vote a new budget through on Thursday at its full-body stated meeting, which could mean a deal-in-concept announced early this week. [Read our rundown of some of the final issues that have been sticking points and on the negotiating table.]
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.
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The run of the week in detail:
Monday
At 9 a.m. Monday, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will speak at the Proud to Be Latina 6th Annual Empowerment Leadership Conference at New York Law School.
On Monday at 9:30 a.m. at the New York Public Library, "Mayor de Blasio will host a Global Mayors’ Meeting on Ending AIDS in Cities. The event is being convened by the Mayors of Paris and New York, UNAIDS, UN-Habitat and the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, with the support of the M·A·C AIDS Fund."
At 10 a.m. Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is making an announcement at Walkway Over the Hudson State Park in Poughkeepsie.
On Monday morning at 10:15 at City Hall, “charter school leaders, parents of waitlisted kids, New York City Charter School Center officials, announce strong demand for charter schools and sky-high lottery and waitlist numbers,” according to City & State NY.
At 11 a.m., over 200 faith leaders from across New York State will “release a letter on Monday, June 6th addressed to Governor Cuomo, Senator Flanagan and Assembly Speaker Heastie calling on them to pass legislation that would raise the age at which youth are charged as adults in New York.”
Also at 11 a.m., Speaker Mark-Viverito will speak at a rally in front of Trump Tower denouncing "Donald Trump's outrageous claims about Indiana-born American Judge Gonzalo Curiel."
Both houses of the state Legislature are in session on Monday afternoon in Albany.
Monday evening, Speaker Mark-Viverito and city schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña will appear at "I am Latino in America" with Soledad O’Brien at Museo del Barrio.
Tuesday
Both houses of the state Legislature are in session on Tuesday in Albany.
At 8 a.m., NYC Small Business Commissioner Gregg Bishop, City Council Member Robert Cornegy, and Jeff Merritt, the Director of Innovation for the Mayor’s Office of Tech and Innovation, will discuss “current regulatory issues small businesses are facing” at City and State NY’s “On Small Business” forum.
At 9:30 a.m., the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute will hold a forum to “analyze how food policy advocates can use the 2016 Presidential and Congressional elections to advance policy goals of the various strands of the food justice movement.”
At the City Council on Tuesday:
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, City Director of Food Policy Barbara J. Turk and Kathryn Edin, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University, will discuss “poverty and hunger” at the Brooklyn Historical Society.
Wednesday
Both houses of the state Legislature are in session on Wednesday in Albany.
At the City Council on Wednesday:
At 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, the City Council will hold a celebration of LGBT pride in the Council Chambers featuring Council Members Daniel Dromm, Corey Johnson, Carlos Menchaca, Rosie Mendez, Ritchie Torres, James Vacca, and Jimmy Van Bramer.
Thursday
Both houses of the state Legislature are in session on Thursday in Albany.
“The next public meeting of the New York City Campaign Finance Board will be held on June 9, at 10:00 AM.”
At the City Council on Thursday: at 1:30 p.m., the City Council will hold a stated meeting. As usual, it will be prefaced by the Speaker’s pre-stated press conference.
Friday and the weekend
At the City Council on Friday: at 1 p.m., the Committee on Technology will hold a hearing on two bills; one that would require all businesses to allow customers to dial 911, and another that would require the Commissioner of Information Technology to report on misrouted 911 calls near the geographic boundaries of the city.
On Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson will hold another Begin Again event, which allow residents the chance to easily clear summons warrants, at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Bushwick.
Want to read more from Gotham Gazette? Choose from our most recent reporting on city and state politics and government here.
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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 Aaron Holmes & Ben Max
@GothamGazette
Scheiderman, left, & Cuomo, center (photo via The Governor's Office on Flickr)
More than a month after Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that Bart Schwartz, a former federal prosecutor, would head an “independent investigation” into the Buffalo Billion economic development program, it remains unclear whether Schwartz has begun his work and the governor has repeatedly said that his contract with the state is still being finalized. The Buffalo Billion project and other pieces of Cuomo’s economic development programs have drawn scrutiny from the U.S. Attorney and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman due to allegations including bid-rigging that favored large Cuomo donors.
This past week, the State Inspector General’s office issued a report on the source of a leak about an investigation into Mayor Bill de Blasio’s fundraising practices at the State Board of Elections. By all accounts the investigation was conducted expeditiously.The Joint Commission on Public Ethics is also involved in a de Blasio matter as it probes his allies’ lobbying practices. These matters, not to mention the existence of the Attorney General and Comptroller, make it clear that state government already has a number of investigative bodies that would not have required extended contract negotiations and monetary compensation to conduct an investigation of the Buffalo Billion. But, Cuomo decided not to call on an existing investigative body to look at all aspects of his major economic development programs.
Gov. Cuomo’s office did not respond to questions about why an existing agency was not selected. Schwartz’s office declined to respond to questions about whether he had a contract and how many staff he would bring to his review of state economic development programming.
Schwartz’s role is murky given that the U.S. Attorney and Attorney General are now both pursuing widespread investigations. It is unclear what he can do investigatively that won’t interfere with active probes. Government watchdogs say that Schwartz’s appointment would have had an impact when concerns about the bidding process were initially raised, but at this point many believe Cuomo is simply trying to obscure the scope of the federal probe and claim high ground as state integrity is questioned.
“Schwartz’s investigation was triggered by a criminal probe. If he had been brought in years ago, that would have been a different thing,” said John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany.
Jennifer Rodgers, a former federal prosecutor and head of Columbia Law School’s Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity sees value in Schwartz’s hiring. “There are two things Bart Schwartz brings to the table: independence and resources,” Rodgers said.
“JCOPE is constantly tagged as not independent, and the state IG is ostensibly independent although appointed by the Governor,” noted Rodgers, adding that Schwartz’s firm, Guidepost Solutions, “has all the experts he might need to examine such a complex system: lawyers, former law enforcement officials, computer people - people with a set of skills that the IG and JCOPE would be hard-pressed to bring together.”
While Cuomo has said Schwartz will take a soup-to-nuts approach to his review, no one will know exactly what he is tasked with and how his work will be done until his contract is finalized and made public.
Schwartz’s firm details its approach to internal investigations on its website:
“Guidepost Solutions is frequently called upon by businesses to conduct internal investigations into allegations or suspicions of corrupt or fraudulent conduct by employees. We rely upon our full-time staff of attorneys, forensic accountants, research analysts, field investigators and computer forensics experts to staff these assignments, and we work collaboratively with our business clients to develop an investigative plan that is appropriate to the suspected misconduct...Since most of our investigative professionals have had experience in federal, state and local law enforcement—as prosecutors, auditors and agents—our investigative strategies are developed with an understanding of the evidence that may be needed to support an eventual criminal prosecution.”
The section goes on to state that the team is “equally sensitive to matters of confidentiality and public perception.”
Blair Horner, legislative director of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), said that Gov. Cuomo had a full menu of options to choose from before even considering Schwartz. “The governor had a toolbox he could have gone to to review this, but instead he went out and bought a new hammer.” Critics of the state's approach to economic development, including the Buffalo Billion, have repeatedly said that the state Comptroller should have more oversight of contracts and spending - something Comptroller Tom DiNapoli recently addressed in a series of proposals.
Horner said that the arrangement with Schwartz could technically allow Cuomo to address issues faster than if the IG’s office was investigating.
“Schwartz reports directly to him, so in theory it would all happen faster, although the IG did just turn a report around in a few weeks,” said Horner, referring to the investigation of the BOE leak. “The IG would have to issue a report and the IG would have to act.”
In other words, if the IG’s office was investigating the case the governor wouldn’t be able to fix anything until after a report was released, and the IG would have to recommend actions to be taken, which could include civil cases or referrals to law enforcement agencies for violations of the law, according to New York Executive Law section 53.
The Cuomo administration has said Schwartz will have the ability to review contracts and control cash flow, while also looking for larger fixes to the system, giving him a more proactive role than standard investigators. In an April 29 statement announcing his impending hire, Schwartz said that given the investigation and the administration’s desire to keep the Buffalo Billion program running, “they have asked me to commence an immediate review of all grants and approvals – past, current and future – in certain programs and operations,including the Buffalo Billion/Nano Economic Development Program.”
“It’s belt and suspenders, but I’d rather have it that way,” Cuomo told reporters in New York City last week, referring to redundancy and noting that he will consider making changes to economic development programs depending on the findings. Cuomo aides have periodically reminded reporters that Schwartz will also have direct approval of contracts and cash allocations. No one has confirmed whether Schwartz has indeed begun his work.
Last week, when asked if Schwartz’s report would be made public Cuomo appeared less sure of what Schwartz would be doing and admitted he had yet to secure a contract with him. “He is being hired as an independent to do an independent review,” said Cuomo. “I don’t know what his standard protocol is. I wouldn’t have a problem with [making his findings public], but I don’t know how he operates.”
Cuomo’s aides later clarified Schwartz’s report would be made public if it didn’t interfere with the U.S. Attorney’s investigation. It is unclear if there has been communication between Schwartz and U.S. Attorney Bharara’s office.
Kaehny of Reinvent Albany said he finds it a “stretch of the imagination” to think the governor could appoint someone to investigate the Buffalo Billion matter when the crux of the federal investigation appears to hinge on whether contracts were exchanged for major donations to the governor’s campaign.
“He could have asked the Attorney General and Comptroller to jointly choose an investigator and signed an MOU [memo of understanding] that would give them access to the documents they need. It would have been highly credible, people would believe it.” He noted that “most observers don’t think of the IG or JCOPE as independent” and so wouldn’t have the ability to “give the governor a clean bill of health.”
Rodgers said a joint investigation by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, both Democrats like Cuomo who are known to have strained relationships with the governor, could have appeared independent but the relational friction could have prevented the governor from wanting to hand them the keys to his signature economic development program. She noted both offices would have the resources necessary for an investigation the scope of the Buffalo Billion.
The main question surrounding Schwartz’s usefulness in the matter remains exactly what Cuomo has tasked him with investigating. Cuomo has repeatedly said that Bharara’s investigation focuses on two men, longtime associates Todd Howe and Joseph Percoco, something disputed by those familiar with the investigation.
On Thursday Cuomo was asked whether he has been told by the U.S. Attorney’s Office that its probe focuses on only a few people. Cuomo said that he hadn’t but that he believes the actions of a few people are at issue.
“Our investigator will talk to hundreds of people, but it’s about the actions of several people,” Cuomo said, adding that he would consider changes to economic development practices if Schwartz’s indicates they are necessary.
“There are major question marks around the scope of his engagement and the access he will get,” Rodgers said of Schwartz. “He has the tools and independence, but what was he asked to do with them? That is why it's so important we see a contract.”
While Schwartz’s role has remained unclear, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara’s investigation into alleged bid-rigging in Cuomo’s economic development initiative appears to be quickly expanding; last week the U.S. Attorney’s office and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office conducted a joint raid on the headquarters of SUNY Polytechnic, the organization that oversees Buffalo Billion contracting. The raid appeared partly targeted at the office of Howe, a Cuomo ally and lobbyist, who has lobbied the administration while also representing semi-governmental entities and remaining close with key players in the Cuomo administration.
A recent Wall Street Journal story revealed emails showing that Howe, someone Cuomo himself has said is a target of the probe, had a close hand in guiding SUNY Poly head Alain Kaloyeros as well as directing conversations with the governor’s top aides about how to do so. Cuomo insisted last month that he wasn’t close friends with Howe. On Thursday he said otherwise, telling reporters “I know Todd Howe. I’ve known him for many years. He worked for nano, he’s worked on a lot of these projects. But it’s also irrelevant. If anyone does anything improper, they will be punished to the fullest extent of the law, period.”
Kaehny said that Schwartz’s appointment has in a way already failed the administration. “The problem Schwartz faced from the very first moment is that his client is the governor, and the people targeted by subpoenas are extremely close to the governor,” said Kaehny, adding that it is hard to have faith in an investigation launched by the governor himself. However, it won’t be clear exactly what kind of investigation Schwartz is undertaking until his contract is made public, if one is indeed signed.
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by David King, Albany editor, Gotham Gazette
@DavidHowardKing @GothamGazette
Heastie, Cuomo, Flanagan June 2015 (photo: Kevin P. Coughlin/Governor's Office)
Last week, the Senate came to standstill as the star of popular beer commercials came to the Capitol as a guest of Senate Republicans. Legislators of both parties fawned and snapped pictures with Jonathan Goldsmith, of Dos Equis fame. Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan’s office proudly posted a picture of the two men together on Twitter; Democratic legislators quoted catchphrases of “the most interesting man in the world” on the Senate floor. While it's fairly customary for both houses of the Legislature to honor various heroes and celebrities, it was striking to see the house come to standstill with less than two weeks left in the legislative session and a myriad of major policy issues not being given a moment of public debate.
On Wednesday, the Legislature will return to Albany after a long Memorial Day weekend facing just nine remaining scheduled session days. Many legislators and advocates have abandoned hope for any significant, substantive policy victories. After a particularly contentious budget process that yielded major victories for Governor Andrew Cuomo on a path toward a $15 minimum wage and paid family leave, the leadership of both houses appear to be more concerned with the impending election season than hashing out deals on a variety of subjects. The spectre of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara has also chilled legislators’ appetites for deal-making. And yet there remain some policy matters that will likely be smashed together into a casserole of legislation that has come to be be known as “The Big Ugly.”
The convictions of both former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos on multiple federal corruption charges led many legislators and advocates to assume that this year would see significant action on government ethics reform. Gov. Cuomo put forth an ambitious ethics agenda during his January State of the State speech.
New Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan refused to negotiate ethics reforms in the March budget deal and has since stonewalled on any reform issue other than legislation to strip pensions from state employees convicted of felonies. The Assembly has refused to move on the Senate version of that bill because labor unions are concerned their members would lose their pensions after offenses.
Despite a standoff on ethics, legislators don’t appear worried that passing bills to allow fantasy sports gambling, online poker, mixed martial arts fighting, and easier access to liquor will hurt their chances at reelection this fall.
However, a new Siena Poll released Tuesday shows that 96 percent of voters say passing ethics reform legislation should be the top priority for legislators at session’s end - with 81 percent calling it “very important.”
Good government groups see the pension forfeiture measure as a token reform and have pressed for the closing of the “LLC loophole” that allows businesses to create multiple limited liability companies to donate virtually unlimited amounts of campaign cash; public financing of candidate campaigns; the end of lump sum appropriations in the budget; limits on political contributions by companies with business before the state; limits on legislators’ outside income; and a renovation of Albany’s ethics watchdog, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE).
Only one of those proposals, closing the LLC loophole, appears to have any life left this session. Meanwhile, top priorities for lawmakers appear to include legislation around the aforementioned topics like daily fantasy sports, but also regulations of for-hire vehicle services like Uber, combating the heroin epidemic and a couple of more serious issues - the governor has also mentioned an interest in a breast cancer screening program. High-profile legislation like the DREAM Act, which would make undocumented students eligible for state financial aid, and raising the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 17 or 18, appear completely off the table.
There is, though, the issue of mayoral control of New York City schools, which will expire at the end of June unless it is renewed, and whether Cuomo and legislative leaders can reach a memorandum of understanding around how $2 billion in budget money targeted for affordable housing will be spent.
As lawmakers, lobbyists, and advocates hit the home stretch of legislative session, the following issues may be on the verge of some action:
Campaign Finance Loophole
Gov. Cuomo recently proposed eight bills, all of which would restrict each LLC to giving $5,000, for every combination of different elected offices, and make the people behind LLCs more transparent. The legislation would not limit the number of related LLCs that can donate, though, nor would it address the issue of labor unions and their local subsidiaries, which some compare to the issue of LLCs.
One bill would cover only the Governor’s race - Cuomo said that bill was to “show that I’m willing to go first, and I’m willing to go it alone.”
State Senator Liz Krueger, a Democrat from Manhattan, said that she welcomes the effort despite not thinking the legislation goes far enough and not believing Senate Republicans will pass anything. Action on the LLC loophole would likely force Krueger and her allies who are suing the State Board of Elections to end the loophole to have to start the process all over again. “It might interfere with my lawsuit and yet I welcome it,” Krueger told Gotham Gazette. “Yes it will only limit LLCs to $5,000 and most of these real estate guys have tons of LLCs, but it's a start that I would welcome. However I don't have much faith the Senate will allow it.”
Senator Daniel Squadron, also a New York City Democrat, has repeatedly tried to force his bill to close the loophole to a vote in the Senate only to have it bottled up in committee. Squadron issued a statement supporting the governor’s menu of reforms. “However,” wrote Squadron, “it’s critical the Loophole be closed for the Legislature, especially given the central role the Loophole has played in ethics scandals in both houses. Anything else would be a cop-out by the Senate Republican Majority.”
Flanagan quickly shot down Cuomo’s efforts in a statement, rejecting the LLC loophole as a reform issue and insisting reform efforts should focus exclusively on reforms related to activities of Mayor Bill de Blasio, despite the fact that his predecessor, Skelos, was convicted on corruption charges that involved the influence of real estate groups that have flooded legislators’ campaign coffers with donations through the loophole. De Blasio is being investigated for efforts he led to flip the Senate into Democratic hands in 2014 and is the subject of other controversies that Flanagan referenced.
“We need to bolster our money laundering laws, move aggressively against straw donors and unmask the identity of those groups or individuals who want to operate in the shadows. We should take action to stop non-profits who flout transparency and who donate unlimited sums to directly support a politician’s agenda by regulating them through the Board of Elections, JCOPE or another appropriate agency with jurisdiction. We should clarify the laws which could potentially shield the so-called “agents of the City” and subject these secret agents to the same code of ethics and disclosure laws as the government officials they work for. And, we must provide more frequent and more timely disclosure, and insist on strict enforcement of the laws that are already on the books,” reads Flanagan’s statement.
Krueger said she is disappointed by what she sees as an attitude held by many legislators that there is nothing wrong with the status quo. “I can’t believe my colleagues wake up in the morning and think things are really OK here because things really are not OK,” said Krueger.
Heroin Opioids
Senate Republicans have made dealing with opioid and heroin addiction a priority for the year and Cuomo and legislators have held panels across the state in the last few weeks on how to address the problem. There will be another in Brooklyn on Wednesday.
“We will get a comprehensive plan done before session ends,” Cuomo said at a related event on Long Island on Wednesday. “We are not going to leave Albany until this state has the best plan to deal with this. Period.”
Cuomo is calling the crisis a health issue and said he agreed with a panel member who called on insurers to cover rehab for prescription pill addiction and said he would also like them to fund education efforts.
“Pharmaceutical companies have made a fortune selling these drugs,” Cuomo said. “We should now go back to them and say, 'you have to do an education effort and tell people about the dangers of these drugs,' which they have not done. And I would make them pay for it at their cost.”
Senate Republicans issued a report on May 17 proposing a “four pronged” approach to fighting heroin and opioid addiction. The report focuses on increasing awareness of the problem, expanding treatment through insurance coverage, providing better treatment programs, employment and diversion programs for recovering addicts, and giving law enforcement more leeway to fight drug trafficking.
“This report reinforces the notion that the scourge of heroin and opioid addiction does not affect one region of the state, or one race, or one ethnic group,” said Sen. John Bonacic, a Republican from Mount Hope, in a statement accompanying the release of the report. “It’s a global problem that affects everyone, and this report along with its recommendations, is a positive step towards the goal of one day ending this terrible epidemic.”
It is unclear how Cuomo’s task force will interact with the Senate findings, but a package deal on the crisis is expected to be reached before the end of session. Some of the criminal justice aspects could be contentious.
Alcohol Business
Gov. Cuomo is backing an overhaul of the state’s liquor control laws that date back to the days of prohibition as one of his top priorities. Cuomo has sought to make New York’s breweries and wine-making operations a draw for tourists and a boon for local agriculture. His omnibus bill introduced on May 18 would cut back restrictions on when alchohol and liquor can be served, lessen some burdens for the permitting process to serve alcohol, and reduce fees for wholesalers.
However, Democrats in the Assembly and Senate have expressed concerns that the bill goes too far and could create tension in New York City neighborhoods where bars are sited close to churches and residential areas. “I have a real concern that the governor’s alcohol legislation will end up locating bars near churches,” Krueger told Gotham Gazette. “It is an issue of space unique to New York City, and I’m not sure that has been taken into account.”
Assemblymember Robin Schimminger, a Democrat from Buffalo, expressed similar concerns to Politico New York. “It looks as though this bill would allow ex-cons to get licenses to operate taverns adjacent to churches and sell shots and beers as early as 8 a.m. on Sunday mornings,” said Schimminger. "Obviously, there are many issues with this package.”
Schimminger told Politico he doubts the bill will pass this session as it stands.
Daily Fantasy Sports & Other Betting
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman had barely announced his suit against major fantasy sports operators FanDuel and DraftKings for violating the state’s gambling laws before legislators rushed to promise to legalize the practice. The companies reached a settlement with Schneiderman in late March, promising to cease operations in the state to give the Legislature a chance to change the law.
Assemblymember Gary Pretlow, a Democrat from Mount Vernon, and Sen. Bonacic have led the charge to legalize in their respective houses to legalize daily fantasy sports betting. Bonacic’s bill has moved forward in the Senate while Pretlow introduced his on Friday. There are differences in the bills, but both include legalization as well as a licensing fee and a tax. Both bills would tax companies 15 percent.
Bonacic is also sponsoring a bill to legalize online poker.
Some legislators are concerned that the allure of money - both revenue for the state and campaign contributions from major gambling interests - has effectively killed any debate about the impact of gambling on New Yorkers, especially as the state just recently allowed the construction of a number of casinos.
“It is telling that this is a priority at the end of session,” Krueger said. “This is just another example of an industry with loads of money that is going to get what it wants without any real consideration of how what they are asking for will impact the state.”
A number of Democrats say even without the question of morality they wonder when the legalization of so many ways to gamble in the state - from racetrack betting to video slots, casinos, online games, the state lottery, and more - will eventually lead to diminishing returns.
Housing
Senate Republicans and Gov. Cuomo have been pushing for a renewal of the 421-a property tax credit used toward the development of affordable housing that expired at the end of last year. Housing advocates insist that if any discussion of the issue comes up, rent regulation laws must be renegotiated as the two were tied together last year. The tax break expired after real estate and labor failed to come to a deal. The fate of the bill was put in their hands by Cuomo and legislative leaders after the governor insisted any deal had to include wage guarantees for labor - a position the governor still holds despite the fact that no deal has been reached and there are concerns about the development of affordable rental housing in New York City. With few days left in session many doubt anything will come to pass on 421-a or the rent laws.
However, one major housing issue remains that can’t be legislated but should be taken up in a technical process by the governor and legislative leaders. Two billion dollars in funds was included in the state budget to be spent on the creation of affordable housing. While the cash was appropriated Cuomo and legislative leaders neglected to actually spell out how any of the cash would be spent. They are now expected to negotiate an memorandum of understanding to spell it all out. Legislators concerned with how the plan will be decided have said for weeks they expect negotiations with Cuomo’s office to start soon but it is unclear where things currently stand.
A group of housing advocates especially focused on funding supportive housing, which includes social services, has launched a campaign to push Cuomo to finally cut a deal and release the funds. “Promises don't build housing," Mary Brosnahan, president and CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless, told The Daily News. "Tens of thousands of homeless New Yorkers await the governor to take immediate action and make good on his promise to build supportive housing. We need Gov. Cuomo's leadership to secure the required MOU."
Mayoral Control
It is assumed, despite Flanagan’s repeated lashings of de Blasio and the fact that his conference is set on using the mayor as a boogeyman in upcoming Senate races, that there will be some sort of extension of mayoral control of New York City schools in order to keep the system alive. How long the extension will be is unclear - some legislators have begun to assume that Senate Republicans will demand another simple one-year extension as they did last year in order to punish de Blasio. Assembly Democrats recently passed a three-year extension, which is what the governor proposed in his budget.
'Playing Defense'
The budget deal or end-of-session “Big Ugly” are notorious for packaging major bills with a number of narrow, industry-tailored pieces of legislation that are not subject to appropriate scrutiny. Last year, the Legislature barely managed to tackle any substantive issues in the budget, but did approve a tax break for luxury yacht buyers that was supported by yacht retailers. One of the arguments for the bill, made by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie at the time was that “Right now, no one purchases their yachts in the State of New York because Florida offers a similar program.”
Krueger said that at this point in session she is past thinking about what good might get done and is focused on trying to catch bad legislation that may get forced through in a last-minute deal.
“I’m really playing defense now. I don’t have much hope for this session,” Krueger said. “I’m on the outlook for those really bad bills that tend to sneak out while no one is paying attention.”
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by David King, Albany editor, Gotham Gazette
@DavidHowardKing @GothamGazette