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Today's Lead: De Blasio Pauses 9-1-1 System Overhaul


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Mayor Bill de Blasio has called a halt to the troubled overhaul of the city’s 911 system. Like many city projects, the 911 revamp is millions of dollars over budget and years, in this case three, behind schedule. The city's 911 system has come under major scrutiny recently after delays in the response to two major fires. De Blasio said at a Monday press conference that First Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris was told last week that the project, originally priced at $1.3 billion, is now surpassing the $2 billion mark, would cost another $100 million to finish, and would not be complete until 2018. The administration will now conduct a multi-agency review of what went wrong with the project and recommendations will be made in July. “There were a lot of warning signs over the years that weren’t heeded,” de Blasio said. “And it is now time to do a full review. And so we’ve brought this project to a dead stop. We are not going to run the risk of wasting more taxpayer dollars or continuing down a road that may not work. The cost overruns alone suggested that something is fundamentally wrong.”

 

New from Gotham Gazette

When Part Time Work Doesn't Pay: New York's Unemployment Rules

David King takes stock of New York's unemployment benefits rules, how they differ from many other states, and a bill that is being proposed in Albany to modernize them.

ICYMI from Gotham Gazette

Everything Dot NYC

A deep dive into the issue of .nyc website domain names, which are just becoming available through the City and a third-party provider. The planning has been going on for quite some time as outlined by the Bloomberg administration and the .nyc domain names are now being sold in the first phase of a multi-phase rollout. Read all about it.

The Week Ahead in New York Politics

Gotham Gazette's weekly preview of key issues and events for the week upon us. See details about the mayor's schedule, city council hearings, advocacy events, and more.

 


Other Stories We're Following

City Seen As Hub in Surging Heroin Trade (NY Times)

Despite Calls For Release, Occupy Activist Gets Three Months (NY Times)

Hotel Union Backs Klein (Daily News)

Vision Zero Blitz Brings 5,200 Tickets (Daily News)

A Number of Names in The Mix For Lieutenant Governor (Times Union)

Democrats Support Liu in Primary Challenge to Avella (WSJ)

Transport Workers Union Approves Contract (WSJ)

Will De Blasio's Plan to End Homelessness Go Far Enough? (NY Observer)

Hurricane-Related City Projects Await Federal Funding (Capital)

Democrats Look to LG Pick For Convention Excitement (Capital)

Schneiderman Proposes Electric, Gas Planning (Crain's)

1 in 5 Bronx Homeowners Underwater: Report (Crain's)

Council Demands 1,000 New Officers Amid Shooting Increase (DNAinfo)

Today's Lead: De Blasio Plans Rental Subsidy For Homeless


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Mayor Bill de blasio set to outline a multi-faceted plan to combat the city’s unprecedented rise in homelessness today. The plan includes a rent-subsidy plan for those living in shelters that would cost $80 million - the de Blasio administration plans to ask the state for $40 million to fund the program. More than 53,000 people sleep in city homeless shelters, including 23,000 children. The program would target families that have been in the shelter system for more than a year with a member who has been working a job for a period of months. The plan would help about 800 families annually, with the subsidy initially lasting three years and an option to renew for two more years. The plan aims to subsidize housing for far fewer families compared to the former Advantage subsidy plan that was cancelled in 2012 after the state cut off funding - but, it is designed to provide subsidies to each participating family for longer than Advantage did. In its last year of operation the Advantage program helped 5,000 families leave the shelter system for an apartment, but many argue that the subsidy was provided for too short a time.


New From Gotham Gazette

The Week Ahead in New York Politics
Gotham Gazette's weekly preview of key issues and events for the week upon us. See details about the mayor's schedule, city council hearings, advocacy events, and more.

Everything Dot NYC
A deep dive into the issue of .nyc website domain names, which are just becoming available through the City and a third-party provider. The planning has been going on for quite some time as outlined by the Bloomberg administration and the .nyc domain names are now being sold in the first phase of a multi-phase rollout. Read all about it.

Brian Lehrer Reflects on September 11, 2001 [video]
In one part of a Gotham Gazette video interview with the iconic WNYC radio host, Lehrer reflects on 9/11/01 and its aftermath, including his role as a companion to New Yorkers going through one of the toughest periods in the city's history. (Our full interview with Lehrer, during which he reflects on his career, including 25 years at WNYC, will be published soon.)


Other Stories We're Following

Source: Former City Comptroller John Liu to Challenge Sen. Tony Avella(Daily News)

Insiders Blast Former Moreland Chair For Use of Campaign Funds (Daily News)

De Blasio Suspends Troubled 911 Upgrade Project (Daily News)

Killings Surge in North Bronx (NY Times)

Workers at NYU's Abu Dhabi Site Faced Harsh Conditions (NY Times)

Review of Proposed Time Warner-Comcast Merger Begins (NY Post)

Bloomberg Would Run For President if He Thought He Could Win (Daily News)

Bruno Wants State to Reimburse Legal Expenses (NY Post)

GOP Looks to Break 20-Year Drought (Crain's)

Today's Lead: Astorino Accepts GOP Nomination for Governor


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Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino formally accepted the New York Republican Party's unanimous nomination for governor Thursday during the party's convention. In his acceptance speech, the second-term executive portrayed the state as burdened by soaring taxes, a slumping economy, and incompetent leadership. He vowed to repeal the gun controls that Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushed through the Legislature and to allow fracking in the state. He also called for term limits on the governor's office and doing away with Common Core, the controversial education standards. Allies to Cuomo have been digging into the county executive for a while now. The "Astorino Truth Squad" was launched by Westchester's Democratic Party chairman back when Astorino announced his candidacy in March. And the state Democratic Party has already released three television commercials attacking him. Chemung County Sheriff Christopher Moss was also officially nominated by the GOP for lieutenant governor.

New from Gotham Gazette
Overdue & Over Budget, Capital Projects Roll On
Kristen Meriwether reports on the problem with virtually all government-funded capital projects: they cost more and take longer than initially estimated.

Council 2.0: Rules Reform Outlines Next Steps in Open Data
Kristen Meriwether looks at what the city council's recently passed rules reform package means for how the Council publishes data and the future of transparency.

Other Stories We're Following

State Pensioners May Be Short-Changed $735 Million (Reuters)

Fewer City Teachers Quitting Soon After Starting (WSJ)

Number of White Teachers Declining in City’s Poorest Schools (NY Post)

Mayor to Stop Making Immigrant Sponsors Repay Welfare (Daily News)

City Moves to Slow Growth of Popular Green-Cab Fleet (NY Times)

Judge Asks Competing LICH Bidders to Settle (Crain's)

Next Big Thing: Energy Storage (Capital)

Reports of Gas Odors Surge After East Harlem Blast (NY Times)

Religious Groups Unite to Review Poverty Programs (Crain's)

NYPD Condom Policy Shift Doesn't Fix Major Issues: Advocates (DNAinfo)

Map: More Subway Stations Go Wireless (WNYC)

MTA Disables Alarms for 450 Emergency Exits in Subway (Daily News)

State Unemployment Rate Lowest Since December 2008 (AP)

How New York City Beat Arson (City Limits)



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