Gov. Andrew Cuomo lobbied to reduce the amount of prekindergarten funding in the state Senate's budget proposal, according to The Wall Street Journal Cuomo called Sen. Jeff Klein on Tuesday to tell him the $540 million in prekindergarten funding proposed in the Senate budget and requested by Mayor Bill de Blasio was excessive. Cuomo suggested that Klein was looking to score political points to avoid a primary. Cuomo's sensitivity to the issue shows how delicate a political issue prekindergarten funding has become. The Senate budget resolution was passed on Thursday and now committees in both houses of the legislature will meet on the spending plan and negotiate with Cuomo on a final package. The pre-k figure included in the Senate budget is essentially meaningless. Cuomo has taken a number of jabs at de Blasio and his education plans over the last month.
Letting the Sun In: The State of Transparency in New York
At the dawn on Sunshine Week Gotham Gazette examines the state of open data and transparency in the City and State. Advocates say the state is leading the nation in open data accessibility but has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to transparency and the Freedom of Information Law.
Other Stories We're Following
State Offices Ignore Freedom of Information Laws (Ithaca Journal)
De Blasio’s Costly Education Victory (Capital)
Cuomo Hedges on Mayoral Control (Capital)
De Blasio Visits Mourners in East Harlem (NY Times)
Guinness Withdraws Sponsorship of St. Patrick’s Day Parade (NY Times)
City and Teachers Union Resuming Multiyear Contract Talks (Daily News)
Senate Rejects Push For Renters Tax Credit (Daily News)
Mayor and Speaker Fill Ranks Will El Diario Alums (Politicker)
De Blasio Criticizes Sandy Recovery (Wall Street Journal)
New Panel Will Consider Port Authority Reforms (Wall Street Journal)
State Paid Double Estimated Market Value For Some Sandy-Damaged Homes (DNAinfo)
PR Pros Tell Mayor How to Recover (Crain's)
The state senate passed a budget resolution yesterday providing $540 million a year over five years for funding of full-day pre-K and after school programs in the city. They would pay for it by removing Gov. Andrew Cuomo's corporate tax cut from the budget. The amount meets the new standards Mayor Bill de Blasio requested last week. The Assembly passed their own budget resolution authorizing the mayor's wealth tax to pay for pre-K. But Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said he was fine with a plan that fully funded pre-K without a tax, as long as there are no strings attached. The senate's resolution did include a catch for the mayor, as it would rescind his charter school co-location decisions and impose new mandates on how the city deals with the schools. Silver made it clear he doesn't support the charter rules. The chambers will have to negotiate the final budget with the governor, who was quick to change the subject from pre-K to charter schools, saying that discussion "is going to be powerful and is probably going to be one of the more controversial and complex matters that we wind up dealing with in the budget."
The 'Imperfect Messenger': Anthony Weiner on Policy and Politics
A Gotham Gazette two-part exclusive interview with the mercurial former congressman, two-time mayoral candidate, political commentator, and New York idea guy.
Now up:
Part Two: Politics (discussing keys to being politically effective; the differing styles of mayors de Blasio, Bloomberg, and Giuliani; what it means to be a progressive; and the upcoming mid-term congressional elections, among other things).
And in case you missed it or want to read it again:
Part One: Policy (discussing Sandy recovery, the teachers union contract, seniors and development, among other things).
Other Stories We're Following
Metro-North Safety Lacking, Review Finds After Fatal Crash (NY Times)
Harlem Explosion Sheds Light On Old Infrastructure (Crain's)
De Blasio: We’ll Talk About Infrastructure Later (Capital)
Bar Association Urges Steps To Improve Ethics Panel (NY Times)
Senate Seeks Tweaks In Budget (Albany Times Union)
New Kind Of Hospital Emerges In The Bronx (WNYC)
Health And Hospitals Deficit Faces Further Expansion (Wall Street Journal)
What Klein Delivered For Progressives As Breakaway-Leader (Capital)
Ex-Fire Commissioner Blasts FDNY For Bigotry (Daily News)
Labor Contract Talks Off To Good Start (Daily News)
>An explosion in East Harlem yesterday killed at least six people and leveled two buildings. Nine people are still missing. Neighbors reported smelling gas, and the explosion is suspected to have been caused by a leak. Century-old cast iron piping, which is prone to leaks and that ConEd had been replacing, is a possible cause. A new gas line was installed in one of the buildings a few months ago. Acrid smoke has made recovery difficult and nearby residents have been stocking up on face masks. The explosion prompted a call for increased infrastructure spending and for the mayor to speed up his appointment of a Department of Buildings commissioner. Authorities renewed their appeals to the public to report possible gas leaks immediately.
News From Gotham Gazette: Our New Executive Editor!
Gotham Gazette is happy to announce the hiring of Ben Max as Executive Editor. Ben begins work at Gotham Gazette this week after leading comprehensive coverage of the 2013 New York City election cycle at DecideNYC.com, a website he began early last year. Ben is being accompanied to Gotham Gazette by some of his Decide NYC team and some of their most recent content. Reach Ben at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Find more information on Ben's joining Gotham Gazette here.
Ben will also be writing at Gotham Gazette, starting with a two-part interview with former congressman and mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner. Part One of this series is focused on policy and is live this morning at Gotham Gazette:
The 'Imperfect Messenger': Anthony Weiner on Policy and Politics
Other Stories We're Following
More City Teachers Fleeing To Suburbs: Union (Daily News)
Federal Housing Chief Faults City For Sandy Aid Delays (WNYC)
Study Looks At What Makes Pre-K Successful (NY Times)
Senate Makes Bid To Undo Mayor's Charter Moves (NY Post)
Elderly Jaywalker Hurt By Cops Still Faces Charges (NY Post)
How A Taxi Share System Could Transform The City (The Atlantic Cities)
Senate Budget May Not Include ‘Specific Number’ For Pre-K (Capital)
Cops Hand Out Fake Warning Notices To Jaywalkers (StreetsBlog)
John Liu Files Suit Against Campaign Finance Board (Wall Street Journal)
Critics Fault Cuomo's Bank Tax Proposal (Associated Press)
Cuomo's Juvenile Justice Reform Falls Short Of Goals (City Limits)
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