Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday reversed course and admitted that the Upper East Side was not plowed properly during the storm. Residents aired suspicions of payback for not supporting him. But the mayor says a traffic jam kept snow plows from clearing the streets. "The snow hit right before rush hour; in some parts of the city where there's a high concentration of vehicles, it created a real jam-up," de Blasio said. He ordered the Department of Sanitation to "double-down" on cleanup efforts in the area after visiting in the evening. He also defended his decision to keep schools open despite conditions. Attendance dropped to only 47.1 percent yesterday.
Other Stories We're Following
Cuomo Sweetens Pre-K Deal: ‘Whatever’ Mayor Needs (NY Times)
School Advocates Say Cuomo Budget Shortchanges Kids (Albany Times Union)
De Blasio Sets Ambitious Goal For Affordable Apartments (NY Times)
State Still Waiting For $10 Billion In Federal Medicaid Help (Albany Times Union)
Speaker Adds Friends And Foes To Leadership Team (DNAinfo)
Members Question Whether Council Has Enough Black Leadership (Politicker)
Citi Bike Supplier Rides Into Bankruptcy (Crain's)
Mental Health Professionals Defend Nonprofit Targeted By Corruption Commission (WNYC)
State Audit Faults Commercial Vehicle Oversight (Associated Press)
>In his budget address yesterday Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed a statewide full-day pre-K program backed by $1.5 billion in state funds over five years. But Mayor Bill de Blasio isn't budging on his own plan, and said that the governor's proposal won't cover the costs. The mayor's plan - paid for by a tax on the wealthy - proposes spending $1.7 billion over five years in the city alone.
Those close to the governor tell the NY Times that he believes de Blasio's plan is based on politics and also sets the city at an advantage over other municipalities. Sources close to the mayor tell Crain's that he doesn't want to horse trade and wants to set the city's tax rate. They also point out that the state failed to provide promised education funds in the recent past.
Although many education advocates support some type of universal pre-K, there are critics. Some are concerned that the focus on pre-K is taking away from efforts to improve K-12 education, and others question the importance of pre-K itself. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said he was open to either plan but wants to see more details on both. Other Stories We're Following
Cuomo Wants Spending Growth Below 2 Percent (Albany Times Union)
Cuomo Takes A First Step Toward Campaign Finance Reform (Capital)
Cuomo Rips Obama Over Ailing Brooklyn Hospitals (Daily News)
Cuomo: Common Core Needs 'Corrective Action' (Daily News)
De Blasio Vows To Be Less 'Punitive' Against Small Businesses (DNAinfo)
Mark-Viverito Set To Reward Allies (Capital)
Feds On Board With $850 Million For Sandy Subway Fixes (NY Post)
Residents Say De Blasio ‘Getting Back’ At UES By Not Plowing (NY Post)
Missing Boy Avonte Oquendo's DNA Linked To Remains (Wall Street Journal)
>Critics of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s slow response to ongoing scandals in the Legislature see a glimmer of hope in today’s budget announcement.
Cuomo's political tightrope act to maintain his reputation as a moderate Democrat while satisfying an invigorated liberal movement will come to a head with his budget, as he calls for both ethics reform and a long-awaited public campaign financing system. Cuomo will also ask for an independent unit at the state Board of Elections, which faced significant scrutiny last fall by the Moreland Commission.
Nevertheless, Cuomo's budget numbers still run into skepticism. The governor persistently argues that a surplus is possible, suggesting his budget promises an excess of $500 million while cutting taxes by $2 billion — and that’s with a looming $1.7 billion deficit in a still recovering economy.
While it’s not exactly clear how Cuomo will make the budget work, he can take comfort in some early poll numbers. A Siena College poll revealed that 57 percent of respondents said they would reelect him.
Gov. Cuomo to unveil universal pre-K plan without hiking taxes in budget address (Daily News)
Idle de Blasio staffers paid to play while waiting for roles (NY Post)
Why Cuomo isn’t touching Bridgegate (Capital)
In Wake of Gov. Cuomo's Comments, Dean Skelos Makes Case For "Differing Viewpoints" (Daily News)
Success Academy donors give big to Cuomo campaign (ChalkBeat)
Cuomo met with Moreland leaders before subpoenas (Capital)
Employers' about-face on sick pay (Crain's)
De Blasio Pushes Policy Agenda on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (DNAinfo)
De Blasio Picks Mark Peters, a Former Prosecutor, to Oversee Investigations (NY Times)
Advocates Decry Health Care Inequality at Interfaith Hospital Protest(DNAinfo)
‘McResolution!’: Elected Officials Help Broker Peace at Flushing McDonald’s (NY Observer)
Rep. Michael Grimm may have used 'donor swapping' to skirt fundraising limits (Daily News)