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Today’s Lead: De Blasio Ally Declares Victory in Council Speaker Race


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Manhattan Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito declared victory in the race for City Council speaker last night as she unveiled the support of 31 of her colleagues. Mark-Viverito would be the first Puerto Rican woman and first Hispanic to head the Council. Mayor-Elect Bill De Blasio has lobbied hard to get Mark-Viverito, an early supporter, in as speaker. De Blasio began calling councilmembers on Monday night — even winning the support of Republican Eric Ulrich of Queens. County leaders had backed Councilman Dan Garodnick for the position. Garodnick billed himself as a better check on de Blasio. He contested Mark-Viverito's victory last night but it appears that de Blasio's lobbying has paid off.

NEW FROM THE GOTHAM GAZETTE — City Council To Take Up Leftover Bills At Final Meeting: The City Council is expected to mark its final all-member meeting of the year on a note of legislative triumph — and by saying goodbye to nearly two dozen outgoing colleagues. By Chester Soria. READ MORE.

ALSO: Why De Blasio's Pick For Budget Director Makes Perfect Political Sense. READ MORE

Want A Minute With The Next Mayor? Imagine for a moment that you’ve got a minute of Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio's time. What should be his top priorities as the next mayor? We're crowdsourcing your responses on our website — so sound off and let your voice be heard. #deblasio

 



Other Stories We're Following

Metro-North Time Sheets Were Falsified Inquiry Says (NY Times)

Life Expectancy of New Yorkers Rises With Influx of Immigrants (NY Times)

Rangel Expected to Seek 23rd Term (NY Times)

Bloomberg’s Health Legacy (Daily News)

John Liu Gives His Last Hurrah (NY Observer)

NYC Student Test Scores Rise Slower Than Other Cities (Wall Street Journal)

Cuomo’s Hopeful Tax-Cut Math (Capital)

Time to Save LICH, But Not Much (Capital)

Women Firefighters Push de Blasio to Help Boost Their Ranks (DNAinfo)

Bloomberg Warns de Blasio on Labor Contracts (Crain's)

 

 

Today's Lead: Council Speaker's Race Heats Up


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Incoming-mayor Bill de Blasio has been phoning Council members in support of Melissa Mark-Viverito in the race for Council speaker, although he did skip a Christmas event of hers. She's widely seen as a front-runner with Daniel Garodnick as her main competitor in this fluid race. Democratic county leaders are not happy with the mayor-elect's involvement and are readying themselves for "all out war." They may have lined up 30 or more votes for Garodnick. De Blasio is focusing his attention on several Brooklyn members perceived as willing to break from their leadership.

NEW FROM GOTHAM GAZETTE — Safeguarding Staten Island's East Shore From Future Hurricanes: The city announced last week that it will spend $100 million on flood-prevention infrastructure upgrades for the New Dorp Beach and South Beach areas of Staten Island. Those two neighborhoods — located on Staten Island’s East Shore — were at the epicenter of devastation wrought by Superstorm Sandy over a year ago. By Sarah Crean. READ MORE. 

ALSO — De Blasio Transition Team Announces 'Inauguration For All New Yorkers' http://ow.ly/rRR40 | Industry's Opposition To Foam Ban Cleared Away http://ow.ly/rRR8y

Want A Minute With The Next Mayor? Imagine for a moment that you’ve got a minute of Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio's time. What should be his top priorities as the next mayor? We're crowdsourcing your responses on our website — so sound off and let your voice be heard. #deblasio

Other Stories We're Following

Bloomberg And Garbage: A Pile Of Unfinished Business (WNYC)

Bloomberg Defends Homelessness Policies (Wall Street Journal)

Bloomberg Touts Successes In Brooklyn (NY Times)

New Brooklyn DA Booting Prosecutor Who Nailed Clarence Norman (NY Post)

Incoming First Lady Reaches Out To Female Members (Capital)

Wanted: Schools Chief Who Never Crossed de Blasio (NY Times)

New York’s Millionaire PACs (Capital)

Anti-Democrat Consultant Fights Subpoena From Corruption Commission (Daily News)

More Cracking Down On Dangerous Traffic Violations (Daily News)

U.S. Attorney Targets Convicted Politicians' Pensions (Crain's)

Neighborhoods At City's $51,865 Median Income (WNYC)

Sources: Former Deputy Chancellor In Line To Run Schools (NY Post)

Today's Lead: Cuomo Pushes Tax Break For NYC Renters


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Gov. Cuomo said yesterday that he would add a rebate for urban renters as part of his property tax credit plan, which was previously criticized as unfairly benefiting upstate and suburban constituents. The program would now direct at least $290 million to New York City households over three years, although details are still unclear. The administration is also unspecific about how the cuts will be paid for.

IN THE GOTHAM GAZETTE — A Strategy for Paving the Way to Fewer Traffic Fatalities: What stops the city from enacting measures to stop traffic carnage? In one word: Albany. By David Howard King. READ MORE Want A Minute With The Next Mayor? Imagine for a moment that you’ve got a minute of Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio's time. What should be his top priorities as the next mayor? We're crowdsourcing your responses on our website — so sound off and let your voice be heard. #deblasiosnewyork

Other Stories We're Following

City Agrees To Remove Mold In Public Housing More Quickly (NY Times)

De Blasio’s Shadow Transition Team (Capital)

$1.3 Billion Hike In School Aid Proposed (Albany Times Union)

Deadline For Fracking Study Delayed (NY Times)

New York Sees Huge Health Exchange Enrollment Jump (Capital)

Young, Liberal Council Members Aim To Shake Institution Up (Wall Street Journal)

Civilian Complaint Board's First Stop-And-Frisk Case (NY Post)

Forest City Unloads Atlantic Yards Stake (Crain's)

Doctors Say Pedestrian Injuries Continue Rising In Queens (Daily News)

Riders Complain Station Is Still Dump After $19 Million Investment (Daily News)

Thompson Thinks Bratton Will Be Better This Time Around (Politicker)

Bloomberg To Promote Legacy Over Next Two Weeks (Wall Street Journal)

Today's Report

The Safety Of Railroad Bridges Statewide
An audit by the state comptroller's office found that the Department Of Transportation's railroad bridge inspection program doesn't sufficiently monitor whether dozens of railroad companies comply with its inspection and reporting requirements for the almost 3,000 railroad bridges across the state they own or have maintenance responsibility for. (read the full report)



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