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Max & Murphy Podcast: How the City is Addressing a Rise in Hate Crimes


rise hate cr

(photo: Mayor's office)


January 22, 2020 - Max & Murphy Podcast: How the City is Addressing a Rise in Hate Crimes

deborahDeborah Lauter, executive director of the city's new Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, joined the show to discuss the rise of hate crimes, especially anti-Semitic hate crimes, what the city is doing about it, and what her new office plans to do long-term to address the problem.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think -- we're on Twitter @TweetBenMax and @JarrettMurphy. You can listen to the show through the embedded audio below or download the episode wherever you get your podcasts, under "Max & Murphy," and listen to Max & Murphy live on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. on WBAI radio, 99.5FM or wbai.org.

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by Ben Max, Gotham Gazette
     

Read more by this writer.

January 2020 City Campaign Cash Roundup: Races for Mayor, Comptroller, Borough Presidents


inauguration jan

(photo: Mayor's Office)


Candidates running for local office filed their latest campaign finance disclosures with the New York City Campaign Finance Board this week, showing their fundraising and expenditures from the last six months, and cumulative numbers for the 2021 election cycle.

Next year’s election is shaping up to be highly competitive and consequential, with two of three citywide elected officials, four of five borough presidents, and 35 of 51 City Council members facing term limits. The city will elect a new mayor and comptroller for the first time in eight years, among many other new positions to be decided by voters through the June 2021 primaries and general elections to follow that November.

Early fundraising numbers can give an indication of which candidates have momentum behind them for 2021 and which ones may struggle to show popular support. The most immediate race to watch is just two months away: the March special election for Queens Borough President, which was triggered by Melinda Katz’s election as Queens District Attorney. While that race could lead to a special City Council election to fill the victor’s seat, several sitting Council members are running, the vast majority of the upcoming city action is for 2021. And that election cycle will see the first implementation of ranked-choice voting in primaries, which is likely to shift not only some campaign strategies, but outcomes.

Also relatively new are recent enhancements to the city’s voluntary campaign finance program, where candidates will be able to raise far more public funds from small dollar donations, though they could choose to abide by the old rules which have higher contribution limits but lower public funds payments. The new system will become mandatory after this election cycle.

Under the old system, a participating mayoral candidate could raise a maximum donation of $5,100, and could receive a 6-to-1 match on the first $175 of every qualifying contribution. The new system comes with a $2,000 contribution limit but provides an 8-to-1 match on the first $250. Similar numbers apply to candidates for other offices, with max donations dropping as the offices move from citywide to boroughwide to City Council.

The public funds program also comes with spending limits, which do not apply to those who do not participate (though spending limits can be raised or eliminated in certain rare cases).

Participating mayoral candidates can spend nearly $15 million, limited to just under $7.3 million in each of the primary and general election (only up to $343,000 can be spent in outyears such as 2018, 2019, and 2020). They can receive a maximum of about $6.5 million in public funds under the new campaign finance rules and $4 million under the old rules. The first public matching payouts will be made in December of this year, helping to set off what will be a six-month sprint from just after the presidential election to the June 2021 primaries, where the Democratic races will all-but-certainly decide most of the November winners.

Candidates for public advocate and comptroller can spend $4.55 million in the primary as well as the general for a total of more than $9.1 million, with the same outyear limit as mayoral candidates. Public funds payments to those citywide candidates are capped at $4 million under the new rules and $2.5 million under the old ones. While there’s a competitive ‘open seat’ race heating up for comptroller given incumbent Scott Stringer’s term limits, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams is expected to win another term without much competition.

The spending limit for borough president candidates is $1.64 million for each the primary and general election, for a total of nearly $3.3 million, with $153,000 allowed in the outyears. Opting in to the new system would allow such candidates a maximum of $1.45 million in public funds, while the old system provides up to $902,000.

City Council candidates can spend $380,000 total between the primary and general, with only $51,000 in the outyears. The new public funds cap is $168,888, compared with the old cap of $104,500.

Mayoral Contenders
Comptroller Scott Stringer leads in total fundraising over the other declared and likely candidates running to replace Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is also term-limited. Stringer has raised a total of about $2.7 million for his campaign (including $1.4 million transferred over from his previous campaign account) and has spent about $296,000, leaving him with a hefty $2.4 million in cash on hand.

In the latest disclosure period, from July 12, 2019 to January 11, 2020, he raised $130,000 and spent about $79,000. But he also chose to opt in to the new campaign finance rules, which forced him to refund about $446,000 to donors. His total fundraising includes about $423,000 in contributions that the campaign claims would qualify for public matching funds but that number has yet to be audited and will likely change since he switched to the new rules.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams is a close second in total fundraising, having pulled in $2.3 million in total (which includes a $365,000 transfer of funds from a previous committee), and he has spent about $321,000 so far, for a remaining balance of just over $2 million.

In the latest period, he raised just under $194,000 and spent about $76,000. Like Stringer, Adams also decided to change course and participate under the new campaign finance rules. He had to refund about $663,000 above the lower contribution limit. His campaign has claimed to the CFB that it has received about $560,000 in qualifying small dollar contributions but, like Stringer, the actual number remains to be determined by the CFB. 

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. has raised $1.25 million in total and spent just above $347,000, leaving him about $905,000 in cash on hand. Diaz Jr.’s recent fundraising has been lacklustre compared with other candidates. He only brought in $76,000 in the latest disclosure period and spent $102,000 (On Thursday’s “Driving Forces” show on WBAI radio, Diaz Jr. told host Jeff Simmons that “it's not encouraging.” He added: “You know, running for Mayor of the City of New York is monumental. This is what I try to tell folks, we have to have a sense of urgency. These are all things we have to weigh as we move forward.") Perhaps eyeing the chance to be the candidate supported by bigger monied interests, Diaz Jr., who has been a pro-development borough president, has opted in to the old campaign finance system, which will mean 6-to-1 for his small dollar contributions. His campaign has claimed nearly $71,000 in qualifying donations. 

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson is the only candidate who self-imposed a lower-than-mandated donation limit, saying he won’t take anything over $250 from anyone. While this has resulted in a far smaller haul than the others, he’s banking on the new 8-to-1 match to get him in the same ballpark (all four of the big-name candidates expected to run for Mayor are likely to raise what is needed to be able to spend the maximum allowed, though that’s not a given). Johnson, who started fundraising later than the other three, has raised $790,000 so far, and has spent about $98,000. He has about $691,000 in his campaign account. But he’s claiming as much as $575,000 in qualifying matchable contributions.

The speaker’s most recent haul was about $326,000, and he spent about $66,000 over the past six months.

The most recent entrant into the race is retired Army Brigadier General Loree Sutton, the former commissioner of the city’s Department of Veteran Services. She has raised $113,000, spent about $61,000, and has $52,000 left in her account. Her campaign claims about $13,000 in matchable contributions so far and she is participating in the old campaign finance program. 

There are other candidates who have also declared mayoral bids but have few funds raised so far, including Aaron Foldenauer, Dianne Morales, and Joycelyn Taylor. Of them, Morales, who runs a nonprofit in the Bronx, has raised the most at about $62,000, and has spent about $26,000. She has $36,000 in the bank as of the filing.

Comptroller
There are four declared or exploring candidates for city comptroller – City Council Members Brad Lander and Helen Rosenthal, State Senator Brian Benjamin, and Assemblymember David Weprin. All of the candidates are participating in the new 8-to-1 matching system. 

Lander has raised the most funds, about $469,000, and has spent about $211,000. He has about $257,000 in cash on hand. In total, his campaign claims about $227,000 in qualifying contributions that can be matched with public funds. In the latest period, he raised $108,000 and spent just over $60,000.  

State Senator Brian Benjamin has close to the same amount of campaign cash at this time. Though he has raised less than Lander, a total of $265,000, he has only spent about $13,500, leaving him with $252,000 in his campaign account. He claims about $90,000 worth of qualifying contributions. All his fundraising occured in the last six months.

Weprin has raised a total of $108,000 and spent only $23,000, giving him a balance of about $84,000. He claims $42,000 in matchable contributions. But Weprin still owes the CFB about $320,000, to repay public funds from an unsuccessful run for comptroller in 2009. He would have to pay that full amount before he can receive any more public funds. 

Rosenthal has raised about $136,000 in total, but has spent nearly all of it, about $122,000, leaving her just under $14,000 in cash on hand. Her campaign claims about $63,000 in matchable contributions. 

Borough Presidents
The Queen Borough President special election -- set for March 24 of this year -- is shaping up to be a quick and competitive race, with nine candidates having filed petitions with the Board of Elections. In Brooklyn, there are also several candidates running in the 2021 race. But in the other boroughs, there seems to be little competition. In both Staten Island and the Bronx, there is only one candidate who has declared a run. In Manhattan, only two candidates are poised to face each other.

Queens Borough President
There’s little time left till the March 24 special election for Queens BP, which looks like it will be a competitive race among several sitting and former Democratic City Council members, with other longshot candidates on the ballot as well. All of the candidates are enrolled under the new campaign finance rules.

Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer has raised about $463,000, the most of any candidate, and has spent about $260,000 so far, leaving him a balance of $203,000. His campaign has claimed about $65,000 in matchable contributions.

A close second is former Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, who has raised $452,000 and spent about $232,000. She has nearly $220,000 in cash on hand, and about $115,000 in matchable contribution claims.

Council Member Donovan Richards has not raised as much but is considered a frontrunner after he was endorsed by the Queens Democratic Party in December. He has raised nearly $199,000, spent about $72,000, and has a balance of $126,000. He has claimed $64,000 in matchable contributions. 

Council Member Costa Constantinides has raised $227,000 for the race but has spent nearly all of it, about $213,000. He has just over $14,000 in cash on hand. His campaign claimed $79,000 in contributions that could be matched with public funds.

The CFB will start distributing public funds by the last week of January, after the Board of Elections has set the ballot.

The other candidates in the race include Danniel Maio, Anthony Miranda, Jim Quinn, Dao Yin and Everly Brown, all of whom have not made major strides in fundraising.

Brooklyn Borough President
Three candidates are currently in the running for Brooklyn Borough President – Council Members Antonio Reynoso and Robert Cornegy, and longshot candidate Lamor Whitehead-Miller – after Council Member Rafael Espinal dropped out of the race early. Cornegy and Reynoso are participating in the new public funds program while Whitehead-Miller has not opted in to the program at all.

Cornegy leads in fundraising with a total haul of nearly $151,000 and expenditures worth $137,000, giving him a balance of just under $14,000. He has claimed about $30,000 in matchable contributions. Reynoso has raised about $85,000, and spent just $17,000. He has nearly $68,000 in cash on hand and claims about $40,000 in matchable contributions.

Whitehead-Miller, a preacher and activist, does not seem to be running much of a campaign. He hasn’t raised more than $26. Meanwhile, the New York Daily News reported on Friday that Mayor Bill de Blasio has been pushing his wife, First Lady Chirlane McCray, as a possible candidate as well, and there have been rumors of others joining the fray, such as Council Member Mark Treyger.

Manhattan
The Manhattan Borough President race is shaping up to be a contest between sitting Council Members Mark Levine and Ben Kallos, both Democrats. Levine and Kallos are both participating in the new public funds program, while Levine has raised far more than Kallos early on. His most recent filing shows a total fundraising haul of about $282,000 and expenditures of about $98,000. He has just over $184,000 in cash on hand, and has claimed more than $100,000 in matchable contributions.

Kallos, in comparison, has raised about $134,000, and has spent about $45,000, leaving him $89,000 in cash on hand. He has claimed about $42,000 in contributions that could be matched 8-to-1.

Staten Island
Staten Island Council Member Steven Matteo, a Republican, is the only candidate currently running for Staten Island BP. He has raised about $156,000 and, with little competition and so far out from the race, he has only spent about $14,000. He has a balance of about $142,000. He has not opted into the public matching funds program. Many are waiting to see if Democratic Council Member Deborah Rose jumps into the race.

The Bronx
In the Bronx, Democratic Council Member Vanessa Gibson is the sole declared candidate for borough president. She doesn’t seem to have kicked off her fundraising efforts in earnest, however. She has only raised about $14,000 and has spent less than $2,000. She is participating in the new campaign finance system. Council Member Andy Cohen, a fellow Democrat, has expressed some interest in the race but has not created a committee or raised any funds for it so far.

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by Samar Khurshid, senior reporter, Gotham Gazette
     

Read more by this writer.

Warning of State Threats, De Blasio Presents $95.3 Billion Preliminary Budget for 2021 Fiscal Year


mayor exec blue

(photo: Edwin J. Torres/ Mayoral Photo Office)


Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday released a $95.3 billion preliminary budget proposal for the 2021 fiscal year, which begins July 1, increasing planned spending by about $2.5 billion or 2.7% over the city budget that was adopted last year.

The growth in spending is lower than previous budget increases the mayor has proposed and an uptick from the $94.3 billion that the city projects to spend by the end of the current fiscal year, according to budget modification documents released in November. The city budget has ballooned massively under de Blasio’s tenure, up over $20 billion in annual operating spending over the six years.

The budget growth can mostly be attributed to settlement of labor contracts and related benefits, which will cost about $1.6 billion. Another $256 million stems from increased costs for charter schools and special education, mandates imposed by the state, per the mayor’s office. The criminal justice reforms passed by the Legislature last year, which took effect this January 1, will cost another $175 million, which includes the cost of hiring another 1,000 workers across multiple agencies, the city says. And about $270 million is budgeted for debt service.

The mayor indicated that his relative fiscal restraint was driven by a massive gap in the state budget, stemming from a significant expansion of Medicaid costs that has prompted Governor Andrew Cuomo to pursue structural changes to the program, among other measures he may use to close a $6.1 billion gap for the state fiscal year that begins April 1.

“[T]he situation is very straightforward and our focus is in one place, which is Albany, New York,” de Blasio said at his presentation at City Hall, citing the “extremely worrisome” Medicaid cost issue.

Though the governor has said he will not seek to make cuts to spending that would affect localities, particularly New York City, the mayor seems worried nonetheless. Medicaid is among many funding areas where state cuts or cost-shifts could impact the city’s bottom line. De Blasio also noted that Cuomo, in his State of the State speech, implied that localities were leading the increase in costs. “I found that confusing. Mayors all over the state found that confusing...everyone was confused by the idea that somehow localities were running a program that we don’t run.”

“In planning for the next year, we are facing an unprecedented $6 billion State budget gap,” de Blasio said in a statement accompanying release of his preliminary budget plan. “Medicaid cuts could reverse years of progress at NYC Health + Hospitals and impact health care for the most vulnerable. We will work with our partners in Albany to continue to find savings while fighting to protect health care for all New Yorkers.”

De Blasio also raised concerns about costs at the state-run MTA, which he noted gets 70% of its annual revenue from New York City residents, taxpayers, commuters, and visitors. He noted that the MTA has asked for about $3 billion in additional funding from the city for its new capital plan, despite having barely spent capital funds that were appropriated years ago. He also critiqued the agency’s demand for $100 million more in operational funds for the struggling Access-A-Ride program. “We are not giving $100 million to a broken system,” he said, calling more broadly for an independent audit of the MTA and proof that it is a better-run operation than it has been.

Given uncertainties relative to state aid and the economy, as well as all of the prior city budget growth, de Blasio’s latest budget plan includes little by way of additional spending on new ideas or programs. The mayor said at his presentation that he was waiting to see the governor’s budget proposal next week, and that he may yet propose some big plans. "I want to protect all the big initiatives that are underway already....but there’s a lot more that is waiting to be announced if we believe we can make it work but we got to see what happens certainly next week as a first step," he said, in response to a reporter's question. De Blasio's annual State of the City speech is expected sometime in February and he mentioned several times there are announcements either set to come or on the back-burner awaiting clearance by the budget picture.

There are several areas of additional targeted investments, which the mayor’s office stressed are offset by savings that have been identified.

The budget proposal estimates that city revenues will grow at 2% in the 2021 fiscal year, down from 4.6% in 2020. The city’s Office of Management and Budget often makes more cautious estimates than the City Council and Comptroller’s Office, in part to allow for more flexibility in adjusting spending down the line.

But the lower growth projection is also an acknowledgement of broader signs of slower economic growth, amid the longest period of economic expansion in the country since after the Great Depression. Most observers and fiscal watchdogs expect an inevitable end to that expansion and some say it may be around the corner.

According to OMB, new spending in the preliminary budget, including $441 million in the current fiscal year and $243 million in FY 2021, will be completely offset by $714 million in savings identified between the two fiscal years. Unlike last year, the mayor has not instituted a Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG), which had given city agencies specific savings targets to meet. That could, however, be revisited, he said Thursday.

The budget proposal also maintains the city’s reserves at the same level as last year – $1 billion in the general fund, $250 million in the capital stabilization reserves, and $4.7 billion in the Retiree Health Benefits Trust fund. Though that is the highest level of back-up funds the city has maintained, and independent watchdogs and monitors have broadly praised the city’s fiscal management under the mayor, they have also repeatedly emphasized that the city should be putting more money away to prepare for a recession. 

The increased spending includes $147 million for wages and benefits for the city’s uniformed workforce across the 2020 and 2021 fiscal years. The city will also spend about $106 million in the next fiscal year on the expanded Fair Fares program to provide discounted MetroCards to low-income New Yorkers. About $1.8 million over the next three fiscal years will go to “community based justice programming” at the Community Justice Center in the Far Rockaways.

The mayor also announced a series of capital fund investments -- which are accounted for in a separate budget -- in critical infrastructure projects including $98 million for street safety improvements on 4th Avenue in Brooklyn; $178 million over three fiscal years to build curb cuts citywide; $33 million across FY 2020 and 2021 to reconstruct beach crossings; $12.9 million in FY 2021 for improvements at NYCHA community centers.

Release of the mayor’s preliminary budget will set off initial reactions from the City Council, advocates, and interest groups, and lead to a month-long round of Council budget hearings. Next week, Governor Cuomo will outline his executive budget for the next state fiscal year, which will certainly impact city budget discussions. De Blasio is expected to go to Albany for his annual budget testimony to discuss Cuomo’s plan and the city’s priorities in front of the state Legislature, all leading toward the mayor’s executive budget plan in the early spring.

In an initial response to de Blasio's preliminary budget, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and budget committee chairs Council Members Danny Dromm and Vanessa Gibson said they understand the mayor's wariness about the state budget picture and will be working to ensure state funding to the city, while crafting a city budget to meet the needs of New Yorkers.

“The Council is also mindful that while the City’s economy remains healthy, we must plan for future financial slumps," their joint statement reads, in part. "We will work with the Administration to find savings in the budget while continuing to grow our priorities like Fair Fares, criminal justice reform, education, affordable housing, homelessness and transportation. The Council is committed to negotiating a budget that works for everyone, which means making sure we get our fair share from Albany for schools, housing and infrastructure."

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by Samar Khurshid, senior reporter, Gotham Gazette
     

Read more by this writer.

This article has been updated based on additional information from the mayor's budget presentation and the City Council response.



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