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Bill de Blasio

Bill de Blasio

  • De Blasio Faces Local Questions About ‘Mansion Tax’ Plan

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    Mayor de Blasio (photo: Edwin J. Torres/ Mayor's Office)


    A report released by the city Independent Budget Office has raised questions about the potential effects of the so-called “mansion tax,” a proposed part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s affordable housing strategy that would levy a 2.5 percent surcharge on the sale price over a threshold of $2 million for residential properties.

    De Blasio put forward a version of the mansion tax proposal, which requires approval by the State Legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo, in mid-2015. It failed

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  • Broken Windows Policing Will Fuel the Trump Deportation Machine

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    City Council Member Rory Lancman, the author (photo: @RoryLancman)


    We’re now more than 30 days into Donald Trump’s presidency, and it is already crystal clear that the hostile and offensive rhetoric he used toward immigrants on the campaign trail will be put into practice by his administration.

    It was just this week that Trump’s Department of Homeland Security issued ...

  • Focused on De Blasio Investigations, Massey Makes City Hall Campaign Debut

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    Paul Massey (photo: Samar Khurshid/Gotham Gazette)


    Republican mayoral candidate Paul Massey took his campaign to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s home turf Tuesday, hosting a news conference at the steps of City Hall to criticize the mayor’s record and the ongoing legal investigations into de Blasio’s campaign and government behavior.

    Massey, a millionaire real estate executive, has centered his early campaign on attacking de Blasio as corrupt and incompetent. In what was his first official news conference as a mayoral candidate, Massey was short on policy

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  • Little Progress on Utica Avenue Subway Expansion

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    The new Second Avenue Subway (photo: Patrick Cashin/MTA)


    Two years ago, Mayor Bill de Blasio released a comprehensive plan for the city that included funding to study the expansion of a subway line on Utica Avenue, Brooklyn, one of the most crowded transit corridors in the city. The plan roused speculation among transit advocates and elected officials that funding for the much-needed subway line might eventually be in the pipeline, but with little movement on the study, some are beginning to doubt whether officials are truly

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  • Jobs of the Future Come From The Right Education

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    Mayor Bill de Blasio (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    In his State of the City speech last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke of the need to create 100,000 good jobs for New Yorkers in the coming decade. He defined “good jobs” as those which pay more than $50,000 a year and talked about encouraging various sectors of the economy, like technology, that have average salaries that pay even more. To his credit, the mayor talked about creating good jobs that don’t necessarily require a college degree, like construction, but he also recognized the

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  • Comptroller Criticizes Mayor for 'Out Of Control' Homelessness Spending, Limited Agency Savings

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    Comptroller Scott Stringer presents his budget analysis (photo: Samar Khurshid/Gotham Gazette)


    Comptroller Scott Stringer blasted aspects of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s preliminary budget for fiscal year 2018 on Wednesday, taking issue with the mayor’s homelessness strategy and what Stringer described as a dearth of savings for city agencies.

    Speaking to reporters at his offices on 1 Center Street, the comptroller said the city’s economy continues to be strong but warned of the challenges from an economic slowdown after years of sustained growth, the effects of which

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  • De Blasio Focuses on Affordability Crisis in State of the City Speech

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    Mayor de Blasio delivers State of the City speech (Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    At his fourth State of the City speech on Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio declared an ambitious agenda to create thousands of jobs while continuing to expand affordable housing for the city’s most vulnerable residents.

    Speaking at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem, de Blasio acknowledged in blunt terms that New York City is facing an affordability crisis that has been years in the making, resulting from rising rents and relatively stagnant incomes. “This affordability

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  • The Time Is Now to Increase City Human Services Contracts

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    Urban Pathways members rally outside City Hall (photo via Urban Pathways)


    In May 2015, my fellow Urban Pathways Board Member Gary Belsky rightfully recognized Mayor Bill de Blasio’s fiscal year 2016 budget investment in the human services nonprofit workforce. The investment -- a 2.5 percent cost of living adjustment and an $11.50-per-hour wage floor, coupled with a subsequent City-funded

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  • Attorney General Unveils Sweeping Voting Reform Package

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    Attorney General Schneiderman with voting reform advocates outside Federal Hall (photo: @AGSchneiderman)


    New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman unveiled an extensive voting reform package Wednesday that aims to streamline New York’s voter registration system, boost voter participation and increase voter turnout.

    Standing with elected officials, good government groups, union members, and voting reform advocates outside Federal Hall in Manhattan, Schneiderman released the legislation, called the ...

  • 8 Key Takeaways from Cuomo's Budget & De Blasio's Response

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    De Blasio in Albany (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    Governor Andrew Cuomo released his $152.3 billion Executive Budget plan on January 17, with funding and policy proposals that stand to have significant impact on New York City. The governor’s budget is a starting point for legislative hearings and negotiations, with a fiscal year 2018 budget due by the April 1 start of the next state fiscal year.

    After he and his team had some time to analyze the governor’s new spending plan and policy proposals, Mayor Bill de Blasio drove to Albany

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  • In Albany, De Blasio Evaluates Cuomo’s Budget, Faces Legislators’ Questions

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    Mayor de Blasio in Albany (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor’s Office)


    Mayor Bill de Blasio visited Albany Monday for his annual budget testimony in front of the joint budget committee of the state Senate and Assembly. In opening remarks, de Blasio touted some of his accomplishments and gave his on-the-record response to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s recently-released executive budget plan in terms of what it means for New York City and his own agenda. The mayor then fielded hours of questions from state legislators that often veered far from strict

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  • Planned Change to Veterans Department Budget Causes Stir

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    photo: @nycveterans


    Mayor Bill de Blasio’s preliminary budget, released January 24, proposes nearly $1 billion in increased spending for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. But a conspicuous, albeit infinitesimal, reduction for one agency has irked elected officials and advocates.

    The mayor’s spending plan, which will be evaluated by and negotiated with the City Council, includes a $318,000 decrease in the budget for the newly-minted Department of Veterans Services, which was created last year as an agency outside

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  • To Defeat De Blasio, Republicans Attempt Early Rally Behind One Candidate

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    GOP mayoral candidate Paul Massey, right (photo: @MasseyforMayor)


    In hopes of denying Mayor Bill de Blasio a second term, some New York City Republican leaders intend to rally around a single candidate to avoid a contentious primary and present a stronger challenge in the general election.

    Starting this week, Republican Party leaders and members will begin the process of vetting candidates who have declared their intention to run for mayor or are exploring a mayoral bid. Party organizations will host public meetings where each candidate will

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  • Saying City ‘Can’t Afford’ ‘Fair Fares,’ De Blasio Points to State

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    Mayor de Blasio & First Lady McCray in the subway (photo: Edwin J Torres/ Mayor's Office)


    Mayor Bill de Blasio says he supports the “Fair Fares” campaign to reduce public transit fares for low-income New Yorkers, but insists that the city cannot afford it and that the funding must come from the state.

    Both Tuesday during his preliminary budget presentation and Wednesday during an transportation-related press conference de Blasio was

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  • With No 'Trump-Specific Adjustment,' De Blasio Unveils $84.7 Billion Budget

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    Mayor de Blasio (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    Acknowledging that there is significant “uncertainty” emanating from the new federal administration, Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday unveiled an $84.67 billion preliminary budget for Fiscal Year 2018 that focuses on increasing the city’s savings while building on accomplishments from the last three years and addressing persistent challenges.

    “I want to say at the outset that this budget was written with the assumption of profound challenges from Washington,” de Blasio said

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  • De Blasio ‘Frustrated But Not Surprised’ by Lack of Cuomo Communication on Budget

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    Mayor de Blasio (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday at about noon that he had not yet been briefed by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration about the governor’s Executive Budget, which was set to be released several hours later.

    “Coming in the door, we have still not been given the details of the state budget. Obviously that’s frustrating, but not surprising,” de Blasio told Gotham Gazette at an unrelated news conference in Queens. “We’re hoping to learn more in the course of the day and then we’ll be able to

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  • Council Member Johnson to Chair Fundraiser for De Blasio

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    Council Member Corey Johnson (photo: William Alatriste)


    City Council Member Corey Johnson, a top contender to become the next Speaker of the City Council, will chair a fundraiser for Mayor Bill de Blasio’s reelection campaign on Wednesday evening.

    Johnson, a Manhattan Democrat, has not publicly endorsed the mayor for reelection. Still, he is listed as one of four chairs for the fundraising event being held at the

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  • For Election Year, De Blasio Moves to Eliminate ‘Distractions,’ Except the Gym

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    Mayor de Blasio (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    Heading into 2017, his re-election year, Mayor Bill de Blasio moved to eliminate several “distractions,” as he called them, attempting to clean up potentially self-sabotaging messes of his first term so that he can make as clear a case as possible for a second.

    De Blasio came under fire -- and law enforcement investigations -- for behaviors that he has largely eliminated in the run-up to his re-election bid. While he can’t make the investigations, and resulting grand juries, go away by changing

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  • Several Overlapping Campaign Bundlers for De Blasio and Stringer

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    De Blasio & Stringer in 2014 (photo: Rob Bennett/Mayor's Office)


    There’s overlap in those who have bundled campaign donations for Mayor Bill de Blasio and Comptroller Scott Stringer, a review of campaign finance documents shows.

    According to records from the New York

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  • De Blasio Opted for Quiet End to 2016

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    Mayor de Blasio (photo: Edwin J. Torres/ Mayor's Office)


    At the end of 2015, his second year in office, Mayor Bill de Blasio held a two-hour roundtable with members of the media to promote his administration’s accomplishments, reflect on his tenure, and field whatever questions the 20-or-so assembled journalists wanted to ask.

    There was a multi-page handout from City Hall with “de Blasio Administration” and “YEAR TWO ACCOMPLISHMENTS” across the cover page, followed by sections on “Housing & Homelessness,” “Management & Economy,”

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  • New Year’s Resolutions for Mayor de Blasio

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    Mayor de Blasio (photo: Michael Appleton/ Mayor's Office)


    At the end of his first year in office, Mayor Bill de Blasio said his new year’s resolution for 2015 was to be on time more often. The chronically late mayor mostly made good on that resolution. At the end of 2015, NY1’s Errol Louis asked de Blasio for a resolution and the mayor didn’t come up with anything on the spot -- I subsequently offered several to him in a Daily News

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  • 70 Questions for 2017 in New York Politics

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    De Blasio & Cuomo (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    Happy New Year! As we get ready for 2017, there are, as always, many questions in New York politics. In early 2016, we asked 40 questions for the year ahead. This time, we’re asking 70 for 2017.

    There's a lot to look for in the new year, including a mayoral race and other city elections; so here are our big political questions for the year ahead -- if you want to share them, answer any,

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  • Federal Government Paves Way for City-Backed Retirement Savings Program

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    Mayor de Blasio at a February rally (Demetrius Freeman/Mayor's Office)


    Responding to interest from cities including New York, the federal Department of Labor has ruled that certain municipalities can establish publicly-run retirement savings programs for private-sector workers whose employers do not offer such a program.

    In February, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his intention to create a new

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  • Bill de Blasio’s Police Accountability Problem

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    Mayor de Blasio (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    Mayor Bill de Blasio’s campaign account recently posted a Twitter message touting the NYPD’s neighborhood policing initiative. “New York City is proving to the rest of the country that respectful, compassionate neighborhood policing drives down crime & makes us safer,” the tweet from @BilldeBlasio read.

    In a response symbolic of a problem de Blasio is facing as he heads into his re-election year, Lumumba

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  • Predictions! Experts Look Ahead to 2017 in New York Politics

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    New Year’s Eve 2015/16 (Michael Appleton/Mayor’s Office)


    As we usually do around this time of year, Gotham Gazette asked New York politicos to look into their crystal balls for predictions for the year ahead. Below you'll find insights from elected officials, journalists, advocates, analysts, and others who are tuned in to New York politics.

    We know that 2017 will be interesting given it’s a city election year, and there’s

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