Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Francisco Moya

Francisco Moya

  • Who is Adrienne Adams, Presumptive Next New York City Council Speaker?

    49062992577 55e509c061 c

    City Council Member Adrienne Adams, the likely next Speaker of the Council (photo: Emil Cohen/City Council)


    City Council Member Adrienne Adams, a Democrat from Southeastern Queens, is poised to become the next Speaker of the City Council. Adams, who has represented District 28 since 2018, will be the first-ever Black Speaker of the 51-member legislative body and will lead the first-ever women-majority New York City Council.

    The Speaker is one of only four elected officials with citywide authority besides the Mayor, Public

    ...
  • Announcing Majority Support, Adrienne Adams Declares Victory in City Council Speaker Race

    45278409731 e3a56a1f6e c

    Council Member and likely next Speaker Adrienne Adams (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    City Council Member Adrienne Adams, a Queens Democrat, declared victory on Friday in the race to become the next Speaker of the legislative body, issuing a list of supporters who will make up a majority in the next City Council.

    Announcing support from 33 members, including herself, well past the 26 required votes in the 51-seat Council, Adams is poised to be the first Black Speaker when the vote among the new City Council class is seated

    ...
  • As Eric Adams Allies Push Francisco Moya, Coalition Forms Behind Adrienne Adams for Next City Council Speaker

    Adrienne Adams City Council

    Council Member Adrienne Adams (photo: Gerardo Romo/City Council)


    In response to an effort by allies of Mayor-elect Eric Adams to install City Council Member Francisco Moya as the next Council Speaker, a coalition is forming behind Council Member Adrienne Adams to win the legislative leadership post, several sources with direct knowledge have told Gotham Gazette.

    The movement behind Adrienne Adams is being led by powerful labor unions that have been allied with the mayor-elect but were among many interested parties taken aback by the push to anoint

    ...
  • ‘What I Bring to the Table is My Experience’: Francisco Moya on Housing Development, Running for City Council Speaker, & More

    council scj cmd cmb moya

    Council Member Francisco Moya (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    New York City needs to revamp its approach to development, argues City Council Member Francisco Moya, and have the next City Council Speaker be an experienced official who can help usher in that new way of doing business while also crafting a budget that reflects the diverse needs of the city’s many districts..

    Appearing on a recent episode of the Max Politics podcast

    ...
  • LISTEN: The Candidates for Speaker on Their City Council Work and Pitch to Colleagues

    Top (l-r) Adrienne Adams, Diana Ayala, Justin Brannan, Gale Brewer Bottom (l-r) Francisco Moya, Keith Powers, Carlina Rivera

    (l-r) Top: Adrienne Adams, Diana Ayala, Justin Brannan, Gale Brewer; Bottom: Francisco Moya, Keith Powers, Carlina Rivera


    The seven candidates to be the next City Council Speaker, all Democrats, have in recent months joined the Max Politics podcast from Gotham Gazette, discussing their government work and Speaker campaigns with host Ben Max. The candidates — Adrienne Adams, Diana Ayala, Justin Brannan, Gale Brewer, Francisco Moya, Keith Powers, and

    ...
  • Max Politics Podcast: City Council Member Francisco Moya on Zoning Battles, Running for Speaker, & More

    fra mo hosts 600

    City Council Member Francisco Moya (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    November 20, 2021 - Max Politics Podcast: City Council Member Francisco Moya on Zoning Battles, Running for Speaker, & More

    City Council Member Francisco Moya joined the show to discuss his work chairing the Council's zoning subcommittee, recent land use debates and larger issues of development, and his bid to become the next Council Speaker.

    Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter ...

  • Good Jobs for the Formerly Incarcerated will Make Our City Safer

    crim just ro

    A 'jails to jobs' event (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    The humanitarian crisis at Rikers Island is alarming. Criminal justice reform advocates and elected officials are right to demand an end to the violence, death, and chaos. Governor Kathy Hochul deserves praise for ordering the release of nearly 200 detainees. 

    But what happens to New Yorkers after they leave Rikers and other correctional facilities?

    That’s a key question few in public life are asking.

    Here’s the reality: New Yorkers seeking to re-enter our

    ...
  • In Queens, Council Member at the Epicenter Looks to Hold Seat Against Insurgent from the Left

    5 cm seat qns

    Council Member Moya (photo: Emil Cohen/City Council)


    One year ago, COVID-19 swept across Corona, turning the Queens neighborhood into the epicenter of the pandemic — and leaving behind a trail of death, sickness, hunger, and unemployment. In the wake of the crisis, which hit Northern Queens harder than most of the city, incumbent City Council Member Francisco Moya says his work to address healthcare and food insecurity kept the pandemic’s effects on his 21st

    ...
  • Further Deregulation of 5G Technology Won’t Close the Digital Divide

    gov cuomoaug13

    Broadband for All (photo: Phillip Kamrass/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)


    Just before the new year, a representative of a little-known telecommunications infrastructure company, Crowne Castle, made the case in an op-ed at Gotham Gazette that the key to closing the digital divide in New York State is more deregulation.

    No one would disagree with the author’s assessment of the underlying problem: the pandemic confirmed, in

    ...
  • We’re Not All The Same: Rethinking ‘The Latino Vote’

    Moya City Council steps

    City Council Member Francisco Moya, the author (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    How many more elections until incumbents and newcomers in races across the country realize that we are not all the same?

    “Speaking” the language or being designated Latino/Hispanic does not translate to our larger population sharing the same story or weighing issues with the same values.

    According to Pew Research, a record 32

    ...
  • City Council to Pass Bill Capping What Food Delivery Apps Can Charge Restaurants, Sponsor Says

    images shot day

    Restaurants are struggling to survive during the lockdown (photo: Benjamin Kanter/Mayor's Office)


    As New York City’s mom-and-pop restaurants struggle to survive in lockdown conditions owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the New York City Council appears poised to help them cut costs by passing a bill to cap fees charged by third-party delivery services, which have proliferated in recent years via phone apps.

    Small restaurants that cannot afford delivery workers or have recognized the popularity of the apps rely on the third-party services like Grubhub, Seamless (which

    ...
  • What New York City Must Do to Halt Fear and Misinformation Around ‘Public Charge’

    15847120715 332a005108 z

    (photo: William Alatriste/City Council)


    The Trump administration’s changes to the “public charge” policy are so ambiguous and poorly communicated as to leave little doubt about whether the resulting fear rippling through immigrant communities nationwide was baked into this bigoted scheme.

    Here in New York City, we refuse to follow the White House down this dark path. We are the home of Ellis Island, a town built with immigrant hands and made great by the diversity we celebrate. We will fight the imminent public charge policy changes with

    ...
  • Council Hearing Highlights Big Gaps in City Planning Processes

    hearing city hall cm rafael salamanca jr

    Council Member Salamanca, center (photo: William Alatriste/City Council)


    A Tuesday City Council hearing about how city planning is done revealed major flaws in the process and showed significant divides between the mayoral administration and the Council over a set of bills aimed at changing relevant processes. Specifically, the legislation addresses how the outcomes of neighborhood rezonings -- where land use rules are adjusted in certain geographic areas to meet new development goals -- are projected and

    ...
  • After Six Years, New York Must Finally Pass the Dream Act

    macaulay honors college

    (photo via CUNY Office of Communications)


    Every year thousands of undocumented youth graduate from high school with a singular hope of realizing their American Dream and making it to college. Too often, though, these dreams are deferred as immigrant youth are denied fair and equal access to state financial aid.

    There is a solution to this injustice: the New York Dream Act. The bill would promote education equity, ensuring that every student has an equal opportunity to fulfill their dream of attending college by allowing immigrant youth access to New

    ...
  • Assembly Race Poses Another Test for Queens Machine

    catalina cruz parade Queens

    Catalina Cruz (photo: @CatalinaCruzNY)


    Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Democratic primary victory over Rep. Joe Crowley last month in New York’s 14th congressional district sent shockwaves throughout the country and signalled a monumental shift in Queens politics, where the Crowley-led county party has held significant sway in local elections for many years. The effects of Ocasio-Cortez’s win and Crowley’s loss, both nationally and locally, are still developing, but reverberations are certainly being felt in the already-competitive Democratic primary for New York

    ...
  • Brooklyn City Council Member Setting Early Foundation for Speaker Run

    justin brannan city council

    Council Member Justin Brannan (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    City Council Member Justin Brannan is everywhere.

    He’s at the governor’s mansion discussing the state’s efforts to empower women- and minority-owned businesses. He’s meeting with the president of the Building and Construction Trades Council about the city’s construction industry. He’s at the Chinese-American Planning Council’s 53rd anniversary celebration, ...

  • City Council Members Still Navigating Outside Income Divestment Ahead of Deadline

    paul vallone by john mccarten

    Council Member Paul Vallone (photo: John McCarten)


    Legislation barring City Council members from making outside income will go into effect on January 1, forcing several sitting and incoming Council members to make tough decisions about their side jobs.

    The regulations, which were linked to a significant pay increase for all city elected officials, including a salary bump from $112,500 to $148,000 for City Council members, were approved by Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council last

    ...
  • Meet The Three State Legislators Likely Heading To The City Council

    gjonaj election night crop 

    Mark Gjonaj & Bronx Democratic leadership (photo: @MarkGjonajNY)


    With the New York City primary election behind us, it appears that at least three state legislators are likely to be leaving behind the trips to Albany for plush City Council seats.

    Following the path of former State Senator Bill Perkins, who was elected to the City Council in a special election earlier this year, two Assembly members and one state senator are likely to be making the same jump come January: State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr, Assemblymember Mark

    ...
  • Mass Mailer Loophole Gives State Legislators Advantage in City Council Races

    ortiz mailer crop

    The top of Assemblymember Felix Ortiz's recent constituent mailer


    Members of the New York State Legislature have a key resource at their disposal to communicate with their constituents: mass mailers. Both the Senate and Assembly allow lawmakers to send public communications through different media -- chiefly employed in the form of direct printed newsletters and mailers -- to inform residents of their districts about recent legislation or special events, or to alert them of emergencies, and more. While these mailers are subject to certain restrictions in the run up to an

    ...
  • Hiram Monserrate Has No Place in Elected Office

    nydia moya via ydanis crop

    Rep. Velázquez, the author, rallying for Moya for Council (photo: @ydanis)


    Elections send messages.

    You don't have to look any farther than the victory of Donald Trump to see that electing a racist, misogynistic demagogue helps to normalize abhorrent behaviors in the eyes of some Americans. That may be why, as the Southern Poverty Law Center reports, our country saw 1,094 bias incidents in the first 34 days after the November election.

    If the president advocates for violence against opponents and unabashedly sexualizes and demeans women,

    ...
  • Queens Council Primary Pits Assembly Member Versus Disgraced Former Rep

     Francisco Moya City Council

    Francisco Moya (photo via Moya's Facebook)


    Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, City Council Member for District 21 in Queens and chair of the powerful finance committee, shook up city politics in June when she announced she would not be running for re-election. Now, with her seat up for grabs and several potential candidates removed from the ballot by the Board of Elections, there is a dramatic head-to-head Democratic primary matchup to fill the City Council seat.

    The contest is between State Assemblymember Francisco

    ...
  • New York Must Take Action Against Corporate Backers of Hate

    moya profits pain

    Assemblymember Moya, the author, speaks at a rally (photo: Make The Road New York)


    Make the Road New York and the Center for Popular Democracy recently exposed President Trump’s corporate “backers of hate,” companies that stand to profit off an agenda so steeped in hate, prejudice, and greed, you would have to be willfully blind not to see it.

    Nothing is more dangerous than business as usual when it is conducted in a moral vacuum, and these companies have been

    ...