Gotham Gazette

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Sal Albanese

Sal Albanese

  • Staten Island City Council Race One of Few Competitive General Election Contests

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    Council Member Matteo at a groundbreaking in CD50 (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    Republicans currently hold only three seats in the New York City Council and District 50 on Staten Island is one of them. The mid-island district is currently represented by Council Member Stephen Matteo, the Council’s Minority Leader who is term limited and unsuccessfully ran in the Republican primary for borough president. Three candidates are vying to replace him in the general election including a former City Council member, a top aide to Matteo, and a real

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  • De Blasio Reps Sought to Kill Police Accountability Measure

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    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    Less than a week after arguments ended in the high-profile NYPD administrative trial of Officer Daniel Pantaleo, the administration of Mayor de Blasio waged an effort to block a significant reform aimed at preventing and punishing lying by police officers during investigations of misconduct.

    One commissioner on the 2019 New York City Charter Revision Commission says members were contacted by a representative of the mayor in advance of a vote earlier this month on whether to move to the November election ballot a

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  • Spirited Discussion Anticipated as Charter Revision Commission Finalizes Ballot Proposals

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    (photo: Benjamin Kanter/Mayoral Photo Office)


    The 2019 Charter Revision Commission is set to hold one, perhaps two, public meetings to decide on what changes to city governance and elections it will propose to New Yorkers on the November ballot. The first of the potentially two meetings will be Wednesday night at City Hall, where the 15 commissioners, appointed by various local elected officials, will attempt to agree on which proposals to instruct staff to craft ballot questions around.

    They are mostly working off of the “preliminary staff report,” ...

  • Charter Revision Commission Hears Expert Testimony on Conflicts of Interest and Chief Diversity Officer

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    (photo: Sofie Hecht/Gotham Gazette)


    On Thursday evening, the 2019 Charter Revision Commission heard from experts in city government and activist circles to discuss possible charter amendments that could enhance precautionary measures against conflicts of interest in city government, and the potential mandated addition of a chief diversity officer in the mayor’s office, at mayoral agencies, and elsewhere. The push for adding chief diversity officers is being led by city Comptroller Scott Stringer, who created such a position in his office and has made the effort one of his top

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  • ‘Democracy Vouchers’ May Come to New York City

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    City Council Member Ben Kallos (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    As he ran for mayor this year, former City Council Member Sal Albanese typically didn’t go more than five minutes without mentioning his call to bring additional campaign finance reform to New York City. Despite the fact that the city already has a heralded public-matching system that encourages small donation fundraising, Albanese pointed to the “democracy voucher” program instituted in Seattle, which is even more radical in its efforts to lower individual donation

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  • De Blasio’s Record on Ethics and Transparency

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    Mayor de Blasio (photo: Benjamin Kanter/Mayor's Office)


    This article is part of a series on Mayor de Blasio's first term record as he seeks reelection this fall, in partnership with WNYC radio and City Limits. Find all pieces of the series here.

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  • The Mayoral Money Race as the General Election Heats Up

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    Bo Dietl (photo: @BoDietl)


    Six weeks from now, on November 7, New Yorkers will head to the polls to decide whether to renew the contract of Mayor Bill de Blasio, or if they want new leadership from one of the incumbent Democrat’s opponents in the general election.

    The latest mayoral race poll, from NBC 4 New York/Marist, was released on September 19 and

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  • 2017 New York City Primary Election Results

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    NYC Votes sticker, design by Marie Dagata and Scott Heinz


    Mayor Bill de Blasio prevailed convincingly in the Democratic primary Tuesday as he seeks a second term. De Blasio was facing four challengers, most prominently former City Council Member Sal Albanese. With 98% of precincts reporting, de Blasio had secured 74.4% of the vote, to Albanese’s 15.4%, and Michael Tolkin’s 4.7%, Robert Gangi’s 3.1%, and Richard Bashner’s 2.4%. De Blasio had about 317,000 votes; Albanese with about 65,450 in a very low turnout election, where about 15% of

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  • Dietl, Malliotakis Make Last-Minute Play for Reform Party Nomination

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    Bo Dietl (photo: Samar Khurshid)


    GOP mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis and independent candidate Bo Dietl are both making a last-minute push to win the Reform Party ballot line for November’s mayoral election. While Sal Albanese, who is also challenging Mayor Bill de Blasio in the Democratic primary, has been backed by the Reform Party, Dietl and Malliotakis are each attempting to convince their supporters to help them steal the ballot line by voting on primary day -- Tuesday, September 12 -- using a provision in state election law that effectively

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  • De Blasio & Albanese Argue Through Second of Two Primary Debates

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    Bill de Blasio, left, & Sal Albanese


    The second and final Democratic mayoral primary debate on Wednesday was a frenetic hour-long affair in which Mayor Bill de Blasio spent much of his time on the defensive, facing probing questions from debate moderators and tough criticism from his opponent, Sal Albanese. At the same time, Albanese appeared to come up short yet again in terms of clearly articulating a vision for a mayoralty beyond tearing down many of de Blasio’s current policies.

    Right off the bat, de Blasio was

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  • Where's The Polling In The Mayoral Race?

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    Sal Albanese, middle, campaigning (photo: @SalAlbaneseNYC)


    The second of two Democratic mayoral primary debates is set for Wednesday, but leading public opinion pollsters have yet to study the full Democratic primary field or take stock of the competition between Mayor Bill de Blasio and his lone debate opponent, challenger Sal Albanese. The lack of polling makes it harder to gauge how Albanese and the three other Democratic challengers to de Blasio may fair come September 12, or how de Blasio’s approval rating has changed in

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  • Voters Guide for the 2017 City Primary Election

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    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


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    by Ben Max, Gotham Gazette
         

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  • 5 Key Moments from the First Democratic Mayoral Primary Debate

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    De Blasio & Albanese on NY1


    Mayor Bill de Blasio, a first-term Democrat pursuing reelection this fall, faced off against Sal Albanese on Wednesday at the first of two primary debates ahead of the September 12 vote. Over the course of 90 minutes at the Symphony Space on the Upper West Side, the two shared a number of tense exchanges as they made their pitches to voters. De Blasio offered a continuation of his first-term accomplishments in tackling inequality, while Albanese attempted to present himself as the alternative to a mayor who he

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  • 5 Things to Watch at First De Blasio-Albanese Debate

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    Albanese & de Blasio in 2013 via NY1


    “A win for me is making the case that de Blasio has not been a good mayor and making the case that I can be a good mayor,” Sal Albanese, putting it simply, told Gotham Gazette on Monday, a little more than 48 hours before he was to take the stage against Mayor Bill de Blasio in the first of two Democratic primary debates.

    The debate, a 90-minute affair that will air at 7 p.m. Wednesday on NY1 television and WNYC radio, is sure to be lively. The two participants have known each other a long

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Previewing the First Mayoral Debate

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    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    August 22, 2017 - Previewing the First Mayoral Debate

    On Wednesday, August 23, Mayor Bill de Blasio and former City Council Member Sal Albanese will meet for the first debate of the 2017 Democratic mayoral primary. De Blasio is seen as a heavy favorite heading toward the September 12 vote, but Albanese has a major opportunity given the one-on-one, broadcast debate that will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday on NY1 television and WNYC radio (also brought to you by other

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  • 10 Great NYC Debate Moments

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    Quinn, Liu, de Blasio, Albanese (from 2013)


    Debates have been an invaluable part of political discourse and elections for centuries. The face-to-face interactions between candidates reveal a lot about their character, policies, and ability to perform under pressure.

    Debates for citywide races in New York -- for Mayor, Comptroller, and Public Advocate -- have played no small part in helping New Yorkers decide which candidates best represent their interests. Ahead of the 2017 debates, which begin Wednesday with the first Democratic mayoral

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  • Inside the Numbers: Mayoral Campaign Spending

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    Mayor de Blasio at his reelection headquarters (@BilldeBlasio)


    As New York City’s campaign season hurtles toward the September 12 primaries and November 7 general election, bringing new flurries of fundraising and spending from mayoral candidates, attention has largely been focused on the ‘raising,’ with a few recent donations getting ...

  • Five Democrats Will Be On The Mayoral Ballot, But Only Two Will Debate

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    Mayoral candidate Robert Gangi (photo:@GangiForMayor)


    The first official debate in the Democratic mayoral primary is set for Wednesday, August 23, where Mayor Bill de Blasio will face former City Council Member Sal Albanese. But three more Democrats, all of whom will be on the September 12 ballot, failed to qualify for the debate and are crying foul that the Campaign Finance Board’s eligibility criteria are excluding them from

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: The Mayoral Race with Top Political Strategists

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    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    July 31, 2017: Republican strategist Mollie Fullington and Democratic strategist Rebecca Katz join Max & Murphy to discuss the 2017 New York City mayoral race.

    max murphy katz fullingtonMollie Fullington used to work for Governor George Pataki and recently handled press and communications for mayoral candidate Paul Massey.

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  • Democratic Mayoral Candidates Talk 'Faith in New York'

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    De Blasio at the Faith in New York interview (photo: @FaithinNewYork)


    The four main Democratic mayoral candidates had a chance on Thursday to publicly show how far to the progressive left they are, appearing just over six weeks from primary day at a series of open discussions with Faith Over Fear Coalition, a citywide coalition of more than 90 congregations and more than 25 faith and justice groups, convened by Faith in New York, an advocacy organization that launched in 2013.

    Faith in New York (FINY), which describes itself as a

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  • The July Mayoral Money Race

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    Mayor de Blasio (Edwin J. Torres/ Mayoral Photography Office)


    Election season is in full swing, with barely two months to go till the September primary election, and mayoral contenders are busy on the campaign trail, reaching out to voters, building name recognition and, perhaps most importantly, raising campaign funds. The latest campaign finance disclosures filed on Monday show Mayor Bill de Blasio is still in the lead in fundraising, but a few of his opponents are beginning to pick up steam and have posted significant fundraising numbers of their

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  • Democratic Challengers Fire Away at De Blasio. Is Anybody Listening?

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    Mayoral candidate Sal Albanese (photo: @SalAlbaneseNYC)


    Mayor Bill de Blasio won the mayoralty in 2013 on a progressive platform deriding the “Tale of Two Cities” that had developed in New York. He identified an unsustainable level of income inequality and biased police department, and promised an activist government focused on creating more opportunity for all. In some respects, de Blasio has followed through. But the mayor has also dealt with criticism from various corners on what have been deemed the failures of his administration.

    As de Blasio

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Democratic Mayoral Candidate Sal Albanese

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    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    Max & Murphy is a podcast focused on New York City politics and policy hosted by Ben Max of Gotham Gazette and Jarrett Murphy of City Limits. Past episodes of the podcast can be found here and can be dowloaded from iTunes and other podcast networks. The podcast began with a focus on housing in early 2016, but has expanded into other areas, now turning to the 2017 city elections,

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  • With Subways in Crisis, It’s Showtime for Mayoral Candidates

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    (photo: The Governor's Office)


    Standing near a City Hall subway stop, Staten Island Assembly member and GOP mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis railed against Mayor Bill de Blasio’s handling of the city’s transit system and its state-controlled operator, the Metropolitan Transit Authority.

    At a podium set up just outside a 4 and 5 train entrance -- the same station that the mayor and his family emerged from for his inauguration on January 1, 2014 -- Malliotakis said last Friday that de Blasio has been ineffective and pledged that if she is elected

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  • The Issues Likely to Dominate The 2017 Mayoral Race

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    (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    Candidates running for mayor have begun to gather signatures to get on the ballot, bringing election season into full swing. Mayor Bill de Blasio is in a relatively comfortable position and polls show that he is likely to sail to reelection, but it is still relatively early, with September primary and November general elections on the horizon. Anything can happen in a political campaign.

    As the mayor prepares to spend the next six months asking New Yorkers to give him another four years, he will also have to

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