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Archive for November, 2011
SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher
Nov 30th - 9:02 pm
SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher discusses her push to improve education before reaching college. And also weighs in on the ongoing scandals at Syracuse University and Penn State.
Dick Iannuzzi Discusses Education Funding
Nov 30th - 9:00 pm
Education funding has traditionally caused big battles in Albany. After New York City schools successfully challenged the way cash is distributed, small city districts filed a lawsuit of their own. That’s now before the state’s highest court. The teachers union is supportive of that suit, and is mulling taking it one step further. NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi sat down with Liz Benjamin to discuss.
Kolb on Budget Outlook
Nov 30th - 8:55 pm
Governor Cuomo has not yet ruled out bringing the legislature back to Albany to deal with worse-than-expected revenues and the growing budget deficit. But before lawmakers could come to an agreement on a solution, they’d have to agree on the numbers. And right now, Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb thinks the budget division is underestimating the deficit. He explains why the budget projections are different, and whether he would support Cuomo’s plans to review the tax code.
McMahon and Kink Debate Millionaire’s Tax
Nov 30th - 8:55 pm
The Empire Center’s E.J. McMahon and Michael Kink of Strong Economy for All debate whether the personal income tax on wealthier New Yorkers should be extended, and other possible changes to the tax code.
Extras
Nov 30th - 4:49 pm
Mayor Bloomberg: “I have my own army.” Nyah. So, there, President Obama.
That sounded like a “note of competition with the current White House” to Politico’s Maggie Haberman.
Bloomberg and NYC Council Speaker Chris Quinn are still tight despite the council’s lawsuit challenging his homeless shelter policy.
The Essex County GOP chairman expects a primary in NY-23. (He’s Doug Hoffman’s home chairman; Matt Doheny has already announced he intends to mount a re-match against Rep. Bill Owens).
CPB’s ombudsman took WAMC’s Alan Chartock to task. Is this a harbinger of federal funding problems to come?
Former Assemblyman/gubernatorial hopeful Pat Manning is among the Republicans interested in running for the seat bring vacated by Dutchess County Executive-elect Marc Molinaro.
The DNC has a new Web video on Mitt Romney’s “disastrous” (according to Juan Williams) Fox News interview last night.
The White House 2011 Christmas theme: Shine, Give, Share.
Pro-millionaire’s tax Democrats are encouraged by Cuomo’s tax code reform talk.
Newt Gingrich loved Sen. Chuck Schumer’s book, “Positively American,” calling it “very powerful and effective.”
Environmental Advocates gave some rare, fracking-related praise to the governor for extending the public comment period by a month.
AG Eric Schneiderman is investigating potentially illegal foreclosures on the mortgages of active-duty members of the military.
A citizen’s guide to the property tax cap, compliments of the Empire Center.
It was business as usual at Assemblyman William Boyland Jr.’s district office in Brooklyn despite his arrest on (a second round of) corruption charges yesterday.
RIP John McKennan, former Utica mayor, state senator and state Supreme Court justice.
Everyone talked about NJ Gov. Chris Christie’s weight when he mulled a presidential bid, but no one’s saying anything about Newt Gingrich’s heft. Why is that?
I can only dream of being this unflappable.
Revamping The Tax Code Started Before Somos
Nov 30th - 3:38 pm
Talk at the Capitol buzzed about a possible revamping of the tax code that could be proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, thanks to a Wall Street Journal piece today. Cuomo did little to deny that he was looknig at the tax code changes, which could mean an increase on the wealthy (the governor did say the piece was “breathless” in its reporting).
Cuomo raised the idea at a retreat for black and Hispanic lawmakers in Puerto Rico, Somos el Futuro. But back on Nov. 4, Liz sat down with Assemblyman Karim Camara, the chairman of the Black, Puerto Rican Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, who said the idea was broached pre-Somos at a meeting in October.
Camara told her this:
“In terms of his position on restructuring tax code, I can’t say at this point. That came up,” Camara said.
“But I don’t know his official position on that. But I will say that’s something we have to consider, the restructuring of the tax code, so sagin, we’ll have a more progressive system of taxation, and we won’t have to worry about the continued deficit, sunsetting the millionaire’s tax, etc. Let’s have a progressive system…It’s not about just tax warfare, let’s tax the rich.”
Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, too, said back on Nov. 2 there’s room to work on revamping the tax code.
Cuomo has in the past weeks talked about the tax code and the issue “fairness.” The governor left it vague today (and has apparently danced around the edges with lawmakers as well), but has framed the effort as a way to boost job growth.
A More Open Albany?
Nov 30th - 2:43 pm
ICYMI: The Rev. Jason McGuire, executive director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, explained during a CapTon interview last night how his organization’s victory in challenging how the same-sex marriage bill was passed could have a far-reaching impact on how things get done in Albany.
“We’re in the midst of a number of debates in New York. This one pertains to same-sex marriage, but there’s hydrofracking, there’s independent redistricting, there’s the millionaire’s tax. A host of issues,” McGuire told me.
“And every New Yorker should be concerned about this process, because if this can happen with same-sex marriage, what would stop it from a host of any other issues? And so this is something we should be concerned about. I think it could have some great ramifications. If the court would hear these arguments, move forward and rule with us on this, then I think it could have some real precedent-setting cases for how business is done in Albany. That should be of interest to all New Yorkers.”
The piece of the NYFCF lawsuit that was allowed to move forward alleges the Open Meetings Law was violated in the days leading up to the same-sex marriage vote, with deliberations and lobbying – including by the governor hismelf – taking place largely in secret.
This isn’t the first time closed-door legislative conferences have been challenged. Back in 1985, the NY Post’s Fred Dicker requested access to the Assembly Democrats’ daily private confab, and lawmakers responded by rewriting the Open Meetings Law to provide explicit, blanket authority for legislators to conference outside the public eye “to discuss anything including a matter of public business, notwithstanding the member of staff or guests.”
New York’s Open Meetings and FOIL guru, Bob Freeman, told CapCon’s Jimmy Vielkind that the original law included an exemption for “deliberations of political committees, conferences and caucuses,” which the courts subsequently ruled should be interpreted to apply only to matters of political party business.
But acting state Supreme Court Justice Robert Wiggins apparently feels this issue is worth revisiting. Hence, his decision yesterday.
Relationship With Cuomo ‘Good’ Says Schneiderman
Nov 30th - 2:08 pm
At his first major Albany news conference since taking office, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman characterized the relationship with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office as being “good” and a professional one, despite his public disagreement over granting special investigatory powers to his office.
“It’s good,” the attorney general said at a news conference. “We have an ongoing working relationship. Our offices interact everyday — probably every business day of the year. Our counsels work with state agencies all the time and we have a very good working relationship.”
Schneiderman was in Albany this afternoon for a news conference on an undercover operation his office conducted that found firearm sellers at gun shows fail to provide background checks.
He wouldn’t go into details on his conversations with the governor’s office on seeking broader investigatory powers to prosecute corruption, a so-called “blanket referral” that would give his office legislative and state agency oversight. But Cuomo’s former top aide, Steve Cohen, denied the attorney general’s office ever made the request. Cuomo’s office maintains that such a move would require legislative approval and that an executive order would be illegal.
The disagreement, highlighting the rough relationship between the two men, was chronicled in a virtuoso piece by Jimmy Vielkind earlier this month.
At the time, the attorney general’s office didn’t provide details and today Schneiderman similarly didn’t go into specifics.
“I don’t want to really get into private discussions that we are having,” Schneiderman said. “We both have a very strong committment to public integrity and to restoring public confidence in the state government.”
The attorney general’s office and the executive chamber frequently clash, regardless ofwho is in office. Cuomo, Schneiderman’s predecessor, has had a mixed relationship with Eliot Spitzer to say the least.
Schneiderman added that he’s sought to expand public corruption probes under his watch by expanding the public integrity unit, deploying local ethics watchdogs in his district offices around the state and forming an anti-corruption partnership with Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.
“I think we’ve gone a long way this session to restoring public confidence in the government,” Schneiderman said. “We’re both committed to pursuing that and I think we are looking for creative ways as we go forward.”
Gay Marriage Law Here To Stay, AG Vows
Nov 30th - 1:43 pm
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is confident the same-sex marriage law in New York will be held, despite what he said were a “variety of challenges” to the measure.
In a ruling issued earlier this month, but was made known yesterday, a Livingston County court judge allowed a lawsuit against the state’s same-sex marriage law to continue, writing in scathing opinion that New York’s notoriously narrow Open Meetings Law could be reviewed in the case.
“I’m confident our position in the Open Meetings Law will be upheld,” he added.
The judge wrote that there was “clear arm-twisting” by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to get the law voted on by waiving the required three-day waiting period. The suit was filed by New Yorkers For Constitutional Freedoms, a conservative religious lobby.
“It is ironic that much of the state’s brief passionately spews sanctimonious verbiage on the separation of powers in the governmental branches, and clear arm-twisting by the Executive on the Legislative permeates this entire process,” Judge Robert Wiggins wrote.
Schneiderman, a staunch proponent of same-sex marriage and LGBT rights, added that he expected the lawsuit to continue through the court system.
“Obviously we disagree with the court’s interpretation of the Open Meetings Law, it’s an ongoing litigation, we expect it will go through the appellate process. The important thing for everyone to remember and for all of you to make clear since you’re writing about this, is the marriage equality law is validly in place. Same-sex marriages can take place in New York, there are a variety of challenges to the law that are making their way through the courts.”
DCCC Targets Two NY GOPers Over Supercommittee Failure
Nov 30th - 1:35 pm
The DCCC has launched another volley in its ongoing “Drive for 25″ campaign that aims to wrest the House from GOP control, this time accusing 30 vulnerable Republicans – including two New Yorkers, Reps. Michael Grimm and Ann Marie Buerkle (NY-13 and NY-25, respectively) – of “forcing” the supercommittee’s failure by refusing to support increasing taxes on the rich.
Of course, what really happened is a heck of a lot more nuanced than that. But this line of attack is definitely in keeping with the Democrats’ post-failure talking points, which focused the bulk of the blame on D.C. conservative Grover Norquist and his Americans for Tax Reform pledge. Each of the Republicans targeted signed the pledge.
This push includes robocalls, live phone calls, online advertising and an online “action center” where voters can write letters to the editor about House Republicans’ priorities. Here’s the script of the Buerkle robocall, which started hitting NY-25 phones today:
“Hi, this is Sarah calling on behalf of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee calling about Congressman Ann Marie Buerkle and Republicans forcing the Super Committee to fail.”
Americans demanded a bipartisan, big, bold, and balanced plan to reduce the deficit and grow our economy – but that’s not what we got. The Super Committee failed because Republicans insisted on extending the Bush tax breaks for millionaires and refusing to include a jobs proposal – while ending the Medicare guarantee! That’s something that Democrats stand strongly against.”
“By rejecting a balanced approach, Republicans chose to protect the wealthiest one percent at the expense of seniors and the middle class. Now they’re even talking about raising the payroll tax.”
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