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NY’s Moon Rock Non-Mystery Solved
Sep 23rd - 2:36 pm
I’m happy to be able to report to you that New York’s Apollo 17 Goodwill Moon Rock is safe and sound at the State Museum.
This may come as some surprise to certain space-obsessed Websites (such as this one) that are devoted entirely to tracking the fragments of moon rock sample 70017 that were collected by Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt at the end of their third and final moonwalk and handed out by the Nixon administration in 1972.
According to these sites, the whereabouts of New York’s rock – which is actually encased in an acrylic button and mounted on a plaque along with the state flag (also flown to the moon) – is unknown.
This worried me, and so I called the state Education Department’s press office, which handles inquiries for the State Museum – the most logical landing place for a moon rock that I could think of, although some states have reported locating their moon rocks in odd places, like ceremonial offices or long-forgotten locked filing cabinets.
SED spokesman Jonathan Burman assured me the rock is indeed “safe and secure” in the museum’s collection. It is under lock and key and not on display due to its high dollar value.
As it turns out, after Apollo 17 returned to earth, Nixon ordered moon rocks distributed to 135 foreign heads of state, the 50 U.S. states and its provinces, and many have since been lost in the ether.
This is kind of a big deal. According to NASA, only 843 pounds of moon rock exist on Earth, which means these little babies are very, very valuable, worth upwards of $10 million (or, if you prefer, enough to make a nice-sized dent in the state budget deficit).
The Apollo 17 rocks and another round collected during the Apollo 11 mission, which were also distrubuted to the 50 states, are among the only specimens ever given out as gifts by NASA. (I have so far been unable to vouch for the whereabouts of the Apollo 11 moon rock – still efforting).
Among the missing rocks is the one that was given to the state of Arkansas, or rather, it WAS missing. Until this week, that is, when the rock was located among memorabilia belonging to former President Bill Clinton when he was in he governor’s office.
No one is exactly quite certain how the moon rock ended up in Clinton’s stuff. A worker stumbled upon it while cataloging materials from Clinton’s governorship, which includes some 2,000 boxes of archived documents.
Cuomo’s Private Flights
Sep 22nd - 1:33 pm
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s just-released schedules are a bit hit-or-miss when it comes to details. Some meetings include a long list of attendees, while others mention only “staff” in attendance, and still others give no indication at all as to who – other than the governor himself – was present.
However, there are some interesting nuggets in the eight months worth of day-to-day information the governor posted on his new CitizenConnects site.
For exmaple, on June 14, Cuomo took a pricey private airplane ride that appears to have been compliments of investment banker Gregg Hymowitz, whose hedge fund firm, EnTrust Capital Inc., has handled his personal and campaign money dating back to his AG days.
June 14 was the day Cuomo formally released his bill to legalize same-sex gay marriage in New York (AKA the “Marriage Equality Act”). That night, he hosted a LGBT-themed fundraiser in Manhattan that featured a performance of the Broadway show “Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical.”
According to the schedule, Cuomo was wheels-up from the Albany International Airport en route to the NYC heliport at 4:30 p.m. via “private aircraft.” He was wheels-down at 6 p.m., and arrived at the Cuomo 2014 event at 6:30 p.m. The governor was wheels-up from NYC at 10:15 p.m. – again, via the private aircraft – and landed in Albany at 11:15 p.m.
Cuomo spokesman Josh Vlasto said Cuomo’s private flight was reported as an in-kind campaign contribution. He could not immediately provide details as to whose plane was used that day.
Cuomo’s July 15th financial filing includes two in-kind contributions on June 14. The first is for $8,452 from Hymowitz. The second is for $21,750 from Stephen Hanson, founder and president of B.R. Guest Restaurants. (I’m assuming his contribution is connected to the fundraiser itself, since it seems a little high for a quick flight from Albany to NYC and back).
Hymowitz received some negative press back in 2009 when Bloomberg News reported he had received state pension funds to invest from a company then-AG Cuomo had identified in his pay-to-plau pension fund probe as paying possible illegal kickbacks.
Clinton To Speak To Economic Development Council (Updated)
Sep 19th - 3:34 pm
First reported by The Business Review and later amplified by Jimmy V. at CapCon, former President Bill Clinton will be speaking at a meeting of the overarching chief economic development council next week.
Clinton will speak on Sept. 27 at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center. The state has set up an online lottery for tickets to the event. Clinton will be the event’s keynote speaker.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a HUD secretary in the Clinton cabinet, created the 10 regional economic development councils as a way of stimulating job growth by having various regions of the state compete for grant money and tax incentives.
Clinton’s last trip to Albany was in March, when he spoke at UAlbany for a tidy $200,000 speaker’s fee.
Update: ESDC spokesman Austin Shafran called to say Clinton will be giving the speech for free. That is quite a deal.
Deal? What Deal?
Sep 15th - 3:33 pm
Deputy Senate Majority Leader Tom Libous today rejected a report today that the Senate GOP has struck a redistricting deal with the four-member IDC that would leave their respective districts largely in tact.
DN Bronx columnist Bob Kappstatter’s lead item today produced a lot of head scratching among Albany insiders, observers and lawmakers alike. Not because a deal between IDC leader Sen. Jeff Klein and Skelos is so hard to imagine, however. Far from it, in fact. There’s been talk of that in the Capitol hallways since the IDC was formed.
But the hypothesis that the districts of Sens. Klein, Savino, Valesky and Carlucci would remain more or less unchanged at a time when it’s pretty much a given that everyone’s lines are going to be modified to some extent – and the suggestion that the GOP would agree to a deal that protects Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer, who Bob Cohen might want to take another crack at ousting – just seems really far-fetched.
The IDC has already denied any deal. And Libous told me the following during a CapTon interview that will air in full tonight:
“A lot of people love to speculate, and you and I have had conversations about this sort of speculation. I don’t believe there are any deals that have been struck.”
“I personally have not seen a map of any districts, I haven’t even seen my own district yet. So, to say that there are any deals struck, I think people are just trying to create some activity. I don’t believe there have been, and I’m not aware of any deals that have been struck. I haven’t even been able to strike a deal for my own new district.”
I guess between Libous and IDC spokesman Rich Azzopardi’s comments, some people will suspect “they doth protect too much.” Redistricting is an awfully murky process right now, and one that has been further complicated – at least at the House level – by Rep. Bob Turner’s surprise win in NY-9. So, who knows?
Rivera’s Loss Is Central Labor Council’s Gain
Sep 15th - 3:00 pm
There are some staffing changes in the offing for Sen. Gustavo Rivera as his close friend and chief of staff, Marco Carrion, prepares to depart to start a new job as legislative/political director for the NYC Central Labor Council.
Carrion will be replaced by Rivera’s communications director, Conchita Cruz. Both Carrion and Cruz have been with Rivera since his primary victory over now-former Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. – a major win for the reform crowd – last September.
“The Senator and I have been close friends for many years – this change is in no way an end to our partnership and collaborations,” said Carrion.
“I am confident that I am leaving Senator Rivera in good hands – Conchita’s national political experience and wide networks will enhance Senator Rivera’s already rising national and statewide profile as a Latino leader.”
This isn’t Carrion’s first stint with organized labor. Prior to signing on with Rivera, he worked for the UFT and also for the AFL-CIO – both in New York and at the national level. His experience is going to come in handy, since the CLC has had a bumpy year, and is now under new leadership.
In June, the CLC voted in favor of Vincent Alvarez as a replacement for its previous president, Jack Ahern. At the time time, the council’s delegate assembly moved to make the position full-time. Alvarez, 42, whose father emigrated from Cuba, is the first Latino to lead the organization.
Before she joined Rivera’s staff, Cruz worked for Colorado Rep. Jared Polis, focusing on immigrantion policy, immigrants’ rights and LGBT issues. She and Rivera met while they were both working on Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. (She was at the Chicago HQ helping with Latino outreach during the primary, and then worked on the Florida governor’s race in 2010).
“I am excited to take on this new role and consider myself very lucky to work for an elected official who I so strongly respect and believe in and who shares a commitment to serving not only the voters of the 33rd Senate District, but each and every member of the community, regardless of their immigration status,” Cruz said.
“I am confident in the Senator’s genuine passion for serving his community and in the staff we have assembled to help make that a reality.”
Rivera has ties to labor, too. Before he ran for the Senate, he worked for SIEU, managing the union’s efforts on Obama’s behalf in several key primary states. He then worked as Obama’s Hispanic vote director in Florida. After the 2008 election, Rivera returned to New York to accept a job as director of community outreach for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
‘You Budget Better Than Albany’
Sep 7th - 2:53 pm
Apparently, JC Penny didn’t get the memo that the era of dysfunction is over in Albany.
Former Assemblyman Michael Benjamin forwarded this photo Sunday (I was still on the West coast; sorry for the delay).
He said he spotted it while walking with his wife, Kennedy, in Upper Manhattan – on a Verizon phone booth at the corner of E. 178th Street/St. Nicholas Avenue, to be exact.
That area is represented by Sen. Adriano Espaillat and Assemblyman Guillermo Linares.
Said Benjamin (no relation to your faithful blogger):
“Five months after achieving an on-time, balanced, no-new-taxes budget my former colleagues and Gov. Cuomo are still being mocked…I hope JC Penney doesn’t want or need any tax breaks. My former colleagues may not soon forget this summer ad.”
Indeed. I wonder how long this ad campaign will last.
UPDATE: A tireless blog reader/editor (guess who?) notes this ad campaign has been up since June…And maybe we reTweeted it back then. An oldie, but a goodie.
O’Donnell, Alesi To Headline Same-Sex Marriage Discussion
Aug 22nd - 2:28 pm
Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell and Sen. Jim Alesi will headline a dicussion of the same-sex marriage law at a LGBT forum at Albany Law School on Oct. 13.
Alesi, the first of four Republicans to announce they would vote yes for the measure that ultimately passed the Senate 33-29, has subsequently been warmly embraced by the LGBT community.
O’Donnell, an openly gay Democrat from Manhattan, was seen as a driving force for the measure’s passage and for several lawmakers flipping to the yes column in the Assembly.
They’ll be joined by Katherine Grainger, Assistant Counsel to Governor Andrew Cuomo, for an oral history of the same-sex marriage law at an event called LGBT Rights: Toward a More Perfect Union.
The panel, moderated Professor Stephen Clark of Albany Law School, will take place at 5:30 pm in the school’s Dean Alexander Moot Court Room.
In addition, panel discussions will include discussions of the Obama administration’s announcement that it would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act and a second panel discussion will focus on issues with families and workplace.
Hugh Carey, 92, Has Died (Updated)
Aug 7th - 10:28 am
Former New York Gov. Hugh Carey, a Democrat led the state during one of its most difficult financial times, died this morning in New York City. He was 92.
Carey, the state’s 51st governor, served from 1975 to 1982.
He took the helm just as New York City was on the brink of bankruptcy. Working with government leaders, businesses and union officials, Carey managed avoid a fiscal crisis.
Carey also took the steps of cutting taxes and capping tax growth, later become the first Democrat to be re-elected to a second term in decades. He’s also been credited with reforming the state’s system of treatment for the developmentally disabled, signing the Willowbrook Consent Decree, which limited the number of patients that can be housed in a facility.
Carey declined to seek a third term, making room for his ambitious lieutenant governor, Mario Cuomo, to seek the job.
He had also considered running for president, but the death of his wife in 1974 was likely a contributing factor against launching a national campaign.
Carey has been an inspiration for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who distributed copies of his biography, “The Man Who Saved New York” to union leaders, lawmakers and aides.
“Declaring that the days of wine and roses were over, Governor Carey looked to statesmanship and compromise, rather than partisanship or parochialism, to get the state’s fiscal house in order,” the Carey family said in a statement released by Cuomo’s office. “He called for shared sacrifice and asked all New Yorkers to come together. New Yorkers across the state heard the Governor’s call to action, followed his lead, and the ship was righted.”
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg released a statement expressing “extraordinary sadness” upon hearing the news of Carey’s death.
“It was with extraordinary sadness that I learned of the death of my friend and mentor in public service, Governor Hugh Carey, this morning. When I first considered running for office, Hugh was one of the first people I spent a lot of time with. His strong and determined leadership, and his ability to bring people together to fix the most difficult problems, saved New York City during one of the toughest times in our history, and set the stage for the City’s incredible rebirth in the years and decades that followed. Mayors Koch, Dinkins, Giuliani, and I have all stood on the shoulders of this son of Brooklyn, whose political fortitude was matched only by his personal integrity.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., gives credit in a statement to Carey for developing the “plan that saved New York.”
“Governor Carey rose from the streets of his beloved Brooklyn to the halls of power in Washington DC and Albany, but was always rooted in his Irish heritage, his faith, his extraordinary commitment to family and his love for New York and this nation. New Yorkers will remember in 1975 when the state was on the brink of bankruptcy, Hugh Carey stepped forward and assembled a courageous team to come up with an ambitious, but difficult, plan that saved New York for future decades of prosperity. He steered the ship of this state away from fiscal calamity and toward brighter days of responsible budgeting and forward-thinking policy decisions, rooted in the common good and not in special interests or partisan politics. Hugh Carey created a legacy that few other New Yorker can claim. I express my deepest condolences to his family and all who loved him.”
Irony Alert – Nonprofit Edition
Aug 5th - 12:29 pm
This week’s moment of irony comes compliments of the New York Council of Nonprofits’ Doug Sauer, who was kind enough to join me on CapTon last night.
For the past eight years, NYCON has run the state’s only free training program for nonprofit board members and executive directors at entities that receive funding from OASAS, the DOH AIDS Institute and Center for Community Health , OPWDD, OMH and OCFS, educating individuals on a wide range of pertinent topics including reading 990s and audits, and evaluating executive compensation.
Yes, nonprofit executive compensation – the very topic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has charged a new task force with investigating in connection with organizations that receive state funding.
Here’s where the irony kicks in.
Despite the fact that this program has been extremely successful, training some 8,700 people at an annual cost to the state of about $190,000 – $39,400 per agency – it appears that it will be discontinued, or at least dramatically scaled back, due to a lack of funding.
According to Sauer, DOH no longer wants to serve as the program’s lead agency. OPWDD and OASAS are interested in continuing, but it’s unclear whether they’ll be able to come up with their share of the cash.
In the meantime, all the scheduled training sessions from October through December are on hold. (The brochure for the 2011 trainings appears after the jump).
The training program was created in the late 1990s when the Senate Republicans were investigating execessive compensation and lack of board governance at nonprofits that provided mental health services for the state. The government response, according to Sauer, was to “education, not regulate.”
Sauer, who is serving on a non-profit reform committee created this summer by AG Eric Schneiderman, expressed frustration that the state has “no comprehensive policy” when it comes to non-profit organizations.
He doesn’t understand why anyone would axe the lone program actively involved in education board members and agency heads about how to oversee non-profits and what to look for to prevent scandals like the one recently exposed by the New York Times.
It’s also worth noting that the program specifically deals with agencies that have been at the center of scandals like OPWDD – again exposed by the NYT – and receive a considerable amount of state aid through Medicaid.
In addition, Sen. Shirley Huntley introduced a bill this past session that would require OPWDD, OMH and OASAS to establish minimum training requirements for all board members and trustees of nonprofits and facilities subject to the jurisdiction of their offices.
State Museum, Library Could Open On Weekends
Aug 2nd - 10:28 am
For the state history nerds among us, or those just looking for a cheap date (guilty on both counts!), Gov. Andrew Cuomo today signed a measure that would allow the state museum and library to hold weekend hours.
Currently, the New York State Museum and the state library, which resides in a Jedi-temple like structure at the Empire State Plaza, is closed on Sundays. The current law requires the destination stay open eight hours a day on weekdays.
For weekenders in Albany, that’s not the most convenient time.
The law Cuomo approved today would require that the museum and library stay open five days a week, but allows the Board of Regents to set the schedule.
Cuomo’s made no secret that he’s a governor who actually likes Albany. He’s a frequent Albany weekender himself, with his schedule usually keeping him in town and staying at the Executive Mansion on Eagle Street, less than a block from the museum.
“The state library and museum is a testament to New York’s extraordinary history and should be made as accessible as possible to all those who visit our state’s capital,” Cuomo said in a statment. “This law will allow for the public to visit the museum on weekends without additional costs to taxpayers. I thank Senator McDonald and Assemblywoman Nolan for sponsoring this legislation.”
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