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Gillibrand For Clarke
May 18th - 12:58 pm
Rep. Yvette Clarke, a Brooklyn Democrat who is facing a primary challenge from Sylvia Kinard, ex-wife of former NYC Comptroller/2013 mayoral hopeful Bill Thompson, has picked up the endorsement (via press release) of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
“Yvette Clarke is a strong leader and a vital voice for all New Yorkers,” Gillibrand said in a statement released by the congresswoman’s campaign. “From her time on the City Council to her current tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives, Yvette has been a fighter to improve the lives of her constituents.”
“For the last six years, Yvette has been a tireless advocate for the middle class throughout the New York City area. I have great confidence that Congresswoman Clarke will continue to serve the best interests of New Yorkers and I am proud to strongly support her campaign for re-election to the U.S. Congress.”
Clarke said she is “honored to receive the endorsement and kind words” of Gillibrand, whom she called a “tireless advocate for all New Yorkers.”
Clarke and Gillibrand were elected to Congress in the same year – 2006.
Clarke won a hotly contested four-way Democratic primary for retiring Rep. Major Owens’ seat that year, squeezing out a victory with just with just over 31 percent of the vote. (Also in the running were former NYC Councilman/current Taxi and Limousine Commissioner David Yassky, who was the only white candidate in the race and drew fire by moving into the district to take advantage of the split black vote; former Sen. Carl Andrews, and Owens’ son, Chris).
Gillibrand also won a tough race, surprising political observers by ousting scandal-scarred Republican Rep. John Sweeney in what was then the GOP-dominated 20th Congressional District.
The former upstate congresswoman was subsequently tapped by former Gov. David Paterson to serve out the remainder of Hillary Clinton’s US Senate term after she became President Obama’s secretarty of state.
Interesting point of history: Clarke refused to endorse Clinton’s 2008 presidential run for months because Clinton’s then-top spokesman, Howard Wolfson, had advised Yassky during the 2006 primary. Clarke eventually relented and joined the majority of her fellow Democratic elected officials, backing Clinton against Obama in the presidential primary.
The Politics Of Minimum Wage, Part II (Updated)
May 18th - 10:16 am
As noted earlier, the effort to increase the state’s minimum wage $1.25 has unsurprisingly morphed into a campaign issue for Senate Democratic candidates eager to take on an issue that polls phenomenally well.
And in something of a twist, the issue has been used to attack incumbent lawmakers in both parties.
The measure backed by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, passed his chamber this week largely along party lines.
Senate Republican Majority Leader Dean Skelos has called the bill a “job killer” but left the door ajar by saying his conference would not allow a vote on Silver’s legislation when asked if he was completely ruling out a minimum wage increase.
Democrat Andrew Gounardes, a Brooklyn lawyer, was out of the gate with a conventional attack on Republican Sen. Martin Golden, a seat the opposition party has long eyed as ripe for flipping.
“Let’s be clear: Senator Golden and his Republican colleagues are sitting on their hands while New Yorks’s lowest paid workers are struggling just to feed their kids and afford healthcare,” Gounardes said in a statement. “This is a modest increase. At $8.50 an hour, a minimum wage worker in Brooklyn can still barely pay the rent.”
Turning things on their head is Albany County Democrat Shawn Morse, who is launching an aggressive primary against Deputy Senate Minority Leader Neil Breslin.
Morse charged in a statement that Breslin hasn’t done enough to pursue the issue beyond press releases and statements in support of the bill.
Senate Democrats are quick to point to the hearings they’ve held on raising the minimum wage and their early push for the bill.
Should Morse win but the Democrats fail to gain the majority, he may be surprised to see just how powerful a freshman minority lawmaker is (there has been not-so-quiet talk around the Capitol of Morse joining the breakaway Independent Democratic Conference).
Here’s Morse’s statement, which serves the twin purpose of attacking complacent incumbency and the Democratic minority conference:
“The Assembly did the right thing by voting to increase the minimum wage this week,” continued Morse. “But where are the Senate Democrats? They’ve relegated themselves to the backbench, making statements and sending out press releases because they can’t actually get things done. That is the direct consequence of their failures. I’m running to help build a new Democratic majority that stands by our Democratic values and delivers for the working families of the Capital Region.”
Update: Senate Democratic spokesman Mike Murphy hits back at Morse, noting their efforts to pass an increase. Also, Murphy refers to Morse’s “Senate Republican allies.” Yikes! Will all be forgiven if Morse becomes a senator in January?
From the statement:
“The only thing left to do is have a vote on a two-house bill, which requires Senate Republicans to bring an agreed-upon bill to the floor. Rather than attacking fellow Democrats leading the fight in the Senate, Mr. Morse should urge his Senate Republican allies to get to the negotiating table as soon as possible, and provide hope to the 1.1 million New Yorkers currently earning New York’s poverty wage.”
Cuomo And Senate Democrats In Alignment On Foodstamp Fingerprinting
May 17th - 2:21 pm
There’s very little love lost between Senate Democrats and the Cuomo administration.
Democratic lawmakers in private grumble they were sold out by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on redistricting.
Cuomo, meanwhile, has worked well with the 32-member Republican majority and has not been full-throated committing to campaigning for Democratic lawmakers in the chamber.
But today, the minority conference and Cuomo found a rare moment of alignment on the issue of banning fingerprinting for foodstamps in New York City.
Democratic lawmakers were quick to praise the move, which Cuomo had pledged to do back in January during his second State of the State address (and unlike other pledges — campaign finance reform and a call for independent redistricting — Cuomo actually spoke the words about fingerprinting, rather than leaving it in the official statement).
The praise of Cuomo’s move was quick to come in.
From Sen. Liz Krueger:
“Requiring New Yorkers to submit their fingerprints has stigmatized the food stamp program and prevented vital federal money from flowing into our state and putting food on the tables of seniors, families, and children. I applaud Gov. Cuomo’s decisive action to finally end what was always an irrational and costly policy.”
From Sen. Dan Squadron:
Today, Governor Cuomo demonstrated great leadership by ending the counterproductive practice of finger-imaging food stamp recipients.
Simply put, finger-imaging has deterred too many New Yorkers from accessing the food they need. It makes no sense for children to go to bed hungry while we waste local tax dollars on a senseless program that puts food farther out of reach.
Public Advocate (and potential mayoral candidate) Bill de Blasio also praised the move, as did several hunger advocacy groups.
Of course, the decision to end fingerprinting puts Cuomo at odds with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose freeze and thaw relationship has been closely watched.
HRA Commissioner Robert Doar issued a statement, noting the policy clamps down on fraud.
“We’ve found that finger imaging identifies potential duplicate payments and prevents fraud, which saved more than $35 million over the last decade in a program that now provides services for 1.8 million New Yorkers annually. We remain committed to doing everything we can, consistent with state and federal regulations, to protect the integrity of the food stamp program.”
Dem Sources: Charlie King Is NOT Jay Jacobs’ Replacement
May 16th - 4:33 pm
The conventional wisdom since state Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs’ abrupt resignation decision has been that Executive Director Charlie King move up to replace him in the No. 1 slot.
There’s logic to that assumption. After all, King goes waaaaaaay back with Cuomo, serving under him at HUD, running as his LG in his ill-fated 2002 gubernatorial campaign and then, at then candidate-Cuomo’s request, serving as the official party attack dog during the 2010 campaign.
(Of course, there was that little bump in the relationship road when King challenged Cuomo in the 2006 AG’s race, but he ended up dropping out and backing Cuomo, so that’s all water under the bridge now).
I’ve heard from two highly-placed Democratic sources, however, that King is NOT in fact Cuomo’s choice to lead the party.
One source tells me King actually asked not be to considered because he wants to return to the private sector “well before” Cuomo’s 2014 re-election bid because he has some college tuitions to start saving for, which means whoever does replace Jacobs – and I haven’t managed to get any names confirmed yet – is going to have the opportunity to pick his or her new executive director fairly soon after taking control of the party.
It has been clear for some time that Jacobs’ days were numbered. Even Jacobs himself admitted as much when I talked to him briefly last night after news of his imminent departure broke in the NYT.
Another source insists nothing in particular is behind the timing of Jacobs’ departure, the administration just happened to “get around to it” now after kicking around the idea of a party re-organization for several months.
“The notion is they need someone acceptable to the state committee and the county chairs, not just someone pulled out of nowhere, but also someone who will elevate the profile of the party, someone real,” this source said.
And, of course, the person in question has to be loyal as the day is long to Cuomo, AND be able to raise money – although the governor is no slouch in that department.
It’s kind of hard to find someone with all those qualities. It will be interesting to see who the governor picks – or rather, has picked, because it’s highly unlikely the news of Jacobs’ resignation would have leaked if Cuomo didn’t have a replacement chair already lined up.
DC37 And NY-8 (Updated)
May 16th - 3:27 pm
Multiple sources informed me last week that the executive committee of DC 37, New York City’s largest public employees union, had voted unanimously to endorse NYC Councilman Charles Barron over Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries in their primary battle for retiring Rep. Ed Towns’ Brooklyn House seat.
I asked the union for a confirmation and received the following response: “There is a process that these things go through. We will be announcing endorsements later this month after our delegates meeting on May 22.”
I also contacted both Barron (personally) and Jeffries (through a spokeswoman), neither of whom had any idea at the time that a vote had been taken on Wednesday, May 9.
The Politicker’s David Freedlander subsequently reported the vote, and said an announcement is expected sometime next week. He also spoke to Barron, who said it would be “huge” and a “game-changer” for him to receive the DC 37 nod.
I’ve since spoken with several union sources who say Jeffries’ alliance with Brooklyn Democratic Chairman/Assemblyman Vito Lopez and his support of charter schools were most to blame for his loss of support among DC 37 executive committee members.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the full delegate convention would overturn the executive board’s candidate selection, although that happens only rarely.
One labor leader could recall only three recent examples: The union ended up backing former Sen. John Sabini over his 2002 primary challenger, Charlie Castro (NOT his ’06 and ’08 challenger, Hiram Monserrate, who had DC 37′s support – fixed); Eric Schneiderman over Guillermo Linares in 2002 (when the Republicans re-drew the district to make it more Latino) and then-Rep. Chuck Schumer over then-GOP US Sen. Alfonse D’Amato in 1998.
In all three of those cases, someone – or a number of someones – lobbied for the underdog candidate. So far, I haven’t heard of an internal campaign being waged at DC 37 for the delegates to buck the executive committee and go with Jeffries, but I’m willing to bet one is underway.
Then there’s the question of exactly how big of a deal it would be if DC 37 ultimately goes with Barron. Jeffries has already collected a number of union endorsements, including from 1199 SEIU, which has a pretty impressive GOTV operation.
Since the June 26 primary is about two and a half months earlier than usual, it’s essentially functioning like a special election, which meants turnout will be everything. Whoever has the better GOTV operation will likely win that race, and then cruise to victory in the general election.
UPDATE: Ryan Harbage, campaign manager for Colin Beavan, the Green Party candidate in NY-8, took issue with my saying that whoever wins the primary will be a new sure thing in the November election. He says people are “tired of old-fashioned two-party politics,” adding: “It’s not working.”
“While I respect Councilman Barron and Assemblyman Jeffries, whichever of them wins the primary next month will be wise to acknowledge that the real race begins June 27th,” Harbage said in an email.
Harbage actually wanted me to “run a correction,” which I won’t do, because history has shown that in Democrat-dominated NYC districts – particularly in a presidential electino year – the primary winner is a safe bet to win the general. But Beavan (AKA “No Impact Man”) is indeed in the race, and should be acknowledged as a contender – especially after the sweet write-up he got from the NYT this week.
And Now Minimum Wage Is A Campaign Issue
May 16th - 11:58 am
If there was any doubt that raising the state’s minimum wage wouldn’t be a campaign issue, Democratic Senate hopeful Ted O’Brien this morning put that rest.
O’Brien, vying for the seat held by outgoing Republican Sen. Jim Alesi, issued a statement scolding Republican opponent Assemblyman Sean Hanna for voting against the proposal on Tuesday to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 and then tie future increases to rate of inflation.
The measure was approved, 98-49.
“It is clear that Sean Hanna is completely out of touch with the concerns of the citizens he claims to represent,” O’Brien said in a statement. “Those working full time jobs in New York State should not be living on the poverty line. I fully support the push to increase the state minimum wage to $8.50 to make sure hard working New Yorkers have enough money to properly provide for their families. Mr. Hanna’s vote defies common sense.”
The O’Brien-Hanna race is shaping up to be one of the more hotly contested Senate races this year in a district that leans Democratic. Republicans hold a narrow 32-29 majority, with one vacancy.
The proposal is opposed by most business groups and Senate Republican Majority Leader Dean Skelos, who has called the measure a “job killer.”
But it has astoundingly broad support of New York voters — nearly 80 percent back the proposal. More than half of registered Republicans also back the bill, according to a Siena College poll released Monday, which O’Brien was sure to cite in his news release this afternoon.
Skelos said yesterday at a news conference that he would not consider Silver’s bill, which naturally led to the speculation he was open to a deal later this legislative session, which ends June 21.
But Josh Vlasto, a spokesman fro Gov. Andrew Cuomo, said that while the governor backs a minimum wage hike, there isn’t enough time for a deal by the end of June.
A cynic might say the calculus here is that Democrats in both houses of the Legislature might not truly want a minimum wage increase at all, choosing rather to make it a campaign issue. Democrats in the Senate, dealt blow after blow on redistricting and other issues, would be able to run on an issue that the majority of New Yorkers say they want done.
It is in some respects easier to run on an issue than results.
But at the same time, the so-called “optics” of not raising the minimum wage while a much buzzed about post-Election Day salary bump for state lawmakers would appear awful.
Gianaris: Senate Dems Didn’t Encourage Complaint Against Libous
May 15th - 4:14 pm
Sen. Mike Gianaris, head of the Senate Democrats’ political arm, confirmed during a CapTon interview that he had spoken with Binghamton Mayor Matt Ryan about possibly challenging Sen. Tom Libous this fall, but did not encourage him to file an ethics complaint against the veteran GOP lawmaker.
Even though Ryan opted against running for the Senate, he filed a complaint with the Joint Commission on Public Ethics last month, urging the ethics watchdog to investigate a claim that Libous used his clout to land his son, Matthew, a $150,000-a-year sweetheart job with a politically-connected Westchester County law firm.
That claim was made in an unrelated federal corruption trial of a Yonkers city councilwoman during the testimony of disbarred lawyer Anthony Mangone. Libous has repeatedly denied that allegation. His son did work for the firm, but is no longer employed there.
“I have not talked at all to him about this.,” Gianaris said when I asked whether he and Ryan had discussed the mayor’s complaint against Libous, adding that his response to this morning’s TU story (subsequently re-reported by the NYT) about the JCOPE investigation was as follows:
“It’s not pleasant. You know, even though we’re on opposite sides of the aisle, I do consider Tom Libous a friend. We get along. He’s entitled to defend himself, and he says that none of this is true. So, I’ll take him at his word until it’s proven otherwise. But, I hope it’s not true.”
My full interview with Gianaris will air at 8 p.m. and then re-air at 11:30 p.m.
Schumer Cheers For Gillibrand
May 14th - 1:53 pm
During a stop in Syracuse today, Sen. Chuck Schumer praised junior Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and confidently predicted her re-election in November, regardless of which of her three would-be Republican opponents wins the June 26 primary.
In response to a question posed by YNN’s Bill Carey, Schumer said:
“Well, I think the more the merrier. I don’t think any of the three could stack up to Senator Gillibrand. I think over the last several years she’s worked hard, succeeded, gotten to know the voters, so I think she’s going to do real well no matter which of the three is the nominee.”
“…Any party, whether nationally or in New York, that moves too far to the extreme loses. When Democrats move too far to left, they lose. When Republicans move too far right, they lose. And it may be happening to them now.”
Schumer’s comments come on the heels of a Siena poll released this morning that found Gillibrand continues to lead her three GOP opponents – Rep. Bob Turner, Wendy Long and Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos – by more than 30 percentage points.
The same poll found two thirds of Republicans remain undecided about which of the three they will support in the primary.
Morse Makes Hay Of Espada Verdict (Updated)
May 14th - 1:12 pm
Albany County Legislature Chairman Shawn Morse seized on the conviction of former Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. on four counts of felony theft (so far) from his taxpayer-funded Soundview Health Clinic to tee off on his Democratic primary opponent, Sen. Neil Breslin, for voting to accept Espada back into the conference following the 2009 coup.
“I am glad to see today’s guilty verdicts for disgraced ex-Senator Pedro Espada,” Morse said. “This is yet another step in cleaning up our state Government and giving New Yorkers the Legislature they deserve. ”
“While I hope this is the final end of Pedro Espada’s role in government, we still need to take ahard look at how this situation arose, and the bad choices that were made that allowed him to lie, cheat and steal from the taxpayers for as long as he did.”
“My opponent, who was one of those who supported Mr. Espada in exchange for keeping his position in the Majority, now admits that he ‘shares in the guilt’ and the ‘shame’ for his past support. Mr. Breslin may admit his guilt now, but it would have been far better if he never supported Mr. Espada for Majority Leader in the first place. ”
“The damage that Neil Breslin’s support of Mr. Espada did to the state, to his reputation, and to the reputation of Democrats as a whole is still being felt. The next time Mr. Breslin is offered the chance to support a criminal in exchange for more power, I hope he thinks better of it.”
Breslin has repeatedly made clear his less-than-friendly feelings about Espada – at one point (after the coup was settled and the Democrats had returned to the majority, thanks to the retun – with strings attached – of Espada and his co-conspirator, former Sen. Hiram Monserrate, to the fold) even saying that his colleague was a “crook” who belonged “in jail.”
The senator even used that statement in a campaign ad back in 2010 – the year he successfully fended off a primary challenge from Luke Martland.
But it’s also true that Breslin ultimately did not object when his fellow Democrats voted to allow Monserrate and Espada to return to the conference, restoring him to his post as Insurance Committee chairman. Last January, Breslin was tapped by Democratic Leader John Sampson to serve as deputy minority leader, a position that carries a $20,500 stipend (lulu).
NOTE: A reader reminds me that Morse has a Senate Democrat connection of his own. He hired the consulting firm Red Horse Strategies to run his campaign. The firm’s founders left the public payroll in 2008, but have retained ties – and contracts – to the conference on and off since then.
UPDATE: Breslin’s response:
“I believe we as elected officials need to hold ourselves to a higher ethical standard. The people entrust us to do what is right and we have a duty to represent them in the most honest and ethical way possible. No one with a criminal record should ever be elected to office.”
“I called for former Senator Espada’s ouster long before his conviction today. I am proud to say that I have been one the most outspoken voices of reform in the New York State Senate. I will continue to be that voice of reform because the people of Albany and Rensselaer Counties, and all of New York State deserve no less.”
US Chamber Of Commerce, NY Bizz Council Debut House Ads
May 10th - 1:14 pm
The US Chamber of Commerce and the state Business Council have unleashed a barrage of ads – both positive and negative – in hopes of influencing competitive House races across New York.
Politics on the Hudson first reported this blitz, which is not officially coordinated with any campaign (because that would be illegal, of course). Now the ads are up on the Chamber’s website.
Two of them appear below.
One opposes Rep. Kathy Hochul, a Western New York freshman who is arguably the most vulnerable member of the Democratic New York members, thanks to redistricting. The spot slams Hochul for her support of so-called “Obamacare.”
The other ad praises Republican Rep. Nan Hayworth, who has five Democrats vying for the right to challenge her in the November general election, for her unwillingness to “punish” small businesses with tax increases.
Other New York members who are either targeted or boosted by the ads include: Democratic Reps. Bill Owens and Louise Slaughter (negative) and Republican Reps. Chris Gibson and Ann Marie Buerkle (positive – corrected, thanks).
There’s also a pro-Randy Altschuler spot. (He’s the Republican businessman making a second attempt at ousting Democratic Rep. Tim Bishop on Long Island.
Interestingly, the ads make no mention of the Business Council’s involvement, though the organization and its president, Heather Briccetti, get top billing in the press release announcing the new campaign.
“New York needs jobs, and now is the time for Washington to focus on policies that will help create them,” Briccetti said.
The release also informs us that this advertising launch is the Chamber’s third campaign in the 2012 cycle and is part of the organization’s largest voter education and grassroots mobilization effort in its 100 year history, aimed at highlighting candidates’ positions on issues critical to the American recovery.
I expect to see a lot more where this came from, thanks to the exponential growth of super PACs in this campaign cycle. So, stay tuned.
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