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The Weekend That Was
May 20th - 2:50 pm
Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the only person convicted in the 1988 bombing of an American jetliner over Lockerbie, has died in Libya three years after he was released by Scotland on humanitarian grounds.
NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn wed her longtime partner, Kim Catullo, before a 275-person crowd of family and political luminaries that included Mayor Bloomberg, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, both of NY’s US senators and various and sundry legislators and Council members.
The wedding provided Quinn “an opportunity to soften her sometimes tough image and to remind New Yorkers that she would be both the first female and the first openly gay New York City mayor,” the NYT’s Kate Taylor writes.
The NAACP passed a resolution endorsing same-sex marriage as a civil right and opposing any efforts “to codify discrimination or hatred into the law.”
Quinn and Catullo aren’t the weekend’s only newly-minted high-profile married couple. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg wed his girlfriend of 10 years, Priscilla Chan.
Speaking of weddings, the NYT’s Vows Column is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
An aide to Rep. Charlie Rangel readily admitted he threatened to run against Sen. Bill Perkins if Perkins followed through with his plan to back his colleague, Sen. Adriano Espaillat, over Rangel.
Soon-to-be-former state Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs is staying active in politics and hosted a fundraiser for Rangel at his Nassau County home.
Former Sen. George Winner said he sees no similarities between the JCOPE leak about Sen. Tom Libous and Troopergate, but also believes Albany County DA David Soares should investigate. Soares’ office had no comment.
Lloyd Constantine, a former top aide to ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer, writes: “For many people of a certain age, the real Cuomo family signature moment involved the manner in which Andrew assisted Republicans in their effort to maintain control of the state Senate, despite their rapidly shrinking popularity with New York’s voters.”
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle calls on Cuomo to “shed his penchant for backroom deal-making” for “the sake of accountability, the success of future legislation, and the respect of voters” who backed his calls for reform.
Extras
May 18th - 5:07 pm
After all that, Facebook shares ended their first day of trading on the stock exchange just over where they started – $38.
POLITICO looks back on the worst political gaffes made on Facebook.
Sen. Tim Kennedy will avoiding putting WNY Conservatives in the “touchy situation” of considering his candidacy after he voted “yes” on gay marriage last summer by not seeking their endorsement.
Sen. Kevin Parker said it would be a “step up” for his Democratic conference if Cuomo is simply “not involved” instead of actively opposing issues they deem important.
The US Justice Department gave preclearance to the Assembly’s redistricting plan.
Former VP Al Gore is dating.
Bill Clinton will not be endorsing Rep. Charlie Rangel – or anyone else – in the upcoming primary.
…which makes former Clinton aide – and current Rangel primary opponent – Clyde Williams very happy.
Someone should inform Google that Rangel is not, in fact, dead.
Asked about his support from an anti-incumbent Super PAC, Sen. Adriano Espaillat said: ”I’m not going to say no.”
Might Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s failure to further the Middle East peace process spur her to return to government work in some capacity after she gives up her current post?
NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn will be wearing a bridal gown when she weds her longtime partner, Kim Catullo, tomorrow.
Mayor Bloomberg continued to defend the NYPD’s controversial (and changing) stop-and-frisk policy, saying it saves lives.
Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoef took his sales tax beef with Sen. David Carlucci to the airwaves.
Carlucci’s response: “What’s next – a tax on breathing?”
About 30 county employees who are CSEA members picketed outside Carlucci’s Nanuet office today.
Congressional hopeful Chris Collins has hit the campaign trail, visiting two farms in Wyoming County this week.
Conesus Town Attorney Gregory J. McCaffrey is the new Livingston County DA.
Camille Rivera writes of the fight for the rights of low-wage workers beyond May Day.
Sarah Jessica Parker is the latest A-lister to host a fundraiser for President Obama.
The state Health Department is moving to close Soundview in the wake of former Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr.’s conviction on theft charges this week.
Congressional hopeful/NYC Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley needed some prompting from Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch when asked for her position on stop-and-frisk.
In a a move seen as retaliation for her decision to run against her county party chairman cousin’s hand-picked candidate, Crowley will likely be left off party petitions when she seeks re-election as a district leader this fall.
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has invested $12.9 million worth of pension fund cash in the Hicksville headquarters of Sleepy’s, one of the nation’s largest mattress retailers.
Ex-US Sen. Ted Kaufman, VP Joe Biden’s former chief of staff, says he will encourage his longtime friend to run for president in 2016.
Prodded By Democrats, Brooks Breaks With GOP Leadership On Violence Against Women Act (Updated)
May 18th - 4:18 pm
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks, a Republican congressional candidate who has come under fire in the past for being slow to make clear her positions on various federal issues, just released a statement on a topic that sparked controversy in Washington this week: The Violence Against Women Act.
“I’ve spent a career fighting for the issues that matter most to women and families all across our community,” Brooks said. “That’s why I stand in opposition to the recent passage of H.R. 4970, commonly known as the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2012, which places unnecessary restrictions on access to domestic violence services for victims who desperately need help.”
“As a former member of the Board of Directors at Alternatives for Battered Women, I know how important it is to make support services widely available, so all women can remain safe and secure in their own homes. The House legislation must be fixed immediately to provide every woman with equal access to protection from despicable acts of domestic violence.”
The vote to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act was taken Wednesday, and the measure passed 222-205 with 23 Republicans in opposition and six Democrats in favor. A Brooks spokesman said the candidate did not release a statement until today because she wasn’t asked for her position on the matter until this morning.
The act provides some $660 million in funding over five years for programs ranging from protecting victims of domestic violence and community violence prevention to legal aid for survivors of violence. It has been reauthorized twice before without incident in Congress.
But this time around, a bipartisan version of the act passed by the US Senate was blocked by the House GOP leadership, which put forward a version that removed provisions relating to extending protections to Native Americans, lesbian, gay, and transgender Americans and illegal immigrants. The Democrats – unsurprisingly – cried foul, but so did a number of GOP congresswomen.
The House bill also does not include a Senate provision that would allow Native American women to take US citizens who abuse them to court within the tribal legal system, and rejects a path to citizenship for undocumented women who have been abused and agree to cooperate with police investigations.
Brooks’ Democratic target, Rep. Louise Slaughter, did not vote on the act. (It appears she hasn’t yet returned to work after breaking her leg in NYC last month, even though she had hoped to do so in early May).
Only one of New York’s GOP House members – Richard Hanna – joined all the delegation’s Democrats in voting “no.”
UPDATE: I just located an email in my spam folder that was sent out earlier today from Eleanor’s Legacy, a Democratic organization that focuses on getting more women into elected office, that chastised Brooks for being “silent” on this issue, which explains the timing of the country executive’s statement.
“If you can’t count on a woman to stand up on this issue, what can you count on?,” asked Eleanor’s Legacy Executive Director Brette McSweeney.
“In Washington, national Republicans are stomping on the rights of women every chance they get. This week was no exception when they took one of the most common-sense, bipartisan pieces of legislation that expands protections to victims of domestic violence and turned it into a political game.”
“So who would Maggie Brooks side with: the women of Monroe County and New York State or the national Republican leadership so intent on electing her? We have no idea because she’s predictably ducking the issue.”
“Louise Slaughter helped write the original Violence Against Women Act. At every step in her career, Louise has worked tirelessly to provide more life-saving protections for women. Louise is our champion. Maggie’s nowhere to be seen.”
Grisanti’s 2nd TV Ad: UB2020 = Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
May 18th - 2:03 pm
More campaign news from Sen. Mark Grisanti, who is arguably the Republicans’ most vulnerable member this fall, thanks to a confluence of factors that include his “yes” vote on same-sex marriage, his fist-fight at the Seneca Niagara Casino in February and the general craziness of Western New York politics.
Grisanti just released this ad – the second of this election cycle to date, with November still six months out – indicating just how worried the senator and his allies are about defending his seat this fall. (As Nick noted earlier today, Grisanti also has mailers out).
Much like ad No. 1, this spot focuses on UB2020, a key issue for Buffalo and a majority victory for the freshman Republican, and the jobs it will generate, although the first spot also highlighted ethics reform, which this one does not.
The Buffalo News’ Bob McCarthy reported yesterday that the Senate Democrats are still trying to decide who they’ll back against Gristanti, and continue to consider former Erie County Legislator Chuck Swanick, a Democrat-turned-Republican who has already received the Conservative Party’s endorsement.
As far as I know, no other senators – not even those facing primary challengers – are already on the air.
Kaye Wants To Make Cuomo’s 1st Appeals Court Pick ‘Really Hard’ (Updated)
May 18th - 1:25 pm
ICYMI: Former Chief Judge Judith Kaye joined me on CapTon last night to discuss the Commission on Judicial Nomination’s novel new approach to finding a replacement for retiring Court of Appeals Court Justice Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick, who is hitting the state’s constitutionally mandated retirement age of 70.
The imminent departure of Ciparick, who, like Kaye, was appointed by former Gov. Mario Cuomo, will present Gov. Andrew Cuomo with his first opportunity to make his own appointment to New York’s highest bench.
This is the first time Kaye is heading up the commission, which is charged with coming up of a list of three to seven names from which Cuomo is required to pick. The judge noted that in the past, “there have been a lot of complaints that there’s not a wide enough process, there are just too few applicants. She is determined that will not occur again on her watch.
“It’s a really, really serious responsibility, and we have decided to travel around the state – the commission – and raise consciousness about the court, about the vacancy, about the application process, because at the end of this we’re not going to hear any complaint that our search was too narrow,” Kaye explained.
“We want to know that we have really searched out, scoped out the state. We need a New York lawyer with a minimum of 10 years experience. We want to be sure that the message reaches every person who would like to apply, and all of the very most qualified people so that the governor, in the end, has a great choice. And we want to make his choice really hard.”
The commission has until Dec. 1 to complile its list. That date happens to fall on a Saturday, but Kaye insisted it’s a hard and fast deadline that will be met.
The first of the commission’s three scheduled information sessions was held this week in Rochester. There will also be one in Albany, and another in New York City. Kaye did not rule out the possibility of additional dates and locations.
During our chat, I noted that 70 seems awfully abitrary for a forced retirement age – particularly these days when many people opt to, and are able to, work well into the 80s or even their 90s. At the state Supreme Court level, justices who hit the 70 mark may be certified to continue serving for a two year period, but cannot serve past the age of 76.
The US Supreme Court has no retirement age, justices are appointed for life – or until they decide to take themselves out of the game, whichever comes first.
Kaye said there’s a bill in the Legislature that would increase the Court of Appeals retirement age to 80. Apparently, a number of other states have tackled this issue in recent years, but New York hasn’t gotten around to it yet.
UPDATE: Assembly majority spokesman Michael Whyland writes:
“The age requirement needs a constitutional amendment (since the retirement age is in the constitution) which is amended by resolution. The Legislature (both houses) passed the resolution last year and we are required to wait until next year before we can give the resolution second passage.”
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.
Grisanti Mails Soft-Toned Bio To New Voters
May 18th - 11:57 am
In a mailer that’s circulating in his newly drawn western New York district, Sen. Mark Grisanti touts his life story with black-and-white family photos and a soft-toned biography meant to define him early on to fresh constituents.
The mailer uses the word “values” a lot, noting his family ties to Buffalo and gives him credit for the suburban-upstate friendly legislation like the tax cap and UB2020.
“Sometimes we think we know our elected officials. But there’s a story Mark has that maybe you haven’t heard,” the ad copy reads. Born in Buffalo, Mark was raised with Western New York values – integrity, honesty and standing up for everyday families looking to build a better life for themselves.”
The themes and images of the mailer line up with a television ad that is running six months ahead of Election Day.
The mailer also runs counter to the incident from earlier this year in which Grisanti got into a highly publicized scuffle at an Indian-run casino in Niagara Falls.
Grisanti, who narrowly defeated Sen. Antoine Thompson in 2010, is in one of the more high-profile Senate races this year, one that Democrats believe they can flip in order to regain control of the chamber.
The district was redrawn by his Republican colleagues in order to maximize GOP votes, but still leans heavily Democratic.
Still, as Bob McCarthy noted in The Buffalo News, the field on the Democratic side to replace Grisanti is muddled at best, with former County Legislator Chuck Swanick backed by officials in Albany, but not garnering support from the county committee.
With no set candidate to oppose him, an early advertising campaign like this one allows Grisanti to set the temperament of the campaign in the spring.
Nevertheless, the district is a major battleground for Senate Republicans who hope to keep and expand their 32-member majority. Grisanti is not expected to have much trouble fundraising this year.
Campaign Finance Reform Advocates Target 8 Senators
May 18th - 11:46 am
The organization Fair Elections for NY, which is calling for public financing of campaigns, has for weeks now been trying to raise awareness about the current system by revealing the donations that state lawmakers have recieved from corporations and interest groups. Tomorrow, they are going to continue that push by holding press conferences across the state targeting 8 specific senators.
The group is going to outline the donations each senator has recieved from members of the Business Council of New York State. On their list are 6 Republicans and 2 Democrats, Sen. Martin Dilan from Brooklyn and Sen. Dave Valesky from Oneida.
The Senate is seen as the biggest stumbling block for campaign finance reform and has been the focus of the groups efforts. The Assembly has already put forth a bill on campaign finance reform and the Governor has voiced support for the issue, while maybe not the specific bill in the Assembly.
“Our communities, our children, our families, and our economy can no longer withstand the overwhelming weight of influence that CEO campaign contributions have over our electoral process,” said Ivette Alfonso, President of Citizen Action of New York.
“When corporations and their big money lobbyists pay for election campaigns, they’re effectively buying public policy. The integrity of our democracy requires that we, as constituents, have an audience with the officials we elect. Until New York has public financing of elections, we can’t be sure we’re truly being represented in our government.”
All this information is public to all and can be found on the state board of elections website, though I think it is fair to say that few people comb through individual donations to candidates.
A list of tomorrow’s events is after the jump.
More >
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.”
Here And Now
May 18th - 6:52 am
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is in New York City with no public schedule.
LG Bob Duffy is in NYC, too. At 10 a.m., he delivers remarks thanking members of the NY National Guard for their service after the 9/11 attacks. (Tribute WTC Visitor Center).
At noon, Duffy will be at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where he’ll join fellow elected officials for a “jobs and investment announcement.”
Today’s Facebook IPO is likely to result in 1,000 new millionaires, most making in the $2 million to $5 million range. But conspicuous consumption is not considered cool at the company.
Even though he had nothing but kind words for his estranged wife, Mary, RFK Jr. was waging an intense custody battle for the couple’s four kids that friends said contributed to her suicide.
RFK Jr. said Mary Kennedy suffered from depression and “was in a lot of agony for a lot of her life.”
There will be a wake for Mary Kennedy today, with funeral services planned for Saturday morning at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Bedford. Burial will follow in Hyannisport, Mass., where the Kennedy family has a compound.
JCOPE is developing agency rules that could end up forcing the Committee to Save NY to name at least some of its donors.
The federal government paid New York $700 million more in 2009 than the state needed to care for residents with developmental disabilities who lived in its institutions, according to the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The governor’s decision to end NYC’s fingerprinting for foodstamps policy takes effect in 45 days.
“Poverty and hunger are not crimes,” said Cuomo. “So we shouldn’t treat the poor or the hungry as criminals.”
The state still requires fingerprints from applicants for welfare, a practice started by Cuomo’s father, Mario Cuomo, when he was governor.
…The NYT would like to see Cuomo push the Legislature to end that, too.
Somehow, the NYT’s Thomas Kaplan honored Nik Wallenda’s request to be interviewed while walking on his 1,200-foot long practice wire in Niagara Falls.
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