Heck of a Job, Rafael
By Matt Chaban | January 21, 2011 | 6:38 pm
Rafael Cestero took over HPD at about the worst time... MORE»
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On Anniversary of Citizens United, Squadron Unveils Bill to Rein In Corporate Spending
By David Freedlander | January 21, 2011 | 6:09 pm
It was a year ago today that the Supreme Court, in the Citizens United decision, gave corporation unlimited power to spend money in elections without disclosing who they are donating to. Today, Brooklyn Senator Daniel Squadron and Queens Assemblyman Rory Lancman announced that they have reintroduced a bill that would require corporations that give money to Albany to obtain shareholder approval of any donations and would force the businesses to produce a business rationale for the the bill both to their shareholders and to New York's Secretary of... MORE»
Operatives on the Move
By David Freedlander | January 21, 2011 | 4:57 pm
The Politicker has learned about a number of new hires in the local political scene in recent days. T.J. Helmstetter will be replacing Dan Levitan as the spokesman for the Working Families Party. Levitan left the WFP to go work for the lefty PR firm Berlin... MORE»
Schumer on How Obama Handled Hu Jintao
By Reid Pillifant | January 21, 2011 | 4:23 pm
Earlier this week, both of New York's senators took the impending visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao as an opportunity to air their grievances with China, and to recommend that President Obama take a harsh tone with regard to human rights abuses and economic inequity. Obama walked a fine line during the visit, mostly avoiding public criticism of his counterpart, while his press secretary, Robert Gibbs, assured reporters that the two had discussed some of the more controversial issues in... MORE»
The Week That Was: Bloomberg Speaks on Staten Island, Cuomo Hints at Cuts, Weiner Rages
By Meghan Keneally | January 21, 2011 | 2:49 pm
January: a time for resolutions. In state and local politics, however, the resolutions are harder kept than simply signing up for the gym. This was a week where politicians had to follow through on the fiscal discipline that they touted during the campaign trail, as hard as it is for them to do. Tidbits of Cuomo's budget began to leak, and Bloomberg said his State of the City, both angering union supporters. Take a look back at the policy decisions that made headlines this week... MORE»
Let's Party Like It's 2007! Scenes from a Rambunctious REBNY Gala
By Matt Chaban | January 21, 2011 | 12:59 pm
There was no Ricky Gervais at last night's REBNY annual banquet, but obviously attendees had been watching the Golden Globes, as emerald green was the color of the night for all the lovely ladies of the city's building elite. There was even a gentleman in a green felt suit with matching Jets cufflinks. R-E-B-N-Y. REBNY REBNY REBNY. He was not, as we'd hoped, Woody Johnson.... MORE»
Cestero Out as City Housing Chief—UPDATED
By David Freedlander | January 21, 2011 | 12:46 pm
New York City Housing Preservation and Development head Rafael Cestero is leaving the Bloomberg administration to accept a job in the private sector, according to a release out from City Hall... MORE»
Schumer, Bloomberg, Rally Jets Faithful, Tweak Big Ben [VIDEO]
By David Freedlander | January 21, 2011 | 12:28 pm
Jets fans held a big rally in Times Square yesterday to cheer on the team as they get ready to play Pittsburgh, and a big part of the cheering (not the biggest part--that went to Superfan named Fireman Ed) fell on the shoulders of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and U.S. Senator Chuck... MORE»
Gillibrand Finds a SOTU Buddy
By David Freedlander | January 21, 2011 | 12:11 pm
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand sent out word this morning that she has found a Republican buddy to sit with during President Obama's State of the Union address next week The bipartisan buddy system was the brainchild of Colorado Sen. Mark Udall, and was quickly endorsed by Sen. Chuck Schumer and others. Gillibrand's seating partner? South Dakota Senator--and likely 2012 Presidential candidate--John... MORE»
Schenectady Waits for Obama
By Reid Pillifant | January 21, 2011 | 11:59 am
SCHENECTADY -- The press has already packed into Building 273 of the General Electric plant in Schenectady, where President Obama is set to arrive shortly for a tour of the facility with the company's C.E.O., Jeffrey Immelt. The stop took on new significance this morning, when the president named Immelt the new head of a key economic advisory panel. Immelt will head a new panel called the Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, which replaces the less upbeat Economic Recovery Advisory Board. He'll replace Paul Volcker, the former fed... MORE»
Giuliani Talks Mob Bust, Says He Is 'Absolutely' Considering Running for President in '12 [VIDEO]
By David Freedlander | January 21, 2011 | 11:41 am
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared on "The Kudlow Report" last night and said that he was "absolutely" considering running for President in 2012. "I will take a look at 2012," he said. "It's really a question of, can I play a useful role? Would I have a chance of getting the nomination? Those are things that I'll have to evaluate, you know, as the year goes along." Giuliani was on the show to talk about yesterday's big mob... MORE»
New York Becomes First State to Break $100K Contribution Barrier
By David Freedlander | January 21, 2011 | 11:17 am
New York has become the first state in the nation to permit political contributions over $100,000, according to a report out this morning from NYPIRG. New York's contribution limits automatically are adjusted for inflation using the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics' consumer price index for all urban consumers, which gave a boost to NY's already highest in the nation contribution limits (although, as NYPIRG notes, five states have no limit at all. Now, the maximum amount that can be donated... MORE»
Morning Read: Itch to Serve
By | January 21, 2011 | 9:21 am
New York City's Education Department that it was suspending one of the signature experiments of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's control of city schools, a multimillion-dollar program that awards annual bonuses to teachers based on student performance after the city announced that teachers at only 26 schools would receive schoolwide bonuses this year, down from about 160 schools last year, as far fewer schools met their performance targets on state standardized... MORE»
Cuomo Delivers State of the State to Packed House in Poughkeepsie
By Caitlin Nolan | January 21, 2011 | 12:10 am
On Thursday morning, Governor Andrew Cuomo visited Marist College in Poughkeepsie to deliver his State of the State speech, the latest stop in a barnstorming tour designed to stir up popular support for his reform agenda. "It's really not really your obligation to come to government," Mr. Cuomo told the crowd. "It's government's obligation to come to you. I want to bring my State of the State to you." Mr. Cuomo was introduced by Republican state Senator Steve... MORE»
Elsewhere: American Idol, Elena Kagan, and 'The Sharia State'
By David Freedlander and Jeremy B. White | January 20, 2011 | 6:21 pm
Ruben Diaz, Jr. takes on American Idol. Albany Assemblyman Jack McEneny is concerned about... MORE»
