New York City Hall
What to watch for this week in New York politics:
As has been the case for weeks, we enter this week looking for more information on the investigations into Mayor de Blasio, his administration and allies, and into Governor Cuomo's administration and allies. [Read: Buffalo Billion Probe: Bad Apples or Broken System?]
On Thursday, de Blasio is expected to testify at the second of two state Senate hearings on mayoral control of city schools, this one in New York City - the first one was held earlier this month in Albany [Read: In Albany, De Blasio Argues for Mayoral Control Extension]
Neither the mayor nor the governor has a public event scheduled for Monday as of the Sunday evening releases of their schedules.
In Albany, the state Legislature is due to be in session on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Including those days, there are just 15 scheduled session days remaining before legislators leave the capital for the rest of 2016. There is still a lot on the agenda, though it is unclear whether more than a small number of high-profile issues will see legislation.
The City Council will continue executive budget hearings this week.
As always, there's a great deal happening all over the city, with many events to be aware of - see our day-by-day rundown below.
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The run of the week in detail:
Monday
At 8 a.m., the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee will host a breakfast honoring City Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland and Larry S. Bulman, of the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters. City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will attend.
At 10 a.m. Monday at City Hall, “Progressive Caucus members and the City Council are kicking off National Bike to Work Week in partnership with leaders in cycling advocacy and engagement. This 3rd annual event aims to bring representatives from across the City to share their local perspectives and priorities for supporting the “exploding popularity of cycling with more than 750K New Yorkers riding regularly, a growth rate of 49% in last five years.,” according to the NYC Department of Transportation.” Participants include “Council Members Reynoso, Kallos, Rosenthal, Rodriguez, Lander, Menchaca, Cornegy and advocates from Bike New York, StreetsPAC, Citi Bike and Transportation Alternatives.”
At the City Council on Monday at 10 a.m: the executive budget hearing for the education committee.
On Monday at 10:30 a.m. in Albany, the Senate Standing Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs will hold a hearing “To explore tax policies, housing programs and consumer protections aimed at assisting our current service members and our veteran population.”
At 10:30 a.m. Monday, Comptroller Scott Stringer will deliver remarks at the New York City Office of the Actuary Centennial Dedication. At 5:30 p.m., Stringer will deliver the keynote address at the Union Square Partnership annual meeting.
On Monday at 11 a.m. at City Hall, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and partners will "announce policy and budgetary recommendations" for the Young Women’s Initiative. Speakers will include Mark -Viverito, City Council members; Ana L. Oliveira, President & CEO of The New York Women's Foundation; Joanne Smith, Founder & Executive Director at Girls for Gender Equity (GGE); Danielle Moss Lee CEO of YWCA of the City of New York; and others.
At 1 p.m. Monday at City Hall, City Council Member Mathieu Eugene, chair of the Youth Services Committee, is hosting a rally “to urge Mayor Bill de Blasio to restore crucial summer camp program funding for more than 34,000 children in neighborhoods all across the city. In less than two months, School's Out New York (SONYC) summer programs are scheduled to start--but these programs have still not received funding in Mayor de Blasio's Executive Budget.”
At 1:15 p.m. Monday, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will be the keynote speaker at Generation Citizens “Civics Day” at The National Museum of the American Indian. Mark-Viverito will also appear on Inside City Hall on NY1 Monday evening.
Both houses of the state Legislature are in session in Albany Monday afternoon.
At 6 p.m., the New York League of Conservation Voters will hold its annual Spring gala, a fundraiser which supports the NYLCV’s mission to protect and improve New York’s environment. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Comptroller Tom DiNapoli will speak. Comptroller Scott Stringer is among the other elected officials who will attend.
Tuesday
Both houses of the state Legislature are in session in Albany Tuesday.
At 9 a.m., the New York Law School will hold its 22nd Annual Citywide Seminar on Ethics in City Government. Topics to be offered include Emerging Issues in Chapter 68; Enforcement; Transparency and Open Data in the Information Age; Discussion of Recent Criminal Cases in NYS Legislature; Political Activities; and Training: Engagement Strategies for Your Compliance Content.
At the City Council on Tuesday: the executive budget hearing for the committees on youth services and immigration at 10 a.m.; and for the transportation committee at 11:30 a.m. There will also be meetings of the zoning subcommittee at 9:30 a.m. and the planning subcommittee at 1 p.m.
At 12:30 p.m., City & State will host its annual luncheon honoring Albany’s "Power 100," which will debut a special publication ranking the Power 100 and gather leaders in politics, media, business.
The next public meeting and hearing of the New York City Voter Assistance Advisory Committee (VAAC) will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Lower Manhattan. “We want to hear from you. New Yorkers are invited to testify on the following topics: The problems city voters experienced on the April 19th presidential primary; Your experience advocating for election reform as part of the Vote Better NY coalition; Other improvements to elections in New York City; Comments on the 2015–2016 Voter Assistance Annual Report. RSVP through Eventbrite.”
Also at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the city Department of Education’s Panel for Educational Policy contracts committee will meet, Tweed Courthouse.
Wednesday
Both houses of the state Legislature are in session in Albany Wednesday.
At 6 p.m. Wednesday at Long Island City High School, the city Department of Education’s Panel for Educational Policy will meet.
Thursday
At 8 a.m. Thursday, City & State will host its annual “On Health Care” event, which will feature a variety of panels on the state of the health care sector. Deputy Mayor Herminia Palacio will give keynote remarks. Panelists will include Dr. Ram Raju, president of NYC Health + Hospitals; Assembly Member Richard Gottfried, chair of the Committee on Health; Yevgeniy Feyman, health policy scholar from The Manhattan Institute; Jill Furillo, executive director of New York State Nurses Association; and others.
At the City Council on Thursday: the executive budget hearing for the committees on technology and land use at 10 a.m.; the executive budget hearing for the cultural affairs committee at 11 a.m.; and the executive budget hearing for the public housing committee at 2 p.m. There will also be meetings of the land use committee at 11 a.m. and the rules committee at 1:30 p.m.
On Thursday at 11 a.m. at 250 Broadway, the state Senate education committee will hold a hearing on extending mayoral control of New York City schools. Mayor Bill de Blasio and schools Chancellor Carmen Farina are expected to testify, as they did in Albany earlier this month. Groups and individuals who did not testify in Albany are expected to testify afterward.
Friday and the weekend
At the City Council on Friday: the executive budget hearings for the parks committee, the higher education committee, and the veterans affairs committee.
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Have events or topics for us to include in an upcoming Week Ahead in New York Politics? E-mail Gotham Gazette executive editor Ben Max any time:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (please use "For Week Ahead" as email subject).
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by Ben Max
@GothamGazette
