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Declared and Exploring Candidates for New York City Public Advocate


10 candidates

(l-r) Tish James, Ydanis Rodriguez, Melissa Mark-viverito, Jumaane Williams, Latrice Walker
Rafael Espinal, Danny O'Donnell, Michael Blake, Erich Ulrich, Ron Kim


There are roughly two dozen candidates who have officially declared or indicated they are exploring a run in the February special election for New York City Public Advocate, which will take place Tuesday, February 26.

Attorney General-elect Letitia James officially vacates the office of New York City Public Advocate on January 1, setting off the next steps of the process, whereby Mayor Bill de Blasio will officially call what will be the first citywide special election since the current city governmental structure was designed in 1989.

Candidates have already been hitting the forum and debate circuit, with groups and voters across the city eager to hear from those seeking to become of just three popularly-elected citywide officials. The Public Advocate is significantly less powerful than the Mayor or the Comptroller, but has a citywide perch, important responsibilities as a watchdog and ombudsperson, the power to introduce legislation and file litigation, and a bully pulpit. People who have held the position in its relatively short history have been elected mayor (Bill de Blasio) or almost so (Mark Green), and now attorney general.

It won’t be completely clear who is fully running to become the next Public Advocate until candidates collect signatures to get on the ballot and file their fundraising numbers with the Campaign Finance Board. Special elections in the city are “nonpartisan,” meaning there are no party primaries and candidates cannot run on the major party ballot lines. Each candidate will create their own party label to run on, and they’ll need to collect 3,750 valid signatures from registered voters of any party (or none) to make the ballot.

Declared and exploring candidates include several current and former elected officials and a variety of other individuals looking to pull off a surprise win. With the prospect of well more than ten candidates on the ballot and low voter turnout virtually a given, the winner of the special election could be anyone who finds the right formula for the necessary thousands of voters.

The winner of the special election will quickly have to win a regular election, though, since city law dictates that for such a vacancy, there is not only a special election but then a regular election, with party primaries if needed, the following fall. So, there will be an election for Public Advocate in November, with September party primaries if necessary, in the fall of 2019.

Below is a running list of candidates, either declared or exploring, for the Public Advocate special election (in alphabetical order):

-Manny Alicandro is an attorney who recently sought the Republican nomination for attorney general. @Manny_Alicandro

-Assemblymember Michael Blake represents part of the Bronx and is also a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. @MrMikeBlake

-Theo Chino is a bitcoin entrepreneur and county committee member. @theochino

-Daniel Christmann is a radio host. @EcallerTh

-David Eisenbach is a professor of history at Columbia University, who unsuccessfully challenged Tish James in the 2017 Democratic primary for Public Advocate. @Eisenbach4NY

-City Council Member Rafael Espinal represents part of Brooklyn. @RLEspinal

-Peter Gleason is an attorney and former police officer and firefighter, who once represented the infamous “Soccer Mom Madam.” @PeterGleasonEsq

-Gwen Goodwin is a community activist and past candidate for City Council.

-Tony Herbert is a community activist who was a candidate for Public Advocate in 2017. @herbert4nyc

-Ifeoma Ike is an attorney and co-founder of consultancy Think Rubix, LLC. @IfyWorks

-Walter Iwachiw is a perennial Republican candidate for various offices, such as mayor, state Assembly, CUNY Student Senator, and even U.S. president.

-Assemblymember Ron Kim represents parts of Queens. @rontkim

-Nomiki Konst is a journalist, activist, and member of the Democratic National Committee. @NomikiKonst

-Abbey Laurel-Smith @The46thPOTUS_

-Danniel Maio is a former candidate for state Assembly.

-Melissa Mark-Viverito is former Speaker of the City Council who helped lead the Latino Victory Fund after being term-limited out of office at the end of 2017. @MMViverito

-Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell represents part of Manhattan. @DannyforNYC

-Jared Rich is an attorney from Brooklyn. @JaredRichNYC

-City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez represents part of Manhattan. @ydanis

-Ralph Schweizer is a Bronx activist. @RealRalphNYC

-Diane Signorile is a real estate broker from Staten Island. @kittydat2

-Curtis Sliwa is a radio host. @CurtisSliwa

-Nancy Sliwa is an attorney and real estate broker who ran for attorney general this year on the Reform Party line. @SLIWA4NYAG

-Dawn Smalls is an attorney who previously worked in the Obama and Clinton administrations. @DawnSmalls2

-John Tabacco is the New York State Reform Party secretary. @HTBExperts

-City Council Member Eric Ulrich represents part of Queens. @eric_ulrich

-Assemblymember Latrice Walker represents part of Brooklyn. @WalkerForNYC

-City Council Member Jumaane Williams represents part of Brooklyn. @JumaaneWilliams

-Ben Yee is a technology entrepreneur, member of the Democratic state committee, and secretary for the Manhattan Democratic Party. @yben

-Mike Zumbluskas is the former chair of the Manhattan Independence Party. @MikeZumbluskas

***
by Ben Max, Gotham Gazette
     

Read more by this writer.

The Week Ahead in New York Politics, December 10


New York City Hall

New York City Hall


What to watch for this week in New York politics:

We’re watching this week for the next major step in the potential deal among city, NYCHA, and federal officials for a consent decree related to public housing that has to be presented to a federal judge who rejected an earlier version. That is due Friday.

It will be another busy week at the City Council and with the MTA as both bodies head toward wrapping up their work for the year. The City Council will hold a number of hearings this week, as well as a full-body Stated Meeting where new bills are introduced and bills that have passed committee are voted on by the full Council. Two highlights hearings of the week will be an oversight hearing on the deal to bring Amazon to Queens and a hearing on a package of bills aimed at fighting tenant harassment -- see details below.

The MTA continues its public hearings around a planned toll and fare hike, and the MTA Board will meet again as it works on its 2019 budget -- see below for details.

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.

***Do you have events or topics for us to include in an upcoming Week Ahead in New York Politics?
e-mail Gotham Gazette editor Ben Max: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.***

The run of the week in detail:

Monday
"On Monday, Mayor de Blasio will deliver remarks at the Civilian Complaint Review Board’s 25th Anniversary Ceremony," at 1 p.m. at City Hall.

At the City Council on Monday:
--The Committee on For-Hire Vehicles will meet at 10 a.m. for an oversight hearing regarding TLC’s Critical Driver and Persistent Violator programs, and to discuss laws to repeal the Critical Driver program and amend the Persistent Violator program.
--The Committee on Public Safety will meet at 1 p.m. for an oversight hearing regarding neighborhood policing.

On Monday and Tuesday, the New York State Board of Regents will meet.

At 5:50 a.m. Monday, schools Chancellor Richard Carranza will appear on Ebro in the Morning on HOT 97 radio.

At 11 a.m. Monday, “Housing Justice For All” and several other advocacy groups will rally at the City Hall steps to call for stronger tenant protections, closing “the loopholes driving up rents in NYC,” and to “remove geographic restrictions from the Emergency Tenant Protection Act.”

At City Hall at 4:30 p.m. Monday, "First Lady Chirlane McCray will join the Commission on Gender Equity (CGE) and the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender Based Violence at a vigil to mark the end of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence."

At 5 p.m. Monday, the MTA will hold a public hearing on proposed fare and toll hikes at Long Island University’s Kumble Theater in Fort Greene. Before the hearing, at 4 p.m., the “Fix The Subway Coalition” will rally outside the theater to demand that no fare hike take effect, and instead that congestion pricing be included in the next state budget, among other measures to finance the MTA.

At 6 p.m. Monday, the 2019 Charter Revision Commission will hold a public meeting at City Hall.

At 6 p.m. Monday, the CUNY Tech Meetup will hold its fourth annual end of year gathering, sponsored by Microsoft Cities and its New York City-based director, John Paul Farmer, and hosted by partner institution John Jay College. "We'll explore technology's role in cities to address civic challenges. We’ll feature a lineup of dynamic speakers using and building technology solutions to improve citizen-centered city life." Speakers will include Farmer, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and several others.

On Monday evening, Mayor de Blasio and Comptroller Scott Stringer will be among those to deliver remarks at the Co-op City 50th Anniversary Gala in the Bronx.

And at 9 p.m., Stringer will deliver remarks at the West Side Federation of Neighborhood and Block Associations Holiday Party.

Tuesday
"On Tuesday, Mayor de Blasio and First Lady McCray will deliver remarks at the Gracie Mansion Conservancy Gala. This event is closed press."

The City Council will hold a Stated Meeting on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. City Council Speaker Corey Johnson is expected to host the usual pre-Stated press conference at 12:30 p.m.

At the State Legislature on Tuesday:
--The Assembly Standing Committee on Racing and Wagering will meet at 10 a.m. in Albany for an oversight hearing on the State Gaming Commission’s 2018-19 budget “and its regulation of the gaming industry in New York State.”
--The Assembly Standing Committees on Children & Families and Mental Health will meet jointly at 11 a.m. in Albany for a public hearing regarding “access to mental health services in the juvenile justice system.”
--The Assembly Standing Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse will meet at 11 a.m. at 250 Broadway in Manhattan for a public hearing regarding “adequacy of funding for addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery services.”

On Tuesday, city public school students will rally on the City Hall steps to demand equity in school sports. They will be joined by City Council Member Antonio Reynoso, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, and the Fair Play Coalition.

At 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson will deliver remarks at Holiday Toy Donation Event with the Uniformed Fire Officers Association at FDNY Engine 1/Ladder 24 in Manhattan. At 7 p.m., Johnson will deliver remarks at the Human Services Council Benefit.

At 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, "Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul Tours Irving Tissue with State and Local Officials" in Fort Edward. At 1:15 p.m., "Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul Visits National Purple Heart Hall of Honor" in New Windsor.

At 2 p.m. Tuesday, OATH Commissioner Fidel Del Valle, City Council Member Peter Koo, and Queens Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Grech will host a “Building Bridges for Small Businesses” symposium at the Flushing branch of the Queens Library. Del Valle will give advice on how small businesses can challenge agency summonses through OATH.

At 5 p.m. Tuesday, the MTA will hold a public hearing on proposed fare and toll hikes at York College’s Milton G. Bassin Performing Arts Center in Jamaica, Queens.

At 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office will host a meeting at the Office of Assemblymember Tremaine Wright in Bedford-Stuyvesant, where individuals with previous misdemeanor marijuana possession convictions “will be able to meet with a defense lawyer at no cost and fill out a motion asking to erase that conviction.”

At 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, schools Chancellor Richard Carranza will attend the "Sloan Awards for Excellence in Teaching Science and Mathematics and delivers brief remarks" at The Cooper Union.

Wednesday
At the City Council on Wednesday:
--The Committee on Economic Development will meet at 10 a.m. for an oversight hearing on Amazon HQ2, specifically “exposing the closed-door process.”
--The Committee on Women will meet at 10 a.m. for an oversight hearing regarding “female genital mutilation/cutting and health care for women in New York City.”
--The Committees on Mental Health and Civil & Human Rights will meet jointly at 10 a.m. for an oversight hearing regarding the “negative mental health consequences of discrimination and bias incidents.”
--The Committee on Justice System will meet at 1 p.m. for an oversight hearing regarding “the future of bail.”
--The Committee on Parks and Recreation will meet at 1 p.m. for an oversight hearing regarding “the state of the city’s recreation centers.”

At 10 a.m. Wednesday, the Assembly Standing Committee on Veterans and the Subcommittee on Women Veterans will meet jointly in Albany for a public hearing regarding “veterans employment programs.”

At 10 a.m. Wednesday, the MTA will hold a board meeting.

At 4 p.m. Wednesday, the Civilian Complaint Review Board will meet at 100 Church Street.

This week’s Max & Murphy on WBAI radio will air at 5 p.m. on 99.5FM and wbai.org -- the episode will be part of the Gotham Gazette-City Limits Agenda 2019 project’s week focused on health and will include an interview with State Senator Gustavo Rivera, the Senate’s lead sponsor of the New York Health Act, which is the state’s single-payer health care bill, and Bill Hammond of the Empire Center, who is perhaps the leading critic of the New York Health Act and has written extensively on the bill and related issues.

Thursday
At the City Council on Thursday:
--The Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises will meet at 9:30 a.m.
--The Committees on Higher Education and Veterans will meet jointly at 10 a.m. for an oversight hearing regarding “veterans and access to higher education.”
--The Committee on Housing and Buildings will meet at 10:30 a.m. to discuss several proposed laws relating to tenant protections.
--The Subcommittee on Landmarks will meet at noon.
--The Committee on Technology will meet at 1 p.m. to discuss several proposed laws related to cybersecurity, including one to create an “Office of Cyber Command.”
--The Subcommittee on Planning, Dispositions, and Concessions will meet at 2 p.m.

At 9 a.m. Thursday, City & State will host the “Ethics & Accountability Summit” at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Speakers, including politicians, government officials, attorneys, and good government advocates, will “address the ethical challenges facing New York’s our public institutions.” Incoming City Investigations Commissioner Margaret Garnett will deliver keynote remarks. There will be several panels, including one on sexual harassment in state government and the next steps for laws passed earlier this year and one on government ethics and reform, which will be moderated by Gotham Gazette’s Ben Max.

At 10 a.m. Thursday, the Campaign Finance Board will meet at 100 Church Street.

The latest episode of the What’s The [Data] Point? podcast will be published Thursday afternoon and feature a conversation with the Manhattan Institute’s Stephen Eide on New York’s inpatient mental healthcare system and Eide’s recently published report on “deinstitutionalization in New York.”

At 5:30 p.m. Thursday, the MTA will hold a public hearing on proposed fare and toll hikes at the Palisades Mall Adler Community Room.

At 6 p.m. Thursday, Arena will host a forum for candidates for Public Advocate at Wagner College on Staten Island. Attending candidates will be former City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, City Council Members Jumaane Williams and Rafael Espinal, Assemblymembers Mike Blake and Dan O’Donnell, attorney Dawn Smalls, and activists Nomiki Konst, Theo Chino, Ifeome Ike, and Ben Yee.

On Thursday at 6 p.m. in Brooklyn, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and City Council Member Laurie Cumbo will co-host a town hall for Cumbo's constituents in the 35th Council District, at Medgar Evers College Prep School.

Friday and the weekend
Mayor Bill de Blasio may make his weekly appearance on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show at 10 a.m. Friday.

At noon Friday, the New York State Board of Elections will hold a commissioners’ meeting in Albany.

At 6:30 p.m. Friday, VocalNY and the FreeNY Campaign will host “Bringing our People Home: A National Conversation on Bail Reform” at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights. Activists from around the country will discuss measures to end mass incarceration. Speakers will include Rena Karefa-Johnson of FWD.US, Ivette Alé of JusticeLA, Sharlyn Grace of the Chicago Community Bond Fund, Reuben Jones of JustLeadershipUSA, and leaders of the FreeNY campaign.

At 10 a.m. Saturday, the Brooklyn DA’s office will host a meeting at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Flatbush, where individuals with previous misdemeanor marijuana possession convictions “will be able to meet with a defense lawyer at no cost and fill out a motion asking to erase that conviction.”

At 7 p.m. Saturday, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will join NPR’s Nina Totenberg for a discussion of her tenure on the Court. The event will take place at the New York Academy of Medicine on the Upper East Side.

***
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).

***
by Ben Brachfeld and Ben Max
@GothamGazette

Max & Murphy Podcast: De Blasio Finishes Year 5 & The Push for 'Fair Elections for New York'


mxm logo

Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


December 5, 2018 - Max & Murphy Podcast: De Blasio Finishes Year 5 & The Push for 'Fair Elections for New York'

wbai hirsh jw 400bMayor de Blasio is nearing the end of his fifth year in office, and in the first half of the show the hosts take stock of recent news surrounding the mayor and questions of his leadership.

In the second half of the show, Max & Murphy were joined by two leaders of the new "Fair Elections for New York" coalition that is made up of activist groups, labor unions, and other organizations seeking to pass a slate of reforms related to voting and campaign finance in New York: Jess Wisneski of Citizen Action New York and Alison Hirsh of 32BJ SEIU. Wisneski and Hirsh outline the planks of the policy push and the political dynamics at play as they seek to pass policies like early voting and a public-matching campaign finance system with Democrats fully in control of state government in 2019.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think -- we're on Twitter @TweetBenMax and @JarrettMurphy. You can listen to the show through the embedded audio below or download the episode wherever you get your podcasts, under "Max & Murphy," and listen to Max & Murphy live on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. on WBAI radio, 99.5FM or wbai.org

***
by Ben Max, Gotham Gazette
     

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