Mayor de Blasio (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)
Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday at about noon that he had not yet been briefed by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration about the governor’s Executive Budget, which was set to be released several hours later.
“Coming in the door, we have still not been given the details of the state budget. Obviously that’s frustrating, but not surprising,” de Blasio told Gotham Gazette at an unrelated news conference in Queens. “We’re hoping to learn more in the course of the day and then we’ll be able to say very squarely what it means for New York City and I’ll be very straightforward with the people of New York City what we think it means for the lives of everyday New Yorkers.”
At around 4 p.m. the governor’s team did brief de Blasio’s budget director, according to sources in both administrations. “Our budget director has been briefed by the State on the broad strokes of the Governor’s budget proposal,” said a de Blasio spokesperson by email. “We're looking forward to receiving more detail and clarity in the days ahead.”
Neither the de Blasio administration nor the Cuomo administration would provide Gotham Gazette will further details about the state budget and New York City. De Blasio was set to travel to Washington, D.C. Tuesday afternoon to attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter conference. Cuomo is to publicly outline his budget Tuesday evening.
A Cuomo spokesperson did say that the governor’s budget -- which will soon be the subject of weeks of legislative hearings and negotiation with the state Legislature -- totals $152.3 billion, including about $98 billion in state operating funds (the rest is federal funding), which keeps Cuomo within his self-imposed 2 percent annual growth cap.
The governor briefed state Senate leaders on Tuesday afternoon and was set to brief Assembly leaders in the early evening before giving a 7:30 p.m. presentation to members of the media and live-streamed on the web.
Unlike previous years, Cuomo decided this year to separate his State of the State address and budget presentation, while also taking his State of the State on the road. Last week, Cuomo completed a three-day, six-stop speaking tour, which began in New York City with de Blasio in the audience. Cuomo outlined dozens of policy proposals, eventually releasing a nearly 400-page book with almost 150 specific ideas and plans, some of which will be included in his budget outline. A new state budget is due by April 1.
A week ago, after Cuomo’s New York City speech, de Blasio praised some of the governor’s proposals but reiterated that “we haven’t been given any inkling yet” of budget details. “[I]t doesn’t shock me,” the mayor said. “You know at the last moment we will be told what the budget looks like and then we will be able to analyze what it means and I will be very straightforward with the people in New York City what it means for all of us.”
De Blasio said the ideas in Cuomo’s speech -- like more college tuition assistance, criminal justice reform, and affordable housing funding -- were “promising in terms of helping New York City,” but that he was reserving full judgement because “we still don’t have the details...We don’t have the state budget yet.”
“[B]ecause this speech for the first time was not accompanied by the budget,” de Blasio told reporters January 9, “we don’t know yet the ramifications of everything that was being talked about in the speech, which is why I’ll express my praise for some of the things I heard, but until we see the details and particularly the budgetary details we can’t pass a final judgement.”
Last year, de Blasio journeyed to Albany, as he had the year before, to hear the governor’s combined State of the State and budget address. Just before that speech, Cuomo brought de Blasio into his office and told him that he was proposing hundreds of millions of dollars in cost shifts to the city within the budgets for CUNY and Medicaid, which are joint city-state programs. Before the adoption of the current budget, de Blasio and his Assembly allies were able to beat back those cost-shifts.
Earlier this month de Blasio said that Cuomo decided to withhold those budget plans to the last minute and would do so again this year. “That was not lack of communication with him and his team,” de Blasio said of being told last year just before Cuomo’s speech, “that was a conscious decision not to give us the information until the last moment. So, we are communicating all the time, the two teams. We’ll see if there’s any surprises this year.”
As for this year, Cuomo said in late December that “[tax] collections are down. We don’t know how far down, but we know there is a shortfall from the projected revenue, so the budget is going to be tighter than in past years.”
Asked by Gotham Gazette for more detail and whether he’d again be looking to shift costs to New York City, Cuomo said, “There’s always the question of whenever the budget is in question on who should pay what and what percentage. That’s part of the normal budget negotiations, not just with New York City, it’s with every city across the state literally.”
Speaking to reporters at an unrelated December 21 press conference in Manhattan, Cuomo continued: “You guys tend to see it just from the New York City perspective, but we are in conversation with New York City, we are with Buffalo, we are with Rochester, we are with Syracuse, with every mayor and the cities, every mayor in the state will tell you that their city is not getting enough money from the state.”
Many Albany watchdogs and legislators expressed dismay at how Cuomo was handling both his State of the State tour and budget release.
The governor and legislators have been on poor terms of late after a pay raise commission imploded late last year when Cuomo’s appointees refused to sign off on raises for state legislators without other reforms, like limits on outside income.
State Senator Sue Serino, a Republican from Hyde Park, tweeted of the governor’s budget rollout, “Secrecy is completely counter-productive. We should be working together to move NY forward. New Yorkers deserve transparency.” Serino had previously said “the whole process seems designed to distract.”
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by Ben Max, Gotham Gazette
@tweetBenMax @GothamGazette
New York City Hall
What to watch for this week in New York politics:
The week begins with the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, and many celebrations and services around the city, state, and country. Mayor Bill de Blasio will speak at three different events to mark the holiday, then appear in the evening on NY1. Later in the week, de Blasio is set to participate on Thursday in a large New York City rally aimed at sending a message to the incoming Trump administration -- see details below.
Beyond Monday, we’re continuing to watch confirmation hearings out of Washington, D.C. as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees to top positions are vetted by the Senate. Trump’s actions and words continue to be a focus as well, of course, as the president-elect behaves erratically and in unprecedented fashion for a president or president-elect, especially through his Twitter account. One of Trump’s latest targets was civil rights icon and Congressional Rep. John Lewis, who had said he saw Trump as an “illegitimate president” because of Russian interference in the presidential election. Trump then tweeted several insults at Lewis, leading to significant backlash, including pledges by many Democrats to boycott Trump’s inauguration, as Lewis had said he will do.
Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the country’s 45th President on Friday.
Closer to home: After going on his three-day six-stop State of the State tour this past week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is due to release his Executive Budget for the 2017-2018 fiscal year by Thursday of this week, January 19. This is where “the rubber meets the road,” as Mayor Bill de Blasio said when he fielded press questions to react to Cuomo’s New York City State of the State speech this past Monday (January 9). De Blasio and many others have complimented some of Cuomo’s many policy proposals, but are eager to see what the budget numbers look like.
Cuomo is set to brief state legislators in private sessions on Tuesday in Albany. It is not yet clear how he will unveil his full budget plan to legislators and the public.
There's a great deal happening in the city and in Albany this week -- see our day-by-day rundown below.
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The run of the week in detail:
Monday
Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, there are a number of celebrations and services around the city, including several hosted by elected officials.
Mayor de Blasio will make remarks at three Martin Luther King Jr. Day events on Monday:
City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will make speaking appearances on Monday at the same three events as de Blasio.
Public Advocate Letitia James is speaking at nine Martin Luther King Jr. Day events Monday, including the same three as de Blasio and Mark-Viverito. James will speak at events in four boroughs: Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Manhattan.
City Comptroller Scott Stringer will speak at eight Martin Luther King Jr. Day events Monday, in four boroughs: Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Manhattan.
In the 7 and 10 p.m. hours Monday, Mayor de Blasio will appear on NY1's Inside City Hall.
Tuesday
The deadline for candidates for 2017 New York City municipal elections to file their latest financial disclosure reports to the city Campaign Finance Board is midnight Tuesday. There will be rolling releases of those reports by campaigns and the CFB.
Mayor de Blasio has a busy Tuesday schedule: at 10:30 a.m. at Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria, Mayor de Blasio will host a press conference to make an announcement regarding last year's Advance Placement exams. In the afternoon, the Mayor will depart New York City and travel to Washington, D.C. to participate in the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He'll stay in D.C. until Thursday. On Tuesday evening, the Mayor will attend the New Democratic Mayors Reception. He'll then deliver remarks at the Mayors Innovation Project Dinner.
At the City Council on Tuesday:
The New York State Legislature will be in session on Tuesday in Albany.
At 1:30 p.m. at the Capitol, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie will hold a "news conference regarding women's health legislation. He will be joined by members of the Assembly Majority and advocates."
The state Senate is said to be voting Tuesday on a measure to block New York City from instituting a five cents fee on plastic and paper bags The city measure is supposed to go into effect in February, after a delay agreed to at the behest of the state Legislature last year.
Governor Cuomo will host Assembly members and state Senators Tuesday to give private budget briefings at the Executive Mansion.
At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) “will host a press conference to preview the fifth installment of NYCxDESIGN, which will run from May 3 – 24, 2017.” The press conference at MoMa will feature Maria Torres-Springer, NYCEDC President and CEO; Cindy Allen, Editor in Chief of Interior Design Magazine; and Glenn Lowry, Director of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
On Tuesday, the NYPD departmental trial of Officer Richard Haste, who shot and killed Ramarley Graham in 2012, will begin. There will be a press conference by Graham’s family and police reform leaders during the trial lunch break, outside of 1 Police Plaza. The trial is open to the public.
At 12 p.m. on Tuesday, there will be a public hearing held by the Senate Standing Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering. This public hearing will consider the future of the New York Racing Association.
The City Planning Commission will hold a Review Session at 1 p.m. on Tuesday.
At 1 p.m. Tuesday, the Brennan Center for Justice will hold “Taking on Hate in NYC: Responding to Hate Crimes Targeting Muslim, Arab, Sikh, and South Asian Communities.” Speakers will include Letitia James, Public Advocate for the City of New York; David Kennedy, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Jeanne Olivo, Chief of Hate Crimes Unit at the New York County District Attorney Office; Harpreet Singh Mokha, U.S. Department of Justice, Community Relations Service; and Sania Khan, Assistant Attorney General of Civil Rights at the NYS Attorney General’s Office.
Wednesday
At the City Council on Wednesday:
The New York State Legislature will be in session on Wednesday in Albany.
At 8 a.m. Wednesday in Albany, “United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew will host a breakfast discussion on the threat to New York’s public schools posed by the Trump administration and its nomination of Michigan education activist Betsy DeVos for U.S. Secretary of Education. His guests will include two Michigan residents who will talk about the damage to their state’s public schools caused by the DeVos privatization agenda – Detroit parent activist Wytrice Harris and outgoing president of the Michigan State Board of Education John Austin.”
Charter school supporters led by Families for Excellent Schools will rally and lobby in Albany on Wednesday. "Elected champions for public charter schools including Assembly Member Marcos Crespo, State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., State Senator Martin J. Golden and State Senator Kevin Parker will stand with parent activists during this Day of Action, and will speak during a program in the Well of the Legislative Office Building."
At 8 a.m. on Wednesday, the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce will hold “A Post-Election Summit: The Future of Immigration Reform and Its Impact on New York’s Workforce and Economy.” The panelists will “outline immigration priorities and the implications to our economy.” The panelists are Ali Noorani of the National Immigration Forum, Todd Schulte of FWD.us, Julie Samuels of Tech:NYC, and Cassandre Pierre Joseph of the Cornell University & Weill Cornell Medical Center of New York. The Keynote Speaker will be Jorge Montalvo, Deputy Secretary of the State of New York for Economic Opportunity.
On Wednesday at 9 a.m. outside Gov. Cuomo's New York City office, "Homeless New Yorkers, community groups and advocates from the Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing will converge in front of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s NYC office on Wednesday to demand he, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan come together to sign an MOU to release $1.9 billion that was allocated in New York State’s budget to realize the first phase of the governor's commitment to supportive and affordable housing."
The City Planning Commission will hold a Public Meeting at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
At 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in Jackson Heights, "Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Lorelei Salas and partners will kick off the tax season with the launch of the Agency’s 15th annual tax credit campaign and encourage New Yorkers who made $64,000 or less to file for free using NYC Free Tax Prep. Commissioner Salas will also announce the Agency’s continued expansion of NYC Free Tax Prep with added services in neighborhoods and languages previously not served, as well as an eligibility screening and texting program, and a pilot queue management system."
"On Wednesday, January 18, 2017, Public Advocate Letitia James will release recommendations to streamline ACCESS NYC, the online program used to determine eligibility and apply for some New York City, State, and Federal benefits." At 11 a.m. at the municipal building, James will be joined by the Human Services Council and Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE).
The Panel for Education Policy will meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
At 6 p.m. Wednesday evening at the CUNY Graduate Center, City Limits News is hosting a discussion about President Trump and infrastructure, with "a labor activist, a transportation expert, a policy journalist and a roomful of people who are concerned about the Trump Presidency but intrigued by his pledge to invest billions in improving infrastructure."
"New York State Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, in conjunction with Congress Member Eliot Engel, Sen. Jamaal Bailey and Council Member Andy King will host a MTA Open House, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 6 to 8 p.m. at Evander Childs Educational Campus, 800 East Gun Hill Road., Bronx. The MTA Open House will focus on new and existing bus schedules and routes, train station conditions, capital funding, and upcoming and existing projects. This event is free and open to the public."
City Council Member Laurie Cumbo will continue her Community Exchange Series at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, this event on how to apply for City Council Funding, at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn.
Thursday
"On the evening before the Inauguration and the start of a new Administration, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Reverend Al Sharpton, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Moore, Shailene Woodley, Rosie Perez, and Alec Baldwin will be joined by elected officials, community groups and organizations and thousands of everyday New Yorkers outside of Trump International Hotel & Tower near Columbus Circle at 6:00 pm to stand united and send a message to President-elect Trump and Congress that New York City will protect the rights of residents and will continue to make real progress on important issues such as healthcare, climate change, social justice and immigrant rights. A diverse set of organizations including MoveOn.org, Families USA, Greenpeace US, New York Communities for Change, Make the Road New York, Planned Parenthood of New York City, Working Families Party, and the New York State Nurses Association, will come together on the eve of the inauguration to make clear to President-elect Trump and Congress what is at stake if they move forward with their suggested policies and remind them that New Yorkers will continue to protect our people and the environment. New York City and cities across the country will stand in solidarity with people fighting to advance the causes of racial, social, environmental and economic justice."
At the City Council on Thursday:
At 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, there will be a ceremonial inauguration for Yuh-Line Niou into the New York State Assembly, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
On Thursday evening at Fordham Law School, there will be a panel discussion on “Predictions and Expectations for the Administration of Donald Trump” featuring Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer; City Council Member Eric Ulrich; political commentator Gerson Borrero; former Bill Clinton speechwriter Tony Edwards; and moderator Jerry Goldfeder, an election law professor.
Friday and the weekend
On Friday, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States.
At 10 a.m. Friday, Eleanor’s Legacy will hold a “Brooklyn Political Engagement & Campaign Workshop.” At this event, people can “learn the fundamentals of political engagement in New York City at the anti-Inauguration Day activity for pro-choice Democratic women of New York.”
At 11 a.m. on Saturday, there will be a “Women’s March on NYC.” This will be a parallel to the women’s march in Washington, D.C. and other marches and protests around the country, in large part as a response to Donald Trump’s election. The New York City march will be “to the doorsteps of [Trump’s] tower to promote the advancement of equality and human rights for all diversities.”
At 1 p.m. on Sunday, City Councilman Ben Kallos will deliver his 2017 “State of the District Address.”
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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 Brendan Birth and Ben Max
@GothamGazette
Council Member Corey Johnson (photo: William Alatriste)
City Council Member Corey Johnson, a top contender to become the next Speaker of the City Council, will chair a fundraiser for Mayor Bill de Blasio’s reelection campaign on Wednesday evening.
Johnson, a Manhattan Democrat, has not publicly endorsed the mayor for reelection. Still, he is listed as one of four chairs for the fundraising event being held at the Ronald Feldman Gallery in Lower Manhattan. The event, dubbed “Cocktails in support of Mayor de Blasio” on a campaign webpage, will be headlined by Hollywood stars Mark Ruffalo and Steve Buscemi. The two actors have lent their celebrity to the mayor’s fundraising, soliciting small-dollar donations in email blasts sent out by the campaign.
The other three chairs of the event include prominent trial lawyer Nick Gravante, and Anne Hess and Craig Kaplan, a married couple who have supported Democratic candidates in the past, including U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and New York State Senator Liz Krueger. Wednesday’s event comes ahead of a midnight deadline for the campaign to raise any new money ahead of an upcoming filing deadline with the New York City Campaign Finance Board. The CFB will then vet the contributions to provide public matching funds for qualifying donations.
Johnson, who chairs the Council’s health committee, represents Council District 3, which includes all or parts of Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, the West Village and parts of SoHo, the Flatiron district and the Upper West Side. He has been complimentary of de Blasio in public appearances like press conferences and bill-signings, and worked closely with de Blasio, the mayor’s team, and the NYPD in the aftermath of a terrorist bombing in Chelsea in September.
While he’s participating as a chair of the fundraising event, Johnson declined to comment for this article or offer an explanation of his support for the mayor.
Just last month, seven other City Council Members publicly endorsed de Blasio: Ritchie Torres, Ydanis Rodriguez, Donovan Richards, Margaret Chin, Brad Lander, Stephen Levin, and Helen Rosenthal. Of those seven, Richards, Rosenthal and Rodriguez have hosted fundraising events for the mayor. The seven Council members, all part of the Progressive Caucus, which Johnson is also part of, gave glowing comments about the mayor for a press release from de Blasio’s campaign. Torres and Rodriguez then appeared with de Blasio for a campaign event in the Bronx.
“Mayor de Blasio has paved the way for a more fair and inclusive New York City through Universal Pre-K, paid family leave, the largest increase in affordable housing in decades and safer streets across all boroughs," said Council Member Donovan Richards, in his endorsement. “We still have more work to do and that's why I am endorsing him for a second term as Mayor. The City is heading in the right direction, so we need to continue this push to provide more opportunities for working families and the middle class.”
Johnson’s involvement, with little apparent fanfare, is an expansion of efforts by the mayor’s campaign to curry favor among progressive Council members and boost its fundraising. The campaign is also seeking to discourage high-profile Democrats like city Comptroller Scott Stringer from entering the mayoral primary.
Following the seven Council member endorsements last month, Politico New York reported that workers at 32BJ, an influential union allied with the mayor, had reached out to some of the Council members to ask for their support. There was clear enthusiasm, however. “I was asked if I’d be willing to endorse — I didn’t even have to wait a heartbeat to answer with a yes," Council Member Levin told Politico New York. “I was actually kind of honored to be asked.”
Other Council members brushed off questions about endorsing de Blasio despite the fact that there are two grand juries hearing evidence from investigations into behavior by the mayor and his allies.
Johnson is a likely supporter for the mayor, though his bid to become the next Council Speaker could complicate things. His views largely align with de Blasio’s and he has worked closely with the de Blasio administration on a number of health-related efforts, including responses to disease outbreaks and preventative legislation. Johnson is also an effective fundraiser, having secured more than $264,000 for his own reelection campaign through the most recent filing, in July.
On the other hand, City Council members may be looking for their next Speaker to be more of a check on de Blasio after four years with a very close relationship between de Blasio and Melissa Mark-Viverito, the current Speaker who is term-limited out of office at the end of 2017 and was de Blasio’s choice to lead the Council.
More Council independence may be a selling point in the Speaker’s race, as Johnson competes with other members including Julissa Ferreras-Copeland and Mark Levine. However, many Council members agree with de Blasio on most policy.
The next class of City Council members will vote for a Speaker in January of 2018, after the city elections this fall. More than 40 of the Council’s 51 members are incumbents seeking reelection this year.
Complicating any potential endorsement of the mayor are the multiple controversies surrounding de Blasio’s administration, which are currently the subject of two separate grand jury deliberations. The uncertainty involved may be giving pause to Johnson and other elected officials, like Public Advocate Letitia James, who recently hedged in her support for the mayor’s reelection after having given de Blasio her unequivocal backing in August.
Although the seven Council members who endorsed de Blasio last month did so in spite of the scandals -- praising the mayor for his record on affordable housing, universal pre-kindergarten and policing, among other successes -- the same might not hold true for other members, especially as they face reelection this year and may not want to find themselves associated with a mayor mired in legal and ethical questions.
De Blasio campaign spokesperson Dan Levitan declined to comment for this article.
Council Member Johnson had high praise for the mayor after the Chelsea bombing, telling the New York Times,“I actually think some of his best moments as mayor have been in moments of crisis. He’s good at communicating real-time information in a calm and measured manner.”
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by Samar Khurshid, senior reporter, Gotham Gazette
@samarkhurshid @GothamGazette