New York City Hall
What to watch for this week in New York politics:
As the week begins we're continuing to look at the various investigations and controversy surrounding Mayor Bill de Blasio. The New York Post reported over the weekend about yet another aspect of inquiry into city action under de Blasio, this over the deal to sell the Brooklyn Heights library, which involves affordable housing, development rights, and donors to de Blasio.
The Mayor spent the weekend in Seattle with family there, celebrating his older brother's retirement. Much of the news around de Blasio at the end of the week and throughout the weekend dealt with the disclosure by the administration that five individuals outside of city government have been given certain status as advisers to the Mayor whereby their correspondence with him is shielded from public records requests. Four of the five are in political consulting and have clients that do business with the city, setting up conflict of interest concerns. De Blasio insists, however, that the four are able to compartmentalize, advising him as friends when they do that and then working with their clients. If any of the four discuss their clients with the Mayor, then those discussions are disclosed publicly and their contents are subject to records requests.
De Blasio is back in New York City Monday with no public events scheduled.
Otherwise, we're continuing to follow the investigation into Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration and associates, especially related to the Buffalo Billion economic development project.
In Albany, there are 12 legislative session days left this year before the mid-June end, if lawmakers even use all of them, including this week’s Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday meetings. Mayoral control of city schools is one of the top issues to be dealt with - last year's one-year extension is due to expire at the end of June. Also to watch: statute of limitations on child sex abuse; daily fantasy sports; any government ethics reforms at all (pension forfeiture, maybe?); a resuscitation of the 421-a real estate tax break for affordable housing; and a few other items. There are a number of big-ticket items like the DREAM Act and raising the age of adult criminal responsibility above 16 that appear to be completely off the table. You never know in Albany, though, so...stay tuned.
Those are some of the high profile topics to watch this week, but 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
Monday at 9 a.m., City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will speak at the YWCA 3rd Annual Potential to Power Symposium. In the evening, at 8 p.m., Mark-Viverito is scheduled to attend the Hester Street Collaborative Benefit.
Monday at 9 a.m. in the Bronx, “The US Postal Service New York District and Bronx Postmaster Lilliam Rodriguez in collaboration with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz and Senator Jose Serrano will host a dedication ceremony which renames the Morrisania Post Office in honor of the late Congressman Herman Badillo.” Participants will also include U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand; Congressional Reps. José E. Serrano, Charles Rangel and Joseph Crowley; Ray Kelly, former NYPD Commissioner; and others.
On Monday at 10 a.m. in Albany, the Senate Standing Committee on Labor will meet “To examine potential reforms to the construction industry payment system in New York State to ensure that businesses are paid for their services in a timely manner.”
At the City Council on Monday: 10 a.m., executive budget hearing for the public safety committee.
On Monday at 11 a.m. at City Hall, “Members of the Ending the Epidemic Coalition will rally on the steps of City Hall to praise the success of last year's City Hall and City Council funding, while calling for an increase in funding to build off the success. Long-time AIDS activists and policy-makers who fought for decades with past administrations say that this funding, along with the unprecedented collaboration with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, has been game-changing for combating New York City's HIV/AIDS epidemic, which has claimed the lives of over 100,000 residents.”
At 11 a.m. in Albany, the Assembly Standing Committee on Labor and the Assembly Commission on Skills Development and Career Education will hold a public hearing on “Pre-Apprenticeship and Work Preparation Programs in New York State.”
On Monday at 1:15 p.m. at the Morgan Library and Museum in Manhattan, "Chancellor Fariña will deliver brief remarks at the Arts & Cultural Education Services Fair, an event where DOE educators connect with New York City arts organizations."
Both houses of the state Legislature are in session on Monday in Albany.
On Monday evening, an event on “Use of Force in Prisons” at Brooklyn Historical Society, 6:30 p.m. “Against the backdrop of the Jamal Lightfoot case, Brooklyn Historical Society brings together a panel of thought leaders to discuss the complex issue of the use of force in prisons...Moderated by Ted Conover, author of Newjack, panelists include Brian Fischer, former Commissioner, NYS Department of Corrections, Tom Robbins, who has written about this issue for The New York Times and The Marshall Project, Mary Lynne Werlwasfrom The Legal Aid Society’s Prisoner’s Rights Project, and Mikail DeVeaux, Executive Director of Citizens Against Recidivism.”
Tuesday
Both houses of the state Legislature are in session on Tuesday in Albany.
On Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. in Albany, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) will meet.
On Tuesday at 8:30 a.m., “Second Chance Summit: New York Working to Expand Employment Opportunities for People with Criminal Backgrounds” at The New School. “The Second Chance Summit is a gathering of business, nonprofit and government leaders exploring opportunities and resources for employing people with criminal backgrounds. The Summit will feature compelling speakers, content-rich panel discussions, and ample networking opportunities.” The morning keynote will be given by Glenn E. Martin of JustLeadershipUSA. “Second Chance Employee Panel” moderated by Professor Jeff Smith and more.
On Tuesday beginning at 9:30 a.m., “Parks Without Borders: Ideas for the Next Generation of Urban Parks” will be hosted by the city Parks Department, the Center for New York City Affairs, and the Tishman Environment and Design Center at The New School. Speakers include: Charles Birnbaum, President and CEO, The Cultural Landscape Foundation; Paul Goldberger, Joseph Urban Chair in Design and Architecture, The New School; Fred Kent, Founder and President, Project for Public Spaces; Mike Lydon, Principal, Street Plans; Signe Nielsen, FASLA, Principal, Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects; Mitchell Silver, FAICP, Commissioner, NYC Parks.
On Tuesday at the City Council: the finance committee will wrap up executive budget hearings with a 10 a.m. meeting.
Also Tuesday at 10 a.m., Mayor de Blasio will deliver remarks at the 10th Annual Citywide Procurement Fair.
At 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dr. Betty Rose, chancellor of the Board of Regents, will speak at a South Bronx Leadership Forum.
On Tuesday at 6 p.m. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will host “a free “Tenants: Know Your Rights” workshop” at Sunset Park High School. “Tenants will have an opportunity to speak in English or Spanish with advocates and lawyers from Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A (Brooklyn A) about their rights under federal, state, and local laws to protection from unfair practices by landlords.Borough President Adams spoke about the clinic as an extension of his continued efforts to support neighborhoods that are experiencing an increasing risk for tenant harassment.”
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Queens, City & State will launch its Queens special issue featuring op-eds and reporting on the future of politics and policy in the borough. Queens Borough President Melinda Katz will be interviewed at the launch event.
On Tuesday evening at the Queens Museum, "New York City Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the Hispanic Federation host a citywide PrideProm for individuals of all ages who are currently being denied the opportunity to participate in prom night because of their sexual orientation, who have been shut out from their prom in the past or simply want to experience this rite of passage as their true selves."
Wednesday
Both houses of the state Legislature are in session on Wednesday in Albany.
On Wednesday in Albany, a key vote related to funding for Gov. Cuomo’s Buffalo Billion program, which is the subject of much controversy, criticism, and a federal investigation. From Gannett’s Jon Campbell: “The Public Authorities Control Board, a little-known but powerful board, is set to meet Wednesday at the state Capitol. The board is scheduled to consider whether to approve spending nearly half a billion dollars to fund ongoing construction at a high-tech complex that will house a massive solar-power manufacturing plant in the state’s second-largest city. The plant, which will be occupied by SolarCity, is the marquee item of the Buffalo Billion...”
On Wednesday morning at 9:15 at City Hall, "Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer and Councilmember Margaret Chin will unveil legislation to reform the city's practices concerning the modification of deed restrictions, the arcane process at the heart of the controversies surrounding the sale of Rivington House on the Lower East Side and a lot owned by the Dance Theater of Harlem in upper Manhattan. The bill will be introduced at Wednesday's Stated Council Meeting."
On Wednesday at 10 a.m. at City Hall, City Council Member Mark Levine is leading a rally to push for more funding for city parks. He'll be joined by New Yorkers for Parks, The New York League of Conservation Voters, American Society of Landscape Architects, community gardens enthusiasts, and others.
On Wednesday, the City Council is set to vote through the Criminal Justice Reform Act. Read about the package of bills here.
On Wednesday at noon at City Hall, "City Council Member Costa Constantinides, joined by environmental groups and others, will call for a vote on his bill INT. 642. The legislation would ensure more sustainable energy consumption by increasing the use of biodiesel in home heating oil. The bill would increase biodiesel use from the current standard of 2% to a 5% blend, and then raise that blend incrementally until we get to 20%." Constantinides will be joined by New York League of Conservation Voters, Empire Clean Cities, Teamsters Local 553, and others.
On Wednesday at the City Council: the finance committee will meet at 10 a.m. and the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Elections will meet at 10:30 a.m. At 12:30, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will hold the typical pre-stated meeting press conference, then at 1:30, the full City Council meets.
On Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce will host a chairman’s breakfast event led by Chair Ken Biberaj, with special guest Valerie Jarrett, White House Senior Advisor. “The event will focus on a range of topics including the President's nomination to the Supreme Court, criminal justice reform and a variety of other topics of importance to the business community...This event is OPEN PRESS...Infor is the host of the event.”
On Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the Bronx, the Assembly Standing Committee on Housing and the Assembly Subcommittee on Mitchell-Lama will hold a public hearing on “The status of Mitchell-Lama housing.”
Thursday
Thursday is City & State’s “On Urban Development” forum. Keynote Remarks by Carl Weisbrod, Chair of the City Planning Commission at 8:45 a.m. Then a panel on affordable housing with Senators Liz Krueger and Adriano Espaillat, and City Council Member David Greenfield. Then a panel on Real Estate Growth in Outer-Boroughs with Ruben Diaz, Jr., City Council Members Donovan Richards and Rafael L. Espinal. Then a panel on Infrastructure’s Impact on Development with City Council Members Jumaane Williams and Dan Garodnick.
Also Thursday morning, at 8:15 a.m., the Center for New York City Law will hold a CityLaw Breakfast to present the Center’s Civic Fame Awards - recognizing Mark Davies, former executive director of the NYC Conflicts of Interest Board, Kay Murray, former General Counsel of the NYC Department of Juvenile Justice, Frederick A.O. Schwarz Jr., former NYC Law Department Corporation Counsel, and Claire Shulman, former Queens Borough President. NY1’s Errol Louis will be the featured speaker.
On Thursday at the City Council:
On Thursday evening in Queens, State Senator James Sanders Jr. will host “an exciting discussion on voter education in NYC” at 6 p.m. at Calvary Baptist Church “to educate and re-engage voters in the Democratic [sic] process.” Featured guests: CUNY Center for Urban Research, Families United For Racial and Economic Equality, Black Lives Matter and NYC Campaign Finance Board.
On Thursday evening, the Annual Joseph S. Murphy Scholarship Reception at the CUNY Graduate Center will feature Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.
Friday and the weekend
Have a good Memorial Day weekend!
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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
Mayor de Blasio with Commissioner Sutton (in blue) (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)
On Friday, the New York City Council will hold the first-ever budget hearing for the newly created Department of Veterans’ Services.
The Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs is transitioning into the Department of Veterans’ Services, a standalone department with a distinct agency budget and providing expanded services for the city’s 225,000 military veterans. The department became official in April and will now proceed to rollout over the next year, increasing staff from a mere half-dozen to more than 30 full-time employees.
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s executive budget allocates $3.84 million to the Department of Veterans’ Services, about twice as much as MOVA’s budget for the current fiscal year. Commissioner Loree Sutton has already indicated what the agency’s direction will be. Speaking at an event at LaGuardia Community College on May 2, she laid out her top strategic priorities: ending veteran homelessness; implementing elements of the city’s ThriveNYC mental health program; and promoting education, employment and entrepreneurship for veterans.
The department has already taken a few steps in implementing these goals. To fight veteran homelessness, it has hired five peer-to-peer coordinators to undertake outreach to homeless veterans, particularly the “hidden population,” Sutton said, which includes student veterans who have difficulties accessing affordable housing. The city currently has about 432 veterans in the homeless shelter system, down from more than 3,500 six or seven years ago. Last year, the federal government certified the city as having ended chronic veteran homelessness, meaning homeless veterans who remain. The department will also appoint two assistant commissioners, one to implement Thrive NYC with an eight-member team and another to connect veterans with educational and economic opportunities.
Sutton stressed that the department is rolling out in phases. “Just because the mayor signed the legislation establishing the Department of Veteran Services last December doesn’t mean that it’s a light switch,” she said at the event. “You don’t go from five folks to 34 folks overnight.”
Using rudimentary military terminology, she explained the process. Until July 1, the department will be in the “transitional planning and budget” phase. With the July start of the new fiscal year, the department will enter Phase II, IOC or initial operating capacity. That phase will go through the entire fiscal year. “We will ramp up to that full 33-34 positions and by July of 2017 we’ll be at FOC - full operating capacity,” Sutton said.
“It’s exciting but we’re not going to move out in front of ourselves,” Sutton added. “We know that it’s our privilege to not just fill slots but rather to build a team, to form a family, to create a culture that can best serve the veterans and families of all five boroughs.”
After the release of the preliminary budget, the department was initially slated for a budget hearing which was later cancelled. For veterans advocates, it would’ve been a chance to hear the administration’s plan to set up its new agency and identify its priorities for veteran services. Tomorrow, advocates and the Council will get those answers.
“I’m excited to hear from the new commissioner about what her long-term vision is for the department,” Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said in a statement to Gotham Gazette, “how the Council can be an effective partner in assisting the DVS in realizing this vision, and what the main priorities and goals are in the coming fiscal year.”
Mark-Viverito will attend Friday’s hearing, slated for 1 p.m. at City Hall, and deliver brief opening remarks. According to her office, the speaker will highlight the need for expanded services for the city’s veterans - the reason that the Council pushed for a new department outside the mayor's office - citing persistent challenges of mental illness, substance abuse, hunger, and unemployment.
Kristen Rouse, an Army veteran and president and founding director of NYC Veterans Alliance, an advocacy group, has many expectations of the “ambitious programs” that DVS has on the horizon and hopes to get the budget details on Friday. Rouse’s priorities, which converge largely with Sutton’s outline, include the department’s approach to communications with veterans, implementation of veteran-specific initiatives in ThriveNYC, support for homeless veterans, placement of veteran outreach counselors in every borough, improved support for veteran employees in city agencies, and job placement assistance for veterans.
“I'm also hoping to see a solid commitment of city tax-levy dollars in addition to the federal and state funding to show that the city is truly buying in on veteran programs and not simply going after external funds, or even private or philanthropic funds,” Rouse said.
Navy veteran Joe Bello, a member of the city’s Veterans Advisory Board and founder of NY MetroVets, which seeks to keep veterans informed, is pleased with the level of funding DVS will receive. “It shows that the mayor is committed to building up the department,” he said. “I’m looking forward to hearing from Commissioner Sutton about what kinds of resources and services they’ll provide.”
He did have minor concerns, however, about both the budget and Friday’s hearing. He said a vital reason that veterans advocates pushed for the new department was so that the city could ensure streamlined disbursement of funds to local nonprofit organizations that serve veterans. Those funds, he said, usually go through specific city agencies and face delays.
“When we saw the positions they’d put forth, I didn’t see any person to handle the money for nonprofits. I’m hopeful Council Member [Eric] Ulrich will ask about that,” Bello added, referring to the chair of the Council’s veterans affairs committee, Eric Ulrich. Ulrich, Mark-Viverito, and Council Member Paul Vallone were key driving forces behind the creation of the new department, which Mayor de Blasio had initially rejected.
Ulrich and Council finance committee Chair Julissa Ferreras-Copeland will lead Friday’s hearing. Ulrich’s office did not return requests for comment ahead of the hearing.
Bello also said he was disappointed that the public would not be able to testify at the hearing, as is the case with all executive budget hearings. “For the first hearing ever, they should’ve given some consideration to that,” he said. “Otherwise I’m excited.”
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by Samar Khurshid, senior reporter, Gotham Gazette
@samarkhurshid @GothamGazette
Mayor de Blasio (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday said he would take another look at funding of the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) for the fiscal year 2017 budget. At its March City Council preliminary budget hearing, COIB representatives explained underfunding of the agency resulting in its inability to carry out its mandated training of city employees around conflict of interest rules and its inability to retain employees. They also said that the city’s budget office had denied repeated requests for increased funding.
At a press conference on Wednesday where the mayor again referenced the work of the Conflicts of Interest Board in ensuring ethical government, Gotham Gazette outlined the underfunding of COIB and the agency’s budget testimony. The mayor replied, “That’s news to me, but your timing’s impeccable. There’s still more time ahead in the budget process and we will now put this on the agenda and see if something more needs to be done.”
De Blasio recently presented his $82.2 billion executive budget and the City Council is holding another round of hearings. However, there is no executive budget hearing scheduled for the Committee on Standards and Ethics, which has oversight of COIB. This and the mayor's lack of awareness about COIB funding issues may be because COIB wrote a letter to the city budget office requesting about $26,000 in additional funds for its most "critical budgetary needs," mostly staff raises, which was met. A copy of the letter, sent by COIB Executive Director Carolyn Lisa Miller, was provided to Gotham Gazette by the mayor's office on Thursday.
At the start of the March 10 letter, COIB writes, "At the Preliminary Budget and Annual Oversight Hearing held at the City Council on March 8, 2016, the Committee on Standards and Ethics and the Committee on Finance recognized that the Conflicts of Interest Board was impeded in fulfilling its mission due to budgetary limitations and requested that the Board memorialize in writing those specific issues. While the Board continues to believe that its overall salary structure needs to be evaluated, below reflects the most significant budgetary issues currently facing the Board."
After prior requests for additional funding were denied, COIB appears to have requested what it saw as the minimum in additional funding. COIB representatives did not return a request for comment. At its preliminary budget hearing, COIB representatives explained that the agency had had three 2015 requests for additional funding denied by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
The mayor’s executive budget, released April 26, includes $2.32 million for COIB, about $30,000 more than what was included in this year's preliminary budget and $90,000 more than last year’s adopted budget. The agency is small, with 22 employees (and a five-member board) and is tasked with training city employees and providing guidance about potential conflicts of interest. City employees can call COIB for advice about possible ethical concerns.
In recent weeks, the mayor has consistently touted the COIB as one of the robust pillars of ethics and legality in city government and his administration. With several investigations into the actions of him and his allies, including around fundraising for an aligned political nonprofit, de Blasio has repeatedly said that he sought and followed COIB guidance. It was a point he reiterated several times on Wednesday as reporters asked him many questions about his fundraising for the Campaign for One New York, now shuttered, which accepted large donations from entities with city business.
The mayor also uses outside consultants who advise him while they also represent clients who have business with the city. The mayor insists that these advisers do not bring up their clients when giving the mayor advice and that if they do talk with him about their clients’ business, the conversations are disclosed.
Asked by Gotham Gazette if he should have known about COIB’s budget issues, de Blasio said not necessarily. “It’s a very large government and it’s a very detailed budget process,” he said. “Every single agency says they don’t have enough resources. Every agency at preliminary and executive always says they need more money. So that doesn’t get reported to me. That’s not breaking news but what should be reported is when OMB comes to the conclusion that there is a valid need...or, if it’s a jump ball, OMB says, ‘look this is a debatable point, we have questions but we still think it’s important that you hear this perspective.’ I would never be told generically that an agency wants more money.”
At its preliminary budget hearing in March, COIB officials testified that they were struggling to retain staff because of low salaries and limited resources to give raises, and that they were unable to fully carry out mandated ethics trainings for city employees. Three separate requests made to the Office of Management and Budget, totaling $200,000 in additional funding, had been rejected in 2015, they said. City Council members said they wanted to see funding increase, but it has not been a significant priority.
A budget deal between the Mayor and the Council is due by the July 1 start of the new fiscal year.
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by Samar Khurshid, senior reporter, Gotham Gazette
@samarkhurshid @GothamGazette
Note: this article has been updated with further detail from the mayor's office, including details about COIB's March budget letter.