Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Bill de Blasio

Bill de Blasio

  • 'Tears of Joy,' Hope for a District in Alicka Samuel's Win

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    Alicka Ampry-Samuel (via Facebook)


    It was late Tuesday afternoon, primary day, in Brooklyn, and amidst the rattle of the subway and wafting aroma of a not-far-off Popeyes fried chicken restaurant, Alicka Ampry-Samuel danced on the sidewalk with Corey Johnson, a current City Council member from Manhattan, to “Ain’t No Stoppin Us Now.” Although the outcome of Samuel’s race -- she was a leading candidate in the crowded Democratic

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  • 2017 New York City Primary Election Results

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    NYC Votes sticker, design by Marie Dagata and Scott Heinz


    Mayor Bill de Blasio prevailed convincingly in the Democratic primary Tuesday as he seeks a second term. De Blasio was facing four challengers, most prominently former City Council Member Sal Albanese. With 98% of precincts reporting, de Blasio had secured 74.4% of the vote, to Albanese’s 15.4%, and Michael Tolkin’s 4.7%, Robert Gangi’s 3.1%, and Richard Bashner’s 2.4%. De Blasio had about 317,000 votes; Albanese with about 65,450 in a very low turnout election, where about 15% of

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  • Risks and Rewards in De Blasio’s Bevy of City Council Endorsements

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    City Council candidate Diana Ayala (photo: @DianaAyala2017)


    Mayor Bill de Blasio is a heavy favorite heading into Tuesday's primary election, which includes numerous races across the city for which the Democratic primary is determinative of the next officeholder. In certain City Council races, de Blasio has endorsed candidates for the primary, including a small flurry of support just a few days before voters head to the polls, in what could be a sign that the mayor and his allies are concerned about turnout.

    But it’s unclear what effect, if any, the

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  • De Blasio & Albanese Argue Through Second of Two Primary Debates

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    Bill de Blasio, left, & Sal Albanese


    The second and final Democratic mayoral primary debate on Wednesday was a frenetic hour-long affair in which Mayor Bill de Blasio spent much of his time on the defensive, facing probing questions from debate moderators and tough criticism from his opponent, Sal Albanese. At the same time, Albanese appeared to come up short yet again in terms of clearly articulating a vision for a mayoralty beyond tearing down many of de Blasio’s current policies.

    Right off the bat, de Blasio was

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  • Malliotakis Banks on Fundraising Blitz to Be Competitive with De Blasio

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    Nicole Malliotakis, left, with John Catsimatidis, center (photo: @NMalliotakis)


    Republican mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis does not need to worry about defeating a primary opponent, and running unopposed is cheap. That dynamic will very quickly change on September 12, primary day, after which the Staten Island Assemblymember will have all of 55 days to campaign against the winner of the Democratic primary, likely incumbent Mayor Bill de Blasio, in a city with roughly a 7-to-1 Democratic-to-Republican enrollment

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  • Where's The Polling In The Mayoral Race?

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    Sal Albanese, middle, campaigning (photo: @SalAlbaneseNYC)


    The second of two Democratic mayoral primary debates is set for Wednesday, but leading public opinion pollsters have yet to study the full Democratic primary field or take stock of the competition between Mayor Bill de Blasio and his lone debate opponent, challenger Sal Albanese. The lack of polling makes it harder to gauge how Albanese and the three other Democratic challengers to de Blasio may fair come September 12, or how de Blasio’s approval rating has changed in

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  • What's The [DATA] Point? 30% with Deputy Mayor Richard Buery

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    What's The Data Point? Episode 10 -- 30% with Deputy Mayor Richard Buery [You can download What's The [Data] Point? wherever you get your podcasts, including on iTunes]

    This week's data point is 30% -- the share, based on dollar value, of city contracts to be awarded to minority- and women-owned businesses by fiscal year 2021, according to a goal set by Mayor Bill de Blasio in September 2016. This would be an increase from 14 percent in fiscal year 2016. New York City Deputy Mayor Richard Buery joins the podcast

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: De Blasio Author Joseph Viteritti

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


    August 30, 2017 - De Blasio Author Joseph Viteritti

    cover joe vitJoseph P. Viteritti, public policy professor at Hunter College, CUNY, where he is chair of the Urban Policy and Planning Department, has written a new book about Mayor Bill de Blasio: The Pragmatist: Bill de Blasio's Quest to Save the Soul of New York. Published by

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  • Voters Guide for the 2017 City Primary Election

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    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


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    by Ben Max, Gotham Gazette
         

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  • 5 Key Moments from the First Democratic Mayoral Primary Debate

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    De Blasio & Albanese on NY1


    Mayor Bill de Blasio, a first-term Democrat pursuing reelection this fall, faced off against Sal Albanese on Wednesday at the first of two primary debates ahead of the September 12 vote. Over the course of 90 minutes at the Symphony Space on the Upper West Side, the two shared a number of tense exchanges as they made their pitches to voters. De Blasio offered a continuation of his first-term accomplishments in tackling inequality, while Albanese attempted to present himself as the alternative to a mayor who he

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  • 5 Things to Watch at First De Blasio-Albanese Debate

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    Albanese & de Blasio in 2013 via NY1


    “A win for me is making the case that de Blasio has not been a good mayor and making the case that I can be a good mayor,” Sal Albanese, putting it simply, told Gotham Gazette on Monday, a little more than 48 hours before he was to take the stage against Mayor Bill de Blasio in the first of two Democratic primary debates.

    The debate, a 90-minute affair that will air at 7 p.m. Wednesday on NY1 television and WNYC radio, is sure to be lively. The two participants have known each other a long

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Previewing the First Mayoral Debate

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


    August 22, 2017 - Previewing the First Mayoral Debate

    On Wednesday, August 23, Mayor Bill de Blasio and former City Council Member Sal Albanese will meet for the first debate of the 2017 Democratic mayoral primary. De Blasio is seen as a heavy favorite heading toward the September 12 vote, but Albanese has a major opportunity given the one-on-one, broadcast debate that will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday on NY1 television and WNYC radio (also brought to you by other

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  • De Blasio, Cumbo Teams Mum on Campaign Aid

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    Mayor de Blasio & Council Member Cumbo (arm raised) (photo: Rob Bennett/Mayor's Office)


    As she seeks re-election, City Council Member Laurie Cumbo has key advantages that come with incumbency -- name recognition, access to donors, and a degree of institutional support. Included in that support is the backing of Mayor Bill de Blasio, a fellow Democrat also running for a second term this fall, though the mayor and his team appear to be helping Cumbo quietly, in part because of the complicated politics surrounding a key issue in her district, the

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  • 10 Great NYC Debate Moments

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    Quinn, Liu, de Blasio, Albanese (from 2013)


    Debates have been an invaluable part of political discourse and elections for centuries. The face-to-face interactions between candidates reveal a lot about their character, policies, and ability to perform under pressure.

    Debates for citywide races in New York -- for Mayor, Comptroller, and Public Advocate -- have played no small part in helping New Yorkers decide which candidates best represent their interests. Ahead of the 2017 debates, which begin Wednesday with the first Democratic mayoral

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  • Inside the Numbers: Mayoral Campaign Spending

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    Mayor de Blasio at his reelection headquarters (@BilldeBlasio)


    As New York City’s campaign season hurtles toward the September 12 primaries and November 7 general election, bringing new flurries of fundraising and spending from mayoral candidates, attention has largely been focused on the ‘raising,’ with a few recent donations getting ...

  • Five Democrats Will Be On The Mayoral Ballot, But Only Two Will Debate

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    Mayoral candidate Robert Gangi (photo:@GangiForMayor)


    The first official debate in the Democratic mayoral primary is set for Wednesday, August 23, where Mayor Bill de Blasio will face former City Council Member Sal Albanese. But three more Democrats, all of whom will be on the September 12 ballot, failed to qualify for the debate and are crying foul that the Campaign Finance Board’s eligibility criteria are excluding them from

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  • Crucial Weeks Ahead for Potential Rezoning of East Harlem

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    Mark-Viverito at East Harlem planning session (photo: Samar Khurshid)


    The de Blasio administration’s plan to significantly alter a large section of East Harlem is in the middle of a contentious process, with its fate unclear. The proposed changes to land use rules and infusion of community development resources -- part of the administration’s larger efforts to build more housing, some of it with affordability requirements, and improve neighborhoods -- have not been to the liking of key elected officials

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  • With Some Contracts Now Expired, De Blasio Administration Begins Next Labor Negotiations

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    Mayor de Blasio at DC 37's union headquarters (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    As numerous labor contracts for thousands of city employees begin to expire, the de Blasio administration is already in the midst of new talks with municipal unions. The process revisits a key element of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s early tenure -- when the city faced an unprecedented situation wherein all the city’s labor contracts were expired -- and of the incumbent mayor’s first-term record: de Blasio regularly boasts of bringing to terms the outstanding workforce uncertainty

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  • The Deadline to Register to Vote this Fall is Fast Approaching

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    New Yorkers line up to vote (credit: Samar Khurshid/Gotham Gazette)


    New York City has roughly 6.6 million residents of voting age but only about 4.99 million registered voters, according to rough estimates from the American Community Survey and the state Board of Elections. The city’s municipal primary election is a little over a month away, on September 12, and ...

  • Removal of Last Primary Opponent Could Cost Malliotakis

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    GOP mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis (photo: @NMalliotakis)


    After Michel Faulkner shifted his mayoral campaign to one for comptroller and real estate executive Paul Massey suspended his altogether, State Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis' campaign began referring to her as "the presumptive Republican nomee in the race for Mayor." Still, the only thing standing between Malliotakis and the GOP nomination was wealthy businessman Rocky De La Fuente, a candidate who recently relocated from California.

    That hurdle was removed on Tuesday, when

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  • What About the Buses?

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    (photo: Marc A. Hermann/MTA)


    Newly-minted MTA chief Joe Lhota held a press conference last week to announce a rescue plan for the city’s ailing subway system. The agenda includes signal fixes, maintenance work, new emergency response teams, and even rider communication shifts. Lhota’s blueprint comes with $800-plus million price tag, he said, which set off another round of feuding between Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo about how much the city and

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: The Mayoral Race with Top Political Strategists

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


    July 31, 2017: Republican strategist Mollie Fullington and Democratic strategist Rebecca Katz join Max & Murphy to discuss the 2017 New York City mayoral race.

    max murphy katz fullingtonMollie Fullington used to work for Governor George Pataki and recently handled press and communications for mayoral candidate Paul Massey.

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  • Democratic Mayoral Candidates Talk 'Faith in New York'

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    De Blasio at the Faith in New York interview (photo: @FaithinNewYork)


    The four main Democratic mayoral candidates had a chance on Thursday to publicly show how far to the progressive left they are, appearing just over six weeks from primary day at a series of open discussions with Faith Over Fear Coalition, a citywide coalition of more than 90 congregations and more than 25 faith and justice groups, convened by Faith in New York, an advocacy organization that launched in 2013.

    Faith in New York (FINY), which describes itself as a

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  • Bo Dietl: Running City Government 'Isn't Rocket Science'

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    Bo Dietl at his office (photo: Ben Max)


    In his 50th floor corner office in Midtown, the characteristically brash private security CEO Bo Dietl made the case Monday morning for his outsider mayoral candidacy. Appearing on the Max & Murphy podcast, Dietl explained his brand, his political evolution from Republican to Democrat, and his independent candidacy for the city’s top job.

    A former NYPD detective who gained celebrity status and became a Fox News personality, Dietl is always ready to talk. “Everybody knows Bo Dietl, I have a brand,

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  • Mayor De Blasio Let Me Down

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    Mayor de Blasio (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    In 2013 I met then-Mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio at a campaign event in midtown. I talked with him about my housing situation, that I had been laid off at work and the rent for my apartment had become too expensive. He said if he was elected, he would do what he could to help people like me. I voted for him.

    Soon after our conversation, I lost my apartment. Three years later, I am still homeless. The promises de Blasio made to me seem far away, and now, I’m not sure he is still

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