former Mayor Bloomberg at 311 (photo: Edward Reed)

The city’s 311 non-emergency call center for information about city services and to lodge complaints is nearing a mid-year re-launch, its first major overhaul since being introduced by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2003. The revamped system, estimated to debut in July, will modernize 311’s currently outdated system that limits its capability to assist New Yorkers. The next iteration of the system will eventually allow for increased language access, user accounts to track inquiries and complaints, and a better app

(photos: Emil Cohen & John McCarten/City Council)

New York City Council Member Brad Lander, a Democrat from Brooklyn, has declared his intention to run for city Comptroller in the 2021 election, joining Council Member Helen Rosenthal, a Manhattan Democrat, as the only declared candidates in the race.

The 2021 municipal election will lead to a sea change in city government, with all three citywide positions on the ballot along with the five borough president posts and all 51 City Council seats, about three dozen of which will be “open” due to term

City Council Member Stephen Levin (photo via New York City Council)

Mayor Bill de Blasio owes hundreds of thousands of dollars to lawyers who helped him during legal investigations that ultimately resulted in no criminal charges against the mayor, but left him with bills to pay even after he reversed course and decided to use public funds to cover the portion of his legal expenses related to his government work. The remaining balance, for work related to campaign activity de Blasio was involved with that was the subject of part of the inquiries, has left de

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

This week starts with the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, which will include many commemorative events acoss the city and state.

The week will feature a lot of action at the Democratically-controlled state Legislature in Albany, on Tuesday and Wednesday, as both houses continue to pass bills that have not moved in past sessions when Republicans controlled the state Senate, and at the New York City Council,

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

While there is a lot going on, the main event this week will be Governor Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State address and executive budget presentation, set for Tuesday afternoon in Albany. Cuomo, who reportedly moved up the speech by about two weeks due to the Legislature’s plans to start moving significant bills, has already outlined a lengthy and ambitious policy agenda, and he has been adding to it in recent

Mayor de Blasio at the Amazon announcement (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)

“I’m concerned about [New York] City being a sanctuary city, and your stated concern for New York City’s immigrants, and the contradiction of inviting one of ICE’s largest tech providers into our city.” That’s how Amy from Queens asked Mayor de Blasio about Amazon’s relationship with ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show last Friday.  

Mayor de Blasio told Amy, “If it turns out that Amazon has a contractual relationship with

Corey Johnson (photo: William Alatriste)

One year ago, New York City Council Member Corey Johnson was near-unanimously elected speaker of the 51-member legislative body, becoming the city’s second-most powerful elected official behind the mayor. In an emotional inaugural speech, he spoke of the heavy burden the Council bears in tackling the issues that face everyday New Yorkers. “There has never been a more important time to ensure that our City has a strong, unified and independent Council to take on these challenges,” he

Cuomo & de Blasio celebrate Amazon to NY (photo: Kevin P. Coughlin/Governor's Office)

1. Will Kirsten Gillibrand and/or Michael Bloomberg run for President?

2. Will Andrew Cuomo explore a presidential run?

3. How will Chuck Schumer perform as Senate minority leader amid a new power dynamic in Washington? What impact will Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have as she officially takes office and the year progresses? What other New York representatives will make significant impact in the new Washington, especially given

(photo: The Governor's Office)

As 2018 comes to a close, we’re looking back at some of our “best” and most-read articles of the year. In a separate post, we’ll highlight some of the “best” pieces we reported that aren’t among our top ten most-read articles, which are listed below. This list does not include articles like election guides or candidate lists or even our summaries of voter turnout numbers, all of which are often among our most-read posts, as was our article that reported on the mayor's charter revision commission

(photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)

This is part of AGENDA 2019, a joint Gotham Gazette-City Limits project
Find the rest of the series here

Riding high on the crest of a Democratic blue wave powered by grassroots progressives, New York Democrats finally took back the state Senate

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

Governor Andrew Cuomo will kick this week off with a major speech in Manhattan, at which he has promised to outline his 2019 legislative agenda, according to comments he made Friday on the Capitol Pressroom with host Susan Arbetter. That speech will be most of the political buzz on Monday, and may provide

(image via NYC EDC)

The first of several New York City Council public oversight hearings on the deal to bring an Amazon campus to Long Island City will be held Wednesday at City Hall. Titled by the Council as “Exposing the Closed-Door Process,” the questions should concern not just the big-picture issues but also some fine print regarding the company’s acquisition of city-owned real estate.

Of course, the estimated $3 billion in tax breaks and subsidies in the deal

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

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

This week we're watching a few interesting City Council hearings, including oversight hearings about city bail reforms and the MTA Fast Forward plan -- see below for details on those and more. We're also watching for more on the deal to bring Amazon to Queens; what the commission tasked with recommending pay raises for state legislators and executive branch commissioners will put forward; and more.  

As always, there's a great deal

Margaret Garnett (photo via City Hall)

Margaret Garnett, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s pick to replace recently fired Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark Peters, received praise from City Council Members and the support of City Council Speaker Corey Johnson at a Monday hearing on her nomination. Currently serving as the Executive Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice in the New York State Attorney General’s office, Garnett’s nomination hearing came amid significant controversy over de Blasio’s firing of Peters, ...

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

This week we're continuing to watch the fallout of Mayor Bill de Blasio's controverisal decision to fire Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark Peters. De Blasio's nomination to replace Peters, Margaret Garnett, will testify before the City Council on Monday afternoon, a normal part of the process given that the DOI commissioner is the only agency head where the City Council votes to approve or disapprove the

BOE ED Michael Ryan (photo: John McCarten/City Council)

Embattled City Board of Elections Executive Director Michael Ryan testified before the City Council's Committees on Oversight and Government Operations on Tuesday, explaining that a perforated two-page ballot, never before used anywhere in the United States, was primarily to blame for the issues at polling sites across the city on Election Day.

In a combative hearing initially presided over by City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Ryan apologized, after being asked to do so, for the

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

This week we continue to process the results of the past week's elections, but also turn our attention to the race in the special election for New York City Public Advocate, whereby Letitia James will be succeeded after she ascends to Attorney General. The election will likely take place in February, but several candidates have already declared and others surely will soon, and this week will see the first forums for

Veterans Services Commissioner Loree Sutton, middle (photo: Emil Cohen/City Council)

The New York City Council’s Committee on Veterans met Monday to discuss a bill that would require the city’s Department of Veterans Services to release an annual report detailing certain information about its work to help the city’s military veterans, including the number of its employees and types services it is

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

Tuesday will mark just one week until Election Day, November 6. This week is set to feature several debates for statewide officers -- see details below -- and will include a frenzy of near-final campaign efforts, including last-minute advertisements, mailings, press conferences, and so on.

Catch up on all of Gotham Gazette’s election

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

Tuesday will mark two weeks until Election Day, November 6. As the week beings, Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Marc Molinaro have agreed to a Tuesday one-on-one debate, which will be broadcast live on CBS radio during the afternoon and aired at 7 p.m. on CBS TV. The agreement came after much jockeying, name-calling, and negotiations among the two campaigns and others, including The New York Post and CBS radio, which appeared to

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

This Tuesday marks just three weeks until Election Day, November 6. Campaigns for state-wide and state and federal legislative seats, among others, are in full swing and will only intensify this week. While some debates take place, others have yet to be scheduled. We've already seen one debate in the state comptroller race, which aired Sunday night on Manhattan Neighborhood Network, and this week will feature a

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

This Tuesday will mark just four weeks until Election Day, November 6. The deadline to register to vote in this year’s elections is this Friday, October 12.

The elections for governor, lieutenant governor, comptroller, attorney general, the state Legislature, and Congress will continue to be a major focus this week. We are awaiting news of any general

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

Tuesday will mark five weeks until Election Day. The race for Governor has been heating up, with Governor Andrew Cuomo, a second-term Democrat, and Republican Marc Molinaro at the forefront of the discussion. Molinaro has been releasing tax reform proposals while Cuomo has largely continued to focus on President Donald Trump. Cuomo explained recently that he has done so and plans to continue to do so because the

School food inclusivity rally (@safest)

We as faith leaders are most privileged to cooperate on a project that will benefit our respective communities. For far too long, students who follow religious dietary guidelines have found their public school cafeteria lacks sufficient accommodation in the food offered. Typically students who require a kosher or halal meal have very limited options in school lunch offerings, often choosing to eat nothing. At this time in history, with persistent and growing incidents of discrimination based on religious and racial animus, New York