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Today's Lead: Debate Over Styrofoam


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The City Council yesterday held a hearing on what to do with Styrofoam packaging, which isn't biodegradable. One measure, backed by Mayor Bloomberg, would ban it from city restaurants, the other would recycle it. A major Styrofoam manufacturer even offered to pay for recycling, although the company that handles recycling for the city isn't crazy about the idea. After lobbying by the Styrofoam company, the ban was softened. Councilman Lew Fidler, the bill's sponsor, inserted language that would postpone a ban for a year in order to give recycling a try, even though he thinks it's just a fantasy. Places like San Francisco have already successfully initiated a ban.

Other Stories We're Following

Race Can Be Factor In Street Stops, But Not Only One (NY Times)

In Campaign, Cash Flowed Circuitously (NY Times)

Bill Would Stop NYPD From Charging NYCHA $74 Million For Patrols (DNAinfo)

Legislature Sues To Void Corruption-Probe Subpoenas (Crain's)

NYPIRG Issues Report On Reform (Albany Times Union)

Congestion Traffic Pricing Back On Table (Daily News)

NYPD Program Reduces Killings Among Young People: Officials (Wall Street Journal)

Two Months Later, Health Insurance Seekers Find Frustration (WNYC)

Progressive Caucus Quietly Vets Speaker Hopefuls (Politicker)

Democratic Speaker Candidates Strain To Appease Republican Trio (Politicker)

Food Pantries Restock Shelves With $4.5 Million From State (Albany Times Union)

Heating Systems Fail NYCHA Tenants In The Bronx (Daily News)

De Blasio Calls For Education Reforms (Associated Press)

Dinkins Questions de Blasio’s Tax Plan (NY Post)

Budget Won't Complicate Labor Talks, de Blasio Says (Crain's)

Today's Lead: Principals Fear Changes


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A group of 120 principals have issued a letter in support of the school network structure that is at the center of the Bloomberg administration's education reforms aimed at empowering principals as educators. Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio and others have questioned the need for the support networks, which provide for professional development, curriculum and budgeting. But principals said in their letter that the networks "provide particular kinds of support for schools that many of us have found to be invaluable." Critics say the networks haven't met expectations in many cases. New York University professor Pedro Noguera, speaking to GothamSchools, said of the quality of networks: “It’s a very mixed bag out there.”

The Bloomberg Fiscal Legacy: After 12 years in office, Mayor Michael Bloomberg will have left an indelible fiscal stamp on New York City that will present his successor — and any progressive agenda — with formidable challenges. A commentary by Glenn Pasanen. READ MORE.

Today's policy agenda: State Sen Liz Krueger joins Hunger Action Network at a news conference to highlight how cuts to food stamps have affected New Yorkers and calls for anti-hunger measures under next mayor, 11 a.m., All Souls' Church, 1157 Lexington Ave. The City Council's committee for sanitation and solid waste management considers a bill that would ban styrofoam to-go cups and containers, 1 p.m., Council Chambers, City Hall.


Other Stories We're Following

After Voter Approval, Developers Draft Casino Plans (NY Times)

Street Artists Face New Reality Without Graffiti Meccas (NY Times)

State Education 'Think Tank' Backed By Private Money (Albany Times Union)

Law Firms Try To Quash Moreland Subpoenas (Lower Hudson Journal)

Study: Mixed Martial Arts Would Bring NY $135M Annually (Lower Hudson Journal)

Ex-Gov Pataki To Call for Lowering Of Income Tax (Wall Street Journal)

De Blasio's Plan To Get Property Owners To Use Vacant Plots Of Land (Crain's)

World's Largest Foam Firm Battles Against Proposed City Ban (NY Post)

State Sen. Wants NYPD Services To Stores Tracked (Daily News)


City Council Tries For Runoff Reform In Final Stretch


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NEW YORK — After a dismal turnout for this year’s costly runoff for public advocate, the City Council is spending its last five weeks in office exploring what, if anything, it can do to reform post-primary runoff elections.

The Council held a committee hearing on Thursday on two bills that would institute one form or another of instant runoff voting, where candidates would be ranked by voters — saving the city from having to run a separate election in close races.

A third bill also under consideration would eliminate runoffs altogether for the races for comptroller and public advocate.

The city’s charter requires a runoff for the three citywide seats: mayor, comptroller and public advocate, but the three bills sitting in committee would change how New Yorkers pick their candidates for the 2017 elections.

Fewer than 200,000 New Yorkers voted for the one-race runoff on Oct. 1 for the public advocate’s office. The contest was a blow-out success for City Councilwoman Letitia James of Brooklyn — at a cost of some $13 million to taxpayers.

At the hearing on Thursday, Public Advocate-elect James acknowledged once again that she won the seat with support of 3 percent of the city’s voting population. But she questioned whether instant runoff voting was the right solution.

“These are complicated issues,” James said of the intricacies of instant runoffs. “And at this point in time all I’m seeing and hearing is ‘litigation, litigation, litigation.”

IRV in NYC

Instant runoff voting — or IRV — would allow New Yorkers to rank candidates on a ballot that would then be scanned on the day of the primary. There are two bills under consideration by the Council dealing with IRV.

One narrower bill, sponsored by Manhattan Councilwoman Gale Brewer, would offer IRV only to military and absentee voters (Intro 1108). Thirty-six Council members have signed on to the bill. Brooklyn Councilman Brad Lander has offered a more aggressive second bill that adopts IRV for the three citywide races (Intro 1066). Lander’s bill has 23 co-sponsors.

Having additional ranking options would likely force the city’s Board of Elections to redesign the ballot with multiple pages. In its testimony, the board told Council members that each additional printed ballot page could cost $1.75 million.

The board also said that training the city’s 36,000 poll workers in new IRV procedures would cost an additional $2 to $4 million annually. Councilman Brad Lander furrowed his brow at the training cost, arguing that including training IRV ballots wouldn’t require that drastic a price tag.

“I think what we’re trying to provide the worst-case scenario numbers,” warned Michael Ryan, executive director of the city’s elections board, at the hearing on Thursday.

Crowded pages could mean not just an additional one or two pages on the ballot, James said, but potentially upwards of six or seven. That likely means pushing names off the front page, leaving some candidates unhappy about where they land on the ballot.

No More Runoffs?

A third bill (Intro 1192), introduced by James, would eliminate runoff elections for the races for comptroller and public advocate, although she did suggest including the mayoral race to include all citywide races.

Only brought to committee last week, it currently has three other sponsors.

Good government groups pushed back on the idea of getting rid of the runoff outright, which didn’t exist until a 1973 charter revision. At the hearing, Citizens Union Policy Director Alex Camarda defended the runoff as a means to ensure candidates are elected by more than just a plurality.

Common Cause New York’s Executive Director Susan Lerner agreed. “I do think strange things can happen without a runoff on some down-ballot races,” she said.

Moving Forward

The next Council could take any of the bills up again if none of the three succeed this term. They’ll then face a mayor who’s unconvinced about instant runoffs. Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio has previously announced his own skepticism to IRV.

Even if the current Council can manage to get any of the bills to the floor for a vote before January, the legislation would still face a ballot referendum next November. If New Yorkers vote to opt into IRV, those changes to city election law — including how ballots are designed — also need to be approved by the state’s Board of Elections. The earliest any voter will see this happen in an election is 2017.

Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh, who is also pushing for a runoff reform bill in Albany, testified to the committee that there’s interest in his bill by members of both the Democrat-controlled Assembly and more politically complicated Senate.

If the bill currently sitting in an Assembly committee succeeds, Kavanagh said, there wouldn’t be a need for a referendum or mayoral approval.

 

Today’s Lead: Bloomberg Promises Balanced Budget


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Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced yesterday that he will leave his successor, Bill de Blasio, a balanced budget. The Bloomberg administration had projected a $2 billion deficit in June. The administration attributed the brighter financial news to better-than-expected tax revenue and savings. The budget does not include the $7 billion in retroactive pay that city unions want and that the mayor-elect will have to negotiate.

Don’t Expect Moreland Report on December 1st, Source Says: The Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption will not be delivering its preliminary report on Dec. 1, as was announced when the commisison was first created by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a source with close working knowledge of the panel told the Gotham Gazette on Thursday. By David Howard King. READ MORE. 


Other Stories We're Following

9/11 Payouts Are Caught in Bottleneck (Wall Street Journal)

Scrutiny Over Bronx Councilman’s Demands for Ice Center Plan (NY Times)

Cuomo Prefers Radio to Spread Message (NY Times)

Bloomberg Bashes Corrections Union For Halting Rikers Island Buses(Daily News)

Senate and Assembly to Jointly File Against Moreland Commission (Daily News)

Schneiderman Celebrates JPMorgan Settlement (Albany Times Union)

Pro-Fracking Employment Numbers Are Greatly Exaggerated (Capital)

City Council Speaker Hopefuls Debate (NY 1)

City Unemployment Up Slightly (Crain's)

NY’s Top Court Upholds NYC Hotel Tax on Marketers (Crain's) 


Today’s Lead: The Battle For Council Speaker


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Six candidates for City Council speaker made it clear at a public forum last night that they would work with Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio to make his “progressive agenda” a reality. When asked whether they would consider raising property taxes as an option for funding the mayor-elect’s goal of universal pre-kindergarten, the candidates were split. 

Councilwoman Melissa Mark Viverito, whose district includes East Harlem and who is seen as a key ally of de Blasio, called it a “last, last resort.” Her colleague from the Bronx, Annabel Palma, agreed. Jumaane Williams, a Brooklyn councilman, said he believed that all revenue options should be explored. But James Vacca, of the Bronx, did not see it that way. “I don’t like increasing the real estate taxes,” he said.

Dan Garodnick, of Manhattan, said he wasn’t ready to “explore alternatives” to pay for de Blasio’s universal pre-K plan. The mayor-elect has said he would seek a new tax hike on New Yorkers who earn more than half a million dollars to pay for it. The Council only has control over real estate taxes; other tax increases would have to be levied by the state, which will require the assent of lawmakers in Albany.

The speaker candidates also fielded questions on affordable housing, police reform and how the legislative body operates during the forum at Baruch College in Manhattan. Over 100 people attended the forum. The members of the Council select the speaker after the New Year. Gotham Gazette will be posting a transcript of the speaker forum on its website. 

 


Other Stories We're Following

Assembly Examines Plan to Gather Data on Students (Albany Times Union)

Bloomberg Lured Donors For City Programs (NY Times)

Thompson Finds Job at Old Office (NY Times)

De Blasio Talks to Three Police Commissioner Candidates (DNAinfo)

Councilman Blasts Barneys and Macy’s (NY Post)

City Hospitals Push Coverage (Wall Street Journal)

Moreland Chair Dodged Board of Elections Probe (Daily News)

Viverito’s Consulting Firm May Be Hurting Her Speaker Bid (Daily News)

Half of De Blasio’s Transition Team are Donors (Crain's)

Comptroller, Good-Government Groups Call For State-Level Campaign Financing (Capital)

In Unpublished Report, Cuomo’s Tax Commission Questions Cuomo Initiative (Capital)

Today's Report: Jump In Deadly NYPD Shootings


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Police shot and killed 16 people last year, more than any other year since 1998. But the number of those shot and injured dropped to 14 from 19 the year before. Thirteen officers were wounded by gunfire in 2012, a number also not reached since the 90s, but none died. Meanwhile, Commissioner Kelly rejected an NYPD judge’s recommendation to fire a Brooklyn cop for shooting and paralyzing an unarmed man. And an emotionally disturbed, knife-wielding man was shot and killed yesterday by police, although he had two prior violent interactions with cops. New data also show that blacks are 25 times more likely to be involved in a shooting - with or without police - than a white person this year so far.

The Speaker Race Explained: The race to replace Christine Quinn, the current speaker who is being term-limited out of office, began long before New Yorkers even went to the polls to vote for mayor in November. The outcome will largely be shaped by backroom dealing among political power brokers and special interests, with Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio potentially stepping in to ensure a candidate ideologically aligned with his progressive agenda is picked for the job.By Chester Soria. READ MORE

Who Will Be The Next Speaker?
A public forum with the candidates for City Council speaker co-sponsored by Gotham Gazette's sister organization, Citizens Union. 6 p.m. on Nov. 20. RSVPs required: email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 212-227-0342, x39. #NextSpeaker

Looking for the full schedule of speaker forums? Find it here.

Other Stories We're Following

Bloomberg Signs Ban Of Tobacco To Anyone Under 21 (Wall Street Journal)

Night Falls And A Graffiti Mecca Is Whited Out (NY Times)

Former NYPD Chief: It's Time To Take On Traffic Crashes (WNYC)

Tax Plan Could Help Upstate At City's Expense (Crain's)

Liberal Bloc On Council Seeks Voice In Election Of New Speaker (NY Times)

Transition ‘Going Smoothly’ de Blasio’s Wife Says (NY Post)

State Overtime To Hit $600 Million (Albany Times Union)

Taxi Industry Wants A Friendly Commissioner From de Blasio (Capital)

Cuomo Preserves Health Insurance Status Quo (WNYC)

Carriers Reject Kill Switch For Stolen Smartphones (Associated Press)

NY Pension Fund Reports 4.6 Percent Return For Quarter (Crain's)

Today's Report

Loose Change Means Millions For MTA
Change left over on unused MetroCards added up to $95 million in revenue for the MTA in 2012, the Independent Budget Office reports. But the $1 fee for new cards is expected to cut significantly into that number in future years. (read the full report)

Recent Reports
Spike In Heating Costs, City Payphones Turn Profit, Flood Maps Will Increase Insurance Costs, Immigrants and Workers of Color More Likely to Be Injured on Construction Sites , Poverty, Chronic Stress, and New York's Youngest Children, more recent reports.

 

Today's Lead: State Expands Sandy Home Buyback Program


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The state is expanding its buyback program to 129 homes in Staten Island's Ocean Breeze section, which was battered by Superstorm Sandy. The voluntary program will offer residents a little above their homes' pre-storm value, including additional money if they relocate within the city. They join 420 homes covered by the program in nearby Oakwood Beach. The properties will be transformed into open space or coastal buffer zones. Floodwaters knocked down 20 houses in the neighborhood and most of the others were badly damaged. Some residents have made repairs, but many remain boarded up.

Who Will Be The Next Speaker? A public forum with the candidates for City Council speaker co-sponsored by Gotham Gazette sister organization Citizens Union. 6 p.m. on Nov. 20. RSVPs required: email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 212-227-0342, x39. #NextSpeaker

Looking for the full schedule of speaker forums? Find it here.

Other Stories We're Following

Cops Stop-And-Frisk 80 Percent Less Than Last Year (New York Magazine)

Class Sizes Average 25 Children After Growing For Six Years (Daily News)

Deficit Facing de Blasio Could Be Smaller Than Advertised (Capital)

De Blasio Must Fight Legal Battles Left By Bloomberg (Daily News)

In Race For Council Speaker, Labor Is New Kingmaker (Crain's)

Candidates Spar Over Speaker’s Power At Second Forum (Politicker)

Judges, Experts Back Judge Scheindlin In Stop And Frisk Ruling (Daily News)

At One Address, $1.8 Million In Medicare Wasted (WNYC)

Thefts Of Apple Devices Continue To Increase (NY Post)

Ailing Federal Web Site May Have Initially Hurt State Healthcare Exchange Program (Albany Times Union)

Cuomo Still Getting High Marks (Albany Times Union)

State To Receive $900,000 From Google Privacy Settlement (Crain's)

No Place To Ride For City’s Dirt Bikers (NY Times)

MTA Tests New Subway Trains On Flushing Line (Wall Street Journal)

Select Bus Service Rolls Out On Brooklyn's Nostrand Ave (DNAinfo)

Is The Charter School Era Waning? (The New Yorker)

 

Today's Lead: LaGuardia Airport Flood Aid


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LaGuardia Airport will receive $37.5 million in federal and state funds to create new flood protections that will make it less vulnerable to future Superstorm Sandy-type extreme weather. The airport was paralyzed during last year's storm after it was flooded with what officials calculated was 100 million gallons of seawater. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the plans on Sunday during a visit to the airport. 

Reforming Solitary Confinement At The City's Biggest Psych Ward — Rikers Island: After years of criticism from advocates, the city’s practice of isolating detainees through punitive segregation has come under scrutiny from lawmakers and city officials. In recent months, the City Council passed legislation to bring greater transparency to the practice. But perhaps the greatest change will come in the months ahead. By Caroline Lewis. READ MORE

Who Will Be The Next Speaker? A public forum with the candidates for City Council speaker co-sponsored by Gotham Gazette sister organization Citizens Union. 6 p.m. on Nov. 20. RSVPs required: email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 212-227-0342, x39. #NextSpeaker

 


Other Stories We're Following

Bronx Assemblyman Tries To Avoid Blowback With Concussion Bill (Albany Times Union)

State Education Commissioner Faces Criticism At Forums (NY Times)

New Poll Says NYers Lukewarm To State Education Reforms (the Post Standard)

Anti-Corruption Panel Co-Chair Got $1M Through Loophole (Daily News)

Ex-Bill Clinton Aide Ickes Advising De Blasio (Daily News)

Cuomo Has Raised Stunning Amount Of Cash For Re-Election (Wall Street Journal)

Labor Plays Kingmaker Role In Speaker Race (Crain's)

LaGuardia Airport To Receive Millions For Storm Protection (The Epoch Times)

Charter School Leaders Want To Work With Mayor-Elect (Newsday)

Landowners Say They'll Sue Over Fracking Decision Delays (WNYC)

Today's Lead: Soaring Prices For Taxi Medallions


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Bids reached record levels in the first taxi medallion auction in over five years. The largest bid for a "mini-fleet" of two medallions blew past $2.5 million yesterday, the highest such bid on record. Single placards went for as much as $1.26 million, The Wall Street Journal reported. The city's taxi commissioner, David Yassky, told the newspaper that the prices demonstrated the health of the cab industry "and by extension the New York City economy." But, as The New York Times reported, the higher prices have made it more difficult for drivers to become owners — a long cherished dream of immigrant New Yorkers.

New in the Gotham Gazette

Council Gives Public New Tool For Government Transparency: New Yorkers may soon be able to watch any public hearing organized by the city from the electronic device of their choice. By Chester Soria. READ MORE

Here's How Bloomberg Could Burnish His Reputation In His Last Days: The plan to rezone East Midtown to make room for new, larger skyscrapers is dead — leaving Mayor Michael Bloomberg without one more data point to his 14-year legacy running the city. By Chester Soria. READ MORE


Other Stories We're Following

Council Approves Post-Sandy Building Codes (NY Times)

NYPD's Kelly Says He Felt Betrayed By Mayoral Candidates (NY Post)

Ex-Congressman Could Be Breaking Campaign Reporting Laws (The Center For Public Integrity)

Tax Reform Panel Makes Recommendations To Cuomo (Albany Times Union)

New Park At Governor's Island Completed (DNAinfo)

Council Speaker Candidates Debate Policy At Forum (Capital)

NYC Schools Modifies Procedures After Child Disappears (WNYC)

Cuomo Signs Hudson River Park Air Rights Bill (Chelsea Now)

Today's Lead: Final Letter Grades For Schools


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The city released what could be the final round of letter grades for more than 1,600 public schools. It is unlikely that the system, created by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration, will survive his tenure. Bill de Blasio has previously said he would get rid of the policy, and a spokeswoman for the mayor-elect told The New York Times on Wednesday that letter grades provide "little real insight to parents and are not a reliable indicator of how schools are actually performing.” GothamSchools has a detailed look at the scores and what they mean. WNYC has a map to navigate the scores. 

Today's Policy Agenda:

_ City Council members vote to require all city agencies, commissions, task forces and committees to record and webcast meetings live. 1:30 p.m., Council chambers.

_ The United Federation of Teachers and other groups call for a ban on standardized testing of students in pre-K through second grade. 11:30 a.m. dial-in. #RecessFromTests


Other Stories We're Following

Panel Found No 'Actual Partiality' By The Judge In Stop-And-Frisk Case (NY Times)

Analysis of Stop-And-Frisk Skeptical Of Effectiveness (Associated Press)

After 24 Years, State Elections Board Member To Leave (Albany Times Union)

Cuomo Vetoes MTA Bill (Capital)

Lopez Accusers Challenge Silver's Efforts To Quash Federal Lawsuit (NY Post)

Councilman Holds Out On Armory Deal (Norwood News)

State Senate Panel Scrutinizes Common Core (Albany Times Union)

A Map Of Median Incomes In NYC Neighborhoods (WNYC)


Today's Lead: East Midtown Rezoning Tabled


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Mayor Bloomberg's plan to rezone 73 blocks of East Midtown Manhattan and allow buildings larger than the Chrysler Building fell apart yesterday when the City Council rejected it. He withdrew the proposal after Council members made it clear they were not satisfied with the plans. "We remain concerned with the price, methodology, and timing of the air rights to be sold by the city," said Speaker Quinn. "We are also concerned with the certainty and funding level of the needed infrastructure improvements, which includes both above and below grade needs." Developers would have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into transit improvements. Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio said he looks forward to rezoning the neighborhood in a way that ensures "real and fair benefits for the people of New York City." The stalled plans may be a boon for large projects in other neighborhoods like those in Hudson Yards and Lower Manhattan.

New in the Gotham Gazette

NY State Mulls Bill Requiring Videotaped Interrogations: Almost every major independent criminal justice group and association in New York state supports the videotaping of interrogations. By Chester Soria. READ MORE

Officials Claim Elections Victory, Look To 2014: A week after 1.3 million New Yorkers cast their ballots in the general election, the city’s Board of Elections celebrated the speed with which it had reported the results while also announcing it was making preparations for next year’s races. By Chester Soria. READ MORE

Other Stories We're Following

Weisbrod Brings Long Resume To Advise de Blasio (NY Times)

Experience Taught Austin, de Blasio's Transition Co-Chair, Power Of Community (NY Times)

NYCHA’s Land Lease Plan Faces Another Legal Challenge (NY Observer)

Bloomberg Rips Scanner Voting Systems' Lack Of Privacy (Daily News)

Rising Deaths From Hepatitis C Spur City Action (City Limits)

Parents To Sue State Over Sharing Kids' Data With Private Firms (Daily News)

Ex-Bronx GOP Head Admits Taking Bribe, Spreads Blame (NY Post)

Bloomberg Touts Demand For Borough Taxis (Capital)

Advocates Push For Publicly Funded Campaigns (Associated Press)

Latest High Line Designs Feature 'Otherworldly' Garden (DNAinfo)

Bones From Historic Burial Grounds Reinterred In City Hall Park (DNAinfo)



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