New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

On Monday, New York elected officials including Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Comptroller Scott Stringer, Public Advocate Letitia James and many others marched in the New York City Columbus Day Parade.

With Election Day just three weeks from Tuesday, the governor's slow march to re-election has picked up a bit of steam lately, mostly aboard the Women's Equality Express, which Cuomo and his lieutenant governor running mate Kathy Hochul again boarded on Saturday, this time in New York City and Long Island.

Then, on Sunday, Cuomo and Hochul were campaigning in Buffalo where they attended True Bethel Baptist Church followed by a closed-press "Buffalo Bills ‎Tailgate Party" (before the Bills lost to the Patriots).

This week, the governor's campaigning will get a push from the release of Cuomo's new memoir All Things Possible: Setbacks and Successes in Politics and Life, at Barnes & Noble now. The governor will be promoting the book at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square on Wednesday - but watch for his gubernatorial opponent Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins, whose campaign is staging an event outside the bookstore at the same time as Cuomo's event.

Meanwhile, Cuomo's former Democratic primary opponent Zephyr Teachout is criss-crossing the state promoting her new book (and doing the work for a Democratic takeover of the State Senate that she says Cuomo is not doing despite a pledge to do so). She'll be in Brooklyn at a public event Tuesday night.

Also Tuesday night and in the same vein, New York City First Lady Chirlane McCray is set to headline a fundraiser for Democratic candidates. Details on all of these events are below. (This will happen while her husband is in Washington, D.C., where he has a packed Tuesday - see below for details).

When the governor gets more publicly involved with state Senate races is to be determined, of course. It is expected that Mayor de Blasio will start popping up at more campaign events, though.

Cuomo's Republican foe, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, will see Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana in town on Thursday to help him campaign and raise funds.

As of Columbus Day, it looks like Cuomo and Astorino will only be facing off in one deabte, set to be televised from Buffalo on October 22 (and include Hawkins and Libertarian candidate Mike McDermott).

But first, this week will see a debate in the state Comptroller race: incumbent Democratic Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and his Republican challenger Bob Antonacci will take part in a debate televised from New York City on Wednesday night. (Later this month, on October 30, incumbent Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Republican challenger John Cahill are set to debate.)

Comptroller Stringer
Perhaps taking advantage of a slow Sunday-of-a-holiday-weekend news day (the mayor had no public events), Comptroller Scott Stringer opted to announce the results of a new audit on Sunday in Harlem. According to a press release from his office, "Stringer unveiled findings of a new audit showing widespread deficiencies in the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's (DOHMH) response to citizen complaints about rodents." The release noted that Stringer said "This is a rat race we're all losing and it's one that affects our quality of life...When people discover infestations in their homes and on their blocks, they expect a quick and effective response. Our audit found that the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene wasn't managing its pest control program effectively, even as the number of complaints about pests grew."

The run of the week in more detail:

Monday
It's Columbus Day, so there's more parading to be done. Aside from marching on Monday, Mayor de Blasio "will deliver remarks at the NYPD Columbia Association," according to his public schedule.

Monday will see the campaign kickoff of "25 days to 25 MPH" as city officials and activists anticipate the lowering of the the city speed limit to 25 MPH in many areas come November 7 after a recently passed law allows this to happen. 

Tuesday
On Tuesday, Mayor de Blasio heads "to Washington, DC on Tuesday for a series of meetings with federal partners," according to his public schedule: "In the morning, the Mayor will meet with FBI Director James Comey and Police Commissioner Bratton at FBI headquarters...Tuesday afternoon, the Mayor will meet with Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco and Police Commissioner Bratton at the White House...Later Tuesday afternoon, the Mayor will meet with Lily Eskelsen García, President of the National Education Association (NEA) at the NEA headquarters...Afterward, the Mayor will meet with United States Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and Police Commissioner Bratton at the Department of Homeland Security....Tuesday evening, the Mayor will participate in a media availability at the NYC Federal Affairs Office with John Miller, Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism of the NYPD...Later on Tuesday, the Mayor will accept Campaign for America's Progressive Champion Award and deliver remarks at Celebrating America's Future 2014....The Mayor will return to New York City on Tuesday night."

Tuesday is three weeks til Election Day!

And as we noted, Governor Cuomo's memoir All Things Possible: Setbacks and Success in Politics and Life is set to be released on Tuesday. Both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal got a look at the book last week - and Cuomo discussed it in an interview with the Times for its Sunday magazine.

On Tuesday, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito "speaks at National Latino AIDS Awareness Press Conference" on the steps of City Hall, according to her public schedule.

On Tuesday the City Council schedule includes the Committee on Public Housing holding an oversight hearing, "evaluation of the Victim of Domestic Violence Need-Based Preference Category and Support and Services for Victims of Domestic Violence in NYCHA Developments" at 10 a.m. at City Hall; and the Committee on Finance, which will consider a new bill being introduced that aims to amend "the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to notices of violation" - also 10 a.m. at City Hall; and the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations will meet to consider a "Resolution calling upon Congress to pass and the President to sign H.R. 1217 and S. 568 to establish the Smithsonian American Latino Museum and designate the Arts and Industries Building as its future location in Washington, D.C." at 1 p.m. at City Hall - Speaker Mark-Viverito will give opening remarks at this meeting.

At 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will welcome The Brooklyn Bolts, "the borough's first professional football team in 70 years" at a rally on the steps of Borough Hall.

On Tuesday evening, Citizens Union will host its annual Awards Dinner, this year the good government organization honors Michael Cardozo, Michele Hirshman, Dr. Herbert Pardes, and Hon. William Thompson, Jr.

Friends of David Garland, the Republican candidate for Assembly District 76, will hold a fundraising event on Tuesday evening with "special guest of honor Assemblyman John Ravitz."

There will be a candidate forum focused on environmental issues in the 18th Congressional District race featuring Nan Hayworth and U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney on Tuesday evening in Bedford, NY.

There is a debate scheduled for Tuesday evening between incumbent Assembly Member Alec Brook-Krasny and his challenger for the 46th assembly seat, Stamatis Lilikakis: 7:30 p.m. at St. Phillip's Church in Dyker Heights, according to The Bensonhurt Bean.

Zephyr Teachout will discuss her new book Corruption in America: From Ben Franklin's Snuff Box to Citizens United at St. Joseph's College in Brooklyn on Tuesday night. This is part of Teachout's "Corruption in New York Circuit Tour," which is part book tour, part campaign for Democratic State Senate candidates.

Brooklyn City Council Member Brad Lander is holding a participatory budgeting session focused on "streets & transit" on Tuesday evening at the NYC Transit Museum.

New York City First Lady Chirlane McCray is set to headline a fundraiser on Tuesday evening as the de Blasio administration (and family) works for a Democratic takeover of the State Senate. According to Capital New York, "McCray is ramping up efforts to ensure Bill de Blasio's wish to have a Democrat-controlled State Senate comes to fruition next month: McCray is headlining a fundraiser Oct. 14 for State Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk who is running for re-election in the 46th District (Capital District and Hudson Valley), and Adrienne Esposito who is running against Republican Tom Croci for Lee Zeldin's 3rd District Senate seat on Long Island. Zeldin, a Republican, is running for Congress."

Wednesday
As we've mentioned, Wednesday night will see the first real debate of the general election in any of the three statewide races (Astorino and Teachout held a couple of debates, but those were more to garner media attention and call out Gov. Cuomo for not debating Teachout). It'll be the Democratic and Republican candidates for Comptroller, Tom DiNapoli and Bob Antonacci, respectively. The debate is taking place at Baruch College in Manhattan and will be broadcast on Time Warner Cable News, including on NY1.

Also as we've mentioned, Governor Cuomo will be at Barnes & Noble in Union Square on Wednesday evening to promote his new memoir - and his opponent Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins will have a presence outside the store.

Meanwhile, Wednesday marks the official "Go Purple Day" in New York City as various city council members, in partnership with the Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic Violence, will host outreach events across the city to help bring awareness to issues pertaining to Domestic Violence. Events will take place from 8 to 9 a.m. as council members "select high visibility areas in their district to conduct outreach."

The Council of Senior Centers and Services (CSCS) will host its second annual Housing Symposium on Wednesday. Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Vicki Been is set to headline "the only aging AND housing focused event in NYC that brings together executives, management and policy officials from public, private and governmental organizations within the housing and aging services industries" - 8:15 am to 12:00 pm at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Wednesday morning will also see the opening of the first Community Healthy Food Hub in West Harlem: "West Harlem Group Assistance (WHGA), the New York office of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund will launch West Harlem's first Community Healthy Food Hub."

The City Council schedule on Wednesday includes the Committee on Immigration meeting to consider a local law "in relation to persons not to be detained by the department of correction," which has been introduced by Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito; and the Committee on Parks and Recreation will head to the Bronx for a tour of North and South Brother Islands Barretto Point Park.

New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito is hosting an event to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in the Council Chambers of City Hall on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

The office of Council Member Julissa Ferreras will also celebrate hispanic heritage by hosting the "1st Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards Reception" at New York Hall of Science in Corona on Wednesday evening.

The "Cop Watch" training series will continue "to teach New Yorkers to monitor and document the police" with an information session in Queens on Wednesday evening.

There will be a Veterans Town Hall meeting hosted by Council Member Eric Ulrich and Assembly Member Michael Miller on Wednesday evening at American Legion Post 118 in Woodhaven. New Mayor's Office of Veterans' Affairs (MOVA) Commissioner Loree Sutton is expected to participate.

Wednesday night will see the second annual "C4Q-Tech/Bash" in Long Island City: "Please join 250+ entrepreneurs, technologists, civic and business leaders, and community residents at the 2nd Annual C4Q Tech Bash fundraiser at the MoMA PS1 Contemporary Art Museum. Honorees include Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of reddit and YCombinator Partner; James Milliken, Chanchellor of CUNY; and Aaron Cohen, Fueled - C4Q Volunteer of the Year.

The Brooklyn Young Democrats will hold their monthly general meeting, at which they hope to hear "from the campaigns of our three endorsed candidates in the area, including Jamie Kemmerer, Marybeth Melendez and Domenic Recchia" - 7:30 PM at Lone Star Bar & Grill in Bay Ridge.

Thursday
Thursday will see "the first ever tech conference in Harlem." "Silicon Harlem Conference" is being hosted by Silicon Harlem and will include Rep. Charlie Rangel, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Council Member Inez Dickens, and Economic Development Corporation head Kyle Kimball will deliver remarks.

City & State NY will host its first "New York - Canada Summit" on Thursday, bringing together "prominent government and business leaders" to discuss the world's "largest bilateral trade relationship" - Grand Hyatt Regency in Buffalo. Discussion will center around "the $33 billion trade relationship across the 445 mile border that New York and Canada share. The New York – Canadian border hosts 17 crossings, four of which are the most heavily-travelled ports of entry, and supports $74.6 billion of economic activity each year for Canada and the United States."

Thursday morning will also see the City-sponsored "Domestic Violence & the Workplace: A Forum For Empowering Survivors Through Best Practices and Resources."

Also Thursday morning, "Twenty Years of Broken Windows Policing: What's Ahead for Public Safety in New York City?" an event being put on by The Manhattan Institute.

CUNY Institute for Education Policy presents: "Choosing Neighborhoods, Choosing Schools" on Thursday evening at The Roosevelt House: "As the idea of school choice gains ground, the question of how parents choose schools becomes a more important topic. Annette Lareau, the sociologist whose work on middle class schooling practices changed the field, will discuss her recent book Choosing Homes, Choosing Schools."

"Post-Racial Mythologies, Post Ferguson Realities: The Past, Present & Future of Policing & Black Communities" is scheduled for Thursday evening at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. "Join the faculty, students, affiliates, and friends of the Institute for Research in African-American Studies (IRAAS; Columbia University) in a contextual and forward-looking discussion of black communities, policing, and youth in the United States." Speakers will include Dr. Christina Greer, a Fordham professor and frequent political commentator on New York and national politics.

Thursday evening is this year's Alliance for Quality Education's (AQE) "Champions of Education" at which AQE will "recognize Champions of Education who work to ensure all students in New York have access to a high quality education" - United Federation of Teachers (UFT) Headquarters.

City Limits (CityLimits.org) is having an event on Thursday evening to celebrate a new, independent chapter in the publication's existence - CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, with special guest speaker Comptroller Scott Stringer.

Four Freedoms Democratic Club's October General Meeting & Happy Hour is Thursday evening and will feature special guest City Council Member Dan Garodnick.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is set to headline a fundraiser for Republican New York gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino on Thursday evening.

Friday and the weekend
Events on our radar for Friday and the weekend are minimal right now, but that's sure to change as the week progresses. A couple of items, though:

On Sunday, Greater NYC for Change, New York State Young Democrats, and Brooklyn Young Democrats will join forces for an afternoon of canvassing "to persuade voters that (Democratic 11th district congressional candidate) Dominic Recchia is the best choice to represent them in the House in November."

For those interested in a career with NYPD, there is an afternoon event in the Bronx on Sunday, "NYPD Community Career Day."

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Have events or topics for us to include in an upcoming Week Ahead in New York Politics? Email 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 Rati Mukhuradze, Katrina Shakarian, David King, and Ben Max
@GothamGazette

Governor Cuomo (photo via glad.org)

The following is part of our series, The Cuomo Record, examining incumbent Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo's first term as he seeks re-election heading toward Election Day, November 4

Heading toward Election Day, members of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration are focused strictly on their past successes - of which there are several - and refusing to talk about what the governor's upcoming priorities might be when it comes to immigration, civil rights, and criminal justice reform.

With the governor having finally emerged on the campaign trail, perhaps he will further outline specific plans for the road ahead in these areas, were he to be re-elected, while also touting his accomplishments, especially his crowning jewel victory of marriage equality in 2011.

In early October, Cuomo addressed a meeting of Baptist ministers in Harlem and promised to pursue a "social justice" agenda in his second term, spearheaded, he said, by the establishment of "a New York State Office of Faith-Based Community Services, designed to assist and maximize community faith-based organizations in providing education, health, workforce training, food programs and social services to communities – especially those most in need."

But advocates have been largely underwhelmed by Cuomo's limited second term policy outline when it comes to social services, immigration, and civil rights. And, there are long-standing priorities in these areas that many expect immediate action on if Cuomo, as is expected, wins a second term.

Cuomo recently committed to increasing the percentage of state contracts awarded to minority and women owned businesses and creating incentives for businesses to hire people of color. "We have too many young men on the street who can't find a job, who can't find a dream," Cuomo said. "I would rather subsidize their wages at a private company and get them training now, rather than see them get into trouble and wind up paying for a prison cell or something else."

These aren't the sweeping policy changes that liberal advocates and legislators are looking for. Advocates insist strong action by the administration is overdue on specific issues like The DREAM Act and the decriminalization of the possession of small amounts of marijuana if it wants to keep or earn their support.

It's not surprising the Cuomo administration is focused on the past, there are major successes to tout that galvanized his Democratic base and established liberal bona fides.

Late on June 24, 2011, not long into Cuomo's term, people were celebrating in Capital Park in Albany across from the capitol building. Rainbow flags flew as crowds of cheering revelers walked in groups that massed and split, hugging, jumping, clapping and exchanging congratulations. They were celebrating the passage of marriage equality in New York. The mood inside the Senate chamber where the final vote took place was as tense and and sober as the revelers outside were jubilant.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo had seen a marriage equality vote fail in the Senate under his predecessor, Gov. David Paterson, thanks to a lack of both Democratic and Republican votes. Advocates had been devastated, supporters outraged, legislators who supported the measure disgusted.

The fact that Cuomo allowed the marriage equality bill to go to the floor almost certainly meant it would pass, but the room was still thick with emotion, foreboding. Who had Cuomo convinced to vote for the bill? What had he promised them? Democratic Senators who had supported the measure were told they would not be able to speak on the bill so as to not upset Senate Republicans; and so that the vote would proceed in an orderly fashion so the governor could make a grand entrance after its passage.

After a few emotional speeches from Republicans and Democratic Sen. Ruben Diaz, who opposed the bill, the measure passed and Cuomo and his aides strode into the room and waved to the gallery. It was Cuomo's signature moment as governor, delivered less than one year into his term.

Its a moment that has buoyed and haunted Cuomo ever since - he proved a master politician and power player who could twist arms and get votes even when it put his Republican allies in danger. Soon legislators, advocates, and voters alike assumed Cuomo could move heaven and earth to pass legislation as long as he sincerely wanted it - and as long as it would boost his political ambitions.

After nearly four years in office Cuomo has accumulated a number of major accomplishments on civil rights, immigration, and prison reform. Some have come to define his governorship while others have flown under the radar. And yet advocates and members of his own party feel the governor has failed to capitalize on the momentum generated by his action on a number of progressive issues. They see him avoiding fights that would cost him political capital and lightly laying the blame for lack of movement on issues like The DREAM Act, The Women's Equality Agenda, and the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act at the feet of his Republican allies in the Senate.

A closer look at the governor's first-term record on immigration and civil rights:

Immigration
Twenty three days before the marriage equality vote Cuomo made another major move on civil rights - this one having to do with immigration. Cuomo announced New York would no longer participate in the federal Secure Communities Program.

The program was created to deport serious felons but instead many advocates, community members, and law enforcement officials insisted that the program led to the deportation of many non-felons and created major distrust of law enforcement and government.

Cuomo was the second governor after Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn to make such a move and established Cuomo's willingness to defy the status quo in Washington.

Secretary of State Cesar Perales told Gotham Gazette that the move did not receive the attention it deserved. "I'm surprised not many people pay attention that the governor took a look at this massive deportation program and said, 'I'm not longer going to participate. I'm not going to help you deport people."

New York City officials had limited their participation in the program before Cuomo's move, but Perales says Cuomo's announcement allowed state law enforcement in other areas around the state with large immigrant communities to improve relationships and remove barriers of fear and apprehension that law enforcement was simply looking to hand them over to federal authorities.

"It probably didn't get as much attention in the city because it didn't have the kind of impact it did upstate where a lot of folks work on small farms, or in communities where the federal authorities feel they can pick up people and question them," Perales told Gotham Gazette. "There was a real panic in those communities that are not exactly immigrant friendly. It let us say to the sheriffs in those communities, 'We are not going to participate in deportation.'"

Bronx state Sen. Gustavo Rivera told Gotham Gazette that the Cuomo administration worked closely with advocates and legislators for over a year on what the correct move was regarding Secure Communities. "They made sure they were absolutely getting this right. And I think they did. It was an important point in this battle we are waging nationally. New York is the most populous state that has said, 'we are not going to implement this.'"

Rivera said that Cuomo's move has restored faith in some immigrant communities that the government's sole function isn't to deport them, allowing for more cooperation between the communities and service providers like the police.

Cuomo's next big move on immigration came in 2013 when Perales and the State Department opened The Office of New Americans, which saw the creation of 27 centers across the state to provide immigrants with English language training, job opportunities and referrals for legal assistance.

"For the first time there is a network across the state from Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, where there are offices connecting folks to the help they need. They are doing a fantastic job assisting new Americans," said Perales. Perales says the ONA has allowed the state to keep its finger on the pulse on the issues facing immigrants and has led to action against landlords who were abusing non-English speaking tenants and allowed them to help child detainees.

Perales said he expects to see an expansion of the program to provide increased legal services if Cuomo should serve a second term. "I can't give you an exact number, but I expect a significant increase in funding for the program next year," said Perales.

Some legislators and advocates, however, feel that Cuomo has failed to move on some of the biggest issues facing their communities. A number of city-based legislators have been pushing for the State to act on The DREAM Act - a package that would give college tuition assistance to the children of undocumented immigrants. The bill has passed the Assembly repeatedly, but has only been brought to a vote once in the Senate. The vote on the bill was called unexpectedly by the Independent Democratic Conference and Senate Republicans who control the chamber after advocates demanded a vote. Upset by its failure, those advocates insist they did not have time to work to secure votes.

One Democratic operative who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that the Black and Latino Caucus of the Senate and Assembly has grown increasingly frustrated with the governor on the issue because he has refused to take a firm stance on the legislation despite support from their communities. The operative noted that immigrant communities delivered Cuomo wins in important districts in his primary battle against Zephyr Teachout this September. "We put him over the line. We were out there working for him and he's got to deliver for us now."

The New York City vote may be critical for Cuomo in the general election because of backlash upstate over The SAFE Act, which increased gun regulations in the state.

Despite having committed to passing The DREAM Act as part of his deal to earn the Working Families Party endorsement, Cuomo hasn't been particularly vocal about it this election cycle and administration officials refuse to say what policies Cuomo is committed to in his second term. "Speaking generally, the governor is committed to returning New York to its place as the progressive capital of the nation," Alphonso David, Cuomo's Deputy Secretary for Civil Rights, told Gotham Gazette.

But David refused to get into specifics about the possibilities of Cuomo's second term agenda. "The common thread is solidifying New York as the progressive capital of the nation whether its marriage equality, committing to have a 30 percent goal for state contracts with minority or women-owned businesses, or implementing new and innovative programs like the strikeforce in the Bronx where we've seen unemployment reduced to under 10 percent."

LGBT Rights
Earlier this year the Cuomo campaign had to work harder than expected to secure the endorsements of a number of prominent LGBT clubs and organizations, despite the fact that his signature accomplishment for most of his liberal base has been passing marriage equality.

"Without the governor, we obviously wouldn't have achieved marriage equality and we are grateful," Nathan Schaefer, executive director of The Empire State Pride Agenda, told Gotham Gazette in July. "But when the community looks at endorsements we look at what a candidate has done on our issues in the past and what they have planned for the future."

For some in the LGBT community marriage equality seems to be enough for unwavering, ongoing support of Cuomo - including the state's largest LGBT club, the Stonewall Democrats, which endorsed Cuomo. However, there were city-based LGBT clubs which endorsed Cuomo's opponent Zephyr Teachout or had contentious debates about who to back and wound up siding with the governor.

Schaefer told Gotham Gazette he was specifically concerned that Cuomo had not put much effort into passing The Gender Equality Non Discrimination Act. GENDA would make it illegal to discriminate against a New Yorker based on their sexual identity or gender expression. The failure of the Senate to pass a bill that would ban licensed medical providers from conducting gay conversion therapy was also on Schaefer's and others' minds. And, some members of the LGBT community were concerned that Cuomo was giving Schaefer the cold shoulder.

But in late August the Pride Agenda announced its endorsement of Cuomo, though it was only after he sent them a letter reaffirming his support for GENDA.

Cuomo's surrogates have spent most of the summer and fall assuring influential members of key progressive voting blocs that the governor is committed to moving these larger pieces of liberal legislation. Teachout's surprising primary performance may have convinced Cuomo's camp that he needs to reassert his liberal bona fides.

David said that Cuomo will "continue to intervene to address the needs of New Yorkers" where the federal government has failed them. When asked if he felt enough had been made about Cuomo's action on Secure Communities and The Office of New Americans, David replied: "The communities that benefited have spoken. I hope they speak loudly enough through the ballot boxes. They are the ones who can keep him or remove him."

Women's Equality
Many say that one of the largest failures of Cuomo's first term has been his seeming inability to force action on his own Women's Equality Act (WEA). Cuomo proposed the ten-point legislation that he introduced during his 2013 State of the State address: "Maybe it's a man's world, but it is not a man's world in New York. Not anymore," Cuomo's voice thundered across the Empire State Plaza Convention Center's main hall. "We are going to change the lives for my daughters and your daughters and your sisters and your nieces and your wife and your significant other and every person in this room...And we're going to do it this year!"

But it didn't get done that year, or this year, largely because the 10th point of the act would codify the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade abortion decision in state law and many legislators have balked on it. Senate Republicans and the IDC blocked a vote on that 10th measure - insisting measures that dealt with pay equality, sex trafficking, and domestic violence be voted on separately. The Assembly refused as it had already passed the entire package. Cuomo has insisted it's one cohesive 10-point plan.

The IDC blamed Senate Democrats for the package's failure, saying that some members of the Democratic conference don't support the 10th measure. Democrats blamed the IDC and Republicans. Advocates were torn on whether they wanted to settle for a vote on the measures separately. Nearly two years after Cuomo announced his intention to pass the package none of the measures have become law.

Now Cuomo has made the WEA the focus of his reelection campaign - even forming the Women's Equality Party - but a number of advocates have expressed disbelief that Cuomo didn't expend more energy and capital in getting a full vote in the Senate.

Marijuana and Prison
In June 2012, Cuomo announced a plan to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. "Today's announcement is about creating fairness and consistency in our laws since there is a blatant inconsistency in the way we deal with small amounts of marijuana possession," he said. "This is an issue that disproportionately affects young people — they wind up with a permanent stain on their record for something that would otherwise be a violation. The charge makes it more difficult for them to find a job. Together, we are making New York fairer and safer, and ensuring that every New Yorker has access to justice system that doesn't discriminate based on age or color."

The announcement came as the focus on the NYPD's use of stop-and-frisk increased. Cuomo said at the time that the practice permanently stained the records of young people of color who were arrested while in possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Cuomo reversed himself in January 2014, saying that stop-and-frisk was no longer a major issue for New York City and seemed to drop the issue of marijuana decriminalization. Advocates disagree. Jennifer Flynn of Vocal-NY said that the decriminalization of marijuana in New York is a top priority for her organization. "Marijuana legalization has been the civil rights issue of the last three or four years in New York," said Flynn, who described Cuomo's record on civil rights, criminal justice, and prison reform as "a mixed bag."

Teachout hit Cuomo repeatedly on his lack of action on marijuana reform. "This is a governor who has shown a real lack of compassion by failing to grant clemency, and a lack of leadership by failing to decriminalize marijuana," Teachout told Gotham Gazette in August.

Flynn notes that Cuomo has focused on prison reform - closing a number of prisons, dismantling the state's archaic juvenile justice system, and providing programs that connect former prisoners with jobs - like the Work for Success program that has 20 locations across the state.

However, Flynn points out that Cuomo quietly abandoned efforts to reinstate a program he had initially trumpeted that would provide a free college education to inmates after the proposal was rebuffed by legislators.

This fall, the Cuomo administration empaneled a staffed commission on prisoner reentry issues that met for the first time on September 10th. It is expected to issue recommendations on how the State can eliminate red tape and help the formerly incarcerated find jobs and prevent recidivism. One issue that Flynn hopes to see addressed is the placement of inmates in facilities that are closer to their relatives. Currently a number of city inmates are shipped hundreds of miles upstate - often making it impossible for them to continue substantive relationships with their families - hurting relationships that have been shown to prevent recidivism.

Next Term
Sen. Rivera told Gotham Gazette that Senate Democrats need to do a better job supporting Cuomo on pieces of progressive legislation if they expect to see them become law.

The governor seems fully committed to his Women's Equality Act, but on other pieces of legislation like The Dream Act things are less clear. Control of the state Senate will also determine a great deal.

"This is why the battle we are fighting to be in the majority is so important. We need to get more people to get us over the top and get a stable majority," said Rivera. "And honestly we need to do a better job communicating the need of the bill. The DREAM Act polls badly across the state. We need to demonstrate that this bill allows already productive members of society to continue to be successful where they have already been successful."

However, Rivera added, "I know when the governor puts his mind to something...that thing happens. I hope in the time to come he will be willing to put the political capital and muscle behind these issues because that's how things get done."

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This article is part of The Cuomo Record, Gotham Gazette's series looking at the governor's first term. Find the other articles in the series here.
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by David King, Albany Editor, Gotham Gazette
@DavidHowardKing

Governor Cuomo (photo: @NYGovCuomo)

As Election Day approaches and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo runs for re-election to a second term, Gotham Gazette looks at his record on several key issues in a series to be released throughout mid-to-late October:

The Cuomo Record

• Immigration and Civil Rights
• Transparency
• Government Reform
• The Environment
• The Economy
• The Budget
• Education

For more information on the 2014 New York State election cycle, visit our Election Center.

Find us on Twitter @GothamGazette

Read our ongoing coverage of New York politics and policy.

A Cop Watch training (photo: Alex-Quan Pham)

"Usually, for the Bushwick team, we'll meet up, we'll have a meal together. And the meal is important because in the rare instances that you get arrested, you sit overnight and you get hungry," said Meejin Richart, explaining the start of a typical Cop Watch patrol.

Richart had just finished instructing the three "Ds" of cop watching—deter, de-escalate, and document—to the packed conference space of the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence (CAAAV) in Chinatown. The crowd of about fifty participants gathered Monday night to learn how to safely and effectively monitor police activity. The workshop was the second in a series of trainings organized by People's Justice for Community Control and Police Accountability, a coalition of CAAAV, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, and the Justice Committee.

There are many Cop Watch teams that monitor police interactions throughout the five boroughs. Teams are stationed in Sunset Park, East Harlem, and the South Bronx, among other neighborhoods. While Cop Watch teams have been operating in New York City since 1999, there has been a greater focus on their activities in light of recent high-profile examples of what many are calling police brutality and the coalition is upping its mobilization efforts.

Cop watching in a similar form began in the sixties with the Black Panthers, who utilized a more militant brand wherein they held firearms along with their law books and had the goal of mitigating police brutality in African-American communities in California. The Black Panthers, however, did not have the technology that allows community members to create a virtual paper trail of police using excessive force.

In learning how to cop watch themselves (holding smartphones, not guns), Monday's attendees moved through possible scenarios of witnessing and documenting police encounters. They were told to note the date, time, and location of an encounter; to ask for the consent of the person being filmed; and to cooperate with police if the situation progresses dangerously.

The facilitators reminded participants that the idea is to prevent escalation of violence upon the person being policed, but that watchers need to be cognizant of their own safety as well. Though recording police is a protected right, officers can arrest copwatchers if they have reasonable suspicion or deem a person to be interfering with an arrest. "Remain calm at all times, and ask repeatedly if you are free to go. You do not have to consent to a phone search...they actually need a warrant to go through your phone," explained Kevin Park, one of the two co-facilitators.

Community members proceeded to role-play cop and civilian, which drew laughter and applause. Attendees made light of serious issues, even as they shared their less-than-pleasant stories of past police encounters.

"Most of us wouldn't know anything about the Eric Garner case without someone who pulled out their phone and documented that incident," said Richart, citing the video of the Staten Island man who died in July after being placed in a chokehold by a police officer arresting him. A grand jury has begun hearing evidence on the Garner case to decide whether there should be criminal charges. Both the medical examiner and an independent forensic investigator have ruled the case a homicide.

Eric Garner has become one of the names often cited by protesters amid public outcry against the NYPD. At a recent town hall in Sunset Park, residents decried the case of another victim named Sandra Amezquita, a 44-year-old visibly pregnant woman who a bystander recorded being hit by the police with batons and thrown to the ground stomach-first.

Ruben An, who is a police accountability coordinator at CAAAV, attributes a pattern of police brutality to the Broken Windows theory as put into practice by Police Commissioner Bill Bratton. "You see immigrants getting harassed, you see communities of color getting stopped and frisked, arrested for no reason, brutalized," An said.

The use of Broken Windows policing and an alleged quota system, under which officers have to fulfill a certain number of arrests or other quantifiable metrics, have focused on misdemeanors as a way of preventing more egregious crimes. Neighborhoods home to the poorest New Yorkers and most people of color have faced an appreciably larger police presence.

Another one of the NYPD's practices—the controversial 'stop-and-frisk'—was challenged in the class action lawsuit Floyd v. City of New York. While the court could not order the complete halt of stop-and-frisk due to Supreme Court precedent, it ruled the NYPD's application of the practice as unconstitutional because of its disparate use in communities of color.

The case was a catalyst for a soon-to-be-launched pilot program of monitoring police encounters with civilians whereby officers strap cameras to their chests to document their activity. The court also called for a joint remedial process, which allows community stakeholders to have more input in police accountability. Town halls throughout all boroughs, organized by court-appointed facilitator Nicholas Turner, are examples of places where the community can voice concerns to police officials.

Cop watchers are wary of the pilot program, since the power is still in the hands of officers: "who gets to control when the cameras go on and off? Who has access to the footage—is it the police or the community or some independent body?" asked Aidge Patterson, a coordinator for the People's Justice Coalition.

Cop Watch is one grassroots solution to police brutality, which Commissioner Bratton has vowed to eliminate, but activists say they will not turn away from. As the Cop Watch movement grows, it has been met with retaliation from the police. "Cop Watch is a culture that is doing something right if they're singling us out and attacking us," said Meejin Richart, about what the group says is growing aggression against Cop Watchers by the NYPD. "Our goal would be for Cop Watch to be everywhere, for everyone to be Copwatching for each other."

When asked about the overarching goals of the Cop Watch movement other than the obvious (to document police misconduct), Ruben An reiterated his support for more community control, "We want to see communities deciding what safety looks like for them. It means that they're invited to the process and decide what measures they want to create. We're trying to build a culture where everyone in the community feels they're responsible for one another."

Mayor Bill de Blasio has appointed four new members to the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) in an effort to reduce police misconduct. Also, Commissioner Bratton made a statement last week indicating he will purge the NYPD of police officers who have been mistreating the public, though he made no mention of moving away from Broken Windows policing.

***
by Alex-Quan Pham, Gotham Gazette
@GothamGazette

Gov. Cuomo holds a large fundraising advantage (photo: NY governor's office via flickr)

New York Public Interest Group (NYPIRG) report referenced above can be found here.
The Quinnipiac poll referenced above can be found here.

***
by Casey Tolan, Gotham Gazette
@CaseyTolan

Mayor de Blasio announces cultural benefits to municipal ID (photo: mayor's office via nyc.gov)

Less than three months before the City rolls out its new municipal ID card program, New Yorkers are being called on for the first time to publicly express their interests and concerns regarding what many consider one of the de Blasio administration's most important initiatives.

The New York City Identification Card Program, more commonly referred to as the Municipal ID, was codified into law in July and has received widespread acclaim. In a city of immigrants, many undocumented, the ID is poised to provide a form of identification which would give the most vulnerable residents of the city key protections and access to vital services. Regardless of immigration status, homelessness, gender identity or virtually any other factor, all New Yorkers 14 years and older will be eligible for the card.

On Wednesday evening, the city's Human Resources Administration (HRA), the agency responsible for implementing the program, will hold a public hearing to discuss the rules which have been established for application procedures and to address privacy and security concerns. These concerns remain at the forefront for those hesitant to back the program.

HRA has also already given people the opportunity to air their opinions and provide feedback via its online portal, where commenters have reinforced concerns that have existed throughout discussion of the initiative.

Ever since the program was announced, immigrant rights advocates have taken it with a pinch of salt. While they applaud the overall objectives of the program, some express skepticism about the information being collected and what will happen with it, and the danger of creating stigma for undocumented residents of the city.

These concerns are echoed through the comments expressed on the HRA website. In fact, the latter issue was raised by Council Member Dan Garodnick when the bill was being voted on in June. "If this card does not gain widespread voluntary acceptance, I fear that it will serve the opposite purpose than what is intended, namely that it will, in fact, simply identify the undocumented for the government," he said at the Stated Meeting of the Council on June 26.

A social worker, Rhonda Ryan, wrote on HRA's website, "Everyone deserves to be able to carry a document that says who they are. My concern however, is getting illegal persons to trust the process and to sign up for the card. They are very worried about getting caught in the country illegally, therefore I think there will need to be major training and sensitivity around this issue in order to get the most vulnerable population the card they deserve."

To address these concerns, the de Blasio administration announced that it would partner with 33 cultural institutions, such as the Bronx Zoo and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to provide free access and memberships through the ID cards, which will be provided free of charge to applicants. This was done in the hopes of attracting a wider population to the cards and removing the possible stigma. It seems widely agreed upon that attaching those perks will be a boon to the program.

The greatest issues, most agree, are those of privacy.

Council Member Daniel Dromm, who championed the legislation, believes the protections included are strong enough to keep immigrants from the prying eyes of government agents. "The NYPD will not have access unless they have a judicial subpoena," Dromm said by phone this week. "Some people wanted an administrative subpoena, but we didn't allow that," he added.

Dromm stressed the importance of all New Yorkers signing up for the card. "When we have a lot of people thrown into the mix, there is virtually no chance of telling who is undocumented and who is not. And we will not be asking people if they're documented or not."

To add to the benefits of the card, Dromm said the Council has reached out to businesses and financial institutions, such as Mastercard, to accept the card as a form of identification, and that these companies have shown a lot of interest. This would be a breakthrough in providing homeless New Yorkers and undocumented immigrants with much-needed access to bank accounts and financial services.

"There are concerns that all advocates share," said Emily Tucker, staff attorney for immigrant rights at The Center for Popular Democracy. "We live in a society with increasing surveillance and there are worries that federal authorities might get their hands on the data. We just hope we can let people know so they can make an informed decision about the ID cards."

In particular, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Secure Communities program, which targets undocumented immigrants with criminal records, relies heavily on coordination with local authorities. "It's hard to say how it'll work out with ICE. There's not a lot of transparency in how they operate," said Tucker. "City officials have assured advocates that the information will be protected. But the systems are very opaque." However, she was encouraged by the potential in the system and said immigrants could rely on it without fear.

Also, there are ongoing efforts to distance the NYPD from ICE officials. Just yesterday, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito introduced a bill to end the policy of the City handing over detainees to ICE.

Gotham Gazette reached out to ICE officials for comment. Public Affairs Officer Luis Martinez said, "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requests detainers on individuals arrested on criminal charges to ensure that dangerous criminals are not released from prisons or jails and into our communities. ICE will continue to work cooperatively with law enforcement partners throughout New York as the agency seeks to enforce its priorities through the identification and removal of convicted criminals and other public safety threats."

Among the stipulations in the municipal card legislation is that the information collected by HRA will be stored for up to two years, following which it would be destroyed. Future records would also be discarded after the application process if it is deemed unnecessary to store them.

This record keeping, and the NYPD's access to the data, was the crux of the argument made by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU). "Our primary concern is that the legislation allows the City to retain the collected information for two years. The State specifically lowers the standards by which law enforcement agencies can obtain that information. They can do so without having to show probable cause" said Johanna Miller, advocacy director, NYCLU.

Miller said immigrants will be excited about the program, but most would have no knowledge of how their information is being used. "One important measure we hope the City will take is to agree to give people notice when law enforcement requests their information. Otherwise people won't have the opportunity at all to defend their privacy," she added.

"The city has made huge strides in making the city accessible to immigrants. But in this case, they really compromised too much when the NYPD indicated they would want access to the information. They set out to create a program beneficial to immigrants and to the most vulnerable communities. But really, they're creating a program that would benefit the NYPD," Miller said.

Harpreet Toor, from the Sikh Cultural Society, posted on HRA's site, "In the rules there is a lack of a penalty for anyone who intentionally or negligently releases confidential HRA collected municipal ID data. This [penalty] needs to be included to explicitly to give confidence to municipal ID applicants and to deter anyone who would use this data for their own purposes."

There was Republican opposition to the bill in the City Council. Believing that it encourages illegal immigration, Council Member Vincent Ignizio, one of the three Republicans on the Council (the only council members to vote against the proposal) said at the June 26 meeting, "I will vote no on this bill because I believe there are legitimate security concerns that have not been adequately addressed in it, and notwithstanding the desire of my colleagues to act in a compassionate manner to ensure that people aren't treated...unfairly."

The other side of the coin is that the ID is one of the current administration's most progressive moves so far. "NYC's expansion of the municipal ID to a broad swathe of residents is an important advancement not only for the immigrant population but for all New Yorkers," said Peter Markowitz, a professor at Cardozo Law School.

Markowitz insisted that the ID would provide better access to critical government services and improve interactions with the NYPD. "The City Council and the mayor have gone to great lengths to ensure that immigrants can share the information they need to and that the information stays with the city. Immigrants would be wise to take this opportunity," he added.

Immigrant communities are raptly awaiting the ID cards, according to the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an umbrella organization that has more than 200 member organizations. "Immigrants are definitely excited about it," said Betsy Plum, director, special projects, NYIC. She expressed confidence in the privacy protections put forth in the legislation and said the benefits outweigh the minimal risks. "An ID is an incredible privilege and a lot of immigrants are prohibited from it," she said. "It's the element that gives you access to the rest of your life. It's the key to the city."

At Wednesday's hearing representatives from the NYIC and NYCLU will be present to testify. The Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs did not provide comment for this story.

***
by Samar Khurshid, Gotham Gazette
@samarkhurshid

Michael Grimm, left, and Domenic Recchia (all photos: Katrina Shakarian)

Polls show a neck-and-neck race. Democrats see a flippable House seat held by a Republican who threatened to physically harm a reporter and is facing a 20-count indictment. Their candidate, though, has a limited base in a Republican-heavy district and recently shot himself in the foot by showing startlingly limited command of foreign policy issues.

With the race in the 11th New York Congressional District in full swing, incumbent Republican Congressman Michael Grimm and his Democratic challenger, former City Council Member Domenic Recchia, met for their first head-to-head debate last week.

Grimm's recent indictment on charges such as tax evasion related to a restaurant he once owned seemed to blow open a door already seen as cracked. Recchia, however, has not stormed through it.

Unable to take full advantage of Grimm's weaknesses, Recchia has left room to question if he is the best candidate to be challenging the incumbent and if it was wise for the Democrats to clear the field for him whereby he did not have a primary to better prepare for the general campaign.

While Recchia has a significant fundraising advantage and has been hitting the airwaves with ads attacking Grimm, he has come across as less than articulate on the issues and was conspicuously absent from a previous debate at which Grimm appeared. Grimm used the opportunity to bash Recchia's lack of experience with foreign affairs and lump him together with President Obama and Mayor de Blasio as part of what he called a dangerous progressive movement.

New York Democrats have been quick to defend Recchia and his record while lashing out at Grimm.

"(Recchia) didn't get indicted did he?" said Michael Arvanites, president of the North Shore Democratic Club (of Staten Island). "The most important thing for a Congressman is to not embarrass us, and not threaten anyone physically. He has to focus on getting people back on their feet and not on a trial. If Recchia has to brush up on foreign policy, so be it." He also stressed that Recchia has been particularly effective with one-on-one meetings with voters.

The stress on grassroots has been a cornerstone of Recchia's platform, with frequent mentions of his family and roots in the district. His supporters echo the message. "He's a very down-to-earth guy who says it the way it is and people can relate to him immediately," said City Council Member Vincent Gentile, a Democrat representing southwest Brooklyn, including Bay Ridge, which falls within the 11th Congressional District.

But criticism of the everyman politician has been just as fierce - and not just from Republicans.

"(Dominic Recchia) has become, in all his endeavours, a go-along to get-along politician," said Sal Albanese, a former city council member from Bay Ridge who ran for mayor last year. "That's exactly what we don't need in Washington. He's ill-equipped for the job as he's demonstrated time and again. The only reason he's competitive is because he's raised a lot of money from influence peddlers and he's facing someone who has been indicted."

Calling Recchia a "poster boy of pay-to-play," Albanese said the race would have been an easy win for Democrats had there been a different candidate, especially one from Staten Island such as State Senator Diane Savino, State Assembly Member Michael Cusick, or State Assembly Member Matthew Titone - names floated by multiple sources.

Albanese isn't the only one who has critiqued Recchia's dealing in favors. "If you look at Recchia's record on the Council, he was clearly a wheeler-dealer, playing for his allies and shortchanging others with discretionary funds," said Ted Hamm, chair of the journalism department at St. Joseph's College in Brooklyn.

Emphasizing that Recchia's record needs more scrutiny, Hamm agreed that another candidate would have been better, even suggesting the best man for the job would have been Albanese - who told Gotham Gazette that he was far too tired from his mayoral campaign to turn around and run another race and that he wanted to be Mayor, not a member of Congress.

Neither Albanese nor Hamm advocated anyone vote for Grimm, though.

Hamm did discuss Grimm's path to victory. "I think Grimm's got his base and he's able to play the persecution card that he's being singled out and attacked. He has a reputation for delivering for his district. Given the odds he's facing, he's putting up a much tougher fight," he said.

During a recent appearance on WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show, Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), Rep. Steve Israel said that the indictment might not really affect Grimm, noting, "You know the news of an indicted Congressman, generally people think about that and say 'Well, why is that even news?' When you go to Congress, don't you automatically get indicted. So that didn't really change opinion among voters."

The messaging tack the campaigns take in the coming weeks could be the deciding factor. "Both need to do the same thing, either focus on Grimm's track record or on the vision that Recchia would bring home for the district," said Hamm.

A local Democratic operative who refused to be named said that Recchia's ability to raise money was central to his nomination and that other possible candidates would not have received the same consideration from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "Recchia's going to deliver the funds for the people he represents," the operative said.

The latest Sienna College poll, released September 16, shows a near dead heat, with Grimm leading 44-40. "Grimm is viewed unfavorably by nearly half of voters, down significantly from November 1, 2012, when he had a 52-34 percent favorability rating," said Steven Greenberg, Siena College pollster. "Recchia is viewed more favorably than unfavorably but he remains unknown to almost half of voters. While more than half of voters say they've seen Grimm commercials or been contacted by his campaign, only a little more than one-third of voters say they've been contacted by the Recchia campaign or have seen his commercials."

On WNYC, Rep. Israel said the he "Always believed it would be a toss-up. When the pundits took this race from safe Republican after the 20-count indictment and trying to throw a reporter off a balcony and said it was a safe Democratic race, I disagreed. This by it's very nature is a toss-up district."

The Siena College poll revealed that both candidates have some home field advantage. Grimm leads in Staten Island while Recchia is more popular on the Brooklyn side of the district.

"Voters are still getting to know Recchia while they have a definitive position on Grimm," said Jonathan Yedin, a political consultant with The Advance Group. "Recchia's just not as known on Staten Island," he added. Yedin was campaign manager for Michael McMahon, who held the seat between 2009 and 2011. McMahon lost to Grimm in 2010.

But that begs the question, why wasn't a Democratic candidate from Staten Island chosen?

"Any one of the other potential candidates could have run, but they didn't. There are pros and cons about everybody, but I think Recchia is in a good place," said Yedin.

Other Democrats weren't interested in discussing possible alternative to Recchia. "There is no one more qualified to serve the people of Brooklyn and Staten Island in Congress than Domenic Recchia," said Justin Brannan, president of the Bay Ridge Democrats. "Dom is an experienced public servant who has spent the last 25 years fighting for the people of this district, from saving the jobs of thousands of teachers from layoffs in 2011 to preventing the closing of dozens of firehouses throughout New York City, including Brooklyn and Staten Island."

Tom Shcherbenko, president of the Staten Island Democratic Association said, "Two years ago when people recommended Domenic, at first I was skeptical. But when I spoke to him I realized he's a smart guy and he can do this. He's so strong from his experience on the City Council. This guy's a fighter." He said Grimm's campaign was not expanding beyond the base which he has already solidified in the last few years. "Grimm needs to find a way to appeal to moderate voters and those who are undecided if he wants to beat Recchia," Shcherbenko said.

Israel said that the more voters in NY-11 learn about the two candidates, "the more they're turning to Domenic Recchia, who was a New York City councilman, just a relentless, tenacious fighter for the middle class. I think that race is going to be litigated...down to Election Day, but we're very optimistic about that based on trends. We've got the momentum in that race now, clearly."

Debate Specifics
At last week's debate, hosted by the Bay Ridge Council on Aging at the Fort Hamilton Senior Center, the two candidates looked evenly matched.

The debate came the week after Recchia was conspicuously absent from another Bay Ridge debate at which Grimm appeared and passionately defended his record and attacked his opponent. Recchia's failure to appear at the debate came on the heels of his committing a series of gaffes on the campaign trail that may have swung some momentum back toward the incumbent and caused the Recchia campaign to regroup privately.

Recchia had shown an apparent inexperience with foreign policy issues on the campaign trail and, citing a scheduling conflict, missed the initial debate where he could have set the record straight. Grimm said his opponent's knowledge of foreign issues was "laughable" and criticized his hesitation to openly debate the issues.

When the two candidates did appear side-by-side, however, Recchia was prepared for the joust in front of a packed ballroom crowd of vocal constituents.

A confident Recchia leaned heavily toward talking up his tenure in the City Council and had his own arrows to sling at Grimm for his votes on sequestration and the government shutdown last year. "I'm running for Congress, ladies and gentleman, because this Congress today is the most ineffective Congress in the history of the United States of America, and it's time that we do something about it," said Recchia. "And my opponent is part of the problem, not part of the solution."

On the offensive, Grimm attacked his opponent as a "toll-raiser" who also raised taxes while on the City Council and critiqued Recchia's positions on immigration and Obamacare. As he has often done, Grimm coupled his remarks with jabs against President Obama, Mayor de Blasio and the progressive agenda. "I think it's a very stark contrast," said Grimm. "Either an ultra-liberal progressive or a like-minded, what I believe I'm like-minded with you, conservative, that believes in a traditional values."

Both candidates made sure to address issues faced by senior citizens, who made up a large portion of the audience, including Social Security and Medicare. Grimm was especially vocal against the Affordable Care Act. "I think Obamacare is one of the biggest problems seniors are facing right now...Our district, the 11th Congressional District is hit 7th out of 435 of the most cuts to medicare. $715 billion dollars was cut from Medicare by Obamacare, something my opponent supports."

Surprisingly, foreign policy was only briefly touched upon, perhaps reflective of the concerns of the audience.

As was inevitable, Recchia questioned Grimm's ability to perform as a member of Congress in the face of the federal indictment against him. Grimm sidestepped the question, as he often has, saying he deserves his day in court and shifting to listing his accomplishments instead. He slammed Recchia for betraying middle class New Yorkers by voting to raise taxes and tolls.

Voters in the district, which encompasses Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, are facing a stark choice. With just four weeks until Election Day, the race appears ripe for one candidate to take command.

***
by Samar Khurshid, Gotham Gazette
with reporting contributed by Katrina Shakarian

Zephyr Teachout at a rally in Poughkeepsie (photo: @ZephyrTeachout)

Exactly four weeks from Election Day former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout said "It's hard to see it happening" when asked if she had made any headway in her decision about endorsing incumbent Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo for re-election.

In an interview with Gotham Gazette, Teachout explained that in her eyes the governor has done "no serious campaigning" toward ensuring a Democratic takeover of the New York State Senate, which she sees as the key to advancing priority issues of campaign finance reform and proper levels of school funding. When asked if Cuomo was doing enough to work for Democratic Senate candidates, Teachout said, quickly, "No, of course not. No."

While Teachout did not completely rule out endorsing Cuomo, she said that she was sticking to her previously set date of October 28 as when she would make her decision about whom to back in the gubernatorial race, if anyone. Gotham Gazette was prompted to touch base with Teachout after a Capital New York report this week indicating that the Cuomo administration had edited and delayed a federal study on fracking - an energy extraction process that Teachout firmly opposes. Teachout has shared the article and commented about it on social media.

"I have a role in the Democratic Party," Teachout said by phone, explaining that she has nine events on the calendar this week taking her to different parts of the state where there are competitive Senate races or where she can rally what she called her "strong base." She specifically cited an appearance planned for Wednesday in Brooklyn with Democratic State Senate candidate James Kemmerer and her plans to visit the Hudson Valley and Southern Tier. Teachout also listed Rochester, Buffalo, and Long Island as places she will make appearances.

Of Kemmerer, who is looking to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Martin Golden, Teachout said he's "facing an uphill battle," but that it should be a Democratic seat and it's the type of race the governor should be involved in.

Money continues to flow into her campaign, Teachout said, explaining that she is still employing a small staff and is organizing those who agree with her progressive, traditional Democratic values. "There's a lot of enthusiasm after the campaign," she said, followed by noting that she's not sure what shape her organizing efforts will take longer term. It is unclear, of course, how much impact Teachout's endorsement decision will have - she did earn over 182,000 votes in the Democratic primary. There seems to be a chance Teachout could endorse Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins, whose stances on many issues, including fracking, closely align with Teachout's. On Tuesday, Teachout repeatedly expressed her immediate focus on the Senate.

A Fordham law professor, Teachout is embarking on something of a mixed-purpose journey as she clarified that her schedule is part book tour. "It's a book tour with a focus on what's happening in New York and what we can do about it," Teachout said referring to her book Corruption in America as a starting point for a conversation that will be about the need for a Democratic takeover of the New York State Senate and for significant campaign finance reform.

Saying that she will be asking, "Why are Republicans supporting a broken system of private financing?" Teachout said that she is motivated by the key, larger question at play: "Who's going to have power in Albany next year?"

As of today, Teachout said that Cuomo's pledge to work for Democratic control of the Senate (the Assembly is certain to remain strongly in Democratic hands) "looks like a broken promise." She continued, "Ads are one thing, actions show there is no energy behind it."

She then asked, rhetorically, "has he been out stumping?"

***
by Ben Max, Gotham Gazette
@TweetBenMax

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

The week ahead is sure to include more action in the hotly-contested races for Governor, Attorney General, and New York's 11th Congressional District, along with key State Senate districts - Tuesday is four weeks 'til Election Day. We're awaiting details on debates in each of the three state-wide races and watching for the next debates in NY11. This week is another busy one at The New York City Council, including a full-body Stated Meeting on Tuesday - see those details below, and as always there are plenty of interesting events this week, including on Wednesday evening when the City hosts a hearing on the municipal ID card program and Mayor de Blasio headlines a Working Families Party event. Also this week, grand jury deliberations continue in the Eric Garner case on Staten Island. All this and a whole lot more:

On Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio endorsed incumbent Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for re-election at Bridge Street AME Church in Brooklyn. According to a release from Schneiderman's campaign, de Blasio said, "I am proud to endorse Eric Schneiderman for Attorney General. Eric believes that every individual deserves to be treated equally under the law, and that the law must apply equally to everyone." De Blasio cited Schneiderman's work "holding the big banks accountable for their role in the financial crisis, fighting back against wage theft, [and] ensuring that money pledged for the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort was spent quickly and effectively."

Nothing about this endorsement is surprising, of course. What will be interesting to see is when and how Governor Andrew Cuomo endorses Schneiderman. The two are known to have an icy relationship, but Schneiderman backed Cuomo in the Democratic primary this year (Schneiderman did not face a primary challenge) and Cuomo is expected to endorse the sitting AG in his bid to defeat challenger John Cahill, a Republican.

Sunday evening, Mayor de Blasio was set to "speak at The Association of Indians in America, NY (AIA-NY) 27th Annual Deepavali Festival in Manhattan," according to his public schedule.

On Monday, the mayor is going to "tour the Staten Island University Hospital Power Plant and Boiler Room...Following the tour, the Mayor will host a media availability in the Staten Island University Hospital outside courtyard to discuss resiliency measures that will be coming to the hospital. In the evening, the Mayor will attend a reception celebrating the birthday of Kings County Democratic Party Chair Frank Seddio in Brooklyn," according to his public schedule.

Speaker of the City Council Melissa Mark-Viverito starts her week attending the "East Harlem Community Alliance STRIVE Launch at the East Harlem Talent Center and attends [the] JCRC National Hispanic Heritage Month and Sukkot Event" in the Bronx, according to her public schedule. It's a big week for the speaker as she introduces new legislation to the Council on Tuesday regarding policies around the City turning over detained undocumented immigrants to federal authorities.

Last week saw the New York City Council's new (fiscal year 2015) cycle of participatory budgeting really get going, including the launch of new web features by which constituents can track what's happening and plan to participate. With more than $25 million allocated toward this form of local spending and 23 council districts participating, this year's program will be a busy one. There are several community events this week - see below for more details.

It's Columbia Voting Week 2014 - details below of day-by-day events that include current and former elected officials, and other prominent civic leaders, including former Mayor David Dinkins.

More Elections Watch - just over 4 weeks until Election Day
Saturday was a busy one in the gubernatorial campaign as Gov. Cuomo and his lieutenant governor candidate running-mate Kathy Hochul toured the state on The Women's Equality Express and were trailed by a truck from the campaign of Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino, currently the Westchester County Executive, who is pushing back on the governor's women's rights agenda by asking (as told by a billboard on the truck) where the governor was when Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was questionably handling sexual harassment scandal in his chamber.

As the week begins, New York politicos will keep an eye on the campaigns, and there's a great deal happening at the City Council and all over the city, with many events to be aware of. The run of the week in more detail:

Monday
On Monday morning there will be Energy Infrastructure Finance, a public meeting of the quadrennial energy review, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy, at NYU, with opening remarks by Ernest Moniz, Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy and Carolyn Maloney, United States House of Representatives

Also Monday morning, according to City & State NY, "Senator Charles Schumer and Consul General of Canada to New York John Prato address members of Manhattan's Diamond district at annual meeting of the 47th Street Business Improvement District."

Governor Cuomo begins his week welcoming "the I Lift NY Super Crane as it Travels Up the Hudson River from New Jersey to the New NY Bridge" in Piermont, along with making an announcement, according to his public schedule. "The I Lift NY super crane, one of the world's largest floating cranes, is scheduled to travel from New York harbor up the Hudson River early Monday morning."

The City Department for the Aging will hold a public hearing in the Bronx at Lincoln Hospital on Monday morning, part of a series of public hearings happening in October across the five boroughs.

Mid-day Monday at Life is Precious Brooklyn Headquarters, "U.S. Senator Gillibrand, U.S. Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez and Comunilife's Life is Precious Program (LIP) are seeking to raise awareness of the suicide epidemic for Latina teens, highlight early intervention measures, assess current federal response and promote community based, culturally sensitive solutions." The event is a "Latina Teen Suicide Expert Panel & Community Discussion."

The City Council schedule for Monday includes: the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations will consider a resolution supporting the Justice for Jazz Artists campaign "which seeks ... to improve the lives of musicians working in New York City's jazz clubs by addressing workplace issues, including providing retirement security"; and the Committee on Transportation holding an oversight hearing on the MTA's 2015-19 capital plan and introducing local amendments to the administrative code of New York City as regards to "requiring certain qualified transportation benefits" and "reducing the citywide speed limit to twenty-five miles per hour."

Columbia Voting Week opens on Monday with a welcoming event hosted by Columbia College Dean James Valentini and School of International and Public Affairs Dean Merit Janow, followed by a panel on "Running for Public Office" headlined by former Mayor and current SIPA professor David Dinkins and featuring panelists Council Member Mark Levine, Assembly Member Nily Rozic, and former district leader Lincoln Restler.

There will be a "Cop Watch Training" in Manhattan on Monday evening, one of a series of sessions aimed at engaging New Yorkers in the monitoring of police to "document and deter abuse": "groups call on all New Yorkers to "Cop Watch" and offer guidelines for how to do it as safely and effectively as possible." The trainings are being sponsored by CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities, Justice Committee and Malcolm X Grassroots Movement.

Also on Monday evening, "Green Party lieutenant governor candidate Brian Jones holds an education forum" in Rochester, according to City & State NY.

Tuesday
Tuesday marks four weeks until Election Day. Visit our Elections Center for a lot more info.

On Tuesday morning, ABNY will host a breakfast forum featuring MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast, who "will discuss the MTA's Capital Program and provide updates on MTA projects currently underway."

Also Tuesday morning, the Manhattan Institute and the Center for Educational Innovation-Public Education Association will co-host "A Light Shines in Harlem: New York's First Charter School and the Movement It Led." The event will explore: "New York's experiment with charter schools is widely regarded as a success, but issues remain" - issues such as funding, space, and the charter cap. Questions will be asked: "What have been the great innovations of the charter sector over the last 15 years? What will New York's charter sector look like 15 years from now? What are the characteristics of a successful charter school? How can charters and district schools work more collaboratively and learn from each other? What is the proper role of business leaders, civil rights leaders, and philanthropists in charter schools?"

The first of two October full-body Stated meetings of the City Council will occur Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall. The big news from this past week is that Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will introduce legislation aimed at reducing the detention of undocumented immigrants. There are sure to be several other bills introduced as well as others voted to head to the mayor.

Prior to the Council's Stated meeting, its Committee on Finance will convene. Multiple meeting items include: a "resolution approving the new designation and changes in the designation of certain organizations to receive funding in the Expense Budget"; a variety of land use applications, and more.

Also prior to the Stated meeting, at 11 a.m. outside City Hall, Brooklyn City Council Members Stephen Levin and Antonio Reynoso, other council members, environmental justice advocates and community-based organizations will rally for Waste Equity Legislation, namely Intro. 522, which, they say, "will ensure the fair distribution of garbage handling in New York City."

And right before the Stated, at 1 p.m. outside City Hall, "Council Members Laurie A. Cumbo, chair of the Women's Issues Committee and Vanessa L. Gibson, chair of the Public Safety Issues Committee will lead a press conference on the steps of City Hall marking Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We will acknowledge survivors and salute the incredible service providers that carry out domestic violence-related services. Council Members and other elected officials will be joined by Domestic Violence survivors, advocates and key organizations that provide domestic violence-related services throughout the City."

On Tuesday at noon at City Hall Restaurant, City Housing Commissioner Vicki Been will "discuss her priorities for affordable housing at The Women in Housing and Finance Luncheon."

President Barack Obama is set to be back in town Tuesday, raising money for the Democratic National Committee.

Tuesday's Columbia Voting Week events are "Political Consulting and Running Elections" and "Political Engagement, Advocacy and Public Policy."

City Council Member Ben Kallos will resume holding participatory budgeting events around his district on Tuesday, this time on Roosevelt Island. Council Member Mark Weprin will also hold a PB event Tuesday night in Douglaston.

Also Tuesday evening, AD 76 Democratic primary winner Rebecca Seawright will be holding a thank you party featuring special guests State Senators Liz Krueger and José M. Serrano and Council Members Ben Kallos and Dan Garodnick. 

Wednesday
On Wednesday morning, Crain's New York Business will host a breakfast forum with NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver, during which the commissioner is set to "discuss his plans to create a 21st century parks system and how best to work with conservancies and partner groups to bring best practices to all parks....[and] address the outlook for funding and manpower and re-imagining the parks' capital process."

Later on Wednesday morning, the City Council Committee on Juvenile Justice will hold a joint meeting with the Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice Services to oversee "the treatment of adolescents in New York City Jails" and review "the United States Department of Justice's Report on Violence at Rikers Island."

The Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs will host a public town hall hearing on the City's municipal ID card program at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at 1 Centre Street, which comes as the City continues to determine the details of the program. Members of the public are welcome to attend and speak on the record. There is also the option to submit comments to through the City's website (or email or send by postal mail).

Wednesday evening, the Working Families Party (WFP) and partners, including Mayor de Blasio are holding "WFP Campaign Kickoff: Justice for Workers" - "Together with the Mayor and a number of special guests, we'll be kicking off our campaign to win justice for workers by winning both a Democratic-WFP majority in the State Senate and a strong showing on the WFP line on Election Day." According to Common Cause NY, the event is also said to be will be a "Rally for Fair Elections" - "As the legislative session in Albany draws near, we are gearing up for a renewed fight to bring Fair Elections to New York State. It is time to change the way politics works in Albany...We are calling on legislators to pass a comprehensive campaign finance reform package, including public financing of elections. Fair Elections will break the power of big money with small donor contributions and public funds."

The Columbia Voting Week event on Wednesday is "Challenge of Being a Leader and Politician" with featured guest Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee.

Wednesday evening's participatory budgeting events include those being held in their home districts by City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito; Council Member Stephen Levin; and Council Member Daneek Miller.

Thursday
The New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund & NYU/Wagner's Institute for Civil Infrastructure Studies are co-hosting "Dig Deep for a Greener New York" on Thursday morning that will feature "Angela Licata, NYC Department of Environmental Protection; Maureen Krudner, Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2; Mary Alice Lee, Trust for Public Land; Sean Dixon, Riverkeeper; Jaime Stein, S.W.I.M Coalition; City Council Member Mark Treyger, Chair, Committee on Recovery and Resiliency; Betsy Mallow, Deputy Director, Governor's Office of Storm Recovery; Daniel Zarilli, Director, NYC Mayor's Office of Recovery and Resiliency; Kizzy Charles-Guzman, The Nature Conservancy; Stephen Couch, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Amanda Ludlow, Roux Associates."

The Columbia Voting Week event on Thursday is "Democratic Engagement."

Council Member Mark Levine hosts a participatory budgeting session on Thursday evening in uptown Manhattan (he's also hosting one on Saturday afternoon). Council Member Corey Johnson is also hosting a participatory budgeting session on Thursday night.

Also Thursday evening, Council Member Johnson also hosts "Let's Talk! Affordable Housing with Council Member Corey Johnson...a conversation with experts about affordable housing" including "Vicki Been (Commissioner, NYC Dept. of Housing Preservation and Development), Sarah Desmond (Executive Director, Housing Conservation Coordinators), Joe Restuccia (Executive Director, Clinton Housing Development Company)."

Friday and the weekend
Friday's Columbia Voting Week events are "Conservative perspectives on civil rights, the First Amendment, immigration, and government reform" and "Perspectives from Iraq: Building a Democracy in a Multicultural Society."

The New Yorker Festival will be held October 10-12.

On Saturday, former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout will be the featured guest speaker at the WE ACT membership meeting "for a discussion on how we can take back the power in our democracy."

Also on Saturday, Diane Ravitch leads an event of The Network for Public Education: "PUBLIC Education Nation will deliver the conversation the country has been waiting for. Rather than featuring billionaires and pop singers, this event will be built around intense conversations featuring leading educators, parents, students and community activists. We have waited too long for that seat at someone else's table. This time, the tables are turned, and we are the ones setting the agenda. This event will be livestreamed on the web on the afternoon of Saturday, October 11, from the auditorium of Brooklyn New School, a public school. There will be four panels focusing on the most critical issues we face in our schools. The event will conclude with a conversation between Diane Ravitch and Jitu Brown."

On Sunday, Council Member Jumaane Williams is hosting a community event, "3rd Annual Breast Cancer & Domestic Violence Awareness Month Kickoff."

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Have events or topics for us to include in an upcoming Week Ahead in New York Politics? Email 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 Rati Mukhuradze, Katrina Shakarian, Kristen Meriwether, David King, and Ben Max
@GothamGazette

Supporters of Gabriela Rosa wait to enter the federal courthouse Friday morning (Casey Tolan)

Manhattan - Former New York State Assembly Member Gabriela Rosa was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and three years of probation on Friday morning.

Rosa, who pleaded guilty to marriage fraud and bankruptcy fraud in June, was sentenced by Judge Denise Cote at the federal courthouse in downtown Manhattan.

The sentence was virtually the minimum from the federal guidelines, which had suggested 12 to 18 months in prison. But Rosa and her lawyers had asked for a sentence of probation.

In 1996, Rosa, who is from the Dominican Republic, paid a man $8,000 to marry her so she could become a citizen and then lied about it to federal immigration authorities.

It was an emotional day for Rosa, who was joined by about 100 supporters, many from her former district, which includes Washington Heights and Inwood. When she arrived outside the courtroom, Rosa’s supporters surrounded her and offered hugs, one at a time. Some prayed over her, hands extended and eyes closed.

During the hearing, Rosa’s lawyer, Genesis Peduto, said that Rosa had been punished enough.

“Twenty years ago, when she committed this crime of marrying someone, she was following the American Dream,” Peduto said.

Cote interrupted Peduto, incredulous.

“I’m sorry, are you implying that paying a man $8,000 and lying to immigration officials for years is the American Dream?”

In her own oral presentation, Rosa made a personal appeal to Cote.

“I want to speak to you as a mother. My son is 16 years old. He needs me,” she said. “That doesn’t take away my responsibilities, the bad choices I made…I just ask you for mercy, don’t send me away from my son.”

But Cote, who called Rosa’s actions “a pattern of lies,” was not persuaded.

“I don’t think this was a mistake,” she said. “I don’t find that it can be justified as an act of naïvete or in pursuit of the American dream…that is really a disservice to all our immigrants who try to follow the law and gain citizenship legally.”

“Innocent family members often suffer because of defendants’ criminal acts,” Judge Cote added.

The supporters packed into the courtroom strained to hear the judge speak, and many wiped away tears as the sentence was announced.

Rosa came out of the courtroom sobbing. Assembly Member Herman Farrell Jr., who Rosa worked for before she ran for office, hugged her, shaking his head. He declined to comment.

State Senator Adriano Espaillat, whose endorsement of Rosa helped her win her 2012 assembly race, also came to hear the verdict, but left soon after it was announced.

As Rosa left the courthouse, photographers and TV cameras crowded around her, and her supporters formed a wall, trying to block them.

“She’s not capable at all of making a statement right now,” Peduto said, escorting Rosa to a cab as press and supporters pushed and yelled at each other.

“Gabriela Rosa! The people are with you!” some chanted in Spanish.

Many said they thought that Rosa was prosecuted because she was a Latina fighting for her community.

“We feel targeted. This is not just an attack on Dominicans, it is an attack on all Latinos,” said Zenaida Mendez, the president of the New York chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). “She was doing very well in Albany.”

“The punishment did not fit the crime,” said Quenia Abreu, a nonprofit leader in Washington Heights. “This is an abuse against women.”

“This is the broader system of immigration everyone goes through,” said Carlos Cabrera, a representative with the union 32BJ. “It cheats you of having opportunities…that’s how these things work.”

Supporters questioned why prosecutors didn’t go after the man Rosa paid to marry her.

Rosa must surrender by November 14, and pay $19,652.09 in restitution.

[Related: court documents show statemens of support for Rosa from elected officials and the recommendation of prison time from U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara]