The City of Boston Open Budget Application

Few documents in municipal government are as important as the city budget. The New York City budget, an annual agreement between the Mayor and the City Council due before or on June 30th each year, dictates the priorities for those elected officials.

"A budget is a statement of values," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at City Hall on June 19 when announcing the fiscal year 2015 budget agreement. "A budget affects people's lives at the grassroots every single day."

Despite its importance, the budget itself continues to be very difficult for everyday New Yorkers to read, navigate, and understand. But, as other cities are showing, this does not necessarily have to be the case.

Following the official adoption of the New York City budget after the Council votes to approve it, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) puts the budget documents on the City's website. Those documents are released in PDF format, and, unless you are a budget expert or someone who has used the documents before, discerning even what document to search for your desired information can be frustrating. Want to know how much the NYPD budget is this year? Is that found in the "Fiscal Year 2015 Expense and Contract Budget Resolutions" or the "Financial Plan" or the "Budget Function Analysis"?

While releasing data online is more transparent than not releasing it at all, today's data-savvy citizens are beginning to expect more from their government. Publishing data is only half the battle. People also want information that is accessible, intuitive, and useful for making decisions.

Some cities are starting to listen and are making proactive changes. The City of Boston has become a leader in using open data and working with the civic tech community to create applications to help residents in their day-to-day lives.

After years of releasing its budget in PDFs online, Boston decided to use a tool that would present the budget in a way that Bostonians can read and understand. On July 9, Boston unveiled Open Budget. The app, built by software company Socrata, allows users to easily explore the city's budget data, identify city priorities, follow trends, and track capital projects in their neighborhoods and elsewhere.

"The city budget drives the scope of the work the city is doing, so it's important that the public can have the opportunity to dive into it, and understand how we're using the budget to make government work for them," Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said in a press release.

Introducing a budget application like this in New York City would be fairly easy because the city is already a Socrata customer (Socrata built the Open Data Portal) and the app already exists. It would cost about $500 per month for the app, plus a small one time set-up fee, according to a spokesperson from Socrata. It could take as little as a few weeks to launch, but could take longer if the data was not in the proper format, the company said.

Despite the relatively low cost, it does not appear The City of New York is ready to commit to the new budget app just yet.

"Watchdogs have given the Mayor's first budget high marks, delivering a fiscally responsible, progressive, and honest result through one of the most transparent budget processes in city history," Amy Spitalnick, spokesperson for OMB said by email July 16. "We will continue to make the process even more transparent and accessible, as we are always seeking opportunities to use new tools and data to improve delivery of services and increase transparency."

Council Member Ben Kallos, chair of the Council's government operations committee and a champion of opening up government data, said he supports bringing the budget app to New York City because it is, after all, the people's money.

"Every New Yorker should be able to see how their tax dollars are spent in a way that is easy to find and understand," Kallos said via email July 16. "I look forward to working with the administration to bring the same great applications from other cities to New York."

Gotham Gazette sent a link to the Boston budget app to Maria Doulis, director of city studies at Citizens Budget Commission, to see how someone who lives and breathes the city budget would view the application. While it does not provide the level of detail she would need to do in-depth analysis, she did have a positive response.

"It is an impressive tool, and the interface breaks down the spending in a guided way that makes it easy for most citizens to understand where money comes from and where money goes," Doulis said in an email July 10. "New York City puts a remarkable amount of data online, but there are few tools such as this to really explore the numbers."

Some budget data is available on the open data portal, although it is out of date and not all of the budget documents are currently available. The only real visual representation of city budget information is provided by the New York City Comptroller's Checkbook 2.0 website.

While the level of detail on Checkbook 2.0 is much greater than the Boston application (you can, for example, find out how much money the City spent on police cars last year if you know where to look), it can be challenging to navigate and does not have a visual representation of the adopted budget - it only tracks money going out each month and a projected yearlong total.

The budget app used by Boston is not the answer to everyone's problems, at least not in its current form. To do the kind of deep-dive analysis done by journalists and budget experts more detail would need to be provided. But for the average New Yorker who is stymied at the sight of a budget PDF, this tool already offers a pathway to far greater understanding of where their tax dollars go.

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by Kristen Meriwether, Gotham Gazette
@MeriwetherK

(maps.nyc.gov/crime)

With the advent of fantasy football, at the click of a button you can find out how many times Eli Manning has thrown for a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in each game of his entire career (spoiler: a lot). This data could help you decide if it was a good idea to start him or another quarterback to ensure a win in your fantasy league on Sunday.

While using data in sports can be fun, what about using big data to help citizens make important decisions? Would you move into a new building if you knew crime had been rising for months in the surrounding area? Would you send your child to a school if performance indicators showed it wasn't getting results? Would you let your kids bike down a certain road if you knew there had been multiple crashes on it?

For decades, government has been keeping data on crime, schools, and traffic safety (and much more), but only recently has there been a push to open that data to the public. On March 7, 2012 then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed Local Law 11, also known as the "Open Data Law," which requires the City to make its data available to citizen access.

It has been more than two years since the passage of the bill. New York City is not quite up to the speed of fantasy football - but it's getting there.

On July 15 of this year, the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) released its first update to the City's open data plan under Mayor Bill de Blasio. It shows what datasets each city agency has actually added to the open data portal versus what they were scheduled to add, and updates the timeline for the next four years worth of releases. The report, required by law annually, was sent to the Mayor's Office and the City Council on time and details that there are now 1277 open City data sets.

"With the Open Data Plan, the public has an important accountability tool to measure the project's success, and provide feedback on what data is most useful and important for release," said Rachael Fauss, Director of Public Policy for Citizens Union, by email July 15.

The original plan for the open data portal, released in September of 2013, called for 94 data sets to be released that year. The updated plan notes only 61 datasets were put out. Officials with DoITT said that as they have gone through the data, some sets originally slated to be open could not become so because they were actually narrative reports. In other cases, data was deemed unable to be released because it would violate privacy laws. In total, 27 datasets were scrubbed from the original plan.

The updated plan provides for a more even release of datasets between now and the end of 2018, when the plan will be complete and is set to bring the total number of published datasets to over 1400:

With more data flowing to the portal, eyes are beginning to turn to how the data can and should be used. Anyone can grab data off the portal and use it to create an application, a map, or any other presentation or visual representation. In some instances it can be used to create community awareness, such as crash data put out by the NYPD as a part of Vision Zero.

In other cases New Yorkers can use City data to create successful businesses, such as SiteCompli. Founded in 2009 by Jason Griffith and Ross Goldenberg, SiteCompli is a service that helps owners and managers of New York City real estate stay on top of their compliance with local laws. SiteCompli clients include First Service Residential, Douglas Elliman Property Management, Tishman Speyer, and Brookfield Properties, companies serving over 1 billion square feet of space and over 500,000 apartment units across the city.

The company started prior to the City's open data being published, but now at least some of the data SiteCompli relies on is on the open portal, preventing the company from having to find it via other avenues. As more data comes online, SiteCompli should have to rely less on multiple agency websites or physically going to certain departments for data and more on the open data portal.

In an email, Goldenberg said there is a lot of data the real estate community would be particularly interested in that is not currently published. But, he added, simply publishing more data is only half the picture.

"We encourage City stakeholders to think carefully about the quality of the data and frequency of updates, not just the quantity," Goldenberg said. "For the data to be useful, it's crucially important that it is as accurate and as recent as possible."

Officials at DoITT said they are working to automate the updating of more datasets to prevent creating a backlog in the future. To date, 95 datasets have been automated.

In the recently adopted fiscal year 2015 budget, DoITT was provided an additional $515,000 in funding for five new positions: three developers (Senior Integration Developer, Senior Java Developer, Java Developer); a business intelligence analyst; and a technical project manager. These positions will expand the team, help with the quality of the data, and allow more automation, a labor intensive process.

"The city's completion of the Open Data Plan and provision of funding for five full-time staff will help ensure its future success," Fauss said. "This kind of commitment is crucial at this juncture as the effort is entering its third year with a new administration."

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, who championed the passage of the bill while serving in the City Council, said during a phone interview that she is excited to see the funding stream in the budget. She said it shows a dedication by the administration and will allow for those hired to focus on the open data portal.

"Two years down the road, I am happy, I am pleased. But the site needs work," Brewer said by phone July 14. "That is what this funding stream and the permanent staff will be able to focus on."

She added, "You don't want to do all this work and then not have people use it in a way that makes sense."

The searchability function of the open data site, built by software company Socrata, has been an issue since the portal's inception, a problem DoITT is aware of and working on.

"The search functionality of the portal can be improved, and we're committed to addressing that as we work to improve the overall user experience," DoITT spokesperson Nick Sbordone said via email July 15. "We want this data to be as accessible as it can."

Advocates are hopeful. "We understand the complexity and novelty of the City's open data efforts, and we appreciate the tremendous amount of hard work that city officials have put into making the law a success," reads a statement from the New York City Transparency Working Group. "The next major step for NYC's open data program is to fix vexing usability problems with the open data portal, including significant issues with searching and finding data. These issues have hindered public use, and when overcome, will put the Open Data Law on the road to becoming an extraordinary success."

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by Kristen Meriwether, Gotham Gazette
@MeriwetherK
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Note: Gotham Gazette is an independent publication of Citizens Union Foundation, the sister organization of Citizens Union

Michael Blake (votemichaelblake.com)

Michael Blake, a Democratic candidate for State Assembly in the Bronx and former aide to President Obama, is submitting what his campaign is calling a record-setting and "historic" fundraising filing to the New York State Board of Elections Tuesday.

According to information from his campaign, Blake will report having raised over $160,000 for his campaign to fill the now-vacant 79th Assembly District seat, last held by Eric Stevenson, who was forced to leave office earlier this year after being convicted on four counts of bribery. Blake's campaign is touting the three-month fundraising total as a sign of widespread support and enthusiasm about the candidate, who is a veteran of both Obama presidential campaigns and known as a strong organizer and public speaker. According to the campaign, the $160,000 Blake has raised is virtually what was raised in sum by the last three winning campaigns for the seat. It also dwarfs the filings of Blake's current competitors: another candidate, George Alvarez, has reported raising just over $41,000, with slightly more than $25,000 on hand. Marsha Michael, an attorney being backed by much of the Bronx political establishment, filed having received just under $33,000 in campaign donations, with slightly less than $23,000 cash on hand. The fourth candidate in the race, Raul Rodriguez, reported raising $70, with $30 on hand. The candidates head toward the Septmeber 9th primary looking to turn out votes in a district that has been marred by corruption and is home to deep poverty and low voter turnout.

Blake, looking to seize upon his childhood roots in the Bronx, experience working on the Obama campaigns, and the strength of his personality, enters the final eight weeks of the campaign with a decided advantage in money to spend getting out his name, face, and message. It seems that only a candidate with Blake's national network is capable of bringing this kind of money to a Bronx assembly race, and Blake promises to leverage that network to bring resources to the district and the borough if he is successful in his bid to fill the seat. As for the fundraising, the Blake campaign says that "the vast majority" of campaign donations came online and were under $200. A statement from Blake's campaign Tuesday says that the fundraising haul has allowed him to run "a spirited grassroots campaign and reach thousands of voters." Blake said by phone that he has run his campaign in the mold of the Obama's, with strong online appeals, a broad network of support, and an impressive fundraising total. He said that it has allowed him to spend money up front on "building a grassroots field infrastructure including a campaign field office, lit, and staff." None of the other campaigns immediately returned request for comment.

In a statement, Blake said, "People have responded to the idea that we can make The Bronx someplace to be proud of and accomplish it together. I know the spirit and the resolve of the people in The Bronx, and I want to help lead them to a better tomorrow. Today's milestones make me feel like that is possible, and I look forward to leading this campaign to victory."

A previous representative of the 79th Assembly District, Michael Benjamin, reacted to news of Blake's fundraising total with a laugh that indicated being impressed, "That's a lot of money for a New York City Assembly campaign," Benjamin said by phone on Tuesday. "He was true to what he said he could do, which is raise money. It will get him a lot of mail touches. When you're a first-time candidate, it will help him quite a bit. He needs to become the name they know, by the time they go to the polls on Septmeber 9th, to have the Blake name in their head."

When asked if it would make Blake the favorite, even against the County-backed Michael, Benjamin said that if Blake can survive a likely challenge to his meeting the residency requirements to be on the ballot, he will be formidable, especially in light of the fundraising filing. "It'll even the playing field, especially for him running against the County candidate," Benjamin said. "It makes him appear more legitimate in the eyes of leaders in the area, whether it's clergy or other leaders in the community who might not be disposed to a county-backed candidate." 

New York City Hall

Yes, the World Cup's over, but there's always politics.

In New York it is all about the elections as legislating has slowed or stopped in the City and Albany, respectively, and we shift into campaign mode for the summer leading up to the September 9th primary and Novemeber 5th general elections.

This week will feature news of which 2014 candidates for state-wide and state-level elected offices filed the requisite petition signatures to make the ballot and what candidates' campaign fundraising numbers look like (track those filings here). This data will show quite a bit as the primaries are less than two months away - and for New York City, as was the case with last year's city elections, much regarding state-level positions will be decided by the Democratic primaries in this decidely Democratic city. There are many competitive primaries to keep an eye on, both in the city for state Senate and Assembly seats, and elsewhere. There isn't much to watch primary-wise in the Attorney General or Comptroller races, but many are eyeing the Democratic primary for Governor as incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo faces a challenge from Professor Zephyr Teachout.

Even as we watch for and analyze petitioning results and those campaign finance numbers, this week features much more to keep an eye on:

The week starts with dueling rallies at New York City Hall as city council members and advocates rally to show that "New York Stands With Israel" and critics of this rally hold their own. More detail on both below.

The Council in general has no official committee or "Stated" whole-body meetings this week, but will be back into action next week (the week of July 21st) with a few committee meetings and the lone Stated meeting of the month on Thursday the 24th.

Mayor Bill de Blasio will spend some of his week packing and brushing up on his Italian - while he is in New York to start the week, he and his family leave for a trip to Italy on Friday, July 18. Stakes are high for the mayor as he takes a fairly early, extended international trip, so it is likely he will spend much of his focus this week ensuring things are in place for his absence, with First Deputy Mayor Tony Shorris set to run day-to-day operations of the city while de Blasio is abroad.

De Blasio begins his week with a very busy Monday: according to his public schedule, the mayor "will deliver remarks at the probationary firefighter swearing-in on Randall's Island...attend an interagency Coastal Storm Plan Exercise meeting hosted by the Office of Emergency Management on the city's response to potential coastal storms...visit middle school summer enrichment programs at I.S. 318 in Brooklyn...hold a press availability to speak about expanded summer enrichment and after-school programs at I.S. 318...[and] deliver remarks at a Communication Workers of America event in Brooklyn.

And, as always, there are several interesting one-off events and conferences this week to check out.

The run of the week in more detail:

On Monday
There will be a rally at City Hall Monday morning at 10 a.m. at which New York electeds will declare that "New York stands with Israel." According to the press release from the Council, "The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Caucus of the New York City Council rally with elected officials and a diverse coalition of organizations from around New York to stand in solidarity with Israel." Those elected officials will include Reps. Charles Rangel, Eliot Engel, Carolyn Maloney, and Jerrold Nadler; State Senator Brad Hoylman; Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assembly Members David Weprin, Michelle Schimel, Luis Sepulvida, Nily Rozic, and Helene Weinstein; Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer; Queens Borough President Melinda Katz; City Council Members Mark Levine, David Greenfield, Margaret Chin, Rory Lancman, Mathieu Eugene, and Mark Treyger. Among others, NY-11 Democratic Congressional candidate Domenic Recchia is also due to be there.

And the protest against this rally, "Protest Against NY City Council's Press Conference "New York Stands With Israel"" is set to gather at 9:30 outside City Hall, according to the Facebook event page.

Also Monday, Crain's New York holds a half-day conference, "Rebuilding NY 2014," at "which some of the city's most important decision makers and thought leaders [will] discuss the future of New York's infrastructure." Slated to speak are Polly Trottenberg, Commissioner of the city's Department of Transportation and Maya Wiley, Counsel to the Mayor, among other experts. Topics will include road infrastructure, bridge-building, the MTA, and broadband.

Council Members continue to hold information sessions in their districts as the next cycle of participatory budgeting gets underway where council members have decided to run the program by which residents get to determine how roughly $1 million in capital funds is spent. Daneek Miller, a Queens council member, is holding his second info session on Monday afternoon.

And Monday evening, many prominent New York Democrats will gather in Harlem at The Apollo Theater for the second annual Demmy Awards. According to the event site, "All of Manhattan's elected officials are expected to be in attendance, as well as over 1,200 other democrats and New York City residents." It is advertised as "an exciting evening of entertainment where awards are given to stars of the Democratic Party for their outstanding public service and to those New Yorkers whose work on important causes have benefited New York and the nation."

Tuesday
On Tuesday, City & State NY hosts a conference on small businesses. The conference, slated to occur at NYU, will feature remarks by Small Business Services Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer and a panel on accessing capital featuring Council Member Robert Cornegy, chair of the Council's small business committee, Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Julie Menin, and Deputy Commissioner of Empire State Development Corp. Steve Cohen. There will also be a panel of small business owners.

Tuesday is the deadline for New York police departments to apply to Attorney General (AG) Eric Schneiderman for funds to purchase bulletproof vests as part of the AG's "inVEST Partnership." As of Wednesday, July 9th, the AG's office said it had gotten applications for funds from 112 depts in 49 New York counties.

In the evening on Tuesday, the CUNY Education Institute holds an event, "What is the Future of NYC's Charter Schools?" at The Roosevelt House in Manhattan.

Also on the education front, the city's Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) Contracts Committee meets Tuesday evening at Tweed Courthouse.

And, Council Member Ritchie Torres, chair of the Council's public housing committee, hosts a public forum at 5:30 p.m. at the 32BJ Auditorium in Manhattan, "Building a Model of Community Consensus at NYCHA," which will include advocates, elected and appointed officials, and residents.

Wednesday
On Wednesday, the city's Department of Consumer Affairs sponsors a "paid sick leave day of action." According to the DCA website, "On July 30, 2014, New Yorkers can start using earned leave under the city's new paid sick leave law. We want all workers to know about this important right..."

On Wednesday afternoon, NYU's School of Continuing and Professional Studies and Comptroller Scott Stringer co-host "Onramps of Opportunity: Building A Creative + Inclusive New York," which will feature remarks from Stringer. The conference will explore, "Is New York City losing its creative edge? How do we build a vibrant New York economy—one that is creative and inclusive?"

Wednesday evening, the PEP holds a "regular public meeting," at M.S 131 in Manhattan. "In accordance with City Council legislation, Panel meetings will now be live-streamed over the Internet. To access this service, please register here. Registration will remain open until the meeting's adjournment. A recording and transcript will be posted to the Panel website following the meeting." The meeting will begin with the Chancellor's Update and move into approval of contracts, with time for public comment on them, followed by general public comment.

Wednesday evening, Assembly District 76 candidate David Menegon is having an office opening party. It's a crowded race to replace outgoing Assembly Member Micah Kellner, who is not seeking re-election.

Also Wednesday evening is a "Corona and Jackson Heights Vision Zero Workshop," 7-8:30 p.m. at the Corona Public Library and sponsored by Council Member Julissa Ferreras.

And, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams is hosting an "Educational Dialogue on "Rightsizing" Policy of New York City's Department of Housing Preservation and Development" at Brooklyn Borough Hall on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Thursday
On Thursday evening, there will be a young professionals fundraiser in Manhattan for Democratic state Senate candidate in the 22nd district James Kemmerer, who is running to unseat Republican Marty Golden.

Anything else happening on Thursday (or any other day) that we should know about? Let us know: @GothamGazette or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Friday and the Weekend
Mayor de Blasio and family leave for a little over a week in Italy on Friday. According to a press release from the mayor's office, "The family will depart on Friday, July 18 and return to New York City on Sunday, July 27. In addition to vacation time with the family, Mayor de Blasio will hold official events with Italian government representatives." More via Chirlane McCray's website.

On Saturday, The African Leadership Project hosts "Ready to Run & Prepared to Lead: Africans in the Diaspora." The event will help provide tools for running for office and seeking civic leadership; and it will feature several current and former African-American candidates for New York elected offices, including Michael Blake, who is seeking a Bronx Assembly seat. 

And on Sunday, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz hosts another in a series of health and wellness fairs, with free services and activities including "health screenings, stress reduction, bone marrow registry, Ident-a-kid, yoga/zumba classes, senior services, fire safety training, emergency preparedness training, face painting, DJ." 

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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. (use "For Week Ahead" as email subject if possible).

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by Kristen Meriwether and Ben Max in New York City and David King in Albany
@GothamGazette

ClaimStat map of property damage claims against the Department of Sanitation

On Wednesday, July 9th, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer rolled out a new report and online tool called ClaimStat to combat the rising costs of claims against the City, for which $674 million has been set aside in the fiscal year 2015 budget. In conjunction with its detailed report using fiscal year 2013 data, a set of interactive maps was released on the comptroller's website which visualize where each claim was made.

The claims report is something required of the Comptroller each year - and this year's identifies several high-claims areas for city agencies to address. The maps, meanwhile, are a new feature brought online by the new comptroller, aimed at further leveraging data to identify patterns in claims filed against the City. Department analysts, as well as members of the public, will not only be able to see which districts or precincts are home to the biggest liabilities, but drill down to street level. Detail like that, particularly for the Sanitation Department, claims against which often involve its vehicles, could provoke useful policy change, increase safety, and bring claims down.

The ClaimStat maps, though, show glitches. While analyzing the data points on the map of sanitation department vehicle property damage claims against the City, Gotham Gazette found multiple instances in which the claim address provided at a map point did not match the point's position on the map. In one instance, the plot point was in another borough from the address provided.

When Gotham Gazette brought the issue to the attention of the comptroller's office, a spokesperson for Stringer said that the comptroller's office will work over the next few days to address any errors and update the map to ensure it reflects the correct plot points. "Correcting those discrepancies is one benefit of transparency, and the Comptroller's office will continue to refine the presentation of ClaimStat as we move forward with this important initiative," press secretary Eric Sumberg said Thursday by email.

Examples of mistaken data points include claim 2011PD034250, positioned in Manhattan at Grand Central Station, 45th St. and Park Avenue on the map (shown below). When clicking on the map point, though, the address for the claim is shown as "PARK AVE" and "E 160 ST." The corner of Park Avenue and 160th St. is in the Bronx, nearly nine miles away by car, according to Google Maps.

In Brooklyn, claim 2013PD014491 is positioned, at least initially, at the corner of Green Street and Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint (show below). The claim occurrence data shows the address as "E 19 ST AV Y AV Z" and the borough as Brooklyn. Google Maps shows the point of E 19th St. between Avenue Y and Avenue Z to be in Sheepshead Bay, over 14 miles away.

Some mistaken instances are not as egregious. Claim 2013PD015885 was plotted at Fifth Ave and 64th St. in Brooklyn, near the Brooklyn Army Terminal. The address given was "5TH AV & 6TH AV" and "48 ST," which is 16 streets south.

After reviewing screenshots brought forth by Gotham Gazette, the comptroller's office noticed the map points were always positioned at one correct street, but not necessarily on the right cross street. They noticed when both cross streets were entered on the first address line, titled "Claim Occurrence 1" the address was plotted correctly. In some instances where the cross streets were split up between "Claim Occurrence 1" and "Claim Occurrence 2," there was a software error in plotting the points correctly on the map.

The information in the report used the raw data, not the map, to compile its findings and identify key patterns, and should not have been affected by the software error, according to Sumberg of Stringer's office.

"Prior to publishing ClaimStat, the Comptroller's Office assured the overall integrity of our data by performing due diligence and a series of spot-checks on the thousands of claims entered into our mapping software," Sumberg wrote. "The underlying data is sound, but software limitations can contribute to discrepancies when that information is mapped."

(ClaimStat map of property damage claims against the Sanitation Department) 

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by Kristen Meriwether, Gotham Gazette
@MeriwetherK 

Comptroller Scott Stringer (@scottmstringer)

Claims against New York City continue to eat up millions in the budget, with the City shelling out over $500 million last fiscal year for everything from slip and falls to police brutality. In the newly adopted budget for fiscal year 2015 the city set aside $674 million for claims, with cost projections expected to reach $782 million by fiscal 2018.

To combat the growing problem, Comptroller Scott Stringer, whose office plays a central role in the settlement of the claims, is arming himself and key city agencies with a new tool: big data. On Wednesday, July 9th, Stringer launched ClaimStat, a data-driven way to analyze hot-spots for claims against the City.

"We are giving [these departments] real data and trends so they can act in a more efficient way, which will reduce claims against the City," Stringer said by phone Tuesday. "We shouldn't have an explosion in claims against the City because agencies are not analyzing why we are getting sued."

The system works much like the famed CompStat used by the NYPD, introduced by Police Commissioner Bill Bratton during his first stint as commissioner, 1994-96. In ClaimStat, claims data from city agencies is plotted on an interactive map to visualize problem areas. The idea, much like CompStat with the NYPD, is to identify geographic locations with problem clusters and then find reasons for those clusters and take proactive measures to reduce or eliminate the recurring issue.

"I believe people should make claims against the City if they feel they have been wronged. That is their right and no one is suggesting they shouldn't sue," Stringer said. "If you see trends people are suing for, then perhaps you should change the policy and prevent that claim from happening."

The first ClaimStat map includes information about claims against five key city entities: the NYPD, Department of Sanitation, Parks Department, Environmental Protection Agency, and Health and Hospitals Corporation. More departments are expected to be added, though the comptroller's office did not provide a time frame for additions. The data will not be updated in real time, but when there are new trends, according to a spokesperson.

City agencies are not required by law to keep their own claims statistics. The comptroller's office publishes an annual report on claims, and while that report has charts and graphs, it did not map the data.

For example, the NYPD claims map shows the 44th Precinct in the Bronx has a cluster of claims. In fiscal year 2013, the last year the data was available, there were 279 claims in that Precinct. In fact, the Bronx owns nine of the top 15 precincts with the most claims (along with the 44th, 46th, 40th, 42nd, 41st, 48th, 52nd, 50th, and 47th Precincts).

The plots on the ClaimStat map, while useful for visualizing problem areas, give limited information about individual claims they signify. Each data point shows a claim number, and the address and date for the claim. There are different maps for different types of claims, such as those for personal injury by police, tree accidents, sanitation vehicle property damage, and sewer overflow, but the plot points for each provide only the three pieces of data mentioned.

If, for example, the NYPD or another interested party were to try and use the data to see if repeated claims were being made against the same officer in a certain precinct, there is no way to tell from the map. When asked about the limited data on each plot point, Stringer said the agencies could use the claim number to get more information from his office. The detailed claim data, which contains personal information, will not be available on the comptroller's website.

The data used in the comptroller's report and first versions of the maps is from July 2012 to June 2013 (the latest data available), prior to Mayor Bill de Blasio's tenure. Since he has taken office, de Blasio has been proactive to address the rise in claims, specifically those against the NYPD. In fiscal year 2013 there were over 9,500 claims filed and over $137.2 million in judgments and settlements against the NYPD, according to the comptroller's report.

De Blasio put $4.9 million in the budget to fund the newly created Risk Assessment and Compliance Unit within the NYPD. The unit, which will be made up of at least 45 people, is specifically tasked with examining claims and identifying policy changes. This new unit combined with the new leadership of Commissioner Bratton, is expected to drop the number of claims. But it remains to be seen if the recent $41 million Central Park Five settlement will increase the average claim settlement as some experts have suggested.

Claims against the Sanitation Department cost the city $91.2 million in motor vehicle tort claims for fiscal year 2013. Community District 18 in Brooklyn saw the highest number of these claims, with 324.

Vision Zero policies, which promote safer driving as well as improved street design, could potentially decrease some of the claims against Sanitation. But, for multi-ton sanitation trucks, which attach one ton plows during winter and have to navigate narrow roads in treacherous conditions, weather will always play a factor in accidents.

"In mild winters, claims are down; in heavy snowfall winters, claims go up," Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia said by email Tuesday. "We train and discipline our drivers and continually remind them to be careful. But when they encounter extreme weather conditions, sometimes accidents will occur."

She added, "We welcome the opportunity to work with the Comptroller to continue to mine the metrics and develop new tactics to reduce claims."

The plot points on the ClaimStat map provide a date for each claim, but there is no way to sort the claims by date to see if, in fact, there were more claims during winter. A feature like that could be added to a third party application built by civic hackers, however the data behind the map will not be released in an open data format, per the comptroller's office.

Data, especially mapped data, is a great asset to identifying problem areas, but without action the data does no good. It will be up to each of the city's departments to make changes based on ClaimState and any other, non-public data at the agencies' disposal. The comptroller will make recommendations, be he said it is not his job to manage departments other than his own. It will be up to department heads, or the mayor, to determine a course of action to reduce claims.

"The Mayor looks forward to reviewing this proposal more closely in the coming days, and welcomes all ideas to make the City more effective and better able to serve its citizens," Press Secretary Phil Walzak said Tuesday by email.

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by Kristen Meriwether, Gotham Gazette
@MeriwetherK

Gov. Andrew Cuomo marches in the 2014 PRIDE Parade (Seth Wenig/AP)

Despite recent efforts to win back progressives, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's troubles with his Democratic base continue. New York City-based LGBTQ political clubs have had fierce debates recently over whether to endorse Cuomo or his relatively-unknown upstart Democratic challenger Zephyr Teachout. The Cuomo camp appears on full alert after Teachout won the endorsement of the Jim Owles Democratic Club on June 18. Club President Alan Roskoff blasted Cuomo in an interview with The Daily News, saying that Cuomo has a, "dismal record when it comes to progressive issues [and] issues regarding economics and the working class and the poor."

The governor's camp has sent representatives to recent endorsement meetings, typical practice during election season. Meanwhile Teachout, as would befit a long-shot challenger, has been making many appearances herself. According to multiple sources, LAMBDA Independent Democrats of Brooklyn voted to endorse Cuomo by just one vote - a meeting at which Teachout did not appear and a Cuomo representative was present. LAMBDA members were even called up at home at the last minute and encouraged to attend to make sure that Cuomo didn't lose.

Despite championing marriage equality and being credited for the political maneuvering that led to the measure's passage in the state Senate and thus into New York law, Cuomo still has a rocky relationship with the LGBTQ community. Some of the issue dates back to Mario Cuomo's 1977 mayoral primary against Ed Koch. Koch publicly blamed Mario's son Andrew for starting a smear campaign that questioned Koch's sexuality.

Members of the LGBTQ community say that there are now two major sticking points with Cuomo: first, most members are progressive and feel Cuomo has governed too far to the right on tax, education, and environmental issues; and second, members say Cuomo has allowed the Senate to remain in Republican hands, which has ensured that human rights bills like the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, or GENDA, and a ban on gay conversion therapy would die without a vote.

"The incumbent did send a representative to the meeting and it was a very close vote," said LAMBDA president Michael Czaczkes. "It was clear in the meeting that there is some frustration over the bills on GENDA and conversion therapy. Those bills were not a priority for the governor." But Czaczkes noted that members are also very interested in issues like campaign finance reform, hydrofracking, and tax policies.

A number of elected officials closely involved in the LGBTQ community say they have heard a realization lately from the Cuomo administration that the governor has disappointed, even angered, his base and an acknowledgement that he is working to make amends.

Advocates do say that the administration has worked closely with them on issues other than marriage equality. During Pride Week in June the Cuomo administration revealed a 3-point plan to "end the AIDS epidemic in New York State." The administration worked closely with advocates on initiatives to make it easier for to get tested for HIV, reduce the price of HIV drugs, better track cases of HIV and AIDS, and provide pre-exposure drugs to reduce the risk of infection.

Activists appreciate Cuomo's work on the HIV/AIDS crisis but say they are just as concerned about issues like the minimum wage, Cuomo's relationship with big business, legislator corruption, and tenant issues - all things they say Cuomo has been on the wrong side of as a conservative Democrat. They don't expect Cuomo to lose, they just want to push him toward the left.

Nathan Schaefer, executive director of The Empire State Pride Agenda, acknowledged that there is discord in the LGBTQ community over whether to support Cuomo's re-election despite his work on marriage equality and the plan to further combat AIDS in the state.

"Without the governor, we obviously wouldn't have achieved marriage equality and we are grateful," said Schaefer. "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."

Schaefer said the Cuomo administration is "well aware" that members of the LGBTQ community want Cuomo to exert all his political power to bring GENDA and the conversion ban bills to a vote - in fact they want him to have done it yesterday. Nevertheless, Schaefer said he is "optimistic there will be a lot of movement on our issues in 2015." Optimism perhaps bolstered by Cuomo's recent announcement, along with IDC leader Jeff Klein, that the IDC will realign with Senate Democrats after November's elections.

Teachout says that what she heard from members of the Jim Owles club was that they feel the governor has failed them on basic Democratic issues while they continue to struggle economically. "Governor Cuomo likes to talk about being effective but he can't even get these bills to a vote," Teachout said of Cuomo's efforts on GENDA and the conversion ban. She added that Cuomo has "governed more like a trickle down Republican than a Democrat."

Teachout said that members of the Owles club and others have expressed concerns about "a tax system that favors the wealthy" and the governor's "lack of concern over growing inequality" in the state, as well as increasing housing costs.

The Cuomo campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.

Teachout plans to continue working on securing future endorsements and pushing the Cuomo campaign. "One of the things we have seen already is that the governor has had to send representatives to defend his record. We are seeing what a Democratic primary can do to impact the debate, to change the debate." The Stonewall Democratic Club, perhaps the largest and most prominent LGBTQ club in the city, meets to decide its statewide endorsements on July 23rd. The Cuomo and Teachout camps will be working feverishly this month to secure the club's backing.

While Teachout said she plans to win, not just influence the debate, it is unlikely that the Democratic primary will be close and polls suggest Cuomo will win reelection in November with ease. Anything can happen, of course, and the governor surely wants to not only win, but win by a commanding margin in both the primary and general.

***
by David King, Albany editor, Gotham Gazette
@DavidHowardKing

*note: this article has been amended to say that it was the 1977 mayoral primary during which issues between the Cuomos and Ed Koch occurred. not a gubernatorial primary 

Council Member Fernando Cabrera (William Alatriste)

City Council Member Fernando Cabrera's run for the state Senate in the Bronx's 33rd district, a seat currently held by Sen. Gustavo Rivera, is becoming more complicated by the minute. Cabrera, a Democrat challenging Rivera in September's primary, has expressed interest in joining the Independent Democratic Conference if elected and appears to have its members' support. However, IDC leader Sen. Jeff Klein, also of the Bronx, recently said that he would have a "litmus test" for any candidate the IDC might support. Based on his conservative stances on reproductive rights and marriage equality, Cabrera appears likely to fail such a test.

This is especially true given the IDC's recent commitment to break its coalition with Senate Republicans and form one with the mainline Senate Democrats.

Cabrera is a conservative Democrat and pastor at New Life Outreach International. He has ties to the Family Research Council, which was recently labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for insisting that gays and lesbians should be imprisoned. 

Klein took to the airwaves on The Capitol Pressroom last Wednesday to discuss his announcement that the IDC had re-found its Democratic religion after meeting with progressive evangelist Mayor Bill de Blasio and the seemingly more agnostic Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Klein criticized Senate Democrats for having members who are not supportive of "progressive" legislation that the IDC has been accused of blocking by sharing power with Republicans - bills like the reproductive health portion of the Women's Equality Agenda.

Klein brushed off questions about whether the IDC was supporting primary challenges to sitting Democratic Senators, but said that if the IDC does decide to get involved with primaries a litmus test would be set that would include whether a candidate supports women's issues, the DREAM Act, and campaign finance reform.

Cabrera appears to be exactly the kind of right-leaning Democrat that Klein has railed against the mainstream Democrats for having in their ranks. A number of sources insist, though, that Cabrera is running with Klein's backing. An IDC spokesperson did not return requests for comment.

According to records from Westchester County and the New York City Board of Elections, Cabrera switched his registration from Republican to Democrat when he moved to the Bronx in 2007, yet continued to vote in the 2008 Republican presidential primary.

Cabrera enjoys support from Sen. Ruben Diaz and from the conservative Democratic base in the Bronx that backs both legislators. Diaz is certainly an example of a mainline Democrat Klein was singling out as Diaz is very publically against a woman's right to choose, LGBT rights, and campaign finance reform.

While Cabrera's campaign did not return requests for comment, Sen. Rivera said that he was looking forward to the race and said he would run on "The progressive record I've built over the last three years."

The Rivera-Cabrera race is only one potential sticking point in the coming alliance between the IDC and mainline Senate Democrats, set to occur after November's elections according to the recent announcement. Sen. Diane Savino, another IDC member, recently told The Observer that Democrats risk wasting their money on primary challenges to the IDC and that these challenges could lead to the two conferences being in the minority come 2015. Savino appears to have warded off any primary challenger to her seat. She admitted the IDC is keeping its options open depending on November's election results.

Democrats Oliver Koppell and John Liu are still challenging IDC Sens. Jeff Klein and Tony Avella, respectively, much to the chagrin of the IDC.

Cabrera still has to make the petitioning deadline to get on the ballot, though he likely has the help of Diaz and other right-leaning Bronx politicos. Bronx insiders say the race will be a test of the influence of conservative Christian politicians who rely heavily on pushing turnout through block parties and the relentless call to "votar, votar, votar!" issued from the speakers of campaign trucks that circle the Bronx. Rivera's camp insists that the majority of Bronx voters are sophisticated and progressive and not interested in candidates whose campaigns are based on standing against women's and LGBT rights. Cabrera has reportedly told a number of prominent Bronx politicos that Rivera hasn't brought home enough funding for the Bronx and that constituents asked him to run because they were upset that Rivera was championing same-sex marriage and the women's equality agenda over financial issues facing the Bronx.

The race will be a test of those competing stances, but it could be a particularly hard one for Rivera as he has earned the ire of some of the Bronx's most powerful legislators with his progressive stances, and both Diaz and Klein have proven to be effective fund-raisers and campaigners.

***
by David King, Albany editor, Gotham Gazette
@DavidHowardKing

The intersection of two honoric streets (Phil Whitehouse via Flickr)

This article is part of NYC Street Signs, a product of the NYCity News Service at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism 

Five Steps To A New York City Street Name Change:

1) The process of changing a street name begins with signatures. An individual hoping to change a street name needs signatures (online or in-person) and addresses from at least 75% of residents and/or business people on the specific block. For example, if the block has 153 units, a petition needs a minimum of 115 signatures of support to move forward.

2) After acquiring the necessary number of signatures, the next step is to bring the petition to the local community board's traffic and transportation committee, and to fill out the board's specific application (see an example here).

The committee takes roughly a month to look over an application to make sure it falls under the board's guidelines. If the the committee approves the application, it is brought before the entire community board for deliberation.

3) If the local community board approves the application, it then travels to city's legislative body: the New York City Council.

4) The City Council carries out evaluations of applications and potential street name honorees. A specific council member is also required to submit a detailed report on potential honorees. If any complications concerning a proposed name change arise, the council speaker's leadership team takes a final look. Twice a year, the City Council votes on street name changes.

5) After approval by the City Council, the mayor has the power, though it is rarely used, to veto a new street co-naming. After passage, the city's Department of Transportation will put up a new sign, usually within six months.

Note: this five step guide is an edited version of the illustrated original, which can be seen here.

NYC Street Signs is a product of the NYCity News Service at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism

See the full project here

New York City Hall

What to look for this week, via the City and Albany:

And from Brazil, of course. On the heels of the United States Men's National Team's advancement into the knockout round of the 2014 World Cup - which saw Gov. Andrew Cuomo grant state employees an extra hour of lunchtime on Thursday for the U.S.-Germany match - the U.S. is back at it again on Tuesday at 4 p.m. EST versus Belgium. We already weren't expecting a lot to happen politically this week - it's a holiday week with July 4th on Friday and so much has been wrapped up over the last two weeks with the city budget deal, the end of session in Albany, the NY13 Democratic primary, and more.

Still, though, a few things to look for this week and beyond...

Many will be looking this week for further indication of what is afoot in terms of Albany politics and the changing landscape of control of the New York State Senate, including what role Gov. Cuomo will play in ensuring that Democrarts control the body, and therefore, both houses of the Legislature. New York Republicans are promising to take control of the Senate despite the announcement that the Independent Democratic Conference is breaking it's coalition with Senate Republicans to form one with Senate Democrats. Stay tuned - and tune into the state races of 2014: we have you covered, primary day is just over two months away (Sept. 9), election day in about four (Nov. 4). This week includes several relevant events - see below for details.

This week kicks off with an interesting transportation committee hearing at the City Council, an appearance by the Speaker on the Brian Lehrer Show, and more. Mayor Bill de Blasio starts his week delivering "remarks at the NYPD Graduation Ceremony in Manhattan" and attending "the retirement ceremony for Detective Bromm at the 78th Precinct in Brooklyn," according to his public schedule.

More on Monday's activity and the rest of the week below.

(And here's your link to the World Cup schedule, because we know it's pretty important to many of you for the week ahead)

A mostly non-fútbol run of the week in more detail:

New York City

On Monday
At the City Council on Monday morning at 10 a.m., the Committee on Transportation will consider a bill that would change rules regarding alternate side parking regulations, disallowing tickets for drivers who are sitting in their cars waiting for street sweeping and move them, and allowing drivers to park as soon as a street has been swept. It's the only hearing on the Council's schedule for the week.

Also at 10 a.m. on Monday morning, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will appear on the Brian Lehrer Show. Host and guest will surely touch on several topics, certain to include the Council's recent passage of a bill to create a municipal identification card program in New York.

At 11 a.m. on Monday, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer will hold a press conference on the steps of City Hall to unveil her office's report on arts education in the borough and to announce related grants and other measures Brewer's office has decided upon to address inequities or limitations in arts ed.

Tuesday
Tuesday afternoon New Yorkers will again pause all other activity to tune in for a United States World Cup match: 4 p.m. vs. Belgium. Win or go home. 

On Tuesday evening, Congressman Joe Crowley, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, State Senator Mike Gianaris and others host a fund-raising reception in support of Leroy Comrie, current Deputy Queens BP and state Senate candidate. Comrie is challening indicted Sen. Malcolm Smith. The event will be in Long Island City.

Also on Tuesday evening, another Queens state Senate candidate has a fundraising event: former Comptroller John Liu (who is challenging IDC member Sen. Tony Avella in the Democratic primary) will have his second fund-raiser of his campaign, and according to the Liu camp, "this time hosted by legislators and John's soon-to-be colleagues who share his senatorial district in Northeast Queens." 

Wednesday
According to previous reports, on Wednesday evening Mayor de Blasio is expected to headline a fundraising event of the New York State Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. The event promises to have an especially lively tone after last week's news of plans for the IDC to realign with mainline Senate Democrats.

Thursday
Nothing for you yet - and there's a good chance that doesn't change as people get an early start on the long weekend.

Friday
Friday is July 4, 2014. It is the 238th birthday of the United States and in New York City, the date that will see the return of fireworks celebrations to the East River, per the new mayor, who happens to be a Brooklynite and made this call back in April.

Enjoy the holiday and holiday weekend! And look for our next report on the week ahead in New York politics on July 6th. Send us anything you'd like to see included (email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)!

***Sneak peak for the week ahead of this week ahead: on Tuesday, July 8th, our Ben Max is moderating an event focused on homelessness and homelessnes policy being put on by Greater NYC for Change and several partners. The event is called "After Dasani: Shining Light on the Invisible" and will include discussion featuring experts and advocates, as well as audience questions, of course. More info and RSVP here.***

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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. (use "For Week Ahead" as email subject if possible).

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by Kristen Meriwether and Ben Max in New York City and David King in Albany
@GothamGazette