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What's The [Data] Point? is a podcast from Gotham Gazette and Citizens Budget Commission looking at important issues in New York policy and government. GG, which is published by Citizens Union Foundation, and CBC are both watchdogs dedicated to analyzing and explaining New York public policy and holding government accountable. The podcast will touch on a variety of issues that have significant impact to the everyday lives of New Yorkers as well as the workings of city and state government. It is hosted by Ben Max of Gotham Gazette and Citizens Budget Commission, and produced by JaVon Rice of GG and Kevin Medina of CBC, with special guests on some episodes. Each episode is titled with a significant data point that helps frame the discussion.

The podcast launched in June of 2017; find and listen to episodes through the links below, and/or download them wherever you get your podcasts (iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Soundcloud, iHeartRADIO etc). Find it and please rate and subscribe! We're on Twitter @TweetBenMax & @GothamGazette & @MariaDoulis & @cbcny.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 123 - 3, with First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright
3 is the number of letters in Mayor Adams' favorite mantra: G.S.D., Get Stuff Done. They Mayor has introduced many plans: Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent; Care, Community, Action; City of Yes; and Housing our Neighbors, to name a few. But the impact is in the implementation. Joining the podcast is First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, who talks about the Administration's GSD management approach, the City and State budgets, how the Mayor and Governor align on housing, and much more.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 122 - $227 billion, with NYS Budget Director Robert Megna
$227 billion is the size of the NYS FY 2024 Executive Budget. The State's finances are in a precarious state, with the economy uncertain and the budget going from riches to rags. There is an $8 billion surplus this year, but outyear gaps of over $7 billion and a $12 billion structural gap. Joining the podcast is NYS Budget Director Robert Megna, who was appointed only 10 days prior to this recording and has returned to the role he held from 2009-2015.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 121 - 80%, with Chief Climate Officer Rohit Aggarwala
80% is the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions NYC buildings are required to achieve by 2050 under Local Law 97. This is but one of the many climate and environmental initiatives New York City will implement in the years to come. At a recent CBC Trustee event, Rohit Aggarwala, NYC's Chief Climate Officer and Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, discussed these initiatives and more with CBC President Andrew Rein.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 120  - 1 in 3, with Chief Housing Officer Jessica Katz
1 in 3 is the number of households in New York City that are severely rent burdened. That means nearly 600,000 households are spending more than half of their monthly income on rent, electricity, and heat. At a recent CBC Trustee event, Jessica Katz, NYC's Chief Housing Officer, discussed how the Adams administration is tackling NYC's housing needs and managing its housing agenda to ensure success.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 119 - 2 1/2 — 2 1/2 is the average number of years it takes a private rezoning application to get approved in New York City, and that doesn't include the often lengthy informal pre-review negotiations.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 118 - 28, with Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer — 28 is the number of core strategies and initiatives in Mayor Eric Adams' recently unveiled plan - "Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: A Blueprint for NYC Economic Recovery." 

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 117 - $220 Billion — Joining the podcast to unpack the new budget is Chair of the State Senate Finance Committee, Senator Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat who takes us inside several of the major decisions and gives her perspective on a number of key topics.

What's The [DATA] Point? Episode 116 - Zero, with Robert Mujica — $0 is the size of the New York State budget deficit in each year of New York State’s five-year Executive Budget financial plan, as proposed by Governor Kathy Hochul. 

What's The [DATA] Point? Episode 115 - $216 billion, with Governor Kathy Hochul — $216 billion is the size of New York State fiscal year 2023 budget proposed by Governor Kathy Hochul. The proposed spending plan is balanced over five years and makes significant deposits to reserves, but also maintains high taxes and accelerates State spending growth.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 114 - 2026, with MTA Chair & CEO Janno Lieber — 2026 is the year the MTA will likely have spent all of its one-time COVID-19 federal aid, and when the MTA will have to address the estimated $2.5 billion annual structural operating deficit which that aid is now covering.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 113 - 8 — Emma Wolfe, Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor for Administration under Mayor Bill de Blasio, joined the show to discuss the de Blasio years. Wolfe has been a top advisor to de Blasio for over a decade and reflected on her work in government and politics, how the de Blasio administration should be remembered, and more.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 112 - 47 — 47 is the number of people who will have held the office of NYC Comptroller once Brad Lander is sworn in on January 1, 2022.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 111 - 89 —This year’s Medal for High Civic Service winner was Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. CBC was fortunate to have Governor Kathy Hochul welcome Secretary Buttigieg and talk with him about public service and issues facing New York State.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 110 - $150 Million — Alicia Glen, former deputy mayor for housing and economic development and now chair of the Trust for Governors Island, joined the show to discuss the future of Governors Island and more.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 109 - $103.3 Billion — Comptroller Scott Stringer joined the show to discuss the adopted budget, which is the last under Mayor Bill de Blasio and this City Council, as well as Stringer, and the city's current and long-term fiscal picture.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 108 - $209 Billion — Three expert guests joined the podcast to discuss what is happening and what it all means for the state's fiscal future: State Senator Liz Krueger; E.J. McMahon of the Empire Center and Manhattan Institute; and CBC's Director of State Studies Patrick Orecki.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 107 - $250 billion — On a special episode of "What's the [DATA] Point?" with an introduction from Ben Max and Andrew Rein, listeners will hear CBC's "Comptroller Candidate Forum: Accountability, Not Just Accounting," which featured 13-minute conversations with each of six candidates for NYC Comptroller

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 106 - 270,000 — CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez joined the podcast to discuss the pandemic's impact on CUNY, his efforts to partner with the private sector, and more.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 105 - 21,200 — Joining the podcast are two of New York's leading health care experts: Stephen Berger, who was Chairman of the New York State Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century, and Dr. Mitchell Katz, President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 104 - 24/7 with Sarah Feinberg & Janno Lieber — 24/7 is the number of hours and days New Yorkers traditionally have had access to the subway system. In response to the pandemic the MTA suspended overnight service to clean and disinfect the subway and give riders the confidence they need to return to the system.

What's The [Data] Point? Episode 103 - 800,000 with John Porcari —  Founding interim director of the Gateway Development Corporation, John D. Porcari, joined the show to discuss the project's importance, what's needed to move ahead, and what a realistic timeline is for its completion.

What's The [Data] Point? Episode 102 - $5.3 Billion —  5.3 billion is the current estimate of the budget gap the next Mayor will have to close in her/his first year. Ben Max and CBC President Andrew Rein introduce listeners to CBC's mayoral candidate forum "Managing NYC’s Fiscal Crisis."

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 101 - $7.4 Billion — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC & guest, E.J. McMahon of Empire Center, discuss why a lawsuit over taxation of out-of-state telecommuting residents is so important and also discussed a variety of elements of Governor Cuomo's new Executive Budget.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 100 - $4 billion — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC were joined by Michelle de la Uz of Fifth Avenue Committee and the City Planning Commission and by Paimaan Lodhi, Senior Vice President at the Real Estate Board of New York to discuss where the city is and should be heading on the theme.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 99 - 29 — The proposed Special Flushing Waterfront District has become the latest battle in the ongoing war over development in New York City. Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC were joined on the show by Helen Lee of the team of developers who crafted it, and by John Choe, a local activist who is opposed to it.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 98 - 2.9% — Joining the podcast is one of the nation's foremost public health experts Dr. Thomas Frieden offers a clear explanation about what we know about the virus, how to best prepare for its rise, and what the prospects are for a vaccine.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 97 - 8,200 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC are joined by State Senator Brad Lander to discuss the Gowanus rezoning proposal.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 96 - 20,000 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC are joined by Industry City CEO Andrew Kimball and City Council Member to discuss the demise of the Industry City rezoning proposal, which Kimball spent years working on and Menchaca opposed. What happened and what's next?

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 95 - 72%, with NYC Business Leaders — CBC convened a panel of five of their Trustees, representing real estate, finance, law, health, and job development to discuss a survey of economic sectors affected by switching to remote work.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 94 - $1 billion — CBC's Adrian Pietrzak and Ana Champeny joined the show to discuss the NYPD's budget and how it's going to change in the coming year.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 93 - $88.2 Billion — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC are joined by CBC's Ana Champeny to discuss the new City budget adopted for Fiscal Year 2021.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 92 - 70 million — New York City Sanitation Commissioner and "Food Czar" Kathryn Garcia, and former NYC Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway joined the show to discuss Unqork's work, distributing free meals.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 91 - On this episode, Five New York fiscal experts — Steve Berger, Stan Brezenoff, Gene Keilin, Dick Ravitch, and Alair Townsend-- describe how they helped the City navigate through the fiscal crisis and explain what they think we'll need to do to overcome the challenges of the present.overcome the challenges of the present.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 90 - $7.4 billion, with NYC Budget Director Melanie Hartzog — Maria Doulis of CBC is joined via Zoom by Melanie Hartzog to discuss the Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2021.

What's The [Data] Point? Episode 89 - 2020 - De Blasio, Cuomo, & The Year Ahead — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC are joined by Alyssa Katz of The City and Laura Nahmias of The Daily News editorial board to discuss what's ahead.

What's the [DATA]? Episode 88 - 6 months — Listen to NYCHA CEO Gregory Russ discuss working with the federal monitor to facilitate change, working with residents to instill confidence, and what needs to happen at NYCHA.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 87 - 7 Days — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC are joined by Citizens Budget Commission President Andrew Rein to discuss the start of this year's budget season.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 86 - $28.8 billion — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC are joined by guests Andrew Rein, Andrew Perry, and Ana Champeny of Citizens Budget Commission to discuss the state's fiscal situation, regional economic development and property taxes.

What's The [DATA] Point? Episode 85 - 275 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest outgoing MTA Board member, Veronica Vanterpool, joined the show to discuss her work in transit advocacy and on the MTA Board, key MTA-related issues, and more.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 84 - $15 billion — Listen to First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan and Citizens Budget Commission's Andrew Rein discussing a wide range of issues.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 83 - $81.3 billion — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Michael Schmidt, Commissioner of the Department of Taxation and Finance, joined the show to discuss the work of his department, his priorities for improving how effectively it collects tens of billions of dollars in taxes and the customer experience with government, and more.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 82 - 5 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guests Gail Benjamin and Carl Weisbroad of the 2019 New York City Charter Revision Commission join the show to discuss discuss the commission's work and the proposals voters can approve or disapprove over the next few weeks.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 81 - $7.3 Trillion — Listen to Linda Lacewell of the State Department of Financial Services joins the show to discuss her office's work.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 80 - 90% — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Sean Campion discuss his report on the Mayor's "NYCHA 2.0" plan.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 79 - 16,000 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guests City Council Member Robert Cornegy and David Tipson of Appleseed to discuss the work of the SDAG, the future of gifted and talented programming in the city, and how G&T fits into the larger school system.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 78 - 118,997 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest  James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center joined the pod to discuss the politics, policies, promises, and pitfalls of charter schools.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 77 - 98,000 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Riley Edwards discuss the number of seats for public school students constructed by the NYC School Construction Authority.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 76 - $3.2 billion — Listen to NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer discuss the City budget, rent regulation reform, and more.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 75 - 6/15, Crunch Time in Albany as Rent Regulations ExpireCrunch Time in Albany as Rent Regulations Expire — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guests John Banks, president of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), and Assemblymember Harvey Epstein.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 74 - 1.28 cents — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Patrick Orecki, discuss the underfunding of New York State's roads and bridges, why it matters, and how a smartly-done VMT could make a big difference.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 73 - 125,323 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Meera Joshi discuss her tenure at the Taxi & Limousine Commission.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 72 - $92.5 billion — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Yoav Gonen, the city budget expert at the news website, The CITY, discuss Mayor Bill de Blasio's recently-released $92.5 billion Executive Budget plan for fiscal year 2020

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 71 - 1,112,975  — Listen to Dr. Mitchell Katz at a Citizens Budget Commission breakfast and a Q&A

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 70 - $175.5 billion — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Dave Friedfel and Patrick Orecki of CBC discuss the April 1st state budget.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 69 - 5 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Alicia Glen was Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development under Mayor Bill de Blasio for more than five years. Glen joined the podcast (for the second time) for an "exit interview" on her legacy as deputy mayor, key issues facing the city and where the city is headed, the city's overall economic competitiveness, the Amazon deal that was undone, NYCHA, whether she would ever run for elected office herself, and other topics.

What's The [Data] Point? Episode 68 - 202 — Ben Max of GG & guest City Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg discuss her tenure and approach to managing city streets and transit

What's The [Data] Point? Episode 67 - 4.7 MPH — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Nicole Gelinas of the Manhattan Institute discuss her recent report on "decongesting" New York City, MTA improvement, and how to get New York moving again.

What's The [Data] Point? Episode 66 - 25,000 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest architect and urban planner, Vishaan Chakrabarti, discuss the fallout from Amazon pulling it's plans in Queens.

What's The [Data] Point? Episode 65 - $92.2 billion — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Sally Goldenberg of Politico New York, discuss the preliminary budget plan for fiscal year 2020, which begins July 1.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 64 - 8.4% — Listen to part 2 of our last episode

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 63 - 2040, New York's Energy Sector & Plan to Go Green — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Seth Hulkower discuss his recent CBC report on energy consumption and his findings .

What's The [Data] Point? Episode 62 - $175.2 Billion — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & returning guest new president of Citizens Budget Commission, joined the hosts to give an initial assessment of the Governor's budget plan.

What's The [Data] Point? Episode 61 - 2,268 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Stephen Eide, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute to discuss his a new report about New York’s inpatient mental healthcare system

What's The [Data] Point? Episode 60 - 18.6% — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guests Greg David and Cara Eisenpress, both from Crain's New York Business and the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, discuss their recent reporting exploring New York City's safety net.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 59 - 1981 — Listen to a panel on property tax reform hosted by the Citizens Budget Commission, the Regional Plan Association, and NYC Robert Wagner School of Public Service.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 58 - 3 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Charter Commission Chair Cesar Perales discuss the three ballot proposals put forth for Election Day, Tuesday, November 6, dealing with campaign finance reform, term limits for community boards, and creating a civic engagement commission.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 57 - 8 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guests David Friedfel and Patrick Orecki of CBC discuss their recent in-depth report on Governor Andrew Cuomo's two-term record and the debate between Cuomo and Republican challenger Marc Molinaro.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 56 - 90% — Listen to Stan Brezenoff, the Interim Chair and CEO of NYCHA, discuss the policy and funding challenges facing NYCHA and how he plans to tackle key areas.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 55 - 45 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Deputy Mayor for Operations Laura Anglin discuss her role in the de Blasio administration and key projects she's working on

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 54 - 3.1 miles — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Patrick Orecki of CBC discuss the recent controversy around the new Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, which has replaced the Tappan Zee Bridge connecting suburbs north of New York City, related to finances and naming

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 53 - $1 billion — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest former Deputy Mayor under Mayor Bloomberg and now a principal with Bloomberg Associates, Linda Gibbs, discuss her work for the city as deputy mayor and with other cities in her current role.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 52 - 5,000  — Ben Max of GG, Carol Kellermann of CBC, & guest Liz Glazer, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, discuss Mayor Bill de Blasio's criminal justice policies.

What's The [Data] Point? Episode 51 - 1 — Listen to Barbara Underwood, the first female Attorney General of New York State, at a CBC breakfast discussing the agenda of the Office of the Attorney General under her leadership.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 50 - $89.16 billion — Listen to a panel of fiscal experts hosted by the ABNY, as they discuss the risks in the city's budget, the level of needed reserves, and the city's fiscal outlook at large.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 49 - $17 billion — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Jamison Dague discuss how the MTA's preliminary budget plan for 2019 connects to the larger operations budget plan, the new transit president's plans to rescue buses & subways, and more.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 48 - 7.42% — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Labor Commission Bob Linn discuss his career in labor relations.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 47 - $31.8 billion — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Sean Campion discuss his report on NYCHA's dire situation and where the authority must go to have a chance to survive.

What's the [DATA] point? Episode 46 - 1,441 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Dr. Mary Bassett, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene discuss her efforts to improve health equity.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 45 - 75% — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Marisa Lago discuss some of the report's findings as well as neighborhood revitalization, housing affordability, and resiliency and sustainability.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 44 - $225 million — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Comptroller Scott Stringer discuss the $89 billion city budget, the city's financial picture, and whether Mayor and City Council are putting enough money into the reserves.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 43 - 2020 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives, Phil Thompson, discuss his new role and his path back to City Hall.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 42 - 1,988 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest City Council Member Antonio Reynoso of Brooklyn discuss what he believes are the essential steps the city must take regarding waste management.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 41 - 402 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Mark Peters, Commissioner of the Department of Investigation dicuss the work of the office, his relationship with the Mayor, and more.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 40 - 176,000 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Patrick Orecki discuss the significance of Medicaid's health homes program.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 39 - 4 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Sally Goldenberg of Politico New York discuss the Mayor de Blasio's approach to neighborhood rezoing and afforable housing.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 38 - 5.8% — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Ana Champeny discuss Mayor Bill de Blasio's Executive Budget plan for the next fiscal year with $89 billion of planned spending.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 37 - $307.45 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Anita Laremont. Ms. Laremont is the general counsel and chief data officer at the Department of City Planning. She joins our hosts to discuss projects and changes ushered through the past several years in the City.

What's The [Data] Point? Episode 36 - $168.3 billion — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & with Dave Friedfel to discuss the key elements of the new $168.3 billion state budget, and what didn't make it in.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 35 - 17% — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & Comptroller Tom DiNapoli discuss Wall Street, the State and City budgets, State pension funds, and more

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 34 - $9.5 billion — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & Andrew Rein discuss CBC's new estimate of the extra taxes NYers will pay due to the SALT cap.

What's The [Data] Point? Episode 33 - $32.2 Billion — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & Jamison Dague discuss remarks from new Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton at a recent CBC breakfast, during which he describes the five pillars

What's the Data Point? Episode 32 - 86 — Listen to former Federal Reserve Vice-Chair Stanley Fischer accepted the Felix G. Rohatyn Award at the Citizens Budget Commission awards dinner on Wednesday, February 28. This episode of the podcast features Fischer's remarks about his work.

What's the Data Point? Episode 31 - $418 million —  Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis, & Dana Rubinstein of Politico New York discuss the city-state disputes over the MTA, as well as other related topics, including congestion pricing, de Blasio's transit agenda, and more.

What's the Data Point? Episode 30 - $72.4 billion —  Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & CBC's health policy advisor, Charles Brecher, discuss news out of Washington, D.C. that is important to New York, as well as a variety of healthcare-related issues facing New York State and City.

What's the Data Point? Episode 29 - $88.7 —  Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & Mara Gay of the Wall Street Journal discuss the Mayor's budgeting practices and look ahead to the key policy and budget issues of the next few months.

What's the Data Point? Episode 28 - $14.3 billion — Listen to State Budget Director Robert Mujica and New York City First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan speak at a live Citizens Budget Commission event where they discuss the implications of the federal tax reform on the city and state.

What's the Data Point? Episode 27 - $168.2 billion — Maria Doulis & Dave Friedfel of CBC discuss the Governor's Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2018-2019, which includes topics of budget growth, Medicaid, school aid, economic development, and proposals dealing with the changes in the federal tax law.

What's the Data Point? Episode 26 - $3.2 billion —  Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & James Patchett of the Economic Development Corporation to respond to a new Citizens Budget Commission report and discuss the City's development strategy, tax breaks, NYC Ferry, and the BQX streetcar project.

What's the Data Point? Episode 25 - 374 —  Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & Laura Nahmias of Politico New York recap the first week of 2018, discussing Governor Andrew Cuomo's State of the State's agenda, Mayor Bill de Blasio's re-inauguration and future, and the new City Council Speaker Corey Johnson.

What's The Data Point? Episode 24 - 2.7% —  Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & Alex Heil of the Port Authority discuss his economic forecasts for the Port Authority region.

What's The Data Point? Episode 23 - 1996 —  Ben Max of GG, Carol Kellermann of CBC, & Chris Jones of the Regional Plan Association discuss its latest comprehensive 25-year regional plan to help the tri-state area plan for the present and the future.

What's The Data Point? Episode 22 - 10 —   Ben Max of GG, Carol Kellermann of CBC, & CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance's executive director Michael Jacobson discuss the crisis at Rikers and the plan to expand borough-based jail facilities.

What's The Data Point? Episode 21 - $26 billion — Ben Max of GG, Carol Kellermann of CBC, & former New York City finance commissioner Martha Stark discuss the property tax system, its problems, the lawsuit against the city and state, and possible solutions.

What's The Data Point? Episode 20 - 44 days — Ben Max of GG, Carol Kellermann of CBC, & City Council Member Dan Garodnick discuss his time in office and a variety of issues that he has worked on and is continuing to work on his final days in office.

What's The Data Point? Episode 19 - $67 billion — Ben Max of GG, Carol Kellermann of CBC, & Jay Kriegel of Related Companies and Americans Against Double Taxation discuss State and Local Taxes or SALT, for short.

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 18 - 348 and 74 — Ben Max of GG, Carol Kellermann, Riley Edwards, & Tim Sullivan of CBC discuss the effectiveness of LDC, IDAs, & BIDs in New York City

What's the [DATA] Point? Episode 17 - $95 billion — Ben Max of GG, Carol Kellermann of CBC, & Thad Calabrese, a  discuss the current value of all of the future retiree benefits, except pensions, already earned by current retirees and current workers of New York City

What’s The [DATA] Point? Episode 16 - 1936 — Listen to Gerald Benjamin, a distinguished scholar from SUNY New Paltz and proponent of calling a convention, discuss the controversial topic that has many in New York focused on either securing approval or voting it down. He sat down with Ben Max of GG and Carol Kellermann of CBC.

What's the [DATA] Point? Ep 15 - 60+ — Listen to an excerpt from a live Citizens Budget Commission event where two experts discussed government debt and financing, including lessons learned from Detroit and Puerto Rico that may help New York City.

What’s The [DATA] Point? Ep 14 - 4 — Ben Max of GG & Greg David of Crain’s New York discuss his recent in-depth article on Mayor Bill de Blasio and de Blasio's record as mayor.

What's the [DATA] point? Ep 13 - 95 — Ben Max of GG, Carol Kellerman of CBC & City Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland discuss why the soon-to-be former Council member decided against running for reelection, despite being the leading contender to become the next City Council Speaker.

What's the [DATA] point? Ep 12 - 77,651 — Listen to excerpts of a speech the city's housing commissioner, Maria Torres-Springer, gave at a Citizens Budget Commission event on Wednesday, September 20, followed by 15 minutes of Q-and-A with the commissioner. 7206

What's the [DATA] point? Ep 11 - $66 billion — In this back-to-school episode, Ben Max of GG and Dave Friedfel and Riley Edwards of CBC discuss the amount New York school districts receive in revenue and myths about school overcrowding. 

What's the [DATA] point? Ep 10 - 30% — Ben Max of GG, Carol Kellerman of CBC, & guest Deputy Mayor Richard Buery discuss the city's goals for awarding contracts to minority- and women-owned businesses and how Buery is leading the effort to reach those goals.

What's the [DATA] point? Ep 9 - $1.5 Billion — August 16, 2017 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Alex Matthiessen, President of Blue Marble Project and Campaign Director for Move New York, discuss the "congestion pricing" plan that aims to help repair and improve the city's mass transit, roads and bridges, while reducing traffic and creating more equity in tolling around the city.

What's the [DATA] point? Ep 8 - $17 Billion — August 10, 2017 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Shola Olatoye, chair and CEO of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the country's largest public housing authority, with over 400,000 people residing in its thousands of units across the city.

What's the [DATA] point? Ep 7 - 2008 — August 3, 2017 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest John Breit, a CBC Trustee, PhD Physicist, and former risk adviser to Merrill Lynch and the New York City Comptroller’s Office for the pension funds.

What's the [DATA] point? Ep 6 - 100,000 — July 27, 2017 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Alicia Glen, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development discussed the rezoning of East Midtown, the de Blasio administration's new jobs plan, and the recent tweaks to the administration's housing plan.

What's the [DATA] point? Ep 5 - 30 Days — July 13, 2017 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Jamison Dague, director of infrastructure studies at Citizens Budget Commission discuss issues facing the city's subway system, recent announcements made by Governor Andrew Cuomo that relate to the MTA, CBC analysis of transit system problems, and what to watch for as the MTA enters its summer "state of emergency."

What's The [Data] Point? Ep 4 - $32.5 billion — July 6, 2017 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Janno Lieber, new Chief Development Officer at the MTA discuss the state of the subways, MTA management and budgeting, major projects the MTA is undertaking and balancing them with upgrading and repairing the current subway system.

What's The [Data] Point? Ep 3 - $780 million — June 29, 2017 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Comptroller Tom DiNapoli discuss the lack of reform in Albany after the bid-rigging scandal in the Governor Cuomo's economic development programs that will see several of the governor's associates and donors on trial this fall.

What's the [DATA] point? Ep 2 - 44% — June 22, 2017 — Ben Max of GG, Maria Doulis of CBC, & guest Alyssa Katz of the Daily News editorial board discuss New Yorkers' satisfaction with city services, quality of life in the city, and more, based on results from CBC's survey of New Yorkers.

What's the [DATA] point? Ep 1 - $85.2 Billion — June 9, 2017 — Ben Max of GG and Maria Doulis of CBC launch the What's The [Data] Point? podcast with a breakdown of the recently-passed city budget for fiscal year 2018, which begins July 1, 2017. What you need to know!