What's The Data Point? Episode 4 -- $32.5 billion, with Janno Lieber, the MTA's new Chief Development Officer. [You can download What's The Data Point? wherever you get your podcasts, including on iTunes]

For the fourth episode of What's The [Data] Point? we were joined by Janno Lieber, the MTA's new Chief Development Officer who is one month into his work at the MTA, where he is overseeing major capital projects. Lieber discussed his mission, his initial work and the work that lies ahead, the general issues facing the city's subway system, and recent announcements made by Governor Andrew Cuomo that relate to the MTA. He said no one should be panicking about the subways and explained that the MTA can both manage major expansion projects and bring the current system up to a state of good repair at the same time.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think: Ben Max of GG (@TweetBenMax), Maria Doulis (@MariaDoulis) of CBC, and special guest Janno Lieber (@MTA)

Assemblymember Herman Farrell (photo: The Assembly)

When Assemblymember Herman “Denny” Farrell, who heads the chamber’s Ways and Means Committee, announced he would not seek reelection next year, it set off a murmur about who might succeed him in the powerful -- and lucrative -- committee post.

Farrell, a Democrat elected to the Assembly in 1974 and the third longest serving member of the body, is known for his diplomacy and good natured bantering with Republicans and Democrats alike during budget hearings and on the Assembly floor.

Well-liked among his peers and beloved in his community, Farrell -- who represents Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood -- was recognized by the Legislature last week, when it voted to rename Upper Manhattan’s Riverbank State Park after him as part of a special legislative session dealing with mayoral control over schools.

Governor Andrew Cuomo also honored the Assembly member at a breakfast at the Executive Mansion on June 20, speaking in eulogistic terms of Farrell’s time in the Assembly and as former chair to both the Manhattan and State Democratic Parties.

“Denny also taught me politics was the means to the end, and that was getting into government to achieve power…not power you would use personally, not power to take care of some donors, to take care of some unions, to take care of the political complex — power to do good things for your people and for your community,” Cuomo said, according to a recording of his remarks obtained by Politico New York. “Government is about accomplishing things for people and making their life better. Everything else is bull----.”

While Farrell’s current two-year term is set to officially end at the end of 2018, the grand farewell he received in Albany and other indicators have signalled to many in Harlem that he plans to resign before January, when the Legislature is next due back in the capital. The move would virtually ensure the party nomination of his chief of staff, Rev. Al Taylor, in a special election, according one Harlem insider who spoke to Gotham Gazette on the condition of anonymity. For special elections to the state Legislature, the borough party committees name the party representative on the ballot.

“His departure is something that a lot of people Uptown are talking about. Farrell is putting a lot of his energy and political assets into his chief of staff, Al Taylor. Wherever Denny is, Al is nearby,” the insider said, noting that the Assembly office’s most recent quarterly newsletter featured Taylor more than Farrell. “All the signs point to Farrell's resignation being imminent.”

In addition to Taylor, Juan Rosa, a former City Council staffer and community activist, is considering a run for the seat, according to multiple people familiar with the district.

Farrell, who did not return a request for comment, has not confirmed any plan to vacate his Assembly seat before January 2019, when his term would officially end.

If Farrell does indeed leave before the end of the year, not only would Taylor have the inside track to the Assembly, but Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie would name a new Ways and Means chair, the top Assembly budget post below the Speaker, before the next budget season in Albany -- a move that would likely prompt a series of new committee chair appointments throughout the Assembly for the 2018 session.

“When you make one change, you make 30 changes. That is always the part that outsiders don’t understand,” said former Assemblymember Richard Brodsky. “Part of the calculus that any Speaker makes is not just how to fill that position, but how it will affect the entire food chain.”

As capital watchers have noted Farrell’s imminent departure, it has also become apparent that several female legislators are in line for the committee leadership job -- a post no woman has ever held before.

While new leadership appointments are made every year by the Speaker, the Ways and Means chairship is arguably the most powerful and well-paid committee position in the Assembly. It is also arguably the most challenging, as the committee is tasked with budget hearing leadership and examining any legislation considered by the body that has a fiscal component.

The position comes with a significant stipend. On top of the standard $79,500 legislative salary, the Ways and Means chair earns $34,000, on par only with the $34,500 stipend received by the Assembly Majority Leader, currently Joseph Morelle, of Monroe County. Other committees, such as Codes and Education, may deliberate over a comparably high volume of bills, but come with a stipend of $18,000 each. The Ways and Means chair also has access to a significantly larger staff than any other chair in the Assembly.

Geography and seniority have long played a role in who is selected for both leading Ways and Means and other top committees. For Ways and Means, other factors typically considered include knowledge of the budget process, diplomacy, ability to get along with Republicans in both legislative houses, and the stamina to sit through many hours of annual budget hearings.

The longest serving member of the Assembly is Richard Gottfried, of Manhattan, who is followed by Assemblymember Joseph Lentol, of Brooklyn. Gottfried, who has headed the Assembly Health Committee for more than 30 years, told Gotham Gazette he has expressed to Heastie and previous speakers that he is not interested in leading Ways and Means.

“I almost can't imagine how lucky I am to have had this job; it is just about a dream position for me,” Gottfried said of leading the Health Committee. “I love being able to focus on health policy and consider myself enormously happy to have this job.”

He noted that the Speaker must ultimately assess the person’s ability to speak on behalf of the Assembly majority's view of the budget and be someone who can represent the diverse views of the Democratic Conference.

“The speaker has to be concerned with, among other things, maintaining the solidarity and cohesion of the Democratic Majority because there are always a lot of forces eager to pick us apart,” said Gottfried, who is currently focussed on trying to see single-payer health care passed in New York.

An obvious choice for Heastie might be Lentol, the second most senior member of the Assembly, who has held his seat since 1972 and has served as chair of the critical Committee on Codes since 1992. Lentol competed against Heastie in the race to replace former Speaker Sheldon Silver in 2015, as did Assemblymember Catherine Nolan, of Queens, the sixth longest serving Assembly member. Lentol did not return a request for comment on whether he was interested in the Ways and Means position.

Assemblymember Robin Schimminger, who represents a swing district encompassing Niagara and Erie Counties, follows Lentol and Farrell in seniority, but his district geography and more moderate place on the political spectrum could rule him out for such an influential position in the New York City-focussed conference.

While women have historically been underrepresented in the Legislature, including in leadership positions, for the first time in history, several are in the mix for the Ways and Means post, including Nolan, who was first elected in 1984, Assemblymember Helene Weinstein, of Brooklyn, who is the fifth longest serving member of the Assembly, having been elected in 1980, and others.

Weinstein chairs the highly technical Judiciary Committee and Nolan heads the Education Committee.

Between Weinstein and Nolan on the seniority list are Brooklyn Assemblymember Dov Hikind and Assemblymember David Gantt, of Rochester.

Female Assemblymembers Vivian Cook, of Queens; Earlene Hooper, of Nassau County; and Deborah Glick, of Manhattan, also rank among the 15 longest serving lawmakers in the 150-seat chamber. Glick has the distinction of being New York's first openly gay person elected to the state Legislature. She has been outspoken on a range of progressive issues and chairs the important Higher Education Committee.

Seniority withstanding, Heastie has made an effort to provide leadership opportunities to newer members in a way his predecessors did not, according to members of the Assembly who spoke to Gotham Gazette.

“I think we have noticed that under this leadership [Speaker Heastie] has managed to bring a few new members, who have only been here a few months, to be chairmen of committees and subcommittees. It has never happened before. You know, it took me 20 years to get a chairmanship myself,” said Brooklyn Assemblymember Félix W. Ortiz, who chairs the Cities Committee and serves as Assistant Speaker.

He may also consider factors like gender, race, political beliefs, and other elements of diversity in making his decision.

“Geography used to matter, but once you open up that door of identity, lots of people walk in. The Assembly is blessed with about 15 people whose seniority and talent and experience is considerable, it’s going to be hard for [Speaker Heastie] to make a bad choice,” said former Assemblymember Brodsky, who chaired both the Committee on Environmental Conservation and the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions during his nearly three decades in Albany.

A spokesperson for Heastie did not return a request for comment, nor did the offices of Assembly Members Nolan, Weinstein, Lentol, and Schimminger.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified the location of Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle's district.

New Yorkers cast their votes for President (photo: Edwin J. Torres/Mayoral Photo Office)

New York has joined the ranks of states refusing to comply with a request for voter information sent yesterday by Kris Kobach, the Kansas Secretary of State and vice chair of the newly-created federal Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.

“We will not be complying with this request and I encourage the Election Commission to work on issues of vital importance to voters, including ballot access, rather than focus on debunked theories of voter fraud,” said Governor Andrew Cuomo in a statement on Friday afternoon.

The letter, which asks that each state provide the administration with available data including the names, addresses, social security numbers, voter registrations, and voting histories of every voter in the state, immediately prompted concern over voter suppression and privacy.

N.Y.U. School of Law’s Brennan Center for Justice put out a statement calling on states to carefully review their legal obligations before turning over the data. While voter data is technically public, accessing it generally requires adhering to special protocols and making payments, such as submitting requests in writing for specific data. In New York, accessing public voter data requires mailing a completed form to the state’s Board of Elections, leaving a record of who is requesting the information.

In the statement, Mryna Pérez, the center’s deputy director, recommended that secretaries of state have “frank conversations with their lawyers about the privacy and other implications of complying with Kobach’s extensive request.”

Several voting rights organizations have also condemned the request, including the League of Women Voters, whose president, Chris Carson, called it a “fishing expedition” and a “distraction from the real issue of voter suppression” in a statement.

Activists worry that the data will be used to target voters based on their political affiliations as opposed to the stated purpose of investigating voter fraud. The commission was created by President Donald Trump to investigate non-citizens casting ballots following his widely discredited claim that three to five million people voted illegally in the 2016 presidential election.

As Kansas Secretary of State, Kobach ran a multi-year campaign and developed new computer systems to crack down on illegal voting, which ultimately resulted in only nine convictions, mostly of older Americans who had voted in two states or otherwise violated procedural laws. Dale Ho, director of the American Civil Liberties Union Voting Rights Project once referred to Kobach as the “king of voter suppression” because of his efforts to limit voter registration in Kansas.

New York joins California, Kentucky, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Connecticut in turning away Kobach’s request, which is not legally binding.

What's The Data Point? Episode 3 -- $780 million, with Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. [You can download What's The Data Point? wherever you get your podcasts, including on iTunes]

For the third episode of What's The [Data] Point? we were joined by New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, the state's chief fiscal watchdog. With hosts Ben Max and Maria Doulis, DiNapoli discusses his thus far unsuccessful efforts to reform the state's contracting processes in the wake of the $780 million bid-rigging scandal that broke last year with federal charges brought against nine associates of and donors to Governor Andrew Cuomo. DiNapoli also talks state budget matters and the importance of monitoring how taxpayer dollars are spent.

Listen and let us know what you think: Ben Max of GG (@TweetBenMax), Maria Doulis (@MariaDoulis) of CBC, and special guest state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli (@NYSComptroller):

Gov. Cuomo on Thursday (photo: Philip Kamrass/Governor’s Office)

To prevent the impending lapse of mayoral control over New York City schools, the state Legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo passed a two-year extension Thursday as part of a larger omnibus bill, which included a pension enhancement for certain uniformed workers, special recognition for former Governor Mario Cuomo, and several benefits for upstate areas.

A special session was called Wednesday by Gov. Cuomo specifically to address mayoral leadership over city schools, which was set to expire June 30, and a small number of other matters, but the ensuing discussion produced a more sprawling legislation package, according to Cuomo. The final deal included a three-year extension of local taxes, $55 million in Lake Ontario flood relief funding, and the renaming of the new Tappan Zee Bridge after the governor’s late father.

According to Cuomo, who held a press conference Thursday afternoon at the Capitol to celebrate what was accomplished, he and legislative leaders arrived at a compromise centered on extending mayoral control ahead of his calling the special session. Once legislators returned to the capital, the negotiations were opened up more broadly, and a larger tentative deal was reached at around 8:30 p.m Wednesday night. That agreement followed a day of meetings behind closed doors, during which rank-and-file lawmakers, journalists, and the larger public were largely left on the sidelines. The Assembly voted to pass the omnibus bill at around 1 a.m. on Thursday, while the Senate passed the bill after some internal rankling at around 2 .p.m.

The opaque nature of the discussions, as well as the expense of keeping lawmakers in Albany at a cost of more than $30,000 -- though not all lawmakers take per diems and estimates vary -- drew criticism from lawmakers across party lines, including Senate Minority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, who along with her fellow Senate Democrats urged their colleagues on the GOP side to move the bill along Thursday.

“Another day and another example of dysfunction in the Senate,” Stewart Cousins said at a press conference outside the Senate GOP conference room. “The GOP/IDC inability to finish this session is an embarrassment. We need to stop wasting taxpayers’ money and do our jobs. The Senate Democrats are ready to vote for this package of legislation immediately. Let's go to the floor.”

Democratic Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who was adamant during the legislative session that the lifting of the charter school cap in New York City not be included in the final bill, commended the governor and his colleagues in the Legislature for passing a comprehensive bill that would prevent disruption in the management of city schools.

“I am proud of the efforts of Assembly members on both sides of the aisle who worked extremely hard to craft a consensus on the many pressing issues our state faces,” said Heastie, who got his way on the charter school cap, in a statement. “Working with Governor Cuomo, our successes include a two-year extension of mayoral control of New York City schools, giving our educational system stability and allowing our school children to thrive.

During his press conference in the Capitol’s Red Room, Cuomo ceremoniously signed the mayoral control portion of the legislative package and said he had anticipated the special session would only address mayoral control and legislation enhancing pension benefits for certain city police officers and firefighters, known as the “three-quarters bill.” However, several Senate Republicans from Upstate saw the bill as too New York City-centric.

“The agreement was to come back and do mayoral control and the three-quarters bill. When we came back, the Assembly was fine with it,” Cuomo told reporters. “My understanding is, in the conference, the Senate said ‘We also want to do the sales tax extenders. And by the way, it’s not just the sales tax extenders,’ they said, ‘We also want do something on Vernon Downs’...That is what we were trying to avoid. Once you start to expand the wish list, it gets much, much harder to get to an agreement.”

Offering a reason for the delay in legislative voting, Cuomo also celebrated how much got done in the end.

The final bill offers a tax bailout to Vernon Downs, an Upstate racetrack, in order to prevent its closure and retain 300 well-paying jobs in the region; provides for critical transportation needs in Westchester County; and includes passage of a proposed constitutional amendment to aid communities in the Adirondack Mountains with infrastructure projects. In addition to the renaming of the Tappan Zee, the Legislature voted to rename Riverbank State Park in Manhattan in honor of retiring Assemblymember Denny Farrell, who was first elected to the Assembly in 1974.

Flanagan also touted the package, saying in a Thursday statement saying that the omnibus bill "resolves a number of outstanding state issues" after "Senate Republicans were able to put together a more comprehensive package that meets the needs of taxpayers, students, and families throughout our entire state." Flanagan also indicated that there were provisions related to protecting charter schools, something Mayor de Blasio stated would be announced in the coming days as administrative, not legislative, matters.

There was no legislative action regarding the MTA, which Cuomo had declared was in a state of emergency on Thursday morning at an event in New York City. At that event Cuomo did pledge an additional $1 billion to the MTA in next year’s budget.

As had become evident when the budget was passed in April and through the end of the legislative session last week, no government ethics or election reforms made it through Albany this year. Two other top priorities of Mayor de Blasio’s -- design-build authority and additional speed cameras for school zones -- were also left on the chopping block.

Still, at his own news conference on Thursday afternoon, de Blasio said he was very pleased with the outcome, especially on mayoral control. The mayor expressed relief that with the first two-year extension of his term, he would not need an Albany vote next year to keep control of the school system. What the mayor does need, however, is the approval of voters this fall when he seeks reelection.

with reporting by Ben Max

(photo: The Governor's Office)

As the dust settles on the scheduled legislative session in Albany and subsequent “extraordinary session” called by Governor Andrew Cuomo, much of the focus has been on the extension of mayoral control of city schools, finally passed Thursday after serious brinkmanship. There has also been plenty of talk centered on what didn’t happen: procurement, ethics, and electoral reform, the Child Victims Act, and more.

The Citizens Budget Commission (CBC), a fiscal watchdog, is also calling for scrutiny of other items that did pass, though with little fanfare. Specifically, CBC is pointing to 26 bills that it calls “benefit sweeteners,” enhancements of public benefits that it estimates will cost state and local governments at least $34 million by the end of fiscal year 2018. In fact, in order to pass an extension of mayoral control of city schools, legislators and the governor also agreed on one public benefit enhancement that will increase disability pensions for certain uniformed workers.

While that pension “sweetener” clearly has the governor’s blessing, according to Dave Friedfel, CBC’s director of state studies, the organization will send a letter to Cuomo urging him to veto about 10 of the other 26. This includes urging a veto of a “sweetener” that “clarifies eligible beneficiaries of New York City sanitation workers pension benefits, and provides a special accidental death benefit to the beneficiaries,” according to the bill summary, which is estimated to cost $8.9 million in immediate past service and then $6.8 million per year starting in fiscal year 2018, leading to an instant increase of $15.7 million in employer costs for New York City, the most of any of the bills identified.

Fourteen of the bills relate to reforms of death and disability pensions, mostly expanding eligibility criteria for various benefits to different classes of uniformed personnel, including firefighters, court officers, parole officers, and emergency medical service providers. Seven bills relate to expansions of pension benefits, one to health insurance, and three to miscellaneous topics, like repealing the retirement age of 60 for Garden City police officers.

CBC’s criteria is whether bills enhance benefits “without providing enhanced services to taxpayers or off-setting savings.” The watchdog, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, had been tracking 130 such bills throughout the session, most of which did not pass. For those that did, the attention is now on Cuomo to be judicious, CBC says.

Friedfel stressed that the discussion anchored around “whether these types of issues need to be addressed through a benefit enhancement,” and not on whether they were valid issues.

For example, several bills that were introduced, including one that passed, would extend leave for public employees to receive cancer screening. “Certainly we’re not advocating that people go without those screenings...but it’s unnecessary for the state’s taxpayers to grant additionally for those things,” said Friedfel, adding that some bills had not been requested by localities or employers but the state was unilaterally imposing extra costs.

“Benefit enhancements should be part of the contractual negotiating process,” he said, referring to collective bargaining between government and labor unions.

CBC’s discrete cost estimates per bill range from effectively zero to $15.7 million, for sanitation worker disability bill, in the first year. Thirteen of the bills did not have CBC estimates; of these, 10 had been passed with no fiscal note.

Maria Doulis, vice president of CBC, said in an email that the session brought “a greater volume of bills passed by the Legislature, but the bills themselves are not very costly when compared to some measures that have been floated and even passed in years past. That is encouraging.”

In response to questions over whether the governor intended to veto any of the bills or disputed the fiscal impacts outlined by CBC, Cuomo spokesperson Abbey Fashouer said in an email, “We haven’t seen the report or reviewed and analyzed all of the bills passed by the Legislature, but priority number one is protecting New York taxpayers.”

When the special legislative session was called, reports suggested that Cuomo would seek additional agreements on enhanced disability benefits.

Ultimately, the bill passed by the Legislature Thursday allowed “certain uniformed members of public retirements systems” -- including NYPD officers, FDNY firefighters and other city employees -- to receive accidental disability benefits even if they’re not eligible for a “normal service retirement benefit” and do so “despite being disapproved from receiving a federal social security disability pension.”

The expected cost of this provision would be $8.9 million in fiscal year 2018, then inch up to $12.5 by fiscal year 2022, for a total of about $55 million in those five years, paid for by New York City. Friedfel said the measure “didn’t need to be done in a special session” but it wasn’t “something we’re objecting to.”

At a press conference Thursday afternoon in Albany, Cuomo said of the $55 million estimate, “I don’t even think we’re going to get to the 55, frankly. I think the actual need will be below that.”

At his own press conference at City Hall, Mayor Bill de Blasio reacted to the legislation passed in Albany, celebrating the extension of mayoral control. The mayor said he thought the intent of the pension portion of the bill “was to be considerate to our uniformed officers who stay on the job beyond the minimum number of years, and to respect their reality, particularly if they become disabled.” He stated no objection to it.

“I’m always sensitive to adding to pension burdens, because that’s a big long-term issue, but this was a modest cost and a fair concept,” he said in response to a question from Gotham Gazette.

Cuomo has in the past shown willingness to veto bills passed by the Legislature that would add to the financial burdens related to benefits. He twice vetoed a bill allowing honorably discharged military veterans who had transitioned to the public sector to purchase three years of public pension credit before finally signing it last year, once the Legislature had appropriated funds. He also vetoed nine separate pension “sweeteners” last year.

One of Cuomo’s first major legislative initiatives was reforming the largesse of the state pension system, a reform that will save the state an estimated $80 billion over 30 years. Doulis called it “one of the Governor's early and most significant fiscal accomplishments” and said he had been “pretty good about holding the line and rejecting most sweeteners.”

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!

AG Eric Schneiderman (photo: @Schneiderman)

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has quickly become one of President Donald Trump’s leading opponents, using the levers of his office to litigate against Trump’s policies, and has put New York at the forefront of efforts to resist the new Republican administration’s agenda.

Speaking at a Tuesday breakfast event hosted by the Association For A Better New York (ABNY), Schneiderman, a second-term Democrat, discussed his role in the Trump era, which has made his focus much more on Washington, D.C. than Albany, New York, the state capital where Schneiderman has worked as a state senator and sought reforms to the state’s election and government ethics laws.

The focus of the ABNY event Tuesday morning was Schneiderman’s approach to Trump. The attorney general emphasized New York’s fundamental principle of openness and reiterated his pledge to fight President Trump’s travel ban on people from six Muslim-majority countries. “New York values of mutual respect, pluralism, and common sense are more important than ever,” he said to a room of around 250 people at the Sheraton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. “As long as I am your Attorney General, I promise to do everything I can to stand up for those values and defend all the people I represent  in the challenges we face together.”

He also described his approach toward the legislation that seeks to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which may soon receive a vote in the U.S. Senate. “If the version of the health care bill proposed last week ever becomes law, I’ve promised to go to court to challenge it – and protect New Yorkers from these wrongheaded and unconstitutional provisions,” he said.

In a lighthearted moment, Schneiderman described the experience of quarreling with Trump over the years, even before Trump ran for President. In 2013, Schneiderman filed suit against the real estate mogul for his fraudulent for-profit college Trump University. The president settled in 2016 for $25 million.

Schneiderman noted he has learned to ignore Twitter, a favored Trump medium that the president has long-used to attack Schneiderman and others, and how Trump consistently pulls out all the stops against people when he feels threatened by them. Schneiderman read aloud a few insulting tweets that Trump has sent about him over the years. The attorney general also recalled when the New York Observer, owned by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, published a cover depicting Schneiderman as “Clockwork Eric,” likening him to the 1971 movie “A Clockwork Orange” character Alex DeLarge, who is a violent rapist. The paper published an accompanying feature on Schneiderman that accused him of “political opportunism,” “vindictiveness,” and cast doubt on his investigation into Trump.

When he did mention more local state affairs, Schneiderman cited passage of legislation to end the so-called gun show loophole and development of a drug tracking system, along with changing his office’s mentality. “Consistent with my goal of keeping New York competitive, we have shifted the culture of our office by making it clear that lawyers on my team don’t just get credit for catching bad guys; they also get credit for helping good guys,” said Schneiderman, who succeeded Governor Andrew Cuomo as attorney general.

State government was a distant second to national matters as they relate to New York, in keeping with the event’s intended purpose. The media advisory announcing the event stated Schneiderman was expected to “discuss his work fighting Trump Administration policies that he believes threaten New Yorkers and the rule of law. Attorney General Schneiderman will detail his office’s efforts on both fronts and articulate his priorities for the future in the fight to defend New York.”

While it made sense for Schneiderman to omit state government ethics and voting reform from his remarks, the attorney general was holding his first public speaking event since the end of the scheduled legislative session in Albany, which included none of the reforms Schneiderman has proposed. Tuesday’s event was representative of a shift in focus by Schneiderman away from state reforms and toward taking on federal government policies with the aim of fighting for New Yorkers against a new presidential administration and Republican-controlled Congress. 

A spokesperson for Attorney General Schneiderman disputed this observation. “He can walk and chew gum at the same time, and that’s exactly what he’s been doing,” wrote Amy Spitalnick, the Schneiderman spokesperson, in an email to Gotham Gazette. But, while Schneiderman does oversee a large and busy office, the attorney general has been quiet regarding state reforms in recent months as major decisions are made in the state capital. Schneiderman's office explained that representatives from the AG's office have met with legislative leaders, relevant committee chairs, and advocates about Schneiderman's proposals.

A review of Schneiderman’s May and June press releases show that as the legislative year in Albany headed toward underwhelmingly conclusion, the attorney general spoke out against President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Accords; filed suit against Trump regarding energy efficiency standards; challenged the EPA on toxic pesticides; criticized Secretary of Education Betsy Devos over discontinuing student loan forgiveness policies; announced opposition to potential regulatory rollback in Senate legislation; voiced concern over infringement upon New Yorker’s contraceptive rights by Trump administration policies; and reaffirmed New York’s commitment to protecting so-called sanctuary city statuses; along with other pushbacks against policies originating in Washington.

Schneiderman’s main public efforts have been to, as he sees it, protect New Yorkers from the new president’s policies, many of which he believes threaten New Yorkers rights and needed services. Schneiderman was the subject of profiles in major outlets such as Politico and New York Magazine, both focused on his efforts against Trump. Meanwhile, Schneiderman hired Revolution Messaging, Senator Bernie Sanders’ digital consulting group in April , to work on his political team -- the AG is expected to seek a third term in 2018, but is also regarded as a certain gubernatorial candidate when Cuomo is no longer in the picture.

But the attorney general’s office insists that Schneiderman has been attentive to Albany-related efforts. “Anyone who follows the AG’s work knows he’s been very engaged in the fight for voting and ethics reform, including proposing his own legislative packages on both issues,” the Spitalnick wrote. “That’s in addition to his push to strengthen tenant protections, protect cost-free access to birth control, and more.”

While he has been quiet on both recently, Schneiderman has pushed election and government ethics reforms. In February, he introduced the New York Votes Act, a bill that would institute automatic and same-day voting registration along with early voting. On ethics reform for the scandal-plagued state government, in May 2015 Schneiderman introduced legislation that would give investigatory powers to the attorney general to prosecute corruption by officeholders, ban lawmakers from receiving outside income, and make campaign donation laws more restrictive. None of Schneiderman’s proposals on these two fronts have made it into law, opposed at various turns by the powers that be in Albany, including Governor Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic majority in the Assembly, and the Republican-led majority in the Senate.

Asked for recent examples of how Schneiderman has pushed his electoral and ethics proposals, or for any plans to get them moving, the AG’s office pointed to examples in the more distant past. Schneiderman does not appear to have held a public event, issued a press release, or written an op-ed on either voting or ethics reform since February, when he released his electoral reform package. The state budget was passed in early April and the scheduled legislative session ended last week, both without any of these reforms.

Speaking with reporters following his Tuesday ABNY speech, the attorney general said the legislative session ending without ethics reform was a missed opportunity. “I think that it is essential that the state government show an ability to, and a willingness to, reform,” he said in response to a question from Gotham Gazette. “Otherwise, we're just going to have more scandals and a further erosion of public confidence.”

“The willingness to get it done is there and I think there is an unfortunate tendency to cling to the status quo,” he added, though he did not cite evidence of the existence of any “willingness” and his spokesperson did not explain what he meant when asked in a follow-up email.

Corruption has plagued New York’s capital for years, with legislator after legislator removed from office because of ethical scandal. Recently, former State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos were convicted separately on public corruption charges. Not long after that, charges were announced against nine associates of and donors to Gov. Cuomo in a massive alleged bid-rigging scandal. In September 2016, Schneiderman’s office brought charges against two former Cuomo aides along with state official Alain Kaloyeros as part of that scandal. In March, Schneiderman’s office also charged state Senator Robert Ortt and former state Senator George Maziarz for embezzling funds, though the charges against Ortt were dismissed by a judge on Tuesday.

Despite months of inaction on election and ethics reforms in Albany, Schneiderman said Tuesday he is hopeful. “I do really believe that we are at a point where the public is demanding reform and there are enough legislators who get the need and are willing to get a step towards it,” he said in the gaggle. “So I think that's something which should be coming.”

(photo: Edwin J. Torres/Mayor's Office)

To prevent the lapse of mayoral control over New York City schools, Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday called an “extraordinary session” of the state Legislature to convene on Wednesday at 1p.m. in Albany. Often referred to as a “special session,” details of how the day will unfold -- especially what legislation will pass -- are still unclear.

Currently, the session has been called for just one day, with the only named purpose the extension of authority granted to the New York City Mayor, currently Bill de Blasio, to run the city schools. But, as of Tuesday evening, there is no specific bill on the table and Cuomo’s proclamation leaves the discussion open to “such other subjects” he “may recommend.”

"The Governor is calling an extraordinary legislative session for Wednesday, June 28 to take up the issue of Mayoral Control. The Governor has discussed the extraordinary session with the legislative leaders,” said Melissa DeRosa, secretary to the governor, in a statement.

The failure to reach a deal by the end of the week would lurch the educational system for 1.1 million city schoolchildren into uncertainty, and the process would commence to revert school governance back to the Board of Education and local school boards -- which, while in power, were frequently charged with inefficiency and corruption.

Like most educational experts, Governor Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie have all expressed support for mayoral control and believe that the old school board system was worse. But, the GOP-controlled Senate want to tie an extension to an increase in the cap on charter schools in New York City. The Assembly wants a clean extender of mayoral control, but did tie it to other local extenders in the form of expiring tax rates that also have widespread support.

On Wednesday, the three men will meet again try to break the impasse over the issue, and perhaps negotiate other policies, while reporters try to glean some insight into the negotiations. After breaking last Wednesday night at the end of the scheduled legislative year without deals on mayoral control, local tax extenders, or several other high-profile items, legislators, some of them on vacation, are being called back to the capital to handle unfinished business.

A majority is needed in both houses for the session to commence, and it is the responsibility of the legislative leaders to compel their members to return to the Capitol, according to Cuomo’s office.

According to Albany lore, the executive can call in state troopers to force lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special session. This myth, cited by several legislative staffers, does not appear in the state constitution. Senate rules do require a quorum, or 60 percent of members to be present for any motions or resolutions, and empower those present to send the Sergeant at Arms to bring absent senators back from their districts if necessary. In post-session remarks this past Thursday, Cuomo did jokingly reference constituents using force to send their local legislators back to Albany to finish their business.

While special sessions are sometimes intended to tackle a single topic, The New York Times reported that the governor may be offering the Senate GOP approval of a bill to increase accidental disability pensions for firefighters, police officers, and other city employees in exchange for a sign-off on one year of mayoral control without charter school provisions attached. This has opened the door to lawmakers and interest groups who want to see other bills considered in renewed negotiations.

Also caught in the crossfire, is a standard two-year extension dozens of local and county taxes. If it lapses, counties could face a $1.8 billion collective hole in their budgets, according to the New York State Association of Counties. Like with mayoral control, virtually all the major stakeholders believe in an extension, but disagree on the details of a deal.

Now NYSAC is calling for the Legislature to tackle legislation that would permanently allow county governments to extend their sales tax rates every two years.

Senator Michael Gianaris, a Queens Democrat, wants the special session to include action on New York City’s rapidly deteriorating subway system, following a particularly dramatic derailment incident Tuesday morning, which left dozens of straphangers injured. Just before the end of the scheduled session Gianaris had put forth a new proposal for a temporary dedicated revenue stream to infuse cash into the MTA.

“With the state legislature likely to return to Albany soon to address outstanding issues, fixing the MTA should be a top priority. When they return, the Governor and members of the legislature should not leave the Capitol until a solution to the MTA crisis is enacted,” wrote Gianaris in a petition for lawmakers to consider his bill to establish a dedicated funding stream for emergency maintenance and repairs.

While only the governor sets the agenda for a special session, his power is limited.
Technically, the Legislature never gavels out of session. According to the state constitution, if the Assembly goes dark for four days consecutively, lawmakers cannot reconvene until the following calendar year.

So, for more than two decades, every third day, an Assembly member has entered the chamber, and triple-banged the gavel on the podium -- a ritual that keeps the Legislature endlessly in session. This practice is intended to prevent recess appointments by the Governor and also allows any new legislation to age the requisite three days before becoming law.

Since the legislative session never really ends, when a special session is called, the Legislature must return to Albany, but can immediately gavel out and go home. Its members can also stay and reconvene to consider legislation of their choosing.

The Legislature first turned over control of city schools to the Mayor in 2002.
Previously, they were governed a seven-member Board of Education and 32 elected community school boards. The Board of Education, which had two mayoral appointees and one each from the borough presidents, selected the chancellor. The mayor could also influence the school system through the city budget.

Authority to appoint superintendents in elementary and middle schools was stripped from the Board in 1996 due to evidence of corruption and patronage in some school districts. Since this shift test performance and graduation rates dramatically improved at city schools, reports The New York Times.

Without clear direction, the session can get expensive.
Compensation, per diem allowances and travel expenses for members can add up, not to mention the cost of additional legislative staff. There are 150 seats in the Assembly and 63 in the Senate. It’s not clear how many legislators will be back to Albany for Wednesday’s session.

Legislators are paid a per diem rate of $175, which is to cover hotel and food, plus they are compensated for travel expenses at 55 cents per mile, not including tolls. For a lawmaker from Buffalo, which is approximately 300 miles from Albany, the travel bill tallies up to around $150 each way, for example. There is also a partial per diem rate of $59 when lawmakers do not spend the night.

Note: This article has been updated to clarify how lawmakers are gathered back to the Capitol during a special session.

Mayor de Blasio in Albany (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s control of the New York City school system is only good for the rest of this week. The state Legislature ended its scheduled legislative session last Wednesday without a deal on an extension, something Governor Andrew Cuomo called “dereliction of duty,” and de Blasio has said puts the futures of 1.1 million schoolchildren at risk.

The New York Times reported Monday night that Cuomo is calling the Legislature back into special session "as early as Wednesday" in order to pass a one-year extension of mayoral control, perhaps offering state Senate majority Republicans a pension sweetening bill they had previously sought but not the expansion of charter schools in New York City that had held up negotiations with the Assembly, which is controlled by Democrats allied with the teachers unions, which see charter schools as an existential threat.

If the state Legislature does not reconvene and vote through an extension by Friday, June 30, the law will lapse and governance of the city’s schools will revert back to the old Board of Education system that was in place until 2002, when Mayor Michael Bloomberg won mayoral control through Albany.

Perhaps instructive for the coming months, there was a brief period in the summer of 2009 when mayoral control lapsed due to chaos in state government, but it was restored before the start of the next school year. While Bloomberg received seven and six years of mayoral control in 2002 and 2009, de Blasio has received back-to-back one-year extensions leading into this year, in large part because of tensions with Cuomo, a fellow Democrat, and the Senate majority.

De Blasio is largely allied with the Assembly majority, though not all members of that conference are fully supportive of mayoral control and it walked away from the bargaining table because it does not want to approve more charter schools for the city.

The situation has become a test of Cuomo’s leadership and reputation for getting things done.

According to the mayor and many others, circumstances are dire.

“I could not express the urgency more,” de Blasio said on Friday during an interview with Politico New York from the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Miami, Florida. “1.1 million children's lives and education and future depends on it,” the mayor said. “There are still differences clearly...there are things that need to be worked out, but my message to everyone is we've got to get this done by June 30, and that the results of not getting it done by June 30 are that we start back down a road of a system that failed our children.”

De Blasio has pointed to successes of the past 15 years overall, like much higher graduation rates, and of his three-plus years in office, like the implementation of universal pre-kindergarten, as evidence that mayoral control works. He’s also repeatedly pointed to dysfunction, corruption, and a lack of clear accountability under the old Board of Education system, which also involves 32 locally elected school boards.

De Blasio said Friday that “the action will begin in earnest again on Monday and I'm going to be talking to all of the key leaders on trying to settle all of the differences and getting this done.”

On Monday evening, de Blasio told NY1’s Errol Louis that his message to state lawmakers is “come back and get to work and finish this...get back to Albany and get this done.”

A spokesperson for the mayor told Gotham Gazette that “Our team has been in constant contact with the governor's team and the legislative leader teams. We are optimistic a deal can get done. We're working around the clock to help that process with whatever we can.”

De Blasio said Monday night that he had spoken to Gov. Cuomo earlier in the day and that the governor was “optimistic” a deal would get done. The mayor said he wouldn’t be confident until legislators were headed back to Albany to vote on a deal. Cuomo may be making that happen.

On Sunday, Cuomo said he was hopeful that a deal will be reached this week. Yet, the governor has repeatedly voiced an understanding that some think de Blasio is not an effective steward of the city’s schools. Cuomo said last week that he is a supporter of mayoral control under de Blasio, but added, “I understand the opposition, the questioning of the mayor's management and competence and record, I get it, but, what's the alternative, right?”

Though there is a home rule discussion to be had, at this moment it is prudent to put aside the questionable fact that state legislators, especially those from outside New York City who dominate the Republican-controlled state Senate, get to determine the city’s school governance structure. It may be a discussion worth resuming after a mayoral control extension is reached.

Whether a deal is reached this week or not, this summer or not, mayoral control is currently on the verge of lapsing for a wide variety of reasons and fingers are rightfully being pointed in several directions -- just about everyone involved is due some blame.

Though Cuomo and legislative leaders could announce a deal this week, if not the city may have to at least go through the motions, as in 2009, of reconstituting the more decentralized Board of Education (two appointees by the Mayor, one each by the five Borough Presidents) and beginning to eye elections for 32 community school boards. As the mayor has warned, there could very well be a chaotic period, with a lot of time, energy, and money dedicated to reestablishing a system that would likely be temporary.

While the chorus is mostly singing another tune, there are some who say that mayoral control should be done away with, and that the Board of Education system, perhaps with a few tweaks, is more apt to respond to community concerns and that local school boards give communities more control over their schools. The most powerful people in the room, however, do argue that mayoral control is a stronger governance system for the city’s 1,700 schools and 1.1 million students.

As Cuomo has pointed out, there are very real disagreements over charter schools, de Blasio’s management, and even the overall system itself. It’s apparent that the always politically potent issue of charter schools has been the main sticking point in negotiations over mayoral control: Cuomo and the Senate majority want room for more charters in New York City in exchange for an extension of mayoral control, whereas the Assembly majority is against expanding charter schools further. (Cuomo and Senate Republicans are heavily funded by charter school supporters, while Assembly Democrats and de Blasio are heavily funded by the teachers unions, who oppose charters.)

According to the New York Times, the bill Cuomo is seeking to move during Wednesday’s special session would not include raising the cap on charter schools in New York City, despite the fact that Cuomo supports such a move. There is still room under the current cap for about two dozen more charters to be authorized.

The five key reasons that mayoral control is on the verge of lapsing:

1. Governor Cuomo has not negotiated a deal.
This could all change Wednesday. But, perhaps because he is no ally of Mayor de Blasio or because he is a strong supporter of charter schools, Cuomo did not get a deal done before the end of the scheduled legislative session. The governor said he was in regular contact with de Blasio over several days, but that a fundamental difference between the Assembly and Senate majorities led to a stalemate. “Mayoral Control is a fundamentally controversial topic,” the governor said at a news conference last week in Albany.

“I was very involved with the mayor, I spoke to him multiple times a day for multiple days, I spoke to people on his team, I spoke to the Senate, I spoke to the Assembly, worked very hard until late in the night to try to get it done, and there's fundamentally no agreement between the two houses,” Cuomo said.

2. Mayor de Blasio is unliked in Albany and does little to improve the situation.
The mayor has few allies in state government, and his closest allies -- Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and his majority members -- have mixed feelings about mayoral control. De Blasio is loathed, though, by Senate Republicans, especially given that he got very involved in 2014 efforts to oust them from power. As is well-documented, Cuomo and de Blasio do not get along, and the governor is never in a rush to help the mayor. But, Cuomo and Senate Republicans do believe in mayoral control of city schools, which may be the only reason de Blasio has held on to control.

All told, it’s not a great situation for the mayor, but he has done little over the past three years to improve it. He is hesitant to contact Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, he makes few trips to the capital (three this year in the first six months), and he often does not put the effort into building and maintaining relationships with members of his own party, including Assembly members. The Cuomo situation is well-documented, but the mayor and the city continue to suffer due to the poor relationship. While it may be more Cuomo’s fault than de Blasio’s, the mayor has still not figured out to get more of what he wants with the governor’s help.

3. Assembly Democrats oppose charter schools more than they like mayoral control.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie decided not to give in on an expansion of the cap on charter schools in New York City, so mayoral control is on the verge of lapsing. Assembly Democrats are extremely close with the teachers unions, who see largely non-unionized charter schools as an existential threat.

Heastie was steadfast in saying he refused to link charters to mayoral control, but his brinkmanship may soon see a compromise. There are still 23 slots under the current charter cap for New York City, which charter advocates including Cuomo have been calling for a total elimination of for years, so it may not be that Heastie has to agree to a higher cap. Politico New York recently reported that Heastie may have to just sign off on new rules around charter teacher regulations. However, it’s unclear if his sign-off is even needed for them to go into effect.

As Cuomo recently said, de Blasio is also no fan of charter schools, though he has reached something of a detente with the sector after major battles in 2014. “[I]t's a different equation, supporting it with Mayor de Blasio who’s an avowed opponent of charter schools,” Cuomo said last week when discussing why the Senate GOP was less enthusiastic about mayoral control under this mayor, as opposed to Mayor Bloomberg, who was a major charter school supporter.

4. Senate Republicans are playing with house money.
The Senate majority has little reason to give in on mayoral control without getting something in return. Only three of the conference’s 32 members are from New York City, with Majority Leader Flanagan hailing from Long Island. If there is disarray in city school governance it doesn’t matter much to the conference and they get the bonus of watching de Blasio suffer. Republican senators are in excellent bargaining position given that there is room under the charter cap and mayoral control is on the verge of ending.

Still, there is some pressure on the Senate majority since it does need a good working relationship with the governor and, to some extent, the Assembly majority. Flanagan and Cuomo have had a very solid working relationship, including Flanagan signing off on Cuomo’s signature issues each of the last two years (a minimum wage hike and paid family leave in 2016; a college affordability program and raising the age of adult criminal responsibility this year), and Flanagan introducing the governor’s bill late on the last night of session that would name the new Tappan Zee Bridge after late Governor Mario Cuomo. Assembly Democrats did not pass the naming bill, but could agree to do so as part of a future deal.

5. The IDC has not helped make a deal.
The Independent Democratic Conference, or IDC, is a group of eight breakaway Democrats led by Senator Jeff Klein of the Bronx that has a power-sharing agreement with the Senate GOP, helping the majority to bolster its razor thin hold on the chamber. While the IDC supports mayoral control, it does not appear it has been able to influence its Republican colleagues to move on a bill. The IDC may not have tried given that it is also supportive of charter schools. Charter backers have been generous donors not just to the Senate GOP, but to the IDC, which helps keep charter-friendly Republicans in control of the chamber, which is seen as essential to charter survival and growth.

Part of how the IDC rationalizes its existence is by saying that it can help moderate the Senate GOP and move legislation that may otherwise be bottled up, like the minimum wage increase of last year or the Raise the Age bill this year. But, mayoral control does not appear to have made that list.