Robert Brehm, Todd Valentine and William McCann might want to invest in sheep costumes for Halloween. Representing the State Board of Elections, they will be the first group to testify in front of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Moreland Commission this evening at the Jacob Javitz Center.

All indications are that the Moreland Commission are looking to show they still have teeth and the State Board of Elections might be just the right group for them to eviscerate. Since the start of public hearings, the commission has heard about the BOE's lax enforcement, rulings that allow legisaltors to spend campaign cash on just about anything and the loopholes they have allowed to persist that let corporations dump tons of cash into party housekeeping accounts. Good government groups who were scheduled to testify today were reportedly bumped to allow the commission more time to grill the BOE.

The BOE is putting on a happy face and throwing in a few excuses. Board spokesman John Conklin issued this statement in a press release this morning:

We are excited about the opportunity to testify. We have marshalled our evidence and our answers. We would hope that the commission will agree that our agency is understaffed and underfunded and has been for a long while. We've had flat budgets for years. Our technology is outdated. We've been given new tasks repeatedly without the necessary increase in resources that it would take to effectively carry out those new responsibilities.

 

We have some suggestions on how to improve the workings of the agency, but we are hopeful that the commission will recognize our dire needs and include in its recommendations a plea that we are allocated additional means to carry out our mission."

Bill Mahoney of the New York Public Interest Group has already been asked questions about BOE's budget in front of the commission and he pointed to an appropriation Gov. Eliot Sptizer set aside for the BOE to enhance staffing and enforcement that was not used. Eventually the money was reappropriated into the budget under Gov. David Paterson during the fiscal crisis. "Looking at their testimony, it looks like they will be making the same illogical argument they have made before. That that they have done a great job enforcing the law and that they don’t have enough funding to properly enforce the law," said Mahoney. 

Mahoney added that the BOE is "probably the most dysfunctional" peice of state government the Commission will examine. 

Commission members have already asked other groups how they might go about overruling decisions made by the board or go around it to create a better enforcement mechanism. 

Other testimony will come from members of New York City's Campaign Finance Board and City Council.

This morning Common Cause released a new installment of its "Moreland Monday" analysis, examining the influence of the pharmaceutical company on the campaign finance system and state legislators. The report finds that pharmaceutical companies paid out over $5 million to legislators since 2005. 

The hearing will start tonight at 5 p.m. and will be streamed online here. 

The Moreland Commission on Public Corruption is scheduled to hold its first public hearing today since facing questions about its independence and intentions.

While today’s hearing will focus on public financing of campaigns and other matters, the larger theme will be on rebuilding the credibility of the commission.

Convened by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in response to a series of scandals that rocked the state Legislature earlier this year, the commission has been in full damage control for weeks.

Reports have shed light on the Cuomo administration’s role in influencing the decision-making of the commission and raised questions about whether it pulled back from scrutinizing real estate interests because of pressure from the executive branch. One report indicated that a subpoena to the Real Estate Board of New York had been killed.

Cuomo has denied directly ordering subpoenas be killed but danced around questions about whether his staff had any influence over the panel.

The hearing, at Javits Convention Center (1E Hall Rooms 12-13), begins at 5 p.m. Doors open at 4 p.m. Webcast here.

CONTINUE READING OUR PREVIEW OF THE HEARING.

GOTHAM GAZETTE EXCLUSIVE: City Promises 'Broad-Based Outreach' To Communities To Prepare For Future Storms — The city has decided to reconvene two community advisory task forces that weighed in on Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s multi-billion dollar plan to protect the city from future extreme weather and the effects of climate change in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, the city’s resiliency director told the Gotham Gazette/AdaptNY in an exclusive interview. By Sarah Crean. READ

On Today's Agenda: The City Council's committee on economic development holds a hearing on a bill that would establish "training and transparency requirements for certain city development projects receiving city financial assistance." 10 a.m., 250 Broadway. ... Rebuild by Design, an initiative of the President's Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force,unveils 10 proposals from "architecture and planning firms for strengthening the region's ability to withstand major storms and flooding."

Other Stories We're Following

Sources: State Legislature To Argue Cuomo Abused Power (Daily News)

Poll: De Blasio Poised To Win Mayor's Race By Historic Margin (NY Times)

AG Takes Step To Open Records Of Attica Uprising (Democrat and Chronicle)

De Blasio Takes Advantage Of Campaign Finance Loophole (NY Post)

Campaign Finance Board Reschedules Mayoral Debate (Capital)

NY Establishes Emergency Gas Reserve (Reuters)

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is marking the first anniversary of Hurrican Sandy by giving free subway rides to residents of the areas hardest hit by the storm. Free rides will be availble on Tuesday, Oct. 29, for riders entering stations on the A subway line between Howard Beach and the Rockaway Peninsula and stations on the R subway line between Bay Ridge-95th Street and Court Street. 

Cuomo issued the following statement: 

On the one year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy we want to thank New Yorkers who made it through the storm with both resilience and good spirits," Governor Cuomo said. "Superstorm Sandy was particularly difficult for New York City and Long Island, but the patience, the kindness, and good nature of New Yorkers helped our state in the immediate aftermath and over the past year as we have been rebuilding our communities. These free rides are a thank you to the MTA riders in the Rockaways in Queens and those who use the R train in Brooklyn for taking the hardships of the storm in stride and for their understanding in the months since.

Cuomo unveiled the "Come See the Comeback" campaign to boost tourism in the areas hardest hit by Sandy. There are newly designed MetroCards highlighting Staten Island, the Rockaways, Howard Beach, Coney Island and Long Beach. The Rockaways card is featured above. 

A PAC supporting Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota can now receive donations that exceed the $150,000 limit under state law. A three-judge panel overturned a lower court’s decision preventing the New York Progress and Protection PAC from receiving contributions that exceed the state’s maximum. The political action committee can now make unlimited independent expenditures in the mayoral race. By law, PACs can’t coordinate with candidates. The ruling may improve Lhota’s efforts to close a 40-plus point gap in the polls behind Democratic rival Bill de Blasio, but it’s still a lot of ground to cover in less than two weeks. The PAC has not yet reported spending any cash to support Lhota. Lhota has said he supports the PAC's lawsuit.

THIS WEEK IN THE GOTHAM GAZETTE

SPECIAL REPORT: Are The City's Most Storm-Vulnerable Communities Being Heard? Reported in partnership with AdaptNY, a digital news platform for the debate surrounding climate change adaptation.

Other Stories We're Following

Kellner Uses Campaign Lit to Deny Sexual Harassment Claims (Crain's)

City Amends Fee Policy For Visit to the Met (NY Times)

Citi Bike Program Losing Money (Daily News)

Lt. Governor’s Job Interview Raises Ethical Questions (Albany Times Union)

Brooklyn DA Candidate Says He Would Do Away With Sentences For Small Amounts of Pot (Wall Street Journal)

Cuomo Likes De Blasio’s Pre-K Goal, Not the Tax (Capital)

NYSUT Head Says Senate Coalition Didn’t Work (Capital)

Health Care Execs Wrangle Over Hospital Closures (Crain's)

New Brooklyn Hospital Floated (Crain's)

Report: Key Safety Measures Missing When Boy Went Missing (Capital)

IBO: Fed Cutbacks May Mean Even More Homeless In NYC (IBO Web Blog)

Democratic mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio said yesterday that he would move "right away" to create a municipal identification card for undocumented city residents if he is elected in November. The ID cards would help immigrants get bank accounts and sign leases. De Blasio, the city's public advocate, spoke about the ID cards at a press conference at City Hall where he and a number of immigrant rights groups called for national immigration reform. Republican candidate Joe Lhota said during the Republican primary that he supported a similar form of identification for immigrants. “So many people in New York don’t have checking accounts," Lhota said during a Sept. 8 debate.

NEW IN THE GOTHAM GAZETTE

SPECIAL REPORT: City Hall and some of its community boards show an at-times striking disconnect over ongoing preparations for the impacts of climate change, as revealed in board-by-board reporting conducted over the last two months by a team of reporters for Gotham Gazette and news partnerAdaptNY, a digital news platform for the debate around climate resilience.

Part 1: Are The City's Most Storm-Vulnerable Communities Being Heard? 

Part 2: Preparing For Climate Change: What Community Boards Say

Other Stories We're Following

Study Puts Price Tag on Universal Pre-K (Daily News)

Cuomo Defends De Blasio (NY 1)

More Nuanced De Blasio Emerges (NY Times)

Fracking Fight Focuses on Town’s Ban (NY Times)

Lhota Goes on Attack Against De Blasio (Daily News)

Cuomo Takes Storm Prep Ideas as Sandy Anniversary Approaches (Daily News)

Spitzer Denis He’s Running For Another Office (Politicker)

Liu’s Treasurer Appeals Conviction (Politicker)

Cuomo and De Blasio May Target Independent Democratic Senators (Capital)

Where is the Second Avenue Subway Going? (Capital)

State Forecasts Weaker Wall Street (Crain's)

Nearly a year after Superstorm Sandy, Coney Island's residential districts haven't rebounded as fast as the attractions on the boardwalk.

But today there was one solid sign that things are improving: the Coney Island Library of Brooklyn is open for business again. 

"It was beautiful," said Sen. Diane Savino, who represents the area, of the reopening. She recalled speaking to people whose homes had been destroyed in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane. "Their homes were destroyed and they were still asking: 'When is the library going to open?' Because it is more than a repository for books — it is a a cultural center for the community."

Earlier in August, Savino took a tour of Coney Island with a number of constituents and activists to see how the neighborhood was recovering from last year's storm. Savino says things are slowly getting better for the district. 

"It doesn't happen all at once," said Savino. "Some residents are still falling behind but I think the bright spots in the recovery are being missed." 

Savino said she thinks the New York City Housing Authority is still far behind in repairs in the area and residents of the properties are in desperate need of attention.

"I can't wait for a new administration," she said.

Last night's mayoral debate was full of attacks from both sides and headlines described it as "blistering", "acrid", and "heated." Democrat Bill de Blasio called the tirade on his stance on crime by Republican Joe Lhota "fear mongering" and "race-baiting". They went on to harangue each other about living on different planets. Lhota had quips about Mad Hatters and Tea Parties. De Blasio also avoided offering a substantive answer as to whether he thought Gov. Cuomo would support his plan to raise taxes on the wealthy to pay for universal pre-K. When asked about their biggest regrets, Lhota said it was referring to Port Authority police as “mall cops” and de Blasio said his was putting too much faith in mayoral control of schools. There was some agreement between them: both support Mayor Bloomberg's Battery City-like proposal for housing in the East River, they want to roll-back his green taxi plan, and they're ambivalent about pedestrian plazas in Times Square.

It Ain't Easy Being Green: The Green Party is taking advantage of their ballot status by running candidates across the city. They face the kinds of challenges they have always faced — a lack of campaign infrastructure, being ignored by the media, not being invited to debates. But much has also changed about the public’s attitudes toward them. By David Howard King. READ MORE.

City Says It Is Mostly Prepared For Next Major Storm: Nearly a year after Superstorm Sandy, a top deputy to Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that New York City is better prepared for the next major hurricane — albeit with a lot of caveats. By Chester Soria. READ MORE.

Other Stories We're Following

New York Sets Work Rules For Young Models (NY Times)

Member Of Corruption Commission Calls Legislators Corrupt (Daily News)

Changes Sought In Police Dealings With Ill (Wall Street Journal)

Federal Money For Poor Went To Luxuries (Daily News)

State's Largest Foundations Ramp Up Giving In 2012 (Crain's)

Twelve-Term Brooklyn Congressman Major Owens Dead (WNYC)

Crime in the city is shaping up to be central to the mayoral debate again tonight. GOP candidate Joe Lhota recently released an ad calling Democrat Bill de Blasio's stance on crime a reckless one, but the numbers used in part of it were misleading. He also implicated de Blasio in failing to communicate the extent of the 1991 Crown Heights riots to then-Mayor Dinkins. De Blasio countered that he "did not participate directly" in events during the riots. A new poll found that most voters are more concerned with crime than reforming the city's stop-and-frisk policy, but a majority also said it could be done without increasing crime.

Other Stories We're Following

De Blasio Joins Coalition to Stop Phone Theft (Daily News)

Corruption Panel May Have Conflict (Albany Times Union)

Critics Wage Quiet Fight Against Ballot Measure On Adding Casinos (NY Times)

Distribution Of Sandy Aid Irks City (Wall Street Journal)

Post-Sandy Beachside Rate Increases Could Top 500 Percent (Wall Street Journal)

In Public Housing, Temporary Boilers Here To Stay (For A While) (WNYC)

New York's Online Heathcare Market Avoids Glitches (Albany Times Union)

Bloomberg Seeks Approval Of Midtown Rezoning Plan (NY Times)

Tappan Zee Progress And New York's Infrastructure 'Crisis' (Capital)

Report: Three-Quarters Houses Are Troubled But Valued (City Limits)

De Blasio Has Not Disclosed Years Of Rent Income (Crain's)

Bloomberg Shaves $415 Million From Vehicle Repair Bills (Daily News)

New York's Looming Food Disaster (The Atlantic Cities)

Help Bring City’s Past Back To Life From Your Phone (Wired)

A new Siena Poll found that voters believe that corruption is a "serious problem" in the state Legislature, but don't know much about the panel formed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to help remedy the situation. The poll also found that voters want Cuomo's anti-corruption commission to continue its work. "New Yorkers may not know what the Moreland Commission is, or what it does, or who its members are," Siena's Steve Greenberg told the New York Daily News. "But if the choice is for the Moreland Commission to disband or to continue investigating political corruption, the answer is clear. Keep investigating, New Yorkers say." Meanwhile, the commission will be issuing subpoenas to politically connected law firms, the Albany Times-Union reports.

NEW IN THE GOTHAM GAZETTE

HURRICANE SANDY ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL REPORT: Nearly a year after Superstorm Sandy, are City Hall and the city’s neighborhoods on the same page when it comes to planning for climate change and the possibility of another catastrophic storm? A two-month investigation revealed striking disconnects in communication between the city and some community boards — the frontline of local government — as New Yorkers face the colossal task of remaking the metropolis to be more resilient to extreme weather caused by climate change. READ MORE

Other Stories We're Following

Investigation of Charity Chief Sheds Light On Payments To Wife's Council Bid (NY Times)

Lhota Defends His Campaign Against Republican Critics (Daily News)

De Blasio Avoids Specifics On Horse-Drawn Carriage Ban (NY Post)

Cuomo's Tenant Protection Unit Riles Building Owners (Wall Street Journal)

Staten Island Ferris Wheel Project Threatened (Crain's)

Bloomberg To Be Honored With 'Jewish Nobel' (NY Times)

The state's highest court will take up Mayor Michael Bloomberg's attempt to limit the size of sugary drinks. The policy that would have banned restaurants, theaters and food carts from selling sugary beverages in sizes larger than 16 ounces has been rejected by two other courts.

The Appeals Court will take up the case next year, which means Bloomberg's successor will decide whether to continue to move the case forward. Joe Lhota, the Republican nominee for mayor, said he would end the appeal; Democratic nominee Bill de Blasio's camp issued a statement saying the candidate would "review the status" of the case if he is elected.

The beverage industry has indicated that it is confident that the decision against Bloomberg's policy will be upheld. 

Other Stories We're Following

Groups Propose Plan To Transform Pennsylvania Station (Crain's)

New Details About Midtown East Rezoning Plan (Wall Street Journal)

Moreland Commission Chair Took Donations From Panel's Contractor (Capital)

In Scathing Ruling, Judge Denies Pro-Lhota PAC Bid (Daily News)

De Blasio's Daughter Responds to Lhota Ad (Politicker)

New Chief Envisions Performances on High Line (Wall Street Journal)

Bike Share Users Unhappy About Full And Empty Docks: Survey (WNYC)

Organization Tries To Make School Lunch A Mayoral Issue (Capital)

Lawmakers Call For Education Chief's Resignation (Capital)

Shadowy System Of Indigent Housing Unsafe And Unregulated, Report Says ()