New York Post Editor Defends Weiner Puns on Australian TV
Rubén Díaz Thinks Jeff Klein Is 'Eating All the Candies'
Bloomberg Staffers Unimpressed With Bill de Blasio’s Policy Book
Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration came out swinging against a new policy book released this morning by Democratic mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio—slamming it on everything from its name to its proposals.
The 69-page book, entitled “One New York, Rising Together,” lays out dozens of ideas it claims “will reverse New York City’s growing economic divide through progressive reforms and renewed investments in education, small businesses, and affordable housing.” They include a universal city ID card regardless of immigration status, an expansion of the city’s bus system and gunshot-sensing technology in high-crime neighborhoods. Read More
Anthony Weiner Talks Health Care on Staten Island
Stumping in Staten Island last night, Anthony Weiner took a swipe at how President Barack Obama sold his signature health care initiative to the American public.
“I tried to make the point that I think President Obama never made very effectively, which is, health care is about the economy,” Mr. Weiner said in front of a Democratic club on the island’s North Shore. “We [have] such a large amount of our dollars being poured into health care for workers, those are dollars that can’t go into giving people wage increases.” Read More
Morning Read: ‘Tailor Messages Based on Brands of Toilet Paper’
Headline of the Day: “Joe Lhota, Everyman, Wears Costco Clothes.”
Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer took another swipe at current Gov. Andrew Cuomo last night. “It has been a uniquely unsuccessful legislative session. I think Andrew is acknowledging that,” he said on Road to City Hall. “He’s being caught in the bind of having essentially acquiesced to a reasonably conservative republican majority in the Senate … Now the progressive agenda he says he wants is never going to get through that Senate.” Read More
Mayoral Candidates Sound Pretty Skeptical of Regulation-Skirting ‘Disruptors’
As New York City considers its options for mayor, Silicon Alley is biting its nails at the prospect of a post-Bloomberg world. And last night, four candidates–former councilman Sal Albanese, former Congressman Anthony Weiner, comptroller John Liu and former Bronx president Adolfo Carrión–appeared at the Museum of the Moving Image to pitch themselves to the tech industry. (Front-runner Christine Quinn declined to show.)
And, well, they gave it the old college try. Read More
State Legislature Moves to Ban Novelty Lighters
New Yorkers may no longer be able to buy lighters that look like the Statue of Liberty or that cute cow in the photograph to the left.
The New York State Assembly approved a ban on novelty lighters today, joining the State Senate, which did so last week, and leaving the bill just a gubernatorial signature away from becoming law. Read More
Weiner Slams Bloomberg on Business Fines But Falls Flat With Audience
Anthony Weiner slammed Mayor Michael Bloomberg for slapping small businesses with too many fines–but what was touted as the ex-Congressman’s first major policy speech fell flat with some in the Upper West Side audience, who walked away unimpressed earlier today.
Mr. Weiner’s address focused on complaints about the uptick in fines and summonses levied by the Bloomberg administration against small businesses, arguing the city should be making it easier–not harder–for small businesses to thrive. The issue of fines has been frequently touted by other candidates, including Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, who has made the issue a signature piece of his campaign. Read More
Principals’ Union Endorses Bill Thompson
The Council of School Supervisors and Administrators endorsed Bill Thompson today, adding a major education union to his labor tally one day before the influential United Federation of Teachers is set to make its pick.
The union, representing nearly 16,000 public school principals and education administrators, said Mr. Thompson’s commitment to appointing an educator as schools chancellor, as well as his belief that New York City should be a more affordable place for the middle class, led members of the executive committee to vote to back him. Read More
Morning Read: ‘Addiction Runs Deep’
Headline of the Day: “Christine Quinn acknowledges she has opponents, in a speech attacking them.”
Brooklyn Council candidate Igor Oberman has another labor endorsement to add onto his growing pile: the Hotel Trades Council, a relatively small union touted for its effective organizing abilities. In announcing his support for Mr. Oberman today, HTC’s political director Josh Gold said, “Igor has shown that he has a plan to grow the economy in his community, ensuring that our members thrive in his district and throughout New York. That’s why we are excited to not only endorse Igor, but work hard on his campaign this summer.” Read More
