By Ross Barkan 3/20 1:46pm

Piling On

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Republicans Argue NYPD Inspector General Is ‘Absolutely Unnecessary’

City Council Republicans and mayoral candidate Joe Lhota were mostly in sync with Mayor Michael Bloomberg today, denouncing a bill that would create an inspector general’s office for the NYPD.

“There’s no reason to have an inspector general office for the NYPD,” Mr. Lhota said at City Hall this morning. “It already has oversight by the five district attorneys, by the two U.S. attorneys, by various other organizations. Its just another level of bureaucracy that is being put upon the City of New York and it’s absolutely unnecessary.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 11/15/12 7:16pm

Shaolin

James Molinaro (Photo: StatenIslandUSA.com)

James Molinaro Meets a Big Fan

Today was a big day for Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro. Two weeks after he was on NBC complaining his borough was being ignored in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Mr. Molinaro spent a substantial amount of time talking with President Barack Obama as the commander in chief toured areas of Staten Island that were devastated by the storm. Mr. Molinaro also encountered a man who is apparently a very, very big fan of his work.  Read More

By Hunter Walker 9/11/12 7:01pm

City Hall

Quinn Final Stephanos

Quinn for a Day: Christine Throws Herself a National Coming Out Party

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn had been to the Democratic National Convention three times before, but this year’s event was different. These days, Ms. Quinn is widely seen as the front-runner in next year’s race to replace Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

In May, just 10 days after President Barack Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage, instantly making it one of the hottest topics of this election cycle, Ms. Quinn married her longtime partner Kim Catullo in a wedding that received almost Kardashian-esque coverage from New York’s political press corps and made her one of the highest-profile married, openly gay politicians in the country.

With her newfound notoriety, it would seem, the stars are aligning for Ms. Quinn to follow Mr. Bloomberg’s footsteps as the most prominent mayor in the country. However, she will first have to cut her path to City Hall through a crowded field of opponents and a Council that may include members eager to exact revenge on the outgoing speaker, while also battling the persistent impression she is a political stand-in, a Medvedev to Mr. Bloomberg’s Putin. Read More

By Colin Campbell 2/20/12 7:54am

shocker

Councilman Jimmy Oddo

Jimmy Oddo Addresses The Big Controversy

At a Saturday afternoon rally largely dedicated to defending Staten Island Congressman Michael Grimm in the face of criminal fundraising allegations, Councilman Jimmy Oddo, who’s also a candidate for Borough President, decided to start his speech with a bang.

“It’s my style to take things heads on, so I want to start by addressing the controversy of the day,” Mr. Oddo began, taking off his jacket to reveal a sweater vest underneath. Read More

By Colin Campbell 1/09/12 11:19am

godwin's law

James Oddo (Photo: New York City Council)

Vallone and Oddo Defend NYPD From Protesters' Criticism

Council Members Peter Vallone and Jimmy Oddo took issue with the rhetoric used in this weekend’s “police accountability” protest.  In separate Facebook posts, they took issue with Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs’ quote on the event: “To borrow from the famous Holocaust-era quote, first the NYPD came for the black and Latino community; if we don’t speak out, there will be no one left to speak out when they come for us.”

“Oh my, Assemblywoman, is this irresponsible. And stupid beyond words,” Councilman Oddo wrote, adding in the comments that he felt the remark was “so irrational and beyond the pale it is staggering.”  He also sent out a critical tweet: “Wow…whoa…Assemblywoman…we are all dumber for having read such an ignorant comment…Lord have mercy…” Read More