The internships section of the Pedro Alvarez website was identical to the section on the Ben Kallos website.

Ben Kallos, a candidate for City Council on the Upper East Side, was apparently offering campaign internships in the south Bronx.

That was according to the campaign website of Pedro Alvarez, a Bronx City Council candidate, which bore a striking resemblance to the website of Mr. Kallos. Under an "internships" section that was removed after Politicker contacted the Alvarez campaign, the text was identical to the Kallos site, even going as far as to mention Mr. Kallos several times.

"Benjamin Kallos is currently a candidate to represent the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island in the New York City Council where he hopes to use his skills sets in law, politics, public policy and technology to make New York City a better place," read a section of the Alvarez campaign website until recently, for example.

After repeated requests for comment, the Alvarez campaign told Politicker that the web developer, Empress Networks, was to blame for the identical internships section, not the campaign itself.

"We're brand new people at this," said Marie, a member of Mr. Alvarez's campaign that refused to disclose her last name. "We paid to build a brand new page and we had no idea someone had done such a thing. It's really horrible, we're really bothered with this."

"It was not done with any malice, it wasn't anything like that," she added. “We're working in district that's so poor and has really little money."

But Empress Networks said it was up to the Alvarez campaign to actually edit the information within the website.

"They said they wanted that site built based on that other guy's website," said Ray Giles, the owner of Empress Printing. "Basically that's what was done, but they have to go in and change every aspect ... They can go in and change the information whenever they want, they have all the log-in information. They should have changed it."

Mr. Kallos, for his part, seemed unperturbed about another campaign copying his website. Rather than address the identical website sections when reached for comment, he touted the strength of his own campaign.

"The fact that our campaign's open platform focused on solutions and progressive internship program have become a model demonstrates that we are not only leading by example, but changing the dialog," Mr. Kallos stated.

Additional reporting by Colin Campbell.

Malcolm Smith (Photo: Facebook)

Manhattan GOP Chair Dan Isaacs assured his supporters in an email today that he has nothing to do with the alleged political bribery scheme that has already led to six arrests across the state.

"Nonetheless, if anyone harbors concern that there is 'another shoe to drop' here in Manhattan, I want to take this opportunity to reassure you that there is not," Mr. Isaacs wrote. "Anyone who knows me and has worked with me during my involvement with the Republican Party knows that I value personal integrity over all else."

The Bronx Republican Party chair and Queens Republican Party executive vice chair were arrested yesterday, along with State Sen. Malcolm Smith and Councilman Dan Halloran, for allegedly taking part in a bribery scheme to try to land Mr. Smith, a Democrat, in the Republican primary. Jay Savino, the Bronx chair, allegedly received $15,000 and Mr. Tabone, the executive vice chair who resigned today, allegedly received $25,000 in bribe money.

Mr. Isaacs is not named in the criminal complaint, though there is a "County Chairman #1" and "County Chairman #2" in the complaint who are not accused of wrongdoing.

View his full letter below:

Dear Manhattan Republican:

I want to take this opportunity to reach out to you following yesterday's shocking and disturbing arrests of four elected officials and two political leaders that has garnered media attention nationwide.

The alleged actions of those arrested are an outrage and a complete betrayal of the public trust. With three Democrats and three Republicans arrested, it also shows that corruption is not limited to an exclusive partisan provenance.

As you can imagine, I received numerous media inquiries following yesterday's arrests. My response was simple: I believe that it is inappropriate to comment on an ongoing investigation, especially one where the allegations are so serious, until the appropriate authorities have been given the opportunity to completely and thoroughly conduct their investigation. I hope and expect that they will do so as quickly as possible and that justice will be served to anyone who has broken the law. No one is above the law.

Nonetheless, if anyone harbors concern that there is "another shoe to drop" here in Manhattan, I want to take this opportunity to reassure you that there is not. Anyone who knows me and has worked with me during my involvement with the Republican Party knows that I value personal integrity over all else. I demand it as much from myself as from those with whom I deal. There is an expectation and covenant that I have with those who have given me the responsibility to lead our local Republican organization which I simply will not betray.

Notwithstanding our collective disgust at yesterday's revelations, we still have a tremendous amount of work to do. The two frontrunners to be the Republican candidate for Mayor of the City of New York are clearly head-and-shoulders above all other candidates for that office. It is absolutely essential that we elect our party's candidate in November to ensure the future of our great city.

As you know, we are having our Spring Fling event tonight - an annual informal celebration designed to gather Republicans throughout Manhattan as we look forward to the coming campaign season. Tonight's event will be a good opportunity to begin to restore trust in the concept of an honest and participatory political process and I sincerely hope that you will join us. For more information, please visit the events calendar on our web site at www.nycrepublican.org/calendar.htm.

Thank you again for all you do on behalf of our local Republican organization.

Yours in a common cause,

Daniel W. Isaacs
Chairman
New York Republican County Committee

The Grand Hyatt in Midtown, location of both the Monday Meeting and the New York Meeting. (Photo: Hyatt.com)

New York City isn't exactly known for an abundance of conservative residents, but that hasn't stopped a war from breaking out among dueling right-leaning meetings. For years the monthly Monday Meeting has been the premier gathering for conservatives in the five boroughs, drawing Republican politicians, presidential candidates and pundits. However, one of the meeting's founders has split off and created his own gathering that, according to one tipster, is leading to "confusion" among "well-intentioned" conservatives.

Last week, Mallory Factor, one of the co-founders of the Monday Meeting, and O'Brien Murray, another longtime organizer of the gathering, sent out an email advertising an event scheduled for this evening dubbed "The New York Meeting" and featuring a roster of speakers including Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Representative Louis Gohmert (R-TX).  Like the Monday Meeting, this confab is being held in the Grand Hyatt New York Hotel. Though the invite to the New York Meeting identified it as a "new forum," given the organizers' past affiliation with the Monday Meeting, the night of the event and its location -- as well as the presence of some Monday Meeting regulars like economist David Malpass -- some attendees apparently assumed it was not a different event.

To head off any confusion, the remaining leaders of the Monday Meeting, James Higgins and Andrew Boucher, sent out an announcement addressed to "all Monday Meeting participants" this morning in an attempt to clarify the situation and point out that the other gathering was the work of a splinter group.

"We don’t like to send a lot of e-mail between Monday Meetings. But we’ve gotten a number of inquiries so want to clarify," they wrote. "There is no Monday Meeting next Monday. The next Monday Meeting will be Monday February 11. We were surprised to learn through a number of you yesterday that Mallory Factor had sent an email to you announcing another similar sounding meeting in the same venue. As you may know, Mallory departed (to our chagrin!) from the Monday Meeting last fall to do other things."

Politicker reached out to Mr. Murray to get his take on the clash of the conservative confabs. As of this writing, we have yet to receive a response. As New York's infinitesimal but influential community of conservatives battle for Manhattan Island, there's only one clear winner--liberals. Only time will tell whether this town is indeed big enough for two right-leaning meetings.

The 2013 Times Square New Year's Eve Ball (Photo: Getty)

Later tonight, thousands of partiers will flock to Times Square in Manhattan, where Mayor Michael Bloomberg will be hosting a New Year's Eve bash. Naturally, security for such an event is a concern, and asked about about the topic at a press conference earlier today, Mr. Bloomberg sternly warned the public to behave themselves.

"Well you can never assure 100 percent everything. I can tell you that on a night like this typically, and I expect it to include tonight, crime is way down...The days in the past when there was chaos have long since gone," Mr. Bloomberg said before giving an ominous warning to partygoers planning to bring alcohol or drugs to the celebration.

"You come to Times Square, we will check backpacks. You cannot bring alcohol or drugs. Don't try to do it. You're not going to get away with it," said the mayor.

Mayor Bloomberg went on to predict good behavior in Times Square while touting the large police presence that will be on scene.

"People will be behaving. There will be an enormous number of police officers, including most of our new class of 1,200 police officers that we swore in last week. There will be an awful lot of police there in plainclothes. That person standing next to you may very well be a cop," Mayor Bloomberg said, before reiterating the ban on alcohol and illicit substances.

"We expect everybody to behave well, and they do every year. It's exciting, it's crowded. You stand there, you can jump up and down there and yell and scream; it's kind of hard to do anything else," said Mr. Bloomberg. "But no booze, no drugs. Period. End of story. And we will be checking."

(Photo: Getty)

At the end of his weekly appearance on John Gambling's radio show this morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg took a few calls from ordinary New Yorkers to hear their questions on the city's governance. And, in response to one caller asking if he'd be willing to start handing out jaywalking tickets in the name of public safety, Mr. Bloomberg gave the idea a thumbs up but sounded skeptical about its implementation.

"It'd be a great idea because it would get people to not stand in the street and not cross," he said. "I think Rudy tried to ticket jaywalkers, but from a practical point of view, the cops aren't going to do it [and] the public won't stand for it."

Indeed, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani did attempt the idea, which was apparently greeted with laughter. As any New Yorker walking the streets of Manhattan knows, those rules are not currently in effect.

"It's not a bad idea," Mr. Bloomberg repeated one more time before trailing off. "I just think it in a real sense we're not going to get it done, so anyways--."

(Photo: YouTube)

Hurricane Sandy has apparently brought together a pair of borough presidents who previously clashed over pop sensation Lady Gaga. The last time we saw Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer mentioned in the same breath, they had a tiff over Mr. Molinaro's claim that Ms. Gaga was "a slut." Now, they have teamed up for post-Sandy relief work in Staten Island.

In later September, Mr. Molinaro went off on Ms. Gaga after she smoked marijuana on stage in Amsterdam. At an anti-drug event a few days later, Mr. Molinaro had harsh words for the singer, declaring, “To me, she's not an actress, she is a slut, in the pure, in the pure meaning of the word."

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who is friendly with Ms. Gaga's family took offense, however, and rushed to defend the singer's honor.

“Lady Gaga’s work is a symbol of individuality and artistic expression. In addition to her artistic pursuits, she is a social justice activist and a real leader for marriage equality in this country,” he told us. “And no matter which continent Gaga happens to be in today, she remains an Upper West Sider at heart.”

Mr. Stringer, a potential candidate for mayor in 2013, was rewarded with a tweet from the star herself, praising his political integrity in front of her millions of followers.

However, in the wake of the hurricane, Mr. Molinaro and Mr. Stringer have apparently made peace. Today,  Politicker spotted a photo of the two borough presidents working together to deliver a few hundred blankets Mr. Stringer obtained from a private donor to Staten Islanders left in the cold by Hurricane Sandy. It looks like time--and storms, heals all wounds.

(Photo: Wikimedia)

Getting out of Manhattan will get significantly harder after 7 p.m. tonight, as Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor Andrew Cuomo declared the city's bridges will be shut off to the general public due to heavy winds from Hurricane Sandy. The Triborough Bridge is currently scheduled to remain open, but is subject to closing at any time. The news comes after Mr. Cuomo already announced a number of bridge closures.

"In addition to the bridge and tunnel closures that have already been announced, the East River bridges--the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Ed Koch-Queensboro bridges--will close at 7 p.m. tonight," Mr. Bloomberg said at a press conference in Brooklyn this evening. "After 7 p.m., only emergency vehicles will be permitted on those bridges." At the same time as Mr. Bloomberg's address, Mr. Cuomo sent out a press release stating he directed Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority "to close New York City bridges including crossings to Staten Island."

Mr. Bloomberg also gave some tips for those who are braving the city's streets. Notably, he urged drivers to stay on roads higher up and inland from the ocean.

"As far as transportation, we've seen closures along roadways along the water, and we can expect more," he said. "The F.D.R. is either open or closed depending on whether that part is flooded. You should assume roads that go along the water are going to have big problems."

Beyonce and Jay-Z at President Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009.

Hip-hop's biggest power couple, Jay-Z and Beyoncé, held a fundraiser for President Barack Obama tonight at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club in Manhattan. In his speech at the event, Mr. Obama discussed his daughters' love for the musicians and what he and Jay-Z have in common.

"Let me just begin by saying to Jay and Bey, thank you so much for your friendship. We are so grateful. Michelle and Malia and Sasha are mad at me because they are not here," Mr. Obama said. "That doesn’t usually happen. Usually they’re like, we’re glad you’re going--we don’t need to go. But every time they get a chance to see these two they are thrilled, partly because they are just both so generous, particularly to my kids. And Malia and Sasha just love both of them."

Mr. Obama went on to explain that Beyoncé "couldn’t be a better role model for our daughters because she carries herself with such class and poise." He then discussed the similarities between himself and Jay-Z.

"Jay-Z now knows what my life is like. We both have daughters, and our wives are more popular than we are. So we’ve got a little bond there. It’s hard, but it’s O.K.," said the President.

Following those opening remarks referencing his famous hosts, Mr. Obama launched into what was basically his standard stump speech contrasting his vision for the country with that of his rival in the presidential race, Mitt Romney. However, at one other point in his remarks, Mr. Obama noted that, like him, Beyoncé and Jay-Z came from humble beginnings.

"And the good thing about so many of us here--and I know I speak for Jay and Bey--is we remember what it’s like not having anything, and we know people who were just as talented as us that didn’t get the same break, the same chance. We remember some of our parents or grandparents who came here as immigrants and got a little bit of help along the way to go to that school or be able to start that first business," said Mr. Obama.

According to the press pool report filed by McClatchy's Anita Kumar, Beyoncé and Jay-Z "both said very little," but Beyoncé introduced the president prior to his speech, saying she and her husband "believe in his vision."

In addition to his event at the 40/40 Club tonight, Mr. Obama also appeared at a fundraiser at the Waldorf Astoria hotel and on The Late Show With Dave Letterman during his visit to New York City. The Republican National Committee responded by distributing a list to reporters of the "Top 10 Things Obama Should Be Doing Instead of Hobnobbing With Jay-Z, Beyonce and Letterman," which included, "Get An Intelligence Briefing," "Tell Americans How He’s Going To Get Nearly 47 Million Americans Off Food Stamps" and "Meet With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."

Michelle Obama (Photo: Getty)

At the "2012 Women For Obama" fundraiser this morning at the Hotel Pierre the vast majority of the audience who turned out to hear First Lady Michelle Obama speak were, naturally, women.

"Are there any men here today?" Ms. Obama asked as she began her speech.

The handful of men in the crowd responded with a smattering of cheers.

"A few good men," Ms. Obama said. "There you go--stand proud. Stand proud."

The mostly female crowd apparently resulted in a long line for the women's restroom before the speech got started. The Politicker witnessed one group solved this by commandeering the men's room.

"We're using the men's room right now, we're taking it over. We have a long line for the women's room," one of them said.

Among the audience making their way into the ballroom before the event we spotted two candidates for Manhattan Borough President, Councilwoman Gale Brewer and Julie Menin, chairwoman of Lower Manhattan's Community Board. A campaign official told usPlanned Parenthood President Cecile Richard, OFA Director of Opinion Research David Simas and Mona Sutphen were also in attendance and spoke on a panels prior to the First Lady's appearance. Caroline Kennedy also participated in the panels and introduced the First Lady.

Ms. Obama's remarks were essentially her standard campaign stump speech with an added focus on women's issues. She described herself as President Barack Obama's "biggest fan" and, though she acknowledged she may be "a bit biased" said, "I think he's been phenomenal." Ms. Obama went on to say she believes this election is about restoring "that basic middle class security for our families" and "basic American values" including "wonderful schools," making sure parents and grandparents are "able to retire with dignity" and having affordable healthcare.

After setting the scene, Ms. Obama continued by telling the audience that the president needs them "to get out there and tell everyone you know about our values and our vision and everything that's at stake in this election."

"You can start by telling them how Barack fought for tax cuts for working families and small businesses," she said.

She also encouraged them to tell people that the economy is improving.

"For the past 27 straight months, we have actually been gaining private sector jobs," said Ms Obama.

Ms. Obama asked the crowd to remind people that the president got the "auto industry back on its feet again" and about the benefits of his healthcare reform.

"Because we passed health reform, insurance companies will have to cover preventative care--things like contraception, cancer screenings, prenatal care, all at no extra cost," Ms. Obama said. "You see, my husband knows that women need access to the full range of health services....And he believes that women should be able to make their own choices about their health care."

The First Lady continued by telling the audience to inform people "how Barack is working to raise the standards in our public schools and make college more affordable" and how he worked to pass the DREAM Act. She finished her list of presidential achievements by noting the "two brilliant Supreme Court justices" appointed by President Obama.

"For the first time in history, our daughters and our sons watched three women take their seat on our nation’s highest court," said Ms. Obama.

She also discussed her personal experience seeing "up close and personal what being President really looks like."

"In the end, when you’re making those impossible choices, it all boils down to who you are and what you stand for," she said. "See, one of the things you don’t have to wonder is who my husband is."

Ms. Obama elaborated by describing President Obama's upbringing as the "son of a single mother who struggled to put herself through school and pay the bills" and "the grandson of a woman who woke up before dawn every day to catch a bus to her job at the bank."

"Even though Barack’s grandmother worked hard to help support his family and she was good at what she did, like so many women, she hit that glass ceiling, and men no more qualified than she was were promoted up the ladder ahead of her," said the First Lady.

Ms. Obama said his life experience gave the president firsthand knowledge of "what it means when a family struggles."

"Those are the experiences that have made him the man and, yes, the President he is today. And that’s who you’re working for," she said. "So when it comes time to stand up for American workers and American families, you know what Barack is going to do. When there’s a choice about protecting our rights and our freedoms, you know where Barack is going to stand.

The First Lady wrapped up her speech by predicting a close election.

"Barack Obama cannot do this alone. That was never the promise. He needs your help. He needs you to make those calls. Yes, write the checks, but make the calls," she said. "It could all come down to those last few thousand folks we help get to the polls on November the 6th."

She characterized the election as a "journey" that is "going to be long and it is going to be hard" with "plenty of twists and turns along the way."

"As I always say, as Barack has always said, that is how change always happens in this country. We as women know that," said Ms. Obama. "Change happens because of women like us, who stand up and speak out and work day and night, because we know what’s at stake. We know what’s at stake for our health and for our economic security and for the basic rights that we all hold dear."

Ms. Obama closed by asking the audience, "Are you in?"

"I am so in this," she said. "Can you tell how fired up I am? How ready to go I am?"

The crowd responded with a standing ovation.

Barack Obama taking a stroll in Chicago earlier this month. (Photo: Getty)

Last night, President Barack Obama spoke at a Broadway-themed fundraiser hosted by theater producer Margo Lion. He began his speech by sharing a story of how Ms. Lion once tried to help him do something he's been unable to since taking office--taking an incognito stroll around Central Park.

"The thing that you miss most when you’re President--extraordinary privilege, and really nice plane and all kinds of stuff, but suddenly, not only have you lost your anonymity, but your capacity to just wander around and go into a bookstore, or go to a coffee shop, or walk through Central Park," President Obama said. "It was a beautiful day and I had just been driving through Manhattan, and I saw Margo. And I said, you know, I just desperately want to take a walk through Central Park again, and just remember what that feels like. But the problem is, obviously, it’s hard to do now. And so my idea has been to see if I was--if I got a disguise could I pull this off."

According to the president, Ms. Lion tried to help him, but their plan didn't earn the approval of the Secret Service.

"Margo thought about it, and about a week later I got this fake moustache that I guess she got from one of the makeup artists on Broadway. And I tried it on and I thought it looked pretty good," said President Obama. "But when I tested this scheme with the Secret Service, they said it didn’t look good enough."

Though their plan was initially unsuccessful, President Obama said he might try to take a top secret Central Park stroll again one day.

"I have kept this moustache just in case in the second term I ... so if a couple years from now you see a guy with big ears and a moustache just pretend you don’t know who it is. Just look away," he said.