By Azi Paybarah 7/25/11 8:53am

suggested reading

Bloomberg, Mintz and Feinblatt make it A1 above the fold in the New York Times. (via newseum.org)

Morning Read: Weddings in NY, an Arrest in Buffalo and a Run for Slaughter

2012: Rep. Slaughter, who turns 82 next month, will run for re-election. Has $290,832 in the bank. [Brian Tumulty / Democrat and Chronicle]

Erie: 1199 SEIU is paying money to campaign manager for Democrat’s candidate for county executive. [Robert McCarthy / Buffalo News]

Weddings: Many, yesterday. [Michael Barbaro / New York Times]

Popular: “The majority of this state supports it,” Cuomo said of same-sex marriages. Simone Weichselbaum / Daily News]

Politics: “I believe the legislators who voted for marriage equality, this is going to be an asset to them in their campaign,” said Cuomo. [Sally Goldenberg / NY Post]

Gracie Mansion: Bloomberg officiates. [Michael Feeney and Mike Jaccarino / Daily News]

Tearful: Christine Quinn. [Erin Einhorn / Daily News]

Observing: “Ms. Quinn, widely seen as a front-runner in the 2013 mayoral election, spent much of her day watching weddings and congratulating newlyweds.”  [Andrew Grossman / WSJ]

Bronx: First same-sex couple to marry in that borough was a Rev. and her long-time partner. [Daily News]

Celebration: “After the nuptials were done, the couple, and other newlyweds, were treated to champagne and cupcakes brought by Ms. Savino and Titone.” [Jillian Jorgensen / SI Advance]

Update: Gay man marries partner after 17 years. Says “it doesn’t really change anything…I’ll change my status on Facebook.” [Matthew Daneman / Democrat and Chronicle]

Protest: NY-26 Green Party candidate “Murphy directed a sex toy towards officers and told them that it was a microphone;” charged with disorderly conduct. [Kevin Bargnes / Buffalo News]

Business: “ ‘We definitely have seen an increase in business with the passage of the law,’ said Tanner Townsend, co-owner of Crumb Bakery Cafe in Beacon.” [Susan Campriello / Poughkeepsie Journal]

Bottleneck: Democrats “all want to run in the North Shore, the party’s stronghold.” Despite that, Rose wont’ face primary from Murphy. [Tom Wrobleski / SI Advance]

Schools: “But who knows. Maybe there is still time to save his legacy.” [NY Post]

Taxis: Silver urges Cuomo to sign Bloomberg’s bill. [Ken Lovett / Daily News]

Taxis: Nearly 7,700 complaints a year, only 11% scheduled for hearings by TLC.  [Andrew Grossman / WSJ]

NY Power Authority: CEO may be “weeks away” from retiring. [Fred Dicker / NY Post]

Headline: “Pressure on James Murdoch is About to Intensify” [Don Van Natta / New York Times]

Fallout: “Despots love to see a free press behaving badly.” [Bill Keller / New York Times]

New York Times: How it survived — thrived? — under Arthur Sulzberger Jr. [Seth Mnookin / NYmag]

By Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke 7/25/11 12:24am

same-sex marriage

Sunnyside Celebrates

Sunnyside Celebrates, With a Toast From John Liu

On Sunday evening, shortly after the city’s clerks brought the first day of same-sex marriages to a close, Queens City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer and his partner Dan Hendrick organized a celebration at the Claret Wine Bar, a block from their home in Sunnyside, Queens.

“I’d like to answer a question that is on the minds of many today, and the answer is no,” said Mr. Hendrick. “Not until I see the ring, and it better be a very big rock.” Read More

By Azi Paybarah 7/24/11 8:46pm

weddings

The Mayor and the Newlyweds: Jonatham Mintz (left) and John Feinblatt, with daughters Maeve and Georgia. (photo credit: azi paybarah / observer)

Bloomberg Officiates First Same-Sex Marriage by a NYC Mayor

The first same-sex marriage officiated by a New York City Mayor took place at Gracie Mansion Sunday evening — the first day New York State law allowed them to take place.

Jonathan Mintz, the commissioner for Consumer Affairs, entered from the eastern side of the balcony surrounding Gracie Mansion. John Feinblatt, a senior advisor to the mayor, entered from the western side of the balcony.

The ceremony was performed at the foot of the steps outside the building, with about 150 guests looking on, including: City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, police commissioner Ray Kelly, former deputy mayors Kevin Sheekey (in a tie, for once), and Ed Skyler, along with dozens of reporters.

Bloomberg — who is not known for being overly sentimental —  joked during the ceremony that he denied the couple’s request for a day off tomorrow. Read More

By David Freedlander 7/24/11 5:52pm

same-sex marriage

Marriage, By the Numbers

The mayor’s office emails:

No couple seeking service from the City was denied.

Citywide:

659 Licenses Issued – 484 Marriages Performed by our volunteer judges

Manhattan: 366 Licenses/293 Marriages

Brooklyn: 121 Licenses/ 66 Marriages

Bronx: 42 Licenses/ 27 Marriages

Queens: 89 Licenses, 66 Marriages

Staten Island: 41 Licenses/ 32 Marriages

By Azi Paybarah 7/24/11 9:49am

suggested reading

Christine Quinn, Tom Duane and others watch the first same-sex marriage ceremony in the New York City Clerk's office Sunday morning. (via Quinn's Twitter stream)

Sunday Reading: Weddings, Weddings, Weddings, Weddings, Weddings

First: Buffalo residents Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd got married just after midnight, and claim title as first gay couple married in NY. [Charlie Specht / Buffalo News]

Rushing: “They found a Queens justice willing to come out here at midnight.” [Ginger Otis and Candace Amos]

Albany: Midnight marriages in the capital. [Lauren Stanforth / Times Union]

Silence: “[A] sampling of pastors in the New York City area found that most did not intend to discuss same-sex marriage in their sermons on Sunday.” [Thomas Kaplan / New York Times]

Headline: “Gay marriage is legal in N.Y. today, but local clerks get few license requests.” [John Davis / Poughkeepsie Journal]

Bloomberg’s Donations: In addition to Alesi et al, money went to Golden and Lanza, which “put him in”the funny position of rewarding both backers and opponents of the law.” [David Seifman / NY Post]

Syracuse: City Clerk expects “15 to 20 couples to pick up licenses between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.” [Paul Riede / Post-Standard]

Transit: “The choice of an MTA chief is fraught with pitfalls for Mr. Cuomo.” [Andrew Grossman / WSJ]

Vito Lopez:FBI probe into his non-profit doesn’t stop DA Charles Hynes from attending Lopez’s annual picnic. Also there: Weprin, Bill Thompson, and Diaz Jr. [Gary Buiso and Aaron Short]

School Closure: UFT and NAACP who brought failed lawsuit against the city “should be ashamed” said Bloomberg. [Sally Goldenberg / NY Post]

School Reform: Bill Gates admit his push for schools with fewer students didn’t ultimately lead to more kids going to college. [Jason Riley / WSJ]

WalMart: Money the company gave to Markowtiz’s concerts called a “bribe.” He gets slammed for taking the money and not staying “bought.” [NY Post]

Tax Stories: Resident says, “I love it here. I really love this area, but with the way property taxes were going up it just didn’t make any sense to stay.” [Jon Campbell / Poughkeepsie Journal]

Food Safety: Garodnick and Peralta want food cart info online. [Candice Giove / NY Post]

Poverty: “According to the [Children's Defense Fund] a child is born into poverty every 17 minutes in the city. Yet, the budget adopted in June punishes the poorest New Yorkers by axing $5.2 billion from anti-poverty programs.” [Albor / Daily News]

Media: How thorough a probe will News Corp conduct if it’s headed by top Murdoch aide, Joel Klein? [Jeremy Peters, Michael Barbaro and Javier Hernandez / New York Times]

Media: Post-Standard new news editor is Sonja Duntley; social media manager is Charlie Miller. [Charles McChesney / Post-Standard]

Media: MSNBC shouldn’t hire Sharpton, argues a writer who teaches at Columbia and writes for The New Republic. [John McWhorter / Daily News]

By Azi Paybarah 7/23/11 5:51pm

weddings

They Do: Mayor Bloomberg will officiate the marriage of two of his aides -- Jonathan Mintz (left) and John Feinblatt -- at Gracie Mansion tomorrow. (photo credit: azi paybarah / observer)

The Men The Mayor Will Marry: John Feinblatt and Jonathan Mintz

They’ll be wearing dark suits — not tuxedos — and after 14 years of celebrating their first date — May 9 — the inscription on their rings will mark a different anniversary.

From Sunday on, John Feinblatt and Jonathan Mintz will celebrate July 24, 2011 — the first day same-sex marriage is legal in New York.

Feinblatt, a chief advisor to Mayor Bloomberg, and Mintz, the city’s Commissioner for Consumer Affairs, will be married by the mayor tomorrow at Gracie Mansion, making it the first same-sex marriage to be performed in the official residence of the mayor. They’ve also made the rounds in the frantic days before their wedding, telling their story to NPR, and filming a segment with Bloomberg on This Week with Christiane Amanpour.

“We’re writing a book: How to get married in 17 days,” Feinblatt said, sitting in a hotel lobby on West 44th Street. They had just finished the NPR interview and were on their way to their respective offices downtown. Eventually. Read More

By Reid Pillifant 6:09pm

Don't Ask

Senate Democrats Introduce Legislation To Repeal Defense Of Marriage Act

Gillibrand Cheers Final Days of DADT, Says DOMA Next

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand made herself something of a national figure by pushing the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and this afternoon, her office was about 20 minutes ahead of the White House with a statement cheering the official presidential certification that will end the policy.

Around 4 p.m. today, President Obama officially certified that the military is prepared to transition away from the policy, which begins a 60-day countdown that marks the final stages of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. The policy is now set to end on September 20. Read More

By Azi Paybarah 7/19/11 10:45am

same-sex marriage

N.O.M. is targeting Mark Grisanti and other State Senators.

N.O.M. Targets N.Y. Lawmakers

The National Organization for Marriage is sending out $150,000 worth of mailings targeting a handful of state senators who voted to legalize same-sex marriage, the group said.

Targets of the mailing are the Republicans who voted for it, and the Democrats who supported the bill this year after opposing it in 2009: Republican Senators Mark Grisanti, Roy McDonald, James Alesi and Stephen Saland, and Democratic Senators Shirley Huntley, Joseph Addabbo and Carl Kruger. Read More