Albany Headline of the Day: “Kumquats And Vampires, Oh My.”

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio did more than comment on Speaker Christine Quinn‘s aggressive personality yesterday, he also released a report warning about the potential watering-down of the Council’s paid sick day legislation, echoing 1199 SEIU, one of the unions reportedly in paid sick day negotiations with Ms. Quinn. In an email to Mr. de Blasio’s supporters, former ACORN head Bertha Lewis further declared, “Water is for plants, not true progressive values.” Read More

Headline of the Day: “Matzo matters for mayoral candidates.”

Council Speaker Chris Quinn‘s temper was noticeably profiled on the front page of The Times. She downed “an Advil with a swig of Starbucks coffee” while trying to find gender-neutral ways of cutting off adversaries’ “balls,” for example. Also: “Ms. Quinn’s staff, concerned that angry tirades could be overheard by outsiders, added soundproofing to her City Hall office.” Read More

Headline of the Day: “The Mayor’s Geek Squad.”

On his post-Shabbos radio show Saturday night, Assemblyman Dov Hikind had an about-face in his opinion of President Barack Obama‘s relationship with Israel. “You got to give him credit because this was all planned out way before his plane landed in Tel Aviv,” Mr. Hikind gushed. “The President of the Unite States now can compete with John Liu in terms of Hebrew. … The guy, literally, really prepared his Hebrew phrases to make people feel a lot better.” Read More

Headline of the Day: “A whiff of reality for Mr. Katz”

Mayoral hopeful John Catsimatidis, who has “a very important press conference” later today, dismissed rival Joe Lhota‘s various endorsements yesterday, and further insinuated that Minority Leader Jimmy Oddo is trying to deliver City Hall to Council Speaker Christine Quinn by backing Mr. Lhota. “It would be easier for Quinn to beat Lhota than to beat me,” he argued. “So I’m not sure he’s acting in the best interests of the Republican Party.” Read More

Headline of the Day: “Council Member Stephen Levin to Spider-Man: ‘Thank You For Letting My People Park!’”

Former State Senator David Storobin, who got edged out by a Conservative Party write-in campaign during his re-election bid, just received the party’s official nod for his undeclared City Council campaign. “I am honored to have the support and encouragement of the Conservative Party,” he said in a statement last night. We emailed Mr. Storobin asking if it might be taken as a sign of his electoral intentions, and he said there’s “no announcement is on the horizon.” Read More

Headline of the Day: “John Liu: It’s ‘plainly obvious’ feds are feeding the ‘Times’ stories about me.”

On Inside City Hall last night, Comptroller John Liu also criticized a New York Daily News piece on his continued claim that his mother worked in a sweatshop. “I thought that was the last word on it,” Mr. Liu said, referencing a 2009 Times Ledger article on the back-and-forth. “But apparently maybe the Daily News doesn’t think that it’s the last word.” Read More

Headline of the Day: “Mayoral Candidate John Liu Downplays One Scandal, Reignites Another.”

Like Councilman Mark Weprin, Councilman Dan Garodnick also seems to be giving campaign contributions like he’s aiming for the speakership. In his latest filing, Mr. Garodnick has given to Council Members Andy King, Ydanis Rodriguez and Rosie Mendez, as well as candidates Mark Levine, Vanessa Gibson, Costa Constantinides, Chris Banks, and Andy Cohen. If there’s a theme here, the donations tilt towards Manhattan incumbents and establishment-friendly contenders citywide. Read More

Headline of the Day: “Cuomo kin say nope to pope.”

On Sunday at 3:00 p.m., Comptroller John Liu will officially launch his mayoral campaign on the steps of City Hall, as per a media advisory–likely with a huge crowd if Politicker’s sources are correct. Mr. Liu will further supplement the announcement with a hectic, 14-hour day of campaigning that will “span five boroughs,” 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. Read More

Headline: “Enraged protesters battle cops in Brooklyn streets during third night of rioting after it’s revealed that 16-year-old Kimani Gray was shot in the back.”

District Leader Marc Landis rolled out an influential Hotel Trades Council endorsement in his bid for outgoing Councilwoman Gale Brewer‘s seat. “Marc Landis has been a leader on the Upper West Side, standing with restaurant workers to protect their rights and fighting for good jobs,” Josh Gold, HTC’s political director, said in a statement. “The men and women of the New York Hotel Trades Council are proud to stand with Marc Landis, confident that as a member of the City Council, he will continue to advocate for progressive policies and economic growth that will benefit all New Yorkers.” Read More

Headline of the Day: “Mayor Bloomberg Stares at 64-Ounce Cup With Bewilderment and Disgust.”

First Jose Canseco and now Padma Lakshmi? State Senator Jeff Klein‘s celebrity-enthused press conference streak continues in Albany today with the Top Chef to “kick-off a teen health awareness campaign,” that will include the creation of a Healthy Teen Awareness and Education Fund.

Former congressional candidate Joyce Johnson looks like she’s ready to leap into the crowded, clown car-esque field of 7th Council District candidates, which could be to the detriment of front-runner contender Mark Levine due to some overlapping bases of support. Read More