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Presented by Vacancy NYC: Your afternoon must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable New Yorkers | | | | |  | | By Madina Touré | Presented by Vacancy NYC | | 
Opponents of expanding charter schools in New York City rallied outside Gov. Kathy Hochul's office in Manhattan on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. | Madina Toure/POLITICO | Opponents of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal to make way for more charters in New York City showed up outside her office in Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon to protest the push — a sign of the next big battle between the governor and left-leaning lawmakers, advocates and the teachers unions. Roughly 50 parents and backers from the Alliance for Quality Education, Make the Road New York and New York Communities for Change held posters targeting the governor and charters — including one with a photo of Hochul on a $100 bill placed inside the back of a jean pocket with the phrase “HOCHUL’S IN THE POCKET OF CHARTER SCHOOLS.” “We realize that the ways in which this proposal would affect New York City schools would be harmful to children just like these,” said Janella Hinds, vice president for academic high schools at the United Federation of Teachers, the city’s teachers union, expressing solidarity with the activists, family members and children. “We know that this is a scam." Hochul proposed keeping the statewide cap of 460 but eliminating the regional cap on the number of charters that can be issued in the city as well as permanently reissuing “zombie charters” — previously-approved charters that were later shut down. The governor has said that the increase in foundation aid — aid that school districts receive — demonstrates her support for public schools, but contended that the charter proposal would help parents who are seeking options. She has faced backlash from the city and state teachers unions and Democratic lawmakers over the proposal. Mayor Eric Adams insisted he’s not philosophically against charters, but blasted the proposal, warning it will cost the city more than $1 billion. Pro-charter Democrats for Education Reform New York insisted there is demand for charters citywide. “Parents across New York City deserve to have education equity no matter where they live,” executive director Jacquelyn Martell said in a statement. “Families living in low-income communities need to have access to high quality school options, options that include public charter schools run by leaders of color. More options mean more opportunities for these families and a better future for their children.” IT’S TUESDAY: Stay with us each afternoon as we keep you updated on the latest New York news in Albany, City Hall and beyond.
| | | | A message from Vacancy NYC: Thousands of affordable rent-stabilized apartments are sitting vacant across NYC. But they are in need of critical renovations and repairs before they can be rented again. Red tape, inflation, and supply chain issues are the problem. Albany can be the solution. Join our efforts to solve the housing crisis and help New Yorkers access the affordable homes they deserve. | | | | | | | 
Cars cross the Hudson River on the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020, traveling eastbound from South Nyack to Tarrytown, N.Y. (AP Photo/Bill Sikes) | Bill Sikes/AP Photo | CUOMO BRIDGE: Some lawmakers are reviving efforts to try to change the name of the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge back to the Tappan Zee Bridge. This year, Hudson Valley Sen. James Skoufis, a Democrat, has signed onto the bill, which has foundered in the state Legislature. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo cut a late-night deal in 2017 to change the name of the old and new bridges between Rockland and Westchester counties to honor his late father and three-term governor — from The Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge to The Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. But ever since, there has been criticism of the switch because the Tappan Zee had always been what residents called the bridge, and it stripped the historical significance of the name, critics say. “The name "Governor Mario Cuomo Bridge" does not reflect the rich Dutch and Native American history that Hudson Valley residents connect with,” the bill memo states. “It is time that we revert the name of this beautiful bridge back to its rightful name — the Tappan Zee Bridge.” Will the name change happen? Legislative leaders nor Gov. Kathy Hochul have indicated an appetite to support it — which the Cuomos would view as an extraordinary slight toward the father-and-son governors. Asked about it Tuesday while visiting the region, Hochul called Mario Cuomo "an extraordinary governor," adding that she would review the bill if it passes, but it is "too premature" to take a position on it. — Joseph Spector PROBE OF HOCHUL’S DETAIL: State Police confirmed that the New York City security detail for Hochul is under investigation for an alleged abuse of their time sheets, as first reported Monday by the New York Post. The members under investigation are no longer with the governor’s protective detail, State Police said. The officers were not not field personnel, but uniform members assigned to the New York City detail working desk security posts, the agency said. “The State Police has launched an administrative investigation into time and attendance issues involving former members of the Protective Services Unit,” State Police spokesperson William Duffy said. “Integrity is one of our core values, and we thoroughly investigate any claims of wrongdoing. If our investigation determines that our policies were violated, the State Police will take appropriate disciplinary action.” — Joseph Spector
| | | | A message from Vacancy NYC:   | | | |  | From City Hall | | | 
Mayor Eric Adams turned Tuesday in a day of bill signings. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images | BILLS, BILLS, BILLS — Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday signed a package of bills aimed at addressing pay disparities within the municipal workforce. The move comes as city agencies contend with the loss of more than 19,000 workers during the pandemic, putting pressure on officials to create policies that better compete with the private market. Adams recently struck a preliminary contract deal with DC37, the largest municipal labor union, that includes provisions to work from home and an annual raise of 3 percent the first four years — setting the tone for negotiations with other unions that are working with expired contracts. The legislation signed Tuesday will require city agencies to annually disclose their compensation information and efforts to address pay disparities. It will also require the Department of Citywide Administrative Services to assess its efforts to provide equal opportunity for a diverse set of applicants and share additional data to address pay disparities within the city workforce. Other legislation signed on Tuesday includes bills to increase accessibility for clients living in city shelters and to require city reports on the number of affordable housing units set aside for people with disabilities and the number of families with children living in city shelters. — Danielle Muoio Dunn TO THE VICTOR WHINT THE SPOILS: Adams said Tuesday that Richard Whint — an assistant chief inspector in the Department of Buildings who recently rankled some of his colleagues by receiving a $100,000 raise — deserved his promotion and is part of a wider group of city employees who have been passed over for advancement. “I have to take my hat off to the deputy mayors and the commissioners, they have gone into their agencies and started to look for talent that was overlooked for many years and they brought that talent forward,” Adams said at an unrelated press briefing Tuesday. “Not only did it help in our diversity … of gender and ethnicity, it also allowed us to hear from people who were on the ground.” The leap by Whint — who wrote a bad check to the mayor’s campaign and has twice sued the city — to a newly created deputy commissioner position was so large, however, that City Hall called in Buildings brass a second time to question them about the hire before ultimately signing off. Earlier this month, POLITICO reported on Whint’s rapid ascent, which some of his colleagues attributed to a friendship with the mayor, something both Whint and Adams have denied. — Joe Anuta CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT: The mayor named attorney Muhammad Faridi as the civilian representative to the NYPD’s Handschu Committee, a body with oversight of NYPD investigations into political activity. The committee was formed in 2017 in the wake of the police department’s intrusive, post-9/11 surveillance of Muslim New Yorkers. “As the first Muslim representative on this committee, that particular note is not lost on me,” Faridi said. “The Muslim community and all communities … are looking at me, and they want to make sure that the NYPD does the right thing.” The move drew plaudits from criminal justice advocates who have often been at odds with the mayor on policing. Under the terms of a court agreement, Adams could have requested the civilian representative be removed after he took office. — Joe Anuta
| | | | A message from Vacancy NYC: NYC is facing a severe housing shortage. While new housing desperately needs to be built, Albany lawmakers can also make progress by creating a path for tens of thousands of vacant rent-stabilized apartments to come back online. Before that can happen, these homes need critical repairs and renovations. But problems like regulatory changes, supply chain issues, and inflation have made these costs skyrocket. 75% of rent-stabilized property owners say that they have been forced to delay maintenance and important upgrades due to financial hardship. Learn more about the problem and the solution at VacancyNYC.org. | | | | | On the Beats | | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: The city of Port Jervis in Orange County was awarded $10 million Tuesday through the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, a statewide program to create walkable downtowns and rebuild neighborhoods affected by the pandemic. Other winners of the $100 million program include Middletown, Kingston, New Rochelle, Peekskill, Haverstraw and Ossining. Port Jarvis, located on the banks of the Delaware and Neversink rivers, will use up to $300,000 from the grant to develop a Strategic Investment Plan. — Danielle Muoio Dunn MTA: A bi-partisan group of state senators from the New York City suburbs wrote a letter Thursday to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins — a fellow suburbanite — urging that non-city counties be exempted from Hochul's proposal to increase MTA Payroll Mobility Tax increase. The tax, first installed in 2009, would be increased on businesses across the region by $800 million a year. The tax has long been derided by companies on Long Island and the Hudson Valley, which have argued they only have limited use of the MTA. "Given the existing value gap outside the city (e.g. there are no subways and few MTA-operated buses) and the very fact that businesses in the city are the primary business beneficiaries of the system — riders take the MTA to get to work in New York City; riders generally do not take the MTA to get to work outside New York City - exempting non-New York City from the increase associated with this already-unjust tax is the appropriate response," the letter states. NEW POSITIONS: The state Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government announced new hires that include many familiar faces to Albany. The commission was established in July under the Ethics and Commission Reform Act to ensure compliance with the state’s ethics and lobbying laws and regulations. Here are the new hires on the commission: The general counsel will be Keith St. John, a former Senate counsel who has held the job co-acting general counsel to the commission but will officially take over the position. New York Education Department spokesperson Emily DeSantis will switch over to serve in a similar role at the commission. Carol Quinn was named director of lobbying; Michael Sande will serve as director of ethics; and Kavita Bhatt was appointed as deputy general counsel.
| | | — The nonprofit Sheltering Arms is closing amid years of cuts and millions of dollars in late payments. Founded in 1823, it served more than 17,000 kids and families. (Gothamist) — According to Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, New York City government’s artificial intelligence programs need stronger surveillance. (State Scoop) — Home Depot will raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour nationwide — already the rate in downstate New York — to address the labor shortage. (Daily News) — Fired by the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Buffalo oncologist sued the hospital accusing it of gender discrimination and retaliation. (Buffalo Business First) | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |  |
