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Presented by Healthcare Education Project: POLITICO's must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable New Yorkers | | | | |  | | By Jeff Coltin, Nick Reisman and Emily Ngo | Presented by Healthcare Education Project | With help from Jason Beeferman
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City Council member Justin Brannan, center, celebrates his win over now-Republican Ari Kagan with the council's majority leader and speaker in South Brooklyn last night. | Jason Beeferman/POLITICO | Looks like The Bronx just elected its first Republican since 2002. Kristy Marmorato declared victory over New York City Councilmember Marjorie Velázquez on Election Night, up 52 percent to 47 percent with 98 percent of the votes reported. “They needed the change, they wanted the change. and they spoke,” Marmorato told NY1 Tuesday night. East Bronx clam shacks are going to be the hot spot to reach swing voters now, represented by Democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Congress, and Republican Marmorato in the council. Marmorato, an X-ray technician whose brother leads the Bronx GOP, ran on her opposition to a supportive housing project known as Just Home, and opposition to the Bruckner Sites upzoning. Yes, NIMBYism may have decided this race. And massive outside spending by the labor unions that finally, with effort, got Velázquez on their side to support the rezoning in council last year couldn’t get out enough votes in a low-turnout race. The city council will have some other new faces come January:
- Susan Zhuang, a staffer for Assemblymember Bill Colton, who decisively won the new, majority-Asian southern Brooklyn district.
- Chris Banks, who upset longtime City Councilmember Charles Barron in East New York in the June primary.
- Yusef Salaam, who gives talks around the world about his experience as one of the wrongly convicted and exonerated Central Park Five and won a hot primary himself.
And the council has lost Ari Kagan. Party switching didn’t work out, and he lost by 17 points to Democratic incumbent Justin Brannan. And he won’t let Brooklyn Democratic Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn forget it. Outside of New York City, Republican Ed Romaine will be the next Suffolk County executive. That seat has been held by Democrats for 20 years, but the way the county has been trending, that’s not much of a surprise. Suffolk County is a bellwether for 2024 — though Democrats might be denying that today — and it’s a good reminder that the nation’s eyes will be turned to New York’s many swing seats for the next year. In other races:
- Democratic Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz was reelected, despite a barrage of bad news.
- Monroe County Executive Adam Bello, a Democrat, and Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, a Republican, were both reelected.
- And former Republican state Sen. Sue Serino won the race for Dutchess County executive. – Jeff Coltin
IT’S WEDNESDAY. ONE YEAR UNTIL ELECTION DAY. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | | | A message from Healthcare Education Project: Medicaid pays New York’s hospitals 30% less than the actual cost of their care. But hospitals give all of their patients 100%, each and every day. Medicaid underpayments have already meant cuts to mental health services and maternity care. Albany can fix this injustice: Stop Medicaid underpayments and help hospitals stay open. Tell Albany: Every New Yorker deserves healthcare, no matter their income or ZIP code. End the Medicaid funding crisis now. | | | WHERE’S KATHY? In New York City and Albany with no public schedule. WHERE’S ERIC? Meeting with his retail theft task force and holding news media availability. WHERE’S ANTONIO? Lt. Gov. Delgado is traveling to Puerto Rico for the Somos conference. WHERE’S PLAYBOOK? Also heading to Puerto Rico for Somos. Email, DM, text or call Jeff Coltin with tips. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Polls are just a snapshot in time. … It’s going to be a close race, and that’s just the reality because America is a closely divided country.” – House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told NY1, asked about the poll that shows President Joe Biden trailing former President Donald Trump in key states.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | 
Albany lobbyists are wondering if the lobbying firm headed by Melissa DeRosa's father will take heat for the former top aide's comments about Hochul in her memoir. | Mary Altaffer/AP Photo | WHAT’S NOT LEFT UNSAID: Melissa DeRosa’s memoir and scathing assessment of Gov. Kathy Hochul who “doesn’t matter” and “gets rolled at every turn” has some folks eager to capitalize and try to take her father’s lobbying clients. DeRosa’s father Giorgio is the chief Albany lobbyist at one of the Capitol’s top firms, Bolton-St. Johns. Melissa’s comments on the governor were like “gratuitous violence,” one longtime Albany lobbyist told Playbook. “Everyone I’m talking to is like ‘there is no way that the second floor is going to want to deal with these people.’” It’s renewal season, and folks are now trying to steal business. “I asked one lobbyist what he’s doing tonight, he said ‘looking through DeRosa’s portfolio.’” That may be wishful thinking, said another lobbyist. Giorgio DeRosa was close to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but Bolton still has Mike Keogh, who’s married to Karen Persichilli Keogh, Hochul’s top aide. Also, Melissa has been criticizing Hochul for two years — though without a book publicity cycle — and the firm didn’t slip in the lobbying rankings when Cuomo left. A lot was made of the firm’s connections when Melissa was working for the administration, so “what now, now that she’s on the opposite side and shitting all over Kathy Hochul’s administration?” Melissa didn’t respond to a request for comment, but Giorgio said that the talk comes from “disgruntled competitors,” who are “not in our league.” The firm has a great relationship with the administration, he said. “We have only grown, and I don’t see that ending.” Hochul spokesperson Anthony Hogrebe denied they’d be icing out Bolton — but the office has clearly been reading the press coverage. “We make policy decisions based on their merits,” he said. “That said, it’s nice to be nice.” – Jeff Coltin
| | | | GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here. | | | | | | | WHAT CITY HALL IS READING | | | 
An anonymous letter allegedly signed by hundreds of city government employees demands Mayor Eric Adams call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. | Jason Beeferman/POLITICO | OPEN LETTER FOR GAZA: Organizers say nearly 300 New York City government employees have signed an open letter demanding their boss, Mayor Eric Adams, call Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide and call for a ceasefire. “The Administration has exclusively shown an immediate and resounding affirmation of the humanity of Israelis and Israeli New Yorkers, but none for the Palestinian people and for thousands of Palestinian New Yorkers,” the letter reads. All 297 signees are anonymous, “given the current climate of extreme doxxing, violence, harm and retaliation,” a spokesperson for the “NYC Employees in Solidarity with Palestine” told Playbook. So that number couldn’t be verified. But their fears aren’t unfounded — for just one example, City Councilmember Bob Holden called for the city to defund a homeless shelter nonprofit because one staffer joined a pro-Palestine rally. Adams has talked repeatedly of the “the innocent lives, on both sides” lost since Hamas attacked Israel last month and mentioned visiting Gaza himself. But the signees — who represent just a small fraction of the city’s approximately 300,000 workers — are asking Adams for a response, “and for you to stand with us on the right side of history.” City Hall spokesperson Fabien Levy cast doubt on the number of anonymous signers, but declined to comment further. – Jeff Coltin ERIC’S ELECTION DAY: Last year and in 2021, the mayor cast his ballot on Election Day, taking questions from reporters afterward. Yesterday, he had no public events on his schedule, his team telling Playbook he spent the day working by making calls and holding meetings. Adams, under a cloud following the federal raid Thursday on his chief fundraiser’s home, opted to vote early this year — and without reporters in tow. He went to the polls Sunday in Brooklyn, posting a video in which he slaps the telltale sticker on his jacket and calls voting “one of the most significant things we can do.” – Emily Ngo More from the city: — A construction firm rarely made campaign contributions — until Adams ran for mayor. Now, the $14,000 in donations from KSK Construction is part of a public corruption investigation. (POLITICO)
| | | | PLAYBOOK IS GOING GLOBAL! We’re excited to introduce Global Playbook, POLITICO’s premier newsletter that brings you inside the most important conversations at the most influential events in the world. From the buzzy echoes emanating from the snowy peaks at the WEF in Davos to the discussions and personalities at Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to the heart of diplomacy at UNGA in New York City – author Suzanne Lynch brings it all to your fingertips. Experience the elite. Witness the influential. And never miss a global beat. BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | | | 
The commissioner for New York's Department of Environmental Conservation is visiting Ukraine for the third time to complete a playground for displaced children and deliver ambulances and firefighting gear. | AP | BASIL BACK IN UKRAINE: Basil Seggos, the commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, is making his third trip to Ukraine as the war with Russia drags on. Seggos, who has served as an officer in the Army reserve, is traveling on his own time with the nonprofit group Ukraine Focus with volunteers and doctors from the U.S. and the European Union. Seggos told Playbook over text from Ukraine he’s part of a team delivering ambulances to the Territorial Defense Force and the Ministry of Health. He’s also helping complete a playground for kids displaced by the war and taking a half ton of donated firefighting clothing from the city of Albany to its sister city Bucha. “Will be able to report out more about where we are going geographically after we clear the areas,” Seggos wrote. – Nick Reisman LOOKS FAMILIAR: New York lawmakers are being urged to beef up regulations to address the use of facial recognition technology at sports and entertainment venues. The New York State Bar Association in a report released this week raised concerns with the use of the technology and raised civil liberties concerns with its use. “The misuse of facial recognition technology violates civil liberties, and if it continues unchecked, it will reach into every aspect of our lives — from our ability to move around freely and associate with whom we want to our freedom to do our jobs,” said New York State Bar Association president Richard Lewis. The bar association launched its review of facial recognition technology after Madison Square Garden earlier this year used facial recognition software to block lawyers who work at firms that are suing the company that owns the arena. New York officials in September moved to ban the use of facial recognition technology in schools. – Nick Reisman AID FOR RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS: More than 80 state lawmakers are calling for Gov. Kathy Hochul to bolster funding for security at Jewish and Muslim schools in her budget proposal next year. Letters from the Senate and the Assembly on Tuesday afternoon urged Hochul to include $90 million in school safety grants for non-public schools, doubling the fund from this year's budget. “Amid rising hate and division fueled by world events, every New Yorker deserves the state’s commitment to their safety — especially children in our schools,” said Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris. “We must combat the increasing dual threats of Antisemitism and Islamophobia spreading around the globe by ensuring the security needs of these schools within our borders are met. ”The push comes the same day non-public schools in New York were granted early access to a $45 million school safety fund that wasn’t supposed to be released until 2024. Previously, schools would have submitted for reimbursement with access to the funds in April 2024, but the state Education Department released the funds early amid growing safety concerns as tensions rise over the Israel-Hamas war. The fund increased by $15 million this year. It’s used to reimburse religious and independent schools for school safety and health expenses. – Katelyn Cordero More from Albany: — Mets owner Steve Cohen unveiled plans to develop a parking lot near Citi Field in the hope of winning a casino license. (POLITICO Pro) — Attorney General Tish James is funding a program to test whether real estate firms and agents treat people differently because of their race. (Newsday)
| | | | A message from Healthcare Education Project:   | | | | | | AROUND NEW YORK | | | — New York’s recycling program is getting increasingly costly, leaving some to consider if the program should be tossed in the bin. (LoHud) — The mother of the Cornell student accused of making terroristic, antisemitic threats shared intimate details about her son and his upbringing. (Democrat & Chronicle) — Flaco The Owl, the Central Park Zoo escapee, has reappeared at a park in the East Village. (New York Times)
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | MAKING MOVES — Dina Powell McCormick is joining the board of directors of Exxon Mobil. She continues as vice chairman, president and global head of client services at investment and advisory firm BDT & MSD Partners. … Perry Perlmutter was named chief executive officer of Services for the UnderServed, he was previously the organization’s CFO. ... John Olsen has been appointed senior vice president at Statewide Public Affairs’ new Emerging Technologies & Innovation practice. MEDIAWATCH — “The Circus,” the Showtime show hosted by John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon and Jennifer Palmieri, will end its run on Sunday with a series finale. The show, on which a rotating cast of hosts hit the campaign trail, explored Washington intrigue and interviewed major political candidates, received four Emmy nominations during its run. “When we started ‘The Circus’ in 2016, we thought it would be a one-and-done deal. Eight seasons and 130 episodes later, we’re still agog that Showtime gave us the trust and support that kept us cranking on this long, strange trip — and let us prove that our idea of doing a weekly, behind-the-scenes, real-time doc series on American politics wasn’t as unhinged as it seemed,” Heilemann said in a statement. “Our belief in the importance of the story we've been covering and our eagerness to keep covering it, Circus-style, hasn’t changed.” (h/t Playbook PM) HAPPY BIRTHDAY: ABC’s David Muir … Blackstone’s Wayne Berman … Tory Newmyer … Alan Harper Finch … Ashley Higgins … Shushannah Walshe (WAS TUESDAY): Avi Zenilman ... Eric Kandel ... Donald Kohn ... Laurie Cohen
| | Real Estate | | — WeWork is tearing up its leases at 40 different New York City locations. (Crain’s New York Business)
| | | | A message from Healthcare Education Project: All New Yorkers deserve equal access to quality healthcare, no matter their income or ZIP code. Yet today, Medicaid pays New York’s hospitals 30% less than the actual cost of care for the low-income individuals the program covers, including children, the disabled, and seniors. But hospitals give all of their patients 100%, each and every day. Medicaid underpayments have already meant cuts to mental health services and maternity care.
Albany can fix this injustice: Stop Medicaid underpayments and help hospitals stay open. The federal government will pay half the cost of closing the Medicaid funding gap, it’s a huge savings for New York. Tell Albany: End the Medicaid funding crisis now. | | | | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |  |
