Colby Hamilton

Today on "The Capitol Pressroom":

The North Country was a big winner in the economic development grant competition. While the 16 projects that won the $103.2 million dollars are posted on-line, we wanted to know how these projects will leverage growth throughout the region, and help to create the 1000 promised new jobs? Where will be they?

Susan speaks with two long-time proponents of development in the North Country to hear what they are hoping for: Bill Farber, Chairman of the Board of the Hamilton County Board of Supervisors as well as the county Republican Chairman and the Supervisor of the Town of Morehouse; as well as Jim McKenna of the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism.

Unemployment among war veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan is higher than for other vets, as well as higher than for their peers without college degrees. Over the next five, years with overseas conflicts coming to an end, an estimated one million more veterans will be entering the job market -- a concern in upstate New York considering the lackluster economy and the numbers of veterans upstate counties have sent to fight overseas.

Is there help? We speak with Sgt. Maj. John Willsey of the 42nd Special Troops Battalion who has suggestions for returning veterans looking for work, as well as advice to prospective employers hesitant to hire veterans with any history of PTSD.

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy and Citizens for Tax Justice have partnered on a newly released report on corporate tax dodgers. Co-author and ITEP Executive Director Matthew Gardner will share details.

The candidate will be able, in one sentence, to shove every campaign talking point and example of effective leadership into one sentence, regardless of the question. Like City Council Speaker Christine Quinn did earlier today on the Leonard Lopate Show. The topic, for what it's worth, is the city's food system:

Though I think a lot of the work were doing now in the council, whether it is to end fingerprinting for food stamps, whether it's recently having filed a lawsuit against a proposal to push homeless people in need out of the homeless system, or our efforts in FoodWorks and other places to try and create more jobs for New Yorkers at different economic and education levels, I hope speaks to the anger that came out of Occupy Wall Street in the way that we in government should be responding by putting in place policies that will put people to work in diverse industries and support new industries.

It is a matter of fact: next year, New Yorkers will be going to the primary voting booth earlier than the September date than they’ve become accustomed to.

It is a matter of not if, but, specifically, when.

The man in whose hands our state’s primary date rests is Federal Judge Gary Sharpe. And from reports of the hearing he held last week, it doesn’t sound like he’s too excited with the task. Had New York State complied with a federal law that was meant to ensure military service members overseas were given enough time to vote, we wouldn’t be in this situation.

But we are, and Judge Share is currently collecting the final argumentsbefore making a ruling by December 27. In a number of documents provided to Judge Sharpe, stakeholders made their cases for the two different dates being pushed by Republicans and Democrats—an August primary or a June primary, respectively.

Former gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino--who recently penned an epic, vindictive polemic to Times-Union reporter Jimmy Vielkind, who was made the straw man for "a shallow and complicit press corps"--has a follow up email in to the TU today.

Paladino is no fan of Governor Andrew Cuomo (feel free to read the full screed on TU’s site) for sure. The analysis I posted a bit ago is taken to the nth degree by Paladino, who blasts the Governor’s “theater, lies, deception and illusion” on most recent display during the secretive tax overhaul last week.

But then, at the end, Paladino has this amazing final paragraph where he essentially blames Andrew Cuomo for creating the housing crisis that brought the US economy to its knees in 2007:

It is no wonder Cuomo has a 70% approval rating and legislators fear his wrath. Would he have that 70% rating if the people knew what a conspiring and diabolical bully he was? Yes this is the same thoughtless, scheming and valueless politician who at HUD declared that every American should own a home and single handedly started the sub-prime meltdown from which our country has yet to recover.

I guess that’s…one way to look at it. Wayne Barrett might agree. Michael Powell may not.

Courtesy of the Governor's office.

On Fred Dicker's radio show yesterday, Governor Andrew Cuomo responded to some of thecriticism his pick to chair the new JCOPE ethics panel has been receiving. To be fair, many picks for the committee have been catching heat, but chairwoman Janet DiFiore, the Westchester District Attorney, has drawn the editorial equivalent of scandalized eyebrows raising over her role as president of the state's district attorney association.

Questions about her role as a potential Albany lobbyist heading the commission that regulates Albany lobbyists did not sit well with the Governor.

"She is a sitting district attorney, which, by the way, you can't make an appointment to this body that instills more credibility and seriousness than a sitting DA. But as a sitting DA, she's an elected official. As an elected official, she runs for office. She raises money. From lobbyists, from bankers, from lawyers who appear before her, from accountants, from people on the street," Cuomo noted. "Every DA in the state, Attorney General, judges all raise money. But now maybe you couldn't be an ethics chairperson? With, by the way, no criminal jurisdiction, and no civil jurisdiction--a much less impactful position."

The Governor sort of sidestepped the DiFiore-as-potential-lobbyist issue, but what followed gave a bit of insight into why his office operates the way does. As I and others have noted before, the Governor is a master political operator. A significant amount of his work is done out of public sight--something the press has been critical of. The tax reform package is a perfect example: the actual bill wasn't seen by the public, let alone many--most?--lawmakers, until 26 minutes before it was set to be voted on.

But, from the Governor's point of view, getting it done this way--not hammered out day and night, in full view of the public (i.e. the press), having every single person weigh in--was the most effective way. Government worked. If that's the goal--to make government work--sometimes you have to close the door.

You can hear the frustration in Cuomo's voice over the scuttlebutt made over DiFiore. After his breakdown of why he finds the criticism "nonsensical" he gives insight into the belief that defends his pick to chair JCOPE and keeps massive tax overhauls under wraps until less than a half-hour before it gets passed by the state legislature.

Here Cuomo is discussing the impact of the hyper-scrutiny of government and how that affects bringing good people into it:

Why subject yourself to this? Why? Well, I want to make society better. In Albany, in this process? That's part of what I've been battling...

To the extent that we are enhancing the reputation of state government in Albany…that actually helps me in the recruitment process...If good people come then government is actually improved. But part of it is this, just negativity and nonsensical criticism for the sake of criticism.

I'm sure there would be a healthy gap between what the Governor may consider "nonsensical criticism," and what reporters and good government groups see as necessary. Still, it's interesting to see the wheels turning, even if it's just glimpse through a crack in the door.

After the elections in November I wrote a piece about what, at the time, appeared to be another shortcoming on the part of Westchester Republican efforts to follow-up on the surprise victory of Rob Astorino in 2009.

Well, I appear to have written too soon. According to the Westchester Board of Elections' official tally, the effort on behalf of an Astorino-backed group of candidates seeking to break the county legislative supermajority enjoyed by Democrats was actually successful. They certainly dumped tremendous resources into the race, but the fact remains they were able to achieve their goals, in county legislative races for which they often fail to field candidates.

In conversations with those involved after the fact, I know things didn't go as well as hoped. But I'd like to public acknowledge that they were definitely better than I initial reported. It's safe to say Westchester Republicans are now two-for-three.

Courtesy of the Governor's office.

In a wide-ranging interview with the New York Post’s Fed Dicker, Governor Andrew Cuomo gave his impression of his past year in Albany while looking forward to the next session, which begins in January.

“If you look at what we laid out in the campaign--if you look at what we said we were going to do versus what we did – I think it’s fair to say we had a very productive year," the Governor said.

He went on to laud the state legislature for its efforts (or willingness to accept his, depending on how you look at it) as well before turning to a number of high-profile topics. Here are the highlights:

Today on "The Capitol Pressroom":

Governor Andrew Cuomo calls in to discuss, among other things, the Regents proposal to change school aid distribution formula.

The Times-Union's Jimmy Vielkind caught this key piece in the ongoing redistricting process. As expected, Republicans are appealing the ruling that will allow prisoners to be counted in their last known home address prior to incarceration for the purpose of redistricting.

As Jimmy points out, the Republicans are trying to move up the appeals ladder quickly, petitioning to have the case reviewed directly by the Federal Court of Appeals.

Liu's future political forecast looks cloudy. (Colby Hamilton / WNYC)

The fundraising controversy surrounding City Comptroller John Liu has taken its toll, according to a new Quinnipiac poll. Only 38 percent of those New York City voters polled gave Liu the thumbs up--that's down from his high of 57 percent back in May.

While Liu's standing in the 2013 field doesn't appear to have changed--he's always been pulling single-digit support--voter's sense of his qualifications as mayor are dismal. Among the three citywide(-ish--Quinn wasn't technically elected citywide) Democrats potentially running in 2013--Speaker Christine Quinn, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, and Liu--46 percent of those polled said Liu would not make a good mayor. That's compared to 37 percent for Quinn and 22 percent for de Blasio.

“New York City Comptroller John Liu has been in the news a lot, in a bad way. All those negative stories about his fundraising have zapped his job-approval numbers,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in the release. “And voters say almost 2-1 that he would not be a good mayor.

“City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio have OK job approval ratings, but voters don’t seem enchanted with the prospect of either elected official as mayor."

But don't take this as a sure sign Liu's 2013 ambitions are dead in the water. Looking at his job approval number details, he's still managing to receive the majority of Black voters and a plurality of Hispanic voters' support. In other words, the multi-racial coalition, backed by labor (there's been no indication the labor-backed Working Families Party has thr5own him under the bus, despite his current spat with Teamster Local president Gregory Floyd), hasn't broken up--at least not in the polls.

Of course, both groups gave Speaker Quinn higher marks, just reinforcing her position as the front runner.

It's not quite the record-breaking lobbying efforts of 2010. But it's close.

The New York Public Interest Research Group today put out a report on lobbying in the first ten months of 2011. According to the report, nearly $188 million has been spent lobbying at the state and local level through October--$26 million short of the 2010 totals.

Topping the list this year is the Committee to Save New York, a pro-business group who have supported many of Governor Andrew Cuomo's budget efforts over the past year. The Committee spent over $9.7 million on lobbying efforts.

Following close behind were two unions, 1199/SEIU health care workers and the United Teachers, who combined to spend nearly $11 million on separate lobbying efforts.

The full report is after the jump, but take a look at this table on members of Congress lobbying Albany on redistricting. Congressmen Brian Higgins in Western New York and Joe Crowley here in the city appear to be hiring firms with close ties to the State Assembly. Congressman Elliot Engel from the Bronx is going the route of a firm run by former State Senators.

On more quick Quinnipiac poll finding.

By a ratio of nearly 3-to-1, voters across all political affiliations support the passage of the living wage bill that's been proposed in the City Council.

"True to its image as a liberal town, New York gives big support to the City Council plan to require a 'Living Wage' by companies that do business with the city. Does the government have an obligation to mandate a living wage?  Overwhelmingly, voters say yes,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in the release about the poll.

Getty

The Occupation looks to have won a few more hearts and minds than Mayor Michael Bloomberg, according to a new Quinnipiac poll. New York City voters, who are down on Bloomberg the mayor but up on OWS and its message, disapprove 51 to 42 percent of the way the Mayor handled the protesters in Zuccotti Park. The Occupation conducted itself appropriately said 52 percent of those polled.

“The Occupy Wall Street protesters outscored Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the eyes of New York City voters:  The mayor gets a slightly negative grade for the way he handled the situation while the protestors get a slightly positive grade,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in the release.

New Yorkers are also not stoked on the job the Mayor is doing. Among those polled, the mayor's job approval rating was 49 to 42 percent. Despite being in office for 10 years nearly 1-in-10 voters still aren't sure how he's doing.

But this doesn't mean they don't like the guy: 64 percent say they like Bloomberg as a person.

“New Yorkers like Mayor Mike personally and they sort of like his policies, but his job approval meanders far below those heady days late in his second term," noted Carroll. "Voters continue to think that he’s lost his focus in this third term.”

By Yasmeen Khan

Couresy of the Governor's office.

The members of New York's new ethics panel, named Monday by Governor Andrew Cuomo, reported for their first day of work on Tuesday. The 14-member Joint Commission on Public Ethics, or JCOPE, replaces the state's Commission on Public Integrity which officially went out of business more than three months ago (critics say that panel, created by Eliot Spitzer in 2007, was too tightly controlled by the governor).

Governor Cuomo touts JCOPE as "an independent monitor that will aggressively investigate corruption and help maintain integrity in state government." Here's a quick overhead view on how JCOPE will work:

Courtesy of the Governor's office

Since its appointment announcement yesterday, the state’s Joint Commission on Public Ethics has been criticized for some of the people picked by elected officials to serve on the commission that oversees elected officials in Albany. Here are some of the appointments that are raising the biggest questions:

1. Ravi Batra – appointed by Senate Minority Leader John Sampson

The biggest red flag being waved about Batra was his connection to incarcerated former Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Clarence Norman. Norman worked at Barta’s law firm, before being let go shortly after arrests were made that eventually led to Norman’s conviction on corruption charges. But it’s Batra’s position as a Democratic insider with connections to everyone, including as a fundraiser for the man that appointed him and Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau praised Barta in a letter of recommendation for the position, saying, “His independent judgment, informed by real life, will serve the best interests of New Yorkers who deserve a government that above all serves the public good.”

But Chris Owens, a Brooklyn Democratic Party official, said the move raised serious questions about both the appointee and the elected official who appointed him: “Why would John Sampson, after all the questions about the Aqueduct scandal which everyone’s trying to put behind them, nominate somebody who has any kind of taint attached to his name?”

2. David Renzi – appointed by Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb

Back in 2008, as a candidate running for State Senate against then-Senator Darrel Aubertine, Renzi was accused of inappropriately accruing retirement credit with the State as an employee of Pamelia, New York, even though he wasn’t technically an employee. At the time of the report in the Watertown Daily Times, both of Renzi’s partners in his law firm were being investigated by the State Comptroller’s office for similar violations.

Renzi defended himself against the accusations, saying, "I have always held myself to highest ethical standards." The Pamelia town supervisor, Lawrence Longway, said Renzi is still employed by the town as an attorney and that the issue was overblown during an election year.

“It wasn’t like he was getting so much money from us and getting benefits on top,” Longway said. “Everyone in this area laughed, because if there’s anyone in this area that doesn’t give money away, it’s me.”

But that didn’t stop Aubertine from airing attack ads back in 2008 that accused Renzi of unethical behavior.

Additionally, Renzi’s wife is reported to be employed by State Senator Patty Ritchie, which the Watertown Daily Times has Dick Dadey of Citizens Union quoted raising concerns over:

For a JCOPE appointee to have his spouse employed by a state senator, while legal, crosses the line ethically…It doesn't look good to have such a tight association between an appointee and a state senator, over whom one has oversight.

3. Mary Lou Rath and Mitra Hormozi – appointed by Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Governor Andrew Cuomo, respectively

While neither Rath nor Hormozi were specifically targeted in the past over ethics (in fact, Hormozi was lauded by some for her work in the AG’s office), both violate a rule that says elected officials and government employees need to be out of Government for at least three years to be allowed to serve on JCOPE.

Rath was a State Senator from Erie County until she retired in 2008. Technically, she was in office until January 2009, when the current Senator, Michael Ranzenhofer, succeeded her, meaning she has at the time of her appointment not been out of government the full three years.

Hormozi served as the Attorney General’s special deputy chief of staff under Andrew Cuomo, before heading up the now-defunct New York State Commission on Public Integrity. This would make her ineligible under the rules.

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Now, it’s not that everyone on the panel is facing fierce scrutiny. In fact two people in particular were highlighted as perfect picks for such a commission:

Governor Andrew Cuomo just sent out this statement on tax legislation negotiations that have been in limbo for weeks now. The deadline for the legislation to be passed before becoming nullified is quickly approaching. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the livery car industry have been pressing Cuomo to pass the legislation, while opponents from the disabled advocates community as well as medallion owners have been pushing for a veto:

Tomorrow, the Governor's office will be convening a summit of the stakeholders involved in the taxi legislation negotiations in order to resolve the outstanding issues. Among the outstanding issues are handicap accessibility of livery cabs, the transferability of and market for livery permits, livery and yellow cab pickups at airports, lack of financial incentives to purchase handicap accessible licenses, and concerns regarding the effectiveness of Taxi and Limousine Commission enforcement. As we have said all along, we are working very hard to reach consensus with the stakeholders in order to address taxi access issues in the five boroughs. The meter is running and this is the last chance to get a deal done before the end of the year. The issues are not primarily governmental ones among the Governor, the state legislature and the City. There are, however, remaining issues among the various stakeholders, business and advocacy groups whose interests must be reconciled.

Today on "The Capitol Pressroom":

• We’ll take a look at the new crop of commissioners tapped to run JCOPE.
• This year CSEA President Danny Donohue has walked a fine line between supporting the Governor’s programs, including last week’s package of tax reforms, and criticizing him on issues like pension reform. Today we speak with this long-time labor leader about his expectations for the coming session.
• Apparently there are loads of ways that New York State can help you pay for college. Unfortunately, they’re hidden behind walls of bureaucracy. Today the Chairperson of the Assembly Higher Education Committee Deborah Glick and former Assistant Vice President of Financial Aid Services at HESC, Brian Matthews, will help to unearth these funding gems.

By Karen DeWitt, New York Public Radio Capital Bureau Chief

Governor Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders have released the names of their appointments to the newest version of the state ethics commission Monday.

The Governor appointed Janet DiFiore, the District Attorney of Westchester County, to chair the new Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE). He also appointed Seymour Knox IV, Vice President of Corporate Relations for the Buffalo Sabres, as well as the chair of a private equity firm, and Mitra Hormozi, who worked for Cuomo when he was Attorney General.

Senate Leader Dean Skelos picks include former Western New York State Senator Mary Lou Rath. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver chose former state budget director Patrick Bulgaro.

Since the new ethics law was signed last August, there has been a kind of limbo period, with no active investigations of lawmakers for any alleged ethics violations. Cuomo, speaking on Long island earlier in the day, says that now changes.

“The commission will begin immediately,” Cuomo said.

Back in the summer--oh those many, many days ago--I wrote about a movement that began among suburban and upstate legislators to have the State start picking up the cost of Medicaid. Currently, localities--such as New York City, as well as county organizations--pay about 16 percent of their local cost.

The program was initially meant as a way to make urban areas--i.e. New York City--pay for having high concentrations of folks enrolled in the program. But now upstate and suburban communities are facing what they say are unsustainable costs and want the state to start taking over the full cost of Medicaid--something most states already do.

The Citizens Budget Commission has no weighed in on the issue, coming out in favor of a state takeover of the system:

Eliminating the local share policy would significantly improve the way New York State finances its Medicaid program. The policy has long placed an inequitable burden on residents living in lower income counties. Serious attempts to end the policy in the past have all fallen short. The recent focus on efficiency in Medicaid and the fiscal pressures on counties due to the property tax growth cap provide an opportunity to fix the policy now.

The full report is after the jump. Expect this to be an item on the agenda when the legislature returns next month.

UPDATE: Times-Union's Jimmy Vielkind posted a note saying Judge Sharpe indicated his preference would be to keep the primary date as close to the current date as possible. This should give encouragement to Republicans, who are pushing for an August primary.

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Judge Gary Sharpe has postponed a ruling on when the state's new primary date will be next year. According to a person who was at the hearing, Judge Sharpe has given two weeks worth of extensions for supplemental filings and reviews. A ruling is now expected during the begninning of January.