Colby Hamilton

By Marie Cusick/WMHT with www.innovationtrail.org

This weekend the Innovation Trail and WMHT's New York NOW looked into the state’s plan to revitalize the economy through the creation of 10 regional economic development councils.

The councils will compete for a billion dollars worth of state funds, and the governor has said that there will be clear "winners and losers" among the state's regions. Take a look to find out why that has some people worried.

President Obama made it official: New York is now a federally recognized disaster area.

"I thank President Obama for his quick action granting New York a federal disaster declaration," Governor Cuomo said in a statement. "The damage incurred by Irene has devastated communities in counties across our State, leaving many without homes and towns and villages without essential public infrastructure. All levels of government are working together to help New York recover and we will not stop until the job is done."

The Federal government will supply financial and other assistance in helping predominantly upstate counties recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Irene.

On a related note, the governor's office has said 78 percent of homes have had powered restored. That leaves 328,907 homes still without power, with the majority of those out on Long Island.

Nassau County Democratic Chair Jay Jacobs (Courtesy of the Nassau County Democratic Committee)

The state's highest court today overturned a lower court's ruling, negating new county legislature lines drawn by the Republican majority in Nassau county. In a unanimous decision, the Court of Appeals this morning said the redistricting plan ran afoul of the county's charter requirements for a lengthier process that involved public review. The current lines will be used in the upcoming county legislature elections this November.

In a statement released this morning, Nassau County Democratic Chair Jay Jacobs hailed the decision, calling the redistricting fight "an extreme waste of time."

"County Executive Mangano and Presiding Officer Schmitt are guilty yet again or overreaching and using their offices to simply retain power," Jacobs said in a statement. Later, on a conference call, he contrasted his party's actions with the legislative majority.

"They will put ethics aside and do whatever it takes to hold on to power at whatever cost," Jacobs said. "That’s not how we operate. And never have.”

Check out Campaign Finance Board's voter guide for the primary going on in the 28th City Council District in Queens. CFB has been stepping it up in preparation for the 2013 cycle--they put on a series of debates, one of which I attended and posted on The Empire--and this new snazzy website is likely a sign of more to come. Kudos CFB!

Click on the image to go to the site.

After surveying widespread flood damage in upstate New York communities yesterday, Governor Cuomo sent out this statement about the establishment of a task force to help devastated communities:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today established the Upstate Storm and Flooding Recovery Task Force which will be comprised of key agency commissioners and ensure seamless coordination between agencies. These agencies will work together to coordinate rebuilding of infrastructure, economic development, agricultural renewal, power restoration, and assistance with private insurance.

"From repairing roads and bridges, getting power back, helping with insurance claims and working with family farms, state government has rapidly mobilized to make sure that all available resources are in place to help the affected areas recover. This task force will ensure the highest level of state and local coordination to leverage all state resources and get them to where they are needed," Governor Cuomo said.

David Weprin at a campaign event in Queens. (Colby Hamilton / WNYC)

Assemblyman David Weprin caught serious flak from both his opponent and the media yesterday when he canceled on a long-standing debate date in Middle Village. The Turner campaign has been gleefully poking Weprin for dodging the debate. They sent over a volunteer who offered to drive Weprin through the (non) chaos of Queens post-Irene after the assemblyman’s campaign cited “logistical” issues created by the storm in why he wouldn’t be attending.

How has the Weprin campaign responded to the turmoil? They issued yet another endorsement, this time from United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 1500.

The bad press and anger the decision Weprin made not to attend the debate last night doesn’t change the calculus for the race overall. The reality is the district is still registered in favor of Democrats 3-to-1 and for the Weprin campaign, stacking up union and civic endorsements will do more to secure a win than any debate.

“They’re backing David because they know they can trust him to support Medicare and Social Security when he gets to congress,” said Elizabeth Kerr of the latest union endorsement. “There are plenty of opportunities for voters to see the two candidates debate. But what doesn’t change are the issues they care about…We’re talking about issues voters care about.”

For the Turner campaign, every opportunity to get their candidate’s name on television or in the newspaper is a chance to reach their target voter: angry at what’s going on in Washington and looking for a way to register it. Weprin dodging a pre-scheduled debate provided the perfect chance to be indignant and sensational.

But don’t expect the Weprin campaign to start responding. They’ll be at the debate tomorrow, and will continue to roll out endorsements. They see the path to victory not in battling headlines, but in boots on the ground.

Former Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith, left, with Cas Holloway and Michael Bloomberg, right, in 2010. (Courtesy of the Mayor's office.)

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is scooping up praise from elected officials and civic leaders for the city’s handing of hurricane Irene. Sure, the storm itself was a bit overblown, but few, if any, officials joined naysayers in questioning the mayor’s precaution tactics ahead of the storm’s landing late Saturday.

“Now that Hurricane Irene has come and gone, New Yorkers should take a moment to recognize that the storm’s effects would have been much worse if Mayor Bloomberg had not taken steps to properly prepare the City for the worst storm to hit the East Coast in decades,” New York City Comptroller John Liu—not always the biggest fan of the mayor—said in a press release.

“When I need to be critical of Mayor Bloomberg, I am,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. “But I have to tip my hat and give kudos when it's merited."

“I think they handled this extreme well,” Staten Island Councilman Vincent Ignizio said, after noting he had been a critic of the mayor in the past. “It goes to show: When the hierarchy is clearly in place the operations flow appropriately."

Ignizio’s comment about operational flow is worth highlighting. A number of those interviewed praised not only the mayor, but the mayor’s newly appointed deputy mayor for operations, Cas Holloway. After a stint at the head of the city's Department of Environmental Protection, Holloway was brought in to replace Stephen Goldsmith after Goldsmith resigned. Goldsmith was largely—and possibly unfairly—blamed for much of the city’s shoddy emergency response to the massive snowstorm back in January.

At the time, Holloway’s appointment was cast largely as a reversal for the mayor, who’d been installing outsiders like Goldsmith in key positions. In Holloway, the mayor had a seasoned city bureaucrat; someone whose strength was working inside the system, not shaking it up.

The move paid off. The city’s well-praised response to Hurricane Irene might be redemption for Bloomberg. But for Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway it is a victorious trial by fire.

Governor Cuomo survey storm damage upstate. (Karen DeWitt / WXXI)

By Karen DeWitt, WXXI Capitol Bureau Chief

Governor Cuomo and a top FEMA official surveyed the damage caused by flooding in the Mohawk River and Schoharie Valley earlier today. The Mohawk River is seeping into Schenectady, flooding the historic stockade neighborhood and expected to break records set back in 1938.

In the Schoharie Valley, farms and homes are inundated from the churning brown waters. Governor Cuomo, who met with local officials, says it’s devastating.

“We paid a terrible price here,” said Cuomo. “And many of these communities are communities that can least afford to pay a terrible price.”

The governor brought along FEMA regional director Lynn Canton  to see the damage first hand, and to ask for aid, who said, after viewing the devastation, “it’s the story the world has missed”. Cuomo said the state would find a way to pay to repair the numerous roads and bridges damaged by the storm.

Karen DeWitt of WXXI in Albany took to the skies with Governor Cuomo and FEMA to survey the flood damage upstate. From the pictures below, you can see the flood damage upstate is extensive.

UPDATE
The Weprin campaign just sent out this statement regarding tonight's debate:

The hurricane caused major logistical and scheduling problems for the campaign, and as a result, David is not able to make the debate this evening.

---

The Juniper Park Civic association was scheduled to host a debate between David Weprin and Bob Turner, the Democratic and Republican candidates running for the 9th Congressional District.

But now the debate organizer, Bob Holden, says the Weprin campaign has pulled out. And he's none too pleased.

"To say that we’re angry is an understatement,” Holden said over the phone. He says the campaign has known about the event tonight since July, but both he and the events cosponsor, the Queens Times Newsweekly, got the feeling Weprin was getting cold feet. Holdent said that the debate in Kew Gardens two weeks ago spooked Weprin, and had promised to run things differenently.

"I covered all the bases. Ive been doing this for thirty years," he said."I know how to run a debate.” Juniper Park hosted a debate between Turner and former congressman Anthony Weiner during last year's debate.

"If anybody should not want to debate it should be Turner, he’ a new comer to this," Holden said. "David has experience.”

Apparently the Times Newsweekly called late last night to say Weprin was canceling. When Holden confronted the campaign, he was told "logistics" would keep the assemblyman from attending, partly because campaign staff had "too much going on."

"When didn’t David call me himself," Holden asked. He said that, instead of preparing for the hurricane, he'd been working on the details of the debate since last week. "I'm not spending time with my family, doing what I should be doing protecting my house," he said.

"As of now he’s lost my vote,” Holden said of Weprin. Calls to the assemblyman's campaign have not been returned.

The governor's office says, as of this morning, 945,257 New York residents are without power. Most of those are customers on Long Island.

The view from WNYC's roof at 2:30 PM on 8/27 . (WNYC)

Sunday, August 28

[UPDATE 5: The governor's office has announced the city's subways--with a few exceptions--will be up and running by 6 AM tomorrow morning.

But here are the exceptions:
o 3 trains will operate between 137th Street/City College and New Lots Avenue; Substitute bus service will be provided between Harlem 148th Street and 135th Street connecting with the 2 train.
o C trains suspended; A trains will make all local stops from 207th St. to Lefferts Blvd.​
§ No service in the Rockaways. (Rockaway Blvd. to Far Rockaway and Rockaway Park)
o 6 trains runs local in the Bronx
o 7 trains run local
o S Franklin Avenue Shuttle (FAS) Suspended
o N trains terminate at Kings Highway. Shuttle bus service between Kings Highway and Stillwell Terminal.
· The Staten Island Railway will resume normal service at midnight tonight.

[UPDATE 4: Governor Cuomo's office announced FEMA added an additional 10 counties to receive disaster assitance. On top of the five boroughs of New York City and the Long Island counties of Suffolk and Nassau, Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Schoharie, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties have been added.]

[UPDATE 3: Mayor Bloomberg gave a press conference on the city's status post-Irene. The notes are below.]

[UPDATE 2: Governor Christie's press conference earlier is posted below.]

[UPDATE: Governor Cuomo has closed the Tappan Zee Bridge due to flooding on the NY Thruway.]

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave an upbeat press conference earlier today. The big news was that the evacuation order will be lifted by 3 PM today, and that the city's transit system remains crippled by the storm. Officials wouldn't give a timetable for when service would be restored.

"The good news is the worst is over, and we will soon move to restore and return mode," the mayor said. “We do not yet know the full extent of the damaged caused by the Category 1 storm, but so far, as I said earlier, there is no confirmation of deaths or injuries from the storm. We are really very grateful for that."

The mayor said flooding and power outages were still being reported, as 62,000 New York City residents wait for electricity service to be restored. Bloomberg said ConEd expected all service to be restored no later than Tuesday.

Still, the head of the MTA, Jay Walder, said there was no timetable for subway service restoration. The mayor said New Yorker's should prepare for a difficult commute in the morning, as trains might not be running by then.

The mayor said that the city had heard no reports of deaths or mayor injuries because of the hurricane. Likewise, arrests last night were well below the average for this time of year, and NYCHA houses were expected to be cleared for residents to return by 6 PM.

“All in all, we are in pretty good shape because of the exhaustive steps I think we took to prepare for whatever came our way," Bloomberg said.

---

Governor Christie spoke about New Jersey's response to Hurricane Irene a little bit ago. The video is below.

---

Good morning! Hopefully you're relatively dry and, if you lost power, it'll be coming back on shortly. There are reports of flooding damage, downed trees and power outages throughout the city and region. Check out this crowdsourced map to see where people are reporting damages, and to include any info you might have.

A couple quick notes after the storm:

• The north tube of the Holland Tunnel was closed earlier due to flooding.
• The governor's office is reporting some 750,000 people across the state are without power as of 10:30 AM this morning.
• MTA service remains suspended.

New York Governor Cuomo was in the Catskills earlier to checkout storm damage. His Flickr page has photos and video of some of the flooding.

New Jersey Governor Christie was on "Good Morning America" earlier to talk about Hurricane Irene's impact on the state.

Saturday, August 27

[UPDATE 3: Governor Cuomo brought the total activated National Guard count to 1,900. The governor's office also reported an earthquake outside of Albany.]

[UPDATE 2: Video from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's 2 PM press conference is posted below.]

[UPDATE: Hoboken and New Jersey City evacuation information]

NEW YORK

From By Karen DeWitt, WXXI Capitol Bureau Chief

Governor Andrew Cuomo witnessed the deployment of the first of around 1,000 New York National Guard troops headed for key sites in the New York City area. He also continued to warn those who live in upstate to be prepared, as well.

Cuomo says the National Guard troops will be stationed at Stewart airport in the Hudson Valley and the Farmingdale airport on Long Island. The sites will be used as staging areas to distribute water, ready to eat meals, and emergency generators, if they are needed in the wake of hurricane Irene. The governor has also signed a memo with the federal Secretary of Defense for joint command of the troops, and says FEMA will also be bringing in supplies.

“Government has an important role in a situation like this,” said Cuomo.

The governor says citizens have a role to play as well. He says those asked or ordered to evacuate should leave, if they haven’t yet. He says others in the path of the storm should be prepared with extra water, non perishable food and batteries, and should stay home and keep off the roads.

---

From the WNYC Newsroom

New York City's biggest utility says it could cut power to the city's most vulnerable areas if Hurricane Irene brings serious flooding.

Consolidated Edison spokesman Chris Olert says the utility doesn't expect to cut power before the storm hits, but flooding Sunday could bring a shutdown to areas including the southern tip of Manhattan and parts of the West Village.

He says nothing will be done proactively.

Flooding could cause severe damage to underground cables, transformers and other equipment if power were left on. He says a shutdown "allows us to do repairs more quickly and safely."

---

By Colby Hamilton

Mayor Bloomberg was in Coney Island earlier today, urging residents in evacuation zones to heed the city's order and get out.

"We expect a strong Category 1 storm to hit us tonight with winds between 55 and 75 miles an hour," Bloomberg said. "Now people get confused and say, ‘Oh, that’s down from 115.’ The great danger to us here is from the storm surge, and there’s no evidence that the forecast for that is changing. It is going to be a very serious thing as far as we can tell now."

The mayor said the 91 emergency evacuation centers around the city could handle upwards of 70,000 people (our evacuation zone map shows the locations of the centers). Additionally, teams of firefighters in each borough are looking for home-bound elderly and nursing home patients in the evacuation zones. Bloomberg said 7,000 patients had already been evacuated.

Police officers will be broadcasting evacuation messages over loudspeaker in the communities ordered to leave. The city is also shutting down elevators in NYCHA housing that could be affected by flooding. The Staten Island ferry is scheduled to close at 10 PM this evening, though the mayor did say that time could be pushed up if wind conditions worsen.

"New York City doesn’t have a lot of real-life experience with hurricanes," the mayor said. "We’ve watched then from afar as they’ve ravaged other parts of the nation, and thank God we’ve never really experienced that kind of destruction here. But that does not mean that it can’t happen. It can, and we must be prepared."

NEW JERSEY

---

New Jersey City is issuing evacuation orders for the following places as of 4 PM today, Saturday, August 27, according to Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy's office.

Evacuations have been order for residents in basement or first-floor apartments in the following areas:

• East of Green Street from Essex St North to Christopher Columbus Drive
• East of Washington Boulevard from Christopher Columbus Drive North to 18th Street
• Port Liberte
• Society Hill
• Country Village

Jersey City has also opened evacuation centers in:

• MS#4, 107 Bright Street
• MS#7, 222 Laidlaw Avenue
• PS#17, 600 Bergen
• PS#28, 339 Stegman Parkway
• Dickinson High School, 2 Palisade
• the Jersey City Armory, 678 Montgomery Stree

---

By Colby Hamilton

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer has ordered an evacuation of all basement and first-floor apartments. The order is effective immediately. A shelter has been established at Wallace School at 1100 Willow Street in Hoboken. Residents who require assistance should call 201-239-6643. Additionally:

Mayor Zimmer says it is critical that residents with their vehicles parked on City streets drive them out of Hoboken as soon as possible because she is expecting they will all be underwater. Officials are expecting a five to ten foot flood throughout most of Hoboken when the Hudson jumps its banks and the City is hit with stormwater run-off from Jersey City Heights.

Friday, August 26

President Obama granted Cuomo's federal emergency request. “I thank the President for his quick response. We are working hard at all levels of government to prepare for this storm and we appreciate the federal government’s support,” Cuomo said in a statement. The emergency area includes all of New York City, as well as Suffolk and Nassau Counties on Long Island.

Governor Cuomo just announced the following tolls and fares in the New York City area are being suspended starting at 8 PM today:

• Tolls will be suspended on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
• Fares will be suspended on buses throughout the city.
• Fares will be suspended for subway and rail passengers at stations in the mandatory evacuation area.

The governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are getting their states ready for the weekend furry that will be Hurricane Irene. Here's a quick rundown of what each state has said so far:

New York

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is giving a statement now on the current city plans for hurricane preparedness.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave a press conference earlier. Here are the highlights. Check out WNYC's interactive map to see which zones you or people you know live in:

• The city is opening 91 emergency facilities starting at 4:00 PM today.
• A mandatory evacuation order has been issued for residents living in Zone A of the city's hurricane evacuation plan. This includes Battery Park, Coney Island, and large portions of Staten Island, as well as both Zones A and B on the Rockaway Peninsula. The evacuation deadline is 5 PM tomorrow.
• The MTA will suspend service at noon tomorrow. Service might not be restored by Monday morning rush hour.
• Homeless shelters in Zone A are shutting down. People in those facilities are being moved to inland facilities.
• The city has issued a stop-work order at construction sites starting at 2 PM tomorrow, and lasting until 7 AM Monday, August 29.
• Beginning at 9 PM tomorrow "zone fares" for taxis will reduce the costs of traveling, and ride sharing is being encouraged. Livery car will be allowed to make street pickups.
• The city's bridges may be closed if winds reach 50 MPH or more.
• All city permits have been revoked after 2PM tomorrow for activities like street fairs and block parties. The city's beaches will be closed Saturday and Sunday.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has declared a state of emergency for New York yesterday, allowing the state greater access to resources and control over government operations. He held a press conference today at noon to discuss coordinating efforts between the state and local governments. Evacuations have begun on Long Island and parts of New York city (check out WNYC's map of evacuation zones). "We are communicating with our federal and local partners to track the storm and to plan a coordinated response, and we will deploy resources as needed to the areas expected to be hit the hardest," Cuomo said in a statement yesterday. Here is the latest info about the state's actions:

• The New York Army and Air National Guard will deploy up to 900 soldiers and airmen and over 100 vehicles to support civil authorities; those troops have already begun to report.
• The Metropolitan Transit Authority will institute a system-wide shut-down when trains and buses begin their final runs starting at approximately noon on Saturday; the shut-down will include subways, buses, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad, and Access-A-Ride
• If sustained wind speeds exceed 60 mph, all of the following bridges will be closed to all traffic: George Washington Bridge, Tappan Zee bridge, all bridges operated by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, and the following Hudson River bridges: Bear Mountain Bridge, Newburgh-Beacon, Mid-Hudson (Poughkeepsie), Kingston-Rhinecliff, and Rip Van Winkle (Catskill)
• The New York State Thruway and possibly other major highways will also be closed if sustained wind speeds exceed 60 mph; further closings will be announced as the storm progresses
• LIPA will have 2,500 line workers and tree trim personnel available throughout the weekend for emergency repair work, its largest emergency roster ever
• 175 extra ambulances and personnel will be deployed in regions expected to be hit the hardest by the storm

The mayor is holding a 1:30 PM press conference to update city resident's. You can view it live at NYC.gov.

From the AP

• Forecasters predict Irene to make landfall Sunday as a Category 1 storm between New Jersey and Cape Cod.
• The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane watch and a flood watch for Long Island, New York City and Rockland, Westchester and Putnam counties.
• New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered the evacuation of nursing homes and hospitals located in low-lying coastal areas, such as Battery Park City in lower Manhattan, Coney Island in Brooklyn and Far Rockaway in Queens, beginning Friday.
• The governor declared a state of emergency and the state's Office of Emergency Management has increased staffing in its underground bunker.
• Last hurricane to hit was Hurricane Gloria in 1985 on Long Island as a Category 2 storm with winds gusts of up to 100 mph. Since then, numerous remnants of hurricanes that have struck the state.
• The governor says New York City's public transit will halt around noon Saturday because of the hurricane.

New Jersey

Governor Chris Christie has also declared a state of emergency. He's suspended tolls and ordered traffic diversions as the New Jersey shore is being asked to evacuate. From Christie's office yesterday:

The Governor is calling on people to leave voluntarily and in order to support these coast evacuations is authorizing several measures that will make evacuation easier. The Governor is temporarily suspending tolls on all parts of the Garden State Parkway south of the Raritan River and the Atlantic City Expressway beginning at 8:00 a.m. Friday morning. Furthermore, Routes 47 and 347 in Cape May County will be closed to eastbound traffic and will use all lanes to move traffic westward beginning Friday evening at 6:00 pm. As part of this process, all ramps will be tightly controlled and additional personnel will be used to ensure safety.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker told city residents they should be prepared to be without power for 'up to 72 hours' after storm.

This is not just a routine declaration. This is a serious state of affairs.

You can read the rest of Booker's statement here or watch:

From the AP

• Forecasters predict Irene to make landfall Sunday between New Jersey and Cape Cod.
• Hurricane warning in effect for the coast up to Sandy Hook.
• Mandatory evacuations ordered for Cape May County, coastal Atlantic County and Long Beach Island.
• Governor declared emergency for the state.
• Last hurricane to directly hit the state was remnants of Hurricane Floyd in 1999, which caused major flooding inland.
• Atlantic City casinos began canceling bus trips as gamblers scrapped reservations.

Connecticut

Governor Daniel Malloy has declared a state of emergency as well. Today he closed the state's parks and campgrounds.

“Hurricane Irene is forecast to hit Connecticut on Sunday afternoon and will be a powerful, dangerous storm,” Governor Malloy said in a statement. “Although I recognize the inconvenience of having to pack up and leave earlier than planned or having to cancel a day at the parks with family, it is imperative that all of our state residents and visitors be in a secure, safe location until this storm passes. I urge everyone to monitor weather conditions and be prepared for all contingencies.”

Malloy will be updating the media at 6 PM tonight on the state's emergency plans.

From the AP

• Forecasters predict Irene to make landfall on Sunday somewhere between New Jersey and Cape Cod.
• Hurricane warnings have not been issued.
• Mandatory evacuations have not been ordered.
• Last hurricane to hit was Bob in 1991.

The Gonzalez campaign announced the endorsement of SEIU Local 1199 earlier today.

“Jesus Gonzalez is the best candidate for Brooklyn's working families. He is a strong community organizer with a proven record of fighting for workers' rights,” Kevin Finnegan, Political Director of 1199 SEIU, said in a statement. "He is a leader with the vision and passion to bring good jobs, affordable housing and responsible development to the residents of this struggling community."

The good folks over at the Brian Lehrer Show were kind enough to have me on to discuss the debate on Monday between Republican Bob Turner and Democrat David Weprin in Queens which I wrote about here. At the top, Brian makes a comment about the possibility of Turner winning, and we discuss it a bit at the end. What should be noted, however, is that there's been reports that internal Republican polling suggest the race is closer than Siena projected earlier this month.

I've also been told that, nationally, Republicans see only a narrow path of victory. But, like I mention in the segment, the big unknown at this point is how motivated Democratic voters are to come out on September 13 for Weprin.

In keeping with their central campaign theme, Republican Bob Turner has sent out a mailer targeting President Obama's policies, and claiming his Democratic opponent is a carbon copy of the president.

Courtesy of the Turner campaign

The Democrat's national congressional committee is hitting Republican Bob Turner on his comments to the the New York Post editorial board today. As we reported earlier this week, Turner's position on Federal spending and entitlement programs were at odds with one another. But, according to the Post, Turner is indicating cutting a third of the Federal budget could include future changes to Social Security and Medicare:

Turner pledged to push the federal government to rein in the deficit even if that means touching the “third rail” of politics -- cutting spending on entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security that have strong and active political constituencies.

Turner said he would protect people 55 and older by exempting them from an overhaul of the two federal entitlement programs.

Asked if the eligibility age should be raised for people under 55, Turner said, “That’s one of the easy ones.”

He said an increase in Medicare co-payments also has to be considered.

DCCC is claiming this shows Turner is flip-flopping on this issue.

“Bob Turner is just admitting what we already knew – his plan is to cut Medicare and Social Security, forcing seniors to pay more for their health care while protecting tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires,” said Josh Schwerin, a DCCC spokesperson said in a statement. “Earlier this week, Bob Turner left Ground Zero volunteers out in the cold, and now he wants to do the same to seniors. New Yorkers simply can’t afford Bob Turner’s extremist Tea Party policies.”

Empire blogger for WNYC Colby Hamilton discusses this week's debate between candidates David Weprin and Bob Turner in the race for Anthony Weiner's old seat in New York's Ninth Congressional District.

Getty

From By Karen DeWitt, WXXI Capitol Bureau Chief

Governor Cuomo says he’s declared a state of emergency in the face of potential impact from Irene, and has ordered all state agencies to be prepared for any situation. He says  the state’s emergency management center outside Albany will be operating 24 hours a day.

The governor is urging New Yorkers to stock up on emergency supplies including water, non perishable food, batteries, and battery operated radios, pet food and first aid kits.  And he says people should check in with elderly or disabled neighbors to make sure they are all right, if the storm, as predicted turns out to be severe.

Cuomo canceled a fundraiser scheduled for Thursday night and  a planned vacation in the Adirondacks to return to the Capitol to prepare for the storm.

The governor's release is after the jump.

Steve Kornacki over at Salon.com has one of the best political reporting minds out there. Today he's added his two cents to the pile of pennies pinning the nascent Pataki for President campaign to the concrete. As we reported earlier this week, there's very little enthusiasm for a Pataki campaign out there. That is, unless your name is George Pataki. From Kornacki's piece:

There's a reason why George Pataki seems to be moving toward a presidential campaign, but "because Republicans want him to" is not it.

The word this week is that the former New York governor's entry into the GOP race is imminent, and that he may use an event in Iowa this weekend to announce his plans. An official campaign website even went live for a brief period on Wednesday before being taken down. Not that we should be too surprised by all of this: Pataki has been trying hard for two years now to force his name into the 2012 mix.

And that's the problem: Republican leaders and activists have been hungry for new '12 options for a long time, but never once have they looked at Pataki and said, "Now there's our answer!"

That doesn't appear to be stopping the former governor. Not one bit.

The mayor delivered the following remarks in Queens this morning on the city's preparation for Hurricane Irene this weekend:

“We’re joined by too many people to introduce, but this is the community’s representatives, clergy, and laymen and laywomen who live in this wonderful community, and like all of us are worried about Irene. I met with some of the community leaders this morning for breakfast, and we discussed how to prepare ourselves for the coming storm and the flooding that could result from it.

“The good news is that our Department of Environmental Protection – and crews like the ones you saw working here on the street – are working hard to clean out catch basins, which will help mitigate flooding from the weather that’s heading our way. You should know we have 143,000 catch basins in this city. We can’t check them all every day. As a matter of fact, the schedule is once every three years, but we do inspect certain ones much more frequently because they have a much greater impact on the system. And so we think we’re a little bit ahead of where we want to be, at least we hope we are. But we’re doing everything we can.