Colby Hamilton

See, making a political statement can be fun(ny) sometimes. Public advocate Bill de Blasio this morning sent out a release promoting the "corporations are people" hashtage in response to a Mitt Romney campaign gaffe (or tremendously revealing acknowledgment). From the release:

While Mitt Romney may believe corporations are people, for most working Americans, ExxonMobil is not a friend, Wal-Mart is not a cousin and Google is only metaphorically their big brother... Instead of defending corporations that are secretly pouring millions into our elections, candidates and elected officials should be fighting to represent the real people in our country.

From that came the hashtag, and there have been some pretty good posts from the thread:

Espinal speaking with a potential voter. (Colby Hamilton/WNYC)

The Espinal for Assembly campaign office is tucked in the wedge of Bushwick between the J/M/Z and L trains, its windows covered in campaign fliers, on a block with a mix of three family homes and newer buildings giving off a condo vibe. It's 5:30 in the afternoon. A gaggle of just under a dozen volunteers are picking up clipboards and literature, a swatch of ethnicity that matches the evolving demographics of the district: mostly Latino, but a number of African-Americans and a few whites; all young.

They head out to make contact with potential voters ahead of the special election scheduled for September 13. Across the street Rafael Espinal can be seen, carrying black plastic bodega bags. The former aide to City Councilman Erik Martin Dilan and pick of Democratic Party boss Vito Lopez for the open seat in Northeast Brooklyn's 54th Assembly District, Espinal went out to get ice and water for office workers and volunteers.

"He's always working," notes Michael Olmeda, his campaign manager. After Espinal drops off the water, everyone gets into separate cars and head out to go door-to-door fliering in near-by public houses. The voters in these houses have traditionally been supporters of the former assemblyman, Darryl Towns. Towns's sister Deidra is one of two other candidates Espinal faces in the fight to be the first new representative from the district in 18 years.

"We're talking about dealing with three separate factions who think they have a mastery of the district," Olmeda says as he takes a right on Bushwick Avenue. Olmeda should know: He worked with Darryl Towns for 15 years before splitting with the family over the unwillingness of Congressman, and dad to Darryl, Ed Towns to step aside so his son could get a shot at his seat.

The Weprin campaign's response to the ad put out earlier today by Bob Turner:

As we approach the tenth anniversary of 9/11, it's shameful that Bob Turner is trying to use the tragedy for his own political gain. I knew people who lost their lives that day and Bob Turner dishonors their memory by politicizing the attacks on New York.

The Turner campaign just came out with this hard-hitting ad. Just think 9-11/Obama/Weprin:

Governor Hugh Carey's casket arriving at St. Patrick's Cathedral (Colby Hamilton/WNYC)

At a solemn but celebratory ceremony held at St. Patrick's Cathedral this morning, friends, family and former political colleagues of Hugh Carey--the man credited with saving New York City and State from financial doom in the 1970s--honored the former congressman and governor for his dedication to family and life-long service to his city, state and country.

"He saved New York City and State, and protected the honor of the whole country," former governor Mario Cuomo said shortly before the service. "He was the most effective governor in modern history."

Congressman Charles Rangel of Manhattan remembered his predecessor on the powerful Ways and Means Committee as a proud Brooklynite and American who guided Rangel during his early years in congress. "He and Tip O'Neal--anything good that I am today is because of both of them," Rangel said. "Everyone is going in and smiling. They say something like, this is a sad day and then immediately after that they say, he sure got a good run. And he did--he loved every day of life."

On the steps of the Catholic cathedral, Ed Cox, the head of the Republican Party in New York, called him a "great talent" who "just wanted to serve the state." Former mayor Ed Koch described Carey as a "an extraordinary man" and joined the chorus of admirers who lauded Carey for his singing. "He had a terrific sense of humor and was a marvelous Irish tenor," Koch said, who went on to praise Carey's ability to get political adversaries to sit together at the negotiating table.

During the service itself, clergymen and Carey's family illuminated both the personal and political--as well as the spiritual--aspects of the former governor. Edward Egan, the former Archbishop of New York, gave the homily, calling Carey a "great New Yorker and a truly great man." Carey was remembered as a deeply caring and loving husband and father to his 14 children, as well as a decorated veteran of World War II, whose work on behalf of the developmentally disabled has been overshadowed by his work saving the state.

"He was a prophet for our times, who spoke and lived the truth with wisdom and strength," Egan said.

Both Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg were on hand, as were many of Carey's children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He passed away this past Sunday at the age of 92.

A poll released this morning by Quinnipiac University showed a plurality of those polled support hydrofracking as an economic boon, not seeing it as an ecological peril, by a 47–42 percent margin. Support, however, is largely divided by familiar geographic lines, as 51 percent of upstate and 52 percent of suburban voters support drilling, compared to only 38 percent in New York City.

While New Yorkers support the economic benefits, the majority of those polled--52 percent--believed hydrofracking in the Marcellus Shale will cause environmental damage.

"Drill for the jobs, New Yorkers say, even though they’re worried about the environmental effects of hydro-fracking," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in a statement. "And while we’re drilling for natural gas, let’s tax those drilling companies, voters say 59–29 percent. Even Republicans support this tax."

The poll was conducted August 3 – 8. 1,640 registered voters were surveyed. Poll results had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.

Lt. Gov. Duffy, center, with co-chair Goldstein, left, and ESDC head Kenneth Adams after the meeting. (Colby Hamilton/WNYC)

Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy joined the local co-chair of the New York City regional economic council, CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, after the groups first meeting today on the Baruch College campus.

"It is inspirational to see the caliber of people in that room, how hard they worked, how passionate they are about growing jobs and really changing the economic landscape," Duffy said about the council. The meeting was held behind closed doors and was described as "largely organizational" by Goldstein.

"We put together a list of opportunities for NYC, challenges that the biz community faces in NYC, and our very strong assets that we can capitalize on," the chancellor said. The plan, he said, was to put together working groups among the council members, which will incorporate additional community members from across the city, to create a list of economic "agenda items" to present to the governor in November.

"We have a lot to do in a short period of time but I'm very emboldened by what happened in the last couple hours and we look forward to the following meetings," Goldstein said.

Asked what the major points of concern being voiced in the meetings he's attended, Duffy said taxes and over-regulation were the primary concerns he had heard. The lieutenant governor made it clear, though, that all direction on what was wrong and how to fix it would come from the council's themselves.

"What the state is not doing is leading this," he said, going on to say the goal was to get away from the upstate/downstate divide in favor of a "synergistic relationship" among the regional interests represented on the councils.

The ten regional councils are competing for $1 billion in financial grants and other agency-based incentives to help create job opportunities throughout the state. The governor's office anticipates awarding the funds by the end of the year.

The next New York City council meeting will be held on August 23rd. The location has yet to be determined.

Alec Hamilton/WNYC

 

"It's A Free Country" reporter Alec Hamilton sat down with Congressman Charles Rangel ahead of his big birthday fundraising bash tonight. From WNYC:

Congressman Charlie Rangel, the third-longest currently serving Representative in the House who will celebrate his 81st birthday with a lavish fundraising gala Wednesday night, said President Barack Obama was a big influence in his decision to stay in the game: "Obama has a lot to do with the decision that I made," he said.

Click here to read the story.

  (Courtesy of the mayors office)

The mayor's office has submitted a formal challenge to the US Census Bureau over the 2010 count, the mayor's office said in a release. The mayor cited "the large number of housing units mistakenly classified as vacant by the Census Bureau in Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst neighborhoods and Queens’ Astoria and Jackson Heights neighborhoods" as reasons for the challenge.

While a recalculation wouldn't affect redistricting or congressional apportionment, the mayor's office said, the hope is to up the baseline figures the federal government uses in calculating aid to the city.

In a district that's enrolled more than three-to-one Democrat, Assemblyman David Weprin is leading his Republican opponent Bob Turner by six points, according to Siena Research Institute poll today, with neither candidate being favored by a clear majority.

“While Weprin holds a two-to-one advantage over Turner with Democrats, Turner has a nearly six-to-one lead among Republicans and a slim four-point lead with independent voters," Siena College pollste rSteven Greenberg said in a statement. "Queens voters favor Weprin by 10 points, while Brooklyn voters, who account for about one-third of the district, support Turner by a six-point margin.”

Turner's attempt to sway Jewish voters on the issue of Israel hasn't proven to be significantly effective, as Weprin has retained the support of 56 percent of the voters identifying themselves as Jewish. What Turner does have over Weprin is loyalty: 60 percent of voters said they were absolutely certain the would cast their vote for the Republican, with only 47 percent saying the same for the Democrat Weprin.

“Five weeks until Election Day, and this special election is a wide open race with both candidates trying to become more known to the voters of the district and earn their support,” Greenberg was quoted saying.  “With a low turnout expected and limited media exposure in the nation’s most expensive media market, the test of both campaigns will be to mount strong voter identification efforts and effective get-out-the vote operations.  The campaign that does a better job on those crucial campaign tasks will likely produce a victory for their candidate."

The poll consisted of 501 likely voters and had a 4.4 percent, plus or minus, margin of error. Siena said it intends to poll the district again prior to Election Day.

(Courtsey of the Governor's office)

“Good.”

“Competent.”

“Trying.”

“Honest.”

“OK”

Those are the top choices for words that described Governor Andrew Cuomo, according to a Quinnipiac poll released this morning. The poll surveyed 1,640 New Yorkers and found almost all of the top 30 descriptors to be positive; "arrogant," "liberal" and "dissapointed" were the possible negatives pollsters identified. Astonishingly there was only one genuine crusty soul out of the whole lot who chose to sum up the governor using vulgarity.

Voters continue to give the governor high job approval marks--62 percent, down a bit from last month's 64 percent.

Likewise, the Empire State thinks the governor is a better leader than both New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, 51–35 percent, and President Barack Obama--46–38 percent.

By Karen DeWitt, WXXI Capitol Bureau Chief Governor

  (Courtesy of the Comptroller's office)

As New York state prepares to permit hydrofracking on some private lands, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli says he’s attempting to address a missing element so far in the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s plans.

Under the current rules, if a homeowner’s drinking water were to be contaminated by hydrofracking accidents, their only choice is to hire a lawyer and try to sue the gas company for damages.

“That could be costly and time consuming,” said DiNapoli. “Because it is a private right of action, we don’t really know how many accidents or incidents are happening right now with natural gas drilling.”

The comptroller proposes setting up a fund, financed by fees on drilling companies, that could be used to pay for remediation should there be an accident at one of the fracking sites, or if chemicals leak to drinking wells and water is contaminated. The Comptroller says his office already administers an oil spill fund, the hydrofracking fund would operate under the same structure.

“It would make sense to have a safety net in place ,” said DiNapoli.

(Courtsey of the Governor's office)

Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill earlier today that will allow SUNY and CUNY schools to increase tuition $300 a year over the next five years--and more for certain campuses--as well as providing $140 million in capital funds for campus construction projects

""New York State's universities are the jewel of our state's educational system, and with this bill the SUNY system will now be perfectly positioned to become the engine of economic growth across the state," Cuomo said in a statement.

The governor's office noted that, over the past two decades, the average annual SUNY tuition increase has been 6.7 percent, which, according to the statement, was well above the five-year, $300 increases included in this legislation.

"Today, in signing the NYSUNY 2020 bill, Governor Cuomo has instituted fair, rational, and predictable tuition reform in New York State, providing peace of mind for SUNY students and their families," SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher was quoted as saying in the release.

(Colby Hamilton/WNYC)

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio joined striking members of Communication Workers of America earlier this afternoon, where voiced his support for the union in their battle with Verizon over contract terms.

"Brothers and sisters, you are fighting for the middle class and working class people in America," de Blasio told the cheering crowd. "Because what has happened in recent years is a lot of people have gotten wealthier and a lot of people--the vast majority--have gotten poorer. This is not the America we've dreamed of."

CWA has been on strike since Monday after the union contraction negotiations stalled. The union has said Verizon is demanding too much in benefit cuts.

"This is a significant moment in our city’s history to have a company this big and this important try to across the board try and roll back job security, benefits—all the fundamentals, all at once—and to me it’s a moment to say this will take us in the wrong direction," de Blasio told reporters. The public advocate went on to say that, should the union and Verizon fail to come to an agreement, he believed Verizon's business with the city should be reconsidered.

"Even a company as big as Verizon fundamentally depends on public contracts and tax breaks from all levels of government," he said. "I don’t think its fair to reward them if this is what they’re doing."

According to a CWA spokesperson on the picket line, Verizon and CWA have begun low-level talks to reopen negotiations and possibly have workers return to work while a contract was still be hammered out.

Quinnipiac Polling is set to release a poll tomorrow that shows the one word people use to describe Governor Andrew Cuomo but we thought we'd conduct our own, unofficial poll. What's the one word you would use to describe the governor?

Post your word in the comment section or Tweet at us @TheEmpireBlog with the hashtag #cuomoinaword.

(Courtsey of the Governor's office)

Earlier today Governor Cuomo announced the formation of an advisory committee to help find a replacement for Jay Walder, who will leave as head of the MTA in October.

"This committee will help conduct a national and international search to find and recommend the most talented candidates for the next chairman of the MTA," Governor Cuomo said in a statement. "I am committed to appointing a new chairman who will put straphangers first and who will continue to reform the MTA by reducing costs and waste, while improving efficiency and service."

The full list of appointees are below. The Regional Plan Association's Robert Yaro, who made the list, praised the governor for assembling the committee. "Governor Cuomo has charged this committee with assisting in the selection of a new chairman for the MTA and over the next months we will help evaluate and review top public transportation professionals from across the nation," he said in a statement.

William Henderson, executive director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, said the advisory committee should seek another CEO-like figure to head the sprawling bureaucratic agency.

"Sometimes it's more than what other folks face when they're answering to a board and running a a system that's a relatively straight forward system," Henderson said. "Its' not so much an operating job as being the CEO of a large, $12 billion operation."

Intimate knowledge of the city's subway system was at the top of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign's spokesperson Veronica Vanterpool's list of requirements for the job. "We need someone who has a strong know of New York City transportation issues in particular," she noted, going on to say the next head of the MTA needed to improve the agency's "credibility with the public."

"It's been a historical perception; it's not just due to one person," she said.

Rivera announcing the report in Westchester (Courtesty of the Assemblyman's office)

A lot of attention has been paid to the roll other minority groups play in the state's decennial redistricting process, most notably where predominantly African American prisoners--incarcerated in upstate prisons--will be counted as part of the population.

Today Assemblyman Peter Rivera held a press conference to announce a study he's adding to the mix of considerations: how to increase Hispanic elected representation in the upcoming redistricting process.

“The time for our communities to be represented on all levels of government has come," Assemblyman Rivera said in a statement. "Now we have to remove the last systematic barriers that exist that prevent proper representation of minorities in government.”

According to the study, New York’s Hispanic community has grown over the past decade by 600,000 to 3.4 million people who now make up nearly 18 percent of the state's total population. In Westchester--the focus of Rivera's report--they make up nearly 22 percent of the population.

The growth of the Hispanic population outside of major urban areas pointed to a need for reform, the reported said, taking Westchester County as an example.

"Westchester is now 21.81 percent Hispanic," it noted. "Yet the growth in population has not corresponded with a growth of political power. Westchester only has one Hispanic County Legislator."

The report recommended that local municipalities should draw district lines around communities where there is a higher population of Hispanics. The report comes two days before the state's redistricting panel is set to hold a hearing in Westchester.

By Karen DeWitt, WXXI Capitol Bureau Chief

Governor Cuomo, a Democrat, has lately been lavishing praise on Senate Republicans. Here he is in Rochester singling out GOP Senator Jim Alesi for recognition at an economic development announcement. Senator Alesi was one of four key GOP Senators who changed their mind on the issue of gay marriage, and provided enough votes for the bill to pass in the Senate.

“In politics you can agree, you can disagree,” said Cuomo. “But a person who’s about conviction and a person who’s about principle, that’s more important than anything else.”

Cuomo, traveling around the state to announce the formation of regional economic development councils, did not reserve his kind words just for Senators who helped put the same sex marriage bill over the top. The Governor, in Schenectady, also heaped praise on GOP Senator Hugh Farley, who did not vote for the measure.

“He is unparalleled in his statesmanship, his quality of public service,” said Cuomo. “It’s an honor to work with him.”

Former New York Governor Hugh Carey (D-NY) attends the Inner Circle Awards March 3, 2001 at the New York Hilton and Towers Hotel in New York City. (George De Sota/Getty)

The New York State Department of Education just released the May 2011 test results for math and English and the results aren't great. The average English scores have dipped from last year while math remained about the same. Last year the state upped the proficiency requirements, making the tests more difficult.

"While the majority of students statewide met or exceeded the state’s proficiency standards in both math and ELA, overall performance remains low and the gaps in achievement persist," the department said in a released.

52.8 percent of grade 3-8 students across the state met or exceeded the English proficiency standard, down from 53.2 percent. last year. 63.3 percent met or exceeded the standard in math, up from 61 percent last year.

The mayor is scheduled to release the city's results later today, but there are clues in the statewide numbers that indicate less-than-stellar results, especially among non-white populations. Only 35 percent of black students across grades 3-8 met the English proficiency standard, compared to 64.2 percent for white students. That 30-point gap was also present in math, where only 44 percent met or exceeded the standard in math. The numbers weren't much better for Latino students--37.3 percent for English, 50.2 percent on math.

There was good news for New York City, which saw both math and English scores rise from last year: 43.9 percent for English--up 1.5 points--and 57.3 percent on math, an increase of 3.3 percent overall.