Today is Day 45 for Gov. Kathy Hochul, and that means the end of evaluation purgatory for the Andrew Cuomo legacy officials she inherited in August.
Transitions are rough, but this one even more so because Cuomo’s resignation was accompanied by reports that top staff both replicated and enabled his behavior. Hochul had promised that in 45 days she would have made the decisions necessary to root out any individuals that would hinder her goals moving forward — which include commanding a transparent and nontoxic administration.
Yesterday, at a New York City event she indicated she’s met her deadline. “I think you’ll find they’re pretty much gone,” she said, of the officials she vowed to ax because they were mentioned in the attorney general’s report detailing accounts of sexual harassment by the former governor.
The peace-outs — voluntary or not — have already been happening on a rolling basis, notably with Health Commissioner Howard Zucker’s resignation last month and the swift announcement of his replacement, Mary Bassett. Among others, Department of Financial Services head Linda Lacewell, General Services chief RoAnn Destito and Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro have also announced departures.
While the sweep is supposed to be finalized today, the process is a continuing one. According to a statement from Hochul’s office, the folks who needed to leave are headed for the door, but some who are resigning from Cuomo-appointed board positions (the status of MTA board member Larry Schwartz, for example, is unclear) will stay on until the state Senate can confirm replacements.
Sure to spark some controversy for anyone looking for a completely clean house, is that others, who have “demonstrated a commitment to the governor’s agenda” will be staying for the time being, including Cuomo’s budget wizard Robert Mujica. Not for nothing, it probably *would* be a real headache to find replacements for Mujica on more than two dozen state boards on which he is a member.
IT’S THURSDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know … By email: [email protected] and [email protected], or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold
WHERE’S KATHY? In New York City signing bills to fight the opioid crisis and later holding a virtual news conference against gun violence with neighboring execs Phil Murphy, Tom Wolf and Ned Lamont. She’ll also speak at the Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development’s Community Development Conference.
WHERE’S BILL? Holding a media availability.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I understand that he has a lot of time on his hands. But I was hoping that time would be spent in introspection, frankly.” — Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to “Capital Tonight” on Cuomo’s recent emails
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“Less Than A Quarter Of NYC Public School Kids Have Opted In For COVID-19 Testing At School,” by Gothamist’s Sophia Chang: “Fewer than 200,000 unvaccinated students have consented to participate in the New York City public school system’s COVID-19 testing program, education officials revealed in a City Council hearing Wednesday. The 192,705 students in K-12th grades who have consented to be part of their schools’ weekly random testing this year are a fraction of the total eligible population. Epidemiologists say that a more accurate picture of COVID transmission is captured if all eligible students are tested. The school system has approximately 500,000 elementary-age students, all of whom would be unvaccinated since they’re under the age of 12, said Council Member Mark Treyger, chair of the Council’s education committee, during the hearing.”
— “Teachers union chief says NYC is ‘hiding’ student in-person attendance,” by New York Post’s Selim Algar: “The head of the city teachers’ union on Thursday said the Department of Education is ‘hiding’ the number of students showing up to school to avoid political embarrassment. Speaking at a City Council hearing, United Federation of Teachers president Michael Mulgrew asserted that the DOE has the numbers but won’t publicize them. ‘They have an attendance figure for every day,’ Mulgrew said, adding that as many as 180,000 city kids may not have set foot in a classroom this year. ‘They know how many kids didn’t show up … They are hiding this.’ Three weeks into the school year, the DOE has yet to release enrollment data or the number of absentee kids.”
“Want to Be a City Commissioner? It Helps to Be Friendly With the Mayor,” by The New York Times’ Dana Rubinstein: “Faced with half a dozen major vacancies during his eighth and final year in office, Mayor Bill de Blasio had what appeared to be a simple choice: promote an experienced hand from within, or persuade an outsider to sign on for what was likely to be a very temporary job. But in three of those instances, Mr. de Blasio chose a third option: He hired a loyalist.
“For parks commissioner, who oversees 14 percent of New York City’s landmass, the mayor last month chose Gabrielle Fialkoff, the finance chairwoman of his 2013 mayoral campaign and a former vice chairwoman of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance the City of New York, a city-run nonprofit. She appears to have spent the bulk of her career helping run a costume jewelry company founded by her parents. Henry Gutman, who spent his career as a high-profile intellectual property lawyer, was appointed in February to be the city’s transportation commissioner, putting him in control of a street network that, if assembled contiguously, would stretch to Iran.”
“City Council to Pass Bill Requiring ‘Citywide Climate Adaptation Plan,” by Gotham Gazette’s Samar Khurshid: “After Hurricane Ida once again exposed New York City’s vulnerability to major climate events, the New York City Council is set to pass, and Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to sign, a bill that will mandate the creation of a new ‘citywide climate adaptation plan.’ The Council will vote on Thursday to approve the legislation, Intro. 1620, which was first introduced in June 2019 by Brooklyn Council Member Justin Brannan, chair of the Committee on Resiliency and Waterfronts, and then Queens Council Member Costa Constantinides, who left office earlier this year.”
“She Fled Sri Lanka When She Was 4. Now She’s a City Leader,” by The New York Times’ Mythili Sampathkumar: “Eight years ago, Penny Abeywardena met with Mayor Bill de Blasio on the front porch of Gracie Mansion to discuss revamping the city’s Office of International Affairs, which, up to that point, she said, had been known for social events and managing parking tickets. Ms. Abeywardena, 43, who is Sri Lankan American and is the first woman of color and immigrant to serve as commissioner of international affairs, also set out to diversify her office and make it more accessible. To that end, she established the NYC Junior Ambassadors program, which introduces middle schoolers to the United Nations and encourages them to put their knowledge to use in their neighborhoods.”
“NY Senate majority leader compares Cuomo to Trump, says former governor would benefit from introspection,” by Spectrum’s Susan Arbetter: “The majority leader said she wasn’t clear on what the ‘danger’ was that Cuomo referred to in his letter to supporters. ‘I’m just feeling like the same kind of thing is being said by former President Trump about where we are,’ she explained. Far from agreeing with Cuomo, the majority leader said she believes the women who accused him of sexual misconduct. She also stated that New York state is in a good place right now after traveling a rough road, due primarily to his actions… As for new Gov. Kathy Hochul, the majority leader is not ready to endorse her for governor in 2022, but said she’s ‘doing what she has to do.’”
“NY nursing homes unable to get staff from state hotline following vax mandate,” by New York Post’s Bernadette Hogan: “Nursing homes desperately seeking relief from staffing shortages tied to New York’s new COVID-19 vaccine mandate are being told ‘we do not have any staff to offer you or any other nursing homes’ upon calling the hotline specifically set up to help plug vacancies, The Post has learned. ‘Despite what the media says, currently, we do not have any staff to offer you or any other nursing homes. I will log you in our system,’ a state Department of Health staffer manning the agency’s ‘Surge and Flex Operations Center’ hotline told one nursing home, when they asked about getting reinforcements on Oct. 4 — just one week after the mandate’s effective date.”
“State Sen. Luis Sepúlveda expected to chair a committee again,” by City & State’s Zach Williams: “State Sen. Luis Sepúlveda of the Bronx is on his way to becoming a Democratic legislator in good standing after prosecutors dropped domestic violence charges against him earlier this week. The three-term legislator was stripped of his committee memberships last January after being charged with choking his estranged wife, whose refusal to testify was a key reason why the prosecutors dropped the case, according to the Office of the Bronx District Attorney. He could now regain his chairmanship of the powerful state Senate Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction as soon as the new legislative session begins next January.”
“New York’s Excluded Workers Fund is Running Out of Cash,” New York Focus’s Sam Mellins: “In April of this year, New York created a first-in-the-nation ‘Excluded Workers Fund,’ allocating $2.1 billion to provide cash relief to New Yorkers, primarily undocumented immigrants, who were unable to access previous rounds of state and federal COVID-19 relief. Now, in the face of unexpected demand and a high approval rate, the funds are running out. More than 335,000 people have submitted applications for funds, and thousands more submit applications each day. But about $1.8 billion has already been disbursed or promised to the 116,000 applicants approved so far, leaving just $300 million for the rest. The Department of Labor warned on Monday that the fund could be closed to new applicants as soon as Wednesday.”
“Limo safety task force gets new life as Hochul names appointees,” by Times Union’s Brendan J. Lyons: “Gov. Kathy Hochul, citing Wednesday’s three-year anniversary of the Schoharie limousine crash that killed 20 people, announced she has appointed four members to a Stretch Limousine Passenger Safety Task Force that had never been fully set up. The appointments are set to revive a panel that failed to get on track after the legislation creating it was signed into law in February 2020 by former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo … The task force had been scheduled to submit a comprehensive report to the governor and Legislature by next month, but that timeline is no longer feasible.’”
#UpstateAmerica: The Times Union takes a look at Poughkeepsie’s Witchcraft District.
Congressional delegation presses de Blasio for more taxi relief, by POLITICO’s Erin Durkin: A dozen members of the New York congressional delegation are pushing Mayor Bill de Blasio to offer a more generous bailout to taxi drivers wracked with debt. Rep. Ritchie Torres — joined by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other lawmakers — sent de Blasio a letter on Wednesday urging the city to guarantee debt held by drivers who own medallions, some of whom have been pushed into bankruptcy and even killed themselves after the market tanked.
— A look at the five proposals appearing on the general election ballot in November.
— The raid on Sergeants Benevolent Association president Ed Mullins, who resigned as a result, came out of a joint investigation by the NYPD and the FBI.
— NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said he’s more worried about getting hit by e-bikes, scooters and the like than he is about cars.
— De Blasio said additional vaccine mandates are under consideration for city workers, including the NYPD, FDNY and Department of Correction.
— This past summer marked New York City’s deadliest for traffic fatalities since de Blasio took office.
— The driver who killed a 3-month-old baby at a Brooklyn intersection last month had completed a version of the city’s safe-driving course.
— A Health and Hospitals official was charged with stealing $64,000 from the public hospital system.
— “La Fiesta, Suffolk’s lone Spanish-language FM station, serves 300,000 LIers. It used its reach to get 1000s vaccinated.”
— An Elmira wedding photographer is suing over the state law that prohibits her from discriminating against same-sex weddings.
— Buffalo police officers are appearing in ads for Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.
— Coney Island’s Luna Park broke ground on an expansion previously delayed by the pandemic.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NYT’s Charlie Savage … CNN’s Elizabeth Hartfield and Laura Ly … GWU’s Sean Aday … Katrina vanden Heuvel … Alice Lloyd is 3-0 … Chris Krueger of Cowen
MEDIAWATCH — Matt Labash has started a twice-weekly Substack called “Slack Tide.” He is a former national correspondent at The Weekly Standard and author of “Fly Fishing with Darth Vader: and Other Adventures with Evangelical Wrestlers, Political Hitmen, and Jewish Cowboys.” His first post … Danielle Tcholakian has been named gender and politics columnist at Jezebel. …
… Daisy Melamed Sanders has started a temporary contract as a fashion editor at Hearst Magazines’s HearstMade, which makes sponsored editorial and branded content. Before becoming a freelance writer and editor, she worked for almost six years for Hearst Digital Media. … Morgan Rimmer has been promoted to be an associate producer at CNN. She most recently was a news associate at CNN.
MAKING MOVES — Caryn Trombino has been named as the chair of the Perkins Coie’s national white collar and investigations practice. … Julia van den Bergh has been promoted to be director of strategic initiatives at Brother’s Brother Foundation. She most recently was a strategy and market intelligence fellow for the foundation.
WHAT LOUISE LINTON IS UP TO — “Louise Linton, Pierson Fodé, William Baldwin to Star in Murder Mystery ‘Out of Hand,’” by The Wrap’s Brian Welk
“Brooklyn Armory Rec Center Deal Documents Debunk Claims on Affordable Memberships,” by The City’s Gabriel Sandoval: “City Hall’s agreement with the developers turning a Crown Heights armory into a recreation center always provided for just 250 low-cost memberships in an area with tens of thousands of low-income residents, documents obtained by THE CITY show. That implodes Brooklyn elected officials’ boast they secured discounts for half of members or more as part of a 2017 deal with developers to convert part of the old Bedford Union Armory into housing — a project long touted as a boon for area residents. It also counters local Councilmember Laurie Cumbo’s recent, sarcasm-laced statements to THE CITY, in which she deflected questions about promised community benefits she negotiated and declared: ‘There is no agreement. Nothing was ever written.’”
“Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chirlane McCray ‘sprucing up’ Park Slope home with big renovation,” by New York Post’s Carl Campanile and Nolan Hicks: “They’re back to keeping up with the Joneses. Mayor de Blasio and first lady Chirlane McCray — who must leave Gracie Mansion at year’s end and need a place to live — are doing massive renovations to their century-old, three-story Park Slope home. Temporary green construction fencing has been placed around the property with a large blue and white sign erected on it that says ‘Work in Progress: Commercial. Owner: Bill de Blasio & Chirlane McCray.’ There is also a sign noting there is 24-hour video surveillance.”
“Why These New Yorkers Stopped Paying Rent,” by The New York Times’ Mihir Zaveri: “It has been years since Patricia Edwards’s top floor apartment in Brooklyn has felt like an acceptable home. When it rains, water leaks into the kitchen and living room. It also pours through a crack in the bathroom ceiling so big that Ms. Edwards needs an umbrella just to use the toilet. Still, at around $1,100 a month, the rent-regulated one-bedroom unit in Crown Heights is relatively affordable in a rapidly gentrifying New York City neighborhood where the median asking rent is more than twice as high. For 20 years, Ms. Edwards, 63, said she had almost never missed a rent payment. But when the pandemic hit last year, leaving many of her neighbors struggling financially, Ms. Edwards, a retired bank employee, decided to do something she had never done: She refused to pay.”
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