http://admin.politicker.com en http://www.politickerny.com/2246/upstate-big-winner-nys-development-shuffle It's been a almost a year now since a newly crowned Governor Paterson -- speaking to a handful of reporters tailing him after a Sunday speaking engagement -- casually mentioned that he would reorganize the state's main development agency, the Empire State Development Corporation, abolishing the controversial upstate-downstate split among its leaders. Now, half a year after new CEO Marisa Lago was installed, she is announcing a reorganization, and a brief look at the memo and organizational chart that went out suggests power is shifting upstate. The upstate president, Dennis Mullen, will take over management of key programs and initiatives that dole out millions in incentives: Tourism and the I Love New York campaign, the Empire Zones program that aims to give businesses money in exchange for job creation, and the Governors Office of Motion Picture & Television. Governor Local Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:16:00 +0000 Eliot Brown 45585 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickerny.com/2239/bloomberg-ad-slogan-sounds-familiar This might just be a coincidence, but today’s Google ad from Michael Bloomberg seeks campaign volunteers under the headline "Stronger Together." If you Google that phrase, the first link that pops up is for the Service Employees International Union, which also uses it as a slogan. SEIU gave a huge boost to Barack Obama when they endorsed him during the Democratic presidential primary.   Local Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:00:00 +0000 Azi Paybarah 45584 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickernj.com/max/27783/times-make-fundraising-difficult-25th-district-gop-candidates-find-ways-make-it-work MOUNTAIN LAKES – They’ve seen other candidates in neighboring districts arrive at the brink of running and then back down with the awful idea of a bad economy turning even worse. For if there’s nobility in serving the public, there is also the catastrophic fear of accepting that service to the detriment of the more foundational forces of job and family. What’s the good of circulating a glossy mailer advertising first-rate business credentials and a great looking family, when in fact the family sits at home with no food on the table because dad is out pouring the contents of their nest egg into his campaign, and a once thriving but now unmanned business simultaneously goes belly up? Yet as hard as it is to run, to pick up the phone and beg for money in a flat-lined economy, the four 25th District Republican primary candidates in pursuit of two seats – all attorneys who fulfill at least some government contract work, some more than others - are going anyway, lousy economy be damned. “We’re in the early stages of this campaign, and I’m in whether I raise $10 or $100,000,” said Randolph Councilman Gary Algeier, who intends to rely on writing columns and door-to-door campaigning probably more than fundraising. http://www.politickernj.com/max/27783/times-make-fundraising-difficult-25th-district-gop-candidates-find-ways-make-it-work#comments Local Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:57:00 +0000 Max Pizarro 45583 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickerny.com/2242/schneidermans-tax-higher-income-earners-gains-support-senate ALBANY—As of today, 22 state senators have signed on to a bill that would enact a tax on New Yorkers earning over $250,000. State Senators Pedro Espada Jr. and Diane Savino signed onto the bill after a long conference meeting Wednesday night. It measure was first introduced last week by State Senator Eric Schneiderman, but has not yet been endorsed by Majority Leader Malcolm Smith. "There's a strong sentiment that we go on the principles of shared sacrifice," Schneiderman told me yesterday outside the Senate chamber. I asked him about a similar bill from State Senator Jeff Klein that also includes tax rebates for those earning less than $250,000. Local Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:43:00 +0000 Jimmy Vielkind 45582 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickerny.com/2223/de-blasio-wants-track-stimulus-funds-line City Councilman Bill de Blasio wants to create a web site to track how New York City will spend the billions of dollars in stimulus funding coming here from Washington. "The future of our city depends on making sure this federal aid is spent wisely and fairly. SunlightNYC will allow the public to see exactly how their money is being used, providing much needed accountability and transparency to the process," de Blasio said in a public statement. De Blasio's site is intended to account for how each federal dollar is spent locally--sort of an other-end version of the White House site, Recovery.gov, according a de Blasio aide. President Local Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:30:00 +0000 Azi Paybarah 45581 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickerny.com/2241/budget-savings-idea-cut-stupid-waste ALBANY—It's been a few weeks since Senate Democrats launched this site (and allowed them people to text message ideas to 41411) for New Yorkers to share ideas to balance the state budget. Austin Shafran, a spokesman for Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, said the staff has received over 2,000 ideas from 1,500 different individuals. Here are some of the highlights : "Cut stupid waste." "Separate NYC from the rest of the state." "Hire a welfare mother to go over the budget with you. Seriously. I used to be one myself before I was able to get an education and job skills so I could get a job. Local Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:27:00 +0000 Jimmy Vielkind 45580 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickerny.com/2240/schumer-praises-morgy Chuck Schumer just sent out a statement confirming that District Attorney Robert Morgenthau will not seek reelection. "Every so often a giant in their field comes along and in the world of criminal justice," says Schumer. "Robert Morgenthau was just that man. "As both a federal prosecutor and district attorney, his integrity and excellence is shown not just in his longevity and dedication, but in the results he delivered generations of New Yorkers. From safer streets to more efficient and fairly applied justice in the most complicated city in the world, to a cadre of acolytes who will carry on his work, Bob Morgenthau is pure class. Local Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:29:00 +0000 Jason Horowitz 45578 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickerny.com/2237/katz-gets-two-more-unions City comptroller candidate and Councilwoman Melinda Katz was endorsed by two more unions at a breakfast (not a fund-raiser!) she hosted for organized labor yesterday morning. Dennis Quirk of the Court Officers union and Ernest Logan of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators both announced their endorsement of Katz at the event, according to Katz’s campaign. Katz made an early play for union support, which could prove pivotal in a race that's competitive, but may not get as much attention as the mayor’s race, or the more crowded public advocate’s race. Also running are City Council members David Yassky and David Weprin. Local Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:31:00 +0000 Azi Paybarah 45577 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickerny.com/2236/who-wants-be-next-morgenthau Now that reports are out saying 89-year-old Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau won’t seek re-election this year, there's a vacancy in one of the most coveted offices in New York. Already running for the seat is Morgenthau’s 2005 challenger, Leslie Crocker Snyder, who said in 2005 that Morgenthau had been in office for too long. Also running will be Cyrus Vance, an attorney who has put together a campaign and said he’d only run if Morgenthau didn’t. Among the people working with Snyder is pollster Doug Schoen and consultant Michael Tobman. She’s also announced a slew of endorsements from unions representing the law enforcement community. http://www.politickerny.com/2236/who-wants-be-next-morgenthau#comments Local Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:31:00 +0000 Azi Paybarah 45576 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickerny.com/2234/bloomberg-hosting-state-senate ALBANY—Here's an inviation that went out to state senators for a reception tonight in their honor at Gracie mansion. It's the latest in Michael Bloomberg's effort to improve relations with Democrats in the chamber since they took the majority. Bloomberg donated and stumped for Republicans during the elections last fall. As a commenter reminds us, the mayor does this every year. http://www.politickerny.com/2234/bloomberg-hosting-state-senate#comments Local Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:09:00 +0000 Jimmy Vielkind 45573 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickerny.com/2233/morganthau-wont-run-more-rights-tribes Robert Morganthau is not running for re-election. [NYP] With the support of John McCain, Barack Obama announced that most troops will leave Iraq by August 2010. [NYT] This is exactly how Michael Steele's hip-hop R.N.C. was bound to go terribly wrong. [PW] The state extended greater rights to Indian tribes over issues affecting the environment. [TU] Clive Crook hopes that the budget is liberal enough for you. [CC] The government now owns more than a third of Citigroup. [DN] Local Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:00:00 +0000 Katharine Jose 45574 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickerny.com/2235/israeli-hillary-report-prompts-dovish-applause-hawkish-denial Is Hillary Clinton's much-anticipated modulation on Israel finally getting under way? It depends on who’s doing the telling. As Clinton is set to make her first official visit to the Middle East as secretary of state, she has reportedly expressed her frustration with Israel for restricting the delivery of aid to Palestinians. Under the headline "Clinton Warns Israel Over Delays in Gaza Aid," Ha'aretz reported that senior American officials told Israeli counterparts that "Israel is not making enough effort to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. According to the article, sources at the Israeli defense establishment confirmed that the United States is increasingly pressuring Israel to open more crossings for humanitarian aid into Gaza. http://www.politickerny.com/2235/israeli-hillary-report-prompts-dovish-applause-hawkish-denial#comments Local Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:42:00 +0000 Jason Horowitz 45575 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickernj.com/max/27773/murray-still-hasnt-decided-gubernatorial-plans MOUNTAIN LAKES – He appeared at Tony Bucco, Jr.’s pasta dinner at the Zeris Inn last night, and was the first to RSVP Doug Cabana’s campaign, saying he planned to attend the candidate’s Friday night fish fry next week, but Morris County Freeholder Jim Murray hasn’t decided whether he intends to run for governor. “I’m still mulling it over,” he told PolitickerNJ. “We need to shake things up in Trenton.” Murray’s out-of-nowhere 2007 dethroning of Freeholder John Inglesino shot the low-key retired municipal engineer into county campaign folklore.  But to date he remains an organization outsider and his public soul-searching now over whether he will force a long-shot clash with former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie in the Republican primary for governor circulates among Morris County party members as a going topic of bewilderment. http://www.politickernj.com/max/27773/murray-still-hasnt-decided-gubernatorial-plans#comments Governor Local Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:38:00 +0000 Max Pizarro 45572 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickerny.com/2232/three-bloombergers-see-bloomberg-100-black-men-dinner Last night, Michael Bloomberg spoke at a dinner in Manhattan hosted by the group 100 Black Men, Inc. He got a good reception, joked about being bit by a groundhog on Staten Island, and avoided making any news. While he did that, I got the chance to chat with three attendees working to keep him in office. On the left is Basil Smikle, a campaign consultant who was hired away from Anthony Weiner. In the middle is Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott, who earlier told me he went to Francis Lewis High School, located around the corner from the first newspaper where I started. (He has't told me what year he graduated) And on the right is Larry Scott Blackmon, a Democratic operative from Harlem that worked for the administration but has left to go work on the campaign. Local Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:25:00 +0000 Azi Paybarah 45571 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickernj.com/max/27769/lg-short-list-palmer-steps-role-federal-stimulus-proponent-and-watchdog TRENTON – There was Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on a television set and Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer listening with deepening skepticism. Palmer, a short-list candidate for lieutenant governor, thought Jindal’s Tuesday night GOP bite-back at President Barack Obama’s federal stimulus speech was especially poor.  “I think he’s being panned a lot,” Palmer said of the Republican governor who in his remarks likened an aid package to federal bureaucrats haplessly attempting to micromanage Hurricane Katrina relief, and who would refuse a profusion of new federal funds to his state. “Bobby Jindal’s either hypocritical or he’s putting politics ahead of his responsibility as governor of Louisiana,” said Trenton’s mayor since 1990. “Louisiana especially should welcome aid, and it’s his job to make sure that money is used effectively. Look, we tried the governor’s approach and it’s not going anywhere.”  http://www.politickernj.com/max/27769/lg-short-list-palmer-steps-role-federal-stimulus-proponent-and-watchdog#comments President Governor Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:41:00 +0000 Max Pizarro 45570 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickerny.com/2230/morning-read-upstate-parsing-20th-poll-tonkos-newest-office Barack Obama's proposed budget could mean rehabilitating abandoned homes in Buffalo. A look at how western New York school districts used the stimulus to dodge the budget bullet. State Senator Betty little pushes for a school consolidation that is not very popular. Jim Tedisco leads his opponent Scott Murphy in a poll released yesterday. But one in five likely voters are still undecided, it found. A political observer said given Murphy's lower profile, that's a pretty close poll. Bob Conner wonders if Tedisco is being overconfident. New York's IDAs are borrowing more to make fewer jobs, a report finds. Local Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:30:00 +0000 Jimmy Vielkind 45569 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickerny.com/2231/mid-morning-praise-bloomberg-remembering-tatum Barack Obama wants to end the conflict in Iraq in 2010. The government increases its stake in Citigroup. Wilbert Tatum, a "voice of Harlem," is dead. More on Tatum here [subscription]. Newsday may charge people to visit its web site. Andrew Cuomo is probing the political ties of people who do work with the state pension fund. The federal stimulus bill is like “Christmas” for New York. “The Mayor's the mystery man who rides a black horse into town and cleans it up,” writes Susan Braudy on Huffington Post. “Michael Bloomberg has a rare trait for a politician. He is both rational and smart,” says blogger Ethan Schreiber. “It’s the craziest place in the world. Local Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:58:00 +0000 Azi Paybarah 45568 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickernj.com/max/27761/bcdo-gets-solidly-behind-corzines-reelection HACKENSACK – It was a day of promise nearly two years ago that turned dismal fast, and in retrospect could be read as just one more stage in the unraveling of a party machine, whose new-look leader is now attempting to reverse months of bad news.  On Thursday night, the Bergen County Democratic Organization (BCDO) overwhelmingly endorsed Jon Corzine for another term as governor, thereby kicking into motion the organization’s own official low-drama contribution to Corzine’s inaugural reelection effort.  The governor appeared at the party's convention, and spoke in gratitude. Bergen's unified front comes 23 months after Corzine attempted to make whole an organization at the brink of what was then yet another battle between state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) and BCDO Chairman Joseph Ferriero.    On April 12, 2007, the governor arrived at BCDO headquarters, and like a benevolent chief summoned to witness the repairing of two nations, sat between Weinberg and Ferriero as the Bergen boss swore the war was over and promised not to run his ally, Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes, against the independent senator. http://www.politickernj.com/max/27761/bcdo-gets-solidly-behind-corzines-reelection#comments Governor Fri, 27 Feb 2009 06:03:00 +0000 Max Pizarro 45566 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickernj.com/max/27758/cresitello-kicks-reelection-campaign MORRISTOWN - Running on a platform of continuing Morristown's forward progress, Mayor Donald Cresitello announced his reelection bid here tonight at the downtown Hyatt Hotel in front of a crowd of about 100 supporters.  “I make things happen,” said the 63-year old Cresitello, who’s had a career in public life spanning 37 years, and who plans to make experience the issue as he attempts to stare down Democratic Party Primary challenger Tim Dougherty, a 50-year old zoning board chairman and former councilman.  Known less for scripted sound-bites than for a style that both delights quote hounds and gives his detractors ample room to try to brand him as a Town Hall Napoleon, Cresitello jumped onto the podium with no notes in his hand as he launched into a candid speech, at once vigorous and confessional.  “It was a difficult decision for me to make,” the mayor said of his gutcheck moment to pursue a second straight term (he also served as mayor from 1977-1981). “I have said a number of times that I wouldn’t run again." Local Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:48:00 +0000 Max Pizarro 45564 at http://politicker.com http://www.politickernj.com/editor/27752/ex-passaic-councilman-convicted-federal-charges A jury took about four hours today to convict former Passaic City Councilman Jonathan Soto on all 23 counts of federal bribery, extortion and drug possession charges.  He faces up to 30 years in prison. The 33-year-old Soto, who still serves as the Passaic Republican Municipal Chairman, was convicted of accepting $44,500 in bribes for him and two other city officials who have already pleaded guilty, former Mayor Sammy Rivera and former Councilman Marcellus Jackson. "Like so many others we've encountered in this investigation, Soto leveraged his position as an elected official and sold his office for cash," said Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph Marra, Jr. "We are gratified that the jury recognized this and convicted Soto on all counts." http://www.politickernj.com/editor/27752/ex-passaic-councilman-convicted-federal-charges#comments Local Thu, 26 Feb 2009 23:32:00 +0000 editor 45563 at http://politicker.com