City & State: 2016 State of the State Special Issue

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Jon Lentz Senior Editor

The start of a new year is a time to reflect, re-examine one’s goals and make a new start. That’s what’s happening in city and state politics – and that’s what’s happening at City & State.

This print edition marks the launch of New York Slant, a must-read commentary platform run by our Opinion Editor Nick Powell, with a roster of columnists and contributors weighing in on the top issues of 2016. Additionally, Slant is producing City & State’s brand-new podcast featuring interviews with experts and officials.

We are excited to offer our new City & State Insider package, including a revamped afternoon and weekend email, a first look at insights from Slant, and our now-weekly magazine delivered right to your door.

As elected officials roll out their priorities, we’re also looking ahead in this issue by highlighting the goals of every single state lawmaker this year. And in a look back on 2015, don’t miss Wayne Barrett’s penetrating look at retired Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, and his ties to former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

CONTENTS

14. 2016 PRIORITIES 8. SECRETS OF THE SILVER TRIAL Through a mystery power broker and the chief judge, the former speaker sought to continue his hegemony deep into another decade.

By Wayne Barrett

We asked every state lawmaker about their top priorities this year. A comprehensive compilation of coming attractions.

29. NEW YORK SLANT Center for an Urban Future’s Tom Hilliard and Christian González-Rivera offer economic policy proposals for 2016 … Bruce Gyory on Dean Skelos’ potential successors … Eddie Borges on what drives Cuomo and de Blasio … Nicole Gelinas says Cuomo dropped the ball on infrastructure … Michael Oliva on the 13th Congressional District race …

Cecilia Tkaczyk on ethics reform in Albany … Evan Siegfried on the state GOP

38. BACK & FORTH A Q&A with actor and activist JAMES CROMWELL

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MAGAZINE

City & State is the premier multimedia news organization dedicated to covering New York’s local and state politics and policy. Our in-depth, non-partisan coverage serves New York’s leaders every day as a trusted guide to the issues impacting New York. We offer round-the-clock coverage through our weekly publications, daily e-briefs, events, oncamera interviews, weekly podcast and more.

Editorial Director Michael Johnson mjohnson@cityandstateny.com Senior Editor Jon Lentz jlentz@cityandstateny.com Managing Editor Ryan Somers rsomers@cityandstateny.com Associate Copy Editor Sam Edsill sedsill@cityandstateny.com Staff Reporters

CITY & STATE MAGAZINE Our award-winning print magazine delivers long-form cover stories, investigative exposés, indepth industry analysis and entertaining features on a weekly basis.

CITY & STATE FIRST READ With over 20,000 subscribers, the free daily First Read e-brief summarizes the top political news, editorials, schedule items and more – all in your inbox before 7 a.m. cityandstateny.com/first-read CITY & STATE INSIDER Insider subscribers receive the weekly magazine, access to all policy events and an exclusive daily email featuring our take on the news and groundbreaking commentary. cityandstateny.com/insider CITY & STATE EVENTS City & State hosts dozens of panel discussions, live Q&As, receptions and more each year featuring powerful politicians, industry leaders and experts from across the state. cityandstateny.com/events CITY & STATE CAREERS City & State Careers connects professionals to career, continuing education, and professional development opportunities in and around New York government, advocacy, business and more. careers.cityandstateny.com

Ashley Hupfl ahupfl@cityandstateny.com Justin Sondel jsondel@cityandstateny.com Sarina Trangle strangle@cityandstateny.com Engagement Editor Jeremy Unger junger@cityandstateny.com Editorial Assistant Jeff Coltin jcoltin@cityandstateny.com New York Slant Editor Nick Powell npowell@cityandstateny.com Editor-at-Large Gerson Borrero gborrero@cityandstateny.com Columnists Michael Benjamin, Nicole Gelinas, Alexis Grenell, Bertha Lewis

CITY & STATE RESPONSIBILITY City & State Responsibility recognizes outstanding New York corporations and business leaders through a series of awards ceremonies, conferences and special publications.

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City & State’s video interviews and podcasts feature interviews with lawmakers, policy wonks and business leaders, garnering more than 250,000 YouTube views and 10,000 Livestream followers.

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New York Slant is City & State’s new platform dedicated to opinion and analysis, with columnists and contributors providing an informed perspective on the daily news cycle. nyslant.com

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Chairman Steve Farbman, President/CEO Tom Allon tallon@cityandstateny.com, Publisher Andrew A. Holt aholt@cityandstateny.com, Vice President of Advertising Jim Katocin jkatocin@cityandstateny.com.

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CUT YOUR BILLS

THE UPS AND DOWNS OF ALBANY LEGISLATION By JEFF COLTIN

Governor

Governor

Miller A. Smith F. Roosevelt Lehman Dewey Harriman Rockefeller Wilson Carey M. Cuomo Pataki Spitzer Paterson A. Cuomo

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Like it or not, eras in Albany are defined by the presiding governor, and the Andrew Cuomo era is on track to see the fewest bills passed per legislative session of any governor in the last century.

In the five years since Cuomo took office, the Senate and Assembly have jointly passed an average of 654 bills per year. The number of bills passed has been trending downward since the Rockefeller administration, when the Legislature passed an average of 1,356 bills per session, more than double the 658 passed in 2014.

This rate also puts Albany on trend with the U.S. Congress, which has entered a period of relative inactivity in recent sessions, though pundits seem divided on whether this is a cause (“do-nothing”) or effect (“why bother?”) of low approval ratings.

Although fewer bills have been passed under Cuomo, he has also vetoed a lower percentage of them than his recent predecessors.

Over the past five years Cuomo has vetoed an average of 14 percent of bills passed, while 19 percent of bills passed from 2005-2010 (under Govs. George Pataki, Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson) were vetoed. It may be too early to classify Cuomo as afraid of the veto pen, though – the percentage of bills he has rejected has risen nearly every year he has been in office.

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While the overall number of bills passed is trending downward, 2015 saw the most bills yet sent to Cuomo’s desk: 718, the most in any year since 2008.

If these numbers have you feeling down, though, consider the situation in Washington: The 112th U.S. Congress passed just 561 bills through both chambers in two full years from 2011-2012.

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TOP FIVE With the legislative session gearing up in Albany, City & State reached out to every single state lawmaker to find out their top priorities for 2016 and their forecast for the year ahead – with a few extra questions thrown in for fun. We collected the responses in our State Legislative Dossiers 2016, which we’ll be delivering to subscribers of our new City & State Insider package.

To give you a peek at the dossiers, we’ve tallied the most popular responses to several of the questions, including lawmakers’ favorite restaurants, favorite books and what they think the most contentious issues will be this session.

TOP FIVE CAPITAL REGION RESTAURANTS Cafe Capriccio (14 lawmakers) Angelo’s 677 Prime (12) New World Bistro Bar (7) Caffé Italia (7) El Mariachi, Ralph’s Tavern Bongiorno’s (6 each)

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TOP FIVE BOOKS The Bible (8 lawmakers) “The Power Broker,”

by Robert Caro (7) “Team of Rivals,”

by Doris Kearns Goodwin (6) “The Years of Lyndon Johnson,”

by Robert Caro (4) “Atlas Shrugged,” “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Profiles in Courage” (3 each)

TOP FIVE CONTENTIOUS ISSUES Minimum wage (83 lawmakers) Ethics reform (45) Education (32) Budget (24) Common Core (15) SNEAK PREVIEW: For the lawmakers’ top priorities in the new year, turn to page 14.

To see all their answers in the State Legislative Dossiers 2016, subscribe to City & State Insider at cityandstateny.com/insider.

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ILLUSTRATIONS BY GUILLAUME FEDERIGHI

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SECRETS

OF THE SILVER TRIAL A MYSTERY POWER BROKER AND THE CHIEF JUDGE

By WAYNE BARRETT

CityAndStateNY.com

S T A T E China’s Politburo limits its general secretary to two five-year terms, less than half of Shelly Silver’s 20-year reign as speaker of New York’s Assembly. If Silver hadn’t been forced to resign after his arrest last January, and instead served out the two-year speaker term he’d just begun, he would have ruled Albany nearly as long as Saddam Hussein ran Iraq.

Silver made it clear before his downfall that he didn’t think his record tenure was enough. He groomed no successor. And in 2013, he pushed hard to change the state constitution so his lifelong sidekick, Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, could get a 10-year extension of his term of office, putting an unsuccessful referendum on the ballot to waive the mandatory retirement age for top judges. He wanted to continue his hegemony over two branches of state government deep into another decade.

Seventeen years before Silver became speaker in 1994, he won a vacant Lower East Side Assembly seat, aided by then-Speaker Stanley Steingut. The Democratic conference in the Assembly elected Steingut speaker precisely 40 years after they’d put his father Irwin in the same leadership post. Together Irwin and Stanley Steingut owned their Flatbush Assembly seat for 56 consecutive years.

In 1976, the year Silver was first elected, Steingut’s chief counsel was Daniel Chill, and all these years later it was Chill, an obscure embodiment of the permanent government, who was the mystery man at the heart of the criminal case against Silver. Counsel to all six speakers since the 1970s, Chill introduced Silver to Dr. Robert

Taub, the Columbia oncologist whose testimony helped convict Silver. Taub testified that he then began steering prized asbestos patients to Silver’s law firm, and subsequently got a halfmillion in state research grants through Silver. The firm, Weitz & Luxenberg, paid Silver a $3 million slice of the Taub bonanza.

Though Chill never appeared as a witness at Silver’s trial, exhibits and testimony indicate that he was part of the Taub deal each step of the way. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and Silver’s lawyers agreed to a stipulation that allowed some of Chill’s actions to enter the record without Chill’s testimony, suggesting that the government did not want to put him on the stand. Chill did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Chill first casually introduced Silver and Taub in 1984, but he set up a second meeting in 2003.

Taub testified that Chill arranged the second meeting so that his childhood friend Taub could ask Silver if he could get the Weitz firm to financially support Taub’s mesothelioma research. Silver indicated he didn’t think he could do it, but just days later, Chill came back to Taub to relay Silver’s request that the doctor refer his mesothelioma patients to the Weitz firm, which specializes in multimillion-dollar asbestos settlements. When Taub began supplying the lucrative referrals, Silver asked him not to tell Chill about any new ones.

Chill then suggested that Taub ask Silver for state grants, recommending an annual amount of $250,000. Chill even helped draft the letter to Silver seeking the initial grant, court exhibits revealed. When Taub’s first draft of the letter included a reference to Chill, the lawyer asked Taub “not to put his name in it,” and Chill’s name was omitted from the final letter.

It would’ve been awkward to include Chill on an Assembly grant submission since he’s one of the Assembly’s most expensive attorneys, having moved on from a staff counsel position to its outside

counsel on all reapportionment matters in 1981. The only records available indicate that Chill’s firm, Graubard Miller, has been paid $4.4 million by the Assembly since 1996, an astonishing windfall approved by Silver even though the Assembly has had few real apportionment issues over these years. The Assembly payments to Graubard hit a high-water mark in 2003, the year Chill, Silver and Taub did the asbestos deal.

New Speaker Carl Heastie has continued to use Chill, who filed a brief on Heastie’s behalf in September.

A FORMER COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE SAID CHILL’S TESTIMONY WAS “INCREDIBLE,” “IMPLAUSIBLE” AND “ D E M O N S T R A B LY INCONSISTENT” YEARS

AGO,

BUT

THE

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CHILL’S CONTINUING REPRESENTATION OF THE ASSEMBLY.

Silver’s isn’t the first scandal Chill has survived. In fact, by the time Silver won his Assembly seat, Chill had already become a focus of the scandal that would cost Steingut his own seat in 1978. While Steingut’s top aide, Chill was also representing the most notorious nursing home owner in New York, Bernard Bergman, who was convicted of massive Medicaid fraud in 1976.

The Bergman scandal, featuring deplorable conditions victimizing

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largely Jewish nursing home residents, pushed Chill out of his counsel position, but Steingut retained him as his commissioner on the Legislature’s bill drafting commission.

The bridge between Steingut and Chill was Chill’s fatherin-law, Harold Jacobs, a leader in Steingut’s powerhouse Madison Club in Brooklyn (also home for Mayor Abe Beame and a builder named Fred Trump). It was also Jacobs, an influential rabbi who became president of the Orthodox Union, who rallied support for the unknown Silver in his first election in 1976, paving the way for the relationship between Chill and Silver. Chill, too, became a member of the Orthodox Union’s board of governors.

As lucrative as Chill’s Assembly business has been, it’s petty cash compared with what he won in a nine-year lawsuit, Lawrence v.

Graubard Miller, which wound up affirming one of New York’s largest contested contingent law fees and most generous client gifts ever. The case went up and down the ladder of state courts twice, ending in a 2014 decision by the Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, that awarded over $85 million to the Graubard firm.

This case, too, had a Silver connection: Jonathan Lippman, who cast the decisive fourth vote on the seven-member Court of Appeals in favor of the $5 million gift, and was one of five votes approving the $80 million fee.

Silver had aided Lippman’s climb up the court ladder for years, using his influence with Westchester party leaders to make him a Supreme Court judge and pushing Gov. David Paterson to select him as chief judge.

Though Chill ultimately won, the long trail of the litigation was a rebuke to him in many ways.

The referee assigned to first hear it, Howard Levine, a former Court of Appeals judge, said Chill’s testimony was “incredible,” “implausible” and “demonstrably inconsistent” years ago, but the finding had no effect on Chill’s continuing representation of the

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Assembly. Two of Chill’s former Graubard partners, including the partner that hired him, Scott Mollen, testified in connection with the Lawrence case that they “would not believe Chill even if he were under oath.”

The saga started in 1983, when Graubard welcomed Chill as a partner, in part because of his Assembly business. It was also when Alice Lawrence, the widow of Manhattan real estate titan Sylvan Lawrence, retained the firm to sue her husband’s business partner and executor of his will, according to court documents in the case. That dispute over the disposal of the properties owned by the partnership lasted for 22 years, with Lawrence paying Graubard $18 million in hourly fees.

In 1998, after a win in one of the many battles, Chill trekked out to Lawrence’s Connecticut home and, though he denied soliciting it, managed to get her to give $5 million to the three Graubard partners who worked the case, $2 million of it for himself. Later, Lawrence agreed to pay the $2.7 million tax on the gifts, which went to the same three Graubard attorneys that handled the Assembly business.

Testimony at the prolonged hearing in the case revealed that Lawrence and Chill decided in 2005 to change their hourly arrangement to a contingency fee.

Chill wanted 50 percent of any future settlement, but Lawrence agreed to 40 percent, still high for a contingency contract. Less than five months later, Graubard reached a $106 million settlement, laying claim to $44 million of it.

Lawrence sued, branding the fee “unconscionable” and attacking the gifts as inappropriate.

The gifts were particularly scandalous because Chill and the other two partners never told the firm or the three Lawrence children about them. One of the other partners did not even tell her spouse, who was a Manhattan judge. Chill also reportedly did not tell Lawrence she should seek independent counsel on the gifts,

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which the conduct code requires.

Judges called the “magnitude” of the gifts virtually unprecedented.

On the first run up the ladder, Levine ruled in 2006 that an evidentiary hearing was necessary to determine the fairness of the fee. He reported to the Manhattan surrogate, who agreed. Lawrence argued that the fee was unconscionable on its face, requiring no hearing, and lost appeals to the Appellate Division and the Court of Appeals, sending the case back to Levine in 2008.

After a protracted hearing, Levine offered a split decision in 2010, calling the fee “astounding” but not unconscionable, cutting it to $16 million and sustaining the gifts. The surrogate affirmed the formula Levine used to get to the $16 million, but said the gifts emitted an “odor of overreaching” and required that they be returned.

In 2013, a unanimous, fourmember panel of the Appellate Division also revoked the gifts.

But they also found that the fee was “both procedurally and substantially unconscionable.”

They ruled that Graubard could only collect an hourly fee, $1.7 million.

By the time the case returned to the Court of Appeals, it was the buzz of the bar. One of the reasons another Graubard loss was anticipated was that three of the judges on the court had joined the 2008 decision that sent the case back to Levine, signing on to an opinion that said: “On its face, the amount of the fee seems disproportionate to the five months of work since the agreement’s revision.” A fourth judge, Robert Smith, who had also joined the earlier opinion and derided “so much money for so little work,” recused himself when it came back in 2014, citing his onetime connection to a new firm representing Lawrence. A fifth judge also recused herself, for unexplained reasons.

The most important new factor the second time around was Lippman, who joined the court in 2009. With one judge dissenting on the gifts, Lippman’s vote was

DANIEL CHILL, the mystery man at the heart of the Silver case. the minimum needed to sustain them. The five voting judges then approved a fee that, with interest, exceeded what the family received from the settlement. Chill collected at least $14.7 million personally and kept his $2 million gift, undoubtedly the biggest payday of his life. Prior to this ruling, no court had even suggested the firm was entitled to so total a victory.

The majority, including Lippman, acknowledged that the gifts “may fairly be characterized in many unflattering ways,” but said the statute of limitations had run out, an issue barely considered over all of the years of litigation.

The previous consideration of the merits of the gift question at every other court level indicated that no one else bought the statute argument and assumed that Lawrence hadn’t sued until seven years after she gave Chill the gifts because the firm was still representing her, meaning that her deadline to object “tolled” during those years.

The majority validated the contingency fees because the firm “risked” receiving no compensation for its continuing

work on the case. They regarded Lawrence as a capable businesswoman who could have fired the firm at any moment, though she’d stuck with them for nearly 23 years.

One signal-sending new influence in the case was the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, which filed an amicus brief for the first time when the case went before the Lippman court, contending that the appellate decision threatened “the sanctity of the contingent fee system.” Silver has long been closely tied to the association, a major donor to Silver’s majority ($768,000 between 2006 and 2013), which has been rewarded repeatedly by Assembly actions, such as protecting New York’s unique liability laws for leased cars. Silver’s two partners, Weitz and Luxenberg, were association directors and officers.

Lippman has voted with the trial lawyers in other cases as well, such as in the 5-to-2 Ramkumar decision in 2013, when the association also filed an amicus brief, arguing that no documentary evidence be required to sustain an

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JONATHAN LIPPMAN, chief judge and Silver’s longtime friend. accident claim. The two dissenters on the court said the Lippman majority had lowered “the barriers that courts have erected against baseless no-fault claims,” while the association said the court had “once again injected reason into the process.”

The other edge Chill had was his attorney, Michael Carvin, a Washington-based Republican attorney who argued the “Obamacare” case before the Supreme Court. Carvin has worked with Chill for years as the lawyer for the New York Senate majority, with the Republican Senate and Assembly Democrats joined at the hip, and they won a reapportionment case together before the Lippman court in 2012. The redistricting cases are one reason why Chill was seen as “Shelly’s guy” at the highest levels of the state courts.

Chill and another senior partner at the firm took such a high percentage of the fee distribution that the partner who billed the lion’s share of the hours, Steven Mallis, is claiming in a justfiled suit that they shortchanged him. Graubard responded with

a barrage against Mallis, quoting judicial findings from the prior Lawrence litigation that Mallis had concealed the gift from the firm and engaged in “self-dealing,” without looking in the mirror at Chill.

Lippman and Silver have known each other since they were 6, growing up together on the Lower East Side, and Silver made no secret of his use of power on Lippman’s behalf, so much so that Lippman referred to him as “family” at one swearing-in. The first chief judge since the 19th century to have never served on the Court of Appeals, Lippman catapulted to the top despite a career that was almost entirely administrative rather than judicial, thanks in large part to the speaker.

Neither Silver nor Lippman, however, was satisfied with this unlikely triumph. Though Silver had never supported a referendum to change the age limits for judges until Lippman neared the retirement age of 70, he pushed it onto the ballot in 2013 despite the opposition of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the black and Latino caucus of his own members,

both of which wanted to replace an overwhelmingly white, and disproportionately Republican, cadre of older judges.

A political action committee that supported the referendum was principally financed by leaders of the state Trial Lawyers Association, including the Weitz firm, which made the second largest donation, $50,000. A report by Politico New York indicated that Lippman “urged several longtime associates to form” the PAC, though sitting judges are barred from fundraising.

MirRam, a consulting firm run by an ex-assemblyman close to Silver, managed the losing campaign, consuming nearly all of the halfmillion dollars raised by the PAC. The trial lawyers, whom Cuomo called “the single most powerful political force in Albany,” endorsed the referendum while the state bar declined to take a position. The losing referendum occurred, coincidentally, at precisely the same time as the Graubard case first came before the Lippman court.

David Bookstaver, who has been Lippman’s spokesman for 20 years, told me that it would be “wildly irresponsible” to try to link Lippman “to Mr. Silver and any of his wrongdoing,” adding that Lippman did not discuss the Graubard case or any other with Silver (nor did he know Chill).

Bookstaver, who responds to every probing question about Lippman with outrage, used much the same tone when questioned in 2013

by Politico about Lippman’s role with the referendum PAC, calling such rumors “abhorrent” without denying that Lippman had asked “others to form the PAC.” In fact, despite Bookstaver’s irresponsibility charge, both The New York Times and the Post have done stories connecting Lippman to court appointments that either benefited Weitz & Luxenberg asbestos clients or those of a second firm that made payments to Silver that led to his conviction.

For example, Lippman named Supreme Court Justice Sherry Klein Heitler an associate justice of the Appellate Division in 2007,

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and “approved” her elevation to administrative judge overseeing all Manhattan Supreme Court civil cases in 2009, according to Bookstaver press releases.

When Heitler got her 2009 promotion, she was already in charge of a special court hearing major asbestos claims, where Weitz & Luxenberg was the plaintiff’s attorney in more than half the cases and winning huge awards.

Earlier in 2009, just as Lippman became chief judge, the Weitz firm began petitioning Heitler to reverse a decades-old ruling banning punitive damages for asbestos patients, a potential mother lode for the firm. Heitler eventually did just that, and even after her asbestos role exploded in headlines early this year, Lippman named her to one of his top executive posts, chief of policy and planning.

Bookstaver also acknowledged that “it is likely that Judge Lippman has during the normal course of business attended a meeting with Mr. Weitz or representatives from his firm – as he has with countless large firms in the state.”

Other judges contacted by City & State find any Weitz & Luxenberg meetings disturbing, especially in the context of the mutual Silver connections, the Heitler rulings and the referendum PAC contributions.

Lippman wanted all of the upside of his familial relationship with Silver over the years, but now, none of the downside. His liberal record drew favorable farewells recently, omitting decisions like the one in the reapportionment case defended by Chill and Silver that led to an extra seat in the Senate and contrived continuance of Republican rule.

Silver’s iron hold on the Assembly and Lippman’s on the courts are finally at an end, though there appears to be no term limit on the culture, which blames the spotlight of Preet Bharara more than the conduct of its icons.

WAYNE BARRETT covered New York politics for 40 years and co-authored “City for Sale,” a chronicle of the great municipal scandal of the ’80s.

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PRELIMINARY STATEMENTS

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By Jon Lentz

KEVIN P. COUGHLIN/OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

majority leader, Malcolm Smith, another past Senate leader, and William Scarborough, a former assemblyman, who were also expelled after getting convicted on various charges. The spate of scandals undercuts Cuomo’s pledge to clean up the state Capitol, and early this month he insisted that ethics reform will be at the “top of my agenda.” Goodgovernment groups have called for closing the LLC loophole and for campaign finance reform, among other changes, but it is unclear what exactly Cuomo will push for – and how hard he’ll actually push.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled a plan to transform Penn Station and the Farley Post Office into the Empire Station Complex, a “world-class transportation hub.”

On Wednesday Gov. Andrew Cuomo will deliver his sixth State of the State address, the annual speech laying out his agenda for the legislative session.

But in a departure from his first few years in office, Cuomo has already rolled out a number of the top priorities in his 2016 agenda.

This past September he called for a $15 minimum wage for all workers in New York, and has been paving the way for it with unilateral wage hikes for fast food workers and state employees. In October, he and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an agreement to fund the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s capital plan, pledging $8.3 billion from the state.

And in recent days the governor has unveiled one marquee proposal after another, from major improvements for Penn Station, the Javits Center and the Long

Island Rail Road to reduced Thruway tolls to new funding for environmental programs, local water systems and upstate roads and bridges.

Even with fewer surprises expected, though, there are plenty of questions that will be answered only after Cuomo takes the stage.

Here are three questions that City & State hopes will be answered in the speech.

What will Cuomo do for Republicans?

The governor’s embrace of a $15 minimum wage has been interpreted as a sign of a broader leftward shift, and his multibilliondollar MTA agreement spurred calls from upstate Republicans for a fair share of transportation funds.

Cuomo, who has a reputation as a centrist, has already taken some steps to cater to Republicans this year, including a promise of $22

billion for upstate infrastructure over five years. But some of his 2016 proposals, including a small business tax cut and Long Island transit upgrades, have prompted skeptical responses from Republicans. Whether Cuomo actively partners with the party on any major initiative could prove critical in the state Senate, where the GOP is at risk of losing its grip on its one statewide hold on power in the fall elections – and could use some political victories this spring.

Will Cuomo actually clean up Albany?

Pressure to enact new ethics reform measures has ratcheted up in recent months, thanks to the convictions of former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos – not to mention Tom Libous, a former Senate deputy

Will there be any surprises?

What will Cuomo propose to address the homelessness crisis?

Will he swoop in and force through a deal on the 421-a housing tax credit? What Photoshopped scene will Cuomo be in with the two new legislative leaders? One potential goal that he could take up – and one that is popular with both the Republican Senate and the Democrat-dominated Assembly – is an increase in education funding, and in particular the demise of the despised gap elimination adjustment. The GEA, which reduces aid to school districts, was instituted in response to a severe budget deficit at the end of the Paterson administration, and lawmakers have been chipping away at it ever since. Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, who previously chaired the Education Committee, has said that it is essential to do away with the cuts to education funding.

Cuomo has not commented on the measure in recent weeks, but if he does make it a priority during the State of the State, it could draw strong applause.

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CityAndStateNY.com

LAWMAKERS’

PRIORITIES

In the weeks leading up to the legislative session, City & State reached out to every single state lawmaker to compile our latest guide, the State Legislative Dossiers 2016.

The full legislative dossiers publication is available exclusively to our new City & State Insider subscribers, but in a sneak preview of that special edition we are sharing the top priorities of each state legislator.

In the following pages, we’ve listed those responses, which range from upstate infrastructure funding and tax cuts to ethics reform to a higher minimum wage.

To subscribe to City & State Insider, visit cityandstateny.com/insider.

CityAndStateNY.com

LEGISLATIVE DOSSIERS 2016

* Despite repeated requests, the starred lawmakers declined to participate.

Their profiles are based on their press releases or previous news reports.

SENATE JOSEPH ADDABBO JR. Passing Paid Family Leave bill will be a top priority.

FRED AKSHAR Creating a better environment for businesses to create jobs through broad-based tax and regulatory relief.

GEORGE AMEDORE Job creation, tax relief, elimination of the Gap Elimination Adjustment and properly funding our schools and combating the heroin epidemic.

TONY AVELLA In line with my primary policy focus, I’ll be prioritizing ethics reform this year.

JOHN BONACIC Continuing to provide tax relief for hardworking middle class families. Improving the regulatory environment for small businesses in the state. Totally eliminating the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) in education funding.

PHIL BOYLE Promoting business growth throughout New York state.

NEIL BRESLIN Increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour for all workers and making sure we finally have real campaign finance reform.

DAVID CARLUCCI My top priority will be to enact effective reform oversight in the East Ramapo School District that will allow our students to receive the high-quality education they deserve.

LEROY COMRIE One of my biggest priorities will be the expansion of contracts for Minority and Women Owned Enterprises and ensuring that access to capital is available for small businesses. Also, working to create more streamlined critical health care services and additional health specialty services for underserved populations.

THOMAS CROCI My top priority again is the safety and security of New Yorkers, including counter-terrorism and the drug and heroin epidemic, as well as ethics and transparency in government, jobs and economic development and education funding and reform.

15

JOHN DEFRANCISCO Jump starting the economy by making New York state more attractive across the board to all businesses, not just a select few.

RUBEN DIAZ Calling for transparency in government and putting an end to corruption.

MARTIN DILAN Infrastructure. The list of projects, upgrades and improvements that are needed from Buffalo to Brooklyn, from roads and bridges to expanded MTA service and station upgrades, are too many to list.

ADRIANO ESPAILLAT Securing a larger state investment in the construction of affordable and supportive housing, and working to improve rent laws and invest more in NYCHA to protect the affordable housing we have.

HUGH FARLEY We need to focus on additional measures to promote economic development and job creation.

SIMCHA FELDER School security, effective placements for students with special needs, the Education Investment Incentives Act, and transportation improvements (both educational and individual).

JOHN FLANAGAN * ON STATE REGULATIONS: I want every existing regulation reviewed. I want a period of public comment so the people who live under those regulations actually get to tell you because a lot of times what happens is regulations come in under an emergency basis, which cuts down the time for input. (via the Utica ObserverDispatch) RICH FUNKE I’ll continue to advocate for tax relief, mandate reform, economic development and the Rochester area’s fair share, but I also believe we need to take a good, hard look at reforming the state parole system. Our community has been victimized by far too many parolees who fell between the cracks and committed crimes from assault to murder.

PAT GALLIVAN Fiscal responsibility and economic development.

MICHAEL GIANARIS My top priorities revolve around ethics reform, criminal

justice reform and making New York affordable for all.

MARTIN GOLDEN Making New York state more competitive nationwide economically and the education tax credit to create more education options for our children.

JOSEPH GRIFFO The more affordable we can make it for families to live and work safely in New York state the more our state will benefit.

JESSE HAMILTON My top priorities include combating the stigma around mental illness, increasing financial literacy and opening pathways to success for all New Yorkers, especially the vulnerable populations whose needs are currently unmet or underserved.

KEMP HANNON Making New York a more affordable place to live and raise a family will be of upmost importance in the coming year. While the economy has gotten better over the past few years, New Yorkers are still struggling with the increasing costs of living and taxes. While many New Yorkers now have health coverage, many are finding their high deductible plans are too expensive to actually seek the care they need. Employers are also finding costs prohibitive to doing business or providing coverage for their employees.

RUTH HASSELL-THOMPSON Her priorities for 2016 are her Domestic Violence Survivor’s Act and Special Prosecutor Bills. The Senator will also be fighting for CFE/state aid to public schools, a measured response to recent reports about the Ramapo School Board and a review of violence inside New York’s state prisons. The Senator is also ready for another round of Raise the Age advocacy and will work for its passage.

BRAD HOYLMAN Ensuring that New York State is a national leader in the effort to combat global climate change. I’ll also continue to push for the Child Safe Products Act, banning microbeads in our waterways, getting more state money for homeless kids and ending the practice of so-called gay “conversion therapy.”

TIM KENNEDY Expanding child care access for working families and continuing to reform our child protective services system to better protect children from abuse and neglect.

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CityAndStateNY.com

JEFF KLEIN We’ve seen an increase in emergency room visits across New York State as a result of synthetic marijuana and we must pass my analog bill, which will make these toxic chemicals that mimic controlled substances illegal. As scientists come up with new tweaked chemicals in an attempt to subvert the law, this legislation would automatically ban them too.

LIZ KRUEGER I never have just one priority! But, a Democratic landslide from the President on down would go a long way toward moving many of my top priorities.

ANDREW LANZA * ON PROPERTY TAXES: On Staten Island, a big issue for a long time has been the high cost of living. A big part of that is the tax burden, whether it’s property taxes or a whole host of other taxes imposed by New York City. There’s a general uneasy feeling about people’s ability to make ends meet. Part of that is the economy, but the government tax burden is very high where we live. I’ve got a property tax bill in the Senate that the Assembly hasn’t moved on, and I hope we can move that this session to provide relief for people.

WILLIAM LARKIN My top priority in 2016 will be continuing to fight for our

veterans, increase aid to our schools and providing tax relief for all New Yorkers.

any unaddressed auto recalls. We had a tragic incident in the district that brought this issue to my attention.

GEORGE LATIMER Among the aforementioned suburban issues, education. Our policies on testing, funding, evaluating students and teachers must move away from one size fits all. The “reforms” trumpeted by some are not the panacea they purport to be. Each district, each school, each teacher and each student needs to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. The strategies for improving education must be customized based on circumstances and specific needs not generalized philosophies.

CARL MARCELLINO I want to bring a complete and permanent end to the Gap Elimination Adjustment that has burdened our school districts and tax payers for too long. I also want to combat the animosity and discourse that is dominating our state’s education system. It prevents a meaningful and thoughtful exchange of ideas that we need to move forward. We must reduce the outcry and frustration of parents, students and teachers.

Cooperation is the key to turning things around and changing the negative environment.

KENNETH LAVALLE * ON THE HEROIN EPIDEMIC: It’s critically important that we pull out all the stops to halt the spread of heroin. We will be looking into additional legislative measures when we return to session in January.

Towards that end, I am establishing a section on my Senate webpage for community input concerning how to help fight the heroin crisis. No idea is too big or too small. We need to act now to halt this scourge.

BETTY LITTLE I’d like to see adoption of a common-sense consumer safety measure which would ensure vehicle owners are notified during their annual motor vehicle inspection of

KATHLEEN MARCHIONE Helping build stronger families, stronger communities and a stronger quality of life for all New Yorkers.

JACK MARTINS * ON THE COMMON CORE: By and large, witnesses are testifying that it’s a complete failure on so many levels, that they won’t be satisfied with incremental change, they simply want it to end. For many, that’s a bitter pill to swallow and it’s certainly a herculean task to turn a ship this big around. But more than that, I think pride has played a far greater role in this unwillingness to change than it should have.

ONE-TIME AMNESTY NYC Lobbying Bureau – Office of the City Clerk

JANUARY 1, 2016OFFICE – JUNE OF 30, THE2016 CLERK Individuals and organizations who have never filed lobbying reports can file reports with the City Clerk without incurring any penalties. For details visit www.cityclerk.nyc.gov or call 212-669-8171.

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VELMANETTE MONTGOMERY * ON UPSTATE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: For New York state to be a more affordable place to live, work and raise a family, we need fresh perspectives and new ideas on how to grow our economy and improve New Yorkers’ lives. That is why the Senate Democratic Policy Group was created and I am proud of the initiatives we’ve put forward to help struggling upstate communities.

TERRENCE MURPHY Passing common-sense legislation that will give everyone in New York the opportunity to succeed.

MICHAEL NOZZOLIO * ON BRITTANY’S LAW: Brittany’s Law represents a major step forward for New Yorkers in the fight against violent crime and domestic abuse crimes. By putting new measures in place to track violent offenders and keep our communities informed of their whereabouts, Brittany’s Law will undoubtedly save lives. I am committed to enacting tougher sentencing laws for violent criminals, reinforcing laws to protect women and children from domestic violence and strengthening the rights of crime victims to prevent future tragedies from occurring.

THOMAS O’MARA Improving the state’s business climate to create jobs.

ROBERT ORTT Creating jobs locally. While certain parts of the Western New York economy have succeeded, too many have been left behind. That’s why I think it will be vital to invest in infrastructure and reduce costs and regulations for small businesses.

MARC PANEPINTO A number of economic development projects where job creation and retention along our waterfront is a top priority. In particular, the Huntley Power Station in Tonawanda is facing potential closure that would result in devastating job loss and a major hit to the local tax base.

KEVIN PARKER The number one thing I’d like to see done would be a special prosecutor bill for the police departments in the state of New York.

JOSE PERALTA The Dream Act. BILL PERKINS The menu of priorities contains multiple options. We’ll be investing a great deal of effort in: New York Health – “Your Health Is Your Wealth,” correctional system reform, including ending solitary confinement and NYCHA reform.

ROXANNE PERSAUD There are several. So I’ll give my top two: curbing youth violence andcreating alternatives and assistance for small businesses.

MICHAEL RANZENHOFER Parity for upstate New York infrastructure investments.

PATTY RITCHIE * ON ETHICS REFORM: Simply put, voters deserve better than this. Moving forward, I will continue to work with my colleagues to increase accountability and transparency in an effort to help restore public confidence and trust in our government.

GUSTAVO RIVERA One of my main priorities in 2016 will be to enact policies that were identified in the blueprint to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York State by the end of 2020, such as decriminalizing syringe possession and the Healthy Teens Act. JOSEPH ROBACH * ON UPSTATE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE: I do hope and think there is a need to pay more attention to this in the upcoming session. The time’s long overdue to now spend some money on transportation issues before they get too out of our hands, too dangerous or (start) demanding our attention all at once, which could really be very detrimental to New York.

JAMES SANDERS New York City has a cap on MWBE: once they make over $1 million they have to get out of the program. That is much too low, especially for New York City. We need to change it to the state threshold, which is $2 million.

Also, the Community Reinvestment Act. DIANE SAVINO For many New Yorkers who are terminally ill, or who have terminally ill loved ones, the ability to pass with dignity is more than a goal, it is a basic right. Providing relief to those who are terminally suffering is why my Death with Dignity bill must be passed during the 2016 session.

SUE SERINO * ON GUN RIGHTS: Make progress toward restoring our Second Amendment Rights by passing a package of bills in the Senate that would roll back some of the most egregious portions of the state’s misguided legislation. For the first time since it became law, we’ve made real headway. However, because the bills failed to pass in the Assembly, there is still clearly work to be done to fully restore our Second Amendment rights.

JOSE SERRANO The communities I represent in the South Bronx and El Barrio suffer from some of the worst health disparities anywhere in the nation. This summer’s Legionnaires

17

outbreak in the South Bronx highlighted these alarming disparities, as we lost so many lives due to underlying health issues. My bill S.1165, which passed the Senate, would mandate the New York State Department of Health to conduct an intensive study on the alarmingly high asthma rates in the Bronx.

JAMES SEWARD Continuing to improve our state’s economy – lowering taxes, enacting mandate relief and ensuring young people receive a quality education are among the strategies that will help achieve that goal.

DANIEL SQUADRON I’ll be pushing for all the above in the Senate, and I’ll continue the call for Universal Maternal Home Visiting, like Nurse Family Partnership, Kalief’s Law, to fix New York’s broken speedy trial law and laws to protect communities from gun violence.

TOBY ANN STAVISKY Ethics reform, as well as affordability, accessibility and equality for public higher education.

ANDREA STEWART-COUSINS While the Senate Democrats have many priorities for the Legislative Session ahead, my top priority remains improving the opportunities and quality of education that all New York students have access to and making New York State a more affordable place to live, work and raise a family.

DAVID VALESKY Upstate economic revitalization.

MICHAEL VENDITTO * ON OUTLAWING K2: In the Senate this year, I voted for legislation which is designed to mimic the Federal Controlled Substances Act, which mandates any chemical substances that are analogous to already banned substances are they themselves banned. This legislation, which passed the Senate, would better equip law enforcement and district attorneys in New York with the tools they need to prosecute and enforce the illegal sale of synthetic marijuana, including K2.

CATHARINE YOUNG We desperately need parity in our infrastructure funding between New York City and the rest of the state so we can fix our crumbling roads and bridges and create jobs. When the Senate Democrats were in power in 2009-10, they broke the transportation parity agreement, hurting the economy of areas outside of the city. The MTA could be receiving billions of dollars, yet there is no plan for the rest of the state’s infrastructure needs. We need to keep the promise of parity, and that’s something I will be fighting for. Ensuring our schools are fairly funded is a top priority. There’s a lot to do.

CityAndStateNY.com

LEGISLATIVE DOSSIERS 2016

19

* Despite repeated requests, the starred lawmakers declined to participate.

Their profiles are based on their press releases or previous news reports.

ASSEMBLY PETER ABBATE

MICHAEL BLAKE

have a bill that provides small businesses with “innovation

Health care for first responders.

Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises.

vouchers,” which is essentially a grant program that forges partnerships with small businesses and public entities such as universities and state laboratories.

THOMAS ABINANTI

KEN BLANKENBUSH

Increasing state support for people with special needs

Increasing upstate infrastructure investment is my top

and serving as a voice for suburban needs and

priority. It’s difficult for municipalities to maintain and

MARC BUTLER

concerns.

repair our roadways and bridges, because of rising costs,

The economy and job creation. I would also look to totally

harsh winters and limited state aid.

remove the Gap Elimination Adjustment for our schools and increase funding for higher education.

CARMEN ARROYO * ON THE MINIMUM WAGE: Continue fighting for a

KARL BRABENEC

higher minimum wage because hardworking families

Passing a bipartisan ethics reform bill that includes real

KEVIN CAHILL

deserve a wage they can live on.

penalties for public corruption must be a priority. And I will

In general, ethics reform is a top priority. In the area of

continue to fight to deliver tax relief for New York’s middle

insurance, we will address transportation networking

class families.

companies and their insurance requirements.

executive order to appoint Attorney General Eric

EDWARD BRAUNSTEIN

JOHN CERETTO

Schneiderman as a special prosecutor in cases where

Criminalizing revenge porn in New York (A.571).

The distribution formula for the slot revenues from the

JEFFRION AUBRY * ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM: The governor’s

an unarmed person dies at the hands of a law

casino in Niagara Falls is up for renewal. My priority will be

enforcement officer is a vital first step in rebuilding trust

JAMES BRENNAN *

to get the best deal for the city so that we can build on our

in the criminal justice system. It’s clear that we need a

ON ETHICS REFORMS: Banning or severely restricting

progress and continue the ongoing revitalization in

comprehensive, thorough review of the entire process,

outside compensation would address a majority of the

Niagara Falls.

and needed reforms must be enacted into law during

corruption cases. This would mean essentially going to a

the next legislative session.

full-time Legislature. … All designations by legislators to

BARBARA CLARK *

particular groups must be identified, disclosed and posted

Clark sits on the Children and Families, Education, Health,

WILLIAM BARCLAY

publicly to assure public awareness, public knowledge,

Labor, Libraries and Education Technology and Rules

Legislation that will help combat the spread of synthetic

and a tracking system.

committees.

ANTHONY BRINDISI

WILLIAM COLTON

drugs and an energy policy that supports nuclear energy.

I will continue to work on the Small Cities Successful DIDI BARRETT

Schools Act (A5463), which seeks to address years of an

Mandate relief, Lyme disease, education and other

inequitable state financing formula for a number of school

issues impacting the Hudson Valley.

districts in the state. The population of all Small City Schools combined in the State is twice the size of the

CHARLES BARRON Poverty, unemployment and closing the wealth and

Big 4 districts (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Yonkers) and about 25% of New York City Schools.

income gap between blacks and Latinos versus whites.

HARRY BRONSON * MICHAEL BENEDETTO My top priority in 2016 will be passing my football bill, which will put restrictions on youth tackle football.

RODNEYSE BICHOTTE I will continue to focus on education and economic development. This would include issues around increasing capacity for more Minority and WomenOwned Business Enterprises, as well as addressing poverty and its multiple facets.

ON THE MINIMUM WAGE, SPEAKING TO GANNETT: If you raise the wage of workers making minimum wage, they immediately put it right back into the economy. If we put more money in the pockets of individuals, especially low-wage earners, they’re going to go out and spend that money.

DAVID BUCHWALD Reconciling the Senate and the Assembly versions of the pension forfeiture legislation will be my highest priority once the legislature returns to Albany. In addition to that, I

Education and public safety.

VIVIAN COOK Education, jobs and fair wages.

JANE CORWIN Recent convictions of legislators highlights the dire need to pass strong ethics reform, specifically the Public Officers Accountability Act (A.4617).

MARCOS CRESPO Anti-poverty initiatives.

CLIFFORD CROUCH Growing the economy and jobs.

BRIAN CURRAN Restructuring of the education curriculum in New York state.

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CityAndStateNY.com

MICHAEL CUSICK The passage of the Education Investment Tax Credit, a bill I have carried for several years. It would encourage donations to New York’s private and public schools and open opportunities for students and families to have more choice and scholarship opportunities.

STEVEN CYMBROWITZ Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs).

MARITZA DAVILA Education equality and preventing and ending homelessness.

MICHAEL DENDEKKER Reaching deal on the 421-a tax abatement program, which includes a prevailing wage for construction work, is a priority to me. Such a deal would create good trade jobs, including good jobs for veterans.

ERIK DILAN Increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour.

JEFFREY DINOWITZ I will make having a $15/hr minimum wage for all workers in the state my top priority this session.

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DAVID DIPIETRO *

should go home to live under the laws they’ve drafted.

increases in the minimum wage, additional taxes and fees

ON PENSION FORFEITURE: We left without the

Most importantly, legislators’ pay must be cut, not raised

or other legislation that hurts the competitiveness of New

agreed-upon pension forfeiture amendment that would

as so many are suggesting. This is a part-time citizen

York state, hurts the economy and results in job losses.

have stripped public officials of their taxpayer-financed

Legislature. We should be paid as such.

pensions upon conviction of a felony related to their

RICHARD GOTTFRIED

office. This is inexcusable, and the majority going back

SANDRA GALEF

on its word is reprehensible. The people of New York

Guiding the reorganizing of health care delivery, especially

Resolving the question as to whether or not a person

deserve this measure, and anyone interested in honest

to protect safety net providers and primary care

designated as a “Universal Life Minister” can legally

government would have demanded it.

marry couples in New York state.

practitioners.

JANET DUPREY

DAVID GANTT *

Addressing the heroin and opiate epidemic.

ON RIDESHARING COMPANIES UPSTATE: I will be as fair as I can but I will not sit and watch my committee pass

STEVE ENGLEBRIGHT

a bill out that does not prove to be fair to everybody – and

Recently, the nations of the world joined together with a

I mean everybody. Those who have taxis already, I think

plan to address climate change. In October, New York

they have a right to run their business. We don’t have a

pledged a bold timetable for reductions in emissions.

right to run them out of business, and I think that’s what I

My top 2016 priority will be to continue my work to

hear us saying and that’s not going to happen with me. …

reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our state and

The process will be: Let’s go slowly. Let’s make sure the

to advance the transition to renewables to attain

process is a fair one to everybody, and let’s make sure it’s

those goals, as well as preparing our state for the

safe for everybody.

consequences of climate change.

ANDREW GARBARINO PATRICIA FAHY

It’s hard to pick just one issue. However, working to find a

Increased afterschool funding – particularly to help

solution to the growing opiate problem, which continues

working parents; municipal aid and property tax relief;

to spread throughout our state, will be a top priority of

ethics and campaign finance reform; Increased public

mine.

transit and infrastructure; Indigent Legal Services funding.

AL GRAF * ON MIXED MARTIAL ARTS: MMA has been popular with the residents of New York for years, as several well-known fighters hail from our state. Allowing this growing sport to come to New York will give the state and local economies additional revenues that will positively impact our economy. The revenues generated could go a long way in alleviating our local tax burden.

AILEEN GUNTHER Mandate relief for municipalities and school districts, as well as the work for the Mental Health Committee.

PAMELA HARRIS * ON SANDY RECOVERY AID: As we look back on the storm and its impact on our communities, we must continue rebuilding and fighting for the recovery aid we were promised. I helped my neighbors when they needed me then, and now I want to go to Albany to keep fighting

JOSEPH GIGLIO *

to make our communities safer and stronger.

ON ETHICS REFORM: I’ve pointed to legislation, rule HERMAN FARRELL *

changes and other systematic reforms over the years that

STEPHEN HAWLEY

ON MINIMUM WAGE: Every time that we’ve raised

would severely undercut one member’s ability to corrupt

Economic development to create jobs.

wages, and people have said it would eliminate jobs,

an entire governmental body, and the need for that reform

based on the times that’s been said on the floor, there

is urgent. Sheldon Silver is finally gone from the Assembly,

would be no jobs left. It would appear that maybe

and it’s time to act.

it doesn’t do what you’ve said, and has helped the

CARL HEASTIE * ON A $15 MINIMUM WAGE: In the Assembly, we believe in leading by example so I am pleased to announce that

economy grow. … We give more money to the workers,

MARK GJONAJ

they will spend it, they will go to the businesses, they

we will undertake efforts to ensure that all our employees

To further aid micro businesses and to continue to push

will do better and we will all do better.

are paid in a manner that is consistent with the recent

for my proposed TRIE bill (Tenant Rent Increase

wage board’s recommendations.

Exemption). Household incomes of $50,000 with half or GARY FINCH

more of their monthly income going towards rent will not

Protecting the water quality of the Finger Lakes is

be subject to rent increases.

absolutely essential. Four of them (Cayuga, Otisco, Skaneateles and Owasco) are in my district.

ANDREW HEVESI * Hevesi chairs the Social Services Committee, and sits on the Energy, Health, Insurance and Labor committees.

DEBORAH GLICK Protecting our neighborhoods from overdevelopment

MICHAEL FITZPATRICK

while still supporting the creation of affordable housing

Mandate relief and pension reform.

and the preservation of that which already exists.

DOV HIKIND * ON THE PARENTAL CHOICE IN EDUCATION ACT: Hikind

praised

Governor

Cuomo’s

leadership

in

introducing the Parental Choice in Education Act and CHRISTOPHER FRIEND *

PHILLIP GOLDFEDER

promises to continue the fight until parents get what they

ON ETHICS REFORM: We must enact term limits for

Improving transportation. Communities throughout

deserve.

legislative leaders and committee chairs, to ensure

Queens have seen explosive growth in recent years.

power does not lead to corruption. And, if convicted of

Sadly, we still don’t have the transportation infrastructure

crimes related to their offices, elected officials must

to meet the transit needs of our families.

be removed from the taxpayer-financed pensions. …

The state Legislature should meet biennially for three

ANDREW GOODELL

months, and after securing a two-year budget, they

Opposing job killing legislation, such as a unilateral

EARLENE HOOPER * ON LOCAL FUNDING: Discussions have begun and are ongoing with Nassau County leaders for a fair share of the sales tax up to $4.5 million for the Villages of Hempstead and Freeport.

22

CityAndStateNY.com

PAMELA HUNTER

to succeed. I would also like to focus on the educational

RON KIM

Education, employment and infrastructure development.

needs of children growing up in shelters.

I want to make sure our classrooms receive every cent granted to our public schools by the Campaign for

ALICIA HYNDMAN

TODD KAMINSKY

Fiscal Equity lawsuit more than ten years ago. Every

My top priority will be working with my colleagues in

My top priority will continue to be Hurricane Sandy

child deserves a “sound basic education” and must be

government to tackle the tough issues that all of our

relief – far too many homeowners remain displaced

able to learn with purpose, not just taught to the test.

communities face. I will particularly be focused on

more than three years following the storm.

education issues.

BRIAN KOLB STEVE KATZ

My top priority is getting Brittany’s Law passed in the

ELLEN JAFFEE

Fighting corruption by implementing an initiative and

Assembly. The bill creates a registry of violent felony

Funding our public schools, high level of education and

referendum that will create term limits for all legislators

offenders to protect New Yorkers and curb domestic

of course child care.

and penalties for those convicted of abusing their

violence.

KIMBERLY JEAN-PIERRE

powers in elected office.

KIERAN LALOR BRIAN KAVANAGH *

Supporting legislation to reduce or eliminate corporate

increasing the minimum wage and education reform.

ON THE LLC LOOPHOLE: The individuals and

welfare programs and apply the savings to across the

businesses who give large contributions through LLCs

board tax relief for all New York individuals and

MARK JOHNS

have much more power than those who have not

businesses that pay taxes and defeating the many

contributed or have contributed under the lower limits

pieces of job-killing legislation that come up in the

that apply to other entities and individuals. The result is

Assembly.

Raise the Age (raising the age of criminal responsibilty),

12-year term limits, with everybody starting at zero.

Getting rid of gerrymandered districts. A unicameral legislature. Real campaign finance reform and ethics reform. The SOLE Act. LATOYA JOYNER I am particularly concerned about securing the resources that the struggling schools in my district need

that government does not adequately represent those New Yorkers who do not have the ability or desire to

CHARLES LAVINE

exploit the LLC Loophole.

My top priority is making New York a great place to own a small businesses. I hope to pass A6031, which relates

MICHAEL KEARNS Reforming Albany.

Informed.

Focused.

Effective.

Manatt is proud to be a part of the city and state of New York: as government advisors, as neighbors, as citizens.

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, llp

manatt.com

to tax deferred small business savings accounts.

CityAndStateNY.com

PETER LAWRENCE Ethics, ethics, ethics.

JOSEPH LENTOL Criminal justice for all, especially Raise the Age. BARBARA LIFTON Two issues: education and creating a green economy with renewable energy to fight climate change .

GUILLERMO LINARES Improving our public education system. Our schools are essential to ensuring our youth are prepared to go on to lead productive, healthy, meaningful lives as adults.

PETE LOPEZ Economic development and job creation.

DONNA LUPARDO The Legislative Women’s Caucus will focus on child care and after school programs. In addition to this, I will stay focused on the upstate economy and infrastructure needs.

CHAD LUPINACCI My top priority this year – as it is every year – is to protect our students, teachers and families by reforming parts of the Common Core. My day-one priority is to work with my colleagues and members of the Common Core Task Force to grant our children the quality of education they deserve, by returning control of our classrooms to our school boards, parents and teachers.

BILL MAGEE Going into 2016, we must work on strengthening our economy by bringing new jobs to the region and creating a more welcoming business climate in New York State. Aid to education and teachers also remains a priority, as well as agricultural initiatives.

WILLIAM MAGNARELLI Jobs.

NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS Albany reform has and will continue to be a priority of mine. I have seen 15 legislative colleagues either convicted or forced to resign during my five years in Albany and we must continue to fight until real, meaningful reforms are adopted. I have also been advocated for an expansion of the Tuition Assistance Program to help more middle class families qualify for assistance. My proposals include restoring TAP for graduate students and increasing the income eligibility threshold, which hasn’t been done in 15 years.

23

24

CityAndStateNY.com

MARGARET MARKEY

transit is adequately funded. And as Chair

Supporting

To get passage of my Child Victims Act,

of the Assembly Education Committee’s

education.

which eliminates New York’s archaic statute

Subcommittee on Students with Special

DAVID MCDONOUGH

STEVE MCLAUGHLIN

of limitations for child sex abuse crimes.

Needs, I will continue to focus on work

My top priority will be working with

Continuing

to ensure our Special Act, 853, and 4201

members on both sides of the aisle to fix

constituents, education and business

SHELLEY MAYER

Schools,

Common Core.

climate.

Each year I work to ensure the Yonkers

students.

TOM MCKEVITT

MICHAEL MILLER

Obtaining a fair amount of school aid for

I want to provide financial help for direct

which

serve

special-needs

Public Schools have adequate funding. I am also committed to ensuring public

JOHN MCDONALD

local

governments

and

my districts in the 2016-17 budget.

to

advocate

for

my

care workers who work directly with people with developmental disabilities, a pay increase for 4410 schools and a

DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

TRANSFORMATION REQUIRES REAL SUPPORT AND RESOURCES

delivered by caring staff. They are concerned Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s transformation panel on the future of developmental disabilities services that care will be there for loved ones when family is preparing to finalize a set of recommendations. are no longer able to advocate for them. The There are enormous state is giving them challenges facing the no confidence that system that have been their concerns will repeatedly identified by be addressed.

LACK OF ADEQUATE parents, advocates and Nearly a generation STAFF AND staff at public hearings. ago, New York’s system RESOURCES HAVE Lack of adequate of care for individuals STRAINED EXISTING staff and resources with developmental have strained existing disabilities was a model SERVICES TO THE services to the breaking for the nation – in large point. The challenge part because of the is compounded by the state’s commitment intentional erosion of to being a leader and state operated services working to address and the continuing individual needs in a difficulty of staff turnover, system anchored by poor pay and inadequate training in the not-forboth the public and not-for-profit sectors. profit sector which is picking up more of the New York invested in people and funding load under contracts with the state. resources to do the job.

BREAKING POINT.

Diminishing state services is especially perplexing as 11,000 individuals and families are on waiting lists in need of services.

Instead, New York’s vision of the future is limited: the state continues to misinterpret the U.S. Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision as cover to minimize responsibility to provide services.

While Olmstead requires care to be provided in the least restrictive setting, it also holds that the needs of individuals must be addressed.

There are many individuals in state operations in particular, who have a wide range of multiple disabilities and health related needs, requiring more intensive care and assistance.

Family members have been vocal in expressing the need for consistent, reliable services

9210_Advertorial DevDis 7.485x10 CS.indd 1

The opportunity is before us once again to truly show leadership. It’s not enough to simply pay lip service to quality care and services. A better system of care must be backed up with hard work, collaboration, realistic programs and adequate resources to support necessary and meaningful services that help individuals and their families.

better reimbursement rate for direct care providers who work with people with developmental disabilities.

MICHAEL MONTESANO Ethics reform and education are going to be the top priorities.

JOSEPH MORELLE Over the coming year I will be working with my colleagues to identify ways that the Assembly can continue to expand equal opportunity to all New Yorkers and uplift those in our communities who are most in need.

WALTER MOSLEY My top priority for 2016 will be tackling the issue of poverty, which is prevalent throughout our state. This is why I have reformed the Legislators Eradicating All Poverty coalition. This bi-partisan group of legislators will examine the root causes of income disparity and create a budgetary platform to address it.

FRANCISCO MOYA Dream Act. DEAN MURRAY * ON DAILY FANTASY SPORTS: I disagree with the attorney general’s assertion that these daily fantasy contests are games of chance rather than games of skill. I firmly believe that when you participate in daily fantasy sports contests, knowledge is your skill. The more research you do and the more knowledgeable that you are about the sport, the teams and the players, the more skillfully you will play the game. As

DA N N Y D O N O H U E , P R E S I D E N T

Danny Donohue is president of the nearly 300,000 member CSEA – New York’s Leading Union – representing workers doing every kind of job, in every part of New York.

1/7/16 10:12 AM

a result, I believe there is no question that you will have a much better chance of winning.

EAST RAMAPO: Quick, Hard Facts • SITUATED IN: Rockland County, New York • ASSEMBLY REPS: Karl Brabenec (50%); Ellen Jaffee (40%); Ken Zebrowski (10%) • STATE SENATOR: David Carlucci • Private School Enrollment: 24K, up 43% in a decade. Public School Enrollment: 8,174 • Budget: $218 million. $170M is allocated to public school students (almost $21,000 each); less than $30M is allocated to private school students ($1,250 each); $18M is allocated to special education • Locals pay 68.5% of the school budget vs. a statewide average of only 60% • Despite a slight increase in funding over the past two years, the state still underfunds East Ramapo by $15-$25 million annually. Separately, the GEA shortchanged the district by $45 million.

• The debated actions of the board members over the last five years combined cost less than one year of state underfunding; these actions are therefore hardly the cause for cuts in services.

• 20% of public school students (1,700) receive special ed services. Only two percent (500+) of private enrollment is special ed placement (2013-2014 school year).

• 29% of public school students are enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL); up from only 11% students a decade earlier. This marks a 164% increase in ten years.

• 84% of public school students are from economically disadvantaged homes; a 40% spike in a decade.

• The Graduation Rate in 20052006 (the year “the Orthodox took over” the board) was 65%.

The Graduation Rate in 20132014 – despite all the above challenges/changes – was 64%.

• East Ramapo’s graduation rate in 2013-2014 exceeded those of the Bronx (53%),

Brooklyn (61%), and Manhattan (63%), yet Assembly members from NYC rushed to pass A5355 in the previous legislative session.

• 144 schools across 17 districts in NYS are on the list of failing schools. None of these schools are in East Ramapo despite the state funding shortage and despite socioeconomic factors which dramatically affect academic performance.

• The Comptroller, the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Education all have existing powers to reverse unethical or criminal actions by any school board. Oversight exists!

Indeed, no crimes by current East Ramapo board members nor large misappropriation of funds have been found during a dozen reviews of East Ramapo books.

• A veto-powered monitor would have authority to reverse discretionary decisions of the school board, thus neutralizing the board and nullifying the vote of thousands American citizens who voted them into office.

If you have not known these facts until now it is because journalists, “activists”, and dishonest lawmakers are driving a targeted narrative to achieve a specific outcome against a specific community in East Ramapo.

Paid for by OJPAC. The mission of the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council (OJPAC) is to counter the defamation and generalization of the Orthodox Jewish community. OJPAC is a not-for-profit organization recognized as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3).

26

CityAndStateNY.com

BILL NOJAY

still pervasive in New York City and other urban

JOSE RIVERA *

New York jobs competitiveness.

districts across our state mean too many New York

He has pledged to continue fighting for education

CATHERINE NOLAN

families and their children face the real chance of

reforms.

Fulfillment of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity promise

being left behind. We cannot allow that to happen,

for adequate aid for our public schools, an adequate

so this puts improving public education right up

ANNETTE ROBINSON

extension for mayoral control of New York City public

there at the top of very top of my agenda, along

The continued discussions regarding rent regulations,

schools and Paid Family Leave.

with criminal justice. Income inequality, due to its

mayoral control, the Dream Act, raising the minimum

detrimental impact on our society and economic

wage and criminal justice reform.

DANIEL O’DONNELL

well-being, is another major issue which must be

Solitary confinement reform – the UN came out with a

addressed with a practical approach. Accelerating

report that said the way we use solitary confinement is

the proposed increases in the minimum wage may

a violation of their rules against torture, so I put in a bill

be one of those approaches.

that will modify the rules to conform with the report.

ROBERT RODRIGUEZ Recently, the MTA cut $1 billion from their capital plan, resulting in pushing back the construction of Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway, which would bring the

VICTOR PICHARDO

Second Avenue Subway all the way up to 125th Street

BOB OAKS

Increasing the minimum wage and passing the

in East Harlem. The Second Avenue Subway would

Ethics reform as it affects pension forfeiture.

Dream Act.

provide much needed congestion relief to the 6 line and

FELIX ORTIZ

J. GARY PRETLOW

increase access to the eastside, which has only been accessible via buses for decades.

and

Other than the usual education and employment

villages are facing crumbling roads, bridges,

issues one of my top priorities will be finalizing my

LINDA ROSENTHAL

tunnels and hardships from worn out plumbing,

podiatric scope of practice bill.

Increasing

Infrastructure.

Our

municipalities,

towns

heating and electrical infrastructure. It is a matter

supportive

housing,

services

and

opportunities for recovering substance abusers,

of public safety that we adequately fund repairs in a

DANIEL QUART

winning robust investment in addiction education and

timely manner before people are seriously harmed.

Decriminalizing gravity knives is a common sense

prevention, strengthening tenant protections and

fix to a piece of law that’s become universally

expanding access to affordable housing, achieving

STEVEN OTIS

misapplied. Many New Yorkers, especially trade

true statewide gender pay equity, advancing animal

As a former mayor, I pay special attention to issues

union members, use folding knives ever day as part

protections, among others!

affecting local governments and work with local

of their work and with absolutely no criminal intent.

officials in Westchester, NYCOM, the Association of

Thanks to this misapplication of the law, they’re

NILY ROZIC

Towns and Association of Counties.

being arrested and prosecuted even though they

As the Chair of the Emerging Workforce Subcommittee,

pose no threat to public safety. 2016 is the year we

I look forward to redefining how we approach workforce

finally end this miscarriage of justice.

development by helping individuals find and build

PHILIP PALMESANO Tax and regulatory relief for job creators, in addition to local infrastructure.

sustainable careers. Qualitative workforce development EDWARD RA

is more than just numbers – it’s uplifting New Yorkers

Pushing for appropriate curriculum standards, state

and providing equal access to opportunity and

testing and teacher evaluations.

economic growth.

to focus on legislation that will improve, modify or

ANDREW RAIA

ADDIE RUSSELL

repeal Common Core and to address the growing

Ethics reform.

Strategic investments that really drive economic activity

ANTHONY PALUMBO Two priorities for me this upcoming session will be

heroin and opiate epidemic.

(road and bridge projects, spending more on school PHIL RAMOS

cafeterias to purchase local food, etc.).

AMY PAULIN

Families deserve to feel safe in their neighborhoods.

Expanding the scope of veterans who can receive

Public safety has always been a top priority and I’ll

SEAN RYAN *

pension credits for military service.

continue working for meaningful and productive

ON ETHICS REFORM VIA THE BUFFALO NEWS: It is

changes to reduce crime and gang violence.

clear that we need to limit outside income and tighten

CRYSTAL PEOPLES-STOKES

our conflict-of-interest rules. There is a window now

Mayoral Intervention Preferred Bid Power Property

DIANA RICHARDSON *

that is only open because of the recent convictions. The

Auction.

ON RENT REGULATION: This is not the time for

Assembly and Senate must act now on comprehensive

measures that allow any affordable housing stock

reforms if we expect to restore the public trust in our

N. NICK PERRY

of any kind to disappear from the market. What we

body.

Last year the legislature failed to respond to the

need are aggressive programs to keep every single

statewide and national demand for criminal justice

affordable unit in our district and ask ourselves

JOSEPH SALADINO

reform. As chair of the caucus I will focus a

what “affordable” means. We need to build

My top priority will be affordability, tax reduction,

significant amount of my energy to accomplishing

additional units that reflect the income levels of the

mandate relief, Common Core relief and protection

some of those goals during our next session.

neighborhoods in which they are built.

from heroin and prescription drug abuse.

Also, the problem of failing schools, which is

CityAndStateNY.com

27

ANGELO SANTABARBARA

FRANK SKARTADOS

business, for wages that are not even enough to reduce

In addition to the primary policy focus items, I also hope

Passing a responsible budget that invests in schools

their reliance on public assistance for food and shelter.

to pass a comprehensive package of bills to address

and infrastructure, and cuts taxes on middle-class

the specific needs of those affected by autism in our

families and small businesses.

LATRICE WALKER

communities. This includes the creation of a state

JAMES SKOUFIS

I represent communities in central and east Brooklyn

advisory council, innovative housing opportunities for

Continuing to deliver on local issues and pushing for

that have for so long been underserved. My primary

adults with autism spectrum disorders and better

a tuition-free SUNY/CUNY.

focus this upcoming session will be on voting rights

access to communication tools for employment

and renewable energy and making sure that a

opportunities through our ACCESS-VR system and

MICHAELLE SOLAGES

major health care institution receives the resources

the availability of optional autism spectrum disorder

One of my main legislative priorities for 2016 is library

necessary to provide adequate care and services to

identification cards with critical information for

services. In the digital age, libraries are struggling to

my constituents.

emergency use.

keep up with the increased demand for library services. Library staff members are generally spread

RAY WALTER

MICHELLE SCHIMEL

thin. Moreover, technology in our public libraries

Education: reform Common Core and invest in SUNY.

Continuing my work to reduce gun deaths and gun

is aging while the facilities are in constant need of

Infrastructure funding.

injuries.

renovation. As a legislator, I feel the need to protect and support our public libraries.

ROBIN SCHIMMINGER

HELENE WEINSTEIN Among my top priorities for 2016 is effectively

While attracting new businesses to our state

DAN STEC

addressing the issue of abandoned residential

continues to be very important, we need to do more

Ethics reform.

properties resulting from the foreclosure crisis,

to maintain businesses that have been long established by reducing costly mandates and taxes.

providing relief for consumers by stopping abusive PHIL STECK

debt collection practices and continuing to support

Passage of A.739 (all municipalities can join County

efforts to ensure our schools are providing all children

REBECCA SEAWRIGHT

self-insured health plans), which addresses the

with a quality and affordable education.

More funding for public education, gun control and

high-cost of healthcare to local governments and, as

stopping the construction of the 91st Street Marine

a result, middle- and low-income property taxes.

Transfer Station.

DAVID WEPRIN I look forward to continuing my work as the chair of the

AL STIRPE

Task Force for People with Disabilities as we fight for all

LUIS SEPÚLVEDA *

Making sure we provide public schools with the

people with disabilities in 2016.

Sepúlveda chairs the Subcommittee on Transition

resources they need to succeed in order to best

Services, and sits on the Aging, Agriculture, Banks,

educate our younger generation. This includes

CARRIE WOERNER

Correction and Housing committees.

adequate funding for both Pre-K-12 and higher

Agritourism.

education.

ANGELA WOZNIAK

MICHAEL SIMANOWITZ Education policy has gained media attention in

JIM TEDISCO

recent years, and for good reason. With the

My top priority will be helping to create an economic

controversies surrounding the conversation, the

environment in New York for enhancing job creation

KEITH WRIGHT

well-being of our students is often overlooked.

and provide relief for overburdened property

Like Harlem and its residents, my policy priorities are

taxpayers.

diverse and complex. In addition to housing issues and

Prioritizing the education of our children begins with

Ethics reform and term limits.

social justice, I’ll certainly be looking at ways to reinvest

proper funding. I will fight to secure funds through a renewed Education Tax Credit initiative and my

CLAUDIA TENNEY

in our youth by fighting for their right to a sound, basic

legislative proposals to hire new teachers’ aides and

Ethics reform.

education and getting guns off our streets, provide long-term solutions to homelessness and bring living

expand our TAP program for CUNY students.

FRED THIELE JO ANNE SIMON *

wage jobs to my community.

Long Island water quality.

KENNETH ZEBROWSKI

POLICY FOCUS: The intersection of land use, transportation, environment, health and education

MATTHEW TITONE

It is difficult to label any issue as the most important, as

and disability issues.

The budget.

we must be able to address a multitude of issues in every year. Also, important issues in our individual

ARAVELLAS SIMOTAS

MICHELE TITUS *

The passage and enactment of my Rape-is-Rape

ON THE MINIMUM WAGE: Although New York’s

legislation remains one of my top legislative priorities.

unemployment rate has steadily improved, the

It is time for our penal code to accurately reflect what

reality is that workers will accept opportunity

should have been clear all along: unwanted sex is

wherever it becomes available. In the post-recession

rape, regardless of how our antiquated legal system

era, it is our duty to ensure that these men and

currently defines it.

women are not forced to subsidize the cost of doing

districts do not always match the front page of the newspapers. Two important issues that I plan on combating are the proliferation of illegal housing and unsafe buildings that are threatening Rockland County.

NYSlant.com

O Nick Powell New York Slant Editor

ne thing I’ve learned during my brief tenure as opinion editor for City & State is that anybody can throw their political hot take in print, online or on social media without consequence or consideration to differing perspectives. On certain media platforms, simply tagging one’s thoughts with the “op-ed” header has become a license for just about anyone to brand themselves as an expert or “thought leader.”

With the launch of New York Slant, City & State’s brand-new platform dedicated to opinion and analysis content, our primary goal will be to buck the trend of simply adding to the chorus of voices opining on the daily news cycle. City & State has built its reputation on being an insider’s source for political news, and Slant will continue in that vein, bringing unique voices to the fore, and providing an informed perspective.

I am very excited to be a part of this new venture, and look forward to Slant becoming an integral part of the political media landscape.

C o nt e nt s re’s TOM an Urban Futu th ─ Center for ÁLEZ-RIVERA wi CHRISTIAN GONZ d an RD IA 16 LL HI als for 20 policy propos six economic

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the real ES reveals ─ EDDIE BORG asio Bl d de tween Cuomo an difference be

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CityAndStateNY.com

6 ideas for expanding economic opportunity in 2016

By Tom Hilliard and Christian González-Rivera

In recent months, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has taken a number of bold policy steps to expand economic opportunity for New Yorkers, from dramatically raising the minimum wage for fast-food workers and public sector employees to pardoning thousands of people convicted of nonviolent crimes as teenagers whose ex-offender status has limited their ability to get decent-paying jobs.

In 2016, as the governor looks to build on the impressive start to his opportunity agenda, he should make job training and higher education a key focus in an effort to boost a large number of low-income New Yorkers into the middle class. The Center for an Urban Future has laid out six concrete policy ideas that the governor and the Legislature could take in 2016 to expand and improve skills building in New York.

INCREASE REDC INVESTMENTS IN JOB TRAINING New York’s Regional Economic Development Councils have been the cornerstones of Gov. Cuomo’s job creation strategy since their creation in 2011. While there is much to applaud about this new bottom-up approach to economic development, the 10 REDCs have not made significant investments in job training and workforce development.

Although one of the explicit mandates of the REDCs is to “train the workforce of today and tomorrow,” only a little over 1 percent (about $7.8 million) of the $710 million in funds the state

made available in 2014 went to job training. This is too little.

Gov. Cuomo, officials at Empire State Development and legislative leaders should set a goal of setting aside at least 10 percent of the dollars awarded to each regional council for investment in workforce development partnerships and initiatives. To maximize the effectiveness of these workforce development dollars, the state should consider directing the funds to support regionwide industry partnerships aligned to the sectors that the regional councils have targeted for investment.

EXPAND TAP TO MEET THE NEEDS OF NONTRADITIONAL STUDENTS In New York, the share of students attending SUNY and CUNY community colleges on a part-time basis has jumped from 32 percent to 42 percent since 1980. Yet the way New York allocates financial aid is stuck in the 1950s.

In 2013, for example, fewer than 1 percent of the nearly 150,000 part-time students enrolled at the state’s public community colleges received financial aid through the state’s Tuition Assistance Program. As a result, tens of thousands of poor and working poor New Yorkers who can only afford to study on a parttime basis are struggling to afford school long enough to earn a credential.

This year, Gov. Cuomo and the Legislature should make it a priority to amend the TAP so that it does more to help the thousands of nontraditional college students succeed and

graduate with a marketable degree. Two changes should be made as soon as possible: expand part-time students’ eligibility, and extend the program from a traditional calendar of fall and spring semesters to a year-round calendar to account for the fact that a majority of today’s college students are nontraditional – i.e. attending a two-year college, or working full-time while attending classes.

enacted Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act restructures federal funding for adult education. The governor and Legislature should establish a task force on adult literacy whose goal would be to propose a new structure for EPE that connects the adult literacy field to postsecondary education, workforce development and economic development.

Second, the state should commit to enacting that structure with a substantial boost in funding and a promise of regular cost-of-living increases over time.

OVERHAUL ADULT LITERACY FUNDING IN NEW YORK STATE With 1.7 million adults in New York lacking a high school diploma, the state’s policymakers need to make a bold new commitment to strengthening the state’s lackluster adult education system. New York funds adult literacy services through several programs, most importantly the Employment Preparation Education program. That program, to put it bluntly, is a mess.

Program funding has not been increased since 1995, even though the number of adult New Yorkers with limited basic literacy skills – and the number of immigrants with limited English proficiency – has skyrocketed over the past two decades. In addition to more funding, EPE needs a wholesale makeover. The program uses an antiquated funding structure, provides noncompetitive monopolies to school districts in each county and, worst of all, discourages innovation to meet the needs of its clients.

There is a unique opportunity now to improve the situation. The recently

MAKE HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY TESTING MORE ACCESSIBLE AND MEANINGFUL New York has long had one of the lowest high school equivalency pass rates in the nation, a major problem since companies in nearly every industry today require a high school credential.

But the state’s high school equivalency exam has only gotten more difficult to pass in recent years. In 2014, New York state switched from the General Education Diploma to a new, more rigorous high school equivalency test, known as the Test Assessing Secondary Completion.

The new exam is moving to computer-based testing, and to the same Common Core State Standards being implemented in the K-12 system. Unlike the Common Core transition that’s taken place in public schools across the state, however, the transition to the new equivalency test has been severely underresourced.

NYSlant.com

There are three things state officials should do in 2016 to improve the state’s high school equivalency system.

First, the state should provide at least temporary assistance for professional development to strengthen the capacity of adult education teachers to align their instruction with Common Core standards. Second, the governor and Legislature should provide funds that enable test providers to purchase computers for use in test administration.

Computer-based tests provide instant diagnostic feedback to testers, not only on whether they passed, but where they need more instruction.

Furthermore, classrooms equipped with computers for TASC testing can double as instructional spaces for teaching computer literacy.

Finally, the state should support higher test administration fees to encourage nonprofit organizations to expand their participation in the TASC. Currently, the fee paid to test providers is a rock-bottom $25 per test, a level that falls short of the staffing and administrative resources the providers need to register test-takers and administer the test.

In fact, the reimbursement rate is so low that a large test provider in the Bronx is planning to exit the program later this year.

CREATE ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR HOME HEALTH AIDES Home health aides are one of New York’s fastest-growing occupations, but also one of the least desirable. Today, thanks to an aging population, Medicaid and Medicare coverage and clients’ fierce desire to stay out of institutional care, the number of home health aides has more than doubled to 180,000 since 2005. Yet home health aides earn little, and have few prospects for a stable career. Their median

annual wage is $22,050, and even long-serving aides earn little more than minimum wage.

A task force of organizations that includes the New York State Nurses Association, AARP and a number of other key stakeholders has proposed an advanced home health aide title to be recognized in the state’s “scope of practice” regulations. Home health aides with at least one year of experience could undergo rigorous training and certification to become an advanced aide, who would then work under the supervision of a registered nurse. The nurse would assign an additional set of eligible “advanced” tasks, such as administering pre-packaged routine medications.

The advanced aide would earn slightly higher wages and a more equal relationship with other care providers, providing an important career step.

Gov. Cuomo included the proposal in last year’s executive budget, but the bill stalled in the state Senate.

This year, the Senate should take steps to work through any legitimate concerns and enact the bill.

for program administrators themselves to learn how well their programs are doing compared with others.

As a supplement to the law’s passage, the state Department of Labor should take the lead in forming a partnership with an academic institution that has a reputation for excellence in analyzing labor market data.

The Legislature should then fund a research center at the university that would serve as the state’s clearinghouse for wage data. Housing the clearinghouse at a university would allow the state to benefit from the expertise of academics in conducting important research while

Our Slant

NICK POWELL OPINION EDITOR

ESTABLISH A STATEWIDE KNOWLEDGE CENTER AND CLEARINGHOUSE FOR WORKFORCE DATA In late 2013, the state Legislature took a big step in the right direction by passing a law that allows colleges and public workforce programs to access the earnings and employment information of people who complete their programs.

For the first time, this enables them – and the state and local officials who fund these programs – to see how their graduates are doing in the labor market in the long term. If used correctly, this information would allow policymakers and the public to determine which programs are providing the best outcomes for their participants, and

31

keeping the data protected.

In addition, a universitybased clearinghouse would have greater capacity to leverage state dollars with philanthropic dollars dedicated to evaluation of workforce programs.

Tom Hilliard and Christian González-Rivera are senior researchers at the Center for an Urban Future. A longer version of this op-ed can be found at nycfuture.org.

Anyone who has had the experience of traveling through the seventh gate of hell that is Penn Station knows that the transit hub is long overdue for an upgrade. And so Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced a plan to revive the long-stalled Moynihan Station project – now inexplicably dubbed the Empire Station Complex – which would require relocating Amtrak’s waiting area at Penn across Eighth Avenue into a train hall.

The governor announced the broad sketches of the plan alongside a man once thought to be one of the main impediments to breaking ground on 33rd and Eighth: Cablevision and Madison Square Garden Chairman James Dolan.

How Cuomo sweet-talked Dolan into acquiescing to this plan will likely remain a mystery. The Dolans already helped kill a previous Moynihan Station plan. But heck, since Dolan is in such a generous mood, maybe Cuomo can convince him to give back the $49 million he skirted in property taxes this past fiscal year alone, thanks an indefensible exemption that has run for the last 33 years.

Alas, money talks. Cablevision and its holdings have contributed $250,000 to Cuomo’s campaign coffers over the past five years, with an additional $85,000 from the Dolan family.

It’s not a stretch to say that their generous donations might have something to do with the Dolans’ unchallenged legalized property tax delinquency. Cuomo himself has previously said he has “not heard an argument that’s convincing for eliminating (the tax break),” and whatever deal Cuomo cut with the Dolans on the Empire Station likely precludes its expiration. And while Penn Station commuters will likely kiss the governor’s feet, the 8.5 million New Yorkers deprived of their deserved tax revenue get the short end of the stick.

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CityAndStateNY.com

The New Year has begun, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo evidently did not make an important resolution: stop announcing huge infrastructure projects without a way to pay for them.

This past week alone, Cuomo unveiled three projects worth billions of dollars, even as nobody knows how to fund last year’s projects. There’s nothing wrong with building infrastructure – in fact, it’s a good thing – but Cuomo has to starting picking his projects wisely, and then put some real cash behind them.

CUOMO STAKES HIS LEGACY ON BIG STUFF YOU CAN TOUCH. Last week, he cited Robert Moses, New York’s mid-century master builder, in saying that “somewhere along the way, we lost our daring.”

The governor said that, like Moses, we have to “think big” and stop it with NIMBY-ism.

It’s true that Moses built some great stuff – but it’s also true that he built some pretty bad stuff, including highways like the Cross-Bronx Expressway, which helped hollow out the Bronx six decades ago.

One marquee project Cuomo

announced represents Moses’ worst impulses. The governor said that he wants to build a car tunnel underneath the Long Island Sound, connecting the island with Connecticut, Westchester or the Bronx.

Such a tunnel would precipitate a lot of, well, NIMBY-ism – but for good reason. In 1964, around the time Moses was finishing the Cross-Bronx, he proposed a bridge over the Long Island Sound, something he said was a “fetish” for him. (Hey, to each his own.)

Nine years later, Gov. Nelson Rockefeller killed the idea. Local residents had for years agitated against a project that, as The New York Times put it, would “overload existing road systems, harm the ecology and the recreational value of (the) Long Island Sound, and destroy the communities in the path of the access roads.”

The residents were right, just as the people who killed the proposed Westway highway project along the Hudson River in Manhattan in the same era were right. We do not solve traffic problems by building more highways; new highways only cause more traffic.

Yes, a tunnel would have

By Nicole Gelinas

less impact on local towns, but it would have some impact.

Think of the access ramps and such that the Lincoln Tunnel, Holland Tunnel and BrooklynBattery Tunnel need. The worst effect, though, would be more cars on local highways and streets already choked with cars.

Moreover, when Moses proposed infrastructure projects, he found ways to pay for them. Building a tunnel under the Sound would cost billions of dollars. But the governor hasn’t yet proposed how to pay for his existing crossing project: the $3.9 billion Tappan Zee Bridge replacement. This week, the governor did the opposite, proposing to freeze and even reduce tolls on the state’s Thruway system for another five years, at a cost of $1 billion.

Cuomo’s tunnel idea would inevitably take away money from something else, perhaps something more useful.

Cuomo’s other major proposal on Tuesday was to build a new, 10-mile track on the Long Island Rail Road. This is actually a good idea. Right now, track constraints mean that the LIRR can run trains only in one direction much of the time, meaning people who would like to take the train have to take a car instead, or wait hours.

THE PROBLEM, OF COURSE, IS MONEY. A new track

would cost well more than $1 billion (anything we do in this state costs at least a billion dollars). Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which would build the project, still has no idea how it’s going to pay for its existing expansion projects, including the $10.2 billion East Side Access project, another LIRR expansion.

One way to fund the new track would be to ask Long Island towns and villages to assess a fee on new apartment

developments along the route.

This would show that Long Island is willing to increase its density, which is the entire point of building anything at all. But here, too, as with the Tappan Zee, expect Cuomo to start building (or at least studying) now and paying later.

It’s a similar tale with Cuomo’s other big project of the week, a new Penn Station.

Like a third LIRR track, overhauling Penn Station is a fine idea – fine enough that we’ve been talking about it for decades. And the governor is at least being specific on a funding source here: He wants the bulk of the $3 billion project to come from private real-estate developers, in exchange for allowing them to build offices and retail at the site. A similar scheme launched 10 years ago hasn’t worked out.

In the meantime, what Penn Station needs most, obviously, is that other tunnel, the one we actually need. New York needs to come up with $5 billion to help build a new tunnel under the Hudson River into Penn Station, and Cuomo hasn’t said where we’ll get that money, either.

The risk in starting lots of new projects without having a way to pay for them is that the governor will force the MTA and the rest of the state to scrimp on old stuff that people don’t see, like replacing subway tracks and signals. Already our subway riders are suffering under record ridership.

A bridge to Connecticut won’t solve that problem.

Nicole Gelinas is a contributing editor to the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal.

Twitter: @nicolegelinas.

PHILIP KAMRASS/OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

On infrastructure, Cuomo has tunnel vision

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CityAndStateNY.com

Cuomo and de Blasio can’t change their DNA

By Eddie Borges

him and ran his campaign for governor, was his father’s top adviser, and followed his footsteps to become elected governor himself.

Even how they were taught to value their given names is another extreme difference between de Blasio and Cuomo.

Mario Cuomo loved to tell the story of how just out of law school he was encouraged to change his name to something more American to be able to land a job at a Manhattan law firm. Instead, he took a job at a firm in Brooklyn.

Warren Wilhelm Jr. has changed his name three times during his lifetime, finally settling, relatively late in his life, on Bill de Blasio.

Andrew Cuomo has forever been, and always will be, Andrew Cuomo.

This simple fact about the names of New York City’s mayor and the governor of New York reveals multitudes about the two men, who on the surface would seem to share a common interest: public service. Yet they are aggressively competing in pursuit of that goal in ways that have led them toward a cold and calculating, takeno-prisoners feud.

And as we count down to their respective State of the State and State of the City addresses, we see something else: that Andrew Cuomo is the New York native who visibly thrives in and enjoys this blood sport, because getting power, using it and holding onto it is a game we learn growing up in central Queens, the way Pete Hamill told us that kids in Brooklyn once used to learn to play stickball on the streets with pink Spaldeens.

The core differences between Cuomo and de Blasio begin with their relationships with their fathers.

Warren Wilhelm Jr.’s

evolution to Bill de Blasio started as a way to sever a painful connection with his patrician father, who graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Yale, and whose own father graduated from Harvard. De Blasio himself has revealed that his father struggled to cope with the trauma he experienced as a veteran of World War II, where he fought at the Battle of Okinawa.

That battle scarred a lot of GIs for life, including my own dad. De Blasio’s father abandoned his family when he was seven and committed suicide in 1979. Understanding those circumstances, it’s no surprise that de Blasio embraced his mother’s immigrant family in Boston, where he was raised, and eventually took their name.

In sharp contrast, Andrew Cuomo adored and is proud of his father, Mario, who played professional baseball to help pay for college and for an engagement ring for the woman who would become his wife. There were no Ivy League castles in their history, just a shop in South Jamaica, Queens. Few men have been as close to their father as Andrew Cuomo was to his.

Andrew roomed with Mario when his father was New York’s secretary of state and he was in law school, plotted with

HE WAS EQUALLY, FIERCELY, PROUD OF HIS ETHNIC QUEENS IDENTITY.

When I was an Albany correspondent for the New York Daily News, he once overheard me identify myself to someone I had just met as Edward. From across the room, he yelled, with a huge grin on his face, “He’s Eddie Borges from Jamaica, Queens.”

Only as I wrote that sentence did I understand for the first time the lesson about identity that Mario Cuomo was taking the time to impart to me, a lesson he clearly taught to his own children.

Among the other things the Cuomos learned is how to target political campaigns, how to win, to call for votes in meetings only when you’re sure of the count, and that it’s a good thing to lose a couple of elections before you win the big one so that you understand hubris in a way that will stick with you for life.

De Blasio might have avoided a lot of embarrassment last month if he had learned that lesson about knowing the count before calling for a vote on his affordable housing plan.

Mario Cuomo also taught his son to love his work.

He could rarely be wrenched free of his office at the Capitol or his study in the governor’s mansion on Eagle

Street in Albany, rarely leaving the state where he was born, raised, worked and died, for overnight visits.

He liked to wake up in his own bed and fall asleep there at night. His son adheres to the same philosophy.

Except for one 24-hour trip to Los Angeles and another to Washington, D.C., and day trips to visit his twin daughters in boarding school in Massachusetts, Andrew Cuomo hardly left New York in his first term. It was only in year four of his first term that he finally left the nation’s borders to take the obligatory trip to Israel in an election year, and later to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. All three trips had a clear New Yorkcentric angle, given that the respective ethnicities make up a significant portion of the state’s population.

De Blasio has taken more trips out of state and out of the country, and used more vacation time, than any mayor in recent history – almost always at taxpayer expense, including six months into the job, when he hired a chauffeured Mercedes-Benz to drive his family around Italy. Indeed, he took more trips out of state in the first quarter of his first term than Andrew Cuomo took his first year in office.

And while de Blasio has had a testy relationship with the media, Andrew Cuomo loves talking to reporters, just like his father – when a reporter’s telephone rings, it could be the governor, just calling to tease and torment you or share the political gossip of the day.

Too bad de Blasio never learned to play and enjoy the game. It’s clearly not coded in the original Warren Wilhelm Jr.’s DNA, which he can never change as easily as he changed his name.

Eddie Borges is directing a documentary about Mexican and Puerto Rican childhood poverty in New York City.

PHILIP KAMRASS/OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

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Special election to replace Skelos will be a duel of competing narratives

By Bruce Gyory

Lynch’s public corruption unit from the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District (e.g., the lead trial lawyer on the Pedro Espada conviction).

The Republicans have a more difficult choice in terms of candidate selection. In any other year, Assemblyman Brian Curran from Lynbrook would be a strong candidate to bond independent voters to the GOP’s base vote, but last year’s D.A. race should give the party pause. Kate Murray was a popular town supervisor, but as a product of the GOP machine she had no standing or experience in battling corruption in the eyes of voters. Whether Curran can fit the contours required for this campaign remains an open question.

Political scandals have a tendency to turn special elections in New York state into significant political turning points.

The vacancy that Dean Skelos’ corruption conviction created in Nassau County’s 9th District state Senate seat has spawned another of these talisman special elections in 2016. The outcome will pivot less on the mechanics and logistics of campaign techniques than on which prospective candidate crafts a compelling narrative.

Let’s parse the particulars of this looming rumble from Rockville Centre.

There will be no actual registration advantage in this special election. Among the district’s nearly 230,000 registered voters, 41 percent are Democrats, 34 percent are Republicans and 25 percent are unaffiliated (i.e., what we call independents) or members of third parties.

As turnout drops in a special election versus a presidential election there likely will be partisan parity (erasing Democrats’ 7 percent registration edge).

Consequently, the winner of this special election will have to carry independents.

In recent years Nassau’s independent voters have gravitated sharply toward the Republicans. That trend held true from 2009 through 2014, but in last year’s county district attorney race independents shifted decisively away from the GOP standard bearer, Kate Murray, toward Democrat Madeline Singas on the issue of fighting corruption.

Therefore, if the corruption issue does not end with Skelos’ conviction but leaches into the guts of the Nassau County GOP, especially given the rumors surrounding Deputy County Executive Rob Walker and County Executive Ed Mangano, the Democrats have an opening with independents.

THE DEMOCRATS HAVE A CENTRAL CASTING ANTICORRUPTION CANDIDATE in Long Beach Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky. Kaminsky was a productive leader in Loretta

THE STAKES ARE HIGH FOR THE REPUBLICANS. The Senate Republican Campaign Committee is not only well funded, it also has a strong recent track record of winning tough races, especially on Long Island. The SRCC has also proved highly effective in nurturing narrative campaigns (including last year’s special election for Tom Libous’ seat won by Fred Akshar in a complete blowout).

The Senate Republican leader, John Flanagan, is from Suffolk and knows full well that holding all nine Long Island Senate seats is the keystone for Republicans maintaining their Senate majority.

Given the changing demographics of this district in terms of registration, racial and ethnic diversity (just under a quarter of the district is black and Hispanic and just over 5 percent of the district are Asians, according to the Census) with an active and growing Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish community, not to mention

the high levels of highly educated, often affluent voters, mixed in with blue collar communities, different issues will cut different ways. The candidates must choose wisely to win votes.

My hunch is that in this district as many and probably more Democrats will vote in their presidential primary than Republicans, even if the Democratic race is largely over.

In recent years, it is upstate Republicans who flock to the polls in statewide primaries, not downstate Republicans.

This special election will come down to a battle of competing narratives.

The Republicans will frame it as a run against liberal New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, while the Democrats will run against the stench of corruption looming over Nassau’s GOP machine. The message discipline that worked so effectively in Singas’ landslide D.A. win could be in play here.

Which narrative takes hold with voters will prove determinative.

Turnout will indeed be a huge factor in the outcome.

But not all special elections are boring, low-turnout affairs. Sometimes the hot spotlight from the media lights a fire, as happened in past special elections to Rep. Robert Garcia, Assemblymen Charles Ronald Johnson and Eliot Engel, state Sens. Craig Johnson and Darrel Aubertine and Rep. Kathy Hochul, as each won races the early handicapping had deemed longshots.

I would not place a bet on this special election until the potency of the candidates’ narratives can be measured. Therefore, the late betting on the outcome will be the smart money.

Bruce Gyory is a political and strategic consultant at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP and an adjunct professor of political science at SUNY Albany.

ARMAN DZIDZOVIC

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Who will unify an evolving Uptown?

ANY POLITICAL CONSULTA N T WORTH THEIR SALT WILL TELL YOU winning elections in

such a diverse district is largely about identifying and turning out specific voting blocs that affiliate with the ethnicity of

BUT O PP O R T U NITIE S FOR A DIFFERENT APPROACH ARE BEGINNING TO EMERGE. As district their

candidates.

populations become more fluid and diversified, candidates with messages of unification that attempt to resonate across wide swaths of potential voters will become inevitable, as will a similar approach to representation once they are elected.

Frontrunners in the 13th District race like Espaillat and Harlem Assemblyman Keith Wright have seen their pathways made more difficult by recent entrants into the race, such as Washington Heights Assemblyman Guillermo Linares, who will siphon off votes from Espaillat’s Dominican base, and Harlem state Sen. Bill Perkins, who shares a base with Wright.

There are currently four black candidates running (Wright, Perkins, former Clinton and Obama administration ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook and former Democratic National Committee Political Director Clyde Williams), two DominicanAmerican candidates (Espaillat and Linares) and Adam Clayton Powell IV, the former East Harlem assemblyman – and son of Rangel’s predecessor – whose Puerto Rican heritage may prove an advantage in differentiating him from the field.

There is one white candidate, Mike Gallagher, who lives in Hudson Heights, a vote-heavy enclave of Washington Heights, which owes its higher proportion of white residents less to gentrification and more to many residents and their descendants who remained amid decades of demographic shifts.

There will be several opportunities for electoral

State Sen. Adriano Espaillat

Assemblyman Keith Wright

transcendence. A candidate like Cook, the only woman in the race, could make a successful run by speaking to women’s issues that cut across ethnicities. Espaillat will look to evolve into a candidate who is identified more by a message of unity, reform and pragmatic change and less by the call to Dominican loyalty that defined his previous campaigns. Wright will attempt to convert support from Rangel into votes by reaching out to Latinos and whites the congressman remains popular with.

The Spanish-speaking Powell will look to unite a Manhattan and Bronx coalition of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and older black voters who still hold a strong affinity for his father. Perkins and Linares can cast themselves as independent unifiers in a time of change.

Since the winner of this race likely will arise from the Democratic primary, fundraising and spending are not necessarily the main keys to victory. Money helps raise a candidate’s name recognition, define their issues and turn out voters. But few voting blocs will be up for grabs.

Many residents already know who they will vote for.

The aspirants will need to strike a balance between turning out their bases and leaving their comfort zones to convince small pockets of undecided voters they are not used to communicating with

to support them. Creative, disciplined messaging and effective delivery are critical to success.

FURTHER, IT WILL BE DIFFICULT FOR CANDIDATES TO DIF F E R E N TIAT E THEMSELVES ON SPECIFICS. Most

will have similar platforms on voter concerns like housing, health care and gun control, and most have solid governmental experience as state legislators or federal officials. Therefore, this will become a personalitydriven race, a factor that always benefited gifted retail politicians like Rangel.

Public appearances, debates and street campaigning will go far toward determining the victor.

The winner of the 13th District race will be decided in some part by how effectively candidates can turn out voters they most identify with, but in large part by what they convey to a greater universe of voters across a broad demographic spectrum.

Michael Oliva is a political and media strategist. Follow him on Twitter @olivamichael.

ADRIANO ESPAILLAT VIA FACEBOOK / A KATZ

New York’s 13th Congressional District, which encompasses most of upper Manhattan and portions of the Bronx, is beginning to exemplify an emerging predicament for modern-day candidates, political consultants, voters, constituents and elected officials alike.

Depending on whom you ask, U.S. Rep Charles Rangel is viewed as either a veritable institution with a strong legacy of accomplishments or the epitome of transactional backroom politics.

Like his predecessor, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Rangel crystallized the identity of Harlem as a national political and cultural power base for African-Americans for decades. Narrow re-election victories in his past two races over state Sen. Adriano Espaillat have kept his legacy alive. Since Rangel will not run for re-election, several candidates will join Espaillat in vying for the open seat in the June Democratic primary, which, by virtue of likely token Republican opposition, will determine the general election winner.

The current composition of the now-majority Latino 13th District has become a symbol of the complications precipitated by constantly evolving demographic shifts in urban neighborhoods. As a result, we are beginning to see changes in the approach of black and Latino candidates and legislators from knee-jerk opposition to gentrification to a more inclusive approach to its actualization. As the realization of changing demographics becomes ever more evident to voters, messaging on local economic development, homeownership and how longtime residents can benefit from embracing inclusiveness will eventually eclipse decades of protectionist rhetoric.

By Michael Oliva

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Reform in Albany must start with Legislative leaders EVERYTHING” WIRETAPPED CONVERSATION WITH HIS SON? The leaders control committee assignments, agendas, what gets to the floor, budget handouts – in short, everything in their respective houses.

Let’s not forget the cries last session to close the LLC loophole, which allows unlimited campaign contributions from wealthy donors (like Silver co-conspirator and New York City billionaire Leonard Litwin) to flow to politicians and political campaigns.

Many legislators will be glad to see the end of 2015, which will be remembered for two of New York state’s most powerful leaders, former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, becoming convicted felons.

Through the Skelos and Silver trials we witnessed, in excruciating detail at times, what was passed off as the “normal” way business is conducted in Albany. It’s time for “politics as usual” to change.

One thing I realized during my time as a state senator: If people don’t agree there’s a problem, they will never agree on a solution.

Folks, we have a problem.

Our government focuses its priorities on the needs of the wealthy and well connected to keep money flowing into campaign coffers.

Any solutions to address this systemic problem must start with the leaders of the Senate and Assembly, as well as Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Their grip on power has only continued the pay-to-play system, despite their calls for reforms.

Where to begin? There are calls for closure of the so-called LLC loophole, a full-time Legislature, strict caps or outright banning

of outside income, changes to campaign finance laws, stripping convicted public officials of their pension, term limits for members and leadership – all issues that should be discussed and debated. But changing these laws will take time.

However, there is something that state leadership can accomplish on day one of the new legislative session: change the rules of the Senate and Assembly and let democracy work.

New Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan insists that he is “determined to work with my fellow legislators to swiftly and completely restore the public trust.”

He can start by changing the Senate rules to strengthen the role of rank-and-file members. And he must adhere to these rules, instead of ignoring them to avoid potentially embarrassing votes as his predecessor did.

Why does this matter? The Skelos and Silver trials demonstrated how the leaders in each house had amassed so much power that they controlled every step of the legislative process.

REMEMBER SKELOS’ NOW-FAMOUS “I CONTROL

THE LLC LOOPHOLE DOES NOTHING BUT PROVIDE A VEHICLE FOR BRIBERY.

When a minority member in the Senate demanded a vote on the LLC loophole, Senate Republicans thwarted it.

Every Republican senator on the Elections Committee, including newbie Sens. Rich Funke, Kathleen Marchione and George Amedore, ignored the Senate rules they voted for and kicked the bill to another committee as if they were playing a game of “hot potato.”

It doesn’t look much better in the Assembly, where Silver ruled for more than 20 years with an iron fist, punishing members who stepped out of line and rewarding those close to him. After promising to make changes to empower more of the rank-andfile members, new Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie set up a working group to come up with changes. The group includes no minority members, has held zero public meetings and missed its self-imposed December deadline.

Many other procedural changes and ethics reforms should be made in the name of greater transparency and public integrity. The public

By Cecilia Tkaczyk

needs to see real change and strong sunlight to make it harder for behind-the-scenes shenanigans to take place.

Here are just a few, for starters: • Set an example and give back the ill-gotten money from Leonard Litwin of Glenwood Management, who was named as a co-conspirator in the Skelos and Silver bribery and corruption trials.

• Ensure that the first meeting of the Corporations Committee includes the bill to close the LLC loophole and bring it to the floor for a vote. If that does not happen, Gov. Cuomo should call a special session and force the bill onto the floor of the Senate for a vote.

• Allow bills with a majority of members as sponsors to be brought to the floor for a vote rather than getting gummed up in a committee.

• Provide information to the public on who is lobbying for and against bills, what contributions have been made and who has received those contributions.

• End late night or overnight sessions.

• End the “three (or four) men in a room” budget talks by including the leaders of the minority parties in the Senate and Assembly.

• Provide all members with equitable budgets for staffing instead of favoring those in the majority.

We agree that the way Albany functions is an embarrassment and something must be done to restore the public trust. Actions speak louder than words. We are waiting.

Cecilia Tkaczyk is a former New York state senator for the 46th District.

KEVIN P. COUGHLIN / OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

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NYSlant.com

State GOP will look to build on significant 2015 victories

41

By Evan Siegfried

of fellow billionaire Donald Trump in the presidential

BUT THE “CATS MAN” MIGHT INADVERTENTLY HELP DEMOCRATS by

DAN DONOVAN VIA FACEBOOK

race,

On the surface, 2015 wasn’t a particularly big year in New York politics. It was, however, a banner year for the New York state Republican Party. While the state’s most prominent Democrats, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, were embroiled in petty squabbles, the state GOP expanded, thrived and demonstrated unity.

First, the GOP held the seat of disgraced former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm in a May special election. Dan Donovan did everything required of a candidate, while Democrats struggled to find a viable candidate. Former U.S. Rep. Michael McMahon and Assembly members William Colton and Michael Cusick all flirted with the idea of a run and were courted by party leaders, but ultimately declined, leaving New York City Councilman Vincent Gentile as the last man standing.

When it was clear that Gentile struggled to make headway among Staten Island voters, the national Democratic Party and its supportive elements quickly gave up on the race and surrendered the seat.

Meanwhile, the GOP made sure to clear the field for

Donovan and the national party structure provided support wherever it was needed. Voters in New York’s 11th Congressional District overwhelmingly rejected Gentile, electing Donovan with almost 60 percent of the vote.

REPUBLICANS BUILT UPON THIS MOMENTUM OVER THE SUMMER, seeking

to challenge Democrats in their upstate strongholds.

The move was an aggressive one by state GOP Chairman Ed Cox, who carefully steered the party apparatus to victory in November, including GOP upsets in Binghamton, Syracuse, Elmira, Amsterdam, Oswego, Rome and Clarkstown.

Not every race was a winning one, as first-time candidate Joan Illuzzi lost her special election bid to replace Donovan as Staten Island district attorney.

From the start of the race, conventional wisdom had it that McMahon would utterly obliterate Illuzzi, especially if he managed to take the Conservative Party ballot line. Still, Illuzzi managed an unprecedented and impressive win, stealing

the Conservative Party’s nomination as a write-in candidate, and exceeded Election Day expectations by coming within a few thousand votes of an upset.

In contrast, Democrats were unable to avoid nasty public infighting – the Cuomo and de Blasio Shakespearean drama was on full display – and did not perform well at the polls or even in recruiting candidates.

2015 was certainly a terrible year for de Blasio.

His Reign of Error has given New Yorkers a case of buyer’s remorse, a sentiment that should bode well for 2017 challengers, but no credible contender for the GOP mayoral nomination has emerged.

It is clear that billionaire supermarket magnate John Catsimatidis would like to be mayor and is positioning himself for a potential second run. However, his candidacy is not viewed as remotely serious, especially after his hapless bid in 2013 and his big donations to Democrats – including to de Blasio in 2014 when the mayor got behind a major Democratic push to seize control of the state Senate.

Sure, Catsimatidis might be inspired by the early success

making New Yorkers think the GOP is some sort of sideshow attraction and not a serious party in the five boroughs.

The announced retirement of U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson signals an interest in his running statewide in an upcoming election. He has made the right moves for it. Recognizing that at the end of the day all politics are local, Gibson has spent significant time boosting local Republican clubs and increasing his visibility.

Many expect him to run for governor in 2018, but a far stronger option for him and the rest of the New York GOP would be if he challenged incumbent U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in that cycle.

Imagine how Gibson and Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino would complement and bolster one another’s campaigns if the former challenged Gillibrand and the latter took on Cuomo in 2018? Republicans have not had such a strong set of candidates in several years.

With big wins in 2015, the New York Republican Party had a strong year. If it can build on its successes of the year, maintain its party unity and continue to grow, 2016 could be an even better sequel.

Evan Siegfried, a Republican strategist, is president of Somm Consulting, a public affairs firm based in New York City. He can be followed on Twitter @evansiegfried.

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CityAndStateNY.com

ACTOR TAKES ACTION A Q&A with JAMES CROMWELL

City & State: Why are you opposing this power plant?

James Cromwell: It affects not only my community and where I live in Warwick, but it also affects the health and well-being of the people of Orange County and to some degree, the people of the state of New York and the entire country and the entire world. It will be an emitter of millions of tons of CO2 gas along with methane and ultrafine particulate matter. The whole process, from the production of the fracked gas in Pennsylvania to its end-use – in this particular instance at the power plant – is fraught with the possibility of disaster and endangerment of local people.

There was a long struggle in New York to raise awareness and to bring pressure to bear on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to ban fracking. It was successful because the movement was incredibly well-organized and supported but also because of some politics up in Albany. But they left out the use of fracked gas. It doesn’t make any sense to me or to anybody in this community why you would ban fracking and then turn around and use the product of fracking to run a power plant in New

York with all the attendant downside of the fracking process to produce electricity that we, in the state of New York, do not need because we have a surplus. Knowing that this electricity will go on the national grid, it will be on the national or regional market, not for us. In other words, sticking the local community here with all the downside and providing all the people who frack the gas and transport the gas in the pipeline with a profit.

C&S: So you’re saying New York state is being hypocritical by banning fracking but allowing the use of fracked gas in the state?

JC: It is hypocritical, but you have to look at the money. It allows a number of plays to exist. Supposedly it’ll allow the closing down of Indian Point (nuclear power plant).

Whether that’s true or not and whether somebody who happens to be the governor of New York has an investment interest in repurposing that property, I don’t know. But there’s always money involved.

(Competitive Power Ventures, the company that will own the plant) is one of the main contributors to Gov. Cuomo and to many elected officials in New York. They do it

locally. The state transferred the responsibility of the licensing of this plant from a state organization to the town council of Wawayanda, who have zero experience and who are incredibly susceptible to being bribed by having a $9 million construction project plopped into their lap. Of course they leave out all the downside, which is if anything goes wrong, if it has to be decommissioned, if there happens to be a release of methane like there is right now in California, the people who get stuck with it are the local townspeople and the people of the Hudson Valley and the people of New York. It’s always money. It’s not just hypocrisy. Somebody got in there and made them a better offer.

C&S: You’re so involved with radical politics, but many of your characters are very much a part of

the establishment. You’ve played George Bush, Andrew Mellon, an NYPD captain, Prince Phillip – is it odd for you to play them when you personally don’t buy into that system?

JC: It’s interesting, nobody thought of me for any of those parts until “Babe,” where I received an Academy Award nomination as a pig farmer. The film that came out directly after “Babe,” I played Dudley Smith in “L.A. Confidential,” this incredibly corrupt cop. And I think Hollywood couldn’t find out “who is he? Is he a blue-collar farmer or is he this white-collar corrupt cop?”

And since they couldn’t find out what part, they stuck me right in the middle playing presidents, bankers, lawyers, etc.

For the full interview with Cromwell, visit cityandstateny.com.

DFREE / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

James Cromwell’s most famous line came in his Academy Award-nominated turn as the farmer in “Babe” where he let his ambitious pig know, “That’ll do.” The pig, of course, didn’t settle and returned for another movie. Cromwell isn’t one to settle, either, winning his first Emmy for “American Horror Story: Asylum” in 2013 after almost 40 years as a character actor.

Cromwell doesn’t shy away from off-screen drama.

He has been an activist his whole life, marching on Washington against the Vietnam War and most recently getting arrested on disorderly conduct charges blocking the entrance to a natural gas power plant under construction in Wawayanda, Orange County.

City & State’s Jeff Coltin spoke with Cromwell about his opposition to the plant, money in politics and acting out of character.

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