City & State New York 021720 by City & State

HOW BLOOMBERG IS WINNING OVER BLACK VOTERS

THE BATTLE OVER BAIL REFORM

THE EDUCATION 100 CIT YANDSTATENY.COM

@CIT YANDSTATENY

February 17, 2020

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE CITY & STATE'S EDUCATION POWER 100!

February 17, 2020

City & State New York

CELESTE SLOMAN; RBLFMR/SHUTTERSTOCK

EDITOR’S NOTE

JON LENTZ Editor-in-chief

THE LAST TIME DEMOCRATS took over the state Senate, it didn’t last long. The party won a narrow majority in 2008, gaining full control of Albany for the first time in decades. Yet Republicans struck back, first through a short-lived coup, then on policy. In 2010, two Long Island Democratic senators – Craig Johnson and Brian Foley – who had flipped key Republican seats were defeated, their losses attributed to a Metropolitan Transportation Authority payroll tax that was unpopular in the suburbs. This year, state Senate Minority Leader John Flanagan is making a similar case by attacking the new state bail law as a threat to public safety. And Democrats – on Long Island and elsewhere – are getting nervous. Of course, the analogy only goes so far. Last time around, Senate Democrats were led by downstate lawmakers Malcolm Smith and John Sampson, who both ended up behind bars. The current leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, hails from the suburbs, and has sought to balance the needs of different regions – including recent calls to amend the bail law. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has a tight grip on the state’s policy agenda, also wants it revised. Finally, Senate Democrats have a comfortable majority this year, and could weather a few losses. In this week’s magazine, we look more closely at the politics of bail – and how it all might shake out.

CONTENTS MIKE BLOOMBERG ... 8

Why he’s winning over black voters

BAIL REFORM … 10 The issue is turning the state Senate against the Assembly. THE SPIKE IN CRIME … 14

An honest look at the NYC numbers

EDUCATION 100 … 18

Putting the “super” in “superintendent”

WINNERS & LOSERS … 42 Who was up and who was down last week

CityAndStateNY.com

February 17, 2020

said there should be “consequences” for the tweet.

REFORMING BAIL (AGAIN)

POLICE UNION DECLARES “WAR”

A man went on a shooting rampage a week ago targeting New York City Police Department officers in two separate attacks. No one died, but three officers were injured in what NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea called an “assassination attempt.” The attack set off a renewed debate over policing in New York City and anti-police rhetoric. Both Shea and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio

in part blamed a recent large protest against the increased police presence in the subways for stoking violence against cops. Sergeants Benevolent Association President Ed Mullins, meanwhile, placed the blame squarely on de Blasio. “Mayor DeBlasio, the members of the NYPD are declaring war on you!” the union tweeted. Shea later condemned the remark and defended de Blasio, who has long had a rocky relationship with the police, and the mayor

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins announced a new proposal to amend the state’s newly enacted bail law, which has been widely criticized. Her legislation, crafted by a group of eight senators that included three from the suburbs, would eliminate bail completely. But it adds more offenses that a judge could detain someone for, and gives judges greater discretion in determining whether to jail someone before trial. Specifically, judges would be able to consider prior criminal records and could jail people she called “persistent offenders.” The proposal was met with immediate backlash by both criminal justice advocates, who decried it as furthering racial biases in the justice system, and many

LAST HURRAH Parting is such sweet sorrow. The sentiment was even more true of beloved subway boss Andy Byford’s impending departure than it was for the retirement of the R-42 subway cars last week. The kismet of both Byford and the R-42 taking their final runs was captured by WNBCTV’s Andrew Siff in a photo of Byford sitting in the old car, looking wistful.

“I don’t need any fake-ass legislators who are allowing fear-mongering to try and go after our people.” – Assemblyman Michael Blake, on Democrats who are supporting the new state Senate proposal that would eliminate cash bail but give judges more discretion to detain defendants, via the New York Post

“Trust me, trust me, it’s going to be a dirty campaign.” – Brooklyn Borough President and mayoral candidate Eric Adams on how ranked-choice voting will impact the 2021 mayoral election, via the Daily News

members of the Assembly, with one calling it “bullshit legislation.” Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie told reporters that it’s still too soon to consider any changes because there’s not enough data about how the current law is working.

BROKER’S FEES ARE BACK ON FOR NOW

New York City renters rejoicing over a new ban on broker’s fees have to put the celebration on hold. A judge issued a temporary restraining order stopping a new state guideline from taking effect until a lawsuit challenging it has been decided. The regulation would have prevented brokers from charging a fee to renters unless the renter hired them. Landlords often hire brokers to help list rental apartments, and they serve as middlemen between landlords and potential renters. The commission the broker collects is generally paid by the renter in the form of an upfront cost before signing the lease, and can cost up to thousands of dollars.

CUOMO MEETS WITH TRUMP OVER TRAVEL PROGRAMS

Gov. Andrew Cuomo was willing to relent slightly on a new state law that

NICK STARICHENKO, A KATZ/SHUTTERSTOCK; ANDREW SIFF/WNBC-TV; STATE SENATE

February 17, 2020

permits immigrants living in the country illegally to obtain driver’s licenses in order to get Trusted Traveler Programs back in New York. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security suspended Global Entry and other expedited travel programs in response to the state law, which denied federal authorities access to records from the state Department of Motor Vehicles. DHS said that federal authorities need that information in order to vet applicants. Cuomo said that he would be willing to grant U.S. Customs and Border Protection access to applicant information, but did not express optimism he would get the suspension lifted, after reports of a memo from DHS that discussed how to retaliate against states that limit federal access to DMV data. As expected, Cuomo walked

City & State New York

Amazon HQ2, one year later

away from the White House empty-handed.

RACE TO REPLACE COLLINS IS ON

Although everyone already knew when it would take place, Cuomo has officially designated April 28 as the date for the special election to replace former Rep. Chris Collins in the 27th Congressional District. The race pits Republican state Sen. Chris Jacobs against Democrat Nate McMurray. Regardless of whether Jacobs wins, a contested Republican primary is still expected in June – although now with one fewer candidate. State Sen. Robert Ortt, who had been considering continuing his campaign after failing to get the party nod for the special election, decided he would instead run for reelection in the state Senate.

One year ago, Amazon pulled out of plans to build a new headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, and the move sent small shockwaves through New York. Here’s what supporters and opponents say went wrong, and how New York can continue to grow into a tech hub without the heartbreak.

What went wrong with the Amazon HQ2 deal?

State Sen. Michael Gianaris, whose nomination to a state panel that could have vetoed the deal has been credited with Amazon’s decision to pull out: Everything. This deal was the leviathan of bad economic development deals – it was negotiated in secret, would have resulted in large-scale gentrification and displacement, and represented a multibillion-dollar giveaway to the richest company in the world. Kathryn Wylde, president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City: The politics went wrong, starting with Amazon’s decision to set up a competition among cities and states for the privilege of hosting HQ2. This reversed government’s appropriate role of setting the terms for businesses to compete for sites and subsidies.

Is New York better or worse off for not having Amazon HQ2?

Julie Samuels, executive director of the technology industry group Tech:NYC: On one hand there’s no question that HQ2 would’ve been a game changer for New York, and that 40,000 jobs, a tidal wave of multiplier effects, plus the birth of a major tech hub in the outer boroughs would’ve altered New York’s history.

THE

WEEK AHEAD

THURSDAY 2/20 New York City Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives J. Phillip Thompson keynotes City & State’s Diversity Summit focused on MWBEs and contracting at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Manhattan.

THURSDAY 2/20 As funding talks heat up in Albany, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 30-day budget amendments are due to be released on the state Division of Budget’s website.

INSIDE DOPE

More than a few budgetary surprises are usually included in the governor’s 30-day amendments. Cuomo could make a move on bail reform with just over a month before the budget deadline.

Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union: The new jobs that would have been in Long Island City would have brought in people from all over the country and driven up housing costs throughout northwest Queens as we’ve seen in Seattle. Jukay Hsu, CEO and founder of the Queens-based tech training program Pursuit: Creating jobs for locals where they live matters. But with Amazon HQ2 in Queens, local residents would have benefited. This would have been catalytic to creating a more inclusive tech community.

If New York is to continue growing into a tech hub, what should be happening now to set it apart from hubs like Silicon Valley and Seattle?

Gianaris: We have to rethink our approach to economic development by prioritizing communities through investments in affordable housing, education and mass transit. Samuels: The key is stakeholder engagement. If everyone – from lawmakers and companies to advocacy groups and individuals – comes together and bargains in good faith, we can create a city where tech growth also means community strength. Appelbaum: Tech companies need and want to be in New York. They will continue coming here. We need to make sure we don’t allow them to remake us in Amazon’s awful image. And the best way to do that is to make sure that communities and workers have real power in the economic development process. – Annie McDonough

FRIDAY 2/21 A “civil service pipeline” to funnel graduating students into the public sector is considered by the state Senate Committee on Civil Service and Pensions, starting at 10 a.m. at 250 Broadway in Manhattan.

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BETTER

February 17, 2020

BLOOMBERG MEMES WHAT IF BLOOMBERG MADE MEMES ... THAT WERE ACTUALLY FUNNY? Michael Bloomberg’s presidential campaign has turned to memes in a thinly veiled attempt to boost awareness among younger voters – the ones too young to remember his three terms as New York City mayor. If you’re not familiar with meme culture, you might question why Bloomberg would want to sponsor self-deprecating posts that don’t paint him in the best light. But memes are irreverent, ironic and make people feel like they’re in on an inside joke – and if they go viral they can reach millions upon millions of people. Regardless of how successful the ads may be, we couldn’t help but notice that they’re kinda lame. That’s why we decided to give Mike a hand and create a couple of actually funny memes, that we’re sure the kids will love.

BY AMANDA LUZ HENNING SANTIAGO

February 17, 2020

City & State New York

A Q&A with state Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner

BASIL SEGGOS You’ve said that this year’s budget proposal is all about climate change. What did you mean by that? The environment and the economy are inextricably linked. You can’t separate the two if you’re planning for the future of New York state. The governor is putting down a $3 billion proposal for an environmental bond act. Over 100 years, we’ve really built the state to a different normal. Our valleys are narrow. The villages are built at low levels next to streams. We’ve wiped out thousands of acres of wetlands around the state and eliminated green spaces in urban areas. The

bond act would seek to address that problem by controlling the amount of water that flows off of the landscape. There would be the planting of wetlands all across the state, reconnecting rivers and streams that have been cut off because of dams or culverts. The dual benefit would be preparing the state for all that incredible runoff we expect to come during the climate-induced storms over the coming years. The bond act is part of a $33 billion commitment over the next five years to spend money on shifting the state away from fossil fuels and into renewables. We’re fast-tracking

offshore wind, onshore wind, installing solar around the state, electric vehicle charging stations and shifting us away from gasoline-based driving transportation systems into something more sustainable. President Donald Trump has been making moves to weaken regulations governing fossil fuel projects. What is the state doing about it? When it comes to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, his proposal is to weaken states’ rights. That isn’t yet fully in effect.

The environment and the economy are inextricably linked. You can’t separate the two.

It’s a pronouncement of the administration and they ultimately have to go through a regulatory process. We’re going to challenge that with many other states. Environmentalists have said that because pipelines transport fossil fuels and that contributes to climate change, which in turn affects water quality, and could be a rationale for blocking such projects. Do you agree? I think it is a legitimate argument. The question is whether or not it would pass legal muster. (What)

we have to think through is the precedent to support what we’re saying. Do we have an opportunity to create new precedent, either good precedent or bad precedent? We did make that argument actually with the denial of the Williams pipeline, which is now in its third go-around. We did make a primarily water quality argument but we also included a placeholder in there for that very recognition that this is a pipeline going through a relatively narrow section of New York Harbor, there are downstream effects to creating a pipeline in New York and ultimately burning natural gas.

Start hiring now on New York’s highest-quality job site! City & State Jobs helps hundreds of job seekers and employers find the right fit every day. JSTONE/SHUTTERSTOCK; DEC

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February 17, 2020

Michael Bloomberg Movin’onup by K A Y D E R V I S H I

Why black voters are turning to the former champion of stop and frisk.

S FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR Michael Bloomberg’s past comments endorsing stop and frisk are finding their way online, new polling shows his presidential campaign is increasingly finding support among black voters. Bloomberg is currently the second-most popular Democratic candidate among black voters, with his support jumping to 22% from 7%, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released on Feb. 10. This corresponds with a significant decrease in black voters backing former Vice President Joe Biden, who is currently beating Bloomberg in black support by 5 percentage points. This trend may seem odd, given that Bloomberg is a former Republican who only won over one-quarter of black voters in his last mayoral campaign. And, while his record of aggressive policing in black and Latino communities may not be widely known outside of New York, recent controversy surrounding a video of a talk Bloomberg gave at the Aspen Institute in 2015 defending that record could lead to the issue having more of an impact. “Ninety-five percent of your murders and murderers and murder victims fit one M.O.,” he said in the video. “You can just take the description and Xerox it and pass it out to all the cops. They are male minorities (ages) 15 to 25.” On Thursday, Bloomberg apologized for those comments, saying, “It’s just not the way that I think, and it doesn’t reflect what I do every day.” He initially apologized for his support of stop and frisk right before the launch of his campaign in November, though he had been defending the practice just 10 months earlier. Additionally, old comments that he made saying the elimination of redlining, a discriminatory practice used by banks to avoid lending to minority communities, led to the 2008 financial crisis have recently resurfaced.

Soon after the video began circulating, Rep. Gregory Meeks, who is the chairman of the Queens Democratic Party, joined two other members of the Congressional Black Caucus to endorse Bloomberg. Another black elected official from New York came out in support on Thursday as well: Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren. Outside of his home state, Bloomberg has racked up endorsements from black elected officials, including Mayors Michael Nutter of Philadelphia, London Breed of San Francisco and Michael Tubbs of Stockton, California, and Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois, who is a former Black Panther. So why are black voters and elected officials backing Bloomberg, despite his history of supporting practices often deemed as racially discriminatory? “I would say that phenomenon exists primarily among older voters, older Af-

rican American voters, who don’t believe that Biden is going to be viable but feel that Mike Bloomberg is a good alternative because he’ll manage government efficiently and productively,” said Basil Smikle, a political consultant who aided Bloomberg on his 2009 mayoral campaign. “They’re not necessarily ideological voters. They are voters who are concerned about bringing us back to some level of normalcy and wanting someone who they believe is someone they have access to.” Black voters are often strategic voters, which is why they often throw their support behind more moderate candidates, Christina Greer, a political science professor at Fordham University, wrote in an article for The Daily Beast, explaining their recent turn to Bloomberg. After poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire, many voters who would’ve backed Biden may now be looking for viable alternatives. Other moderate candidates, including Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, haven’t resonated as strongly with black voters. And Bloomberg has been actively courting them, arguing he’s the best option to beat Trump. “For the African American community, it’s two things: one, beating Trump, and, two, progress and success – that we do admire people who are successful,” Meeks – who is now the co-chairman of the campaign’s Mike for Black America National Leadership Council – told City & State.

DAVID J PHILLIP/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK

“Nobody that I can think of individually has done more to try to ban illegal guns, and that is a big one for most of us,” said former Rep. Charles Rangel.

Meeks noted that Bloomberg could contrast his self-made wealth with Trump’s. Though Meeks never backed Bloomberg for mayor, he said that the national circumstances helped shape his current support as well as the ex-mayor’s giving to Democrats during the 2018 midterms. “I don’t like the words that came out,” Meeks said about Bloomberg’s resurfaced comments. He mentioned Bloomberg’s apologies have helped to assuage his concerns, and he noted Bloomberg’s activism and philanthropy to prevent gun violence. Former Rep. Charles Rangel from Harlem also praised Bloomberg’s work on gun violence as a plus for his candidacy. He is still enthusiastically backing Biden but named Bloomberg as the best second choice. “Nobody that I can think of individually has done more to try to ban illegal guns, and that is a big one for most of us,” he told City & State. New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said that many black voters outside of New York may also be less familiar with Bloomberg’s policies that many black New Yorkers believe harmed their community. Bloomberg’s enormous wealth has allowed him to buy a huge number of advertisements, Williams pointed out, so the first impression among black voters outside New York has been entirely controlled by Bloomberg’s campaign. “I would say that if I saw (a Bloomberg campaign) ad that I’ve seen and

heard, and did not know who he was, it’s a very effective ad,” Williams said. Bloomberg has already spent more than $300 million in TV, radio and digital ads, an advertising blitz strategy that also helped him become mayor. It’s not the only trend that carried over from his mayoral tenure. One analysis during his first reelection campaign in 2005 found that 45% of black voters cast their ballots for him despite running on the Republican line, though he drew only 23% in 2001 and 25% in 2009. He also is repeating his strategy of actively courting leaders in the black community in this cycle, which he did effectively, particularly among faith leaders, while mayor. Soon after this week’s stop-and-frisk controversy came up, his campaign scrambled to get his network of sympathetic black allies to vouch for his character, Politico reported. He spoke with 20 black pastors about the subject in a prescheduled meeting. Calvin Butts, pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church, who attended the meeting, told Politico he would continue to support Bloomberg, noting the multibillionaire’s previous financial support for the church’s development corporation. That $1 million check came right before Butts endorsed Bloomberg for his 2009 reelection. Reporters and political consultants have also observed that Bloomberg’s donations to congressional campaigns, his grants to cities and other personal largesse helped him win support in New York and are now

doing the same for him nationally. “He has given money to and resources to causes that are important to him, and that are important to New Yorkers,” Smikle said. “That’s a relationship you’re always going to want to have, no matter what.” Former black citywide and statewide elected officials, such as former New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson, former Gov. David Paterson and former state Comptroller H. Carl McCall have not endorsed Bloomberg. Prior to Meeks, the highest-ranking black New Yorker to back him was former Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields. But there are other signs of changing views on the former mayor. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries called for a federal monitor to oversee the NYPD because of stop and frisk in 2013. At the time, he said, “Michael Bloomberg’s racially charged comments in support of the overly aggressive stop-and-frisk program make clear that the mayor is incapable of providing objective oversight of the police department.” But when Bloomberg entered the presidential race late last year, Jeffries said, “Michael Bloomberg has a tremendous track record of success that he can run on as a mayor for 12 years.” Williams expressed disappointment that black elected officials like Meeks have backed Bloomberg. When asked why they might be supporting him, Williams said, “Bloomberg has extremely deep pockets.”

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CityAndStateNY.com

February 17, 2020

Reform

February 17, 2020

City & State New York

Reformi ming Bail Reform The state Senate is caving to pressure to update last year’s groundbreaking criminal justice laws. The Assembly is determined to make sure that doesn’t happen.

ALEX LAW

by Z A C H W I L L I A M S

TATE SENATE DEMOCRATS have reached a compromise among themselves on cash bail – but that does not mean that changes to recently enacted criminal justice reforms are happening anytime soon, in light of the opposition from Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. Cash bail would be completely eliminated and judges would be allowed to consider the dangerousness of criminal defendants when deciding whether they should be jailed before trial, under a state

Senate proposal first reported by Newsday on Feb. 12. Defendants could either be jailed before trial, released on their own recognizance or electronically monitored under the proposal. Such parameters are similar to what Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed last year. For state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, this might be a compromise that bridges the divide between her liberal and moderate members. But Heastie is doubling down on his position that it is too early to consider changes to the reforms that took effect on Jan. 1. The only way to

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has given me real hard data about whether it is working.” While Assembly members from the suburbs and politically moderate, mostly white parts of New York City’s outer boroughs have joined their Senate counterparts in advocating for changes, they too are waiting to see if the Senate takes more concrete action than merely announcing a deal. “I’d have to see the bill language to be honest with you,” said Assemblyman Brian Barnwell, who represents Queens. Pressure from more than 100 activist groups, however, has become more vocal in recent days, at a time when Republicans have joined forces with law enforcement in highlighting media stories of criminal defendants who have been accused of committing additional offenses after being released before trial. “New Yorkers had worked hard to give Democrats the majority in both houses,” said Stanley Fritz, political director of Citizen Action of New York, a left-leaning group that opposes changes to the reforms. “And now a couple of white dudes with buzz cuts and MAGA flags in their backyards and closets are mad at you, and you want to backtrack?” Such criticism may have less political sway in the Senate than in the Assembly, considering the dominance of liberal New York City lawmakers in the lower chamber. Electoral threats primarily come from the political left rather than the right in the Assembly. Candidates backed by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, as well as other left-leaning insurgents, are primarying several longtime Assembly incumbents. This includes Assemblyman Joseph Lentol of Brooklyn – who chairs the Codes Committee that oversees criminal justice issues – and Assembly Assistant Speaker Félix Ortiz of Brooklyn. Heastie and incumbents targeted by primary challenges not only have a political interest in blocking changes to bail, they also say it’s a matter of principle. “We have to remain firm in our convictions,” Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright of Brooklyn, who is vying for an open Senate seat against two leftist opponents, told activists on Feb. 12 at a rally opposing any changes to criminal justice reforms. Whether Senate Democrats will pass a bill changing the laws on cash bail and discovery remains to be seen. However, the new deal underscores a common talking point from Stewart-Cousins that her conference is taking the concerns of police, prosecutors and constituents seriously. The fact that the Senate Democrats have announced a conference position so early in the budget season also reflects how important the issue is to a legislative conference that has been attacked by Republicans even before the laws took effect. Suburban senators like Anna Kaplan of Long Island, one of eight Democrats who flipped a Re-

publican-held seat in 2018, can breath easier now that the conference position on bail has tilted their way. “I’m very happy,” she said of the proposal. “If it was up to me, it would have been taken (up) yesterday.” Cuomo has said he favors changes to the bail laws, but the big question mark remains the Assembly. While Heastie may not want to budge on the issue, other concerns like school funding and Medicaid are in the mix during budget season. If the political pressures from the governor and Senate ultimately push Heastie toward making concessions on bail, then he may have political leverage to use against the Senate and governor in budget negotiations on other important issues. Only time will tell how Heastie would want to use that to his conference’s advantage.

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s i h T

inev i

get the Assembly onboard with revising the new law may be through legislative horse trading with the Senate and the governor during budget season. The two legislative leaders have conflicting electoral incentives when it comes to criminal justice reforms. Stewart-Cousins leads a majority that hinges on swing districts in the suburbs that the GOP is targeting in the 2020 elections. While New York City lawmakers make up the bulk of the Democratic conference, it is suburban senators who account for the party’s eight-seat majority in the 63-member chamber. These political realities factored into the creation of a working group of eight Democratic senators – five of whom are from New York City – that was tasked with finding common ground on the issue, City & State reported on Feb. 11. Criminal justice reform activists have urged lawmakers in both chambers to stand by the reforms they passed in the state budget last year, which eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies. New laws also required prosecutors to make the discovery process faster and fairer by providing defendants with evidence within 15 days after their arraignment. Stewart-Cousins is trying to avoid left-wing backlash by presenting the new proposal as a step forward rather than backward. “We are getting rid of cash bail completely,” she said in a Feb. 12 statement. “We would give judges some discretion but with extremely strict guidelines and guardrails and almost all misdemeanors and non-violent felonies would not be eligible for remand.” Specific legislation has yet to be introduced in the state Senate. There still appears to be some apprehension in the Senate Democratic conference over allowing judges to determine who is too dangerous to release before they have been tried. “That has to be discussed with the conference in general,” state Sen. Luis Sepúlveda, a member of the working group, said about the newest proposal. One Democratic senator said that it was developed by the working group as a show of force by the Senate Democrats that may or may not lead to an actual bill that would pass the chamber in the near future. Even if the state Senate does pass a bill in the upcoming weeks, it doesn’t guarantee the Assembly will do the same. “I expect it will be in the budget,” said state Sen. David Carlucci. But in order to make that happen, there have to be incentives to make Heastie overcome his objections to changing the law so soon after the reforms went into effect. Heastie, for his part, told reporters on Feb. 12 that there is not enough data after six weeks, only “cherry-picked stories” to substantiate the need for changes to the laws. “I can’t say there will be a rollback or anything,” he said. “It’s so early to make that determination because nobody

February 17, 2020

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February 17, 2020

City & State New York

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HILE CHANGES TO the state’s bail laws have only been in effect for less than two months, criminal justice reform proponents have been on the defensive against attacks from political opponents and sensational tabloid stories. Those calling for rollbacks to the bail law have plenty of ammunition: local newspapers have churned out story after story of defendants in New York City being released without bail despite long criminal records and people being arrested again after they were released before trial. It has led to renewed calls to give judges the discretion to consider a defendant’s perceived dangerousness or risk when determining pretrial conditions. A new proposal to overhaul the law from state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins would eliminate cash bail and give judges more discretion to consider the potential risk a defendant poses when deciding whether to hold the person in jail before trial. In order to combat the negative press, advocates have begun fact-checking the newspapers as well as statements from prosecutors, judges and law enforcement officials. Ensuring everyone understands the bail law and its actual limits is critical for Democratic lawmakers and criminal justice reform advocates. But doing so also puts bail reform advocates in the odd position of arguing in favor of keeping some individuals in jail, which would seem to concede their opponent’s view that some people should be kept in jail before standing trial in order to protect the public. Some lawmakers have followed that approach into a rhetorical trap, by pointing out ways high-profile defendants could have been held or given bail as a defense against claims that prosecutors’ hands were tied by the new law. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie talked about the case of a serial bank robber in New York City who was released after being charged with another bank robbery despite being on parole. The new arrest would have constituted a parole violation, Heastie said, which made the person eligible for bail, even with the new reforms. Prosecutors could have opted for stricter

CityAndStateNY.com

February 17, 2020

the legislation that dangerousness should be considered. “The fact that lawmakers carved out violent felony charges from the reform undercuts (Democrats’) defense of the law,” Mangual said. “The carveout represents a tacit recognition of the fact that defendants’ dangerousness matters.” Mangual also argued that pointing to a defendant who could have been kept in jail under a more serious charge also undermines the notion that there is no public safety risk to releasing more defendants. A proposal like the one from Stewart-Cousins is one of the only ways out of the contradictions in the current bail law, which is also declining in popularity among New York voters. It ends the purported economic injustices of bail, which still exist under the new law for those who do get cash bail, while making an explicit acknowledgement about dangerousness that has been at the root of a lot of recent criticisms. New York is unusual in that it does not allow judges to assess dangerousness when determining pretrial conditions. Criminal justice reform ad– STATE SEN. JESSICA RAMOS vocates, however, have argued that adding that discretion would allow judges to rely on racist biState, clarifying that she is referring only ases when determining who should be to a handful of cases covered in the media locked up before trial, continuing the where prosecutors could have sought dif- disproportionate jailing of poor minoriferent charges and set bail for a defendant, ties seen under the old bail system. Spokespeople for Heastie and Stewso it shouldn’t be seen as evidence of a flaw in the new law. Ramos added that she is art-Cousins did not return a request not suggesting that prosecutors should for comment about how the specific list begin seeking higher charges, and she is of bailable offenses was decided upon. Ramos, who was not directly involved in not advocating for that. Marie Ndiaye, supervising attorney of the negotiations that developed the list of the Decarceration Project at The Legal bail-eligible offenses, suggested that the Aid Society, offered the case of Eugene new law is not perfect. “It’s not my bill, Webb as an example of an undercharged I voted for what I thought was the best defendant who made headlines. Webb possible bill because of where we were,” was released after being charged with Ramos told City & State before Stewmisdemeanor assault after allegedly hit- art-Cousins’ overhaul proposal was made ting a woman so hard he knocked out two public. “And I think that it has gotten us of her teeth. Ndiaye said that the assault to a place that has been good for many as described was obviously severe enough people, but created some confusion.” That confusion Ramos has tried to for prosecutors to charge Webb with a bailable felony, rather than a nonbail- combat helped lead to Stewart-Cousins’ able misdemeanor. “We have seen some proposed fixes, which was met with imundercharging, but I’m never going to go mediate vitriol from some left-wing acout there and say you should be charging tivists: VOCAL-NY community leader them with something else,” Ndiaye said. Roger Clark said it “gives (judges) a license Like Ramos, she said she is only trying to discriminate and lock up more black to correct misinformation in the press, people in jail.” Though Stewart-Cousins which Ndiaye said often originates from argued that the majority of people would still be automatically released and that prosecutors and judges. Manhattan Institute fellow Rafael judicial discretion would follow “strict Mangual pointed to the list of offenses guidelines,” it still makes explicit what made bail-eligible – including most vi- had been implicit in the current law: danolent felonies – as proof that Democrats gerousness and risk play a role in pretrial implicitly conceded when they drafted detention and bail. pretrial conditions, but chose to release the defendant. Heastie and state Sen. Jessica Ramos have suggested that some prosecutors are undercharging cases, thus precluding the possibility of bail in cases where the evidence would support higher, bail-eligible charges. “I’m tired of the media cherry-picking stories where judges have undercharged people and let them go,” Ramos said at a recent criminal justice reform rally in Albany. This is a far cry from the concerns that some Democrats expressed at the end of 2019 that prosecutors would begin overcharging in order to continue setting bail. “People should be charged with the appropriate charges,” Ramos later told City &

“I’M TIRED OF THE MEDIA CHERRY-PICKING STORIES WHERE JUDGES HAVE UNDERCHARGED PEOPLE AND LET THEM GO.”

■

COMMENTARY

DID BAIL REFORM REALLY CAUSE A CRIME WAVE?

An honest look at the actual numbers.

BY LINDSAY BEYERSTEIN

EW YORK STATE’S sweeping new bail reform law is under attack by the police, conservative media outlets, some district attorneys, Republicans and even some Democrats. Bail reform eliminated cash bail for a wide range of offenses and forced judges to impose the least restrictive kind of pretrial supervision that is likely to ensure a defendant will come back to court. Nearly 91% of new defendants will remain free under bail reform, up from 76% under the old laws, according to researchers at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. An additional 20,000 cases would have resulted in pretrial release without bail in 2018 if the new law had been in effect. Opponents of bail reform claim that letting those defendants out before their trial has unleashed a crime wave from repeat offenders. New York City Police Department Commissioner Dermot Shea denounced bail reform as a threat to public safety in an op-ed for The New York Times in late January. In early February, New York City’s largest police union declared a “public safety emergency,” ostensibly in response to the rising crime rate, which its president linked, in part, to bail reform. The NYPD’s commanding officer of the 108th Precinct in Queens, Deputy Inspector Michael Gibbs, may have defied the rules against police officials lobbying when he urged citizens at a public meeting in Elmhurst to contact their representatives and complain about bail reform. Gibbs reportedly vowed to continue making similar statements, even after a council member’s senior staffer warned him that his behavior was inappropriate. State Republican Party Chairman Nick Langworthy called the reforms “an assault on civilized society, public safety and law enforcement, and on criminal victims and the people and the taxpayers of the state of New York.” But are they right? The answer

February 17, 2020

should be determined by looking at actual data over a long enough period to make meaningful comparisons, not a few cases highlighted by the New York Post. Individual anecdotes about people who allegedly committed crimes after being released without bail are not necessarily illuminating in a city of more than 8 million people – especially considering that they could have been released under the old rules if they had enough money. The most compelling argument bail reform foes may have is that New York City’s crime rate jumped 16.9% in January, compared to January 2019. That’s a startling increase, larger than typical fluctuations in the city’s crime rate. However, it’s unclear if bail reform caused the increase. And there’s evidence to suggest bail reform could reduce recidivism over the long haul. Bail reform officially went into effect on Jan. 1, as part of a reform package that included discovery reform and other changes, but judges started following the new bail guidelines in November 2019 to avoid a glut of people being released at once. If bail reform caused the rising crime rate, you would have expected the crime rate to start rising soon after judges started applying the new guidelines. But November’s crime

City & State New York

accounted for an outsized share of January’s shootings. Nor is the general trend toward locking up fewer of the accused brand new. The use of both pretrial detention and cash bail has been declining in New York City for many years, and crime continued to fall during that time. “For the past two decades, New York City has reduced both its jail population and the use of

John Eterno, a professor of criminal justice and director of graduate studies at Molloy College on Long Island – and a former NYPD captain – has shown that data manipulation has become an increasing problem in the era of CompStat, a performance management system in which precinct commanders are grilled by the highest officers in the police department about crime

cash bail, resulting in some of the lowest crime rates we have ever seen,” the New York Civil Liberties Union said in a statement. “No correlation could be or should be made to reforms that have been in place for only one month.” Other states, including New Jersey, have imple–NEW YORK CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION mented bail reform without seeing a rise in crime. California completely abolproperty crimes went up, the ished cash bail, and its crime number of rapes and murders rates remain at historic lows. were both down from January It’s possible the sudden 2019. LiPetri also remarked jump in crime is more a questhat people who had recently tion of how crimes are being been released from prison on classified than what’s actually parole or probation – not prehappening. The research of trial defendants out on bail –

data from their precinct. If commanders want to keep the numbers down, they have some ability to do so through tactics like recanvassing victims and witnesses, or downgrading crimes so that they fall out of the seven major categories of crime that count toward the crime rate – for example, by coding stolen property as lost. Finally, and most difficult to detect, officers can refuse to take complaints from victims. “So how do you fake a crime decrease? It’s pretty simple. Don’t file reports, misclassify crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, undervalue the property lost to crime so it’s not a felony, and report a

The NYPD’s chief statistician, Chief Michael LiPetri, didn’t even mention bail reform in his analysis of January’s rise in robberies, assaults, shootings and car thefts. According to LiPetri, the jump in robberies was caused not by hardened serial criminals reoffending while already facing charges, but by teenagers stealing each other’s gadgets. And while

PMMRD/SHUTTERSTOCK

“NO CORRELATION COULD BE OR SHOULD BE MADE TO REFORMS THAT HAVE BEEN IN PLACE FOR ONLY ONE MONTH.” rate was down 1.3% compared to the previous November. Moreover, the NYPD hailed December 2019 as the month with the “lowest number of index crimes in the modern era,” with the crime rate down 0.9% over the previous December.

CityAndStateNY.com

series of crimes as a single event,” wrote Robert Zink, then-recording secretary of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, now known as the Police Benevolent Association, in the union’s magazine in 2004. New York City’s major police unions have been vocal about the routine pressure that front-line officers face from their superiors for over a decade. When 19 police officers were caught downgrading crimes in the Bronx in 2015, the president of the police union defended the officers saying that NYPD “management has consistently hammered police officers to reduce felonies to misdemeanors” as “an artificial way of keeping felonies down with fewer officers on the street, a problem that we still experience today.” An internal NYPD report obtained by Reuters in 2012 acknowledged a “concerted effort to deliberately underreport crime in the 81st Precinct” in Brooklyn and admitted that the overall pattern of misclassifications pointed to a bid to manipulate the index crime rate. In 2018, a police captain claimed to have evidence of 156 cases of downgrading over the past two years across multiple precincts, allegedly including incidents where deliberately shooting at a person and missing was downgraded to “investigate shots fired” or “criminal mischief.” Normally, police want crime stats to look as low as possible, because it makes it seem like they’re doing a better job. But if police usually hold down the crime rate, like someone with their thumb over a hose, Eterno thinks it is possible they could suddenly let the numbers surge upward to make a point. “Commanders and others can get the wink and the nod that, you know, we’re kind of looking for these numbers to go up a bit, so we’re going to let them go up,” he said.

February 17, 2020

NORMALLY, POLICE WANT CRIME STATS TO LOOK AS LOW AS POSSIBLE. BUT IF POLICE USUALLY HOLD DOWN THE CRIME RATE, IT IS POSSIBLE THEY COULD LET THE NUMBERS SURGE UP TO MAKE A POINT. In 2013, one officer told the NYPD’s Crime Reporting Review Committee, which evaluated the NYPD’s mechanisms for auditing its crime stats, that officers sometimes also face pressure to manipulate stats upward under certain circumstances. Regardless of the stats’ validity, Eterno thinks there are real problems with bail reform that need to be addressed. Like many law enforcement veterans, he worries that the new law might put dangerous people on the street where they can reoffend. He noted that there were a large number of outstanding warrants in New York City even before bail reform, and he worries that the new law will only add to the backlog of people

who don’t show up for court. Asked whether the NYPD might be manipulating crime statistics for political reasons, NYPD spokeswoman Devora Kaye replied to City & State in an email: “This is simply false. The CompStat system has been in place since 1994 and each number reflects crime victim complaints that the men and women of the NYPD relentlessly investigate.” She added, “The integrity of the reporting system is a staple of the NYPD and there are numerous levels of checks and balances, audits, and robust oversight to ensure the proper classification of crime reports.” Eterno is not alone, however, in thinking statistical manipulation may occur. “Not for

murders or shootings, but assaults, thefts and criminal mischief, there is considerable scope for at least some manipulation,” Eugene O’Donnell, a professor of law and police studies at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a former NYPD officer and prosecutor, told City & State. “There’s no doubt in the world it happens. The only questions are the degree in extent that it happens.” O’Donnell and Eterno agree that the NYPD’s crime statistics are vulnerable as long as the department is allowed to audit itself. O’Donnell argued that it’s ridiculous to expect an internal auditing process to get rigorous results when it’s conducted by lower-ranking officers. “In a quasi-military organization, (a zealous investigator) would be crushed like a bug,” he said. Still, like many in the criminal justice community, Eterno and O’Donnell both feel that there wasn’t enough consultation in the runup to the criminal justice reform package. O’Donnell said legislators in Albany have only themselves to blame for the backlash to bail reform. “They excluded the public from that process, so that’s their fault,” he said. “It was done secretively.” Other experts said that at least part of the recent crime spike represents real crimes that wouldn’t have happened without bail reform – but that’s not the final word on public safety. Michael Rempel, director of jail reform at the Center for Court Innovation, an organization that conducts original research and designs evidence-based programs to improve the functioning of the justice system, explained that a certain amount of extra crime is inevitable when you decrease pretrial detention dramatically as bail reform has done. “Obviously if people are detained, they’re incapacitated,” he said. “They’re not in the community. So

STEPHEN MULCAHEY/SHUTTERSTOCK

February 17, 2020

there’s no way around the reality that detaining people, by definition, reduces their likelihood of recidivism as long as they are detained.” However, Rempel stressed, this is only part of the public safety equation because most people who are detained pretrial do not immediately go on to serve a lengthy term in state prison. If they’re ultimately found guilty, they’re more likely to be sentenced to probation or a short prison stay. Then those people get sent back out into the community. So, eventually, they’ll be back on the streets anyway – and probably not that long from now. Then the question becomes whether their experience in the criminal justice system makes them more or less likely to offend again. There is a lot of research that suggests that pretrial detention increases recidivism over the long run. The reasons probably have to do with the negative

City & State New York

effects of incarceration on people’s jobs, homes, families and health, not to mention the criminogenic influences a person is exposed to behind bars. Rempel pointed to studies of New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Miami, the Houston area, and the state of Kentucky that show that pretrial detention increases the likelihood of recidivism. However, these declines in overall recidivism are only evident over several months or even years, whereas the extra crimes from people not being in pretrial detention show up right away. Therefore, looking at the crime rate one month out is not a meaningful reflection of bail reform’s effect on public safety because it’s only counting the immediate uptick and not the long-term decreases in recidivism we can expect based on the research. Khalil Cumberbatch, the chief strategist of New Yorkers United for Justice, a leading advocacy group in

the fight for bail reform, argued that reforming the bail system has positive dividends for the entire community and that those benefits need to be considered too. Even a few days in jail can upend a person’s life. A jail stint can cost a person their job, their home, custody of their children and more, to say nothing of the physical and mental toll of incarceration. The minority of people who might commit additional crimes must be weighed against the majority of defendants who are able to hold their lives and families together instead of languishing in pretrial detention – including those defendants who may be innocent and could otherwise have been locked for months for a crime for which they will never be convicted. “We have heard from defenders that they are seeing many, many more cases of the positive aspects of reform,” Cumberbatch said.

An advocacy campaign including City & State First Read provides a targeted way to reach decision makers in New York government and politics. Campaigns Include:

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It is impossible to know if bail reform contributed to the spike in January’s crime rate. Experts said it will take carefully designed studies over the course of several years to find out what effect, if any, bail reform has on crime. What we already know for certain is that the number of people in pretrial detention has plummeted and the rich can no longer buy their freedom while the poor languish in jail. Everyone in pretrial detention is still legally innocent, as they have not yet been tried, let alone found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. When we take stock of a few crimes that some defendants have committed while on bail, we have to balance that against the many firings avoided, evictions prevented and families preserved.

■

Lindsay Beyerstein is an investigative journalist, podcaster and documentary filmmaker in Brooklyn.

E 18

CityAndStateNY.com

February 17, 2020

DUCATION

POWER 1 0 0

NEW YORK state spends more on education than any other part of the

budget. The state spends almost 90% more per student than the rest of the nation, and New York City spends more than twice as much per student as the national average. Despite those numbers, many lawmakers and activists say the state is still shortchanging its students, at least based on a decade-old promise that wasn’t kept.

Education shapes the future, and doing so is expensive. When parents say there’s nothing more valuable than educating our kids, that’s literally true in the Empire State. In the following pages, we highlight the officials, administrators, advocates, executives and union leaders who are shepherding New York government’s most meaningful industry.

February 17, 2020

City & State New York

1 BETTY ROSA

CHANCELLOR STATE BOARD OF REGENTS

MIKE GROLL/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK

SINCE BETTY ROSA was elected chancellor of New York stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s powerful Board of Regents in 2016, the former New York City principal and superintendent has led the education policymaking panel through a series of rapid pushbacks on the reform-minded policies introduced under her predecessor, Merryl Tisch. Rosa joined the board in 2008 and became chancellor in 2016, buoyed by support from the opt-out movement of parents whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve protested the new, more difficult state tests tied to the Common Core learning standards. Under her leadership, the board quickly relaxed the highstakes nature of the tests by unlinking them from teacher performance evaluations and reducing the number of days students take them. This year, Rosa will be front and center as officials consider overhauling high school graduation requirements and, possibly, scrapping Regents exams altogether. Also on her plate: more wrangling over the state education funding formula, a bill to create more equitable school discipline policies, an effort to ban vape use by teens, and student privacy issues.

20 CityAndStateNY.com

February 17, 2020

2 SHANNON TAHOE

INTERIM COMMISSIONER STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SHANNON TAHOE was appointed interim commissioner

at the state Education Department and president of the University of the State of New York in November 2019, stepping into the position vacated by MaryEllen Elia during a rocky period of transition in the department. (Another interim commissioner, Beth Berlin, stepped down as well.) Though she’s new to the commissioner role, Tahoe joined the Education Department in 2006. An attorney, she’s provided legal counsel to the Board of Regents, previous commissioners and staff, and currently serves as acting counsel and deputy commissioner for legal affairs in addition to serving as interim commissioner. In 2020, Tahoe has an opportunity to weigh in more publicly, if she chooses, on issues such as accountability measures for struggling public schools, a proposal for state monitoring of the troubled Hempstead School District on Long Island, and oversight of private schools, which sparked several lawsuits during Elia’s tenure. One thing remains unclear: As the search for a new commissioner continues, is Tahoe interested in throwing her hat in the ring?

3 RICHARD CARRANZA

AS HE nears the two-year mark as chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, Richard Carranza has proven he’s not shy about confronting the enormous inequality that plagues the largest school district in the nation. He’s pushing the department to adopt culturally inclusive educational programs and rolling out a new anti-hate crime curriculum following a recent spike in anti-Semitic attacks. Carranza, along with Mayor Bill de Blasio, supported repealing the city’s specialized high school admission test - at least until the mayor gave up his efforts in September. The debate over whether the test should be the sole entrance criterion for the city’s elite high schools has been one of the most controversial issues of Carranza’s tenure so far. He’s also taken fire from parents and union officials about student safety and discipline incidents, especially in Queens. A 30-year educator familiar with the challenges of urban school systems, Carranza came to New York in 2018 after superintendent jobs in Houston and San Francisco. Off-hours, he’s a multi-instrumentalist who moonlights in a mariachi band.

STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT; ED REED/MAYORAL PHOTO OFFICE

CHANCELLOR NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

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Get the education you need, when you need it at: SUNYOnline.edu

22 CityAndStateNY.com

February 17, 2020

4 MICHAEL MULGREW

PRESIDENT UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS MICHAEL MULGREW has clout, in New York and

nationally, as president of the union that represents 200,000 New York City public school educators, school child care providers, nurses, adult education instructors and retirees. In his decadelong tenure with the United Federation of Teachers (he also holds executive roles at both the state and national teachers unions), Mulgrew has notched a series of big wins: two back-to-back contracts including substantial pay raises and expanded authority of school-based UFT consultation committees; paid parental leave; and the continuation of no-premium health plans. As an organizer, Mulgrew possesses the ability to engage parents and rally teachers, and he unapologetically advocates for members’ concerns in front of the City Council, the mayor’s office and the state Legislature. He’s also a vocal critic of the charter school sector who has gone head-to-head with deep-pocketed charter school funders and network leaders in a campaign to cap their growth in the city and improve transparency about how charters use public tax dollars.

5 ANDREW PALLOTTA

PRESIDENT NEW YORK STATE UNITED TEACHERS lotta took over the leadership of New York State United Teachers in 2017, after serving as the union’s executive vice president under former president Karen Magee. He was also a Bronx representative with the United Federation of Teachers. In the past, the union has feuded with Gov. Andrew Cuomo over the Common Core rollout, tougher teacher evaluations and the state’s property tax cap, but during Pallotta’s term, that relationship has warmed a bit. On behalf of the union’s 600,000 educators, Pallotta has lobbied to prevent school voucher and tax credit programs from passing the state Legislature, helped protect public employees’ right to organize; and swept millions of dollars into the union’s political fundraising arm. In his previous role as vice president, Pallotta is credited with spearheading the union’s online Member Action Center to facilitate digital lobbying on key state and federal issues. As he aims to spur membership, Pallotta introduced Next Generation NYSUT in 2019, which offers student loan debt counseling and certification help to new teachers.

UFT; EL-WISE NOISETTE; NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL

FORMER BRONX elementary school teacher Andrew Pal-

Teach NYS and the Orthodox Union are proud to celebrate Maury Litwack’s inclusion in this year’s Education Power 100 – a list of the most influential professionals in New York State education policy.

CONGRATULATIONS TO MAURY AND ALL THE OTHER HONOREES ON THIS WELL-DESERVED ACCOMPLISHMENT.

24 CityAndStateNY.com

February 17, 2020

SHELLEY MAYER

MICHAEL BENEDETTO

JOHN LIU

KRINER CASH

CHAIRWOMAN STATE SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE

SHELLEY MAYER has

championed education issues throughout her legislative career, which began in the Assembly in 2012. There she fought for more funding for students with disabilities and the Yonkers school district. Since her election to the state Senate in 2018, she’s muscled through some of the new Democratic majority’s top priorities, like decoupling teacher evaluations from standardized tests. Now she’s at the forefront of the debate over the state’s school funding formula.

CHAIRMAN ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

A VETERAN special

education teacher and an assemblyman since 2005, Bronx native Michael Benedetto stepped into the powerful role of Education Committee chairman in 2019. For the Democrats, he’s an obvious leader, as he’s closely aligned with teachers unions on issues like charter schools and teacher evaluations. Benedetto appears ready for battle – he’s introduced a bundle of bills that would restrict public dollars to charters, limit their growth and amp up oversight.

SUPERINTENDENT BUFFALO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

CHAIRMAN STATE SENATE COMMITTEE ON NEW YORK CITY EDUCATION

WHEN KRINER CASH

JOHN LIU is a college

professor, finance expert and longtime public servant. The first Asian American to win legislative office in New York, he was elected to the state Senate in 2018. As an alum of the Bronx High School of Science, one of the city’s specialized schools, Liu has been a fierce defender of the specialized high school admissions test, after a de Blasio proposal to scrap it in 2019 kicked off a divisive debate.

9 MARK TREYGER

CHAIRMAN NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION BROOKLYN-BASED COUNCILMAN Mark Treyger is known as an untiring advocate for Gotham residents on the affordable housing and environmental resilience fronts. Tapped to chair the Committee on Education in 2018, the former public school teacher now oversees the largest portion of the city budget — and his fighting spirit is intact. He’s secured tens of millions of dollars for school upgrades, classroom supplies, social workers and school breakfasts.

arrived in Buffalo in 2015, half of the district’s schools were seriously underperforming and the teachers union contract was years overdue for a renewal. As the seventh superintendent in six years, Cash, who describes himself as a “children’s rights activist,” had an uphill battle. Under his leadership the district of 34,000 students has made huge strides. Graduation rates and student test scores are up, and its finances have improved.

KAREN, Academy of the City Charter School CHESTER, Renaissance Charter School

DWAYNE, MESA Charter School

February 17, 2020

City & State New York

EDWIN QUEZADA

JAIME ALICEA

ROBERT SCHNEIDER

EVA MOSKOWITZ

SUPERINTENDENT YONKERS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

A VETERAN educator in the state’s fourth-largest school district, Edwin Quezada has worked his way up the ranks in the district since 1998. Appointed superintendent in 2016, the award-winning educator has overseen steadily rising high school graduation rates and drawn admiration for launching Yonkers’ My Brother’s Keeper, a mentoring program for young men of color. But he’s infuriated parents during a long struggle to secure state funding to repair the district’s crumbling, aging schools.

SUPERINTENDENT SYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT JAIME ALICEA

12 TERRY J. DADE

SUPERINTENDENT ROCHESTER CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT TERRY DADE is new to Western New York but familiar with the complex needs of a large, urban school district like RCSD. The New Leaders for New Schools-trained educator, who took over in July, came up under former Washington, D.C., schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, and most recently was assistant superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia. Dade made a difficult call on more than 150 teacher layoffs in order to fix a massive budget deficit.

started as a teaching assistant and over three decades has worked at every level of the Syracuse City School District, the smallest of the state’s “Big 5” districts. Since becoming superintendent in 2017, he’s prioritized building a more robust culture of parent engagement as one strategy to boost students’ academic performance. He also initiated a program to connect students and families with support services if they’ve been victims or witnesses of traumatic events.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NEW YORK STATE SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION IN JANUARY, Robert Schneider succeeded New York State School Boards Association Executive Director Timothy Kremer, who retired after 21 years. Previously the organization’s associate executive director, chief operating officer and director of finance, Schneider worked closely with Kremer and deeply understands the state’s education finance landscape. That’s critical because he is now the voice in Albany for more than 675 public school districts.

ADVOCATE, agitator,

ideologue, revolutionary. Eva Moskowitz, the founder of Success Academy Charter Schools, is one of the most controversial figures in modern-day education politics. A former teacher and chairwoman of the New York City Council Education Committee, Moskowitz’s pedagogical expertise, political acumen and backing from wealthy donors have spurred the rapid growth of her high-performing schools network, and as Chalkbeat put it, enabled her to “lead an educational revolution from the outside.”

LEONIE HAIMSON

JOSEPH BELLUCK ROBERT JACKSON ROBERT LOWRY CHAIRMAN MEMBER JR. SUNY CHARTER SCHOOLS INSTITUTE CHARTER SCHOOLS COMMITTEE

PARENT ADVOCATE

Leonie Haimson has rallied families and railed against education bureaucracy for over two decades in dogged pursuit of smaller class sizes for public schools. And as co-founder of the national Parent Coalition for Student Privacy, she was instrumental in shutting down InBloom, a state education department contractor accused of shadily collecting student data. If New York attempts to weaken its student data privacy protections, Haimson will be ready.

AS CHAIRMAN of an

17 JAMES MERRIMAN

CEO NEW YORK CITY CHARTER SCHOOL CENTER JAMES MERRIMAN brings wide-ranging experience to the New York City Charter School Center, where he’s worked since 2007. He helped develop the Walton Family Foundation’s charter sector grantmaking program and was instrumental in designing statewide charter authorizations at the Charter Schools Institute of the State University of New York. Known for his measured commentary on a polarizing topic, Merriman is an authoritative voice for growing quality charter schools.

entity that controls charter school openings and closings throughout New York state, Joseph Belluck is a gatekeeper in a contentious sphere of supporters demanding more charter schools and their union-supported opponents. A personal injury attorney by trade, Belluck is unafraid to take risks: In a bid to grow the charter school teaching force, he supported an alternative teacher certification program that was later blocked by a court.

FOUNDER AND CEO SUCCESS ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOLS

16 FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CLASS SIZE MATTERS

ROCHESTER CITY SCHOOLS; NYC CHARTER SCHOOL CENTER

STATE SENATE COMMITTEES ON EDUCATION, HIGHER EDUCATION AND NEW YORK CITY EDUCATION A TIRELESS crusader

for equitable education funding, Robert Jackson has a track record of working as a school board member and city councilman supporting pre-K expansion in New York City, fighting to preserve teaching jobs and starting a drop-out prevention program. As lead plaintiff in the landmark Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit against the state, Jackson won city schools a huge funding boost.

20 DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATION NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL OF SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS

WHEN THE state budget drops, Bob Lowry is a go-to guy for education reporters, providing insight on what the numbers mean for schools. He honed his policy chops during his long career in Albany, including as assistant secretary for education and the arts under former Gov. Mario Cuomo, school aid analyst with the Assembly, and NYSUT policy wonk.

26 CityAndStateNY.com

February 17, 2020

MERRYL H. TISCH

DIANE RAVITCH

JASMINE DAVID GRIPPER & NIEDERMAN ZAKIYAH ANSARI EXECUTIVE

PRESIDENT NETWORK FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION EDUCATION historian

POLICYMAKER AND

philanthropist Merryl Tisch is a household name in education circles. Her long tenure on the Board of Regents includes a tumultuous few years as chancellor, from 2009 to 2016, as Common Core was introduced, abruptly raising expectations for students and teachers. Tisch defended the changes, though not the rushed rollout. Now chairwoman of the State University of New York, she’s sought to lift the charter school cap.

22 RANDI WEINGARTEN

PRESIDENT AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS WHETHER AT the front of a classroom, in a courtroom, or on the front lines of a teachers strike, Randi Weingarten is a commanding presence. She leads AFT’s 1.7 million members in their mission to seek “fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, health care and public services” for students, families and communities. In New York, you can bet she’ll be front and center in the discussion to reexamine the state’s graduation requirements.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR YOUNG ADVOCATES FOR FAIR EDUCATION THE QUALITY of secular education provided

by private religious schools has emerged as an important, impassioned and very political school policy debate. Naftuli Moster, who found himself unprepared to enter college after studying mostly religious texts at Brooklyn yeshivas, is the self-appointed poster boy of the burgeoning movement, led by his advocacy group, to hold nonpublic schools to a higher standard. His watchdog work has pushed city and state officials to act.

DAVID NIEDERMAN,

took the helm of the labor-linked advocacy group in January, succeeding Billy Easton. Gripper has taught in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea and Brooklyn; most recently she was AQE’s legislative director. Working in tandem with Advocacy Director Zakiyah Ansari, she’s poised to lead the organization into a new chapter.

a prominent ultra-Orthodox rabbi, says criticism of education in New York’s yeshivas – amid the city’s recent probe – is “a smear campaign against our community and what it stands for.” Niederman sits on the executive committee of Parents for Educational and Religious Liberty in Schools. Considered close with Mayor Bill de Blasio, he is an outspoken advocate for limiting government oversight of private schools.

JASMINE GRIPPER

MICHAEL DEEGAN

DAVID LITTLE

SHAEL POLAKOWSURANSKY

DAVID BLOOMFIELD

MICHAEL DEEGAN

NAFTULI MOSTER

DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT UNITED JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS OF WILLIAMSBURG

27 SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW YORK

and policy analyst Diane Ravitch is a prolific writer and a professor at New York University. A fervent opponent of school privatization and high-stakes testing, she co-founded the advocacy group Network for Public Education in New York to support public schools. Her recent work in that capacity has earned her an unofficial title: “the intellectual godmother of the anti-reform movement.”

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR; ADVOCACY DIRECTOR ALLIANCE FOR QUALITY EDUCATION

was named superintendent in September 2019. It’s the biggest role yet for Deegan, a Bronx native and lifelong Catholic schools educator who’s spent most of his career working with children and college students in Westchester and New York City. With the 62,000-student school system facing historic low enrollment, he plans to lead aggressive recruitment efforts, expand special education and prioritize STEM subjects.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RURAL SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK STATE DAVID LITTLE

brings wide-ranging experience to his job as executive director of the Rural Schools Association: he’s served as government relations chief at the state school boards association, legal counsel to the state Legislature, a county legislator and a school board member. His current challenge is making sure lawmakers are tuned in to the needs of rural schools as they grapple with declining enrollment and fewer jobs for graduates.

PRESIDENT BANK STREET COLLEGE OF EDUCATION SHAEL POLAKOW SURANSKY became

president of Bank Street College of Education in 2014. Under his leadership, the esteemed school for teachers is expanding its work with K-12 public schools and child care centers; it partnered with the DOE to coach teachers on a new pre-K math curriculum. Previously, Polakow-Suransky was deputy chancellor at the city Department of Education under Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION LEADERSHIP, LAW & POLICY BROOKLYN COLLEGE

THERE’S NARY an

education issue that David Bloomfield isn’t equipped to expound on, as his students at Brooklyn College and CUNY Graduate Center – and journalists working the New York schools beat – know well. Bloomfield’s insight on important debates is backed by his experience in the nonprofit and local government sectors, as well as in the field as a professor, middle school teacher and lawyer.

AFT; NAFTULI MOSTER

CHAIRWOMAN STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK BOARD OF TRUSTEES

28 CityAndStateNY.com

February 17, 2020

NIKOLE HANNAHJONES

NINA KARBACKA

MARK LAURIA

DAN WEISBERG

PRESIDENT NEW YORK STATE ASSOCIATION OF SMALL CITY SCHOOL DISTRICTS

JOURNALIST THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE AWARD-WINNING

journalist and MacArthur Grant recipient Nikole Hannah-Jones – “The Beyoncé of Journalism,” per her Twitter bio – has driven the national conversation on civil rights, educational inequity and school segregation with her fearless reporting, currently for The New York Times Magazine. Brooklyn-based, Iowa-born Hannah-Jones’ latest endeavor, “The 1619 Project,” aims to reexamine the legacy of slavery in the U.S.

A VETERAN teacher

32 ELIZA SHAPIRO

JOURNALIST THE NEW YORK TIMES NO ONE on the education beat is a sharper –

or more effective – thorn in the side of city officials than Eliza Shapiro. She made a name for herself covering New York City Hall and education at Politico and now writes for The New York Times. With a shrewd understanding of how big money informs policy, she scrutinizes the de Blasio administration’s schools agenda and has shed light on the city’s homeless student crisis.

and Board of Education member at Jamestown Public Schools, Nina Karbacka represents 234,000 students in her role as president of the New York State Association of Small City School Districts. At hearings before lawmakers in Albany, she’s been an essential advocate for full distribution of state education aid to small city districts – which in many cases are saddled with low property wealth, significant family poverty and high student need.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NEW YORK STATE ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS AS EXECUTIVE

director at the New York State Association of Independent Schools, Mark Lauria represents nearly 200 independent schools and 83,000 students. In 2019, his group sued the state education department in an attempt to block efforts to expand oversight of nonpublic schools. The oversight plan was in response to critics of some ultra-Orthodox yeshivas who said the schools failed to teach sufficient math, science and English.

CEO TNTP

DAN WEISBERG,

a former New York City Department of Education official who brokered deals with the UFT, is CEO of the reform-oriented education advocacy group TNTP (formerly The New Teacher Project). During his tenure, the group has published reports on teacher quality and professional development that have shaped reforms in many states, including New York. Recently Weisberg oversaw the organization’s 2018 report, “The Opportunity Myth,” which reveals how students nationwide are failed by their schools.

Customized Support | Student-Centered Innovations | Enrichment Programming

Every Child Deserves a Quality Education. The Center for Educational Innovation (CEI) is a nonproﬁt education organization located in New York City. As a recognized leader in advancing meaningful educational reforms, CEI’s mission is to ensure a quality education for all students. We work to turn around low-performing schools with student-centered innovations and provide life-changing opportunities to students in under-resourced communities. WWW.THE-CEI.ORG | Michael Kohlhagen, CEO

@theCEI

THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO MAKE NEW YORK SUCH AN INCREDIBLE PLACE TO TEACH AND LEARN. For over 130 years, education has been foundational to our mission. Through innovative programs like our socioeconomically-integrated UPK classrooms, a nationally recognized 2Generation Head Start initiative, and a college prep program with a 100% placement rate 12 years in a row, we provide New York families access to high-quality educational experiences and fight for systemic change that eliminates the root cause of opportunity gaps in our community. Learn more about the many ways we help New Yorkers transform their lives and realize their dreams by visiting us online at www.edalliance.org.

COUNCIL OF SCHOOL SUPERVISORS AND ADMINISTRATORS; ELIZA SHAPIRO

CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION

February 17, 2020

City & State New York

KEVIN CASEY

RONALD LAUDER & KIRSTEN JOHN FOY

VARTAN GREGORIAN

THOMAS LEE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK STATE KEVIN CASEY has

36 MARK F. CANNIZZARO

PRESIDENT COUNCIL OF SCHOOL SUPERVISORS AND ADMINISTRATORS MARK CANNIZZARO began his career as a

physical education teacher in Staten Island, moved on to administrative roles and eventually worked his way up to the top position at the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators. He represents more than 6,100 in-service union members. With negotiations over a new contract with the city underway, Cannizzaro is pushing the Department of Education to better support members navigating new school discipline policies.

been a vocal representative for 8,000 school administrators during his long tenure at the School Administrators Association of New York State. Under his leadership, SAANYS joined other education groups in suing former Gov. David Paterson in 2009 over state education aid withholdings. Now he’s urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to fund “critical need areas including student mental health, special education, English as a new language, and school safety.”

FUNDER; BOARD OF ADVISORS EDUCATION EQUITY CAMPAIGN BILLIONAIRE cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder launched a campaign to preserve the admissions exam to New York City’s most selective public high schools last spring – in direct opposition to Mayor Bill de Blasio and schools Chancellor Richard Carranza. With Kirsten John Foy (a staffer under then-Public Advocate de Blasio) heading the board, the Education Equity Campaign is poised to be a player in education debates.

PRESIDENT CARNEGIE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK UNDER Vartan Gregorian’s leadership since 1997, Carnegie Corporation of New York has zeroed in on K-12 and higher education initiatives. In 2018, it awarded $3 million to the Charter School Growth Fund, which backs charter schools enrolling nearly 500,000 students in 28 states. With Gregorian at the helm, the grantmaking foundation is supporting education research and investigative journalism with annual grants to Chalkbeat, Educators for Excellence and others.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NEW YORK STATE TEACHERS’ RETIREMENT SYSTEM THOMAS LEE controls the second-largest public retirement system in the state and one of the nation’s 10 biggest public pension funds, with more than 430,000 members and a value of $121.8 billion as of October. The pension system seems poised for a busy 2020: it’s seeking a consultant to help craft position statements on “environmental, social and governance issues” including climate change, firearms and private prisons, per a recent request for proposals.

CSA salutes the honorees on the

CITY&STATE

Education Power 100 List

including Mark Cannizzaro, CSA President Peter McNally, NYSFSA Executive Director

Great Schools

Begin With

Great Leaders

Council of School Supervisors & Administrators LOCAL 1: AMERICAN FEDERATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, AFL-CIO

40 RECTOR ST., 12TH FL., NY, NY 10006 | TEL: 212 823 2020

www.csa-nyc.org

AARON PALLAS Always notable, always quotable and always an Education Power behind teaching and research for the public good. tc.edu

30 CityAndStateNY.com

February 17, 2020

DEBORAH L. WORTHAM & HARRY GROSSMAN

AMY ZIMMER

LAURA ZINGMOND

JENNY SEDLIS

IN THE contest

JENNY SEDLIS

AFTER YEARS of

a school system in crisis when Deborah Wortham took the helm in 2015. The first woman and person of color to become superintendent, Wortham implemented an array of policy changes with the school board, currently led by Harry Grossman. The results have been promising.

covering education and real estate at DNAinfo and elsewhere, Amy Zimmer became bureau chief of Chalkbeat New York in fall 2019, bringing beat reporting and investigative chops to the nonprofit education news site. Zimmer has a steady hand on the wheel as Chalkbeat New York reporters cover school integration efforts in Brooklyn and Queens, as well as a recent debate over alleged discriminatory language written into public school dress codes.

EAST RAMAPO was

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STUDENTSFIRSTNY

SENIOR EDITOR INSIDESCHOOLS for most widely traveled New York City schools expert, Laura Zingmond wins in a heartbeat. As senior editor at InsideSchools, she’s logged thousands of hours visiting and reviewing schools throughout the five boroughs. Her work fuels a school-rankings website relied upon by parents, educators, policymakers and journalists. Zingmond and her two children are products of the city’s public schools, and she’s served on the New York City Panel for Educational Policy.

44 MARK DUNETZ

PRESIDENT NEW VISIONS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS MARK DUNETZ is president of New Visions for Public Schools, “an innovation lab” within the city’s public school system that serves 46,000 students. New Visions operates a charter high school network and a teacher prep program. A career educator, Dunetz is responsible for launching data-driven projects like an open-source high school curriculum. He serves on the boards of the New York City Charter School Center and the Research Alliance for New York City Schools.

ANNE WILLIAMS- CYNTHIA RIVERA ISOM WEISSBLUM CEO HARLEM CHILDREN’S ZONE CHILD WELFARE

expert Anne Williams-Isom has spent the past 11 years leading data-driven growth at Harlem Children’s Zone, which serves 28,000 students and operates the Promise Academy charter schools network. Williams-Isom led efforts to strengthen post-graduation services for Promise Academy alumni to help them get through college. Previously she was deputy commissioner for community and government affairs at the New York City Administration for Children’s Services.

AS PRESIDENT and CEO of the Edwin Gould Foundation since 2008, Cynthia Rivera Weissblum has championed grant-making and advocacy focused on education inequity. She oversees an accelerator program for education-related nonprofits working to improve college outcomes for low-income students. During her tenure, the foundation has also homed in on education journalism, supporting outlets like the Hechinger Report and the Education Writers Association.

JOEL MANGAN

DAVID COLEMAN & JEREMY SINGER

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR P-TECH AT IBM

PRESIDENT AND CEO EDWIN GOULD FOUNDATION

STRATEGIC AND

48 IAN ROSENBLUM

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THE EDUCATION TRUST–NEW YORK AT THE Education Trust–New York, Ian Rosenblum leads an “equity agenda to eliminate the gaps in equity, opportunity, and achievement that hold back too many students from reaching their full potential.” In 2019, he supervised the launch of an interactive data tool showing college persistence and completion outcomes for New York high school graduates. His education policy resume includes a previous role as deputy secretary for education and economic opportunity to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

(formerly of Success Academy Charter Schools) runs a reliably pro-charter, anti-teachers union advocacy group that sports a well-funded political action committee. Both were instrumental in getting charter-friendly Republicans elected to the state Senate in 2016. With Democrats currently controlling both houses of the state legislature and a New York City mayoral election on the horizon, it’s a safe bet that Sedlis is quietly mobilizing the next crop of charter-friendly candidates.

well-traveled, Joel Mangan honed his executive leadership skills during a varied career at IBM. His newest role, as of May 2019, is steering IBM’s major education initiative, the P-TECH network, as the program’s footprint expands in New York and internationally. Mangan oversees the six-year school model that fuses high school, college and workforce training in STEM fields to help capable yet underprivileged students succeed in a competitive economy.

CEO; PRESIDENT COLLEGE BOARD DAVID COLEMAN

controls the New York-based education giant that administers the SAT. A leadership restructuring in 2019 moved former Chief Operating Officer Jeremy Singer into the new role of president, expanding his purview to all day-to-day management. They have their work cut out for them as they aim to make the SAT more accessible to low-income students without repeating recent missteps, even as some colleges have soured on standardized tests.

PHILIP GREENBERG; EDUCATION TRUST

SUPERINTENDENT; BOARD OF EDUCATION PRESIDENT EAST RAMAPO CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

BUREAU CHIEF CHALKBEAT NEW YORK

32 CityAndStateNY.com

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PETER MCNALLY

LORI PODVESKER RICK TIMBS

QUEENS NATIVE

A FORMER teach-

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NEW YORK STATE FEDERATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS

Peter McNally was an elementary school principal and special education supervisor in New York City before joining the New York State Federation of School Administrators, which represents 14,000 principals and supervisors from Buffalo, Yonkers and New York City. As executive director, McNally has lobbied to change the principal and teacher evaluation system; this year he’ll weigh in on the all-important review of state graduation requirements.

POLICY CHAIRWOMAN NEW YORK CITY PANEL FOR EDUCATIONAL POLICY

52 KIM SWEET

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ADVOCATES FOR CHILDREN OF NEW YORK KIM SWEET has made a career out of bringing

parents and policymakers together to make New York City a safer, more nurturing place for students with disabilities. She spearheaded special education advocacy work at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest and launched the ARISE Coalition to “compel systemic reform to benefit students with disabilities” after joining Advocates for Children of New York in 2007. She’s also sounded the alarm on homeless students and chronic absenteeism.

er whose son has intellectual disabilities, Lori Podvesker supports policies that help children with disabilities get the services they need to thrive. Podvesker is also director of disability and education policy at the nonprofit INCLUDEnyc, which creates “access to educational, employment and independent living opportunities” for thousands of New Yorkers with disabilities.

54 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STATEWIDE SCHOOL FINANCE CONSORTIUM

55 PAULA L. WHITE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EDUCATORS FOR EXCELLENCE–NEW YORK

A FORMER superintendent and BOCES leader with deep ties to Western New York, Rick Timbs is a master of New York’s complex education funding structure. As executive director of the Statewide School Finance Consortium, which includes more than 400 school districts, Timbs is taking a long game approach to persuade lawmakers and the governor to get on board with an overhaul of the Foundation Aid formula, a key state aid distribution mechanism for public schools.

PAULA WHITE is as

well-rounded an education leader as they come. A first-generation immigrant, she taught in Atlanta Public Schools, founded a charter school, led school turnaround efforts at the New Jersey Department of Education and advocated with Democrats for Education Reform. Since joining the teacher advocacy group Educators for Excellence in 2018, she’s pressed New York officials to recruit, train, and graduate a more diverse teacher workforce.

RICHARD BUERY

DEBORAH AXT & MAURY LITWACK MICHAEL A. JAVIER H. VALDÉS EXECUTIVE REBELL

CHIEF OF POLICY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS KIPP FOUNDATION

CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS MAKE THE ROAD NEW YORK

A FORMER civil

rights lawyer, Richard Buery worked closely with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to make universal pre-K a success – and at the same time gained a reputation as a peacemaker in the acrimonious relationship between New York City’s charter school sector and City Hall. As CEO of the Children’s Aid Society, he founded a charter school in the South Bronx. At the KIPP Foundation, Buery leads the push to promote college affordability.

57 CHARISSA FERNÁNDEZ

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TEACH FOR AMERICA NEW YORK CHARISSA FERNÁNDEZ has helmed the New York chapter of Teach for America since 2013. It’s a difficult time as the profession struggles with widespread turnover and the Trump administration dismantles the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which includes some TFA members and students. Still, Fernández has led a re-engineered teacher hiring process and launched a New York regional training institute.

DEBORAH AXT and Javier Valdés are seasoned community organizers who’ve successfully fought for the rights of immigrants, tenants and wage workers. On the education front, they lead parents and youth leaders in efforts to expand restorative justice practices, legal and health services, and college application guidance in New York City schools. Axt and Valdés are also overseeing the opening of the group’s new headquarters in Queens, which boasts multiple classrooms.

DIRECTOR TEACH COALITION WHEN IT comes to

protecting the interests of Jewish day schools and other nonpublic education institutions, Maury Litwack is a force to be reckoned with in the corridors of power. An education policy expert and lobbyist, Litwack has grown the Teach Coalition into a multistate network and notched legislative wins in New York, including bolstering private school security and securing state aid for STEM instruction in New York City’s religious schools.

PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE IN LAW AND EDUCATIONAL POLICY; LECTURER TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY; COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL

MICHAEL REBELL is perhaps best known for challenging New York’s education finance system in a landmark lawsuit. He founded the Campaign for Educational Equity at Columbia University and currently represents student plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit that argues that Rhode Island has failed to provide sufficient civics education.

LINDA YASSKY; TEACH FOR AMERICA NEW YORK; NYCSA; CACF

February 17, 2020

City & State New York

BRIGID AHERN

NATASHA TRIVERS

BRETT PEISER

KEVIN ANDERLE

PRESIDENT AND CEO TURNAROUND FOR CHILDREN UNDER Brigid

Ahern’s leadership since 2018, Turnaround for Children has delved deeper in its work to equip educators with science-based tools to minimize the effects of trauma and stress on student learning and development. The nonprofit has long partnered with New York City schools and expanded its reach last year to Washington, D.C., the San Francisco Bay Area, Tulsa and Chicago. Previously, Ahern worked at Uncommon Schools and the city Department of Education.

CEO DEMOCRACY PREP PUBLIC SCHOOLS NATASHA TRIVERS

joined Democracy Prep in 2011 as an assistant principal and worked her way up to the top, becoming CEO of the multistate charter school network in 2019. She oversees its concentration of schools in New York City and those in New Jersey, Nevada, Texas and Louisiana. Trivers’ tenure has produced gains in Regents exam scores and higher graduation rates. At the same time, she’s committed to improving educational opportunities in communities of color.

CEO UNCOMMON SCHOOLS

BRETT PEISER

taught in New York City public schools and founded Boston Collegiate Charter School before joining Uncommon Schools as CEO in 2012. The network of 54 Northeast charter schools is recognized for its work “helping students achieve significant academic gains and college readiness.” Peiser recently joined forces with other charter leaders to publicly urge Democratic presidential candidates to rethink policy proposals viewed as “hostile to charters,” in a Daily News op-ed.

REGIONAL SUPERINTENDENT, NEW YORK ACHIEVEMENT FIRST A TEACH for America alum who also taught in Atlanta Public Schools, Kevin Anderle has spent the last 12 years at the Achievement First charter network. As regional superintendent for 23 Brooklyn schools, he is responsible for coaching high school principals, managing the high school academy and steering the network’s “AP for All” course enrollment strategy. Of late, Anderle and his bosses are busy navigating a Brooklyn school closure due to low enrollment.

65 YOMIKA S. BENNETT

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NEW YORK CHARTER SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION YOMIKA BENNETT was hired in 2019 to lead the nonprofit New York Charter Schools Association amid the group’s rebranding. As executive director, Bennett, an established Albany insider, represents 300 charter schools statewide in various policy debates. Her prior experience as a budget analyst in the state Assembly, secretary of transportation under Gov. Andrew Cuomo and deputy commissioner at the DMV give her an edge as she forges this new chapter.

JAMES KEMPLE & CHERI FANCSALI

MAYA WILEY

ALAN VAN CAPELLE

ANITA MURPHY & JOSEPH DRAGONE

CO-CHAIR NEW YORK CITY SCHOOL DIVERSITY ADVISORY GROUP

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR; DEPUTY DIRECTOR THE RESEARCH ALLIANCE FOR NEW YORK CITY SCHOOLS JAMES KEMPLE, a

former high school math teacher, and Cheri Fancsali, a former early childhood and special education teacher, lead a scholarly team housed at New York University. They provide authoritative evaluations on everything from high school choice, college and career preparation to afterschool programs, student homelessness and the impact of aggressive policing on academic outcomes.

A RENOWNED expert

67 ANITA GUNDANNA & VANESSA LEUNG CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS COALITION FOR ASIAN AMERICAN CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

ANITA GUNDANNA and Vanessa Leung both bring impressive advocacy and education resumes to the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families. As co-executive directors since 2017, Gundanna and Leung – who also sits on the Panel for Educational Policy – have prioritized a campaign to overhaul the city’s specialized high school admissions test. They prefer an admissions process that weighs multiple factors.

on racial justice and equity, Maya Wiley has litigated, lobbied and developed programs to transform structural racism in the United States and South Africa. She currently teaches at The New School and in the past worked closely with Mayor Bill de Blasio as a legal adviser. Currently, as a mayoral appointee to the New York City School Diversity Advisory Group, Wiley is fundamentally shaping efforts to increase school diversity and integration.

PRESIDENT AND CEO EDUCATIONAL ALLIANCE AN ENERGETIC

LGBTQ activist and former union organizer, Alan van Capelle became CEO of the Educational Alliance in 2014. The lower Manhattan-based organization delivers multi-generational community services including preschool, kids’ summer camp and after-school programs. Van Capelle, a Long Island native, is also plugged in to City Hall, where he worked as deputy comptroller from 2010 to 2012, and currently serves on the Children’s Cabinet Advisory Committee.

DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT; SENIOR EXECUTIVE OFFICER CAPITAL REGION BOCES THIS CAPITAL

Region leadership duo are both former school superintendents. Dragone recently helped secure a $5 million state Regional Economic Development Council grant to build a new career training center. Murphy, who recently turned down an offer to become deputy state education commissioner, has weighed in on graduation requirements and rural school needs.

34 CityAndStateNY.com

February 17, 2020

JOSEPHINE SALVADOR

MARIELYS DIVANNE

DAVID BANKS

JAMIE PHILLIPS

DAVID BANKS has

JAMIE PHILLIPS is a longtime school business leader who works as assistant superintendent for business and support services in the Lancaster Central School District. An active member of the Association of School Business Officials’ western chapter, she was honored as the 2017 Business Official of the Year for Western New York. This fall, she steps into her role as president of the statewide association, representing more than 2,500 school finance pros.

THE MASTER Teacher

Program run by Josephine Salvador is the secret sauce that helps teachers statewide be more effective and fulfilled. Since 2013, Salvador has been the low-profile, high-impact leader of the program backed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, overseeing its growth to more than 1,200 K-12 STEM teachers and helping deliver high-quality training. She’s held past leadership positions in state and national educational organizations.

PRESIDENT AND CEO THE EAGLE ACADEMY FOUNDATION

VICE PRESIDENT, EDUCATION UNITED WAY OF NEW YORK CITY MARIELYS DIVANNE

brings years of education reform cred to her new role overseeing education initiatives at United Way’s New York City chapter – she worked for charter network Democracy Prep Public Schools and the nonprofit Students for Education Reform. From 2014 to 2017, she led United Way’s ReadNYC campaign, achieving literacy gains in Bronx elementary schools. Divanne returned to United Way in 2019 and has again worked to promote children’s literacy.

73 JAMAAL BOWMAN

PRINCIPAL CORNERSTONE ACADEMY FOR SOCIAL ACTION YONKERS-BASED EDUCATOR Jamaal Bow-

man, the “founding principal of a well-regarded middle school in the Bronx,” as Chalkbeat put it, is now wagering that his 20-year education career will help him unseat Rep. Eliot Engel in New York’s 16th Congressional District. A supporter of the opt-out movement and restorative discipline, Bowman has nabbed endorsements from Diane Ravitch and political action committees that backed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018.

achieved extraordinary success in educating young men of color since he established the Eagle Academy schools network 16 years ago in the South Bronx. The network now serves young men from neighborhoods in New York City and Newark, New Jersey, with the highest prison incarceration rates. Banks and his team have seen student graduation rates that are significantly higher than the national average for boys of color.

PRESIDENT-ELECT ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BUSINESS OFFICIALS OF NEW YORK

CONGRATULATIONS EDUCATION POWER 100 RECIPIENTS!

900 Watervliet-Shaker Rd. Albany, NY 12205 518-862-4900 www.capitalregionboces.org

PARTNERING WITH SCHOOLS, GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESSES TO BUILD A STRONGER REGIONAL ECONOMY, WORKFORCE AND COMMUNITY.

COREY TORPIE; BETH SHAW FROM CANDIDLY BETH STUDIO

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NEW YORK STATE MASTER TEACHER PROGRAM

February 17, 2020

City & State New York

76 NATASHA CAPERS

COORDINATOR NEW YORK CITY COALITION FOR EDUCATIONAL JUSTICE NATASHA CAPERS

is a champion for New York City’s black, brown and immigrant youth – and she gets things done. She got involved with Coalition for Educational Justice when her children’s school was slated for closure. She’s been instrumental in boosting funding to school science labs, strengthening middle school academic outcomes and, more recently, pushing the Department of Education to adopt a more inclusive and culturally responsive curriculum.

CAROL BURRIS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NETWORK FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION CAROL BURRIS is a

nationally recognized school principal who retired from South Side High School in Rockville Centre, Long Island, in 2015 to fully dedicate her energy to reversing New York’s highstakes testing and the linkage of teacher evaluations to student test scores. Since then, her efforts as executive director of the Network for Public Education Foundation – the brainchild of education historian Diane Ravitch – have frequently succeeded.

LARRY DONOVAN

JOHN KATZMAN

LARRY DONOVAN

BEST KNOWN as

HEAD OF SCHOOL THE SPEYER LEGACY SCHOOL

was hired to lead The Speyer Legacy School in July 2019. Previously, at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, he grew enrollment, refined the admissions process, and started “affinity groups” for students and parents of color. He takes the helm of Speyer, a small independent school for gifted students in midtown Manhattan, amid a contentious debate over New York City’s public school gifted and talented program – and whether it should exist at all.

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FOUNDER AND CEO THE NOODLE COMPANIES

79 THOMAS ROGERS

SUPERINTENDENT SYOSSET CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT THOMAS ROGERS was hired as the superin-

tendent of Syosset Central School District in 2014. The suburban Nassau County district has long been well-regarded in national and state rankings, and under Rogers’ tenure, students have continued to outpace their peers statewide on Regents exams and graduation rates. Rogers was trained at Teachers College, Columbia University, and he honed his skills at the Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services.

the co-founder of test-prep giant The Princeton Review, John Katzman is an entrepreneur with established education credibility – and a track record of well-funded startups. His latest venture, The Noodle Companies, encompasses multiple enterprises, including a tool for K-12 districts to manage the procurement process, a tutoring service and an online program manager for university degree programs. Katzman is also on the board of the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools.

36 CityAndStateNY.com

February 17, 2020

DANIEL RAMOT

ROBERT FRELOW CHRISTINE A. EDUCATION LEAHY

DANIEL RAMOT,

81 JOYCE SZUFLITA

FOUNDER NYC SCHOOL HELP JOYCE SZUFLITA is the cure for what ails thousands of overwhelmed Brooklyn parents seeking the right school for their kids amid New York City’s arcane school admissions maze. Szuflita opened NYC School Help, a wildly successful consulting business, after her own school search process for her two now-adult daughters left her with encyclopedic knowledge of the borough’s schools – and she realized there was a huge market to be tapped.

co-founder of ride-hailing service Via, isn’t the first person who comes to mind when sorting New York’s education influencers, but he’s in a unique position to make his mark on New York City’s school system. Last summer the Department of Education announced a reported $36 million, five-year partnership with Via to create an automated school bus routing, tracking and communication platform that would involve 9,000 bus routes for 150,000 students.

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE APPLE

THE NEW YORK CITY Department

of Education inked a $70 million deal with Apple in 2019, making the tech giant the H ighest-paid education technology provider of the year, citywide and statewide, based on our review of public records. Robert Frelow joined Apple as the sales lead for the city DOE in April, and he’ll be instrumental in securing such deals in the future. He previously sold hardware and software at IBM, Dell and HP.

ANTHONY LEWIS

THAI LEE

LISA GIFFORD

GLADYS CRUZ

ANOTHER EDUCATION

LISA GIFFORD is

GLADYS CRUZ

REGION VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLIC POLICY VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS NEW YORK’S

fourth-largest education technology contractor is Verizon Business Network Services, which had a $12.9 million contract with the New York City Department of Education, as of 2019, to provide data and telecommunications services. As region vice president of public policy for Verizon, Anthony Lewis oversees the company’s public policy initiatives in New York – including major contracts with local agencies.

CEO SHI INTERNATIONAL CORP. technology contractor that pulls in substantial dollars for education services is SHI International Corp., a New Jersey-based company run by billionaire Korean American businesswoman Thai Lee, who founded it a couple of decades ago with her then-husband. The New York City Department of Education has a $9.3 million contract with SHI for wireless infrastructure and access management services – both essential elements if schools are to deliver digitally driven instruction.

CEO ALLIANCE ENTERPRISES INC. reprising her CEO role at Alliance Enterprises, a national provider of vocational rehabilitation software and managed services that works with 24 tribal nations and 40 state agencies – including the New York State Education Department. A 37-year veteran of the company, Gifford calls the shots on contracts like the five-year, $8.8 million deal signed with state education officials in January for consulting help on a vocational rehabilitation case management system.

CEO CDW

NO. 2 on the list of

top education technology contractors is CDW Government, a division of CDW that specializes in selling K-12 schools, universities and other government entities everything from Chromebooks to IT infrastructure. Led by Christine Leahy, who was chief revenue officer of CDW before rising to CEO last year, the company had a $24 million contract with the New York City Department of Education in 2019 for audio/ video equipment.

85 SHAWN BAY

CEO ESCHOLAR LLC SHAWN BAY runs

eScholar, an “education data solutions” company he founded in 1997 that provides data warehousing, analytics and other tools used by the federal government, states and school districts such as Syracuse City Schools to promote student-personalized learning. The Westchesterbased company had a $14.8 million contract with the state education department to license a warehouse system and data model for a student information repository system in 2019.

DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT QUESTAR III BOCES began her career as a teacher in Puerto Rico, served as director of curriculum services for the New York State Education Department and landed at Questar III BOCES in 1998. Cruz, who has 23 school districts her purview and oversees programs delivered statewide, last year joined BOCES leaders to advise state officials on their review of high school graduation requirements. She strongly supports changes that account for New York’s diverse student population.

90 RICHARD ROBINSON

CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO SCHOLASTIC A FORMER high school English teacher, Richard

Robinson has spent the majority of his career at the helm of Scholastic, the multinational publishing company and popular provider of pre-K-12 instructional materials. As president since 1974 and CEO since 1975, Robinson has overseen enormous growth; annual revenue hit $1.65 billion in 2019. In the last few years, he’s promoted an expansion at the education division, providing core literacy curriculum to school districts.

ALICE GARIK; STUART RAMSON/INSIDERIMAGES FOR SCHOLASTIC; JORDAN MATTER; JOSEPH MORAN

CO-FOUNDER AND CEO VIA

February 17, 2020

City & State New York

DIANE LEVITT

ROBERT PONDISCIO

RAY DOMANICO

GREGG BETHEIL

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF K-12 EDUCATION CORNELL TECH A SELF-DESCRIBED

“K-12 computer science evangelist,” Diane Levitt serves as a bridge between the Cornell Tech graduate campus (launched in 2011 on Roosevelt Island) and New York City’s K-12 computing education ecosystem. She recently led a coaching program that enables more public school teachers to teach computer science, especially to underprivileged students of color, and also convenes leaders to move the field forward at an annual conference, To Code and Beyond.

SENIOR FELLOW AND VICE PRESIDENT FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS THOMAS B. FORDHAM INSTITUTE ROBERT PONDISCIO

is a leading intellectual on education reform who capped a 20-year journalism career with a pivot into teaching at a struggling South Bronx public school in 2002. At the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a right-leaning think tank, he churns out insightful commentary. His 2019 book, “How the Other Half Learns,” was written during his year embedded in a South Bronx Success Academy charter school.

SENIOR FELLOW AND DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION POLICY MANHATTAN INSTITUTE

PRESIDENT PENCIL

A STRATEGIC and

RAY DOMANICO came to the conservative Manhattan Institute in 2018 after serving as director of education research at New York City’s Independent Budget Office. His thoughtful analysis of the education reform movement, the charter cap (he favors lifting it) and the difficulty of integrating city schools is published widely. Domanico’s experience teaching educational research and policy analysis at Brooklyn College and Baruch College informs his data-driven commentary.

results-oriented veteran educator, Gregg Betheil came to the nonprofit Pencil in 2015 after nearly seven years at New York City’s Department of Education working with the reform-minded Bloomberg administration. As former chief program officer and now president of Pencil, Betheil has led growth of a career-training program that places students in paid internships; he also established the “Boss for a Day” initiative that exposes hundreds of students to real-world workplace environments.

MATT GONZALES

MICHAEL KOHLHAGEN

SASKIA TRAILL

SCOTT CROWDER

SCHOOL DIVERSITY PROJECT DIRECTOR NEW YORK APPLESEED MATT GONZALES is

tackling New York’s segregated schools from a multi-pronged front as educator, advocate and policy analyst. He’s getting students involved in the fight for integration at New York Appleseed; and as founder/ director of the Integration and Innovation Initiative at New York University Metro Center, he advocates for policies that support school integration. At the state level he has worked with education officials to design a grant program for district integration plans.

CEO THE CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION A SEASONED school superintendent who started his career as a social worker in the New York City Department of Education, Michael Kohlhagen now leads a nonprofit serving 146,000 students. CEI offers enrichment programs for at-risk students and “capacity building” for educators and parents to help improve school climate, student achievement and engagement. Under Kohlhagen’s leadership, in 2018 the organization won a federal arts education development grant.

PRESIDENT AND CEO EXPANDED SCHOOLS SASKIA TRAILL

started as a policy director at ExpandED Schools in 2009 and spent a decade climbing the ladder before becoming CEO in September 2019. She leads policy and research efforts at the New York City organization that is dedicated to “closing the learning gap by increasing access to enriched education experience.” ExpandED offers a full slate of in-school and afterschool enrichment programs, and advocates for city, state and federal policy.

95 AARON PALLAS

CHAIRMAN, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION POLICY AND SOCIAL ANALYSIS TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY AARON PALLAS is a speaker, writer, researcher and professor who is frequently sought out for his nuanced, data-informed commentary on New York City and state education debates, including the gifted and talented program and the Renewal schools initiative. He recently co-authored a book, “Convergent Teaching: Tools to Spark Deeper Learning in College,” with colleague Anna Neumann.

CEO EDUCATIONAL VISTAS INC.

SCOTT CROWDER is

CEO of Educational Vistas Inc., a for-profit company based in Schenectady that provides software, data analysis and test-scoring services to hundreds of districts upstate and downstate, as well as charter schools. Its clients include the New York Charter Schools Association and multiple Boards of Cooperative Educational Services. A 30-year veteran in the software industry, Crowder is knowledgeable about everything from programming to design to data management.

100 NANCY GUTIÉRREZ

PRESIDENT AND CEO NYC LEADERSHIP ACADEMY NANCY GUTIÉRREZ has had leadership suc-

cesses on both coasts. The native of East San Jose, California, started her career as a teacher and founding principal of a high-performing middle school in her own community. She joined the NYC Leadership Academy in 2014 and became president and CEO in 2018. In the last six years, she’s led the expansion of the organization’s signature CEO-style principal training bootcamp statewide and beyond.

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legalnotices@cityandstateny.com Urban Redwood LLC Arts. of Org. filed w/ SSNY 10/31/19. Off. in NY Co. SSNY desig. as agt. of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 20 W 38th St, 3rd Fl, NY, NY 10018. Purpose: any lawful activity. 41 W 35 LLC filed w/ SSNY on 11/27/19. Office: New York Co. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 1270 Broadway, #709, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: any lawful. Notice of Formation of PGD Management, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/24/19. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Drucker Associates, 158 W. 29th St., 3rd Fl., NY, NY 10001. Purpose: any lawful activities. Notice of Formation of Catalyst Mental Health Counseling, PLLC filed with SSNY on November, 21 st 2019. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Catalyst Mental Health Counseling, PLLC: 230 W. 72nd St, 4F, New York, NY 10023. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of DCJ PARTNERS, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/10/19. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Cohen & Cohen, LLP, 767 Third Ave., 31st Fl., NY, NY 10017. The regd. agent of the company upon whom and at which process against the company can be served is Richard N. Cohen, Esq., c/o Cohen & Cohen, LLP, 767 Third Ave., 31st Fl., NY, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of TAMARISK NASSAU PLACE, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/20/19. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/18/19. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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Notice of Qualification of WB HUNTLEY REDEVELOPMENT LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/26/19. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 11/04/19. Princ. office of LLC: 1120 Ave. of the Americas, 4th Fl., NY, NY 10036. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., PO Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Formation of BTWN LLC, filed with SSNY on September 17, 2019. Office: Kings County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of Process to LLC: 1060 Ocean Avenue, F6 Brooklyn, NY 11226. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION of Anthony Sperduti, LLC. Authority filed with SECY. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/14/19. Office loc: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 4/11/19. SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served & mailed to: 324 Lafayette,St., FL2, NY, NY 10012. Cert. of LLC filed with Secy. of State of DE loc: 401 Federal St, #4, Dover DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

Notice of Formation of MM Merger Sub, LLC, name changed to: MIDBORO MANAGEMENT, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/19/19. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 333 7th Ave., 5th Fl., NY, NY 10001, Attn: Michael J. Wolfe. Purpose: any lawful activities.

February 17, 2020

Notice of Formation of Whitney L. Taussig LCSW, PLLC filed w i t h SSNY on December 17, 2019. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 225 Lafayette St. Apt 9C New York, NY 10012. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. 290-292 LEONARD STREET LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/10/2019. Office loc: Kings County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: High Properties, LLC, 10 East 23rd St., Ste. 700, NY, NY 10010. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose. Notice of Qualification of Great Lakes Services, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/3/20. NYS fict. name: Great Wolf Services, LLC. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 350 N. Orleans St., Ste. 10000B, Chicago, IL 60654. LLC formed in DE on 7/9/04. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc., 122 E. 42nd St., 18th Fl., NY, NY 10168. DE addr. of LLC: 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Notice of Qual. of S&S BUSHWICK LLC, Authority filed with the SSNY on 10/03/2019. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 05/31/2019. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: C/O Park-It Management, 250 West 26th St., 4th Fl, NY, NY 10001. Address required to be maintained in DE: 160 Greentree Drive, Ste 101, Dover, DE 19904. Cert of Formation filed with DE Div. of Corps, 401 Federal St., Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Notice of Qualification of LINK INDUSTRIAL PROPERTIES LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/27/19. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/06/18. Princ. office of LLC: 233 S. Wacker Dr., Ste. 4700, Chicago, IL 60606. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Ownership & Investment in real property & all related activities. Notice of Qualification of Landmark Studio Group LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/24/19. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 132 E. Putnam Ave., Cos Cob, CT 06807. LLC formed in DE on 9/16/19. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc., 122 E. 42nd St., 18th Fl., NY, NY 10168. DE addr. of LLC: 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity Notice of Formation of BACK WHEN, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/23/19. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 382 Central Park West, Apt. 17H, NY, NY 10025. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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Notice of Formation of TTMH New Rochelle Holdings LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/7/20. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o Corporate Creations Network Inc., 15 N. Mill St., Nyack, NY 10960. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Notice of Formation of NSP Richmond Residential, LLC filed with SSNY on January 10, 2020. Office: Richmond County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 58 Bowdoin Street, Staten Island, NY 10314. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. Notice of Formation of Dua Maintenance and Construction, LLC filed with SSNY on December 06, 2019. Office: Kings County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 2753 Bath Avenue, 3FL, NY, NY 11214. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. Notice of Formation of JAMBON BEURRE TOPCO LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/17/20. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-243. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Name: E M P I R E CSS, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/07/2020. County: Richmond County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 65 Broadway #1400, New York, NY 10006-2503. Purpose: to engage in any and all business for which LLCs may be formed under the New York LLC Law.

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February 17, 2020

Notice of Qualification of Nochi Blue LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/6/20. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 8/25/17. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 5 Franklin Place, #9A, NY, NY 10013, principal business address. DE address of LLC: National Corporate Services, Inc., 203 NE Front St., Ste. 101, Milford, DE 19963. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, PO Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: all lawful purposes Notice of Formation of 42N Partners LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/26/19. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to the principal business address: 275 Greenwich St., Apt. 3-O, NY, NY 10007, Attn: Donald H. Nathan. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Notice of Formation of WF Industrial VI LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/10/20. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 80 8th Ave., Ste. 1602, NY, NY 10011. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc., 122 E. 42nd St., 18th Fl., NY, NY 10168. Purpose: any lawful activity. Formation of Jongro BBQ Franchising, LLC filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/5/19. Office loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The address SSNY shall mail process to Choi Kyung Rim, 1270 Broadway, Ste. 1107, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF KINGS CITIMORTGAGE, INC., Plaintiff -against- JOHN MORALES, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated September 23, 2019, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Courthouse 360 Adams Street, Room 224, Brooklyn, NY on February 27, 2020 at 2:30 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, bounded and described as follows: BEGINNING at a point on the northerly side of St. John’s Place, distant 265 feet and 4 inches westerly from the northeasterly corner of St. John’s Place and Bedford Avenue; being a plot 131 feet by 18 feet 8 inches by 131 feet by 18 feet 8 inches. Block: 1245 Lot: 62 Said premises known as 679 ST. JOHNS PLACE, BROOKLYN, NY Approximate amount of lien $825,816.46 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee or the Mortgagee’s attorney. Index Number 13974/2014. SHMUEL D. TAUB, ESQ., Referee David A. Gallo & Associates LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 99 Powerhouse Road, First Floor, Roslyn Heights, NY 11577 File# 7254.1134 {* CITY*} Notice of Formation of IDEAANDMAKER LTD filed with SSNY on January 2nd, 2020. Office: 154 Grand Street, NY 10016. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to REGISTERED AGENTS INC. 90 STATE STREET SUITE 700, OFFICE 40, ALBANY, NY 12207 . Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1325252, FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 3001 BROADWAY ASTORIA, NY 11106. QUEENS COUNTY, FOR ON-PREMISE CONSUMPTION.

PARERGON PROJECTS LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/16/2019. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 30 E 85th St., 8C, NY, NY 10028. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

MONTICELLO FOOD CORP.

Notice of Formation of Wherever You Go Pictures, LLC filed with SSNY on December 16, 2019. Office: Richmond County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 21 Egmont Place, Staten Island, NY 10301. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

SANDRA BURCH, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/14/2020. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 215 E. 95 St. #26G, NY, NY 10128. Reg Agent: U.S. Corp. Agents, Inc. 7014 13th Ave., Ste 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Notice of Formation of R/S FULCRUM LLC. Arts. Of Org filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/28/20. Office location: NY County. Sec of State designated LLC agent upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 153 E. 96th St., 1A, NY, NY 10128, principal business address. Purpose: any lawful activity. Notice of Qualification of GENUINE LEADERS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/14/20. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/13/20. Princ. office of LLC: 88 Leonard St., #714, NY, NY 10013. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity Notice of Formation of JIA LEE LLC filed with SSNY on August 5, 2019. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 57-59 2ND Ave, Apt. 74, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. Notice of Formation of LIVE BY REHAN, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/7/20. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 550 W. 54th St., Apt. 3D, NY, NY 10019. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Duggan Bertsch, LLC, 303 W. Madison St., Ste. 1000, Chicago, IL 60606. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

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Notice of Qualification of NORTHPOINT TECHNOLOGY, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/24/20. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/15/20. NYS fictitious name: NP TECHNOLOGY, LLC. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o ACA Compliance Group, Attn: Andrea M. McNamara, 8401 Colesville Rd., Ste. 700, Silver Springs, MD 20910. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Formation of 116 SULLIVAN CASA, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/28/20. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 116 Sullivan St., NY, NY 10012. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity. 26 CEDAR, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/07/2019. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Larocca Hornik Rosen & Greenberg LLP, 40 Wall Street, 32nd Fl, Attn: P. McPartland, NY, NY 10005. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose. Notice of formation of Hospitality GS LLC. Arts of Org. filed with the Secy of State of New York (SSNY) on January 24, 2020. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to One World Trade Center, Suite 47A, NY, NY 10007. Purpose: any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of PMPGL, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/23/20. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/15/20. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Qualification of On and Offshore Quality Control Specialists, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/18/19. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in TX on 5/2/05. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc., 122 E. 42nd St., 18th Fl., NY, NY 10168. TX and principal business address: 111 Congress Ave., Ste. 900, Austin, TX 78701. Cert. of Form. filed with TX Sec. of State, 1019 Brazos St., Austin, TX 78701. Purpose: any lawful activity. Notice of Qualification of RAHF IV FC Holdings, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/9/19. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 551 5th Ave., 23rd Fl., NY, NY 10176. LLC formed in DE on 6/22/16. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc., 122 E. 42nd St., 18th Fl., NY, NY 10168. DE addr. of LLC: 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity.

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Notice of Formation of BABYGRAND LLC filed with SSNY on March 22, 2019. Office: Kings County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 82 Irving Place, 1B, NY, NY 10003. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. Public Notice AT&T proposes to modify an existing facility (new tip heights 60’) on the building at 127 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY (20200076). Interested parties may contact Scott Horn (856-8091202) (1012 Industrial Dr., West Berlin, NJ 08091) with comments regarding potential effects on historic properties. Notice of Formation of Villavicencio Landscape Architect, LLC with SSNY on October 17, 2019. Office: Westchester County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Villavicencio Landscape Architect, LLC. 20 North Broadway Apt. F327 White Plains, NY. 10601. Purpose: any lawful act or activity NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1325394, FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 832 DEKALB AVE BROOKLYN, NY 11221. KINGS COUNTY, FOR ON-PREMISE CONSUMPTION. BURLY CAFÉ INC. Villavicencio Landscape Architect LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on October 17, 2019. Office: Westchester County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Villavicencio Landscape Architect LLC. 20 North Broadway Apt. F327, White Plains, NY. 10601. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Qualification of &VEST DOMESTIC FUND II L.P. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/28/20. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/09/20. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the Partnership, 3 Minetta St., NY, NY 10012. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 3, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. HSMH, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/27/2019. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Basil Hamadeh, 149 E. 23rd Street, #1904, NY, NY 10010. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose. Notice of Qualification of Antares Associates LLC. Appl. for Auth. filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/23/19. Office location: New York County. NY Sec. of State designated agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served, and shall mail process to The LLC, c/o The Corporation Trust Company, Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange St, Wilmington, DE 19801. DE addr. of LLC c/o The Corporation Trust Company, Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange St, Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901 on 12/11/19. Purpose: any lawful activity. Principal business location: 80 Columbus Cir, Unit 75 AB, New York, NY.

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Notice of Qualification of COMPASS LONG ISLAND, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/29/20. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/27/18. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Qualification of 180 BEDFORD SUBDSO, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/31/20. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/16/20. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543, regd. agent upon whom and at which process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Formation of 1345 EASE AOA PROMOTE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/30/20. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 299 Park Ave., 42nd Fl., NY, NY 10171. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Attn: General Counsel at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity. mokanyra, LLC. Filed with SSNY on 01/16/2020. Office: Bronx County. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail copy to: 1808 Arnow Ave, Bronx, NY 10469. Purpose: Any lawful.

February 17, 2020

PUBLIC NOTICE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF KINGS CITIMORTGAGE, INC., Plaintiff -against- JOHN MORALES, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated September 23, 2019, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Courthouse 360 Adams Street, Room 224, Brooklyn, NY on February 27, 2020 at 2:30 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, bounded and described as follows: BEGINNING at a point on the northerly side of St. John’s Place, distant 265 feet and 4 inches westerly from the northeasterly corner of St. John’s Place and Bedford Avenue; being a plot 131 feet by 18 feet 8 inches by 131 feet by 18 feet 8 inches. Block: 1245 Lot: 62 Said premises known as 679 ST. JOHNS PLACE, BROOKLYN, NY Approximate amount of lien $825,816.46 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee or the Mortgagee’s attorney. Index Number 13974/2014. SHMUEL D. TAUB, ESQ., Referee David A. Gallo & Associates LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 99 Powerhouse Road, First Floor, Roslyn Heights, NY 11577 File# 7254.1134 {* CITY*}

Notice of Formation of Birch Speech Therapy, LLC filed with SSNY on December 23, 2019. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 115 Washington Place #24, New York, NY 10014. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of Mitch Motivates LLC filed with SSNY on January 28, 2020. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 301 East 79th Street, APT 4C, New York, NY 10075. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Qualification of REVANTAGE CORPORATE SERVICES, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/29/20. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/13/17. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of Ace of Air, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 2/5/20. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 12/31/19. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to the principal business address: c/o Three Ocean Partners, 551 5th Ave., Ste. 3800, NY, NY 10176, Attn: Stephanie Stahl. DE address of LLC: Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

SUPREME COURT – COUNTY OF KINGS CALIBER HOME LOANS, INC., Plaintiff against PIERRE DUBOIS A/K/A PIERRE GERALD DUBOIS; MRS. “DOE” DUBOIS, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on December 18, 2019. I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 224 of the Kings County Courthouse, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. on the 12th day of March, 2020 at 2:30 p.m. premises described as follows: All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn. County of Kings, City and State of New York. Said premises known as 543 55th Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11220. (Block: 824, Lot: 68). Approximate amount of lien $ 216,620.62 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed judgment and terms of sale. Index No. 515510-15. Joel E. Abramson, Esq., Referee. Stern & Eisenberg, PC Attorney(s) for Plaintiff Woodbridge Corporate Plaza 485 B Route 1 South – Suite 330 Iselin, NJ 08830 (732) 582-6344 *For sale information, please visit www. auction.com or call 800280-2832* Notice of Formation of Limited Liability Company (LLC): NAME: 113-115 Tompkins Avenue LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 2/5/2020. Office Location: Westchester County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: 113-115 Tompkins Avenue LLC, 462 Bedford Road, Bedford Hills, NY 10507. Purpose: Any lawful act or activities

PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES / CityAndStateNY.com

February 17, 2020

NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC AUCTION Supreme Court of New York, KINGS County. U.S. BANK N.A., NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR THE RMAC TRUST, SERIES 2016-CTT, Plaintiff, -against- HARVEY WILLIAMS; LILLIAN WILLIAMS; KINGS SUPREME COURT; CRIMINAL COURT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK; HSBC BANK NEVADA, N.A.; CITY OF NEW YORK TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU; CITY OF NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; CITY OF NEW YORK ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD, Index No. 513521/2016. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated, November 15, 2019 and entered with the Kings County Clerk on December 18, 2019, Joseph H. Aron, Esq., the Appointed Referee, will sell the premises known as 258 Legion Street, Brooklyn, New York 11212 at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201, Room 224, on March 19, 2020 at 2:30 P.M. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings and State of New York known as Block: 3567; Lot: 143 will be sold subject to the provisions of filed Judgment, Index No. 513521/2016. The approximate amount of judgment is $556,685.34 plus interest and costs. FRIEDMAN VARTOLO LLP 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff.

Notice of Formation of Benowitz Family LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/13/19. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 160 E. 65th St., NY, NY 10065. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP, 605 3rd Ave., NY, NY 10158, Attn: Jeffrey I. Citron, Esq. Purpose: any lawful activity. Notice of Qualification of WALTER PROD CO, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/24/20. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/21/20. Princ. office of LLC: Two Pennsylvania Plaza, NY, NY 10121. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John D. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Entertainment.

Copy of Application for Authority of NJ Energy Realty, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, or a notice related to the qualification of the LLC filed with State Secretary of New York (“SSNY”) on 11/8/19. Office Location: Westchester County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served and mail process to: c/o Harriton & Furrer, LLP, 84 Business Park Drive, Suite 302, Armonk, NY 10504. Purpose: LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM Notice of Qualification of The Reserve at Heritage Holdings LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/4/19. Office location: NY County. LLC organized in MO on 10/4/19. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 14 E. 33rd St., #7S, NY, NY 10016, principal business address. MO address of LLC: 8909 Ladue Rd., St. Louis, MO 63124. Cert. of Org. filed with MO Sec. of State, 600 W. Main St., Jefferson City, MO 65101. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS DITECH FINANCIAL LLC, F/K/A GREEN TREE SERVICING LLC, Plaintiff AGAINST FLOZENA WEEMS AKA FLOZEMA WEEMS, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated May 01, 2019 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Room 224 of Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201, on March 19, 2020 at 2:30PM, premises known as 757 GEORGIA AVENUE, BROOKLYN, NY 11207. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, BLOCK 4321, LOT 45. Approximate amount of judgment $472,676.04 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment for Index# 500829/2017. CHARLANE ODETTA BROWN, ESQ., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC Attorney for Plaintiff 1775 Wehrle Drive, Suite 100 Williamsville, NY 14221 67880

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association, Plaintiff AGAINST De’shawn Ware a/k/a Deshawn Ware a/k/a De’Shawn Carlos Ware a/k/a De’Shawn C. Ware a/k/a Deshawn Carlos Ware a/k/a Deshawn C. Ware; Maranyelly Vega; et al., Defendant(s)

Cellco Partnership and its controlled affiliates doing business as Verizon Wireless (Verizon Wireless) proposes to collocate wireless communications antennas at three locations. Antennas will be installed at a top height of 44 feet on a 42-foot building at the approx. vicinity of 72-00 51st Road, Woodside, Queens County, NY 11377; Lat: 40-44-8.57, Long: 73-53-28.14. Antennas will be installed at a top height of 75 feet on a 78-foot building at the approx. vicinity of 14475 Melbourne Avenue, Flushings, Queens County, NY 11367; Lat: 40-4405.10, Long: 73-49-20.70. Antennas will be installed at a top height of 67 feet on a 66-foot building at the approx. vicinity of 2000 Prospect Avenue, Bronx, Bronx County, NY 10457; Lat: 40-50-43.1, Long: 73-53-16.1. Public comments regarding potential effects from this site on historic properties may be submitted within 30 days from the date of this publication to: Trileaf Corp, Morgan Rasmussen, m.rasmussen@trileaf.com, 1395 S. Marietta Pkwy, Building 400, Suite 209, Marietta, GA 30067; 678-653-8673 ext. 657.

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated May 2, 2019 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Room 224, Brooklyn, NY 11201 on March 19, 2020 at 2:30PM, premises known as 345 Schenck Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11207. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of NY, Block: 4012 Lot: 5. Approximate amount of judgment $389,855.59 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 512319/2017. Angelicque M. Moreno, Esq., Referee

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1325795 FOR LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 68-38 FOREST AVE RIDGEWOOD, NY 11385. QUEENS COUNTY, FOR ON PREMISE CONSUMPTION. PANINA INC.

Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: January 8, 2020 For sale information, please visit www. Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832

THE ANNUAL RETURN OF DUNGANNON FOUNDATION INC for the calendar year ended December 31, 2019 is available at its principal office located at FARKOUH, FURMAN & FACCIO LLP, 460 Park Avenue 12TH FL, NEW YORK, NY 10022 for inspection during regular business hours by any citizen who requests it within 180 days hereof. Principal Manager of the Foundation is ELIZABETH REA.

LEGALNOTICES@CITYANDSTATENY.COM

VSM NY HOLDINGS LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/05/20. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Village Super Market, Inc., 733 Mountain Avenue, Springfield,NJ 07081. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

42 CityAndStateNY.com

February 17, 2020

CITY & STATE NEW YORK MANAGEMENT & PUBLISHING CEO Steve Farbman, President & Publisher Tom Allon tallon@cityandstateny.com, Comptroller David Pirozzi, Business & Operations Manager Patrea Patterson, Administrative Assistant Lauren Mauro

Who was up and who was down last week

CREATIVE Art Director Andrew Horton, Senior Graphic Designer Alex Law, Graphic Designer Aaron Aniton

LOSERS

DIGITAL Digital Marketing Director Maria Cruz Lee, Project Manager Michael Filippi, Digital Content Manager Amanda Luz Henning Santiago, Digital Marketing Strategist Caitlin Dorman, Digital Marketing Associate Chris Hogan, Web/ Email Strategist Isabel Beebe

SCOTT STRINGER Though the comptroller and mayoral candidate has pushed for New York City to do more to boost salaries for women, a Daily News analysis found women in his office make 88 cents on average for every dollar his male employees make. In fairness to Stringer, that’s pretty similar to the average pay gap you see in New York City and throughout the state. So while this may not help his progressive persona, it’s probably not too far from what many of his political peers are doing too.

THE BEST OF THE REST

THE REST OF THE WORST

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG

LAURA CURRAN & PATRICK RYDER

The former mayor of stop and frisk is miraculously getting the black vote. (pg. 8)

JOHN FLANAGAN

LETITIA JAMES

BRAD LANDER

MICHAEL PETUCCI

JAMES WHELAN

ANDREW YANG

REBNY’s lawsuit means renters are back on the hook for broker’s fees. What a guy.

EVENTS events@cityandstateny.com Sales Director Lissa Blake, Events Manager Alexis Arsenault, Event Coordinator Amanda Cortez, Editorial Research Associate Evan Solomon

Vol. 9 Issue 6 February 17, 2020 HOW BLOOMBERG IS WINNING OVER BLACK VOTERS

THE BATTLE OVER BAIL REFORM

Discovery reform couldn’t have caused a Long Island murder. They said it anyway.

With Robert Ortt staying in the Senate, the minority leader just needs nine suckers to replace the Republicans who ran away. His bill means reckless drivers will actually have to earn back their right to drive.

ADVERTISING Vice President of Advertising Jim Katocin jkatocin@ cityandstateny.com, Account/Business Development Executive Scott Augustine saugustine@cityandstateny.com, Vice President, Advertising and Client Relations Danielle Koza dkoza@cityandstateny.com, Sales Associate Cydney McQuillan-Grace cydney@cityandstateny.com, Legal Advertising Executive Shakirah Gittens legalnotices@ cityandstateny.com

Despite her suit, T-Mobile and Sprint will merge into a bigger company nobody uses.

THE EDUCATION 100 CIT YANDSTATENY.COM

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February 17, 2020

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This week on upstate judges getting wasted and crashing cars ... Guess we’ll have to kiss that dream of $1,000 a month goodbye.

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NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS & CLAUDIA TENNEY There are few things that wannabe GOP House members pine for more than a presidential tweet. Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis and former Rep. Claudia Tenney had their wishes come true this week when President Donald Trump endorsed their campaigns. Once upon a time, Malliotakis and Tenney distanced themselves from the president, but they’re now loyal Trumpistas who believe the presidential bandwagon can carry them to Capitol Hill.

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Last Valentine’s Day, Amazon walked out on the governor and the mayor. After the company revealed a secret affair with New York’s top elected officials, a bunch of politicians undermined the budding relationship by spreading nasty rumors about the company being a bad partner. Not even a love letter from business leaders could bring Amazon back … and yet, the company can’t quit New York. To find out who’s feeling the love this year – and who’s feeling scorned – here are the latest Winners & Losers.

EDITORIAL editor@cityandstateny.com Editor-in-Chief Jon Lentz jlentz@cityandstateny.com, Managing Editor Ryan Somers, Senior Editor Ben Adler badler@cityandstateny.com, Special Projects Editor Alice Popovici, Deputy Editor Eric Holmberg, Senior Reporter Jeff Coltin jcoltin@cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Zach Williams zwilliams@cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Rebecca C. Lewis rlewis@cityandstateny.com, Tech & Policy Reporter Annie McDonough amcdonough@ cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Kay Dervishi, Associate Copy Editor Holly Pretsky

NEW YORK LAW SCHOOL 185 WEST BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10013 THURSDAY, MARCH 12 - FRIDAY, MARCH 13 This two-day, non-partisan seminar will teach the ins and out of running for office and working the campaign trail! A new and unique opportunity for anyone looking to tap into the collective wisdom of some of New York’s most prominent politicos and seasoned strategists, all candidates can attend for free, +1 campaign staffer, with the code CBPRINT.

PANEL TOPICS A POLITICAL INSIDER’S VIEW: HOW UNKNOWN CANDIDATES CAN DEFEAT THE POLITICAL MACHINES AN INTRODUCTION TO CFB COMPLIANCE PRESS AND PUBLICITY (TRADITIONAL, NEW & EARNED MEDIA OUTREACH METHODS) FUNDRAISING OPERATIONS & EVENT MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR RANKED CHOICE VOTING AND MORE!

FEATURED SPEAKERS ERIC ADAMS, Brooklyn Borough President GALE BREWER, Manhattan Borough President JERRY GOLDFEDER, Special Counsel, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan ERROL LOUIS, Political Anchor/Host, Spectrum News NY1 LAURA NAHMIAS, New York Daily News Editorial Board BASIL SMIKLE, Former NY State Chair, Campaign Strategist JUMAANE WILLIAMS, NYC Public Advocate RSVP at CityAndStateNY.com/Events For more information on programming and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Lissa Blake at lblake@cityandstateny.com THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

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NEW YORK’S FUTURE INCRE ASE S T EM F UNDING

New York State FACES A CRISIS. We are among the nation’s leaders in STEM job creation. The NYS Department of Labor projects 67% growth in IT jobs alone through 2026, but NYS has a shortage of workers to fill these jobs. New York State’s STEM Reimbursement Program recognizes the need to invest in STEM teachers and STEM education to help create our state’s STEM workforce of the future.

Join us in urging Albany to fully fund this program to $81 MILLION so our state’s 400,000 NONPUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS can HELP BUILD NEW YORK STATE’S ECONOMIC FUTURE.

GET INVOLVED.

Visit teachcoalition.org/nys/stemfunding