NEW YORK CITY
POWER 100
DERMOT SHEA: HOW WILL HE WIELD THE NYPD?
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@CIT YANDSTATENY
February 24, 2020
If you listen closely, you can hear 100,000 of your co-workers clapping for you. Spectrum is pleased to recognize Camille Joseph-Goldman, Regional Vice President, Government Affairs, Northeast and all of the City & State NYC Power 100 honorees.
February 17, 2020
City & State New York
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EDITOR’S NOTE
JON LENTZ Editor-in-chief
AT THE END OF 2012, City & State published its first New York City Power 100 list. Comparing that list to this year’s ranking, what stands out is how dramatically the political landscape has changed in the city in the past seven years. Of the original top 20, only about a quarter are still on our 2020 list. Among them are Gov. Andrew Cuomo, U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, the United Federation of Teachers’ Michael Mulgrew and the Partnership for New York City’s Kathryn Wylde. Of the rest, some individuals – Patricia Harris, Cas Holloway, Raymond Kelly, Howard Wolfson – dropped off the list after the Bloomberg administration came to an end. Others, such as U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, former New York City Comptroller John Liu and Rep. Joseph Crowley, vacated their posts for other reasons. Still others – Sheldon Silver, Dean Skelos, Eric Schneiderman – were brought down by scandals. And our No. 1 that first time around is back in the headlines: former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The billionaire businessman’s self-funded campaign for the White House had been gaining traction in recent weeks, although a widely panned performance in his first presidential debate last week may slow his momentum. Then again, one of the takeaways from Bloomberg’s tenure still stands – it’s risky to underestimate him.
CONTENTS TAXING THE RICH … 8
Why suburban Democrats don’t want to
NYC POWER 100 … 11 This is it. The big one.
DERMOT SHEA … 18
What it’s like to be a Republican working for de Blasio
CHIRLANE MCCRAY … 24 Is a borough presidency in her future? CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER … 46 The six looking to succeed Corey Johnson
OFF THE LIST … 48
Who’s new and who’s gone
WINNERS & LOSERS … 54
Who was up and who was down last week
CityAndStateNY.com
BLOOMBERG’S BIG STUMBLE
After weeks of flooding the airwaves with ads and spending over $400 million, Michael Bloomberg finally made his debate debut in Nevada. It was his first real, live, public appeal to voters, and it did not go well for the former New York City
February 24, 2020
mayor. He was attacked by every candidate on the stage for his record on stop and frisk and his massive wealth, and he seemed utterly unprepared for the barrage. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren in particular took aim at Bloomberg in one memorable exchange about nondisclosure agreements signed by
women at his company who had accused him of sexual harassment. Bloomberg would not say how many women had signed agreements and tried to downplay their significance by saying that, at worst, some women “didn’t like a joke I told.” The comment was met with boos. (Bloomberg later offered to release three women from their NDAs and said he wouldn’t use the agreements in the future.) Bloomberg’s performance was pretty much universally panned by political observers, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo quipping the ex-mayor would need to “break out another hundred million” dollars in advertising in order to make up for the poor debate showing.
“Train Daddy has left the building.” – Andy Byford, stepping down from his role as New York City Transit president, to the sound of bagpipes, via Gothamist
ICE SLAMS GREEN LIGHT LAW The acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement visited New York on
TRUMP PARDONS BERNARD KERIK
NO RIGHT TO REFUSE The New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission unveiled a new ad campaign last week aimed at calling out and reporting taxi and ride-hail drivers who illegally refuse service based on race or other factors. The campaign happened to roll out amid reports that drivers were refusing service to Chinese riders because of fears surrounding the Wuhan coronavirus.
Thursday, but the state is no closer to resolving its standoff with the federal government over a law enabling immigrants living in the country illegally to receive driver’s licenses. Matthew Albence ripped into the New York’s Green Light law, calling it the most dangerous measure for law enforcement “short of taking away our guns” for hindering their investigative abilities. At issue is federal immigration agencies’ access to state Department of Motor Vehicles data, which is restricted under the new law. In what has been described by Cuomo as a retaliatory action, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security suspended Trusted Traveler Programs for New Yorkers, which permit expedited travel across borders and at airports, until the law is changed. Cuomo failed to make headway in a recent meeting with President Donald Trump, and Albence’s New York visit indicates that tensions are unlikely to ease.
“Break out another hundred million.” – Gov. Andrew Cuomo, giving former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg a poor review of his presidential debate performance, via the New York Post
Trump pardoned several high-profile convicts last week, including one from his hometown. Former New York City Police Department Commissioner Bernard Kerik received a coveted presidential pardon for his convictions of tax fraud and lying to the
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White House. Kerik was a close ally of former New York City Mayor and current Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani. He was Giuliani’s bodyboard when he first ran for mayor, a position that eventually led to Giuliani appointing him as the city’s top cop. Kerik had already completed his sentence, but the move by Trump wipes his record clean. He said he cried when he heard the news because despite serving his sentence, his status as a convicted felon continued to haunt him.
TISH TARGETS NYC OVER TAXI MEDALLIONS
In the latest development in New York City’s ongoing taxi industry woes, state Attorney General Letitia James has accused the Big Apple of fraud for
City & State New York
artificially inflating the price of medallions, leading to a crisis that has been correlated with multiple suicides. She’s planning to sue the city for $810 million in order to pay the thousands of cab drivers drowning in debt if it doesn’t voluntarily offer the money within 30 days. After an investigation, James’ office concluded that the city Taxi & Limousine Commission continued to sell taxi medallions at incredibly high prices for profit, marketing them as solid investments despite knowing that those prices had been artificially inflated by industry leaders, creating a bubble that was destined to burst. The mayor has not yet given any indication whether he plans to adhere to James’ demand before legal action is taken.
Who said it – Bloomberg or Trump? As his campaign to take on President Donald Trump takes off, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is facing renewed criticism for his decades-long habit of making offensive remarks about other people’s race, sex and gender identity. Bloomberg has at least expressed regret about some of his past remarks and actions, which is not exactly Trump’s strong suit. Yet the two white, male, 70-something billionaires have nonetheless harbored similar attitudes over the years about people who are less powerful than them. Don’t believe us? See if you can figure out which of the following statements were made by Bloomberg or Trump. 1. ON MAKING DEALS “Let me tell you something, buddy boy, I have pictures of you and they’re not with your wife.” 2. ON A BUSINESS ENTERPRISE “It will do everything, including give you a blowjob. I guess that puts a lot of you girls out of business.” 3. ON BLACK PEOPLE “You know, you don’t want to live with them either.” 4. A FEMALE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE “I mean, she’s a woman, and I’m not supposed to say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?” 5. ON AVOIDING MILITARY SERVICE IN THE VIETNAM WAR “I had a great agreement with the draft board … they never called me and I never called them.”
THE
WEEK AHEAD
THURSDAY 2/27 Who’s got the power in politics? City & State hosts its annual New York City Power 100 reception at The Flat in midtown Manhattan, with New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams giving remarks.
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FRIDAY 2/28 State legislators will discuss how they can tackle homelessness and affordable housing at a hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. on the 19th floor of 250 Broadway in Manhattan.
6. ON BLACK AND LATINO MEN “There’s this enormous cohort of black and Latino males aged, let’s say, 16 to 25 that don’t have jobs ... don’t know how to find jobs … don’t know how to behave in the workplace.” 7. ON TRUMP “Nice person” 8. ON A WOMAN’S LOOKS “This is someone who likes to eat.” 9. ON NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS “You can’t just walk away from it. They’re legal agreements, and for all I know the other side wouldn’t want to get out of it.” 10. ON THE POLITICS OF TRANSGENDER RIGHTS “If your conversation during a presidential election is about some guy wearing a dress ... that’s not a winning formula.” 11. ON A WOMAN’S LOOKS “Why didn’t they ask you to be in the picture? I guess they saw your face.” 12. ON HOW HE IS TOTALLY NOT SEXIST “Nobody has more respect for women than I do.” ANSWERS: 1. Bloomberg 2. Bloomberg 3. Trump 4. Trump 5. Bloomberg 6. Bloomberg 7. Trick question. Both Bloomberg and Trump 8. Trump 9. Bloomberg 10. Bloomberg 11. Bloomberg 12. Trump
SUNDAY 3/1 A statewide ban on most types of single-use plastic bags (exceptions include those used for fresh food) goes into effect, so grab some reusables or you might be stuck paying a nickel per paper bag at checkout.
– Zach Williams
INSIDE DOPE
The implementation of the plastic bag ban will test whether the new regulations have created loopholes that incentivize businesses to use super-thick plastic.
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CityAndStateNY.com
February 24, 2020
POT’S not just for stoners – there’s a lot of money to be made on marijuana, and some well-known names are already seeing green in New York.
BY JANA CHOLAKOVSKA
JOHN BOEHNER
Former House Speaker John Boehner hasn’t always been the biggest advocate for marijuana. But the Ohio Republican has had a change of heart and is now on the board of one of the biggest marijuana companies in the United States, Acreage Holdings. The right to acquire the company, which already has a medical marijuana license in New York, was purchased last year by the Canadian company Canopy Growth Corp. for $3.4 billion, but the transaction is contingent on the federal legalization of pot.
KEVIN DURANT
Canopy Growth Corp. – the company that’s set to acquire Acreage Holdings – has a venturecapital arm called Canopy Rivers, and Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant is joining its strategic advisory board. If the U.S. legalizes pot and Acreage officially becomes a part of Canopy Growth Corp., Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman might become big players in New York’s pot industry.
AL HARRINGTON & J.R. SMITH
In 2011, former NBA player Al Harrington founded the company Viola Extracts, which sells marijuana and vape pens. In June, Harrington and fellow NBA veteran J.R. Smith lobbied state lawmakers for the complete legalization of weed. “We feel that it’s very important that we need to have the seat at the table so we can use some of these funds to rebuild our communities,” Harrington told the New York Post at the time.
C.J. WALLACE BRIAN MULRONEY
Another bigname member of Acreage’s board, joining in November 2018, is Brian Mulroney, who served as prime minister of Canada from 1984 through 1993. The former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party had a hand in introducing the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and the North American Free Trade Agreement, bringing a lot of multinational business and policy experience to his corporate post.
BILL WELD
The Republican presidential hopeful and former governor of Massachusetts has reportedly supported the legalization of medical marijuana since 1992. In 2016, Weld supported the ballot initiative that ultimately legalized recreational marijuana in Massachusetts. He joined the Acreage board alongside Boehner in April 2018.
In early 2019, the Notorious B.I.G.’s son, C.J. Wallace, launched the Think BIG cannabis brand in his father’s honor. The LA-based company has hired a lobbying firm in Albany. Wallace and his partners want to use their brand as a way to lift up black communities that have been disproportionately affected by punitive drug laws.
February 24, 2020
City & State New York
A Q&A with the state senator
It’s up to New York to step up to protect its citizens and their privacy.
BRAD HOYLMAN
U.S. HOUSE; LEONARD ZHUKOVSKY, S_BUKLEY/SHUTTERSTOCK; MATTHEW USHERWOOD/CANADA; WELD CAMPAIGN; STATE SENATE
You introduced a bill to ban law enforcement’s use of facial recognition. Has the issue been on your radar for a while? I think we need to hit the pause button on it. You can go to the Apple App Store and see scores of different facial recognition apps that are available at your fingertips, and understand just how powerful this tool is and how dangerous it could be if it were used in an unfettered and unregulated way, which is the current state of play. I don’t see Congress stepping into this void anytime soon. As with a lot of issues involving footdragging in Washington,
it’s up to New York to step up to protect its citizens and their privacy. What might regulations look like? Just hypothesizing, perhaps a warrant would have to be required to use this kind of technology, for example. We know that (the NYPD) is storing photos of children as young as 11. As well as the fact that facial recognition is, according to studies, unreliable. It regularly misidentifies law-abiding citizens as criminals. An MIT study showed a 35% error rate when facial recognition tried to analyze (women) of color.
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State Sen. Liz Krueger, who voted against your gestational surrogacy bill, recently introduced her own bill that would legalize and regulate gestational surrogacy. What are your thoughts on that? Sen. Krueger is a close friend and colleague, so I respect her desire to weigh in. But I have to say that a bill that allows a woman acting as a surrogate eight days to change her mind and claim parentage over the child is a nonstarter. I speak from personal experience, having had two children through
surrogacy. I would never go into an arrangement where the woman acting as a surrogate – even though she’s not genetically connected to my children – might be able to claim parental rights. For me, the idea should be to resolve these legal issues, not create them. And certainly it is for many intended parents, especially those who have gone through unsuccessful fertility treatments, cruel and unnecessary to create more uncertainty in their attempts to have a child. New York City’s property tax commission has recommended
changes to overhaul the city’s property tax system, but it will likely be a while before any progress is made. What do those recommendations mean for your proposed pied-àterre tax? Overhauling the property tax system has been as difficult as extending the Second Avenue Subway. We can make the system fairer immediately by passing a pied-à-terre tax and making sure that people who are wealthy pay their fair share, and that people who use New York City real estate as a safety deposit box pay a premium on that.
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February 24, 2020
WHO’S AFRAID TO SOAK THE RICH?
New Yorkers want to increase taxes on the wealthy. Why won’t suburban lawmakers do it? by Z A C H W I L L I A M S
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and jets, stock transfers and corporate stock buybacks – Democratic senators from Long Island have largely avoided taking a stand. On Feb. 19, activists gathered outside the district offices of several Long Island Democrats who flipped state Senate seats in recent years, aiming to convince them that raising taxes in an election year is in their political interests. “If they do want to get reelected, they’re going to need to bring home some money for schools,” said Charles Khan, organizing director for the Strong Economy For All Coalition, an umbrella group favoring tax increases. “They’re going to need to make sure people’s health care is not being cut. If they want to do that, then they are going to have to tax the (top) 0.1% in New York.” Efforts by activists, lawmakers and union leaders to raise taxes on the wealthy is nothing new, but they do have some new tactics and threats this budget season. The $6.1 bil-
lion budget deficit injects more urgency into the yearslong effort to raise taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers. New polling suggests that it might even be more popular with voters – including suburbanites – than centrist Democrats fear. Activists are also criticizing Senate Democrats for making bail reform a top priority at the potential cost of raising more tax revenues to fund public schools, health care and other services. Unions are playing a key role in placing a political wedge between Cuomo – who is aiming to reduce Medicaid spending by $2.5 billion – and the state Senate. United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew told state lawmakers at a Manhattan meeting earlier this month that the union would support lawmakers who held the line against Cuomo. The intended audience for
this promise was not limited to the New York City lawmakers who were present that day, according to Assembly Health Committee Chairman Richard Gottfried. “I think the legislators in the room were not concerned about their own reelections, but whether some of their more moderate colleagues might be worried,” he told City & State. But those fears could be misplaced. A poll of New York registered voters commissioned by the United Federation of Teachers and conducted by Hart Research Associates, which has worked for major news outlets like NBC and The Wall Street Journal, found that more than 90% of respondents supported higher taxes on the wealthy, with negligible differences between New York
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ROGRESSIVE ACTIVISTS, AS THEY DO EVERY YEAR, are calling for new state taxes on the rich, but this year they have some new arguments about why it would politically benefit suburban Democratic senators worried about their 2020 reelection campaigns. There are two basic ways to approach the state’s $6.1 billion budget deficit. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins want to avoid tax hikes. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie wants to increase tax revenues. Stuck in between are swing district Democratic senators who the party needs to protect to keep its grip over the state Legislature. Facing calls for an array of new taxes – on the ultra-wealthy, pied-à-terre, real estate investors, luxury yachts
February 24, 2020
City & State New York
“FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE AFRAID ABOUT RAISING TAXES ON THE WEALTHY, 72% OF NEW YORKERS WOULD BE MORE LIKELY TO VOTE FOR YOU (IF YOU) VOTED FOR THESE MEASURES.” City, its suburbs and upstate. “For those of you who are afraid about raising taxes on the wealthy right now and have been reluctant to do so, the poll indicated that 72% of
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a mid-February legislative budget hearing on taxes. New York State United Teachers meanwhile hit the airwaves the next day with a new ad campaign. The state teachers union is supplementing the to sway law–RON DEUTSCH, FISCAL POLICY INSTITUTE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR efforts makers to raise taxes on the wealthy. While support for keeping income taxes New Yorkers would be more likely to vote for you in fact (if you) voted for these mea- and property taxes low can help win votes sures,” Ron Deutsch, executive director of in swing districts in the Hudson Valley the Fiscal Policy Institute, told lawmakers at and Long Island, that does not mean that
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suburban voters categorically oppose tax increases, according to Lawrence Levy, executive dean of Hofstra University’s National Center for Suburban Studies. “The fewer individuals the tax affects, the more likely it is to have a chance with suburbanites,” he said. “Anybody who believes that suburbanites in New York, and even more so on Long Island, are anti-tax hasn’t been paying attention to school budget elections. They are willing to consider whether the proposal will deliver value and be aligned with their values.” There are a few signs that some suburban senators are also open to hearing arguments in favor of raising taxes on the wealthy in one form or another. Activists say they spotted Long Island state Sens. James Gaughran and John Brooks at a Feb. 13 briefing held by the Strong Economy For All Coalition in Albany. There are also tax proposals coming from lawmakers like state Sen. Jen Metzger of the Hudson Valley, who is leading efforts in the chamber to impose a new tax on stock buybacks by corporations. But political alliances can fray when one side does not get what it wants from another. Progressive groups backed the Democratic takeover of the state Senate in 2018 and celebrated the legislation it passed on issues like voting rights, rent reforms and climate change. But such support is evidently contingent on Democratic senators getting on board with raising taxes on the wealthy while not making a deal on bail reform. “My fear is that legislators who are looking for rollbacks on bail might get
February 24, 2020
The proposed pied-à-terre tax on second homes died in Albany last year.
fund managers. “We would have to review the specifics,” Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said about the governor’s support for such proposals moving forward. Stewart-Cousins meanwhile has said tax increases are not the “first fallback” position for her conference. But taxes targeting billionaires would not exactly violate her stated commitment to protecting “middle-class and low-income New Yorkers.” Fiscal conservatives have warned that any attempt to raise taxes on the wealthy could hurt the state’s bottom line. The top 1% of income tax filers paid 37% of the state’s income taxes, according to research by the Citizens Budget Commission. The state is more dependent than ever on taxes from a few dozen billionaires at the very top, and if just a few of them move out of state, then it could make a big difference in the state’s revenues, fiscal watchdogs warned. Balancing the budget ultimately comes down to something more than dollars and cents. Senate Democrats worry –LAWRENCE LEVY, HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY NATIONAL CENTER FOR SUBURBAN STUDIES EXECUTIVE DEAN that backing increased taxes on the wealthy could hurt their hold on swing districts in the champitted against education and (that would) health care to placate their critics on the po- ber, which would in turn jeopardize procome at some cost to schools,” said Jasmine litical left. But this would require Cuomo and gressives’ ability to get bills through the state Gripper, executive director of the Alliance Stewart-Cousins to give ground on an issue Legislature. But activists on the political left for Quality Education, an advocacy group that they have been firm on thus far this year. are challenging that assumption this year There could be some wiggle room for by pushing the idea that supporting higher pushing for billions in new funding for public schools as prescribed in the Cam- them as budget negotiations get underway taxes on the wealthy is to the political advanamong Cuomo, Heastie and Stewart-Cous- tage of Democratic lawmakers. “Show me paign for Fiscal Equity settlement. Such arguments have yet to convince ins. The governor has previously support- the money,” Deutsch said. “This is the year Long Island Democrats. A spokesman for ed new levies on pied-à-terre and hedge the Legislature has to get a spine.” state Sen. Todd Kaminsky said he remains opposed to raising taxes. Other members of the so-called Long Island Six, the half-dozen Democratic senators from the island, are laying low on the issue until the Senate releases its own funding proposal in the coming weeks. But activists are continuing to pressure swing district Democrats, including through new ads on Facebook. If Democrats were to raise billions of dollars through new taxes on the wealthy, they could theoretically have enough money to plug the budget deficit while also increasing spending enough on public schools and
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NICK STARICHENKO/SHUTTERSTOCK
“ANYBODY WHO BELIEVES THAT SUBURBANITES IN NEW YORK ARE ANTI-TAX HASN’T BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO SCHOOL BUDGET ELECTIONS.”
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THE 2020
NEW YORK
CITY POWER 1 0 0
LARRY TESLER, the Xerox researcher and computer pioneer who in-
vented the copy and paste functions, died earlier this month. Unlike one former New York City mayor, whose Xerox-related comments recently made headlines, City & State does not copy and paste our New York City Power 100 list from year to year. We consult with experts, pore over news reports and analyze the accumulation of power. That said, the top of the 2020 New York City Power 100 didn’t change much from last year. A year ago, Democrats had just assumed total control of state government. Now we largely know how Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state legislative leaders have settled into the new power structure that has a big say over the city’s affairs. And many of the city’s top leaders are
either gearing up for their next run or finishing their final years in office. In this year’s list, we’ve highlighted three prominent storylines for the year ahead. Dermot Shea went from being the CompStat numbers guy at the New York City Police Department to now running the show. New York City first lady Chirlane McCray could be on the verge of a new chapter in her career as a candidate for Brooklyn borough president. We also look ahead to the next big race in the New York City Council: the 2021 speaker’s race. With so many council members reaching the term limits of the office, will one of the few remaining incumbents be the next to lead the council? We’re proud to present the 2020 New York City Power 100.
CityAndStateNY.com
February 24, 2020
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ANDREW CUOMO
CARL HEASTIE
GOVERNOR
ASSEMBLY SPEAKER
New York City may be the center of the world, but Albany is where true power lies. And Gov. Andrew Cuomo has capitalized on the authority of his office to drive the state’s policy agenda. In 2019, he spearheaded a plan to implement congestion pricing in Manhattan, approved criminal justice reforms, set education spending levels and made a deal banning plastic bags. This year, he’s poised to shift Medicaid cuts to New York City and other municipalities.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has earned a reputation for being less heavy-handed than his predecessor, Sheldon Silver. But even with Democrats controlling all the levers of power in the state Capitol, the longtime Bronx power broker is standing up for the downstate-dominated chamber he has led since 2015 – whether it’s demanding that minority communities benefit from the legalization of recreational marijuana or insisting on not changing the state’s new cash bail law.
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3 ANDREA STEWARTCOUSINS STATE SENATE MAJORITY LEADER State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins has increased her standing with her fellow Democrats by successfully striking a balance among her urban, suburban and rural members while passing a litany of big-ticket bills in 2019. The Yonkers Democrat is finding herself standing up for her fellow suburbanites – and at odds with some New York City lawmakers – on matters like reworking last year’s landmark bail reform legislation.
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BILL DE BLASIO
DONALD TRUMP
COREY JOHNSON
NEW YORK CITY MAYOR
PRESIDENT
NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER
Let’s face it, 2019 wasn’t kind to the New York City mayor’s reputation, with a failed presidential run and few policy wins at home. He recently committed to “Save Our City” in his State of the City address, and he’s speaking from a position of power that most other politicians can only dream of – a $95 billion budget, a city workforce of more than 300,000 and a City Council that agrees with him on most of the big issues.
In the wake of his impeachment acquittal, President Donald Trump has been unleashed. He has criticized Manhattan Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who was a leader in the impeachment proceedings. He has pardoned felons like former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik and criticized the prosecution of allies like political operative Roger Stone. When his administration blocked New Yorkers from using federal traveler programs, critics called it retaliation. And he continues to hold up funding for the Gateway rail tunnel.
New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson is over halfway through his tenure, and while you’re less likely to catch him dancing on the morning news, you’re more likely to catch him announcing major policy proposals – like a city takeover of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority – that will form the base of his 2021 mayoral pitch. In the meantime, he’s leading a united council that, at times, has proven to be an effective check on the mayor.
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR; ASSEMBLY; STATE SENATE; A KATZ, NICOLE S GLASS/SHUTTERSTOCK; NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL
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THE REAL
POWER
NEW YORK CITY’S RANK AND FILE UNION MEMBERS
THE TRANSPORT WORKERS UNION LOCAL 100
Representing 46,000 workers who operate and maintain the New York City bus and subway system, tour bus industry, school buses in Brooklyn and Westchester County, Liberty Lines, New York Waterway, and Privately Operated Bus Companies throughout the region.
Latonya Crisp Recording Sec’y
Earl Phillips Sec’y Treasurer
Tony Utano President
Nelson Rivera Administrative VP
TWU Local 100 | Union Headquarters | 195 Montague Street | Brooklyn, NY 11201 | Tony Utano, President
Congratulations Harry Giannoulis on being named to the
NYC Power 100
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City & State New York
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SCOTT STRINGER
MICHAEL GIANARIS
LETITIA JAMES
NEW YORK CITY COMPTROLLER
STATE SENATE DEPUTY MAJORITY LEADER
STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL
Running a competent and well-respected auditing agency of more than 700 employees? That’s the easy part. Positioning yourself as a political force and the most progressive candidate in the 2021 mayoral race? That’s the hard part. But Scott Stringer has managed to do both over the years, and while he plans out the endgame of his decadelong campaign for mayor, he’s still the city’s top financial officer, overseeing $215 billion in assets.
OFFICE OF THE NEW YORK CITY COMPTROLLER; STATE SENATE; LEV RADIN/SHUTTERSTOCK
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Whether or not state Sen. Michael Gianaris has shifted to the left, he has found himself in increasingly influential positions in recent years. It was his nomination to an obscure state board that prompted Amazon to scrap its HQ2 plan in his district, and as the No. 2 lawmaker in the state Senate, he has been at the forefront of a slate of progressive policies passed in Albany over the past year.
Would Letitia James rather be loved or feared? The trailblazing Brooklynite, loved by the establishment, is flush with political capital. And James is working to instill fear in the Trump administration and big businesses like Juul and Purdue Pharma – which she has targeted in her first year as state attorney general. Now New York will see if she earns a better legal record than she did in a weaker role as New York City public advocate.
Kasirer congratulates all of this year’s wonderful New York Power 100 recipients, especially Camille Joseph, Charter Communications; Carlo Scissura, New York Building Congress; David Greenfield, The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty; Jed Walentas, Two Trees Management Co., clients whom we are proud to represent, and our own Suri Kasirer!
Kasirer is the #1 lobbying and government relations firm in New York. We advocate on behalf of a wide range of clients who seek local expertise in navigating the City.
321 Broadway, 2d Fl New York, NY 10007 T: 212 285 1800 F: 212 285 1818 kasirer.nyc
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February 24, 2020
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DERMOT SHEA
CHARLES SCHUMER
HAKEEM JEFFRIES
COMMISSIONER
U.S. SENATE MINORITY LEADER
CHAIRMAN
NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
So much has gone wrong for New York’s senior senator since President Donald Trump’s election. A lineup of conservative judges have been appointed to the federal courts. The vital Gateway rail tunnel still needs a breakthrough. And Trump’s acquittal in the U.S. Senate was a fait accompli. Charles Schumer will spend the year raising money for candidates to win enough seats to make him majority leader – or 2021 will be winter all year long.
The 50-year-old former chief of detectives, who succeeded James O’Neill as New York City Police Department commissioner in November, has found himself balancing competing pressures from union leaders who warn of an “anti-police” atmosphere and progressives who have led a backlash against aggressive policing in the subways. Shea has so far sided with rank-and-file officers and blamed the spike in crime on the state’s new bail reform law. See Q&A on page 18.
HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS Rep. Hakeem Jeffries has one foot in Washington and one foot in Brooklyn, and manages to be a giant in both. He has earned the trust of congressional Democrats, who gave him a major role in the impeachment proceedings. New York’s House members consider him a leader, despite his relative inexperience. And he has tended to his district so well as to be untouchable, not even drawing a primary challenge in this upset-filled era.
100
THE
POWER
Congratulations to the Power 100 from the members of 32BJ SEIU. 32BJ SEIU
32BJSEIU
32BJ SEIU is the largest property service workers union in the country. 25 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011 • www.seiu32bj.org
PHILIP VUKELICH; U.S. SENATE; US HOUSE
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Congratulations to Chris Coffey and all of the NYC Power 100
CityAndStateNY.com
February 24, 2020
Bill de Blasio’s Republican NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea talks stop and frisk, diversity in the department’s leadership and voting for president in 2016. by J E F F C O L T I N
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FTER LESS THAN three months on the job, Dermot Shea is still working on decorating his new office on the top floor of One Police Plaza. On one expansive, wood-paneled wall, the only thing that’s hanging up is an oil painting of a young Theodore Roosevelt, who served as a police commissioner 125 years ago. The patrician Manhattanite Roosevelt may not have much else in common with Shea, who grew up in a Sunnyside, Queens, one-bedroom apartment as the child of Irish immigrants. But like Roosevelt before him, Shea is a Republican. “I’ve never in my life aspired to politics,” but leading the NYPD must be the closest thing, Shea told City & State during an interview. “People are looking (to you) because you are their police commissioner. And you feel it and you want to do right by everyone.” Shea already has the easy-going charm of a politician, and as he relaxed into a cushioned chair to talk to City & State for 20 minutes, his face seemed naturally tuned to a smile. I want to start out asking about the officers that were shot a couple of weeks ago. How are they doing? Have you checked in and talked to them recently? Yeah. I talked to them, obviously that night, and then a couple days later checked in with them. They’re fine, which is really the miracle of the story. Does it feel more dangerous to be a police officer today than it was in the past? A couple of the union bosses have said that it’s getting more dangerous. I’m not sure. I’ll have 29 years in April, and I’ve been to too many scenes of – you know – over the years. You always have in the back of your mind to keep safe. Is it more or less now? You know, the climate changes. (But) tell that to a cop that was around when cops were getting assassinated in the early ’70s.
There’s a long view and a long picture. And it’s always a dangerous job at times. You mentioned before that the police climate changes over time. At your swearing-in ceremony, you seemed quite proud of the fact that the department is making fewer stops these days. Does that mean that the department overpolices in some cases? I got a call in January of ’14: ‘Come upstairs, Commissioner (William) Bratton wants to see you.’ When I got in, he put me in charge of CompStat. One day, I’ll look back and that’s probably one of the things that I’ll be proud of, for all this. In terms of how we changed, (there used to be) 600,000 stops (and) 400,000 arrests (annually). Not only did we cut all that, but we drove shootings, murders, robberies, burglaries – you name it – down to levels that probably, if we were
honest, none of us thought we could get to – to a point in New York City where we’re counting days without a shooting. We’ve done a lot to reform how we police over the last six, seven years. And, you know, somebody will look back on that one day and say, ‘What was this period here?’ But it was really the period where smarter policing, efficient policing, changing metrics, using data. We had so much information available to us, but it wasn’t being used. We organized it, we got it into the hands of the people. And then we held them responsible, you know, so it was CompStat a different way. It was very effective. Part of the story is stop and frisk, which has been talked about a lot recently. And although the numbers are way down from the historic highs, we actually saw an increase last year. Is that a concern to you? That is a loaded question. Because if I say no, hypothetically, the headline is, “Commissioner Shea is not concerned with the 20% rise.” It was 688,000, I think. (Stop and frisks peaked in 2011, with 685,724 stops). We’ve now had a four- to five-year period where they fluctuate between 10,000 and 15,000 (stops). There is no right number. It’s got to be done correctly. It’s got to be done constitutionally. I think we’re in a good place – identifying who’s driving crime in New York City, not just shootings, but everything, and attacking it with precision. So I’m comfortable with where we are and how we police, but it’s always something that we keep looking at. And if we do have fluctuations, to make sure it’s appropriate, constitutional, and why. You mentioned your predecessor earlier, James O’Neill. You’ve been in the job less than three months, right? Feels like about 30 years. Is there anything that you plan to change from his leadership, or anything that you have changed already? Well, he was my police commissioner, but he was a friend too. I met him in probably ’95. I was a new sergeant, he was a lieutenant. We actually played hockey together. I was a little better than him. He’ll say the same about me. But we had a mutual, healthy good respect for each other. I think you have to continually evolve and change. Everything is changing around us. Laws are changing. Attitudes are changing. So if you’re standing still, you’re probably falling behind. So we were constantly looking at – I mean, the bail reform was a good example of, how do we continue to evolve with laws? How do we do everything we can to keep people safe? You look at the Raise the
PHILIP VUKELICH
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February 24, 2020
City & State New York
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and I think diversity of thought is healthy for everyone. Did you vote for Trump in 2016? I don’t get into my public – I think that’s a sacred right. I did vote, but I keep my vote to myself. I asked my daughter, ‘Who’d you vote for?’ And she told me the same thing. So it must run in the family. Since becoming police commissioner, have you felt like you have a larger responsibility to the 8.6 million people here? Absolutely. You do feel it immediately. And I’m not one to shy away from responsibility. And I’m not one to bump my head on the ceiling as I’m walking through a doorway either. But this position is bigger than any one person who was honored enough to be a placeholder. You feel it immediately. The people in New York make sure of that – at events, emails, walking up to you in the street. You feel it and you want to do right by everyone. It’s a tremendous honor and responsibility, it really is.
Age law a couple of years ago. That was put into place, but really just fully now phasedin in the last year. So 16 years old, 17 years old, where they used to be considered adults, they’re now juveniles. We have to adapt. I’ve spoken a lot about the youth strategy. How do we get away from a system where we have kids with 10 or 20 arrests? And, you know, I don’t know definitively that we’re going to succeed, but I know definitively that we’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that we give (the) kids of this city, wherever they grow up, a fighting chance. How do we connect to them? How do we connect them to other services outside the police department? How do we mentor them?
You’re one of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s only Republican appointees. Are you ever bothered by the mayor’s demonization of Republicans? No. I got this question at a press conference, some variation of it. When you turn on the TV these days, a lot of people instantly turn the channel because they’re tired of the one extreme or another. I think that labeling people – ‘Because you’re X, you must think these ways’ – isn’t helpful. I make my own judgments in line with that line of thinking. No issues, obviously. And I made a joke, you know, that the mayor diversified. I have a warped sense of humor. I have gotten along with him well,
There’s only been two black commissioners in the history of the NYPD, and never a Latino. What are you doing to make sure that you’re hearing the concerns of black and Latino New Yorkers? Diversity is very important. People want to associate with people that they can relate to. Not to say that they can’t if they don’t look similar, but I think it’s clearly helpful. And I think it’s important for people to have role models throughout New York City. When you look at where we stand, when you look at the people, the upper echelon at the department, I was clearly cognizant of it as I was tapping in. Probably some of the easiest decisions I had was finding the right people for the right spots, and also considering diversity, because we have an amazing bench, we really do. So when you look at people like (Chief of Patrol) Fausto Pichardo. When you look at Martine Materasso, who’s the first (woman) in charge of counterterrorism in this city. When you look at Rodney Harrison, the first African American chief of detectives, I think the future is very bright. And there’s a lot of talent coming up behind me. There really is.
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February 24, 2020
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VICKI BEEN
GEORGE GRESHAM
JERROLD NADLER
NEW YORK CITY DEPUTY MAYOR FOR HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
PRESIDENT
CHAIRMAN
1199SEIU
HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
As the leader of one of New York’s most influential labor unions, George Gresham has cultivated strong relationships with both Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. He has delivered for the hundreds of thousands of health care workers he represents and has helped pass progressive legislation as well, including the state’s $15 minimum wage. A major test looms, however, with likely cuts to Medicaid on the horizon.
As the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerrold Nadler was a key figure in impeaching President Donald Trump, but the lawmaker’s old Manhattan rival got the best of him in the end. Nadler hasn’t let up in his efforts to hold the Trump administration accountable, expressing concerns about the U.S. Justice Department’s line of communication with Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani.
Vicki Been has a history of shuttling between academia and public service, most recently leaving a post heading up NYU’s Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy to rejoin the de Blasio administration. Been, who was previously commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, is now carrying out the mayor’s affordable housing goals, taking on the tough task of fixing the city’s property tax system and driving economic development strategy.
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NYC 7 World Trade Center 250 Greenwich St., # 4641 New York, NY 10007 212-431-4748
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February 24, 2020
City & State New York
PHIL PASQUINI/SHUTTERSTOCK; UFT; MTA; U.S. SENATE; SEAN PRESSLEY; WILLIAM ALATRISTE/NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL
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ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ
MICHAEL MULGREW
PETER WARD
PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT
CONGRESSWOMAN
UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez represents the Bronx and Queens, but ever since her remarkable election in 2018, she has become a spokesperson and a symbol for the rising progressive left nationwide. She has adjusted to Washington, D.C., jettisoning controversial staffers and acknowledging that policy goals like Medicare for All may be unlikely. Her youthful charisma, in-the-weeds wonkishness and political adaptability have spurred speculation that she could one day run for New York City mayor.
One of New York City’s most influential labor leaders, Michael Mulgrew runs a union that represents nearly 200,000 New York City public school teachers and other educational professionals. With a contract set through 2022, Mulgrew has been focused on such matters as boosting turnout for the 2020 census, defending the city’s gifted and talented programs and, as always, battling charter schools and pushing for more funding for traditional public schools.
NEW YORK HOTEL AND MOTEL TRADES COUNCIL
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Long one of New York’s most influential labor leaders, Peter Ward has reminded politicians of that fact in recent months. His union’s endorsement of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s presidential campaign didn’t make de Blasio a serious contender, but it showed how valuable the endorsement can be for local candidates. Ward, an ally of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Council Speaker Corey Johnson, is also behind pending city legislation that would block many nonunion hotels.
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KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND
ERIC ADAMS
DEAN FULEIHAN
U.S. SENATOR
BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT
NEW YORK CITY FIRST DEPUTY MAYOR
Of all the New Yorkers who got into the race for president – including tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang and New York City Mayors Bill de Blasio and Michael Bloomberg – U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand might have had the best chance going in. But she ended up being the first of them to exit, while facing a backlash over her criticisms of then-U.S. Sen. Al Franken and former President Bill Clinton over their behavior toward women.
Eric Adams is already a top contender to be the next mayor of New York City. He’s raised more than $3 million, and with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and state Attorney General Letitia James no longer in the mix, he has a realistic path to victory. Of course, New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer are likely to be formidable rivals.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s righthand man has a wealth of experience in city and state government, serving for years as the top budget official for the Assembly before coming on as the mayor’s top fiscal official in 2014. Fuleihan, who replaced Anthony Shorris as first deputy mayor in 2017, now has a much broader portfolio, helping run mayoral offices and set policy for law enforcement, education and more.
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February 24, 2020
City & State New York
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EMMA WOLFE
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG
JUMAANE WILLIAMS
CHIEF OF STAFF TO NEW YORK CITY MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO
FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR
NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC ADVOCATE
Emma Wolfe is one of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s most trusted allies, and for good reason. When de Blasio was a promising progressive embarking on a political career, the Working Families Party – where Wolfe was a key operative – was an early supporter. She joined him in the public advocate’s office, then followed him to City Hall, where she manages a sprawling governmental apparatus. CELESTE SLOMAN; JSTONE/SHUTTERSTOCK; ED REED/MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE; MTA; OFFICE OF THE STATE COMPTROLLER
23 After years of mulling a bid for the White House, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg finally took the plunge this cycle. The billionaire’s self-funded campaign has quickly gained traction, and his rise in the polls qualified him for the most recent Democratic primary debate. His candidacy has spurred scrutiny of his record as mayor, including proactive measures on the environment and more controversial policies like stop-and-frisk policing.
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Jumaane Williams has said he’s not running for New York City mayor next year, but he is still intent on broadcasting his upcoming priorities, which include fighting abusive landlords, expanding mental health services and protecting voting rights. He’s a staunch defender of the state bail reform law that ended cash bail for most nonviolent offenders and one of the leading voices decrying police harassment of vendors in the subways.
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CHIRLANE MCCRAY
POLLY TROTTENBERG
THOMAS DINAPOLI
NEW YORK CITY FIRST LADY
COMMISSIONER
STATE COMPTROLLER
Chirlane McCray made clear from the start that she would have a substantive policy role at City Hall, including as an informal adviser to her husband, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Her marquee program, the mental health initiative ThriveNYC, has been sharply criticized for its price tag and a lack of clear results. If she runs for Brooklyn borough president as rumored, she’ll have the benefit of high name recognition. See profile on page 24.
NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Polly Trottenberg has had a lot go her way lately, including the successful rollout of the 14th Street busway and positive reviews for the expanded pedestrian plazas around Rockefeller Center during the holidays. A new city plan will add 250 miles of protected bike lanes, 150 miles of new bus lanes and redesign hundreds of intersections to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
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While other city and state elected officials come and go, steady state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli continues to carry out his duties. And while the native Long Islander serves in a statewide post, much of his work deals with New York City, including assessing the city’s financial health, tracking downstate job growth, tabulating bonuses and profits on Wall Street, holding city agencies and their contractors accountable and monitoring the subway system.
24 CityAndStateNY.com
February 24, 2020
The First Lady & Mr. Second Fiddle Could Chirlane McCray thrive as a candidate for Brooklyn borough president? by R E B E C C A C . L E W I S saw the move as one to help de Blasio gain influence over the county committee, in order to help McCray become borough president. Lupo denied the mayor pulled any strings or orchestrated any backroom deals. If she runs, McCray must face the voters with a less than stellar record. Her unusually active role as first lady has put her in the spotlight far more than her predecessors – and granted her enviable name recognition – but that has brought with it scrutiny. Many have raised questions about nepotism, particularly when de Blasio suggested that McCray should be getting paid for her work, and the outsized role that an unelected and unofficial adviser has on public policy in New York City. McCray has also drawn criticism for her landmark mental health initiative ThriveNYC, which first began as an action plan announced in 2015. Since then, the program has expanded, operating with a $850 million budget. It has been criticized for having little transparency about how that massive budget is being spent each year. The program does not operate out of a single city agency either, making it harder to track spending. The success of ThriveNYC has also been scrutinized, as it has no real metrics by which its success can be measured. In March
2019, the initiative’s director admitted that it was not “yet affecting a citywide metric on mental health.” The mayor’s report – a yearly performance review of city agencies – found in September that ThriveNYC did not hit its own self-imposed goals for fiscal year 2019. While facing skeptical lawmakers during a New York City Council hearing last year, McCray said another city official “does the dayto-day management and makes the decisions,” while she takes the program’s “message to the public.” In recent weeks, it seems like McCray is doing her best to change the subject away from Thrive and raise her profile in Brooklyn. She unveiled a home-visit initiative to help new parents with postnatal mental health issues (rolling out first in Brooklyn), announced a new Brooklyn-based podcast and received a glowing New York Times writeup about her arts and culture legacy. Another wild card for McCray is her husband’s next job – especially if U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is elected this fall. De Blasio recently joined Sanders on the campaign trail, and could conceivably find a place in a Sanders administration. Should de Blasio leave the city, it could prompt McCray to opt against running.
In recent weeks, it seems like McCray is doing her best to change the subject away from Thrive.
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JOANNA GRAHAM/MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE
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EW YORK CITY first lady Chirlane McCray has long held the position of the mayor’s closest adviser. And as her husband Bill de Blasio’s tenure winds down, she seems to be gearing up to take the spotlight – but she’ll also be carrying plenty of baggage. McCray has floated the idea of running for office for years now. In 2018, she opened the door to the possibility, although she said that she likely wouldn’t run to replace her husband in Gracie Mansion. McCray hasn’t publicly indicated what direction she’s leaning, but recent reports suggest that she’s going the Brooklyn route. The Daily News reported last month that de Blasio is pushing for his wife to become the next Brooklyn borough president. Eric Adams, the office’s current occupant, will leave in 2021 and is running for mayor. According to the Daily News, de Blasio wants Adams to endorse McCray for the post, in exchange for de Blasio backing Adams for mayor. Spokespeople for de Blasio and Adams denied that any such agreement had been discussed. Meanwhile, McCray has reportedly been speaking with her own advisers about a potential borough president run. Several days after the Daily News report, the New York Post reported that the Brooklyn Democratic Party – now under the control of de Blasio ally Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte – had hired former top de Blasio adviser Jon Paul Lupo. The Post reported that insiders
We congratulate Anthony Constantinople, Perry Vallone and all of City & State’s NYC Power 100 honorees! From Your Family and Friends at Constantinople & Vallone Consulting: Tony Constantinople Peter F. Vallone, Sr. Lauren George Kevin Jones Scott Karolidis Bailey McGillian Julianna Mirra Jake Potent Jordan Press Andrea Reres Carol Swift Steve Williams THE WOOLWORTH BUILDING
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Global Strategy Group is proud to congratulate our CEO Jon Silvan, and all the Power 100 honorees, on their outstanding leadership.
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February 24, 2020
City & State New York
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VALERIE BERLIN & JONATHAN ROSEN
JAMES CAPALINO
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT KASIRER
FOUNDERS AND PRINCIPALS
CAPALINO+COMPANY
Suri Kasirer heads New York City’s most sought-after lobbying firm, which took in $12.8 million to represent clients in the city in 2018. The former educator and aide to then-Gov. Mario Cuomo launched her firm in 1997, building it up with experienced experts in real estate, land use and nonprofits. Among the firm’s recent clients are Charter Communications, T-Mobile, Northwell Health and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
BERLINROSEN
James Capalino’s firm is consistently ranked among the top lobbyists in New York City and in Albany, with expertise in real estate, technology, health care, nonprofits and more. The Manhattanite got his start working for then-Rep. Ed Koch, then went on to help manage Koch’s mayoral campaign and join his administration as commissioner of general services. Among Capalino’s achievements are the development of the High Line and, more recently, the Inwood, Manhattan, rezoning.
Name a progressive policy issue, and BerlinRosen is likely working for a stakeholder. Longtime public relations allies of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Valerie Berlin and Jonathan Rosen represent labor unions and advocacy organizations, including the Drug Policy Alliance, which is pushing to legalize recreational marijuana. They also have a growing tech practice and high-profile clients in the nonprofit sector.
CEO
The New York Hotel Trades Council
Congratulates City & State’s 2020 NYC Power 100 Honorees and... our own
Peter Ward
KASIRER; BERLINROSEN; CAPALINO+COMPANY
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Proudly Representing 32,000+ Hotel Workers in the New York City Metropolitan Area, the Capital Region of New York State, and New Jersey www.HotelWorkers.org
28 CityAndStateNY.com
February 24, 2020
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DANIEL DROMM
NEAL KWATRA
J. PHILLIP THOMPSON
CHAIRMAN
FOUNDER AND CEO
NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL FINANCE COMMITTEE
METROPOLITAN PUBLIC STRATEGIES
NEW YORK CITY DEPUTY MAYOR FOR STRATEGIC POLICY INITIATIVES
New York City Councilman Daniel Dromm is a staunch ally of Council Speaker Corey Johnson, endorsing his colleague early in the 2021 mayoral race. The Queens lawmaker also chairs the council’s influential Finance Committee, which has played a significant role in budget matters, although Dromm has not wielded his influence quite like his predecessors. A gay rights trailblazer, Dromm also chairs the council’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Caucus.
Neal Kwatra always finds himself in New York’s biggest policy fights, from the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council’s battle against Airbnb to the New York Immigration Coalition’s successful push to let undocumented immigrants obtain driver’s licenses. Kwatra’s clients also pushed lawmakers to strengthen tenant protections and pass sweeping climate change legislation. The firm is now working with the developer of the state’s first offshore wind project.
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Since becoming deputy mayor in early 2018, J. Phillip Thompson has had a lower profile than his predecessor, Richard Buery, who spearheaded Mayor Bill de Blasio’s universal prekindergarten program. Thompson, who served in the Dinkins administration and, more recently, as an associate professor of political science and urban planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been focused on turnout for the census and expanding paid vacation time.
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MELANIE HARTZOG
CAROLYN MALONEY
NYDIA VELÁZQUEZ
NEW YORK CITY BUDGET DIRECTOR
CONGRESSWOMAN
CONGRESSWOMAN
House Democrats chose President Donald Trump’s former congresswoman to lead the powerful Oversight and Reform Committee after its chairman Elijah Cummings died in October. The appointment thrust Rep. Carolyn Maloney, the first woman to run the committee, squarely into the middle of impeachment hearings. The Upper East Sider earned the ire of Trump, who fumed at a rally that he had donated to Maloney’s campaigns and demanded she return the money.
Rep. Nydia Velázquez continues to be the moral authority for immigrant rights as well as Puerto Rican interests on Capitol Hill in an era when the Trump administration is restricting travel to the United States, has blocked asylum-seekers and refuses to provide aid to Puerto Rico. Velázquez is demanding an explanation for the latest aid stoppage after an earthquake hit the island and intends to keep the pressure on.
The New York City mayor’s office finally seems to be listening to critics who want to limit annual increases in the city budget. Melanie Hartzog formulated the $95.3 billion preliminary budget, which is only up $1 billion from the previous fiscal year. But New York City is girding against increased health care costs if the state dumps some of its $4 billion in Medicaid overruns onto the city. And the MTA wants more than $3 billion for its capital plans and paratransit services.
JOHN MCCARTEN/NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL; LAURA BRETT/METROPOLITAN STRATEGIES; MICHAEL APPLETON/MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE; U.S. HOUSE; CELESTE SLOMAN
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February 24, 2020
City & State New York
CELESTE SLOMAN; REAL ESTATE BOARD OF NEW YORK; RELATED COMPANIES; GUILLAUME FEDERIGHI/CITY & STATE; PORT AUTHORITY OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY
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RAFAEL SALAMANCA JR.
JAMES WHELAN
MELISSA DEROSA
CHAIRMAN
PRESIDENT
NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL LAND USE COMMITTEE
REAL ESTATE BOARD OF NEW YORK
SECRETARY TO GOV. ANDREW CUOMO
The real estate industry wasn’t pleased with the sweeping tenant protections passed last year, and the man tasked with fighting back is James Whelan. Whelan, an industry veteran elevated to replace John Banks as the leader of the real estate industry group last summer, is battling on several fronts, including launching a legal effort to prevent the elimination of mandatory broker fees and issuing warnings about lost tax revenue due to the stronger rent regulations.
When Andrew Cuomo took office as governor in 2011, his closest advisers were all middle-aged men: Steven Cohen, Howard Glaser, Larry Schwartz and Joe Percoco. Today, perhaps his most trusted aide is a young woman: Melissa DeRosa. With Cuomo controlling much of what happens in New York City, DeRosa has a major role as well, whether it’s pushing to protect reproductive rights or navigating a major state shortfall in Medicaid funds.
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration had better start paying attention to what New York City Councilman Rafael Salamanca Jr. wants. The Bronx lawmaker torpedoed a proposed South Bronx rezoning recently because he feared it would trigger gentrification. And that came after a judge struck down the mayor’s Inwood, Manhattan, rezoning and Bushwick, Brooklyn, elected officials have demanded a do-over there.
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STEPHEN ROSS
ERROL LOUIS
PATRICK FOYE
CHAIRMAN
HOST, “INSIDE CITY HALL”
CHAIRMAN AND CEO
RELATED COMPANIES
NY1
The billionaire launched New York City’s newest upscale retail and residential destination, remaking the Far West Side. The New York Times panned his $25 billion Hudson Yards megaproject and advocates were upset with how Related Companies financed the massive development through a visa program designed to help impoverished neighborhoods, but it is filling up with high-profile
The mayor’s adversarial relationship with the City Hall press corps has caused him to snub local reporters in favor of national outlets. But even Bill de Blasio can’t avoid Errol Louis. The “Inside City Hall” host peppers the mayor every Monday on the latest news – one recent interview included questions about the response to the coronavirus, anti-hate crime initiatives and the state’s new bail law. He’s also raised his profile as a political analyst on CNN.
METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY The “Train Daddy” may be leaving the station, but Patrick Foye is still making sure the region’s trains run on time. The MTA chairman and CEO has deftly handled personnel drama following Andy Byford’s departure and a few new hires, the L train repair budget and numerous questions over bus redesign plans in Brooklyn and Queens. Those concerns will become amplified if subway performance declines in 2020, but congestion pricing may offer some reason for optimism.
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February 24, 2020
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RICK COTTON
GALE BREWER
MARCOS CRESPO
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
MANHATTAN BOROUGH PRESIDENT
CHAIRMAN
Gale Brewer is the epitome of what a borough president should be. She’s a relentless advocate for neighborhood concerns, like the West Side’s Bull Moose Dog Run, and a pillar for better representation on community boards. And even though she’s an ally of the mayor, she’s asked for more transparency over education spending and acted as a necessary corrective when rezoning plans are opposed by residents. But the SoHo/ NoHo plan will be her biggest test yet.
Assemblyman Marcos Crespo may not have an inside track to City Hall after his ally Ruben Diaz Jr. opted against running for mayor. But the Bronx party boss remains a savvy operator whose endorsement matters, including in the race to replace retiring Rep. José E. Serrano. As chair of the influential Assembly Labor Committee, Crespo is pushing a bill to reclassify gig economy workers and give them labor protections, which has captured the governor’s attention.
PORT AUTHORITY OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “czar of infrastructure” has been the point man for Robert Moses-scale visions that include overhauling three airports, building bridges in Queens and Staten Island, and redeveloping the James A. Farley Building near Penn Station. But Rick Cotton’s efforts to build an AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport have been criticized, and Cuomo’s plan to acquire a city block and build eight new tracks at Penn Station could turn into a multibillion-dollar boondoggle.
BRONX DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Congratulations to REBNY REBNY Members to Members
StephenSteven Ross RubensteinBill Rudin John Catsimatidis Bill Rudin John Catsimatidis Stephen Ross Chairman and CEO Chairman and CEO Red Apple Group Red Apple Group
CEO and Vice Chairman President CEO and Vice Chairman Chairman and Founder Chairman and Founder Rubenstein Communications Rudin Management Rudin Management Company Company Related Cos. Related Cos.
Speyer Rob Rob Speyer
Jed Walentas Jed Walentas
Edward Wallace Wallace Edward
James James Whelan Whelan
President and CEO President and CEO Tishman Tishman SpeyerSpeyer
CEO CEO Two Trees Management Co. Two Trees Management Co.
NewYork YorkCo-Chairman Co-Chairman New Greenberg Traurig Traurig Greenberg
President President Real Real Estate EstateBoard BoardofofNew NewYork York
Allthe the New New Yorkers Yorkers Recognized &&All Recognizedinin
City&&State's State's 2020 NYC City NYC Power Power100 100
PORT AUTHORITY OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY; CELESTE SLOMAN; ASSEMBLY
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RUBEN DIAZ JR.
GEOFFREY BERMAN
ERIC GONZALEZ
BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT
U.S. ATTORNEY
BROOKLYN DISTRICT ATTORNEY
OFFICE OF THE BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT; U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE; BROOKLYN DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK Ruben Diaz Jr. surprised New York City Eric Gonzalez has turned his office into a when he announced he would not be national model for criminal justice reform When you lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office running for mayor in 2021 and would through his Justice 2020 initiative. That for the Southern District of New York, the retire from politics altogether. He’s even includes allowing people arrested for minor biggest stories in the world find you. Geofreturning campaign contributions to offenses to avoid jail by taking an art class frey Berman’s office has led investigations his donors. Perhaps Diaz just got tired. or visiting a museum. Gonzalez supports into Ukraine, charging Lev Parnas and He’s been elected to public office since the decriminalization of prostitution, too. Igor Fruman in campaign finance schemes he was 23 and told The New York Times But a hate crime case has put his office in and rooting through Rudy Giuliani’s something felt off this time around. The the middle of a fight between U.S. Attorney affairs. Berman indicted Jeffrey Epstein Bronx has prospered while he’s been General William Barr and the Orthodox on sex charges and continues to pester Draft for Client ReviewSid Davidoff Epstein’s Power associates 100 Adover Citysex&trafficking State – 2/20/2020 the borough’s leader, with its population community and bail reform advocates. growing more than 5% since 2010. allegations, including Prince Andrew.
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MITCHELL KATZ
EMILY GISKE
MELINDA KATZ
PRESIDENT AND CEO
PARTNER
QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY
NEW YORK CITY HEALTH + HOSPITALS
BOLTON-ST. JOHNS
Dr. Mitchell Katz has helped stabilize the city’s public hospitals a year and a half after he was appointed to the top post. He launched the city’s insurance program NYC Care with the mayor in August to expand health coverage to residents who aren’t eligible for care, recently took over ThriveNYC’s mental health services, and led a departmental reorganization. But severe proposed Medicaid cuts from the state pose new threats.
Nonprofits, real estate and tech firms with an advocacy campaign to launch, or a budgetary or land use matter to resolve, know they should call Emily Giske. The Bolton-St. Johns partner, along with business partner Mike Keogh, has a record of helping social services groups, developers and other clients navigate the byzantine bureaucracy of New York City government. Her firm also brought on public affairs guru Juanita Scarlett last year.
The former Queens borough president appeared to have lost the district attorney’s race to insurgent newcomer Tiffany Cabán by about 1,000 votes after the June 25 primary in last year’s most closely watched election. But a recount ultimately put Melinda Katz ahead by 60 votes. While she’s unlikely to take the office as far to the left as some would like, she’s pledged to implement a number of progressive reforms.
NEW YORK CITY HEALTH + HOSPITALS; BOLTON-ST. JOHNS; QUEENS BOROUGH PRESIDENT’S OFFICE
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GREGORY MEEKS
KATHRYN WYLDE
HENRY GARRIDO
CHAIRMAN
PRESIDENT AND CEO
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
QUEENS DEMOCRATIC PARTY
PARTNERSHIP FOR NEW YORK CITY
DISTRICT COUNCIL 37
Following then-Rep. Joe Crowley’s primary upset by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and eventual resignation as party boss, longtime Rep. Greg Meeks has stepped in to run the Queens Democratic machine. Melinda Katz’s narrow victory over Tiffany Cabán in the district attorney contest avoided another embarrassment, and now Meeks is hoping to propel New York City Councilman Donovan Richards to victory in the borough president race – and fend off a number of primary challenges later this year.
Few civic leaders were more disappointed that Amazon spurned Queens last February than Kathryn Wylde. But the influential business association head continued pushing the agenda of New York City’s top employers by lobbying for congestion pricing while successfully opposing a piedà-terre tax. She also supported rankedchoice voting and the mayor’s broadband master plan. Even Amazon realized it wasn’t too good for New York City, moping to a West Side office, sans tax breaks.
The one election Henry Garrido isn’t worried about is his own. Garrido was reelected to another three-year term as executive director of New York City’s largest public employees union in January 2019. He has already begun weighing candidates in the plethora of primary elections, endorsing New York City Councilman Donovan Richards for Queens borough president in the March 24 special election. The union also brought District Council 1707 under its banner last year.
we now have…
• The Most Tenant-Friendly Laws in New York State History • Tens of Millions of Dollars Spent Annually on Tenants’ Right to Counsel SEAN MCCABE; PARTNERSHIP FOR NEW YORK CITY; CLARENCE ELIE-RIVERA
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• Over $250 Million Spent Annually on Emergency Rent Assistance • Over $160 Million Spent Annually on Senior and Disabled Rent Subsidies • Over 100,000 Households on Federal Rent Subsidies
anD YeT…
• The Housing Emergency Continues to Exist • The Number of Homeless Continue to Climb, to Nearly 80,000 • $3 Billion Spent Annually on Homeless Shelters and Programs • Low- and Moderate-Income Tenants Still Cannot Afford Their Rents • A Rent Increase Exemption Program for All Low-Income Tenants Twice Fails to Get Enacted by Albany
• Lowest Rent Guidelines in New York City History
It is time to put State and City funds into rent subsidy programs that guarantee help to the very tenants who need it. Let’s not enact more punitive rent laws that only make it more difficult to provide adequate housing, aren’t targeted to low- and moderate-income tenants and do not create a single unit of affordable housing.
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GARY LABARBERA
STUART APPELBAUM
KYLE BRAGG
PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT
BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL OF GREATER NEW YORK
RETAIL, WHOLESALE AND DEPARTMENT STORE UNION
32BJ SEIU
After several years of fiery demonstrations and escalating rhetoric, 2019 was the year that trade unions tried to get along with everyone. Gary LaBarbera reached an agreement in March to end its Hudson Yards protests against Related Companies. His alliances with new Democratic state lawmakers nearly got a prevailing wage expansion passed last year. And LaBarbera reached a deal with the Real Estate Board of New York in November to nudge developers toward hiring unionized labor.
Stuart Appelbaum was one of the most outspoken foes of Amazon’s proposal to build one of its two HQ2 campuses in Long Island City, Queens, and one of the clear victors when protesters and politicians pressured the tech giant to drop its plan last year. One of New York City’s longest-serving labor leaders, Appelbaum has also helped Housing Works fight for their rights and pushed the New York City Council to ban cashless stores.
The seismic loss of 32BJ SEIU President Héctor Figueroa last year reverberated beyond organized labor. But campaigns for better pay and working conditions must continue, and the union’s board quickly elevated Kyle Bragg to replace him. A 40-year veteran of the union, Bragg is seeking to grow membership beyond its 175,000 members with a focus on airport workers while leading the fight for its members to earn at least $15 an hour.
The NYC CLC, AFL-CIO, salutes the power of unions and our 1.3 million members.
Vincent Alvarez President
Janella T. Hinds Secretary-Treasurer
New York City Central Labor Council AFL-CIO 350 West 31st Street New York, NY 10001 nycclc.org
SPECTACULAR NEW OFFICE SPACE OVERLOOKING DOMINO PARK IN WILLIAMSBURG TENGRANDSTREET.COM 718-222-2505
BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL OF GREATER NEW YORK; RWDSU; 32BJ SEIU
New York City Central Labor Council AFL-CIO
February 24, 2020
City & State New York
58 RICHARD DONOGHUE U.S. ATTORNEY EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK Richard Donoghue earned the highest-profile conviction in the world last year when a jury found Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman guilty on all 10 counts related to drug trafficking and a judge sentenced him to life in prison. Donoghue has also aggressively prosecuted hate crimes offenders. His decision not to pursue charges against the police officer who killed Eric Garner and his criticism of the state’s bail reform law have roiled progressive activists.
U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE; SUBMITTED; EMIL COHEN/NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL
MONICA, Brooklyn Prospect Charter School
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JON DEL GIORNO AND VINCENT PITTA
JASON GOLDMAN
FOUNDING MEMBERS
NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL
PITTA BISHOP & DEL GIORNO
The former Kasirer vice president has done well for himself, whipping up votes for controversial proposals like borough-based jails and helping New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson rise from near obscurity to the top tier of mayoral candidates. Jason Goldman will contend with a tough budget negotiation this year, especially if the state dumps a massive Medicaid bill on the city, and he faces a unionization effort from council staffers.
Jon Del Giorno and Vincent Pitta (along with their Albany partner, Robert Bishop) form a formidable team in New York lobbying. The firm has a Manhattan office and deep Staten Island roots. It has a long list of clients in organized labor, including unions for subway workers and bus drivers, electrical workers, operating engineers and sanitation workers. The firm also represents AECOM, which has been contracted to build four new city jails.
BASIRAH, Classical Charter School
CHIEF OF STAFF
TESSIE, Uncommon Schools
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61 PATRICK LYNCH PRESIDENT NEW YORK CITY POLICE BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION If New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio fears anyone, it’s Patrick Lynch. The leader of the city’s largest police union has had de Blasio on the defensive since Lynch claimed the mayor had “blood on the hands” when two police officers were killed in 2014. More recently, Lynch criticized the firing of Daniel Pantaleo, the NYPD officer whose chokehold led to the death of Eric Garner, and the new state bail law.
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FÉLIX V. MATOS RODRÍGUEZ
CARLO SCISSURA
CHANCELLOR
NEW YORK BUILDING CONGRESS
CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
Carlo Scissura was as upset as anyone over Amazon’s decision to pull out of Queens, but he says it’s time to move on. That has meant criticizing height limits on luxury towers, pushing for building operators to adopt drone technology and praising the governor’s $3 billion plan to revamp Penn Station. He also led a Brooklyn-Queens Expressway construction panel, calling for the reduction of two traffic lanes to ease congestion.
PRESIDENT AND CEO
When Félix V. Matos Rodríguez was appointed as CUNY’s eighth chancellor in May, he became the first Latino leader of the city’s vaunted higher education system. The former president of Hostos Community College and Queens College quickly had to navigate talks with professors and staff for a new contract, reaching an agreement last fall. Helping students graduate debt-free and finding students jobs are among Matos Rodríguez’s top goals.
Congratulations to our dear friend and CEO JAMES CAPALINO And to all of the honorees of City & State’s 2020 New York City Power 100 Awards
OUR PRESIDENT AND CEO
CARLO A. SCISSURA, ESQ. AND THE OTHER OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUALS HONORED AS
CITY & STATE’S NYC POWER 100
For more information about the Building Congress:
buildingcongress.com
@bdgcongress
@NewYorkBuildingCongress
WWW.CAPALINO.COM 212.616.5810 •
@CAPALINO
A KATZ/SHUTTERSTOCK; SUBMITTED; ALI GARBER
Chair Elizabeth Velez and the Officers & Directors of the New York Building Congress
February 24, 2020
City & State New York
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HARRY GIANNOULIS
JAMES ODDO
STEVEN BANKS
PRESIDENT
STATEN ISLAND BOROUGH PRESIDENT
COMMISSIONER
THE PARKSIDE GROUP The prescient political consultant helped Democrats sweep into power in Albany in 2018 and basked in the progressive legislative victories that followed. Last year he provided insightful analysis about the success of DSA candidates in Brooklyn, and about the Queens district attorney and New York City public advocate races. You can bet he’s already gearing up to help a crowded slate of candidates itching to run this year and in 2021.
PARKSIDE GROUP; GUILLAUME FEDERIGHI/CITY & STATE; NYC HRA
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The mayor might be spurning the borough for Staten Island Chuck’s safety, but there’s plenty of other reasons to visit. Empire Outlets finally opened after seven years and a new ferry to Midtown is coming soon. James Oddo is pushing for free bus service in the borough and wants to develop a wind turbine facility. Now if only he could convince Mayor Bill de Blasio to allow archers to cull those pesky deer.
United Way of New York City (UWNYC) is accepting applications for funding through the federal Emergency Food & Shelter Program (EFSP) to support the services of local emergency food and shelter providers. Awards are available through a competitive application process to private voluntary organizations and to local government agencies serving the public free of charge and having: an accounting system and checking account; a Federal Employer’s tax payer Identification Number (FEIN); an emergency food or shelter program operating at least six months at the time of application. Private nonprofit organizations must also have a voluntary board of directors, practice nondiscrimination and must not proselytize. Organizations with a budget of $25,000 or more must provide a statement of certified, independent audit. Applications are now available at www.feednyc.org and are due March 20, 2020. Please contact Loresa Wright (lwright@ uwnyc.org) or Miguelina Diaz (mdiaz@uwnyc.org) with any questions.
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NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES Steven Banks is tasked with implementing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s latest lofty plan aiming to end street homelessness in five years, while also overseeing the controversial placement of homeless shelters and continuing to connect millions of low-income New Yorkers to social services. Last year, the former legal advocate for homeless people defended the city when Newark, New Jersey, filed a lawsuit contesting New York City’s homelessness relocation program.
Communications Workers of America, District 1 salutes our own DENNIS TRAINOR VICE PRESIDENT, CWA DISTRICT 1 on decades of strong leadership, courage, and fighting for New York’s working families!
Dennis G. Trainor, CWA District 1 Vice President Gladys Finnigan, Assistant to the VP Bob Master, Assistant to the VP
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WILLIAM RUDIN
ROB SPEYER
JOSEPH STRASBURG
CO-CHAIRMAN AND CEO
PRESIDENT AND CEO
PRESIDENT
RUDIN MANAGEMENT COMPANY
TISHMAN SPEYER
RENT STABILIZATION ASSOCIATION
Like many real estate developers, William Rudin grew up in the business. And more than most, he has embraced the role of civic leader, serving on the Association for a Better New York board, and, since 2018, as Real Estate Board of New York chairman. Rudin took some hits last year – stronger rent regulations, a failed gamble on WeWork – but he retains an impressive office tower portfolio.
Last year, the privately held real estate firm made some of the most prescient moves in its four-decade history. Rob Speyer lobbied for Amazon to come to Queens, but he shrugged off its reversal and filled the Long Island City, Queens, JACX tower with tenants anyway. He plans to redevelop the upper floors of the U.S. Postal Service’s Chelsea facility, and lured Debevoise & Plimpton LLP to its 1,005-foot office tower, The Spiral, on Manhattan’s Far West Side.
It’s been a rough stretch for New York’s landlords, but the Rent Stabilization Association’s Joseph Strasburg isn’t giving up without a fight. Democratic victories in the 2018 elections wiped away the state Senate majority, and new progressive lawmakers took office just in time to strengthen New York’s rent laws to better protect tenants. Strasburg’s trade group has filed a legal challenge that argues that the legislation violates landlords’ rights.
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BRIAN LEHRER
DENNIS TRAINOR
JOHN CATSIMATIDIS
HOST, “THE BRIAN LEHRER SHOW”
VICE PRESIDENT
CHAIRMAN AND CEO
COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA DISTRICT 1
RED APPLE GROUP
WNYC The affable public radio host spent much of the past year first delving into the myriad of storylines involving Russian election interference and later the maddening intricacies of President Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani’s Ukrainian foreign aid threats. And still Brian Lehrer managed to stay on top of New York City’s most pressing issues and question the mayor on his presidential run, housing policy, MTA policing and bike lanes in his enlightening weekly #AsktheMayor segment.
Unions have struggled nationally, but Communications Workers of America has been bucking the trend. Since CWA workers reached an agreement with Verizon in 2018, Dennis Trainor has lobbied to ensure workers receive unemployment benefits while on strike and to penalize companies that send call center jobs overseas. His union, which is looking at organizing game developers and tech workers, has begun making endorsements this year, including state Sen. Michael Gianaris and New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres.
The grocery store magnate has muscled into a second career as a media macher, hosting Trump administration boosters and city power brokers in lively, newsmaking conversations on his radio show. Rudy Giuliani told him last month he would “love to be a witness” at Trump’s impeachment trial. John Catsimatidis is even weighing another go at the mayoral race, telling The Real Deal “a lot of people” are urging him to run again.
RUBENSTEIN; REAL ESTATE BOARD OF NEW YORK; RENT STABILIZATION ASSOCIATION; MARCO ANTONIO; COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA; SUBMITTED
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ABOUT THE BUILDING TRADES EMPLOYERS’ ASSOCIATION
Louis J. Coletti President & CEO
• BTEA Contractors employ 130,000 Project Managers, Superintendents, Estimators and other Project Management Personnel along with the 100,000 members of New York City’s Building Trade Unions. • BTEA Contractors put in place over $50 billion in construction contracts in 2018 in New York City.
BTEA CONTRACTORS ARE THE SAFEST CONTRACTORS IN NEW YORK CITY
• 83% of construction fatalities over the last 5 years occurred on construction projects managed by non-BTEA contractors.
• 8 1 % of all accidents occurred on projects managed by non-BTEA contractors. • 65% of Stop Work Orders on high-rise projects were issued to non-BTEA contractors. • 64% of accident-related violations were issued on projects managed by non-BTEA contractors.
BUILD WITH THE BEST. BUILD WITH BTEA CONTRACTORS. BUILDING TRADES EMPLOYERS’ ASSOCIATION 1325 Avenue of the Americas | 10th Floor | New York, NY 10019 | 212.704.9745 | bteany.com
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
ASSEMBLY; SUBMITTED; MAYOR’S OFFICE OF MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT; MICHAEL APPLETON/MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE; EMIL COHEN/NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL; NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF INVESTIGATION
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RODNEYSE BICHOTTE
MICHAEL WOLOZ
JULIE MENIN
CHAIRWOMAN
PRESIDENT AND CEO
BROOKLYN DEMOCRATIC PARTY
CMW STRATEGIES
Rodneyse Bichotte made history last month when she became the first woman to lead the Brooklyn Democratic Party and the first black woman to run a county committee in New York City. The Flatbush assemblywoman was former Democratic boss Frank Seddio’s pick to succeed him and the transition went smoothly with a 39-0 vote. Boasting an MBA and a masters degree in electrical engineering, Bichotte has a knack for ensuring that favored candidates like Farah Louis win.
Being the taxi industry’s top lobbyist is a challenging job, especially when Uber and Lyft have gobbled up much of the market share from yellow cabs and the price of a taxi medallion plummeted last year. But Michael Woloz has helped the industry fight back, with growing support for a bailout for drivers struggling to pay back their medallion loans. Woloz’s firm has also represented truckers, bankers, retailers, nonprofits and the heating oil industry.
NEW YORK CITY CENSUS DIRECTOR AND EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT CORPORATION COUNSEL FOR STRATEGIC ADVOCACY
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The mayor’s top census official actually has two job responsibilities: ensuring every New York resident is counted and mounting legal challenges against the Trump administration whenever the president’s actions might violate the rights of New Yorkers. There’s speculation that Menin will run for Manhattan district attorney, though she could run for borough president instead.
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GREGORY RUSS
RITCHIE TORRES
MARGARET GARNETT
CHAIRMAN AND CEO
CHAIRMAN
COMMISSIONER
NEW YORK CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY
NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS
NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF INVESTIGATION
New York City’s housing authority was in such dire condition by 2019 that a federal monitor was installed and the agency’s leadership had to be reorganized. Last summer, the city turned to Gregory Russ, a Minneapolis housing official who would be paid $402,000 a year, to turn the agency around. Since then, Russ has won over some critics while insisting NYCHA is “fixable” and stressing the need for privatization to cover $40 billion in repair costs.
New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres spent months soliciting endorsements and outraising the field of politicos by hauling in $1 million for his congressional campaign to succeed retiring Rep. José E. Serrano. It’s perhaps the hottest local race of 2020, but that hasn’t stopped the prolific Bronx lawmaker from passing bills to force city stores to accept cash, require delivery providers to reveal tipping practices, strengthen whistleblower protections, and help Puerto Ricans displaced by natural disasters.
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Margaret Garnett once said she’d “hang up” on the mayor if he asked her to stop a probe, although that doesn’t mean she won’t work with him. The city’s chief investigator is launching a database to track DOI recommendations for city agencies to root out abuse and recently urged the federal government to protect whistleblowers. This year, Garnett will have to sort out a background check backlog after a city official was arrested on sex crime charges.
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MARISA LAGO
LAURIE CUMBO
VINCENT ALVAREZ
DIRECTOR, NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CITY PLANNING
NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL MAJORITY LEADER
PRESIDENT
CHAIRWOMAN, NEW YORK CITY PLANNING COMMISSION With anti-developer sentiment at a fever pitch, Marisa Lago spent much of the year on the defensive, reminding New Yorkers of the need to build more housing and office space to grow sustainably. The city is still running into problems overhauling a special natural area district in Riverdale, outrage over vacant retail properties, and building affordable housing on underutilized land in SoHo and NoHo.
As the official No. 2 in the New York City Council, Laurie Cumbo has helped the 51-member body craft policy while the mayor’s power shrinks. The Brooklyn lawmaker has pushed for NYCHA to fix tenants’ heat and hot water, boosted funding for arts organizations in the city budget, and celebrated the groundbreaking for the Bedford Union Armory redevelopment. She also got a street named after the Notorious B.I.G.
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NEW YORK CITY CENTRAL LABOR COUNCIL Vincent Alvarez believes that organized labor is rebounding, with a quarter of New York City’s workforce now in unions, and 3 out of 5 Americans saying they would join a union if they could. Alvarez, who was reelected for the second time last May to lead the Central Labor Council, has focused on supporting airline workers, janitors, transit workers, Charter/Spectrum staffers and City Council aides in their fight for better pay.
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JED WALENTAS
EDWARD WALLACE
JAMES PATCHETT
CEO
CO-CHAIRMAN, NEW YORK CITY OFFICE
PRESIDENT AND CEO
TWO TREES MANAGEMENT Brooklyn residents celebrated the opening of a new park in Williamsburg’s South Side in 2018 before Two Trees opened its much-lauded crown jewel last year – a 45-story tower with offices and rental apartments at the edge of the waterfront. But Jed Walentas may be in danger of overstepping in 2020: Residents lambasted his plan for a pair of 600-foot towers on River Street, while the mayor’s BQX streetcar proposal that he strongly supports remains controversial.
GREENBERG TRAURIG
NEW YORK CITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP.
Edward Wallace has been a fixture in New York politics for so long that he remembers when the New York City Council had at-large members – in fact, he was one himself, before serving as chief of staff to the council president. Now he has made a name for himself as a top land use expert, advising real estate companies and large educational institutions, while building up Greenberg Traurig’s reputation as an influential player in lobbying.
New York City’s economic development boss started 2019 defending tax subsidies to lure Amazon to Queens. But when the company split town, Patchett blamed elected officials for losing the PR game and Amazon for not reaching out to New Yorkers. He has sought to repair the EDC’s reputation – and win local development battles – by hiring Edelman to polish the city’s pro-tech message. His next challenge may be an air rights transfer at South Street Seaport.
EDWIN J. TORRES/MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE; JON MCCARTEN/NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL; SUBMITTED; TWO TREES MANAGEMENT; GREENBERG TRAURIG; NEW YORK CITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP.
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SUBMITTED; GLOBAL STRATEGY GROUP; CONSTANTINOPLE & VALLONE CONSULTING LLC; NEW YORK CITY CHARTER SCHOOL CENTER; KEVIN HAGEN; RUBENSTEIN
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TONY UTANO
JON SILVAN
PRESIDENT
FOUNDING PARTNER AND CEO
TRANSPORT WORKERS UNION LOCAL 100
GLOBAL STRATEGY GROUP
Tony Utano reached a tentative agreement in December with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on a new labor contract with pay hikes, easing tensions between the influential union and the transit system. Utano had sought to improve ties with the Cuomo administration, backing the governor and his favored candidate for state attorney general, Letitia James, in 2018. And with congestion pricing on the way, there’s more funding for Utano’s workforce.
Since Jon Silvan co-founded Global Strategy Group, the boutique polling firm has become a consulting powerhouse in New York’s Democratic political establishment. Silvan’s team has advised many of the state’s leading Democrats, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, House members, unions – and, most recently, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 2020 presidential bid.
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87 ANTHONY CONSTANTINOPLE & PERRY VALLONE PARTNERS CONSTANTINOPLE & VALLONE CONSULTING The Vallones are well-known in New York City: Peter Vallone Sr., Peter Jr. and Paul have served in the City Council while Perry helps run the family’s thriving consulting business. Along with Anthony Constantinople – son of co-founder Tony Constaninople – the firm represents clients in education, real estate, retail and more.
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JAMES MERRIMAN
MARA GAY
STEVEN RUBENSTEIN
CEO
EDITORIAL WRITER
PRESIDENT
NEW YORK CITY CHARTER SCHOOL CENTER
THE NEW YORK TIMES
RUBENSTEIN
The former Wall Street Journal reporter has raised her profile since joining The New York Times in 2018, playing a role in the venerable newspaper’s endorsements of left-leaning candidates – like Elizabeth Warren, Tiffany Cabán and Zephyr Teachout – and penning opinion pieces under her own byline. In recent months, she has praised the planned closure of Rikers Island, defended the state’s new bail law and touted the benefits of strengthened rent regulations.
Top publicity firm Rubenstein has thrived with Steven Rubenstein at the helm. Among its 400 clients are well-known New York City institutions, including the New York Yankees, the Museum of Modern Art and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, along with a number of real estate firms and tech players like Uber. Steven Rubenstein also chairs the Association for a Better New York, giving a platform to high-profile leaders like Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Now that Republicans are out of power in the state Senate, charter advocates are leaning on Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who included in his latest budget a proposal to redistribute charter school slots for shuttered schools in New York City. Merriman, an outspoken charter school champion, called the move a “modest temporary fix” – while continuing to push to end the city’s charter school cap altogether.
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STEVEN CHOI
CAMILLE JOSEPH
CYRUS VANCE JR.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT FOR GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY
CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS
One of the city’s most scrutinized public officials is handling the most closely watched #MeToo trial in our time. But securing an elusive guilty verdict in the Harvey Weinstein rape case may not satisfy a growing segment of voters who don’t want Cyrus Vance Jr. running the district attorney’s office. Sexual assault survivors called on him to resign, claiming he has let perpetrators off the hook, while Democrats are lining up to run against him next year.
NEW YORK IMMIGRATION COALITION Steven Choi’s New York Immigration Coalition was among the winners of Albany’s Democratic takeover in 2019, successfully lobbying state lawmakers to pass the so-called Green Light Bill, which allows undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, and the DREAM Act, which extends state financial aid to undocumented students. Choi, who came on in 2013, coordinates more than 200 member organizations on many fronts.
Camille Joseph notched a victory recently when the state Public Service Commission, which had tried to boot Charter Communications out of the state, approved an agreement allowing the cable company to continue its expansion, including providing broadband in underserved areas. Joseph, who has also worked for current and former New York elected officials, has been working with Charter’s Spectrum brand in New York since 2016.
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KEITH WRIGHT
DAVID GREENFIELD
LOUIS J. COLETTI
CHAIRMAN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CEO
PRESIDENT AND CEO
MANHATTAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY
THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL ON JEWISH POVERTY
BUILDING TRADES EMPLOYERS’ ASSOCIATION
David Greenfield has expanded the reach of New York’s largest Jewish charity serving the poor. The nonprofit has seen a 55% increase in fundraising, opened its 40th food pantry, and is adding affordable housing across the city. The former New York City councilman has capitalized on his political connections, drawing many public officials to an annual legislative breakfast and its first-ever Shabbat reception at the Somos El Futuro conference in Puerto Rico.
Louis J. Coletti is a longtime leader in New York City’s construction industry, representing 27 contractor associations and 1,500 construction managers, general contractors and subcontractors. The outspoken industry official has led the Building Trades Employers’ Association since 1997. In recent months he has weighed in on the design of new jails to replace Rikers Island, the safety benefits of using unionized construction workers and relations between developers and workers.
It has been decades since Manhattan Democrats were ruled by a strong party boss, but Keith Wright still has some influence when it comes to picking judges and filling the occasional legislative vacancy. Wright, who has led the borough’s county committee since 2009, also has a prominent post at the top lobbying firm Davidoff Hutcher & Citron. A member of a prominent political family, he previously spent 24 years in the Assembly.
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SID DAVIDOFF
CHRIS COFFEY
SOCHIE NNAEMEKA
SENIOR PARTNER
HEAD OF NEW YORK PRACTICE
STATE DIRECTOR
DAVIDOFF, HUTCHER & CITRON
TUSK STRATEGIES
Sid Davidoff made a name for himself as an aide to former New York City Mayor John Lindsay. He continues to be a political player, serving as an ally of Mayor Bill de Blasio while also chairing the administrative law and government relations groups at Davidoff, Hutcher & Citron, one of the top lobbying firms in the city. And it doesn’t hurt to have Manhattan Democratic Party boss Keith Wright on his team, too.
As the firm of former Bloomberg campaign manager Bradley Tusk has expanded, Chris Coffey has taken the reins of the New York operation. Along with veteran communications pro Eric Soufer, who came on over a year ago, Coffey runs an eight-member team that has delivered for clients like an animal rights group that recently celebrated a new city law limiting the use of horse carriages on hot summer days.
NEW YORK WORKING FAMILIES PARTY
THE GREATEST URBAN UNIVERSITY IN THE WORLD
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The Working Families Party achieved many goals it set for itself years ago, and now is at a turning point in New York, with third parties facing a higher bar to maintain ballot status. With longtime party official Bill Lipton stepping aside, activist and community organizer Sochie Nnaemeka will guide the state WFP through its next stage, while seeking to keep the momentum behind a progressive surge that is reshaping city and state politics.
Congratulations to Gary LaBarbera and all the Honorees for being Recognized on City & State’s NYC Power 100
The City University of New York is proud to congratulate
Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez on being named to City & State’s 2020 NYC Power 100 The Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York Proudly Representing 100,000 Working Men and Women in NYC’s Unionized Construction Industry www.NYCBuildingTrades.org
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ADRIENNE ADAMS ALICKA AMPRY-SAMUEL JUSTIN BRANNAN KEITH POWERS CARLINA RIVERA RAFAEL SALAMANCA JR. NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
The hopeful half-dozen The New York City Council speakership is already a race to watch.
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BOROUGH PRESIDENT and a New York City councilwoman stood together on Broadway for a press conference one recent misty morning. It was routine, typical, the kind of thing that can happen multiple times a day in the city. But pull back the top layer and you might find some intrigue. Because Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams is a leading 2021 mayoral candidate, and City Councilwoman Alicka Ampry-Samuel is among the candidates planning to run for City Council speaker in 2021. And that fact can imbue even a ho-hum appearance with meaning – at least for the small crop of council members, operatives and stakeholders keeping an eye on who could succeed Corey Johnson in the city’s second-most powerful position on Jan. 1, 2022. Might Adams and Ampry-Samuel form an alliance? Will the next crop of council members elect the first black speaker? Could an outer-borough politician win? Will the Council pick a new member over an incumbent? The last time around, Johnson started early and negotiated his way to the top of
a crowd of eight candidates, more or less. This time around, at least half a dozen Democrats varying in race, gender and geography are positioning themselves for the job. There’s Ampry-Samuel, a black woman whose district is centered around Brownsville, Brooklyn; Adrienne Adams, a black woman representing Jamaica and parts of Southeast Queens; Justin Brannan, a white man from Bay Ridge and southwestern Brooklyn; Keith Powers, a white man representing much of Midtown and the Upper East Side; Carlina Rivera, a Latina whose district is centered around Manhattan’s East Village; and Rafael Salamanca Jr., representing much of the South Bronx. All six are known to be interested in the job. And at this point, why not? Every politician knows that it benefits their public profile to be in the mix for higher office. Just ask Johnson, whose every tweet gets eye emojis from journalists covering the mayoral race. With 22 months to go until the council picks a new speaker, being in the mix earns extra attention from colleagues who might be more interested in taking a phone call or co-sponsoring a bill. It’s not a lot of power, but in a
legislative body of 51 members, every advantage helps. Plugged-in politicos watch the race like they’re trading stocks. City Councilwoman Farah Louis’ 2019 special election win was big for Brannan, who endorsed her early. Former Queens boss Joseph Crowley’s loss of power damaged the chances of his ally, City Councilman Francisco Moya. But Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. dropping out of the mayoral race was great for Salamanca, since there was little chance that a Puerto Rican from the Bronx would be chosen as speaker if one was already mayor. Diaz’s exit was also a boost for Rivera, who is also Puerto Rican, and now is perhaps the best hope for citywide Latino leadership, especially if Salamanca settles for keeping his chairmanship of the powerful Land Use Committee instead of gunning for speaker. Indeed, like any election in New York City, identity politics play a role, especially this far into the future. Common wisdom tells us that the speaker should be a demographic counterweight to the mayor. For example, if Stringer, a white male Manhattanite, is mayor, then Powers, a white male Manhattanite,
ALI GARBER; NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL; CELESTE SLOMAN
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is screwed. But that kind of speculation has proven to be imperfect in the past. Look no further than the current cadre of white male leaders. Of course, demographics are just one small piece of the puzzle. The speaker is officially picked by the members of the council, but in practice it has been a group decision, born out of shifting alliances among caucuses, unions, interest groups and county parties – and the county Democratic organizations expect to retain a leading role. “Of course! Big time,” newly elected Brooklyn Democratic boss Rodneyse Bichotte told City & State with a laugh. Three of the five county leaders, including Queens’ Gregory Meeks, were elected in the past year. “And I have a relationship with everybody,” Bichotte said. But one factor threatens to upend the traditional order. A whopping 34 council members are expected to reach the term limits of their office at the end of
2021, meaning only a third of the council is eligible to return for another term. Typically, only returning members are considered as speaker candidates, but with the relatively small field, some insiders think that newly elected members should be in the mix. After all, a speaker picked in his or her first term would be eligible to serve eight years, providing potential parity with the mayor. The idea has been around since the first modern race for speaker in 2002, but it has never come into practice. A leading proponent to change that? Stringer. “I just think we should open up the thought of what an eight-year speaker would look like,” Stringer told City & State last summer. “And if that is part of the discussion, it expands the pool of prospective speaker candidates.” That scenario might benefit Stringer if
Like any election in New York City, identity politics play a role. If Stringer, a white male Manhattanite, is mayor, Powers is screwed.
he were to become mayor and build a good relationship with the next speaker. But he claimed an eight-year speakership would actually strengthen the council, since the speaker wouldn’t be “lame-ducked” in their first term. Naturally, the returning candidates don’t take kindly to Stringer’s idea. “I think he’s just doing that just to fuck with us,” one speaker candidate told City & State. But among the candidates who might be elected in 2021, one name continually comes up: Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, who would be a hybrid of sorts, since she previously served in the Council from 2002 through 2013. Brewer told City & State she is planning to run for the Council, but hadn’t thought about the speakership yet. The 17 or so incumbents who could return for another term aren’t likely to give up the benefits of seniority so easily, even to the beloved Brewer. But if others start agreeing with Stringer, the runup to the 2022 speaker election could be a free-for-all. “What happens if you have an eight-year speakership? You add another 20, 30 (potential candidates), right?” Stringer said. “And why should we limit ourselves?”
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A KATZ/SHUTTERSTOCK; U.S. HOUSE; SEIU 32BJ; MICHAEL APPLETON, DEMETRIUS FREEMAN/MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE; MTA; NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL; MICHAEL BLAKE CAMPAIGN; JULIA LECATO; JAMES HILL FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES; ; FRANK SEDDIO; LEV RADIN/SHUTTERSTOCK; REBNY; SARFRAZ MAREDIA; JOSH GOLD
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HE NEW YORK CITY Power 100 isn’t just a ranking. It’s a snapshot in time, capturing a single moment in the never-ending rise and fall of the city’s most prominent political figures. And with that in mind, we want to highlight who’s new to our ranking and who has dropped off – as well as the individuals who made a big move up or down the list. WHO’S OUT? (and their ranking last year) MOVING ON: Former NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill (10), retiring Rep. Nita Lowey (21), former REBNY President John Banks (28), former New York City Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Director Jon Paul Lupo (34), former New York City Transit President Andy Byford (46), former public advocate candidates Melissa Mark-Viverito and Michael Blake (55), former Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Herminia Palacio (60), former Counsel to the Governor Alphonso David (69), former Brooklyn Democratic Party Chairman Frank Seddio (85)
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WHO’S IN? (and their ranking this year) New York City Police Department Commissioner Dermot Shea (10), New York City Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been (13), New York City Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives J. Phillip Thompson (33), Real Estate Board of New York President James Whelan (38), Queens Democratic Party Chairman Gregory Meeks (52), 32BJ SEIU President Kyle Bragg (57), Rubenstein President Steven Rubenstein (90), Working Families Party State Director Sochie Nnaemeka (99), New York City Council speaker candidates Adrienne Adams, Alicka Ampry-Samuel, Justin Brannan, Keith Powers and Carlina Rivera (100)
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LOST IN THE SHUFFLE: CUNY Chairman Bill Thompson (62), former interim NYCHA Chairwoman and CEO Kathryn Garcia (80), New York Times Metro Editor Clifford Levy (89), Mercury’s Michael McKeon (94), Uber’s Josh Gold & Sarfraz Maredia (97) DECEASED: Former 32BJ SEIU President Héctor Figueroa (57)
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WHO’S UP (The five biggest jumps, and the number of spots they moved up) Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who’s now a leading presidential contender (up 38)
New York City Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch, who wasn’t sad to see NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill exit and has capitalized on bail reform backlash (up 35) Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who was unexpectedly elevated to chair the influential House Oversight Committee (up 32) Jumaane Williams, who won the New York City public advocate race – several times (up 31) The Parkside Group’s Harry Giannoulis, who helped elect a Democratic state Senate – and paved the way for a cascade of progressive legislation (up 20)
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WHO’S DOWN (The five biggest drops, and the number of spots they moved down) Rent Stabilization Association President Joseph Strasburg (down 30), Rudin Management Company co-Chairman and CEO William Rudin (down 26), and Tishman Speyer President and CEO Rob Speyer (down 26), due to the stronger tenant protections passed by the state Legislature that they couldn’t block New York City Department of Social Services Commissioner Steven Banks, who continues to struggle to tackle the city’s homelessness crisis (down 29) Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., who is facing more and more challengers – and calls from progressives to resign after declining to prosecute Harvey Weinstein and Donald Trump’s children (down 18)
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February 24, 2020 For more info. 212-268-0442 Ext.2039
legalnotices@cityandstateny.com 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 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. 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 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 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.
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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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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 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.
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. 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. 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. 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. MONTICELLO FOOD CORP. 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.
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February 24, 2020
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 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.
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.
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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
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CityAndStateNY.com / PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES
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:
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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.
February 24, 2020
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 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) 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.
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
PANINA INC.
LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM
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.
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF KINGS U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR RESIDENTIAL ASSET MORTGAGE PRODUCTS, INC., MORTGAGE ASSET-BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIS 2006-NC3, V. NICHOLAS CALABRESE A/K/A NICHOLAS A. CALABRESE; ET. AL. NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated March 06, 2019, and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Kings, wherein U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR RESIDENTIAL ASSET MORTGAGE PRODUCTS, INC., MORTGAGE ASSET-BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIS 2006-NC3 is the Plaintiff and NICHOLAS CALABRESE A/K/A NICHOLAS A. CALABRESE; ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the KINGS COUNTY COURTHOUSE 360 ADAMS STREET, ROOM 224, BROOKLYN, NY 11201, on March 26, 2020 at 2:30 pm, premises known as 2176 EAST 36TH STREET, BROOKLYN, NY 11234: Block 8535, Lot 2: 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 Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 519461/2016. Steven Naiman, Esq. - Referee. RAS Boriskin, LLC 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff.
STORAGE NOTICE
Modern Moving Inc. will sell at Public Auction at 3735 Merritt Avenue, Bronx, NY 10466 At 6:00 P.M. on MARCH 10th, 2020 for due and unpaid charges by virtue of lien in accordance with the provisions of the law and with due notice given all parties claiming an interest therein, the time specified In each notice for payment of said charges having expired household furniture & effects, pianos, trunks, cases, TV’s, radios, hifi’s, refrigerators, sewing machines, washers, air conditioners, household furniture Of all descriptions and the contents thereof, stored under the following names: -AYAMFI, ALEXANDER -BORROTO, FAUSTINO -CLARK, JAMEL -CABRERA, YVETTE -DODO, JONATHAN -DAVIDO, DINO/DAVIDO, ANNA -DAVIS, DWIGHT -DIENG, BATHIE -GARCIA, MIGUEL/ JOHN DOE/JANE DOE
-KAHAN, NEIL -LORA, STEPHANIE -MOULTRIE, SARAH/ NIYON, JOHN -STRICTMAN,DONNA/ FOSTER,EVE STRICTMAN/SARAH STRICTMAN -ZARAGOZA, KATHERINE AKA BALLENTINE, KATHERINE
LEGALNOTICES@CITYANDSTATENY.COM
PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES / CityAndStateNY.com
February 24, 2020
TO:
ACCOUNTING PROCEEDING FILE NO. 2018-3398/A CITATION THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Unknown Distributees Attorney General of the State of New York Alexander Herman Capital One credit card acct ending #4706 Con Edison c/o CBHV Reference No. 1XXXX0294 NY Presbyterian EMS acct ending #8288 Time Warner Cable c/o Credit Management, LP creditor acct ending #7911
and to the heirs at law, next of kin and distributees of Lila Binder, the decedent herein, if living and if any of them be dead, to their heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, legatees, executors, administrators, assignees and successors in interest whose names and places of residence are unknown and cannot, after diligent inquiry, be ascertained by the petitioner herein; being the persons interested as creditors, legatees, devisees, beneficiaries, distributees, or otherwise in the estate of Lila Binder, deceased, who at the time of her death was a resident of 434 East 58th St., New York, N.Y. 10022; A petition having been duly filed by the Public Administrator of the County of New York, who maintains an office at 31 Chambers Street, Room 311, New York, New York 10007. YOU ARE HEREBY CITED TO SHOW CAUSE before the New York County Surrogate’s Court at 31 Chambers Street, New York, New York, on March 31, 2020, at 9:30 A.M. in Room 509, why the following relief stated in the account or proceedings, a copy of the summary statement thereof being attached hereto, of the Public Administrator of the County of New York as administrator of the goods, chattels and creditors of said deceased, should not be granted: (i) that her account be judicially settled; (ii) that a hearing be held to determine the identity of the decedent’s distributees at which time proof pursuant to SCPA §2225 may be presented, or in the alternative, that the balance of the funds in this estate be deposited with the Commissioner of Finance of the City of New York for the benefit of the decedent’s unknown distributees; (iii) that the Surrogate approve the reasonable amount of compensation as reported in Schedules C and C-1 of the account or proceedings to the attorney for the petitioner for legal services rendered to the petitioner herein; (iv) that the claims of Capital One credit card acct ending #4706, Con Edison c/o CBHV Reference No. 1XXXX0294, NY Presbyterian EMS acct ending #8288, and Time Warner Cable c/o Credit Management, LP creditor acct ending #7911 be rejected for failure to file a claim in accordance with the provisions of SCPA §1803(1); (v) that the persons above mentioned and all necessary and proper persons be cited to show cause why such relief should not be granted: (vi) that an order be granted pursuant to SCPA §307 where require or directed; and (vii) for such other and further relief as the Court may deem just and proper. Dated, Attested and Sealed. February 18, 2020 (Seal) Hon. Rita Mella, Surrogate. Diana Sanabria, Chief Clerk. Schram Graber & Opell P.C. Counsel to the Public Administrator, New York County 11 Park Place, Suite 1008 New York, New York 10007 (212) 896-3310 Note: This citation is served upon you as required by law. You are not required to appear. If you fail to appear it will be assumed that you do not object to the relief requested. You have the right to have an attorney-at-law appear for you and you or your attorney may request a copy of the full account from the petitioner or petitioner’s attorney.
Notice of Formation of GRAMERCY PROSTHODONTICS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/07/19. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 131 MacDougal St., NY, NY 10012. Purpose: Dentistry.
Notice of Formation of Prologue Properties, LLC filed with SSNY on October 21, 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: 155 East 108 Street, Suite 3B, New York, New York, 10029, Purpose: any lawful act or activity.
Notice of Formation of LEX PROSTHODONTICS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/07/19. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 131 MacDougal St., NY, NY 10012. Purpose: Dentistry.
Notice of Formation of SoHa Dental, PLLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/06/2020. Office location: NY County. Paracorp Incorporated designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. Paracorp Incorporated shall mail process to: Brad Washington, 1845 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd., New York, County of New York, NY 10026. Purpose: to practice the profession of dentistry and orthodontics. Notice of Formation of NJ GUNZ, LLC filed with SSNY on January 27th, 2020. Office: Bronx County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it mat be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 4345 Ely Ave, Bronx, NY 10466. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. 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. 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.
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LEGALNOTICES@CITYANDSTATENY.COM
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February 24, 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
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG The former New York City mayor finally made it onto the national debate stage – only to be savaged by his fellow debaters. Bloomberg’s enforcement of stop-and-frisk policing while mayor, his billionaire status and his past misogynistic comments were all levied against him during the Democratic presidential debate. Now the question of whether or not he has a shot at winning the nomination is looming over his campaign. If only Bloomberg could buy a time machine to fix his past missteps.
THE BEST OF THE REST
THE REST OF THE WORST
ERIK MARTIN DILAN
KEITH CORLETT
With his progressive challengers dropping out, he can go on taking real estate money.
LAURA FOX
The Citi Bike GM will get e-bikes out in time to run over tourists in the spring.
Despite a new law, the state police chief has left hundreds of rape kits untested.
ANDY KING
The council is already investigating him for allegedly violating his last punishment.
PAT FOYE
ROGER STONE
CHRIS JACOBS
KATHY WARDEN
Train Daddy is gone, so the MTA chief gets the credit for 83% on-time performance. The congressional hopeful got some conservative cred from a Trump tweet.
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 EVENTS events@cityandstateny.com Sales Director Lissa Blake, Events Manager Alexis Arsenault, Event Coordinator Amanda Cortez, Editorial Research Associate Evan Solomon
Vol. 9 Issue 7 February 24, 2020
NEW YORK CITY
POWER 100
DERMOT SHEA: HOW WILL HE WIELD THE NYPD?
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@CIT YANDSTATENY
February 24, 2020
Cover Philip Vukelich
Without a straight-up pardon, he’s still going to prison. Now where to get one ... The Northrop Grumman CEO is taking the heat for decades of toxic dumping.
WINNERS & LOSERS is published every Friday morning in City & State’s First Read email. Sign up for the email, cast your vote and see who won at cityandstateny.com.
CITY & STATE NEW YORK (ISSN 2474-4107) is published weekly, 48 times a year except for the four weeks containing New Year’s Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving and Christmas by City & State NY, LLC, 61 Broadway, Suite 1315, New York, NY 10006-2763. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to City & State New York, 61 Broadway, Suite 1315, New York, NY 10006-2763. General: (212) 268-0442, subscribe@cityandstateny.com Copyright ©2020, City & State NY, LLC
CHRISTOPHER HALLORAN, LEV RADIN/SHUTTERSTOCK
BERNIE KERIK Seven years after he was released from prison, Bernie Kerik got a lucky break when President Donald Trump decided to pardon him. Kerik did time after he pleaded guilty to falsifying tax documents and lying to White House officials while interviewing to become head of the Department of Homeland Security in 2009. Considering Kerik ended up in the clink for accepting $250,000 in renovations on his Bronx apartment – then lying about it – we doubt he’s one to look a gift horse
OUR PICK
OUR PICK
WINNERS
While we grabbed popcorn to watch the latest and most heated Democratic presidential debate, Gov. Andrew Cuomo probably cracked open an ice cold beer – namely, The Governor’s IPA, brewed by Rochester’s own Swiftwater Brewing. The jury is still out on the taste, but if having a namesake alcohol helps Cuomo negotiate this Trusted Traveler Programs snafu with the man behind Trump Vodka, then we’ll allow it.
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
MANNY CANTOR CENTER 197 E BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10002 THURSDAY, MARCH 19TH City & State’s 2020 Digital New York will convene New York’s information leaders from government and industry for a day-long, dynamic program of candid discussion and thought-provoking presentations on the innovative ideas being used to improve the delivery of services to both citizens and government agencies.
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FEATURED SPEAKERS JESSICA TISCH, TISCH, Commissioner, New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications ASSEMBLYMAN CLYDE VANEL, VANEL Chairman, Internet and Technology Committee JOSHUA BREITBART, BREITBART Deputy CTO, Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer CORDELL SCHACHTER, SCHACHTER Chief Technology Officer, New York City Department of Transportation GALE BREWER, BREWER Manhattan Borough President
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