City Hall - August 24, 2009

Liz Crowley, below, tries fend off a GOP comeback, (Page 8),

Vol. 4, No. 6

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August 24, 2009

and Joyce Purnick, above, deconstructs Bloomberg (Page 23).

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SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

Forethought

New York Politics Should Be Decided By New York Politicians omebody buy the White House a deck of cards.

Apparently, with all the massive emergencies nationally and internationally, from health care stalling to Afghanistan crumbling, the people in the West Wing do not have enough to do.

To date, the administration has formally or informally intervened directly in New York politics over and over again since Barack Obama won last November: to press David Paterson that he not appoint Kirsten Gillibrand to replace Hillary Clinton, to ramrod Steve Israel out of the race he was planning against Gillibrand, to have political director Patrick Gaspard rally support among elected officials for Bill de Blasio’s public advocate campaign, to lean on Hiram Monserrate to abandon the Senate coup, and now to try forcing Paterson to step aside. (Though the elevations of Clinton and John McHugh were also interventions that obviously spurred political events of their own, these were much more appropriate for the White House to do.)

New Yorkers can take pride in having our politics be of such a major concern to the leaders in Washington, just as they can take pride to see former Housing Commissioner Shaun Donovan running HUD or Sonia Sotomayor on the Supreme Court bench. But there should come a limit, a point at which New York’s own political leaders recognize that there is nothing to boast of in being bullied. They need to speak up and tell the White House that enough is enough.

There are a lot of compelling reasons why Paterson should not run

for a full term next year and, no doubt, many people who have reasons to wish for ways to pierce the governor’s near-legendary stubbornness and convince him to step aside. The precedent set, however, by acceding to the White House’s intervention without the traditional polite option of an exit through an appointment or ambassadorship has many risks, to say the least. For if this is allowed to happen—and given how few friends or polls the governor has to defend himself with, only a fool would believe that it will not—the lessons broadcast would demonstrate that for all the talk of an Empire State, New York is in fact a collection of political yes-men willing to put their own interests ahead of voters and the democratic process. So much for Excelsior.

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While its agenda in Washington stumbles, the White House has been throwing its weight around in local politics, whether through undercutting the most popular Democrat in Colorado for daring to run against an appointed senator there, or for any and all of what it has done in New York.

ANDREW SCHWARTZ

While its agenda in Washington stumbles, the White House has been throwing its weight around in local politics, whether by undercutting the most popular Democrat in Colorado for daring to run against an appointed senator there, or for any and all of what it has done in New York. That Patrick Gaspard, the point man for these decisions, has personal and professional ties to many of the people involved with the New York moves should be of even more concern, though he is not the only one who has used the sheen of the White House to make self-serving actions seem connected to a higher purpose and power.

The local elected officials and political leaders need to wrest back control of the fates of themselves and the people they represent rather than bow to Washington’s Machiavellian strategizing. They need to stand up, speak up, stop just being happy that someone important from Washington shakes their hand or smiles in their direction. Be proud not just that some New Yorkers get political benefits, but use your positions to make sure all New Yorkers get all sorts of benefits. Politics is the art of negotiation and compromise—and it is time to negotiate and make the West Wing compromise for the sake of the state, its people and its democratic process. The slippery slope to letting sub-operatives in D.C. pick the next City Council members is not one leaders of the city or state should want to be skiing.

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SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

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UNIONS

Democratic Senators Fulfill Party’s Historic Commitment To Labor Rights And Priorities

BY STATE SEN. JOHN SAMPSON he Democratic Party’s long partnership with New York workers has stood the test of

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time.

One hundred and ten years ago, New York State’s Democratic Party platform declared: “The Democratic Party... has been the consistent friend and champion of labor... We call for a strict enforcement of all labor laws... and especially the eight hour law and the prevailing rate of wages law...We protest against the assumption of Republican leaders who claim that the Republican Party is the friend of labor by reason of some half-hearted legislation passed by the Legislature under Democratic pressure...”

Proving labor is at the top of the legislative agenda, Senate Democrats came to leadership in Albany and passed landmark labor bills long blocked or opposed by the GOP. The Senate passed a bill strengthening the wage and hour laws that New York Democrats supported for a century—a

measure Republicans refused to do while in the majority. Closing a major loophole, this bill will require employers—not employees—to justify the underpayment of wages. Critically, the legislation also protects employees from retaliation for speaking up for their rights.

Similar legislation to the wage and hour bill will additionally require employers to provide a clear notice of pay and overtime rates to workers. Going forward, it will be harder for employers to cheat workers out of the pay they’ve earned.

Senate Democrats worked closely

with SEIU Local 1199 in further enacting the Nursing Care Quality Protection Act. This bill will require hospitals to disclose critical information on nursing and staffing issues, such as the ratio of patients to registered nurses and the number of unlicensed personnel providing care. These disclosures will expose hospitals that replace unionized and high-quality nurses with unlicensed, non-union personnel. Such disclosures will encourage hospitals to employ a fully qualified and professional workforce— and protect patients.

We also have fought the fight to extend unemployment benefits for workers laid off due to the recession, as well as extending and lowering the cost of their health insurance.

Recognizing the need to include workers at the table for major initiatives, my conference consulted the Transport Workers Union when we passed the historic MTA bailout and accountability package. Our package prevented mass fare hikes and service cuts and layoffs.

We also consulted with the teachers union so parents and teachers gained

a greater voice in the New York City education system in our recent victory in reauthorizing a more transparent and inclusive system.

We know a lot of work remains. Being faced with a $2.1 billion budget deficit increases the likelihood of further layoffs and cuts in health-care and pension benefits. Accordingly, in 2010 we are going to explore whether the level of unemployment benefits is suitable given the economy and high cost of living in New York. We are also going to continue the battle against wage theft by unscrupulous employers who deliberately misclassify workers as independent contractors to avoid paying them higher wages or benefits.

In short, Senate Democrats will continue to act on our principles so the priorities and concerns of labor are a priority and concern of the New York State Senate.

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John Sampson, a Democrat representing parts of Brooklyn, is the leader of the Senate Democratic Conference.

Good For Families, Good For Business, Good For New York

BY STATE SEN. DIANE SAVINO very day, New Yorkers are forced to choose between a paycheck and caring for their own health or a sick family member. For many families, an unanticipated medical emergency quickly leads to financial ruin as bills mount while people are out of work caring for their relatives.

Without paid family leave, families are left with an impossible situation, forced to choose between leaving their infant child or seriously ill relative or foregoing the income they need to make ends meet.

Although the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees 12 weeks of unpaid leave, a study found that more than three-quarters of workers who needed leave did not take it because they could not afford to lose their income.

Economic necessity forces the majority of workers to return to work and keeps

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them from being able to care for an infant or sick family member.

Allowing employees to receive some income during a brief leave from work can help prevent financial disaster.

That’s why I have sponsored the Paid Family Leave bill.

My proposed legislation would allow employees up to 12 weeks of partial paid leave to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a newborn baby or a newly adopted or foster child.

Allowing parents and children time to bond is important for a child’s development and for the entire family.

Paid family leave is also positive for employers. Studies indicate companies that provide workplace flexibility benefit from more productive employees who remain in jobs longer.

Paid Family Leave builds on New York’s existing Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) program, which insures

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employees against lost wages due to nonwork-related temporary disability, including pregnancy.

Currently, when a worker goes out on temporary disability, he or she is eligible to receive half their weekly wage, up to a maximum of $170 per week, in disability insurance. New York’s TDI benefit levels are extremely low compared to those in other states.

My legislation would increase the temporary disability benefit rate for all temporary disability insurance and paid family leave. It would increase the weekly benefits over the course of four years to cover half the average weekly wage, up to approximately $520 per week.

This new benefit rate would be funded through a very modest increase in premiums paid by employees and employers.

The new Paid Family Leave benefit is paid entirely by the employees.

Building on the existing TDI framework, businesses will not be burdened with adjusting to a new program. They will simply augment their existing coverage to include family leave.

Stringent safeguards—eligibility rules, waiting periods, penalties and fraud protections—already exist in the established program and will apply to the new benefit.

Now more than ever, when families are struggling and jobs are scarce, New Yorkers need paid family leave when taking time off to care for a new baby or deal with a family medical crisis.

In an economic recession, the argument for Paid Family Leave becomes all the more powerful. Two in five lowincome workers have NO leave of any kind. When families are struggling and jobs are scarce, we need paid family leave so that all workers have some wage replacement when taking time off to care for a new baby or deal with a family medical crisis.

The Paid Family Leave proposal responds to the needs of New York’s families while creating a more stable, productive workforce.

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Diane Savino, a Democrat representing parts of Staten Island and Brooklyn, is a top-ranking member of the Senate Civil Service Committee.

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UNIONS

Reflect On The Plight Of Farm And Domestic Workers

BY ASSEMBLY MEMBER SUSAN JOHN have always believed that Labor Day is one of our nation’s truly great holidays. This American holiday celebrates the achievements of the labor movement and also those of the hardworking men and women who contribute to this country’s strength and prosperity on a daily basis.

This year, we marked the 127th anniversary of Labor Day, first celebrated in New York State on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882. I am honored to serve our state as your elected representative and also as the chair of the New York State Assembly’s Committee on Labor. I stand shoulder to shoulder with my brothers and sisters in the labor movement to protect your rights, won with the sweat and blood of those who came before us, and to protect the economic security, health and safety of workers everywhere. I take pride in my record of fighting for your protection on the job and of passing legislation dedicated to enhancing your safety at work. Your rights must not be eroded for the sake

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of greater corporate profits.

While Labor Day gave us a chance to celebrate the tremendous progress that has been made at the workplace since the start of the labor movement, it also allows us to review the difficulties working men and women across the country continue to face.

Two of the groups of workers who have long been overlooked in New York and across the country are domestic and farm workers. Both groups of employees provide our families with essential services but are not given the same respect and rights as other workers.

And, in many cases, these workers are exploited by their employers with little or no ability for them to have any legal recourse.

Most domestic and farm workers come to the United States legally to escape poverty in their home country.

They come to this country seeking employment so they may send muchneeded money to their families who are suffering from the effects of social and economic repression. Quite often, domestic and farm workers are greeted

with physical and psychological abuse as well as substandard working conditions as they try to improve conditions for their families.

The Assembly has long recognized More Access

that these workers are not protected under the law and have been prevented from organizing to collectively fight for their civil rights. This year we have passed the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, as well as the Farm Workers Fair Practices Act. Together, these pieces of legislation are crafted to correct the burdens under which these hard-working men and women suffer. It will provide the same protections as other workers currently enjoy, such as workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits, state disability wage and hour regulations, and safe, sanitary working conditions. Most importantly, it will give these hardworking men and women the right to organize.

The right to collective bargaining is one of the most basic civil rights of all workers. I will continue to fight for all workers and especially for those who have been overlooked.

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Susan John, a Democrat representing Monroe County, is chair of the Assembly Committee on Labor.

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WHY UNION ?

LOCAL 46 THE METALLIC LATHERS UNION & REINFORCING IRON WORKERS 1322 THIRD AVENUE @ EAST 76TH STREET NY, NY 10021 T 212-737-0500, F 212-249-1226 WWW.ML46.ORG Robert A. Ledwith, BM/FS-T, John Coffey, President Business Agents Terrence Moore, Fred Lemoine, Kevin Kelly, Ronnie Richardson Local 46 Metallic Lathers Union & Reinforcing Iron Workers 1322 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10021 Tel 212- 737-0500, Fax 212-249-1226, www.ml46.org Metal Lathers Trust, Pension & Vacation Funds Tel 212-535-2323, Fax 212-535-3203 Local 46 Learning Center 61-02 32nd Avenue, Woodside, NY 11377 Tel 718-267-7500, Fax 718-267-8316

A member of the

Concrete Alliance, Inc. Also serving the Metal Lathering, Plastering and Dry Wall Industries

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UNIONS

Labor Leading The Way To A Greener Future

BY COUNCIL SPEAKER CHRISTINE QUINN he economic crisis forced all of us to examine our reliance on the stability of Wall Street, and organized labor was no exception.

We all saw how well-paying construction jobs evaporated when the credit markets dried up. And now, working together, we need to figure out how to create jobs that can weather the next financial storm.

What we all realize is that the green economy is the next great frontier for organized labor in New York City.

On Earth Day, Mayor Bloomberg and I, along with the New York City Central Labor Council, the New York Building Congress, 32BJ Service Employees International Union, the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York and a host of others stood atop one of the City’s green roofs and announced a first-of-its-kind legislative package that is designed to upgrade the City’s existing buildings with energyefficient technology and create thousands of jobs in the process.

One aspect of the package will require owners of existing buildings over 50,000

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square feet to conduct a top-to-bottom energy efficiency audit of their buildings.

The improvements made as a result of the audit will reduce the buildings’ carbon footprint and create the demand for a trained workforce. And, fortunately for us, we’ve always had a deep pool of talented and skilled labor professionals in our city.

Working with our partners in labor and the construction industry, we are coming up with a plan to meet the needs of this burgeoning industry, an industry that could create thousands of jobs. These are green jobs that will pay living wages, jobs that will stay right here in New York City.

Creating permanent, green jobs is as important now to the sustainability of our City as it is to our financial health— because these jobs will create a line of employment that is insulated from the ups-and-downs of the financial industry.

How is it insulated?

While increasing efficiency will ultimately lower utility bills and improve a building’s financial heath, there may be some buildings that can’t immediately pay for the mandated efficiency improvements. To get this industry

moving, we are going to establish a revolving loan fund seeded with $16 million in federal funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. While many building owners have already embraced investment in energy efficiency, armed with the information gleaned from energy efficiency audits, the rest of the private sector will no doubt follow suit, especially as energy prices rise.

But in the meantime, a little nudge from government will go a long way to getting this industry off the ground and getting money into the hands of the working families that need it the most.

Twenty-first century problems call for innovative solutions from local governments. These solutions must make our city more sustainable and stimulate our economy. And the Green Buildings initiative will do just that—it’s good for our environment, will save building owners millions if dollars a year in energy costs and create thousands of jobs at a time when we desperately need them.

But even more importantly, a package like this ends the notion that going green somehow stands in the way of business

owners making money. In fact, forwardlooking polices like this ensure that prosperity flows through every part of our economy—from the real estate magnate to the electrician installing new energy efficient lighting systems.

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Christine Quinn, a Democrat representing parts of Manhattan, is the speaker of the City Council.

BECAUSE...

1 SUPERIOR HEALTH BENEFITS FOR WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES

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SAFER WORKING CONDITIONS FOR MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC

2 STRONG PENSION PROGRAM

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JOB SECURITY

3 ACCESS TO MIDDLE CLASS INCOME

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VIABLE APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING PROGRAM

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SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

State Senate Forces Collide In Crowley-Ognibene Race Proxy battle for Addabbo as Bloomberg backs Republican

BY SAL GENTILE

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a hotly contested battle that helped the Democrats win a narrow, two-seat majority in the Senate for the first time in 30 years. With Republicans eager to recapture that seat and win back the chamber, a victory in the local Council district can give them a key foothold.

As a result, Senate Democrats are planning to provide staff members, boost the get-out-the-vote effort and help raise piles of campaign cash for Crowley as she heads into November.

“They have to protect Joe,” said a Queens Democrat with knowledge of the plans. Addabbo will also personally get involved, helping Crowley raise money and shore up support among labor unions.

“Working with a Democratic City Council member next year is of course beneficial to me,” Addabbo explained.

State Republicans are likely to get involved on Ognibene’s behalf, though they lack the comparable resources with their majority in Albany gone.

Because the Council district makes up such a large portion of the Senate district, whoever controls the seat will likely exert outsize influence there.

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Democrats say that when they took control of the Council seat last year, they encountered Ridgewood a firmly entrenched Republican machine, in which the party spread STATEN discretionary funding to ISLAND local organizations in return for political support.

They fear that Ognibene would use his position to re-establish Republican dominance in the district and clear the way for a challenger to Addabbo next year.

“Tom could sit here and twist arms with the money they just gave them,” said a person close to Crowley.

Crowley has been busily spreading discretionary funding to even the most conservative neighborhoods since taking office.

The dynamics of the campaign have shifted considerably from what Democrats expected six months ago, beyond the simple fact of Ognibene running as a well-known, established

Bigger forces are at play as Liz Crowley tries to defend her Council seat from Tom Ognibene.

QUEENS

Middle Village DISTRICT

Glendale

DANIEL S. BURNSTEIN

tate Senate Democrats are closely monitoring the reelection campaign of Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, who defeated Republican incumbent Anthony Como last year to represent a district that covers parts of southern Queens, including some of the most Republican-friendly neighborhoods in the city.

Before Crowley’s election, the district had been controlled by Republicans for close to two decades. One of those Republicans, Tom Ognibene, the Council’s former minority leader, is now attempting to reclaim the seat, hoping that he will be powered through by the support of Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

A Crowley loss would be a blow to Queens Democrats and to party leaders in the city, such as Speaker Christine Quinn, who rely on the support of the county organization. More than that, though, Democrats worry that a Republican comeback could foreshadow danger for State Sen. Joseph Addabbo, whose district overlaps with the Council seat.

Addabbo was elected last year in

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BROOKLYN

candidate with the help of Bloomberg, whose involvement caught a number of local Democratic leaders off-guard.

On top of that, local Democrats fear that the weakness of the Democratic mayoral candidate Bill Thompson and widespread Republican anger toward Washington could conspire to bring GOP voters from neighborhoods like Glendale and Middle Village to the polls in high numbers.

In response, Crowley’s aides describe the campaign as a mostly ideological “contrast of ideas.” Crowley will paint Ognibene as the product of a bygone era, when Rudy Giuliani reigned imperiously over the city, aided by loyal Republicans in the Council.

She will also seek to turn Ognibene’s ties to the mayor into a disadvantage.

Crowley touts her opposition to the sprawling development projects sponsored by Bloomberg, saying they distort the character of the district’s largely middle-class neighborhoods.

“Overdevelopment and out-ofcharacter development have been going on for far too long, and they’ve really been compromising the quality of life in our district,” Crowley said of Ognibene.

“I don’t know what he was thinking when he saw all this happening and did nothing.”

She added: “I do believe that he’s a conservative at heart, and that’s what he preaches.”

That argument is unlikely to prevent Ognibene from brandishing his conservative credentials. More central, though, will be his argument that his experience and connections in city government will prove invaluable at a time of economic distress.

Not to mention the help from a billionaire mayor.

“You have to have somebody that knows what’s going on at City Hall,” Ognibene said. “The most important relationship that I have is the relationship with the mayor’s office.” sgentile@cityhallnews.com

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CITY HALL

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

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f this list were titled “400 under 40,” there would probably still be some worthy people not in the pages that follow.

As it is, with a mere 40 slots, this year’s task of picking the Rising Stars in New York City politics and government was especially difficult, given the hundreds of nominations sent in and the transformative year in city politics that is now coming to an end.

The strength of this impressive group lies in each one and in their diversity as a whole—not in how “diversity” has strictly come to be understood, but rather in the true sense of the word.

There are people on this list from every borough and every major political party. There are government agency higher-ups, commissioners, political operatives and advocates representing a host of issues of vital importance to New York.

Some are even current, soon-to-be or almost-elected officials.

Politics, or government, is by no measure glamorous work. The public culture does not hold those who make sure our democracy or our government run smoothly in high esteem, and AL LEADERS IN NEW YORK THE NEXT GENERATION OF POLITIC reduces those who get involved to caricatures, labeling them bureaucrats or hacks. These are jobs that come often with little pay, with little sleep and with the possibility of not seeing results for months or years.

Everyone on this list could have devoted their still-young careers to successes in other fields. That instead they chose to contribute to the worlds of New York City politics and government is enough of a reason to salute them, but the considerable talents they devote to their work is even more so. If past is prologue, there is good reason to be eager to see the next chapters for all 40 of these rising stars.

Profiles by Chris Bragg, Andrew Cotlov, David Freedlander, Sal Gentile, Andrew J. Hawkins, Dan Rivoli and Selena Ross. All photos by Andrew Schwartz.

CONGRATULATIONS

MICHAEL WOLOZ ON BEING SELECTED A POLITICAL ‘RISING STAR’.

AT CONNELLY McLAUGHLIN WE HAVE KNOWN THIS ALL ALONG …

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SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

MARRICKA SCOTT-MCFADDEN Chief of Staff, Assembly Member Carl Heastie

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Marricka Scott-McFadden was a college student working at a bank when she decided it was time to make a bold career move. She started with the bank’s customers, offering her services to a judge who Scott-McFadden thought could help her get ahead in law. Instead, when the internship was over, the judge recommended her for a position with Roberto Ramirez, then the Bronx Democratic leader.

“I was not impressed at all—I didn’t know anything about politics,” Scott-McFadden recalled. “I knew I needed a job.”

Having grown up in the northeast Bronx and gone to school at Lehman College, Scott-McFadden also liked the idea of working on behalf of Bronxites, so she took the job. Soon, she was working on Carl Heastie’s campaign for Assembly in 2000.

Then just 23, she was hired as Heastie’s chief of staff. She has worked for him ever since, and while she said she is absolutely not considering giving up her privacy to run for office, she is open to other opportunities and considering law as a backup.

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? I think I’ve learned to deal with all kinds of people and meet them where they are, and to use my organic people skills just to get as much knowledge and experience as I can from any given situation.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? MSM, Consultant If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? My first thought was to be a ringmaster in a circus. But I’d probably be a corporate lawyer.

Who would play you in the movie? Angela Bassett, but she’s a little old.

STEVE LEVIN Democratic Council nominee

Melvin Norris got his start the same way a lot of the leading political operatives in the city did: working out of the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building, in the office Senior Account Executive, Yoswein New York of Rep. Charlie Rangel.

He came in to the office as a low-level community affairs officer, but worked his way up to become Rangel’s deputy chief of staff here and in Washington, D.C. “I learned a lot from him about how to handle certain political issues, or certain district issues,” he says. “It was amazing that he would listen to my opinion considering how limited my experience was in politics.”

After a stint lobbying on behalf of Verizon, Norris was picked up by powerhouse PR firm Yoswein NY, where he lobbies Albany on behalf of his clients.

“To me, effective lobbying is communicating to an elected official what impact something will have according to them and their constituents,” he said. “Really localizing an issue makes it possible for you to communicate effectively how it affects the bottom line in their districts.”

He adds that his approach is to not neglect individual members, even in such a leadership-driven body as the Assembly or the Senate.

“People in leadership have a strong hand, but individuals definitely count,” he said.

MELVIN NORRIS

THE NEXT GENERATION OF POLITICAL LEADERS IN NEW YORK

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When asked how he was able to muscle out a bunch of challengers in a competitive Council race to fill David Yassky’s Council seat, Steve Levin gives one answer.

“My friend and mentor Vito Lopez,” he says. “I would not have been elected if it were not for him.”

Indeed, the former chief-of-staff for the Assembly Housing chair and Brooklyn Democratic leader says that his old boss has given him lots of advice over the years, but that he led more by example.

“He is a tireless worker and he always does everything he can for the people he represents,” Levin said. “It comes from the heart.”

But when the Brown University graduate was deciding whether or not to make a run for the Council, he did not only get heart-to-hearts from local political big wigs. His father’s first cousins, Michigan Senator Carl Levin and his brother, Rep. Sandy Levin, weighed in as well.

“They both encouraged me to go for it,” he said. “They said work hard, be true to yourself, and always try to do the right thing.”

But, he added, the real motivation came from within.

“I’ve always wanted to serve people and to make people’s lives better,” he said. “That’s been the goal all along.”

How did your past jobs get you to where you are today? My past jobs were as a community organizer and chief of staff to Vito Lopez, and there has always been a commitment to serving people and serving their needs.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing: Public interest law Five years from now, what will it say on your business card: Councilmember for the 33rd district Who would play you in the movie? Harry Connick, Jr.

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How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? Congressman Rangel gave me some of the political and analytical skills needed to perform this kind of work.

If you were not in politics, what would you be doing? Sports Management Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? Effective Representation for Clients and Issues that Matter.

Who would play you in the movie? If Denzel is busy, then Omar Gooding or Boris Kodjoe.

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THE NEXT GENERATION OF POLITICAL LEADERS IN NEW YORK

Carly Lindauer, although only 25 years old, is no newcomer on the campaign scene.

Communications Director, Thompson for Mayor Currently the communications director for Bill Thompson’s campaign, she also filled the same role for the State Democratic Committee and worked before that on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, with responsibilities ranging from New Hampshire to Wisconsin.

Lindauer worked in Washington, D.C., for a bit after she finished school at Boston University, but she could not stay away from home for too long.

“Everything that I’ve done has been to get back into the New York political scene,” Lindauer said.

A native of Roslyn, Long Island, she is glad to be back home, closer to her friends and family, and back in the midst of the fast-paced world of city politics.

“After living in seven states over the past two years, it’s amazing to be back in New York. There’s nothing quite like the New York political scene,” Lindauer explained, especially “with the added benefits of public transportation, 24-hour diners, and my own apartment to go home to at the end of the day!”

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How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? It’s a bit like evolution—you figure out what you like, what you don’t; start in one place, end up in another. Working for Clinton’s presidential bid gave me a great love for the competitive nature of campaign politics.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? The best thing about politics is how unpredictable it is. It’s hard to say what tomorrow brings—let alone five years from now.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? I’m passionate about public service and giving back to my community—if it wasn’t politics, I’d likely be working in the non-profit sector.

Who would play you in the movie? Reese Witherspoon

Azi Paybarah is the D.A. Pennebaker of New York politics.

And though he makes no comparisons himself to the cinéma vérité filmmaker, Paybarah’s Blogger, The Politicker ever-trained Sony Handycam has added an element to City Hall of every gaffe and hiccup by politicos being blasted out onto the web for viewers to sit in judgment.

“I think of it as a more honest way to show readers and viewers what it is really like,” he says.

He admits that what he does is not new, but is using video to hold politicians to account in the grand tradition of Jon Stewart and Tim Russert. What is odd, he adds, is that it took everyone else so long to catch on to what he was doing.

“I think it speaks to the level of disengagement people have with local politics,” he said. “City politics is the last bastion of where modernity hits.”

The moment, though, that Paybarah will never live down is the one where Mayor Bloomberg looked directly into his camera at the end of a press conference and called the young reporter “a disgrace.”

“It is always nice to be recognized, even if it is not for something I wrote,” he says. “It just gave my mom more news stories to cut out for her scrapbook.”

AZI PAYBARAH

AGE

31

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? Working as a lighting assistant to a wedding photographer showed me that it’s not technical skills—that you need an actual rapport with people to get them to show you themselves.

If you weren’t working in politics, what would you be doing? Teaching Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? Hopefully it will have the word journalist in there somewhere.

Who would play you in the movie: That guy from Friends [David Schwimmer]. I used to get that a lot.

JEN HENSLEY

Originally from sunny Fresno, California, Jen Downstate Senior Advisor to Chairman and CEO Hensley first landed in of Empire State Development New York City as a student at Barnard College and has yet to look back. While studying sociology, Hensley took an internship working in the marketing department of the Downtown Alliance. After graduating she took a full-time position but eventually transitioned to corporate, intergovernmental and community affairs in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and, as the Downtown Alliance took a greater role in the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan, focusing on developing short- and long-term solutions.

Now with the Empire State Development Corporation, Hensley is an advisor to CEO Dennis Mullen, working on efforts to protect the economic growth occurring in New York’s downstate regions. Hensley tries to spend the little spare time she has traveling, whether between her hometown in California and her Astoria neighborhood, or to more exotic destinations.

AGE

30

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? My previous experiences helped by exposing me to the variety of different interests that have to come together to solve a problem.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? I hope it says “President and CEO.” If you weren’t involved in politics what would you be doing? Developing real estate in New York and California Who would play you in the movie? Ellen Page

MATT GORTON Queens GOTV Coordinator, Bloomberg ’09

AGE

30

It took a few months but, eventually, David Yassky caught on to him.

The Brooklyn Council member, chewing over new policy proposals, would bat them back and forth with his staff. Matt Gorton, Yassky’s scheduler and later community liaison, would try offering his thoughts without revealing a closely guarded personal secret.

“I think I let the cat out of the bag with my take on some things,” Gorton said.

“At some point he must have had an epiphany and he asked me, ‘Wait a minute.

Are you a Republican?’”

Yassky may have found out in 2005, when Gorton worked for him, but most of the rest of the political world only learned of Gorton’s secret earlier this year, when his name was floated as a potential GOP candidate for the Queens Assembly seat vacated by Anthony Seminerio, and won earlier this month by Mike Miller.

The idea appealed to Republicans—even to Gorton, who considered it briefly before declining—because of Gorton’s roots. He grew up in Glendale, and has spent the better part of his political career racing across Queens and putting out fires, first as the Queens liaison for the mayor’s community affairs unit and later as a staffer in the office of legislative affairs.

At first, Gorton opted out of city government. After graduating from Loyola College, he was offered two jobs in the administration, but chose instead to work in the service department of a Catholic high school in Baltimore for three years.

“I figured, I don’t know if I’ll ever have the chance to do something like that again,” he said.

He has now come full circle, in a way, working as the Queens coordinator for the Bloomberg campaign’s get-out-the-vote effort.

“It’s sort of weird, four years later, doing what I’m doing now,” he said.

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? It’s all tied together. Legislation starts down at the community and then it gets passed at the city, and then it gets passed at the state. It’s all interconnected.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? I’ve had five jobs in five years, so god only knows.

If you were not working politics, what would you be doing? I think I’d be pretty good in the CIA or FBI, or as a detective, things like that. One of the things I’ve liked about my jobs is the channeling of information back and forth.

Who would play you in the movie? Tobey Maguire

12

CITY HALL

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

THE NEXT GENERATION OF POLITICAL LEADERS IN NEW YORK

AGE

FATIMA SHAMA Commissioner, Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs

36

A month into the job, Fatima Shama has wasted no time making her mark at the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. A former assistant to Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott, Shama has taken a page from Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s playbook by moving her desk out from her corner office and in with the rest of the office’s employees.

“I’m recreating a mini-bullpen,” Shama said. “I believe in it.

I think it works.”

This being the Office of Immigrant Affairs, Shama has dubbed the new setup “Ellis Island.”

Born in the Bronx to immigrant parents (her mother is Brazilian and her late father was Palestinian), Shama attended the same elementary school as Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor—though a few decades later, she is careful to note.

Shama speaks six languages.

Shama sees her job as making it easier for new immigrants to access government services.

“The story of New York is rich, and ripe, and it is fundamentally one of a city that was built by immigrants,” Shama said.

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? One aspect of all the jobs I’ve had is that there was a sense of mission and a will to get things done. That will help me implement an agenda and act upon it.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? I’ll probably be finishing my job up here. I’ll be serving the immigrant community and bringing voice to the voiceless. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past 15 years, and I’m pretty sure it’s what I’ll be doing in five years.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? If I could afford it, I would be home raising my two children. That is one of the richest experiences a person can have.

Who would play you in the movie? Anne Hathaway or Julia Roberts. Someone who can laugh in stressful situations and is able to take on real, serious challenges.

SARA HAILE-MARIAM Campaign Coordinator, Yassky ’09

AGE

22

Sara Haile-Mariam was too young to pay much attention to Barack Obama when he delivered the speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention that catapulted him into the national consciousness.

It was not until later, after she saw him on The Daily Show that she caught the speech on YouTube. Later, when he was working a rope line after a speech at NYU, Haile-Mariam, then a student there, yelled at the man who would later become the 44th president, “I’m going to help you!”

“He looked at me like I was crazy,” she recalled.

But the Ethiopian-born Haile-Mariam grew to become a key member of the Obama ’08 team in New York, speaking at rallies on his behalf, writing for the Huffington Post and taking the Illinois senators case to the cable airwaves.

When that campaign ended, she leapt right into the next one, to get David Yassky elected city comptroller.

“I see a lot of parallels between them,” she says. “Both are audacious, innovative, and ultimately good people.”

She adds that she does not miss the glamour of a presidential campaign while working in the trenches in New York City.

“I know it sounds cheesy, but for me this is about making a difference,” she says. “We need people on the local level as well.”

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? The Obama campaign brought me to the political process in a big way.

If you weren’t working in politics, what would you be doing? It’s hard to say, because if you told me four years ago I’d be in politics now I wouldn’t have believed you.

What is your business card going to say in five years? Sara HaileMariam Who would play you in the movie? I haven’t thought about movies in about five months, so I’m like, “Who’s acting now again?”

Holly Leicht has experience with erratic markets.

Before she became the administraDeputy Commissioner for Development, tion official responsible for stoking deDepartment of Housing Preservation and Development velopment deals in an otherwise frozen housing market, Leicht dabbled in another infamously difficult industry: health care.

“I was working in marketing for an HMO in Boston,” she said of her immediate post-college days in the early 1990s, when the new Democratic administration in Washington was attempting a far-reaching health care overhaul for the first time. “I got very interested in the legislative aspects of health care.”

She has taken those lessons with her as she tried to reignite the housing market in New York, where new construction of affordable housing has all but ceased.

“When we put together the first housing plan, it really capitalized on crazy hot housing markets,” she said, referring to plans she etched in 2004, along with then-Commissioner Shaun Donovan, to build or preserve 165,000 new units of affordable housing.

The year the plan was put in place was Leicht’s first at HPD. Before then, she attended law school at Northwestern, helped envision the future of the World Trade Center site as a counsel to the Municipal Art Society and took a fellowship in historic preservation law.

Now, Leicht said, she is pulling her disparate experiences together to tackle one of the most challenging times HPD has ever faced.

“We’re spending a lot of time now both addressing that long-term goal of getting to that unit count in 2014 but, at the same time, recognizing that there’s immediate crises,” she said. “It is definitely the busiest time in my five years here.”

HOLLY LEICHT

AGE

39

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? The jobs that I’ve had have all been working on the City of New York, and about understanding the City of New York. I think they just built on each other.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? I gave up having a five-year plan a long time ago … That’s antithetical to how I’ve done my career and lived my life.

If you were not working in government or housing, what would you be doing? I definitely think I’d be doing something involved with cities, probably something with how to support small businesses. I think that’s one of the greatest needs, and it’s really, really difficult.

Who would play you in the movie? Tina Fey

CITY HALL

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

ANDREW MILLER Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Department of Youth and Community Development

Brian Simon has a résumé few his age can match, having served as Rep. Greg Meeks’ executive director in New York for years, advised John Kerry during his 2004 presidential campaign, helped draft foreign policy and met Executive Director, Rep. Greg with world leaders.

Meeks’ New York operation A few years ago Simon was a college student from Hollis, Queens, fresh from an internship on Al Gore’s presidential campaign. Then he won an internship with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and was sent to Meeks’ D.C. office for a summer. When the foreign affairs specialist was out sick, Simon was asked to help draft memos.

At the end of the summer, Meeks asked him if he was going back to a job, and Simon answered that his old job as a stockboy—cleaning toilets and unloading boxes— was waiting for him. Instead, Meeks offered him a part-time job in his New York office and has kept him there since, save for an important period when Simon worked as Kerry’s campaign adviser on AfricanAmerican affairs, meeting major black leaders across the country.

Simon considers himself politically tied to both Washington and New York, and he has a strong interest in some international issues, especially the Middle East conflict and AIDS in Africa. He was considering a run for Council in Queens before the term limits law was changed, but immediately abandoned the plan as a friend and supporter of Leroy Comrie. Instead, he spent the past few months working on Eric Gioia’s public advocate campaign.

BRIAN SIMON

THE NEXT GENERATION OF POLITICAL LEADERS IN NEW YORK

AGE

38

Andrew Miller says his strength is knowing exactly how government works, and he has the credentials to back it up after 19 years of experience. He started his career in the office of a Staten Island Council member at age 19 and made his way to the Housing Authority, where he oversaw community and seniors’ centers. From there, he went to the Department of Youth and Community Development, where he now heads Intergovernmental Affairs.

As a student, he had perfect attendance from kindergarten to college, and he says he has continued that record as a city employee. Over the course of three mayors, he has gotten to know the inner workings and long-term staff of the Council and many agencies. He has tended to focus on youth issues in all of his jobs.

Miller grew up in Staten Island, where his ex-Marine father instilled a strong sense of civic duty in him and his siblings. He is a passionate New Yorker and wants to continue in local politics, although he would consider trading his job as a bureaucrat for a Council run someday.

13

AGE

27

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? They’ve sharpened my analytical skills and strengthened my network. When you think someone is not paying attention to you, someone is always watching you, and sometimes you may get a phone call.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? President of the United States—but I won’t even be 35… Okay, it’ll say ‘Owner of the New York Mets.’ Or ‘Owner of the New York Knicks.’

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? Philanthropic work, working with an NGO or in private industry.

Who would play you in the movie? Denzel Washington

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? They opened doors. One job led to the next. I guess if I want to round off my résumé with youth services, I’ll have to hit the DOE and Children’s Services next.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card?

Chief of Staff to Deputy Mayor Jeanne Mullgrav. I see Jeanne going far.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? I never even thought about that. I would probably be in law.

Who would play you in the movie? Brad Pitt

CATHLEEN SIMS DEVITO Chief of Staff, City Council Member Peter Vallone, Jr.

AGE

28

A willingness to sweat the small stuff has kept Sims Devito close to home in Queens, working her way through the ranks to become Council Member Peter Vallone, Jr.’s chief of staff. After interning for Sen. Charles Schumer and eventually commuting from Astoria to his Long Island office, Sims Devito heard about an opening on Vallone’s staff. Not only did the job give her a chance to work in city politics, as she had always wanted, but it put her office in walking distance.

After being forced to live in Maryland as a teenager, Sims Devito said she is a fully committed New Yorker for the rest of her life, and likes how her job keeps her grounded in Queens. She has a special interest in life at City Hall, having worked as Vallone’s legislative director for three years, but now she makes a point of dealing with whatever phone call comes her way, whether a policy question or a resident needing tree-trimming.

“I’ll leave my house on a Sunday and it drives me crazy when I see trash piled up on the street because of cutbacks,” she said.

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? Senator Schumer’s office was an extremely intense place. I just started out doing his scheduling as an intern. You need to know everything possible about an event. I think that works well for me now.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card?

Hopefully, Chief of Staff to Queens Borough President Vallone.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing?

I’ve been an Irish step-dancer my whole life—I still am. I like to think I’d be toying around with Riverdance.

Who would play you in the movie? Everyone thinks I look like Maggie Gyllenhaal… but she and I don’t exactly align politically.

ASHLEY COTTON

Ashley Cotton says she is far more comfortable out of the glare of the spotlight than in it.

VP for Government And Perhaps that is because the former Bowdoin College ice hockey star got her start in politics working on the 2002 campaign of Charlie King, who Community Relations, Economic was then running for the distinctly out-of-the-limelight job of lieutenant Development Corporation governor.

“It wasn’t very high-profile, but I got to do everything,” she said.

That included hiring staff and furnishing the campaign office—in this case, with desks and chairs recovered from a dumpster.

Political campaigns proved the best path for an aspiring political operative and public servant, Cotton said.

“On all levels you are really in the game,” she said. “You are with the candidate all the times, and you experience everything from neighborhood picnics upstate to community meetings in the Bronx to donor dinners and celebrity guest fundraisers.”

After spending years working for Andrew Cuomo while he was running for and then serving as attorney general, Cotton took a job with EDC, where she does outreach to labor unions and community groups, on the advice of a professor at Columbia who told her it was the perfect place to work in the midst of an economic crisis.

“He said this is the engine you want to be on board with,” she said. “And it’s an amazing place to be working at this time, trying to figure out how to bring jobs and economic growth to the City of New York.”

AGE

30

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? I had some of the best political training you could ask for working closely with Andrew Cuomo for so many years. I am grateful for the many lessons he taught me.

If you were not in politics, what would you be doing? Trying out for the U.S. Women’s hockey team.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? I have no doubt that I’ll still be trying to find ways to make government work more effectively for the people who rely on it. That’s probably too much to put on a business card—but I’ve got five years to condense it down, right?

Who would play you in the movie? Cate Blanchett

14

CITY HALL

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

THE NEXT GENERATION OF POLITICAL LEADERS IN NEW YORK

JOE REUBENS Executive Vice-President and Political Director, Parkside Group

AGE

30

From the very beginning, Joe Reubens knew his future was going to be in politics. Even during his college years at the University of Michigan, Reubens said, he managed to pull himself away from Michigan’s famous football games long enough to get involved in university politics.

“I was always reading about politicians and campaigns,” Reubens said. “The strategy behind it, the competitiveness—it always appealed to me.”

A third generation New Yorker, Reubens returned to his native city to get a masters degree from NYU. During the course of his short yet highly successful career in politics so far he has worked on hundreds of campaigns in seven states across the country and unseated a handful of incumbents along the way. Now with the Parkside Group, Reubens continues to focus his efforts on helping his incumbent clients stay in office and helping new candidates get their foot in the door.

Although politics is his true passion, Reubens also enjoys collecting and tasting wines.

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? There’s an old adage in the campaign world—all campaigns are different and all campaigns are the same. You take the fundamentals you learn in one election cycle and that knowledge is brought to the next so you can do a better job for your clients.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? Parkside Political Consulting & Wine Bar If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? Politics has always been what I’ve been passionate about and I can’t imagine a life outside of it.

Who would play you in the movie? John Malkovich

PHILLIP GOLDFEDER Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Sen. Charles Schumer

AGE

28

Chuck Schumer is a notoriously demanding boss. But Phillip Goldfeder, Schumer’s director of intergovernmental affairs, says he would not have it any other way.

“It’s all worth it,” Goldfeder said. “Working for Chuck Schumer is a challenge because he is constantly challenging his staff to do better.”

Goldfeder’s role is to serve as a liaison to the city, state and federal agencies. Before coming to Schumer’s office, Goldfeder spent two years in the mayor’s Community Affairs Unit. He has also worked for Council Member Simcha Felder.

“Working for an executive is very different than working in the legislative branch, because the type of work is very different and because of the different staffing levels,” he said. “But I would never work for somebody that I didn’t respect immensely.”

Goldfeder says he is often asked whether he is related to Jerry Goldfeder, the prominent New York City election lawyer. (He is not.)

One time, the two randomly ran into each other at Starbucks.

“I said, ‘People always ask me if you’re my father,’” Phillip Goldfeder recalled, “and he said, ‘People always ask me if you’re my son.’”

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now?

I like to think every job I’ve had has carried over to the next one. I wouldn’t be where I am now without any of those experiences.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? Retired. I haven’t figured out how.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing?

I would teach history and politics. Throughout my career, I’ve tutored at schools near my home in Far Rockaway on the side. I teach what I know.

Who would play you in the movie? Matt Damon. He’s clean-cut, has the ability to charm, and he’s non-confrontational. He always has a smile and exudes a certain softness.

Kevin Kim burst into the public consciousness on Sept.

15, when he won the primary to replace Council Member Tony Avella by a surprising margin. The first KoreanDemocratic Council nominee American ever to win a Democratic Council primary—and the odds-on favorite to become the first Korean-American elected to the Council—Kim in recent days has seen his face plastered all over Korean language newspapers in Flushing and beyond.

Kim believes his victory could lead more Korean-Americans to become politically active.

“For them, I hope this brings an understanding that there should be more involvement in the civic process,” Kim says. “We have an up-and-coming second generation now in their 20s and 30s that feels like if they work hard, they’ll get all the benefits that America has to offer.”

If elected to the Council, Kim wants to encourage greater use of technology in government through public-private partnerships and implement innovative ideas to fight crime, such as putting the type of “police boxes” seen at the United Nations in his own district, since there is a lack of money to build new precincts.

“I’m practical,” Kim says. “I’ve been fortunate to have many teachers and mentors who always emphasized thinking outside the box, but who have tempered that with practicality.”

KEVIN KIM

AGE

39

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? I was once a law clerk, so I understand the judicial branch, and that’s critical now that I’m on the legislative side. When you see government from different viewpoints, then you see how the checks and balances work.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? City Council—District 19 If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? I would be a case worker, because they really serve the public. And it makes you realize elected officials can’t solve all problems by cutting through bureaucratic red tape.

You realize that you have to empower people.

Who would play you in a movie? I would say Brad Pitt, simply because people would then actually be interested in seeing a movie about my life story. Who cares about what the movie’s plot is if Brad Pitt is in it?

CITY HALL

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

THE NEXT GENERATION OF POLITICAL LEADERS IN NEW YORK

ANTHONY NG

AGE

Deputy Director of Policy and Advocacy, United Neighborhood Houses of NY

36

If someone is looking for Anthony Ng, the best place to check is downtown at City Hall. When not in his office at the United Neighborhood Houses of New York, Ng can usually be found advocating for the dozens of groups he represents, providing services to young people, immigrants and senior citizens. In fact, his tireless efforts have helped to earn him a reputation as an up-and-coming leader in the city’s Asian community.

With an education encompassing everything from city planning to economics and sociology, Ng returned to his hometown after college.

“Growing up in New York, the city was kind of on its rebound,” Ng said. “I grew up in the ’80s, and after college I wanted to come back and help the city be a great place to live.

I wanted to make sure all the opportunities the city had to offer were there for all New Yorkers, not just the ones with means.”

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? I’m inspired by the people in this field—the non-profit leaders, staff of CBOs and the participants of programs. I carry their stories, challenges and vision with me.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? Chief of Staff If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? I would be an architect.

Who would play you in the movie? Tony Leung [the famed Hong Kong movie star].

PETER HATCH State Director, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

AGE

39

At 39 years old, Peter Hatch has already seen a lifetime of political victories and failures. He has worked for H. Carl McCall, Bill de Blasio, Mark Green, Jonathan Bing, John Edwards and John Kerry.

But this year, Hatch may have set a personal record.

One day, he was heading Learn NY, the pro-mayoral control lobbying group that spearheaded the effort to push state lawmakers to renew Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s authority over the city’s schools. Almost as soon as the law was reauthorized, Hatch was snatched up by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and tasked with running her nine offices across the state.

He has barely had time to catch his breath.

Having known Gillibrand since her time as a Manhattan attorney, Hatch said he jumped at the opportunity. Based in New York City, Hatch said he will be working closely with Gillibrand’s Washington staff to coordinate constituent outreach, which he hopes to make the best in the state.

But what ties together his current job to all his past stints working for various politicians and candidates is a personal connection to each employer.

“I had personal relationships with candidates,” he said.

“These are people I got to know through broadly shared progressive, democratic views.”

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? I worked in the Senate about a decade ago, and more recently in the New York City legislature and in state government. I’ve worked in all levels in government.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? State director, I hope.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? Maybe a return to education and urban policy.

Who would play you in the movie? Jason Statham

Being chief of staff to Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, a Conservative, may sound like an unusual career Chief of Staff, Staten Island Borough choice for an environmental scientist such President James Molinaro as Meagan Devereaux.

Yet she said that Borough Hall has become an ideal place to remedy the borough’s environmental issues.

“I always say he puts the ‘conserve’ in conservatism,” Devereaux said.

Molinaro has made environmentalism a priority during his time in office by advocating for wind farms, cleaning up the contaminated Brookfield landfill site and closing the Fresh Kills landfill, formerly the largest garbage dump in the world.

“It was the community’s collective drive to get that landfill closed,” Devereaux said. “That was so exciting to witness and be a party to.”

Originally from a small Pennsylvanian town outside of Pittsburgh, Devereaux moved to Staten Island when Molinaro’s predecessor and boss, Guy Molinari, placed an ad for an environmental scientist in the New York Times.

After figuring out the route to the borough on a map, she made the move.

“Staten Island is very unique from the rest of city,” Devereaux said. “Our issues are local and so many are environmentally based.”

Though Devereaux has been a member of two administrations in Borough Hall, there is much to accomplish with Molinaro, who is running for a third term in November. With the Fresh Kills landfill a memory, Devereaux is focused on transforming the blighted area into useful roads and park land.

“When I leave here, if my daughter can someday go there, it’ll be something I’m proud of,” Devereaux said.

MEAGAN DEVEREAUX

AGE

38

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? My past jobs really taught me the ability to listen to both sides of the issue, and that helped a lot in the interview process.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? Hopefully, happy mother of a happy teenager.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? I would be hopefully working in a job that has a positive impact, whether it’s in a laboratory or whether it’s doing field work.

Who would play you in the movie? Holly Hunter

15

16

CITY HALL

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

THE NEXT GENERATION OF POLITICAL LEADERS IN NEW YORK

KATHARINE PICHARDO-ERSKINE

AGE

Executive Director for District Office Operations, State Senate President Malcolm Smith

31

Katharine Pichardo-Erskine could not speak English when she came to New York from the Dominican Republic at age 13.

But in the years since, she has parlayed that experience into policy ideas and worked her way to a series of jobs for local leaders, most recently Senate President Malcolm Smith.

An internship for then-Council Member Helen Marshall led her to a position at the National Association of Latino Appointed Officials, which led her to a job with then-Councilman John Sabini, starting as his Latino liaison.

As Sabini’s chief of staff in the Senate, she helped draft and promote policy to meet needs in the Latino community. The mother of two small children, she helped lead a multilingual campaign, including a new bill, to increase the use of car seats for children. She also helped create one of New York’s first pieces of anti-human trafficking legislation that was specifically meant to help the victims.

Being an immigrant is “one of the biggest assets I’ve brought to the table,” she said, explaining that working for Smith has given her an even greater chance to have an influence.

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? They taught me hard work, dedication, and a commitment to the people we serve.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? Assemblywoman. And No. 1 Mom. If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? Running an office.

Who would play you in the movie? Catherine Zeta-Jones

JASON POST First Deputy Press Secretary, Mayor Michael Bloomberg

AGE

30

Being the mouthpiece for a billionaire mayor has its perks: you get to meet the famous and the powerful, and fly to far-flung capitals around the globe.

But for Jason Post, the mayor’s first deputy press secretary, his favorite moment came when a previously obscure pilot flew into town to soak up his sudden fame and receive the key to the city.

“It was great talking with Sully Sullenberger,” he says. “He’s a guy who went from zero interaction with the media to a lot all of a sudden.”

Post got his start in the local political scene as a producer of Inside City Hall with Dominic Carter, a job which had him traveling around Iowa with the host covering the 2004 presidential primaries. He put in a stint with DCPI before coming over to the bullpen in 2006.

Now his job involves working with city agencies to get the administration’s story out to a hungry press corps.

“It’s a long day but I enjoy it,” he says “You get a front row seat to a lot of interesting things.”

How did your past jobs get you to where you are? I worked hard and had good luck.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? The news business

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card:? Professional golfer

Who would play you in the movie? The actor who is also a gaffer, grip and extra.

Sasha Puritz left Scott Stringer’s small Assembly staff for law school in 2002. She returned in 2007, when her old boss was halfDirector for External Affairs, Manhattan Borough way through his term as Manhattan’s borough President Scott Stringer president.

Instead of crafting legislation in Albany, Puritz partnered with Manhattan’s elected officials to release reports on school overcrowding and housing issues. Though the office has little, if any, power, Puritz assisted the borough president’s appointees to various boards, as well as getting the city’s contract with Verizon approved.

“We went from an office with a couple of people to one with a lot of different moving parts,” Puritz said. “Everything’s faster in New York City.”

Having grown up on Roosevelt Island, Puritz brings a unique perspective on housing and transit issues to the borough president’s office. Her mother moved to the island after it opened in 1977, when Puritz was a month old.

As she got older, new housing cropped up alongside the Mitchell-Lama units where she was raised.

“Affordable housing issues were always part of my family discussion at the dinner table,” Puritz said.

Though Puritz enjoys the policy-heavy work of the Manhattan borough president’s office, Puritz cut her teeth in politics on Al Gore’s 2000 presidential race. She traversed the country until the Florida recount, where she helped count ballots and oversaw volunteers.

Although the Supreme Court ended Gore’s campaign—“Incredibly frustrating. I was devastated.”—the experience was unique and exciting nonetheless.

“It made me want to stay in politics because I was so angered by the results of the election,” Puritz said.

SASHA PURITZ

AGE

32

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? The political, governmental and legal jobs all got me here, where I’m dealing with policy and community issues.

Five years from now, what is it going to say on your business card? Deputy Mayor for Intergovernmental Affairs If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? I’d say street-hockey player. I love hockey.

Who would play you in the movie?

I look like Blossom.

CITY HALL

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

THE NEXT GENERATION OF POLITICAL LEADERS IN NEW YORK

Few people make a career jump like Martine Guerrier did in 2007. After almost 10 years as a mom—an outspoken, critical public school Chief Family Engagement Officer, mom—Guerrier was offered a $150,000 salary Department of Education

by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to keep doing what she was doing, as the Department of Education’s chief family engagement officer.

As the official in-house independent voice for families, Guerrier has criticized the city’s education policy over the last two years.

Some parents have accused her of selling out, but she said her involvement was never about confrontation and protest.

“Sometimes you have to say no, but it has to be meaningful. You have to have a solution,” she said. “We all do better when we have a really good mix of voices.”

The child of a Haitian family in Brooklyn, Guerrier ran in 1998 for a spot on the local community school board before her son entered kindergarten. From there, she took a series of jobs at non-profits and was appointed as the Brooklyn representative on a citywide panel. When her current job ends, she plans to continue in politics on her own steam, maybe at the state level.

MARTINE GUERRIER

AGE

38

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? They gave me the technical skills I need to understand the practical applications of running a major organization efficiently, and maintaining a strong vision that has the potential to impact millions of people—if you don’t have a strong vision, it’s really hard to keep things moving.

In five years, what will it say on your business card? Chief Mom of New York State. In 10 years? Governor.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? I would probably be a lobbyist or working at a corporate foundation.

Who would play you in the movie? Gabrielle Union

COSTA CONSTANTINIDES

As Costa Constantinides was working his way through Cardoza Law School in 2008, he decidLegislative Director, ed to unleash a group of New York City lawyers Council Member James Gennaro on the rest of the country.

Constantinides organized hundreds of volunteer attorneys to fan out all across the country to monitor polling sites in swing for Obama under the umbrella of the New York Democratic Law Students Council.

The group raised over $10,000 to finance “election protection” trips.

Constantinides said the issue really hit home for him when there were voting discrepancies in a 2004 Westchester State Senate election lost by Andrea Stewart Cousins by 18 votes.

“There was voter harassment, voter challenges,” Constantinides said. “Folks talk about issues at a national level, but it’s even more important on the local level. Every registered voter should be able to vote.”

The head of the Queens County Young Democrats, Constantinides also served as the volunteer coordinator during Gennaro’s 2008 State Senate race. Given the margin of majority in the State Senate, Constantinides believes working on this race was every bit as important as his work on the presidential election.

“We were fighting Frank Padavan,” he explained, “who is a giant.”

AGE

34

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? Everything is a stepping stone. From working for Council Member Mealy, to working for Councilman Gennaro, who has been like my political father.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? I definitely see myself running for office at some point. I’m just not sure which one it’s going to be.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? Prior to my career in politics, I was assistant district manager at a KB Toy store. So I might be selling toys.

Who would play you in the movie? I would say Luke Wilson—the straight guy that bad things always seem to happen to.

After working as a journalist and at the City Council, Michael Woloz joined the public affairs firm Connelly & McLaughlin in 2000. Woloz Vice President, Connelly & McLaughlin handles everything from media relations to highprofile clients in the transportation, energy and non-profit sectors.

Woloz admits that at first he was not exactly sure what he was getting into when he jumped onboard with the new firm.

“When I joined Connelly & McLaughlin nine years ago, I had no inkling of what a public affairs firm actually did,” he explained. “But I was incredibly impressed by Maureen Connelly and Marty McLaughlin—and I had a good feeling about it.”

Besides Connelly & McLaughlin, Woloz is also involved with the Community Resource Exchange and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

When asked what the key to his accomplishments so far has been, Woloz was adamant about defining success by one clear measure.

“If you stick with good people,” he said, “you’ll learn a tremendous amount, get better at your craft and, most of all, enjoy the ride.”

MICHAEL WOLOZ

AGE

34

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? My past jobs included politics, journalism and writing, so when an opportunity came along to join an established public affairs firm, it really brought together all of those experiences into one. What I’m doing now is almost a perfect combination of various interests and jobs I’ve had in the past.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? We’ll probably all be paperless by then.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? I would probably be in journalism, which is what I was in before politics.

Who would play you in the movie? John Cusack

MARIA ALVARADO Press Secretary, City Council

AGE

29

Stoking the engine rooms of the City Council press office is basically all Maria Alvarado has ever done.

She began her career at City Hall soon after graduating from college and interning briefly with Sen. Hillary Clinton.

From there, she got a job working on the City Council Health Committee. That committee, of course, was chaired by none other than Christine Quinn, who, when she became speaker, brought her trusted aide with her.

Now among her colleagues in the press corps Alvarado has developed a reputation as a take-no-prisoners kind of spokeswoman.

“I certainly wouldn’t say I am a hard-nosed person, but yes, being tough is certainly a necessary element of being a press officer,” she says.

“What people don’t realize about communications is that it is not just about reporters on deadline, or about the interests of your office, but about the two of those together. You are disseminating public information that the public has every right to know but you are also doing the responsible thing and structuring and controlling that information in the best way.”

Inside the hallways of City Hall, Alvarado has developed a reputation for taking on more than merely disseminating information, but for getting her hands dirty in all sorts of heated moments.

“The strategy end of it, where you have 10 people in a room all of whom feel their idea is the best, and arguing all through that,” she said. “I love being in those moments and dealing with those challenges.”

How did your past jobs get you to where you are today? When I first came to New York I worked as a restaurant hostess, in retail and dog walking just to pay for housing and food. It taught me not to let go of the dream, to do whatever it takes to make that end vision happen.

If you were not in politics, what would you be doing? Probably advocating for young girls in some capacity.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? Five years ago, I would never have imagined my business card would say “Press Secretary for the City Council,” so I can only imagine.

Who would plays you in the movie? Katharine Hepburn

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CITY HALL

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

THE NEXT GENERATION OF POLITICAL LEADERS IN NEW YORK

LIZ BENJAMIN Blogger, Daily Politics

AGE

37

Liz Benjamin achieved a rare level of journalistic infamy when, late one evening, as the State Senate tried to patch themselves back together, State Sen. Ruben Diaz delivered an address directed to his Republican colleagues, his Democratic partners and a certain New York Daily News blogger who was one of the few reporters still burning the past-midnight oil in the chamber.

Her name has now been entered into the official government record.

“Forty years from now if anybody wants to access the debate on the sales tax bill, they are going to look at the record and say, ‘Who the hell is Liz Benjamin?’”

For now, everyone knows Benjamin and her blog, a mustread for its thoroughness, up-to-the-minute updates of everything happening in City Hall and in Albany, and its obsessive documenting of all things political.

“I’m totally neurotic and have a short attention span, and there is nothing else to say about it,” she says. “Some people remember TV jingles. I remember useless political information.”

She now divides her times between Albany and New York City.

“It’s like being one of them,” she says, referring to her sources and subjects in state government. “When they bitch about the commute I can tell them, ‘Yeah, the commute sucks.’”

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? I started the Capitol Confidential blog at the Times-Union.

Five years from now, what is it going to say on your business card?

Blogstress

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? Personal Trainer

Who would play you in the movie? Sarah Silverman

STEVE KRAMER President, Get Out The Vote

AGE

40

Even as Steven Kramer began a well-deserved break only days after this year’s primary elections—he was heavily involved in about 30 races—he was being fitted for more of his trademark shiny shirts.

“My heart lies in fashion,” he confided.

And he has the master’s degree from the city’s Fashion Institute of Technology to prove it.

While Kramer may be known for his lavish invitation-only parties and his conspicuous fashion sense, he has also become a political force in city politics as a consultant and as the president of Get Out The Vote. His company has been crucial in raising the profile of his political clients and their campaigns before elections.

When he is not consulting on his own clients’ political campaigns, Kramer is often traveling and making movies documenting politics in other places.

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? I’ve worked on campaigns every year since I was six. Denny Farrell showed me how to hand out fliers, Shelly Silver showed me how to lick stamps. I’m a lifer, I’ve always worked in politics.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? “Steve Kramer,” it will have the American flag on the back and it will say “Political Consultant.” Things won’t have changed.

If you weren’t involved in politics, what would you be doing? I would be doing all the fashion week stuff that’s going on right now.

Who would play you in the movie? Phillip Seymour Hoffman

Brian Mahanna worked his way through his three years at Yale Law, graduating in May. But he could not make the time to sit for the bar exam in July—he had already been recruited to work as Policy Advisor, Bloomberg ’09 a strategist for the mayor’s re-election campaign.

Mahanna says that he specializes in “the intersection between substance and strategy” and envisions a career of staying behind the scenes, hopping back and forth between law and government and politics. He got his start at a summer job in the City Council press office, following it up by working for Andrew Cuomo in his 2002 run for governor, and then moving the next year to a position under Bloomberg’s senior advisor. Since then, he has been a fixture in the Bloomberg camp, working on the 2005 re-election campaign and continuing through the present.

With a special interest in energy policy and certain areas of law, Mahanna said a wide range of jobs could pique his interest, and he is in no big rush to get to the next one. After the November election, he is planning to travel in Latin America. Once that is done, he said, he will finally take the bar exam.

BRIAN MAHANNA

AGE

27

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? I worked for [Bloomberg’s] senior advisor, and I basically got to touch all the agents and the commissions, and I got a sense of the breadth of City Hall and who does what. I know how the place works downtown.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? Counsel to someone, but I don’t know who it would be. I think at some point I’ll be in Washington, but I don’t know if that’ll be five years from now or not.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? Law Who would play you in the movie? The Rock

CITY HALL

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

THE NEXT GENERATION OF POLITICAL LEADERS IN NEW YORK

JOHN DURSO, JR.

AGE

34

Executive Director of the New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance

John Durso, Jr., may be young, but he has already risen to the top of New York AREA, an organization Durso describes as a sort of chamber of commerce for energy in downstate New York.

“Energy is the issue of the day it will be the vehicle to shape our future,” Durso explained. “This is a time of transition at the state and federal level, and the decisions made now will make a lasting impact on our lives.”

A native of Massapequa Park, Durso is a proud product of the New York state school system, graduating from both Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale and Siena College just outside of Albany. Although he traveled extensively immediately after finishing school, Durso eventually settled in Albany for the better part of a decade, working in political research and as an assistant to Gov. George Pataki.

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? I enjoyed my time in politics and I’ve remained grateful for the people I’ve met, the experience I’ve attained and for the friends that I’ve made.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? Only the good lord will know that answer.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? I would be on the pro-bowlers tour.

Who would play you in the movie? Richard Schiff [“Toby” on the West Wing]

SIMCHA EICHENSTEIN Director of Political and Governmental Services, The Friedlander Group

AGE

26

When politicians need to do outreach to a certain large, fragmented and fractious segment of city voters, they reach out to Simcha Eichenstein.

“Let’s be honest,” he says. “They don’t call me to go to Flushing.”

Still, in Jewish communities, especially in the city’s growing religious neighborhoods, Eichenstein has established himself as a go-to political operative.

He helped secure portions of the vote in Hasidic Williamsburg for Daniel Squadron’s successful 2008 upset over Marty Connor, and does work in Borough Park for State Sen. Kevin Parker. He most recently did outreach in the Brooklyn neighborhood for Josh Skaller’s Council run and Mark Green’s race for public advocate.

“I think the difference is I can get down on my knees and I can do the dirty work,” he says. “I’ll come in and take the entire Jewish campaign off their shoulders.”

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? I try to learn

P.J. Kim was a political newcomer when he entered the Lower Manhattan race to unseat Council Member Alan Gerson. But a strong, innovative camFormer Council candidate paign, which included winning the New York Times endorsement and raising loads of campaign cash over Facebook, has earned Kim serious kudos in Lower Manhattan political circles.

A graduate of Princeton University and with a dual degree from Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government, Kim decided to forego the lucrative world of finance in favor of a career in social entrepreneurship. He eventually rose to vice-president of Single Stop USA, a company that across the nation seeks to give low-income families the tools they need to access public benefits, tax credits and other essential services that remain untapped and inaccessible.

Kim is known as someone with boundless energy. One campaign volunteer recalled how Kim responded to a Facebook inquiry about the campaign at 3:30 a.m. When the volunteer then donated $10, Kim called one minute later to offer his thanks.

More than anything, Kim’s campaign has gotten a substantial group of young professionals in Lower Manhattan previously uninterested in local politics engaged in the process.

“The idea of running for office and actually running for office are two very different things,” Kim said. “But this didn’t deter me from politics. A future campaign is definitely in the cards—I just don’t know when.”

JIN “P.J.” KIM

AGE

30

something new from everything I do in life.

If you were not in politics, what would you be doing? Making money.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? Chief of staff to the President of the United States.

Who would play you in the movie? Ben Stiller

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? Being a management consultant teaches you attention to detail.

That really carried over to the campaign, from going through petitioning to submitting campaign finance filings.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? I hope to be erecting alliances between the civic sector, the social sector and the non-profit sector.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? Looking to start up a green energy company in wind or solar, industries in which there are a lot of interesting entrepreneurial opportunities these days.

Who would play you in the movie? Yul Kwon, from the first season of Survivor. Because he outlasted and outsmarted everybody.

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CITY HALL

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

THE NEXT GENERATION OF POLITICAL LEADERS IN NEW YORK

ADAM HAIGHT Mercury Public Affairs

AGE

26

Adam Haight was still in college when he first dipped his toes into political waters. As a junior at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he interned at the Assembly, eventually working his way up to legislative director for former Assembly Member Ryan Karben.

“I got the opportunity to work in a small office with very little staff and a whole bunch of responsibility,” Haight laughed.

From there, Haight joined State Sen. Jeff Klein’s 2006 re-election campaign. After Klein won, Haight moved to the senator’s government staff.

Since then, Haight has been bouncing back and forth between Albany and the Bronx with the frequency of an Amtrak train.

During the summer, the Senate coup threw everyone’s job into chaos.

Haight said that he was determined to remain focused on legislation, letting the politics handle itself.

Months after, a new opportunity presented itself.

“The job is my life,” he said, “soon-to-be was my life.”

That is because Haight is finally moving over to the private sector, taking a job with Mercury Public Affairs in October. The move is not easy, but the timing was right.

“That was a difficult decision—to leave,” he said. “It’s been bittersweet.”

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? The one thing that’s always been paramount is working incredibly hard at what you’re doing.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? I’m hoping this new gig I have can afford me a great future working for Mercury.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? I would probably be a jazz drummer or cooking somewhere. Anything that’s edible.

Who would play you in the movie? Kevin Spacey

ERIC ULRICH Council Member

AGE

24

Eric Ulrich had planned a life of solemn subservience to a higher calling.

Then he entered politics.

Now a Council member from Queens, Ulrich, who spent much of his high school years studying to be a priest, draws inspiration in his job from his deeply rooted Catholic faith.

He also draws lessons about politics from organized religion.

“A priest and a politician are very much alike,” he said. “They are married to their jobs. They’re always in demand, and they’re public figures.”

Those qualities have been even more pronounced as Ulrich runs for reelection, after winning a special non-partisan election in February. He is running for a full term in November as a Republican in a district where Democrats hold a 3-1 registration advantage.

But he is not wedded to the traditional Republican agenda, which he feels will help him appeal to moderate and conservative Democrats in the district.

“The national Republicans have lost sight of the issues that we should be really championing,” Ulrich said. “I don’t feel that the Republicans in New York City have to be in lockstep with the Republicans in Alabama.”

Ulrich, who spent a few years teaching social studies at Xaverian High School in Brooklyn, has experience going against the grain. In 2005, after working for a local Republican member of the City Council, Dennis Gallagher, he ran for a district leader post against a county-backed opponent and lost. Two years later he ran again, doubling the turnout and winning.

He has been eyed by state Republican leaders as a potential candidate for State Senate, though right now he says he has no plans to run for anything other than re-election to the Council.

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? I worked at the airport when I was in college. I parked cars to help me pay for my textbooks. All of these things gave me a tremendous insight into the ways in which ordinary people live.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? City Council Member, 32nd district If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? My goal is not to be a career politician… Maybe I’ll finish my master’s degree part-time and be a college professor.

Who would play you in a movie? Tom Cruise

MATT MAHONEY GOP outreach coordinator, Bloomberg ’09

AGE

33

Matt Mahoney has worked for a Republican presidential campaign, a Republican mayor, the State Senate Republican Campaign Committee (SRCC) and the former Republican

majority leader of the House of Representatives.

But Mahoney, born in Canarsie to a family that relied for a time on welfare, does not always line up behind the Republican agenda—even on issues that many GOP leaders consider non-negotiable.

“I’m for gay marriage, I’m pro-choice,” he said. “I’m the kind of guy that, when you see [Rep.] Joe Wilson call the president a liar, I hang my head in shame … That’s embarrassing for me and my party.”

Mahoney has arguably been a much better fit working for Mayor Michael Bloomberg—who shares both of those positions—as his campaign’s GOP outreach coordinator, playing a big part in helping the mayor win the Republican ballot line.

Mahoney first decided he wanted to work for Bloomberg when he was running the SRCC as its executive director last year. He and GOP leaders were trying to coax Bloomberg into supporting their efforts to retain control of the Senate.

“We had a political meeting with Mayor Bloomberg, where they were asking him to be financially helpful. And the Senate had just done something that the mayor didn’t like on education. And the mayor was so passionate in his rebuking of them,” he recalled. “That was probably the first closeddoor meeting I was in attendance with him.”

After the election last year—in which Republicans lost control of the Senate—Mahoney got a call from Kevin Sheekey, asking him to join the mayor’s campaign.

Mahoney knew Sheekey from his days working as Rudy Giuliani’s advance man, and later as one of the original employees of Giuliani’s consulting firm, Giuliani Partners.

Mahoney remains a close adviser to Giuliani, and may well end up an architect of his gubernatorial campaign, should he decide to run.

“If he chose to seek that office, I would definitely want to be a part of that,” Mahoney said.

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? You have to have passion. If you don’t believe it, no one else is going to believe it. … If you’re not mixing the Kool-Aid, nobody’s going to drink it.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? Happily retired If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? I would love to teach high school social studies. I think that would be a blast.

Who would play you in the movie? Chris Farley

CITY HALL

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

JUMAANE WILLIAMS Democratic Council nominee

As an organizer for the national AFL-CIO from 2001 to 2008, Neal Kwatra was charged with hop-scotching across the country, from Houston to Oregon to Phoenix, and bolstering the labor movement in places where it Political Director, “barely had a pulse.”

Hotel and Motel Trades Council After those experiences, he said, working for a labor union fast becoming one of New York’s more influential has been “the easiest job in politics.”

As the political director for the Hotel and Motel Trades Council, Kwatra has earned praise for molding one of the city’s largest and fastest-growing unions into an indispensable electoral force in Council and citywide races.

“All they were missing was a quarterback,” he said of the 30,000-member union. “All I do really is point us in a couple directions and call a couple of plays.”

Perhaps the cumulative moment of that evolution was the election of Daniel Squadron to the State Senate last year. This year, HTC elected nearly all of the union’s priority Council candidates and provided crucial support to John Liu’s comptroller campaign.

Kwatra said helping workers organize in cities where the labor movement has decayed in recent years was one of the formative experiences in his career as a political operative. For a time, he said, the country’s major unions became too comfortable simply doling out campaign cash, rather than moving votes and getting people to the polls.

“All too often, what happened was we’ve been engaged in checkbook politics,” he said. “We didn’t really mobilize except when we needed to.”

NEAL KWATRA

THE NEXT GENERATION OF POLITICAL LEADERS IN NEW YORK

AGE

32

Jumaane Williams has come into the spotlight so quickly that he says “it hasn’t really sunk in yet.”

Williams trounced incumbent Kendall Stewart this month in Flatbush’s District 45 primary, running for office for the first time after years of running non-profits. The former tenants’ rights advocate has built a career out of an intimate knowledge of central Brooklyn, where he was born and raised by a single mom from Grenada.

The “public school baby,” as Williams calls himself, wanted to become an actor but got sidetracked by politics.

He was educated in the borough from pre-school to his master’s degree, going to Brooklyn Tech and then Brooklyn College. Along the way he became involved in campus politics, eventually taking a job at the Flatbush Development Corporation and leading New York State Tenants and Neighbors.

Williams says his approach is “all about organizing and empowerment, whatever the issue is.” Still, his plans for being on the Council include both idealism and pragmatism: he says job creation is a top priority for Flatbush but plans to make sure the city is not surviving off the backs of people in issues like housing.

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AGE

35

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? Each of my past jobs has taught me about some fundamental principles for success in this world: Listen more than you talk, don’t be afraid to ask questions you don’t know the answer to, and surround yourself with smart people who challenge you.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? I’m trying to keep my carbon footprint to a minimum, so I’m hoping we won’t need business cards five years from now.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? Writer or documentary filmmaker.

Who would play you in the movie? Denzel Washington

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? To me, it’s been a progression of the past 15 years of my work. It’s not like a shift in jobs, or a shift in careers, or a shift in thinking—it’s all the same thing.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? I hope it’ll say Council Member Jumaane Williams, Catalyst for Empowerment and Change.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing?

Acting

Who would play you in the movie? I’d like to play myself, actually, as an actor.

VANESSA GIBSON Assembly Member

AGE

30

The youngest African-American member of the Assembly won her Bronx seat last June in unusual, and somewhat rushed, circumstances, after Gibson’s mentor and former boss, Aurelia Greene, accepted an offer from Ruben Diaz, Jr., to become deputy borough president. After some discussion among Greene’s staff, Gibson remembers, her colleagues encouraged her to run—a leap she said she might not necessarily have taken on her own.

Gibson, who was raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant but went to college in Albany, had been working for Greene since her days as a student. She had years of experience helping draft legislation in Albany, and years of experience working in Greene’s district office in the South Bronx. It was Gibson’s time as District Office Manager that convinced her she wanted a career in public service, she said, and that gave her the connections and skills she now uses in the Assembly.

“Working in the district was completely different than in the Albany environment,” she said. “That’s when I started to develop a really strong passion for community service.”

Her top priorities are housing, job growth and education, and she says firmly that, now that she is past the transition of learning to delegate her old tasks to staff, she wants to stay in her job for the indefinite future.

“It truly gives me a reward like no other,” she said.

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? They gave me responsibility. Working in the district office provided me with knowledge and a base of knowing how to work with people from different backgrounds.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card?

Assemblywoman Vanessa Gibson

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? I would probably be a lawyer, still trying to serve the public in some way.

Who would play you in the movie? I’ll pick Vanessa Williams, because people always call me Vanessa Williams.

As deputy chief of staff to State Sen. Tom Duane, Colin Casey fields daily complaints from the demanding constituents on the West Side and Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village tenants.

Deputy Chief of Staff, Then there is his role helping Duane in his work as the Senate’s lone openState Sen. Tom Duane ly-gay member.

“It’s a lot of pressure,” Casey said.

Casey, who is openly gay, doubles as Duane’s LGBT liaison and fields calls throughout the state from gay, lesbian and transgender people that are victims of discrimination or need to know the status of pertinent bills that languish in Albany.

“People expect you to have an answer and you feel personally bad when things aren’t moving.”

Before joining Duane’s staff four years ago, Casey, a native Californian, was introduced to the political side of government.

He worked as a fundraiser, an intern for Assembly Member Deborah Glick and a campaign aide for a district leader.

He joined the Gay and Lesbian Independent Democrats (GLID) and rose to become the club’s president.

“I’m a nobody, but I got Council members asking me to help them get my club’s support.”

As an aide on State Sen. Liz Krueger’s 2004 campaign, Casey was tipped off to an opening in Duane’s office. After four years of assisting his boss craft legislation and handle constituent services, Casey plans to stay on Duane’s team to pass bills on LGBT rights and housing.

“I want to go to the rally when vacancy decontrol is passed,” Casey said.

COLIN CASEY

AGE

30

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? The summer after my sophomore year of college, I got an internship with Deborah Glick and worked on a Democratic district leader race. I fell in love with local politics after that.

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? Either consultant—I love doing campaign consulting—or chief of staff to a state elected official.

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? I would have graduated from law school, making a lot more money.

Hopefully, I would be a legal aid attorney—or some sort of high-priced lawyer.

Who would play you in the movie? Matt Damon—but I think I’m overselling myself.

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SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

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Bouncing Babies

enthusiastic cheers.

“As we go forward,” Wright concluded, “you can call me a negotiator, a conciliator, a legislator or an Assemblyman. But please don’t call me a boss.”

The crowd roared with laughter.

“The last guy to be called a boss ended up with a courthouse named after him,” he said, “but he died in jail with no money.”

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE

Spurred By Bloomberg’s Gay Marriage Support, Conservatives Field Minister For Mayor

On his way into Madison Square Park to deliver his much asked about endorsement of Bill Thompson, Gov. David Paterson met a number of wellwishers. A day before the news broke that Barack Obama wanted Paterson out of the race, they rushed up to shake his hand, hug him and ask him to pose for pictures on iPhones and BlackBerries.

Thompson soon joined in, and the two politicians worked the crowd of strollers and nannies while reporters waited for them to arrive at the microphones.

Finally, Paterson got them moving to the scrum. After all, he said to Thompson, the babies they were greeting would not be of much help at the polls anytime soon.

“I think you’ll be out of office by the time they vote, Bill,” Paterson said.

Thompson laughed. Maybe not, he joked, noting that there could always be a few term limits extensions.

Wright Says To Call Him Boss Is Wrong, But Indicates New Aggressiveness for Manhattan Democrats On a humid night in the Upper East Side, the torch was passed from Denny Farrell, the outgoing leader of the New York County Democratic Party, to his chosen successor, Keith Wright.

“I think we can do no better than him,” Farrell said to a roomful of smiling, sweaty Manhattan Democrats.

The formal vote was held in a plain room on the first floor of Yorkville Gardens on East 93rd Street, though the after party was at Brother Jimmy’s around the corner.

After accepting his new post, Wright indicated that the party would be going in a different direction than Farrell, who generally stayed out of races in his 28 years running things.

“I see us working for candidates that support us,” Wright said, “and challenging those elected officials that don’t support us.”

Later, when asked if that meant Wright would support challengers over incumbents, something Farrell said he never did, Wright was circumspect.

“Don’t know yet,” he said, wiping sweat from his face with a handkerchief.

“All I know is Denny Farrell has left us a lot to build on.”

At one point in his speech, Wright acknowledged new Bronx party chair Carl Heastie, who was there to show his support for his Assembly colleague and now fellow party boss.

“We are the premiere—sorry about this, Carl—the premiere county party in the city!” Wright bellowed, as all eyes turned toward Heastie. The taciturn Bronx pol smiled.

“I’ll agree while I’m here,” he said.

Wright ended his speech by blasting Mayor Michael Bloomberg, though he did not mention Democratic nominee Bill Thompson by name.

“After 16 years of Republican mayors, it’s time to elect a Democrat for mayor of the city of New York,” Wright said, to

Although they have had their issues with Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the past, Conservative Party leaders were content to allow the mayor to run for re-election without a challenge from his right.

After all, they figured that party resources could better be spent on less quixotic causes.

Then, in mid-April, days after Timothy Dolan assumed duties as the state’s new archbishop, Bloomberg strongly came out in favor of gay marriage legislation.

At that moment, Mike and Tom Long, the brothers who run the socially conservative party, said their blood began to boil.

“I looked at my brother, and my brother looked at me. And we just said, ‘We can’t let this go,’” said Tom Long, who chairs the Queens County Conservative Party.

They started looking for a candidate, finally settling on a rather unlikely torch bearer: Steven Christopher, a softspoken Baptist pastor who hails from Greenville, S.C., learned his trade at Bob Jones University and, despite 20 years in New York City, retains a noticeable drawl.

On Sundays, Christopher can be found preaching at the Memorial Baptist Church in Park Slope. He has not spent much time out on the campaign trail, however, raising not a single dollar for his campaign so far, according to CFB records.

Christopher took only 7 percent of the vote in a 2008 race against State Sen. Eric Adams, running in a district covering the liberal bastion of Park Slope. Given that experience, running for mayor might be a breeze, he said.

All in all, Christopher admits that a political career would have been more likely had he never left the Palmetto State.

“I could have been a congressman down there,” Christopher said. “If they get rid of their governor, I could take that job. But if you run in Park Slope as a conservative Republican, you have as much shot as a snowball on a July day.”

With Win, James Shrugs Off Forest City Ratner...

The race between Council Member Letitia James and Delia HunleyAdossa centered on Atlantic Yards.

Hunley-Adossa, head of the local precinct’s community council, hit James on her opposition to the Atlantic Yards

CITY HALL project, saying the new amenities will create jobs and needed housing. But James and her supporters saw HunleyAdossa as a mouthpiece for developer Forest City Ratner.

In a race that turned particularly negative—Hunley-Adossa sent voters a direct mailing trying to tie James to the convicted former county boss Clarence Norman—James and her campaign staff hooted and cheered outside of a Crown Heights lounge as the primary election results showed her leading.

Taking more than 80 percent of 9,214 votes, James said the results sent a message to the Atlantic Yards developer Forest City Ratner that the community is against the mega-project.

“Sorry, Forest City Ratner,” James said. “You got to deal with me for another term.”

Several days later came the announcement that the company was selling the Nets and partial ownership of the development to Mikhail Prokhorov, Russia’s richest man.

...And With The Win, Gets Markowitz To Compare Victories The next morning, prior to a press event at the Brooklyn Navy Yards announcing new money for green construction, James received warm words from Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz for her landslide victory over two opponents the night before.

“I never got 95 percent,” Markowitz grumbled. “Wait—yes I did, when I was a senator.”

James and Markowitz high-fived.

James actually won 81 percent of the vote in her district. But it was still the largest margin of victory of any Council incumbent in the entire city.

Bloomberg Bungles Kutcher’s Name, Grateful To Not Be Punked Mayor Michael Bloomberg was doing fine, playing to the crowd at his Sept. 10 press conference, attended by mayors from across the country as well as a handful of celebrities and their yelling fans.

But then he pointed out Demi Moore in the audience and called up her husband Ashton Kutcher to give a speech—only he pronounced the actor’s name, very clearly, “Asston.”

Kutcher, a 31-year-old former model and witty Twitter celebrity, decided not to let the mayor off the hook when he took the microphone.

“Thank-you-Mayor-Bloomborg,” he said in a robotic voice, getting a huge laugh from the other mayors, the press and the crowd.

Bloomberg did not have much of a chance for a rebuttal. But when he next got up to speak, he did thank Kutcher for “not punking” him.

—Edward-Isaac Dovere, Andrew J. Hawkins, Selena Ross and Dan Rivoli

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CITY HALL

www.cityhallnews.com

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

23

ANDREW SCHWARTZ PHOTOS

Bloomberg’s Boswell D

espite penning an autobiography and leading the city of New York for most of the past decade, Mayor Michael Bloomberg remains one of the most enigmatic figures in New York politics. Yes, he talks to the press nearly every day, but where does he spend his weekends? What are his friends like? What was his childhood like?

Joyce Purnick, a former City Hall reporter for The New York Times, answers these questions in her newest book, Mike Bloomberg: Money, Power, Politics. But more than a simple biography, her story is that of New York in the early years of this century, a city that rose from the ashes of the Sept. 11 attacks to become a luxurious and remade global capital—a transformation presided over by a man unlike the city’s political class had ever seen.

Purnick traces Bloomberg’s rise back from his early days in Medford, Massachusetts, when he performed all the tasks needed to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout before he was old enough to technically qualify. She goes through his early days as a Wall Street innovator fired for his willingness to buck company mores, to his relentless social climbing in the late ’90s, which he began by cold-calling Barbara Walters, to his unlikely run for mayor in 2001 and his tangles with his never-ending foil, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

The book had been on bookshelves for only a day when Purnick sat down with City Hall to discuss the mayor, his legacy and the recent history of New York.

What follows is an edited transcript.

City Hall: You have a rare privilege among New York City political journalists in that you actually sat down extensively with Michael Bloomberg. What is that like?

Joyce Purnick: A little formal, polite and he was in control. I would ask the question, and like anyone who is really skilled in politics, which you could argue that he is not, he would take it where he wanted it to go. He would always answer the question, but if I wasn’t careful I’d get 20 minutes or a half hour on things I really didn’t have much interest in.

CH: Were there things he didn’t want to discuss?

JP: The mayor that you see in public, although we’re learning more and more about him, has been fairly controlled.

He hasn’t been like Koch or Giuliani in giving their opinion on every single thing.

If you would ask them if they liked the color brown, they would say, “Well you know, I like brown, but I actually prefer a chestnut brown to a walnut brown.”

Bloomberg is not like that. He is very reserved and contained.

CH: You mentioned early on that you had originally conceived of the book as being about the early years of 21st-century New York City. How did it shift?

JP: For my original plan, I had read The Bronx is Burning by Jonathan Mahler. I thought it was a wonderful book, and it talked about the fall of New York. It talked about the fiscal crisis of the ’70s and the terrible years that followed and the collapse of services. I remember saying to someone, “This is a great book.” It was 2003, 2004, 2005 and no one has really written about the comeback of New York.

Somehow it seemed crystallized around a person or a series of people in my mind, and those people were Koch, Giuliani and Bloomberg. To me, I’d like to say that Koch broke the eggs, Giuliani lined up all the ingredients and then Bloomberg made the omelet. Soon, the idea of a biography became stronger.

CH: Some feel that the mayor, for all his accomplishments, has failed on all the big initiatives like the stadium, Atlantic Yards and congestion pricing,

and will not leave a legacy like other mayors have. Is that fair?

JP: Well, that’s not fair, because what can the others point to? With the Olympics, the stadium and congestion pricing, he failed. The more I thought about it, I think anyone would have failed. I don’t think anyone could have gotten those initiatives through the State Legislature. Having said that, what I find interesting is that he tried it. That area of the city, because of the initiative and the zoning change that went with it, will eventually be built. I suspect we will, at some point, have a form of congestion pricing. I think you could say he took on the impossible and he didn’t have the political skills to do it, but I’m not sure anyone would have. The legacy will be that he put down a marker and a lot of these things will happen.

CH: Do you think he will build on that legacy if he wins a third term?

JP: I doubt it. I do.

CH: Because?

JP: Third terms are cursed. They’re cursed for good reason. Mayors get tired, along with governors. The best and the brightest that surrounded him in the first term in Bloomberg’s case stayed longer than most. People get tired and they want to move on with their lives. Even if they stay around, the energy isn’t there anymore. It’s like when you’re a journalist and you’re on the same beat for 12 years, you’re not going to have the same insight that you had in the beginning.

CH: Your book was originally going to come out as he was leaving.

Personally, when the term limits were overturned, did you feel like you were foiled?

JP: On the one hand, I felt like I had to go back to the drawing boards, but he let a side of himself become part of the story, and it changed the overall picture of the personality to some degree. The egocentric, politics-as-usual personality which he claims not to have, the armstwisting, all of those things which are not

new to mayors, but were things that he was supposed to be above, changed the image he had before. Some of the colors changed on the portrait I was trying to paint. Not all of them, but some of them.

It required a rethinking and a recasting to some degree, and that was very difficult.

The plus side was that it made for more interesting reading and added a dimension that wasn’t there before.

CH: Do you think the nature of mayoralty of New York City is different because of Mike Bloomberg?

JP: No, I don’t. They said that about Fiorella LaGuardia. Here is this fusion mayor that’s powerful and in your face.

After LaGuardia, the Tammany-favored candidate went right back to City Hall.

Beyond that, I think Bloomberg and what he brings to the table is unique. How could you possibly find someone like that? No one is there who’s lining up with his money and his cockiness. He owes nobody anything because he can pay his way through. I mean, how are you going to find someone like that again that would also be competent and smart enough to run? Oddly enough, there’s very little connection between one administration to another.

CH: Your book is very much a book of journalism, a first draft of history.

Ten years from now, what are we going to find out?

JP: That’s a very good question. One of things I suffered from working on this book was that I didn’t have that perspective, and it is a piece of journalism in effect. That’s what I am. I believe that the first draft of history is largely accurate.

It’s incomplete by definition. It lacks the perspective that time gives it and that time gives events and public officials. I suspect that the view of the first two terms isn’t going to change too much. I don’t think there are any secrets that they’re holding back—details, yes, but great secrets and the equivalent of secret papers on what a smoking ban would do? I suspect not.

—David Freedlander dfreedlander@cityhallnews.com

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