Posts
Mayor Bloomberg continues to establish new lows in his racial record as Mayor if our great city. He has eclipsed the noisome racial record of Rudy Giuliani, and there seems to be no end to his racial missteps.
Worse Diversity Record Than Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani is generally viewed as the classic anti-Black elected official. He refused to meet with any Black elected officials while he was Mayor, even when those Black elected officials were state-wide officials. He regularly engaged in racially incendiary rhetoric, and he participated in a racist protest against Mayor Dinkins during Dinkins' term as Mayor.
However, Mayor Bloomberg, who succeeded Giuliani, has a racial record that is worse than Giuliani's.
We have repeatedly highlighted the record level of stop-and-frisk incidents in New York City under Mayor Bloomberg and the ugly racial dynamics of the stop-and-frisk incidents and the resulting database of innocent-yet-abused people of color.
We have also highlighted Bloomberg's focus on maintaining racially discriminatory practices in New York City's Fire Department.
Last week, we saw the New York Times lay out the statistics to demonstrate that Bloomberg has been worse than Giuliani in terms of the hiring of persons of color to senior positions in New York City government.
Lack of Diversity
As the New York Times has pointed out that while Chicago and Los Angeles have senior staffs that are 52% and 61% white, respectively, New York City has a senior staff that is more than 70% white. In fact, in most key categories, the figure is far closer to 80% white than 70% white.
New York City's white population is 35% of the city's overall population, but Bloomberg has carefully avoided having the City's leadership reflect the City's population.
In fact, in every category investigated by the New York Times, Bloomberg's diversity record was worse than Giuliani's, and both Giuliani and Bloomberg has records far worse than Mayor Dinkins. The Mayor has refused to acknowledge that he needs to reverse course with regard to his anti-Black and anti-Hispanic governance philosophy.
We continue to hope that the Mayor will change his approach on race in his third term as Mayor, and begin both to value diversity and to oppose racism. Thus far, he has promoted racism and opposed diversity. Time is running out.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Schomburg's Future Is In Doubt
One of Harlem's most treasured institutions, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, is facing a crossroads, and its very existence appears to be at risk.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black History
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg was a Puerto Rican born Afro-Latino who devoted his life to the study of the contributions of African Americans and Afro-Latino Americans. He wrote about African American and Caribbean culture and collected the art, literature, slave narratives, and other creations of the Caribbean and African American communities.
In 1926, after Schomburg's collection had become well respected around the globe, the New York Public Library purchased his collection for $10,000. Schomburg continued to build the collection after the purchase, and he was appointed as the curator of the Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature and Art, which, of course, was named after him.
The New York Public Library combined the Schomburg Collection with its 135th Street Harlem branch, and the entire collection was named the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in 1972. The Center now has more than 10 million items and continues to set the standard for Black cultural collections.
Future In Doubt
Now, the future of the Schomburg Center is in doubt.
Howard Dodson has led the Schomburg Center expertly since 1984. Of the 10 million items in the Center, half of them were acquired during the Dodson years. Now, after nearly 30 years, Howard Dodson is retiring, and the Schomburg Center must find a new leader.
Portions of the Harlem Community have become concerned about the potential for the Schomburg Center's collection to be broken into pieces and spread around New York City. For a collection that has been housed in Harlem for more than 80 years, concern about a potential move out of Harlem is understandable. The Schomburg Center and its collection have helped to define the 21st Century Harlem as the on-going and irreplaceable capital of African American culture.
The Amsterdam News wrote an editorial that capture the Harlem Community's concern about the future of the Schomburg Center.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black History
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg was a Puerto Rican born Afro-Latino who devoted his life to the study of the contributions of African Americans and Afro-Latino Americans. He wrote about African American and Caribbean culture and collected the art, literature, slave narratives, and other creations of the Caribbean and African American communities.
In 1926, after Schomburg's collection had become well respected around the globe, the New York Public Library purchased his collection for $10,000. Schomburg continued to build the collection after the purchase, and he was appointed as the curator of the Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature and Art, which, of course, was named after him.
The New York Public Library combined the Schomburg Collection with its 135th Street Harlem branch, and the entire collection was named the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in 1972. The Center now has more than 10 million items and continues to set the standard for Black cultural collections.
Future In Doubt
Now, the future of the Schomburg Center is in doubt.
Howard Dodson has led the Schomburg Center expertly since 1984. Of the 10 million items in the Center, half of them were acquired during the Dodson years. Now, after nearly 30 years, Howard Dodson is retiring, and the Schomburg Center must find a new leader.
Portions of the Harlem Community have become concerned about the potential for the Schomburg Center's collection to be broken into pieces and spread around New York City. For a collection that has been housed in Harlem for more than 80 years, concern about a potential move out of Harlem is understandable. The Schomburg Center and its collection have helped to define the 21st Century Harlem as the on-going and irreplaceable capital of African American culture.
The Amsterdam News wrote an editorial that capture the Harlem Community's concern about the future of the Schomburg Center.
It is not the New York Public Library that has made the Schomburg what it is today. It has been the Black people of the community.
From the mouth of Congressman Charlie Rangel: "It's all we've got. They've taken so much of our history and culture, but this is ours and we must fight to keep it."Save the Schomburg! Save our history!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Microstamping Needed in New York
We need microstamping for firearms in New York State (especially in New York City), but the Republican Party is thoroughly opposed to using new technology to catch criminal who use guns. Mayor Bloomberg is helping to lead the charge in favor of using microstamping, but he may now regret his earlier support of the Republican Party in New York State Senate races.
Microstamping
Firearm microstamping involves placing microscopic markings inside of a firearm such that the markings are transferred to the cartridges that law enforcement officers typically recover at a crime scene involving the firing of a weapon. Law enforcement professionals are then able to connect the markings of the cartridges to their records of firearms, and a crime solving is enhanced.
As we have noted, a much larger number of murders are going unsolved in New York City, lately. Microstamping would be a key ingredient in the recipe we need in New York City to reverse the trend of criminals literally getting away with murder.
California has already passed a microstamping law; it was signed into law in October 2007. New York would be an excellent place to continue the trend begun by California. Our two large trend-setting states could create enough momentum to result in a national microstamping requirement, which should be the long term goal.
New York's Political Push
New York City's Mayor Bloomberg, NYPD Chief Ray Kelly, and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance led a coalition of Mayors, law enforcement organizations, and District Attorneys from all over New York State who lobbied in Albany last week for the passage of a microstamping law. Their logic was undeniable. Microstamping would reduce crime, enhance crime solving, and would not undermine the lawful use of firearms for hunting. In fact, microstamping is expected to add only $12 to the cost of the average firearm, which has a total cost of $450.
Unfortunately, the Republican Party in New York State is focused on maintaining its relationships with the gun manufacturers who do not want their products to cost $12 more. The Republicans are willing to trade lives for the support of the gun manufacturers. The Republicans in the State Senate voted against the legislation and killed it. Only one Republican supported the legislation, and even a former law enforcement officer who is now a Republican State Senator failed to support the legislation and disappeared from the floor of the State Senate during a key moment in the effort to enact this life-saving measure.
Mayor Bloomberg has invested heavily in the Republican State Senate. He has provided them with enormous financial support and been a loyal and consistent opponent of the Democratic Party's efforts to consolidate its influence in Albany. One wonders if Bloomberg now regrets his steadfast support of the Republicans in the State Senate. Without flinching, those Republicans turned against the Mayor and against the Democrats' efforts to make our streets safer. Let's hope that Mayor Bloomberg spends his money more wisely going forward; perhaps he will support the election of individuals who will seek to do what is best for our city and our state rather than continually throwing in weight behind the Republican Party.
Passage Still Possible
The microstamping legislation that was killed last week by a unified Republican Party is likely to be brought back to the floor and voted upon in the coming weeks. The possibility of passage still exists. Your support may make the difference.
Microstamping
Firearm microstamping involves placing microscopic markings inside of a firearm such that the markings are transferred to the cartridges that law enforcement officers typically recover at a crime scene involving the firing of a weapon. Law enforcement professionals are then able to connect the markings of the cartridges to their records of firearms, and a crime solving is enhanced.
As we have noted, a much larger number of murders are going unsolved in New York City, lately. Microstamping would be a key ingredient in the recipe we need in New York City to reverse the trend of criminals literally getting away with murder.
California has already passed a microstamping law; it was signed into law in October 2007. New York would be an excellent place to continue the trend begun by California. Our two large trend-setting states could create enough momentum to result in a national microstamping requirement, which should be the long term goal.
New York's Political Push
New York City's Mayor Bloomberg, NYPD Chief Ray Kelly, and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance led a coalition of Mayors, law enforcement organizations, and District Attorneys from all over New York State who lobbied in Albany last week for the passage of a microstamping law. Their logic was undeniable. Microstamping would reduce crime, enhance crime solving, and would not undermine the lawful use of firearms for hunting. In fact, microstamping is expected to add only $12 to the cost of the average firearm, which has a total cost of $450.
Unfortunately, the Republican Party in New York State is focused on maintaining its relationships with the gun manufacturers who do not want their products to cost $12 more. The Republicans are willing to trade lives for the support of the gun manufacturers. The Republicans in the State Senate voted against the legislation and killed it. Only one Republican supported the legislation, and even a former law enforcement officer who is now a Republican State Senator failed to support the legislation and disappeared from the floor of the State Senate during a key moment in the effort to enact this life-saving measure.
Mayor Bloomberg has invested heavily in the Republican State Senate. He has provided them with enormous financial support and been a loyal and consistent opponent of the Democratic Party's efforts to consolidate its influence in Albany. One wonders if Bloomberg now regrets his steadfast support of the Republicans in the State Senate. Without flinching, those Republicans turned against the Mayor and against the Democrats' efforts to make our streets safer. Let's hope that Mayor Bloomberg spends his money more wisely going forward; perhaps he will support the election of individuals who will seek to do what is best for our city and our state rather than continually throwing in weight behind the Republican Party.
Passage Still Possible
The microstamping legislation that was killed last week by a unified Republican Party is likely to be brought back to the floor and voted upon in the coming weeks. The possibility of passage still exists. Your support may make the difference.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Manhattan DA Vance Unintimidated by Bloomberg
Cyrus Vance, the Manhattan District Attorney, is starting to establish himself as the independent legal officer we hoped he'd be. He has demonstrated a willingness to investigate the $1 million gift that Mayor Bloomberg made to the Independence Party in 2009 as part of Bloomberg's campaign for a third term as Mayor of New York City.
Bloomberg's Missing Million Dollars
As Mayor Bloomberg sought the endorsement of the Independence Party in 2009, he gave the party a $1 million gift. Three quarters of the Bloomberg gift went to pay a former Bloomberg advisor to run election day operations for the Independence Party. $750,000 for one day?
As one might expect, the payment brought scrutiny. But, the Independence Party has been unable to explain what happen to the Bloomberg gift. We expressed our frustration with the lack of answers in February of this year, and we are still awaiting answers.
Cy Vance Unintimidated
Manhattan's District Attorney has launched an investigation and empanelled a grand jury to attempt to determine what happened to the missing $750,000 that Bloomberg contributed to the Independence Party in 2009.
The Independence Party has been less than forthcoming. They have thus far responded to only 4 of the 23 items requested by the Manhattan District Attorney.
The Independence Party likely believed that their association with Mayor Bloomberg would make them immune from investigation. The Mayor has been able to avoid prosecution for the killing of firefighters in a building near the site of the former World Trade Towers. He has been able to engage in long periods of racial discrimination in hiring within the fire department and harass Black and Latino New Yorkers through record numbers of stop-and-frisk incidents without being held accountable. But, Cyrus Vance is not an ordinary prosecutor. He is not intimidated by Mayor Bloomberg, and he is already living up to the promises he made when he sought the Manhattan District Attorney position in 2009. We endorsed his candidacy, and we are happy to see him moving forward without fear.
Bloomberg's Missing Million Dollars
As Mayor Bloomberg sought the endorsement of the Independence Party in 2009, he gave the party a $1 million gift. Three quarters of the Bloomberg gift went to pay a former Bloomberg advisor to run election day operations for the Independence Party. $750,000 for one day?
As one might expect, the payment brought scrutiny. But, the Independence Party has been unable to explain what happen to the Bloomberg gift. We expressed our frustration with the lack of answers in February of this year, and we are still awaiting answers.
Cy Vance Unintimidated
Manhattan's District Attorney has launched an investigation and empanelled a grand jury to attempt to determine what happened to the missing $750,000 that Bloomberg contributed to the Independence Party in 2009.
The Independence Party has been less than forthcoming. They have thus far responded to only 4 of the 23 items requested by the Manhattan District Attorney.
The Independence Party likely believed that their association with Mayor Bloomberg would make them immune from investigation. The Mayor has been able to avoid prosecution for the killing of firefighters in a building near the site of the former World Trade Towers. He has been able to engage in long periods of racial discrimination in hiring within the fire department and harass Black and Latino New Yorkers through record numbers of stop-and-frisk incidents without being held accountable. But, Cyrus Vance is not an ordinary prosecutor. He is not intimidated by Mayor Bloomberg, and he is already living up to the promises he made when he sought the Manhattan District Attorney position in 2009. We endorsed his candidacy, and we are happy to see him moving forward without fear.
Monday, June 7, 2010
100th Blog Posting - NYS Fails Testing
Thank you for reading Manhattan Viewpoint. After nearly two years of postings each week and the addition of several "emergency" postings reflecting urgent updates, we have come to our 100th posting. With gratitude, the 100th posting is below.
New York State Fails Its Own Test
New York State's math test for grades 3 through 8 was exposed last week as a poor indicator of the quality of the math knowledge of our state's students.
The scoring guidelines provide partial credit for wrong answers and even for a complete lack of an attempted answer. The result is a lack of credibility for the results.
The NY Post gave examples of how the partial credit for wrong answers is explained to the scorers.
A fourth-grade child who answers that two feet is 48 inches instead of 24 inches gets half credit.
A child who divides 28 by 14 and gets 4 receives partial credit.
A child who sets up a division problem but does not attempt to answer the problem gets partial credit.
A child who subtracts 57 from 75 and gets 15 gets half credit.
A child who multiplies 35 by 10 and gets 150 gets half credit.
As one might imagine, there is considerable concern within our state about the meaningful credit that children are receiving for wrong answers. Given that the level of achievement on the test necessary to "pass" the test continues to decline over time, one wonders if simply providing wrong answers for partial credit can actually be enough to be considered "proficient" in math.
State Test Score Controversy
In May 2009, we examined the controversy regarding the NYC test scores on the state examination. The recent "partial credit" revelation combines with the already known lowering of the proficiency standard to explain the previously mystifying simultaneous rise in the performance of every major city in New York State.
This new information adds to the scrutiny that NYC's test scores will receive going forward. The artificial improvement in NYC test scores that has resulted from the idiosyncrasies of the NYS exam must be eliminated from the numbers in order to compare true educational progress from year to year.
New York State should work to reduce the extent to which its exam's scoring approach and proficiency standards convince students who are not prepared academically that they are indeed well prepared.
New York State Fails Its Own Test
New York State's math test for grades 3 through 8 was exposed last week as a poor indicator of the quality of the math knowledge of our state's students.
The scoring guidelines provide partial credit for wrong answers and even for a complete lack of an attempted answer. The result is a lack of credibility for the results.
The NY Post gave examples of how the partial credit for wrong answers is explained to the scorers.
A fourth-grade child who answers that two feet is 48 inches instead of 24 inches gets half credit.
A child who divides 28 by 14 and gets 4 receives partial credit.
A child who sets up a division problem but does not attempt to answer the problem gets partial credit.
A child who subtracts 57 from 75 and gets 15 gets half credit.
A child who multiplies 35 by 10 and gets 150 gets half credit.
As one might imagine, there is considerable concern within our state about the meaningful credit that children are receiving for wrong answers. Given that the level of achievement on the test necessary to "pass" the test continues to decline over time, one wonders if simply providing wrong answers for partial credit can actually be enough to be considered "proficient" in math.
State Test Score Controversy
In May 2009, we examined the controversy regarding the NYC test scores on the state examination. The recent "partial credit" revelation combines with the already known lowering of the proficiency standard to explain the previously mystifying simultaneous rise in the performance of every major city in New York State.
This new information adds to the scrutiny that NYC's test scores will receive going forward. The artificial improvement in NYC test scores that has resulted from the idiosyncrasies of the NYS exam must be eliminated from the numbers in order to compare true educational progress from year to year.
New York State should work to reduce the extent to which its exam's scoring approach and proficiency standards convince students who are not prepared academically that they are indeed well prepared.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Super Bowl in NJ? and Bloomberg's Obsession with Racial Discrimination
Mayor Bloomberg's obsession with discriminating on the basis of race took a strange turn last week, and though neither team admits to it, the NY Jets and the NY Giants home is in New Jersey, where the NFL will bring the Super Bowl in 2014.
Bloomberg's Obsession with Racial Discrimination
Mayor Bloomberg has demonstrated an obsession with racial discrimination. He has created a record number of stop-and-frisk incidents in New York City, despite the fact that 90% of those stops are stops of Black or Hispanic members of our community and despite the fact that 90% of those stopped are never charged with any misconduct. He keeps a database of all of those stopped, and he has defended these racist practices in the face of law suits and in direct defiance of common sense and hundreds of years of progress against the promotion of racism in the governance of our city.
Bloomberg made a direct appeal to white voters to stand against Black political empowerment during his 2009 campaign. He also stated that Rudy Giuliani is the right person to be the Governor of New York State, and he moved nearly all educational programs for gifted students out of communities of color and into white communities.
The Mayor fought aggressively to maintain racially discriminatory barriers to the integration of our city's fire department. As we stated in 2009, Errol Lewis of the Daily News made the key point in his column: Bloomberg invested heavily in defending the racial discrimination that made the FDNY a more than 93% white institution. As Errol Lewis wrote: "Many credible institutions tried, with zero success, to convince Bloomberg and Scoppetta that the fire exam needed a reworking. The city's own Equal Employment Practices Commission, an independent watchdog, presented City Hall with a long account of nearly a decade's worth of complaints about the fire test and a plea to re-examine it. They were ignored. The federal Justice Department under the Bush administration sued the city after issuing strong warnings about the need to desegregate the FDNY. Bloomberg fought the feds in court."
After losing in the courts, the Mayor is still fighting to discriminate on the basis of race. The Judge who found that Bloomberg was guilty of discriminating on the basis of race chose a distinguished New Yorker to oversee the New York City's efforts to end its racial discrimination in this area. But, predictably, Bloomberg continues to fight FOR discrimination and is now objecting to the choice of former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau as the person to guide New York City's integration of non-white firefighters into the FDNY. He is clearly fearful that Morgenthau's credibility and competence will make continued racial discrimination impossible, so he is seeking someone that he can intimidate into helping him keep non-white individuals out of the FDNY.
Unfortunately, the Mayor is having great success in discriminating on the basis of race, but he is having far less success in delivering on his stated agenda of improving the economy in our city and providing families in New York City with better lives.
Super Bowl in NJ?
The 2014 Super Bowl is coming to New Jersey. The impact on the NYC metro area economy will be powerful and wonderful. There is tons of work to be done, but it will be well worth the effort when we celebrate and enjoy the Super Bowl festivities in February 2014.
Bloomberg's Obsession with Racial Discrimination
Mayor Bloomberg has demonstrated an obsession with racial discrimination. He has created a record number of stop-and-frisk incidents in New York City, despite the fact that 90% of those stops are stops of Black or Hispanic members of our community and despite the fact that 90% of those stopped are never charged with any misconduct. He keeps a database of all of those stopped, and he has defended these racist practices in the face of law suits and in direct defiance of common sense and hundreds of years of progress against the promotion of racism in the governance of our city.
Bloomberg made a direct appeal to white voters to stand against Black political empowerment during his 2009 campaign. He also stated that Rudy Giuliani is the right person to be the Governor of New York State, and he moved nearly all educational programs for gifted students out of communities of color and into white communities.
The Mayor fought aggressively to maintain racially discriminatory barriers to the integration of our city's fire department. As we stated in 2009, Errol Lewis of the Daily News made the key point in his column: Bloomberg invested heavily in defending the racial discrimination that made the FDNY a more than 93% white institution. As Errol Lewis wrote: "Many credible institutions tried, with zero success, to convince Bloomberg and Scoppetta that the fire exam needed a reworking. The city's own Equal Employment Practices Commission, an independent watchdog, presented City Hall with a long account of nearly a decade's worth of complaints about the fire test and a plea to re-examine it. They were ignored. The federal Justice Department under the Bush administration sued the city after issuing strong warnings about the need to desegregate the FDNY. Bloomberg fought the feds in court."
After losing in the courts, the Mayor is still fighting to discriminate on the basis of race. The Judge who found that Bloomberg was guilty of discriminating on the basis of race chose a distinguished New Yorker to oversee the New York City's efforts to end its racial discrimination in this area. But, predictably, Bloomberg continues to fight FOR discrimination and is now objecting to the choice of former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau as the person to guide New York City's integration of non-white firefighters into the FDNY. He is clearly fearful that Morgenthau's credibility and competence will make continued racial discrimination impossible, so he is seeking someone that he can intimidate into helping him keep non-white individuals out of the FDNY.
Unfortunately, the Mayor is having great success in discriminating on the basis of race, but he is having far less success in delivering on his stated agenda of improving the economy in our city and providing families in New York City with better lives.
Super Bowl in NJ?
The 2014 Super Bowl is coming to New Jersey. The impact on the NYC metro area economy will be powerful and wonderful. There is tons of work to be done, but it will be well worth the effort when we celebrate and enjoy the Super Bowl festivities in February 2014.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Crowning Cuomo
New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo took center stage last week as he launched his campaign for Governor and became more transparent in his mission to shape the New York State Democratic ticket for the 2010 election.
Cuomo for Governor
Andrew Cuomo announced his intention to seek the office of Governor of the State of New York last week. He hit on fiscal themes in his enveiling: spending restraint and caps on taxes.
Cuomo is not expected to face any serious opposition in the Democratic Convention this week in Rye, and his place as the unofficial leader of the Democratic party is becoming more clear. He's now beginning to focus on helping to determine which Democrats are on the ballot with him in November.
Cuomo versus Silver on the Budget
Cuomo's announcement included a declaration of war against the financial plan put forward by Lt. Governor Joe Ravitch and supported by Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver. Cuomo came out swinging against Ravitch's plan to borrow $6 billion to help fix New York State's cash gap and against Ravitch's plan for a review panel to guide our state to a balanced budget. Silver is known to support Ravitch's plans.
Cuomo's plan to cut 20% of state agencies is likely to create anxiety in Albany, especially for the Assembly Speaker.
Cuomo Looks to Shape the 2010 Ticket
As Cuomo leaves the Attorney General's office, he is focused on steering the Democratic Party in New York State to his preferred candidate to succeed him. The New York Times described the recent maneuvering.
Whatever one thinks of Attorney General Cuomo's fiscal positions and his dedication to Kathleen Rice's campaign (we should point out that Attorney General candidate and State Senator Eric Schneiderman represents Manhattan, including parts of Upper Manhattan), one cannot be opposed to Cuomo's eagerness to behave as a leader in the Democratic Party. The Democrats tend to be an unruly bunch, and anyone who works with sincerety to guide the Democrats to electoral success should be respected for the ambition and fearlessness reflected in the effort.
Cuomo for Governor
Andrew Cuomo announced his intention to seek the office of Governor of the State of New York last week. He hit on fiscal themes in his enveiling: spending restraint and caps on taxes.
In an online manifesto, Mr Cuomo pledged to clean up Albany and to get the state’s fiscal house in order by immediately imposing a cap on state spending and freezing salaries of state public employees as part of a one-year emergency financial plan.
He said there would be no increase in personal or corporate income taxes or sales taxes and local property taxes would be capped.
Cuomo is not expected to face any serious opposition in the Democratic Convention this week in Rye, and his place as the unofficial leader of the Democratic party is becoming more clear. He's now beginning to focus on helping to determine which Democrats are on the ballot with him in November.
Cuomo versus Silver on the Budget
Cuomo's announcement included a declaration of war against the financial plan put forward by Lt. Governor Joe Ravitch and supported by Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver. Cuomo came out swinging against Ravitch's plan to borrow $6 billion to help fix New York State's cash gap and against Ravitch's plan for a review panel to guide our state to a balanced budget. Silver is known to support Ravitch's plans.
Cuomo's plan to cut 20% of state agencies is likely to create anxiety in Albany, especially for the Assembly Speaker.
Cuomo Looks to Shape the 2010 Ticket
As Cuomo leaves the Attorney General's office, he is focused on steering the Democratic Party in New York State to his preferred candidate to succeed him. The New York Times described the recent maneuvering.
In the weeks leading to the state Democratic convention next week, aides and allies of Mr. Cuomo have moved quietly and methodically to bolster Kathleen Rice, the Nassau County district attorney and the candidate widely believed to be Mr. Cuomo’s preferred successor. They have sought to delay or foil endorsements of one of her Democratic rivals, State Senator Eric Schneiderman, by two powerful labor unions, and to persuade another, Sean Coffey, to run instead for state comptroller. When rural Democratic leaders assembled in Niagara Falls this month for a straw poll, Mr. Cuomo’s allies also sought to blunt the momentum of Eric Dinallo the former state insurance superintendent, by asking party officials to consider switching their votes to other candidates.
Whatever one thinks of Attorney General Cuomo's fiscal positions and his dedication to Kathleen Rice's campaign (we should point out that Attorney General candidate and State Senator Eric Schneiderman represents Manhattan, including parts of Upper Manhattan), one cannot be opposed to Cuomo's eagerness to behave as a leader in the Democratic Party. The Democrats tend to be an unruly bunch, and anyone who works with sincerety to guide the Democrats to electoral success should be respected for the ambition and fearlessness reflected in the effort.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)