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Compiled by Rebecca C. Lewis

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Weather

Sunny in New York City and Albany and partly sunny then a slight chance of showers in Buffalo. New York City, high 56; Albany, high 55; Buffalo, high 54.

This week's magazine

Steady at the helm

* Newly elevated from deputy mayor for housing, economic development and workforce to first deputy mayor, Maria Torres-Springer may have an opportunity to help reinvent the Adams administration as it faces a crisis of public trust.

Power of Diversity: Women 100

* While Vice President Kamala Harris fell short in her bid for president, there are many places where women are breaking through the glass ceiling. A recurring theme in this year’s Power of Diversity: Women 100 was historic firsts.

 ▶ Read This Week's Issue

From City & State

* A man came to state Sen. Cordell Cleare’s Harlem office yesterday, threatening her staff that he would “shoot up” and “blow up” the office if he didn’t get to see her, the state lawmaker told City & State.

* President-elect Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations has created uncertainty and uneasiness, even for migrants who are legally in the United States, writes City & State Editor-in-Chief Ralph R. Ortega.

* If it were up to us, we’d add a few more New York politics-themed balloons to this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. So, here are some of our ideas, and who we think might sponsor them.

New research reveals NYC Uber drivers earn an average of $52,900 annually after expenses—far more than many city workers, including EMTs and sanitation staff. While Uber and Lyft drivers have gotten four pay hikes in two years, frontline city employees face stagnant wages. Explore the full report to understand how wages for gig work have begun to eclipse public sector work. 

Learn more!

Heard around town

By Sophie Krichevsky 

Jennifer Walden Weprin has a new gig, City & State has learned: She started as vice president of advancement at the French-American Foundation in October.

Walden Weprin – who is married to former Assembly Member and New York City Council Member Mark Weprin and whose brother-in-law is Assembly Member David Weprin – had previously served as executive director of the Queens County Farm Museum for five years. The farm’s board of directors opted not to renew her contract at the end of 2023, following an exposé last fall by the Queens Chronicle detailing the prized borough institution’s deterioration under her leadership. Read more here.

Got tips? Email editor@cityandstateny.com.

New this morning

* New York City Mayor Eric Adams elevated the city’s drought watch to a drought warning yesterday, the last step before declaring a drought emergency, which would come with mandatory water restrictions, The New York Times reports.

* Proponents of Adams’ controversial City of Yes housing plan rallied outside City Hall ahead of a series of key lawmaker votes to decide its fate, part of a final media blitz meant to gather public support for the proposal, the New York Post reports.

* Police have charged a homeless man with fatally stabbed three people multiple times with a pair of kitchen knives in a morning spree of violence, with Adams blaming “failed” criminal and mental health systems, Gothamist reports.

* Rep. Ritchie Torres ripped New York’s “misgovernance” during a withering speech that stirred talks the Bronx Democrat could be eyeing a run for governor, the Post reports.

* State lawmakers plan to reintroduce a bill next session requiring police to temporarily seize firearms visibly present when responding to a domestic incident, State of Politics reports.

* More news below …

Political leaders looking to make sense of election results should listen to the hardworking men and women of the building trades. The path forward for Albany is clear: focus on kitchen table issues and represent middle class New Yorkers. Enforce laws that protect workers. Work with organized labor to build an economic agenda that delivers for New York taxpayers. 

The North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters is fighting for all blue collar workers. Join us!

* New York City’s ambitious plan to close Rikers Island took a major step forward after the Adams administration this month tapped two construction firms to build a new lockup in lower Manhattan – one of the final major outstanding contracts, The City reports.

* New York City Council members and agency leaders tackled subway surfing at an oversight hearing yesterday, discussing various ways to stop young New Yorkers from participating in the dangerous, often lethal trend, amNewYork reports.

* The New York Power Authority is seeking public comment on a draft plan of their role in expanding the state’s renewable energy portfolio, State of Politics reports.

* A new report by the state Comptroller’s Office shows that the state lags behind others when it comes to cash payouts for several programs meant to help unemployed or injured workers, Newsday reports.

* Enviri, an industrial waste management company, hopes to put its recycling technology to use by removing toxic manufacturing chemicals from Fort Edward soil after operating a soil treatment facility in the town for more than 25 years, the Times Union reports.

WHAT IS HOCHUL THINKING? Governor Hochul's plan to hand New York’s home care system to PPL, an out-of-state corporation with a failing record, puts over 250,000 vulnerable New Yorkers at risk. PPL has a history of mismanagement, missed payments, customer dissatisfaction, lawsuits and even fraud in other states. Tell your Assemblymember to protect our loved ones and keep home care local: www.protecthomecare.org.

Editorial pages

* While it might seem nice to enjoy November days in New York with short-sleeves and no cold rain (or even any rain at all), the wacky weather is dangerous and damaging and we need to take real steps to address climate change at all levels of government, the Daily News Editorial Board writes.

* The increasing creep of surveillance technology seems inevitable, yet, we must insist that guardrails be in place to ensure this tracking data is not abused as the use of automatic license plate readers become more widespread in New York, Newsday writes.

Register Today for NYCETC’s Annual Conference: Setting NYC’s Workforce Agenda on 12/3 & 12/4!

Join us this December for NYCETC’s Annual Conference! This year’s conference, “Setting NYC’s Workforce Agenda,” will take place over two days – December 3 and December 4, 2024 – as part of the #NYCWorkforceWeek. The conference will be held at the Museum of Jewish Heritage (12/3) and Civic Hall (12/4).

Featured speakers include:

• Adrienne Adams, Speaker, New York City Council 
• Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, Chancellor, The City University of New York
• Jessica Ramos, Chair, State Senate Committee on Labor
• Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO & Executive Director, FPWA
• Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO, Partnership for New York City
• Andrew Kimball, President & CEO, NYC Economic Development Corp.

Explore the agenda for December 3rd and 4th and register today!

How'd They Do It? Tech in the Cities

Episode 8: Cell Phone Policies in NYC Schools. Co-hosts Tom Allon and Julie Samuels chat with two school principals in this episode: Kristina Dvorakovskaya from the Urban Assembly Gateway School for Technology in Manhattan and Melissa A. Peters from the High School for Contemporary Arts in the Bronx, about how they implemented cell phone policies for their students that include collection of phones until the end of the day. Listen Now.

Presented by: Uber. Sponsored by: Spectrum, Civichall, TikTok, Google, Doordash, Snapchat

National politics

* According to her lawyer, a woman testified to the House Ethics Committee that former Rep. Matt Gaetz paid her for sex and that she witnessed President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general having sex with a 17-year-old at a party, The Washington Post reports.

* Sean Duffy, a former Wisconsin member of Congress and Fox Business host was selected by Trump to lead the U.S. Transportation Department, the Times reports.

City & State is Celebrating 10 Years of Honoring Responsible New Yorkers!

City & State has been recognizing leaders in corporate social responsibility for 10 years.  A special CSR 100 Alumni issue profiling alumni who remain CSR standouts today, will be released on November 25th. We are also excited to celebrate our alumni honorees at our 10th anniversary cocktail reception taking place December 11th at EmblemHealth, featuring keynote remarks by NAACP New York State Conference President Hazel N. Dukes & National Action Network Founder & President Rev. Al Sharpton. Find out more on our website!

Please contact events@cityandstateny.com for more information on sponsorship and advertising opportunities! 

Sponsored by: EmblemHealth; The Black Car Fund; East Midtown Partnership; KPMG; Birch Family Services, Inc.; Fund for the City of New York; Grant Associates; Healthfirst; Project Basta; Resorts World New York City; TD Bank; and CDW.

Announcements

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: To Nina Saxon, aide for New York City Comptroller Brad Lander … Marie Boster, senior adviser to NYC Kids RISE … to Melissa Russo, NBC 4 New York political and government affairs reporter … to former Rep. Gary Ackerman … to Assembly Member Andrew Hevesi … to Lauren Schuster, vice president of government affairs at Urban Resource Institute … to journalist Ann Curry … to state Sen. Gustavo Rivera … and to Cathleen Sims, managing director, policy and external affairs for Success Academy Charter Schools.

Have a birthday, career change, birth, death or life event to announce? Email us: editor@cityandstateny.com.

Featured Announcements

Promote new hires and promotions to New York's top government leaders. This is an exclusive tool to inform New York’s decision-makers where the top professionals are moving in their careers. Limited to 4 per day. Learn more and submit today!

City & State NY Jobs

To advertise your 2024 employment opportunities here with City & State, email jobs@cityandstateny.com or call (212) 894-5417 ext. 520. To view more jobs, please visit jobs.cityandstateny.com.

Chief Operating Officer - Anthos|Home, New York, New York The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will play a pivotal leadership role at Anthos|Home, overseeing the organization's operations, finance, human resources, technology, and facilities during a period of rapid growth. As a key partner to the CEO, the COO will ensure that the infrastructure, systems, and processes are in place to drive Anthos|Home’s mission of providing housing for vulnerable New Yorkers. Learn more here!

General Resume Submissions - Office of Assemblymember-Elect Micah Lasher – New York, New York - Assemblymember-Elect Micah Lasher (AD 69) is seeking candidates for potential positions based in his district office. Applicants must have strong interpersonal and communications skills, the ability to work in a fast-paced environment, and the capacity to manage multiple projects and responsibilities.

Campaign Organizer - The Welcome Home Westchester Campaign, Westchester, New York. We are looking for a Campaign Organizer to help develop and execute campaign strategy by increasing the number of organizations, the number of volunteers, and the number of engaged communities working with us to address the housing shortage, and correspondingly improve the effectiveness of our state and local advocacy programs. Learn more here!

Today's sked

8 a.m. – New York City Mayor Eric Adams holds his daily meeting with senior administration officials, no location provided. 

8:30 a.m. – New York City Comptroller Brad Lander delivers remarks at the New York City Black Chamber of Commerce's MWBE Breakfast, New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, 333 Adams St., Brooklyn.

9 a.m. – The Association for a Better New York will host a power breakfast with state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, New York Marriott Downtown, 85 West Street, Manhattan. 

10 a.m. – The New York City Council Committee on Civil Service and Labor with the Committee on Government Operations, State & Federal Legislation holds a joint oversight hearing on the state of the city’s workforce, Committee Room, 14th floor, 250 Broadway, Manhattan.

10 a.m. – The New York City Council committees on General Welfare and Immigration will hold a joint oversight hearing on the implementation and impact of the administration’s 30- and 60-day shelter stay limit for asylum seekers, Council chamber, City Hall, Manhattan.

11 a.m. – Gov. Kathy Hochul participates in a Crain’s New York Business and Partnership for New York City fireside Chat, New York Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway, Manhattan.

11 a.m. – New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, elected leaders, transit riders, advocates and supporters rally for extending Fair Fares to New Yorkers living at up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level in the November budget modification, City Hall steps, Manhattan.

11 a.m. – New York Disability Advocates rally at the New York State Capitol to encourage legislators to support a stable care system for people with disabilities in New York, New York State Capitol Building, War Room, second floor, State Street and Washington Avenue, Albany.

11 a.m. – New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Lander, Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas and State Sen. Zellnor Myrie deliver remarks at New Yorkers United for Child Care Press Conference, Columbus Park Playground, Mulberry Street and Baxter Street, Manhattan.

11:30 a.m. – Adams holds an in-person media availability, City Hall Blue Room, Manhattan.

11:30 a.m. – Williams gives remarks at the Fund Excluded Workers Coalition Campaign Launch, City Hall Park, Broadway and Chambers Street, Manhattan.

1 p.m. – The New York City Council committees on Aging and Consumer and Worker Protection hold a joint oversight hearing on deed theft, which occurs when someone illegally transfers ownership of a property by falsifying documents, forging signatures or using other deceptive tactics, 16th floor Committee Room, 250 Broadway, Manhattan.

1 p.m. – The New York City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings holds a hearing on legislation related to affordable housing, accessory dwelling units and a basement apartment legalization pilot program, 14th floor Committee Room, 250 Broadway, Manhattan.

6 p.m. – New York City Schools Chancellor Aviles-Ramos launches her Five Borough Listening Tour, High School of Graphic Communication Arts, 439 W. 49th St., Manhattan.

7 p.m. – Adams appears live on News 12 and takes questions from New Yorkers. 

Kicker

“I want to be clear on this: This is not normal.” – New York City Mayor Eric Adams, on the city’s drought warning and historic lack of rainfall, via Gothamist

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