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Monthly Archives: February 2010
Paterson Intervenes in Domestic Violence Case
Update: I stand by my comment about how serious the issues are if the story’s implications are correct, but the NYTPicker does a good job of pointing out some of the questions marks left open by the story and the changes that were made between web and print editions. Hat tip to Andrew. The New York Times is reporting that last fall a woman who had repeatedly pressed her case of domestic violence involving David Johnson, an aide to the governor, backed down after a call from Paterson. The unidentified woman claims Johnson violently assaulted her. She went to court three times seeking protection from him. She twice complained that the State Police harassed her and that they had demanded … More >>
Tagged david johnson, david paterson, domestic violence, governor paterson, new york times, paterson
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Avella Planning Campaign Against GOP State Senator (Who Voted Against Marriage Equality)
This story has been floating around for a while, but it’s jumped from likely to extremely likely: it looks like former NYC Councilman Tony Avella is going to take on GOP State Senator Frank Padavan in Queens. From the Queens Times-Ledger: Avella said he will probably jump into the race by the end of the month and plans to focus on the same issues he championed on the Council, such as fighting overdevelopment and ethics reform, along the campaign trail. Avella’s earned his reputation as a reformer and someone unafraid to tackle tough challenges. He attempted an uphill primary against Bill Thompson for the Democratic nomination for mayor last year. He opposed the extension of term limits for city officials … More >>
Meeting Gillibrand, The Public Option, and Medicare For All
Despite much rhetoric to the contrary, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is quite charming in person, far more so than I had originally assumed prior to meeting her last Wednesday evening. I met her at a fundraiser scheduled by Young Professionals for Gillibrand, which was held at The Gates, a club on the West Side. As barely a young professional myself, I saw it as a unique opportunity to go there and, as our friend Joe Biden likes to say, “test her metal” – to see for myself if she was really ready for prime time. After the night was through, Zac and I were in complete agreement: she didn’t disappoint. After an impassioned speech and a few questions, it was my … More >>
Judge Denies Monserrate’s Case to Stay in New York State Senate
As Alex V wrote, former State Senator Hiram Monserrate was expelled from the State Senate earlier this month for being convicted of misdemeanor assault on his girlfriend. He was the first state legislator to be from office since the early part of the last century. His response was to sue a bunch of state officials arguing that the Senate had no power to expel him. Further he and voters from his district claim in the suit that by expelling him the State Senate denied the rights of the voters who elected him. Today Judge William H. Pauley denied those claims. You can read the decision on the NY Times site here. My favorite quotation from the the decision: In an … More >>
NYT Paterson Article #2 Arrives
So the big New York Times expose that was rumored to outline resign-able offenses has never materialized, and probably won’t. Instead there have now been two anything but flattering articles, the second of which was published last night. First, on Tuesday there was a profile of Paterson’s senior adviser David W. Johnson which goes into his troubled past and sudden rise to be one of the most important players in Paterson’s administration. That being said, it’s not entirely convincing in the sense of actually showing Paterson to be a bad governor. Anonymous staffers indicate Johnson is not a good adviser, and the article sort of wonders aloud if a criminal background, especially (unproven) allegations of domestic abuse, should preclude someone … More >>
Tagged Albany, david paterson, governor race
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Thought The MTA Was An Issue Last Year? Things Could Get Even More Interesting.
Ben Muessig at Gothamist is one among many reporting today that a fare hike jumping monthly metrocard rates to over $100 may be on the way. Meanwhile, the Daily News reports that members of the Assembly are speaking out against the MTA’s threat to charge students to commute to school (right now students can commute for free). All of this is against the backdrop of teachers unions and others getting ready for a rally today against the proposal to hit up half a million students for money to help plug the MTA’s shortfall. Unfortunately, the $800 billion needed to plug the MTA’s budget gap is going to have to come from somewhere. But taking money from students trying to get … More >>
