Subject: POLITICO New York Playbook, presented by Nuclear Matters: DE BLASIO’s ethics watchdog dare -- SUCCESS docs assess threats to model -- ‘Secret’ CENTRAL PARK revival
From: "Azi Paybarah, Jimmy Vielkind and Mike Allen" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 11 May 2016 05:22:19 -0600

05/11/2016 07:10 AM EDT

By Azi Paybarah in Manhattan, Jimmy Vielkind in Albany, and Mike Allen in D.C., with Daniel Lippman

SUCCESS ACADEMY DOCUMENT TROVE, CONTINUED - POLITICO New York's Eliza Shapiro: Success Academy, New York City's largest and most influential charter network, faces multiple potential crises as it attempts to triple in size over the next decade, according to a series of internal documents obtained by POLITICO New York. The documents, which include memos, financial documents and a comprehensive draft risk assessment, show anxiety among Success executives over a variety of external threats to the network, including a "less than friendly press corps"' a "politically dynamic environment" that could stall the network's growth, and rising real estate costs that threaten to "destroy our financial
 model."

But the documents also provide an unprecedented glimpse into the internal struggles at the network, which has received national attention for the high test scores of its students, most of whom are black or Latino and come from poor neighborhoods. The documents reveal uneven returns on political spending, including more than $700,000 on a pro-charter rally last year in Albany, and concerns about a pressure-filled environment that has led to high turnover and the possibility of cheating. High-ranking Success employees also expressed dismay over a major technology investment that has yet to pay dividends, and worried over the pace and direction of the organization's expansion. "I don't think
 the question is fully answered on how we can maintain high education quality while we scale up," said one Success executive. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea162f9bc9e29f0237938b839c9406a04abe50cf8d433a2238f

PSC, NYSERDA SUBPOENAED IN FEDERAL PROBE - Newsday's Mark Harrington: "Two state agencies that supported and provided key approvals for state energy projects involved in a federal investigation into improper lobbying and undisclosed conflicts of interest have been subpoenaed as part of the probe, according to a source. The state Public Service Commission and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority were issued the subpoenas last week, the source said. Spokespersons for both agencies said they 'cannot comment on a pending investigation.' A spokesman for Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, which is conducting the investigation, also declined
 to comment." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea1273258a2a3e936e7f67ee32c640f07e01feca46cdff62290 

-- The Times Union's Chris Bragg reports investigators are looking at a company that hoped to develop an inland port in Central New York, and accused lobbyist Todd Howe of pulling a "bait and switch" when state officials picked a rival site. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea173782b95b32a9584694968890561876f46af7ddf4e9285b3 

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "There certainly is a lot of smoke emanating from City Hall these days, but it's not clear that there is fire," -- Rep. Hakeem Jeffries on the ongoing fundraising investigations at City Hall, via POLITICO New York's Gloria Pazmino: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea1311bc8bb00af227bfad953a640f76c9a490c5ef3301f78cc 

2017 CHATTER OF THE DAY: Republican billionaire John Catsimatidis will run for mayor, again, writes the Cindy Adams, on Page Six: "Maybe I wasn't supposed to tell." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea1e6997de78fa0c23d10d6519860458a4a18ccf1b47fd5c3f8 

VIDEO OF THE DAY: Sen. Daniel Squadron raps on the floor. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea103145a3e7f8c239bdd6e19ed17989c689ffc516517f7b62d 

SEE YOU IN COURT -- POLITICO New York's Laura Nahmias: "An unrepentant Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday sharply criticized the state's Joint Commission on Public Ethics, the state oversight body that on Monday filed a motion in State Supreme Court seeking a judge's ruling to force a nonprofit de Blasio started to comply with a subpoena for information about its donors and activities. 'When an entity goes beyond its legal purview, possibly for the wrong motivations, there's a point at which you say, enough is enough,' de Blasio said Tuesday at an unrelated press conference in City Hall. De Blasio's comments echoed those made last week by Laurence Laufer, an attorney for the non-profit
 Campaign for One New York. In a 12-page missive sent last week, Laufer told JCOPE officials the Campaign for One New York would no longer comply with a subpoena the ethics commission sent, arguing it was outside the scope of the agency's mission and had nothing to do with an inquiry begun a year ago into whether or not the non-profit should have registered as a lobbying group in 2015." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea196f43277010024e36f47774cd936c67e40e886c2e5cbbd5c

-- De Blasio pushes story of a political attack but won't name Cuomo -- Crain's Rosa Goldensohn: "Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday stepped up his effort to discredit investigators who asked prosecutors to probe his fundraising tactics and leaked their memo on the subject. But he stopped short of publicly fingering Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 'Look at the cast of characters and who hired them and what they come out of. It's a very interesting story,' the mayor said at a City Hall press conference Tuesday." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea12a9b0681f4844ddd003bb0f5a0f67429646e6d0d377a3c80

** A Message from Nuclear Matters: Providing 61 percent of the state's carbon-free electricity, New York's nuclear energy plants are a necessary and valuable part of the state's energy mix, and deserve the support of state lawmakers for their role in providing New York with reliable electricity while protecting the environment. Learn more: NuclearMatters.com. **

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Senate aide Bryan Clenahan, NYSUT executive vice president Andy Pallotta, Assemblyman Erik Dilan of Brooklyn, Chester Soria, associate producer at WNYC's Death, Sex and Money, Karen DeWitt, veteran Albany reporter with WXXI Public Broadcasting, Mike Lupica, Daily News columnist ... Cam Newton, quarterback for the Carolina Panthers ... Giovani Dos Santos, midfielder with the L.A. Galaxy ... Lauren Jackson, retiring WNBA player and three time MVP ... songwriter, the late Irving Berlin ... rapper Ace Hood of Florida ... and surrealist artist, the last Salvador Dali.

TABS -- Daily News: "LICE PRESIDENT: Twice as many would rather have head bugs than Trump in White House: poll" -- Post: "STOP THE CORONATION! Bernie wins another primary; Trump ties hill in swing states" -- SEE THEM: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea1f52c4a0ff03ad7cc4d553b493fce6f79be14ea7f04486de0 

-- amNY: "INSIDE RISING RENTS" -- Metro: "CHEAP RIDE: Report: NYC is the state capital for affordable used cars" -- SEE THEM: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea1e80a1d4910d31ba4b9f61a06000cd5724191b4369551eef5 

-- City & State NY: "PRIME SUSPECTS: Who's to blame for New York's newest scandals?" -- Newsday: "PORT AUTHORITY TO TSA: SPEED IT UP" -- El Diario [translated[: #SummerJobs: We want to work -- SEE THEM: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea10ff6232cdf4615899931627e0f76e4ed97193d0c1f8c5dbe 

FRONT PAGES -- NYT, 1-col., above the fold: "CLINTON SUGGESTS GIVING MEDICARE A BUY-IN OPTION: STEPPING TO THE LEFT: Change After Resisting a Sanders Proposal on Health Care" -- WSJNY, 4-col. above the fold: "New Clue in a Probe of City" -- SEE THEM: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea1bbec45bc92cbc9cfc40f993f0aec5c9647c5dc953e5058ee 

DEED MESS -- Mayoral Aide in Talks About Rivington Before Deed Restrictions Lifted, Property Sold -- Wall Street Journal's Rebecca Davis O'Brien and Josh Dawsey: "A senior member of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration was involved in talks with a private nursing-care company about the fate of a Lower East Side health-care facility as far back as 2014, according to emails and people familiar with the matter. In the months that followed, discussions about Rivington House included City Hall aides, a representative of the health-care workers union 1199-SEIU, Community Board 3, City Councilwoman Margaret Chin and Allure Group. It was Allure that bought Rivington House in 2015 and sold
 it to a residential developer for an apparent $72 million profit." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea11895663cd1d10f15fd00ed209e51343131d654d86f91d080

-- POLITICO recently reported that a different senior member of de Blasio's administration, Dom Williams, chief of staff to Deputy Mayor Tony Shorris, was also informed in 2014 that the original owner of the site wanted the deed restrictions lifted: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea1ec17293b277a312f32790d83e52a1404cc2c9036c825d461

'OPAQUE' - POLITICO New York's Jimmy Vielkind: State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli says he hopes procedures governing spending by SUNY Polytechnic Institute are tightened when a pair of investigations into its contracting conclude. "Overall, the sense that I have is more transparency on how the funding is handled would help, would help people understand better where the money is going and how it's getting there," the Democrat told POLITICO during a Tuesday interview. "When you have agencies, authorities, non-profits, SUNY - many of which with different thresholds that trigger reviewing payments or contracts - it just makes it a much more opaque process." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea115390cf66627d6a0a5ff514a57fa3bd73d765951e748e0bd 

-- Cuomo said state employees are responsible for knowing and following the law, but that if a pair of investigations into his administration uncover anything improper, "I will be the first to throw the book at them."

"The state has tens of thousands of employees. They're not supposed to be cross-examined to make sure they're following the rules, right?" Cuomo told reporters in the Adirondacks. "You're a state employee, you know the ethics rules. You know the legal regulations. The onus is on you to follow them, not for you to be questioned and then follow them." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea17e77ac74bf1c0f96f3178aaccc986f5da7b3fdcb068e9aba 

-- The New York Post says the Buffalo Billion will be Cuomo's Bridgegate. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea17d235785c899c8c674f623f179c3ca89935ff5e8a3305395 

--Percoco left the Cuomo administration to make more money, while at the same time undertaking a $40,000 construction project to put in a home theater. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea142f8d111ee59f26bf3cd95cae26a8341a1a9b69a7babd83e 

PARK NEWS -- "A Secret Section of Central Park Reopens," by Times' James Barron: "Since the days when Fiorello H. La Guardia was mayor and Franklin D. Roosevelt was president, it has been a well-kept secret of New York City - to people, if not to migrating birds, the occasional wandering coyote and annoying, invasive plants like wisteria: a four-acre peninsula in Central Park that the groundskeepers did not bother with and that was off limits to the public. Officially, anyway. Now it is on its way to being less isolated. Not since the 1930s has it been open regularly; now it will be - from 2 to 5 p.m. three days a week through June 30, and four days a week from July 1 to Aug. 31 with
 slightly different hours."  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea190500a022918c8aae1e6159e167760a7b3ecc01477d41fa6

TRUMP'S MONEY MAN -- "Donald Trump's Chief Fundraiser Is an Unorthodox Choice" -- WSJ's Rebecca Ballhaus, Rachel Louise Ensign and Ben Fritz: "Donald Trump, who is facing a general-election tab that could exceed $1 billion, has tapped to raise that money a businessman with ties to two industries traditionally important in campaign finance, Wall Street and Hollywood, but with uncertain loyalties to Mr. Trump. Steven Mnuchin, the chief executive of the Dune Capital Management fund and a longtime banker, will serve as Mr. Trump's national finance chairman, the campaign announced last week. A former Goldman Sachs executive who has since helped arrange billions in financing for studios in
 Hollywood, where he now lives, Mr. Mnuchin is an unorthodox choice. He isn't an experienced political fundraiser, an attribute typically coveted by a presidential campaign; he has donated to more Democrats than Republicans; and his Rolodex includes current and former colleagues who might prove reluctant to donate to Mr. Trump. ... Mr. Mnuchin's decision to work for Mr. Trump also appears out of step with his immediate family. His father and stepmother each gave the maximum $2,700 to Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton's campaign in March. ... Mr. Mnuchin-who previously worked for a fund founded by Democratic megadonor George Soros-has given mostly to Democrats in recent years,
 including more than $7,000 donated to Mrs. Clinton's past campaigns. Mitt Romney is the only Republican nominee Mr. Mnuchin has ever donated to, according to [FEC] records." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea1ee09ba3428b4b13ecad9e42658ee316257c2fa7894538327 

--"Jeff Daniels Goes 'Will McAvoy' on Donald Trump" - Bloomberg's Matt Negrin and Griffin Hammond: "He already answered what makes America the greatest country in the world. Here, Jeff Daniels reprises his role as ACN's 'Will McAvoy' from HBO's 'The Newsroom' to answer another question that sets him off." 2-min. video  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea1990fc0417a9cd8f0ddc31e71730f5da392062db70d80ae56

MEDIA MORNING-Author and Atlantic contributor Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote that he is no longer moving into a home in Prospect-Lefferts Garden in Brooklyn because of several news stories in the New York Post and other publications that listed the apartment's address and other personal information. "Within a day of seeing these articles, my wife and I knew that we could never live in Prospect-Lefferts Garden, that we could never go back home," he wrote. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea112163845407e52ac796b5d7484f150d25a68dc6cebbb188a (h/t Politico Media Pro)

ENGAGED -- Olya Moskalenko, AVP of biz-dev at Rubenstein PR and Chris Falls, managing director on the business side of Politico States, got engaged Monday evening. They met in New York a year and a half ago at his birthday party at the Soho Grand. He popped the question on a secluded gondola ride with the NYC skyline and her favorite fountain in the background on the lake in Central Park. The gondola is a gift from Venice to NYC circa 1930s and the only Italian gondola on these waters. Pics  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea1cf3d231f9fa0cfdee6f689818c13c68d440fe985fa34442c ...  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea16441301bab6fd36bf5af19fe038600c15b62016ab7b6f097

OUT AND ABOUT - "Board members Brian Berger, Jeremy Kroll and Ali Zelenko celebrated the power of the Red Jacket at the City Year New York 'Ripples of Hope' gala last night at the Mandarin Oriental in Columbus Circle. New York City Deputy Mayor Rich Bury spoke, and over $1 mil was raised for City Year New York, which has recruited, trained and is employing over 300 young Americorps members who are providing tutoring, mentoring and after-school programs to over 15,000 students living in New York City's highest-poverty communities." 

THE HOME TEAMS -- POLITICO New York's Howard Megdal: Dodgers 3, Mets 2: Trayce Thompson's pinch-hit homer in the ninth was the difference.

-- Yankees 10, Royals 7: Three separate deficits and three Lorenzo Cain homers proved insufficient to stop the Yankees.

-- The day ahead: the Royals are in The Bronx. The Mets are in Los Angeles.

COFFEE BREAK -- "Champagne and Catamarans: The America's Cup in New York Harbor" - Bloomberg: "For the first time since 1920, the America's Cup has returned to the Hudson River, bringing with it teams from six nations to race in high-tech catamarans in front of over 70,000 spectators. After a tepid day on Saturday, the boats found enough wind for a thrilling race on Sunday-and throughout, VIP viewers crowded party yachts loaded with champagne and shrimp cocktail to drift as close as they could to the action." 13 pix on one page  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea16b17271a3c895e2f972d6d8ec47845ac052d6ec727f4f1a5

#UpstateAmerica: Canada is using Boldt Castle (which is in Upstate New York) to attract tourists. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea12a91ce3550534376c3a422a99b108cff7599129b17d1e8e4 

** A Message from Nuclear Matters: New York's existing nuclear energy plants provide 61 percent of the state's carbon-free electricity and play a vital role in achieving our clean-energy and carbon-reduction goals. Additional premature retirements of safe, reliable nuclear energy plants mean New Yorkers would pay more for electricity, the economy would suffer and we would face substantially higher carbon emissions.

New York has taken an essential step forward to address the premature closures of our nuclear energy plants. The proposed development of a Clean Energy Standard by the Public Service Commission would, for the first time, ensure that existing nuclear plants are valued for their carbon-free attributes.

We urge the state to include all of New York's existing nuclear energy plants, regardless of their geography in the state, in the proposed Clean Energy Standard. All nuclear energy facilities bring significant reliability and clean-air benefits to New York. Learn more: NuclearMatters.com. **

FOR MORE political and policy news from New York, check out Politico New York's home page: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e6c143c597994ea14f35fce0958a8c839d364e7c53558a266dae4b0739e07b90 

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