Subject: POLITICO New York Playbook, presented by REALTORS® Advocacy Committee: DE BLASIO’s defense -- ELIZABETH SPAYD named new Times public editor -- BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK deal status
From: "Azi Paybarah, Jimmy Vielkind and Mike Allen" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 19 May 2016 05:38:21 -0600

05/19/2016 07:35 AM EDT

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

DE BLASIO VOWS TO PRODUCE PROOF HE DID NOTHING WRONG - POLITICO New York's Laura Nahmias: Mayor Bill de Blasio weathered another round of questions Wednesday about the multiple investigations his administration is now facing, promising that he would soon provide "a whole lot of evidence" to show his administration has always acted in the public's interest, despite the cloud of scandal it is under. De Blasio took nearly an hour of questions, with two city lawyers by his side, corporation counsel Zachary Carter and counsel Maya Wiley. The setup avoided the optically awkward one he faced two weeks ago, when he fielded dozens of questions about the investigations while sitting alone at a dais
 in a police station in southeastern Queens, surrounded by empty chairs, like a suspect undergoing an interrogation. De Blasio repeatedly promised impatient reporters that he couldn't say much now, but would soon reveal more information which, he said, would quash suspicions about whether or not City Hall had been influenced to act favorably on behalf of donors who had given large sums of money to his nonprofit Campaign for One New York, or to any campaign, at his or his top aides' request. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d0f4647c5f98851a61ef2a244ed6743cedf8bfacbc346393aa02d59b5a6f6c31

BREAKING - "Metro-North Railroad in New York adding trains after fire" - AP/NYC: "Trains on Thursday will operate on an enhanced Saturday schedule on all three lines. That means more trains will be running during rush hour. The railroad hopes to resume normal service by Friday. The fire Tuesday evening erupted at a garden center underneath the tracks in East Harlem. It damaged a center column beneath a viaduct holding the elevated tracks. Crews are installing six temporary steel columns."

TABS -- Daily News: "ONE FOR THE VICTIMS! Gov finally speaks out on kid sex abuse, says he 'wants a law that extends the statute of limitations'" -- Post: "SWING AND A MISTRESS: Cheap Colon 'stiffed' this waitress" -- SEE THEM: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8fbeb8ac3d50c4c3e5cbfb0a1cd9fe14ffa876a99739fbcf2637baac73e1a2f7 

-- amNY: "MORE WOMEN HACKIN' IT: Female cabbies, for-hire drivers on the rise in NYC" -- Metro: "AIRPOCALYPSE: A record number of travelers are expected to snarl airports already beset by too many passengers and too few screens inspecting more carry-on bags." -- SEE THEM: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3255d54815d40fbeb15212f0518bdfbb0bb8aa33e748bbd5722726cf2d8bd06 

-- Hamodia: "East Ramapo Voters Keep School Board in Place" -- Newsday: "OYSTER BAY OWES $14.6M" -- El Diario [translated]: Control of schools at stake.

FRONT PAGES -- NYT, 1-col., above the fold: "SANDERS WILLING TO HARM CLINTON IN HOMESTRETCH" -- WSJNY, 2-col., above the fold: "City-State Fight Deepens Over Brooklyn Park" -- SEE THEM: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=76a90aa235ee5069596eb6db8f26228f6d5c02c99f2e9a43d355b399e9f554a5 

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "A stunning number of donors and supporters not only did not get things they hoped they would get, they got a rejection of things they hoped they would get." -- Mayor Bill de Blasio, via Daily News' Jennifer Fermino: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7617b97271547af7aedda4031a38ce0df6d47c45faac40fd55aebe9711b51e5 

DISCUSSION OF THE DAY: City Hall's explanation for why it won't turn over communications between the mayor and outside consultants. 

-- Counsel to the Mayor Maya Wiley: "Freedom of Information Law actually provides exemption for communication between the city and itself, and its agents. And in certain circumstance their folks were not city employees but acting as agents of the city."

-- WSJ's Josh Dawsey: How is Jonathan Rosen an agent of the city?" -- SEE THE EXCHANGE: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e125d5132a5f544b1c8351f0b36f0699e1ce5c46a4378089670b26c21578387e 

** A message from REALTORS(R) Advocacy Committee: Help First Time Homebuyers Dare to Dream. New Yorkers trying to buy their first homes face some of the highest closing costs in the country. Contact your State Senator and Assemblymember to let them know that New Yorkers need the NY First Home savings program. Visit NYFirstHome.com to learn more **

#PatakiWatch: George Pataki was denied a slot as a delegate to the Republican National Convention. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=981d2b07f8958a51575e4808700c9bb66aa9e804ff877904515e57ab4d2ad4b3 

Daily Trump: His list of SCOTUS candidates, via AP's Jill Colvin:http://goo.gl/u9brSx

BOOZE BULLETIN - News' Glenn Blain: "Cuomo wants to give Sunday brunch some more punch. Cuomo on Wednesday proposed a set of bills to reform New York's antiquated liquor laws that included a measure allowing bars and restaurants to sell booze as early as 8 a.m." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=196eeaeaf935fc0eb70e1a013a9e03920e61254be5a96434a18aab1e5d69fde8 

MONUMENT MEN -- Parks honor WWI more than WWII -- DNAinfo's Eddie Small: "Though World War I may not loom as large in American history as World War II, the city's parks contain more memorials for the Great War by nearly two to one. And like many city planning decisions made in New York during the 20th century, the reason leads back to Robert Moses. More than 120 World War I monuments were constructed in New York City due in part to the massive mobilization that took place across the country in support of the fight and the fact that it was the first time in the country's history when a large number of men were called on to volunteer for a major foreign war, according to the Parks Department.
 ... So while city parks contain 122 memorials to World War I, they contain just 62 memorials to World War II, according to the Parks Department." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d526fecacf94f30727bddfbbbe6edb33aa8b7b50e1d8db9cc08dac3c23ef9dda 

INSIDE CITY HALL -- Mayoral aide Emma Wolfe was aware of Rivington deed issue in 2015 -- Post's Michael Gartland: "Mayor de Blasio's top political lieutenant Emma Wolfe was made aware of discussions about the controversial sale of the Rivington House nursing home as early as January 2015, sources and documents show. Her involvement, and that of other mayoral advisors and allies including aide Avi Fink, Local 1199-SEIU political rep Kevin Finnegan and Deputy Mayor Tony Shorris' chief of staff, Dom Williams, make de Blasio one of the few people in his own inner circle who claims not to have known the Lower East Side property was about to undergo a dramatic shift last year. ... De Blasio
 maintains that until The Wall Street Journal disclosed the astonishing set of events in March, he was unaware a property reserved for community use had been sold for luxury housing. Wolfe, the mayor's director of intergovernmental affairs, and City Councilwoman Margaret Chin (D-Manhattan) were in talks about the struggling facility in January 2015, according to sources and correspondence reviewed by The Post." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9c5bee7cecb66fda78b6bd0e695f6746e9a5a911374e4f70e9ead1a4134f0727 

CUOMO MOVES ON SEX ABUSE BILL - Daily News' Ken Lovett: "After being called out by victims, Gov. Cuomo on Wednesday said he wanted to pass a bill in the next few weeks that would make it easier for adults who were sexually abused as kids to seek justice. 'This is an incredibly important issue and we are serious about addressing it this session,' Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi said. 'We have been discussing options with the Legislature, have met with advocates and survivors, and are meeting with them again (Thursday).' The governor, Azzopardi said, will push to extend the legal time frame for an adult abused as a child to bring a civil lawsuit. Currently, adults victimized as children
 have until their 23rd birthday to bring a case. Cuomo would seek to do away entirely with the statute of limitation as it pertains to bringing child sex abuse criminal cases." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2494546e4a0428d71983c1fdc1e8e119fae2a5bc3d86564e822be672d15b7d89 

JUDGE PUSHES BACK SILVER PRISON START DATE - News' Victoria Bekiempis:" Sheldon Silver gets to spend one more summer in his Catskills vacation home. Manhattan federal judge Valerie Caproni on Wednesday pushed back the start date for the disgraced ex-Assembly speaker's 12-year sentence - giving him until Aug. 31 to comply. Silver was originally ordered to start serving his time on corruption schemes on July 1. He owes his extra month of freedom to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is currently debating a court case that will determine whether several anti-corruption statutes are unconstitutional." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d95661241936126e33abcfd047d5c799b6291afdf0ea6a73364c0ca1f21e214e 

-- "Silver, 72, separately filed notice with the court Wednesday, alerting the judge he will take his case to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. His legal team is also asking Caproni to allow Silver to remain free on bail while he appeals." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b75ff49974ba7e499f819c42919fb00b294851042d262df4a16f23aaebb7afbd 

FUNDING CONFLICT OF INTEREST BOARD -- De Blasio to review COIB funding -- Gotham Gazette's Samar Khurshid: "Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday said he would take another look at funding of the city's Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) for the fiscal year 2017 budget. At its March City Council preliminary budget hearing, COIB representatives explained underfunding of the agency resulting in its inability to carry out its mandated training of city employees around conflict of interest rules and its inability to retain employees. They also said that the city's budget office had denied repeated requests for increased funding." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=015cd2a589048b5a3d5f81a7a489fe76b3af11a0ae24c6c63c9309d8cfc71e1b 

NYPD CORRUPTION PROBE -- One terminated, one re-assigned -- DNAinfo's Murray Weiss and Ben Fractenberg: "Another high-ranking NYPD official was stripped of his gun and badge, while a Brooklyn officer was fired, as an ongoing federal investigation into police accepting gifts for favors continued to rock the department, police said. Inspector Peter DeBlasio, no relation to the mayor, was the operations coordinator for the Brooklyn South patrol borough until he was placed on modified duty, as DNAinfo New York first reported Wednesday afternoon. Another officer, Michael Milici, was fired, said NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Stephen Davis. Milici, who worked as a community
 affairs liaison for the 66th Precinct, had been suspended in April after he tried to retire from the force after being questioned by the FBI." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=08f5ea51fa4baa5a0cc04550c46667c9ed4b8521403fb35c5a5be20585bede72 

INSIDE RIKERS -- Diane Sawyer special edition of Nightline airs Friday: "Sawyer was granted unprecedented, exclusive access inside the largest jail complex in America. Her in-depth report describes what is really happening behind closed doors as a new commissioner tries to reform Rikers in the face of public pressure to shut it down and a federal order to end widespread abuse." PREVIEW: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=667b313e4d42b5a5439608194121e2eb060f1a156328b5d95b7f0401be200c73

EXECUTIVE MOVES: Denise Nelson has been hired as the chief development and communications officer for the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA), the organization's executive director and CEO announced Jennifer Jones Austin. Before FPWA, Nelson worked at two educational organizations, Eagle Academy Foundation and PENCIL; she also worked as an associate vice president of major gifts at United Way of New York City. 

--Tom Corsillo has been promoted to vice president at Marino, a communication and consulting firm. Since joining the firm in 2006, Corsillo worked with on the opening of Luna Park on Coney Island and helped get the New York City Council to approve the transformation of the Kingsbridge Armory into the Kingsbridge National Ice Center.

BIRTHDAYS: Roy Richter, president of the Captain's Endowment Association ... Gersh Kuntzman, deputy managing editor at the Daily News ... Michael Daly, special correspondent to the Daily Beast and longtime columnist with the Daily News ... the late rock singer Joey Ramone, of Forest Hills ... and slain human rights activist Malcolm X, who was raising his family in East Elmhurst, Queens and killed at an event in Upper Manhattan.

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: He's in trouble. The headlines are damning. Aides are flummoxed. Rivals are circling. The documentary about Anthony Weiner's 2013 mayoral campaign comes at an interesting time in the mayoralty of Bill de Blasio. As the mayor vows to do the people's business and show steely resolve, out comes a movie on Friday in which a more naturally high-performing politician attempts to do the same. The documentary, Weiner!, was shown at Roof Top Films in Sunset Park, Brooklyn last night. There, amid a light drizzle, viewers saw a Brooklyn Democrat beset by sextening scandals refusing to fully admit his behavior in a series of interviews, juggling the demands of married life, crisis
 management, and campaigning. Weiner is in best form when pushing back against a critic in Island City - admitting flaw, but vowing to give voters a chance to vote for him so he can fight for them. Privately, Weiner admits fatigue. His wife, Huma Abedin, appears unsure about his candidacy, and maybe more. Staff, and the documentary-maker (a former staffer), see it all up close. De Blasio, by contrast, is facing questions about his fund-raising and acquiesce to donors. So far, he has had no City Island moment. And his standing-up-to-the-press moments are nowhere near as gripping or explosive as Weiner's. -- Azi Paybarah

BLOOMBERG ABROAD - "Leaving Europe Is a Risk the UK Shouldn't Take": "The British electorate does not need Americans to tell them how to vote in the June 23 referendum, and I wouldn't dare try. I have always had great admiration for the British people -- and great respect for the country's democratic traditions. But from across the Atlantic, we Yanks are watching the campaign closely -- and many of us who have deep personal and business ties to the UK can't help but take a close interest."  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0f380e1731fa1aca620cae6bf3abcceb6ca882b99ea470a1ecafa4f4949a29a4

MEDIA MORNING -- "The New York Times Company Names Elizabeth Spayd Public Editor": "Since joining [Columbia Journalism Review], Ms. Spayd has led its transition from a print-centric bimonthly magazine to a digital-first publication that is more timely, sophisticated and smart in its coverage and analysis of news and media industry trends and journalistic ethics. Ms. Spayd spent the largest part of her career at the Washington Post in a multitude of reporting and editing positions. In 2006, she became the managing editor for the Post's digital operations and in 2008, was named the paper's managing editor. She began her career in small local newspapers before joining The Detroit News as
 business editor in 1984." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c78d6e69e1ba803671dd6f89333a639db62aaf6d56f3bb170a0fee3e7eda9d41 

MELANIA TRUMP PROFILE - "Lady and the Trump: Melania Trump might speak softly, but in this rare, candid interview, she comes through loud and clear," by Mickey Rapkin in DuJour: "I ask what Bill and Hillary Clinton got the Trumps for a wedding present in 2005, and Melania says innocently: 'I don't think they sent a gift.' Really? She nods. 'Some people didn't send gifts.' ... 'Unbelievable,' she says of [Chris] Matthews' comment. 'That's what I'm saying! I'm not only a beauty, I'm smart. I have brains. I'm intelligent.' She exhales, adding: 'I would just say, Men will be men.' ... 'I like beautiful stuff. I live the life. It's funny when we go and travel. They don't have five-star hotels
 [in Iowa], but you go with it.' ... When I mention that the comedian Louis C.K. flat out compared Trump to Hitler, Melania stares blankly back at me. Do you know who Louis C.K. is, I ask. 'No,' she says, shaking her head ... 'We know the truth. He's not Hitler. He wants to help America. He wants to unite people. They think he doesn't but he does. Even with the Muslims, it's temporary.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fed7e07087ded48d0f62e8074a9d87e4577da7c003bf2c551e7a361eee806b80 

--"Donald Trump took advantage of program designed to help small businesses after 9/11 - one of many times he's used public funds for private gain," by the News' Cameron Joseph: "Donald Trump made a pretty penny off a program to help small businesses hurt by 9/11, one of many times where The Donald took advantage of government programs to save or make money off the taxpayer. ... Trump got $150,000 for his swanky property at 40 Wall Street because the Empire State Development Corporation, run by the state, didn't enforce federal guidelines on what defines a small business. Instead, the state used much looser rules that let The Donald and others including Morgan Stanley and Bank of China take
 money that was earmarked by Congress to help small business owners in the neighborhood recover after the tragic attacks." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=adede8d218d3b0cad93635d8effd4684be5517d268958797311c40f6df9fec58

REAL ESTATE -"City vows to forge ahead on development after deal falls through," by POLITICO New York's Sally Goldenberg: "A 2015 settlement related to a controversial residential development in Brooklyn Bridge Park states that the city needs to request state approval to modify housing plans for the site. That legal decision, the result of a lawsuit filed by a community group, is now the crux of a dispute between the de Blasio and Cuomo administrations over how to proceed after a tentative deal fell through this week. According to the five-page settlement, Brooklyn Bridge Park, a city entity, has to request consideration for its modifications to the planned development from the state-run
 Empire State Development, as well as the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation. After a deal to go forward with plans fell through on Monday, with the state citing concerns over a campaign donation that Mayor Bill de Blasio took from the developer, members of the mayor's team said they are forging ahead anyway." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f7dd614509beef7d5bb4a416986a50534796b57b943ced6b244ece7df9d2f9e7

-"El-Gamal scores $219M in financing for 45 Park Place," by The Real Deal's Mark Maurer and Hiten Samtani: "Sharif El-Gamal's Soho Properties has secured $219 million in construction loans for 45 Park Place in Tribeca, The Real Deal has learned, completing a quest closely followed by those nervous about a tighter residential financing environment. Malaysian bank Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank) and Kuwait-based Warba Bank are the lead arrangers on a senior construction loan of $174 million, with Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo serving as documentation agent. MASIC, a Saudi investment firm led by the Al Subeaei family, is providing a $45 million mezzanine loan. ... The 43-story project is
 slated to rise 665 feet, with 50 apartments. SOMA Architects is designing the building, while Ismael Leyva Architects will be the architect of record." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a5eeb472908aa8722788fafc53561cf8e56636668746668cf02412cd02e63282

-"Harco Lawyers Blame Subcontractor for Worker's Death in Meatpacking," by DNAinfo's Danielle Tcholakian: "A construction foreman shouldn't be blamed for the death of a worker buried alive at a Meatpacking District construction site - because it wasn't his job to tell his subcontractor 'how to do their work,' his lawyer said on the first day of his manslaughter trial Wednesday. Harco Construction and foreman Alfonso Prestia were charged last year for the death of 22-year-old Carlos Moncayo along with subcontractor Sky Materials Corp. and its foreman Wilmer Cueva. Moncayo was crushed to death in a 14-foot excavated hole at 9-19 Ninth Ave. in the Meatpacking District that caved because it had
 not been adequately reinforced." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2f4c5d46eaf7a5fcf90ba264bba8e7e387940e4c6dfe2ea401ae30af9b82c31f

THE HOME TEAMS -- POLITICO New York's Howard Megdal: Howard Beck reports the Knicks will hire Jeff Hornacek as their next head coach. 

-- Red Bulls 1, Fire 0: Mike Grella scored on the only shot on goal the Red Bulls generated all night.

-- NYCFC 1, Toronto FC 1: Poku's goal helped NYCFC grab a point on the road.

-- Nationals 7, Mets 1: A rough night for Bartolo Colon spelled doom in this one.

-- Yankees 4, Diamondbacks 2: Nathan Eovaldi retired 18 hitters in a row.

-- The day ahead: Mets-Nationals at Citi Field. Yankees-Athletics in Oakland.

COFFEE BREAK -- "Freakish Diamond Pulled From Sub-Arctic Ice Is About to Go on Sale," by Bloomberg's Danielle Bochove: "What could be the largest gem quality diamond [187.7 carats] ever found in North America, made a stop on Fifth Avenue in NYC this month for potential buyers to catch a glimpse. This 187.7 carat rare stone was buried where big gem-quality diamonds aren't supposed to exist." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1415e72a86f923f4949d020191f1ae50f48784dee89e3da63ec289f81024bd9 ... Video http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=90eda35fd491c0f23ef86993d131016059c6cbc9e13d148fd8d14d9e14df63e9

#UpstateAmerica: We endorse the Southern Tier Stud Muffins. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d49becbb78c956001e868f4cca0a507d478b7e4e7536e23e10b9b43f806bc1d2 

** A message from REALTORS(R) Advocacy Committee: First-Time Homebuyers in New York need help!

Homeownership rates across the country continue to fall and achieving the dream of owning a home is more difficult than ever for many New Yorkers. High taxes and fees create barriers for potential homebuyers in New York who work hard to save for the purchase of their first homes.

State lawmakers are considering the NY First Home proposal, a new tax-free savings account program modeled after the State's 529 education savings program. If adopted, individual New Yorkers could save up to $5,000 annually (couples up to $10,000) to pay for costs associated with purchasing their first homes.

Contact your State Senator and Assemblymember to support the NY First Home proposal and tell them to create an incentive program to help New Yorkers who Dare to Dream.

Visit NYFirstHome.com to learn more **

FOR MORE political and policy news from New York, check out Politico New York's home page: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7d3fe04c6737e38c6c96bc0c9f7f03cb714c22c59ed92c5c23364e6373d3dfb1 

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