Erik Dilan
How a thumping win for Velazquez complicates Vito Lopez's grand plan
No one really expected Representative Nydia Velazquez to lose last night, in her first real primary challenge since being elected to Congress in 1992. More
(1)For Nydia Velazquez, vote Wēi Lái Tzí Kwáy Tzí
Nydia Velazquez didn't mention it to voters at her first stop in Chinatown this morning, but there's a bit of confusion over how her name appears in Mandarin on today's primary ballot. More
How Vito Lopez made Nydia Velazquez lose weight and gain a little Mandarin
On the corner of Henry and Rutgers Streets in Chinatown this morning, Representative Nydia Velazquez was practicing her limited Chinese.
"Ni hao! Ni hao!" she hollered at voters making their way toward the East Broadway stop on the F line, pressing them to take a palm card. More
(1)A familiar test for Vito Lopez
Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillbrand, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Governor Andrew Cuomo all endorsed Velazquez in the primary, demonstrating that they would rather cross a local county leader than abandon a scandal-free, reliable Democratic colleague. More
(1)With the legislative session over, Cuomo endorses Velazquez
In the first of what is reported to be a handful of congressional endorsements, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his support for incumbent Representative Nydia Velazquez this afternoon. More
(1)Schumer robocalls for 'true friend of Israel' Nydia Velazquez
Senator Chuck Schumer has recorded a robocall vouching for Nydia Velazquez's support for Israel.
Velazquez is facing her first tough primary in 20 years, from the Brooklyn Democratic organization-backed city councilman Erik Martin Dilan, who has criticized her for "apathy" toward Israel. More
At long last, a Brooklyn boss goes for the knockout against Nydia Velazquez
Her meeting with Brooklyn's Democratic boss Vito Lopez had been a friendly one, as far as Nydia Velazquez knew.
It was 1992, the year she was first elected to Congress. Velazquez and Dennis Rivera, then the president of the health care workers union, 1199 SEIU, met with Lopez at the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan to coordinate his support for her campaign. More
(3)Obama endorses Nydia Velazquez
President Obama issued another endorsement in the New York's contested congressional primaries this morning, backing incumbent Representative Nydia Velazquez against Councilman Erik Dilan. More
Velazquez gets the big three on Israel, without much talk of foreign policy
If Sunday's joint endorsement of Nydia Velazquez by the pro-Israel heavyweights Chuck Schumer, Shelly Silver and Jerry Nadler was intended to shore up the congresswoman's bona fides with the Jewish community, the point was mostly left implicit. More
No longer vulnerable, Kirsten Gillibrand dabbles in king-making
When Nydia Velazquez decided she needed a big show of support during her first tough primary in years, she called on Kirsten Gillibrand.
This morning, returning a favor from a few years ago, Gillibrand served as the headliner at a rainy endorsement press conference for Velazquez on the steps of City Hall. More
Christine Quinn and 10 Council colleagues go to Israel, paid for by a Jewish nonprofit
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has left for a trip to Israel with ten Council members.
The trip is being paid for the by Jewish Community Relations Council and does not include taxpayer funds, a source told me. More
(4)At a press conference about transparency, Speaker Quinn puts on a poker face
At a press conference to announce two bills that would make city government more transparent, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn obfuscated.
To be precise, Quinn declined to take a position on a proposed reform of the state pension system or on a recent proposal by a councilman to create an inspector general for the NYPD. More
(1)Dilan and James step down as co-chairs of the City Council's Brooklyn delegation
The two chairs of the Brooklyn delegation in the New York City Council stepped down from their positions this afternoon, according to multiple sources. Erik Dilan of Bushwick and Letitia James of Clinton Hill and Fort Greene announced their decision at a borough delegation meeting earlier today. More
(1)'No timeline': Fallout from the Denise Gay incident is still on hold as the N.Y.P.D. continues its investigation
The N.Y.P.D. found itself dealing with multiple politically fraught crises earlier this month. There was the shooting spike over Labor Day weekend, the death of an unarmed man in Inwood and the arrest of City Councilman and top legislative aide at the West Indian American Day Parade. Then there was also the death of a Brooklyn grandmother, Denise Gay, who was hit by a stray bullet outside her home near the spot where police officers exchanged fire with an armed suspect. More
