Kevin Parker
A state senator, a councilman and a rap video denouncing stop-and-frisk
State Senator Kevin Parker and Councilman Jumaane Williams make cameo appearances in this music video of a song denouncing the New York Police Department's stop-and-frisk policy, which is currently the subject of a federal lawsuit in Manhattan. More
From living-wage battlefield to 'largest ice sports center on the planet'
On Tuesday morning, erstwhile political combatants Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced that the Kingsbridge Armory would become, in its developers words, "the largest ice sports center on the planet." More
New York's first Muslim Democratic club is set to launch
Next week will mark the official opening of the Muslim Democratic Club of New York, the first club of its kind in the city. More
The Democrat who out-danced John Sampson
C. Zwadl Morris has video of State Senator Kevin Parker's dance moves, which beat those of fellow Brooklyn Democrat John Sampson at the Stars of New York dance contest at Long Island University's Kumble Theater. More
Liu, unembattled, prepares to give another big speech
Jill Colvin catches an interesting trend: Recent stories about City Comptroller John Liu have not mentioned his campaign fund-raising scandal. More
Mindy Meyer misses a chance to be seen (with Kevin Parker)
Mindy Meyer, the colorful State Senate candidate with a fresh perspective on Albany, was a no-show at a debate hosted by The Jewish Channel. More
Mindy Meyer, still unfamiliar with Cuomo, courts Kim Kardashian
When a source G-chatted me a link to Mindy Meyer's campaign website at 3:34 p.m. yesterday asking whether it was a joke, I skimmed the site, heard the music, and then wondered how this source could ask such a silly question. Of course it was a joke. More
(3)'Post' says officials want to abolish stop-and-frisk; officials in question say they don't
The New York Post said in an editorial this morning that "a gaggle of the usual suspects traveled to Washington yesterday … Like virtually all of stop-and-frisk’s critics, these opponents aren’t interested in tweaking the program to get rid of possible inequities, but instead want to end it entirely."
Every elected official I spoke with who attended the press conference said that that is false. More
'Does he really think anyone cares about this bullshit?': A tale of redistricting reform, starring Oblivious
Senate Democrats Michael Gianaris, Liz Krueger, Kevin Parker, Dan Squadron, Gustavo Rivera and Jose Peralta make fun of their effort to get Governor Andrew Cuomo to sign independent redistricting.
The joke hits on a real sore spot between Democrats in the State Senate and Cuomo, who signed off on gerrymandered redistricting maps drawn by Republicans in that chamber.
It was part of the Legislative Correspondence Association's annual roast of politicians in Albany, and features cameos from Errol Louis, Al D'Amato and David Paterson, among others.
Worth watching to the very end, if you care about this sort of thing. More
'Be not involved': A Democratic senator's wish for Andrew Cuomo
"Most Democrats, including the Democratic Assembly and the governor have been politically against us," State Senator Kevin Parker said in an interview. "For me, it would be a step up if the state party, Assembly Democrats and the governor would just not do anything. Stand on the sidelines. Be not-invovled. That would be a step up from what they have done to this point, which has been against us on issues that are important to us," he said.
On a historic challenge to Charlie Rangel, and what it means to be an icon
"Charlie Rangel is an institution in that community," Comrie told me. "With the leverage that he has and the power that he still has. He's been more than open and gracious in sharing with the Hispanic community there. I think it's in their best interest to keep Charlie Rangel in Washington D.C. to deliver for the delegation." More
(3)Castro on why it's time for Espaillat to replace Rangel: 'It's a totally different Harlem'
State Senator Adriano Espaillat, a Dominican-American Democrat, is circulating petitions to get on the ballot against 21-term congressman Charlie Rangel. One of the elected officials who appears on Espaillat's petitions as a member of his Committee to Fill Vacancies is Assemblyman Nelson Castro of the Bronx, whose district slightly overlaps with the newly drawn lines of the Rangel district. More
(1)'Shove it': Senate Dems grapple with a redistricting plan they can't do anything about
Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a redistricting deal that his fellow Democrats in the minority of the State Senate have been criticizing as "unfair," "unconstitutional" and the "worst" in the state's history.
But what led them to walk out of the Senate chambers last night, ostensibly, was a Republican move to change the agreed-upon time allowed to debate the bill from four hours to two. More
(1)Kevin Parker waxes biblical on taxes
For 25 minutes, New York State Senators listened to one of their colleagues, Kevin Parker, talk about tax policy, going way back.
"There's an interesting history in how property taxes have been created," Parker said at one point. "There weren't always taxes."
Then he referenced Genesis, and talked about how Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, where there were no tax collectors. More
Cuomo and Silver contrast the New York model of leadership to Washington's
The bill-signing event this afternoon at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn was really a tribute to Andrew Cuomo's leadership skills.
In speech after speech, Democratic officials talked about how the governor had gotten the New York legislature to act quickly and in bipartisan fashion on a big economic package that overhauled the state's tax code and included an economic stimulus program. More
