Melissa Mark-Viverito
Would-be Council speakers on the prospect of being less powerful than Quinn
If you get past the references to slicing off genitalia and the "sound-proofing" of her City Hall office, the Times story about Christine Quinn helps illustrates the power that comes with being the City Council Speaker. More
The councilmembers who believe fast buses can be a hot political issue
Today, the City Council's progressive caucus mapped out an election-year agenda that includes congestion pricing and bus rapid transit. More
(2)'This is a Latino issue': The Quinn-targeted paid sick leave campaign, continued
The coalition pressuring City Council Speaker Christine Quinn on paid sick leave continues to emphasize what could be at stake for her this year among Latino voters. More
(1)How to run for Council by attacking a fringe candidate for a different seat
Remember that virulently homophobic and racist candidate running for Council uptown? More
Actual assemblyman says 'Hitler would be proud' of what Cuomo did, apologizes five hours later
#McLaughlinGate
Here's video of Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin comparing Andrew Cuomo to Hitler for pushing gun laws through the legislature. [Jimmy Vielkind]
McLaughlin also compared Cuomo to Putin. [Ken Lovett] More
Sources: Dan Garodnick is dropping out of the comptroller race
Councilman Dan Garodnick will announce tomorrow he is dropping out of the city comptroller's race and seeking reelection to his East Side district, according to two sources who spoke with the two-term Democrat. More
When will it be too late for Christine Quinn to block Vito Lopez?
Christine Quinn continues to come under criticism over a redistricting plan that could potentially allow scandal-plagued Assemblyman Vito Lopez to win a seat on the City Council. More
(1)'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
The day before major Occupy protests, councilmembers sue for NYPD oversight
On the eve of what organizers predicted would be widespread Occupy Wall Street protests that could "shut the city down," four city councilmembers and several Occupy activists filed a 143-page lawsuit in federal court calling the for the creation of an "independent auditor" of the nation's largest police force. More
Meet Liz McDougall, the unlikely-seeming lawyer defending Village Voice Media in Backpage controversy
Somehow, Liz McDougall doesn't seem the type who defends big corporations from attacks by law enforcement agencies, clergy groups, and celebrity do-gooders who say they want to end the trafficking of minors and immigrants for sex.
A slender but athletic woman with pixie-cut short brown hair and a friendly face, the attorney has more than a decade of experience in cybercrime law; more than two decades of pro-bono work defending exploited women and children. She looks younger than the depth of her career, and her 1993 degree from New York University's law school suggests she must be. More
(1)Mayoral candidates denounce Walmart, one more strongly than the next
A negative report about the business practices of Walmart, combined with fierce opposition from organized labor to Walmart's longstanding attempts to open up an outlet in New York, have produced what amounts to a contest among Democratic candidates to denounce the corporation in the most memorable possible terms. More
Son of 'Village Voice' co-founder Norman Mailer joins sex-trafficking protest outside paper's headquarters
John Buffalo Mailer, a handful of elected officials and about 100 protesters gathered outside the newspaper's Cooper Square headquarters; a statement from the company in response said nothing about the company's reliance on the $22 million in revenue its controversial adult-services site, Backpage.com, brings the struggling media company. More
(2)Oddo calls Bloomberg's parks commissioner disgraceful, and says Rudy would have fired him
The Parks Department's budget continues to shrink, along with the agency's ability to keep New York City parks in states of good repair. Which, naturally, can lead to discontent. That discontent boiled over in dramatic form this morning during a City Council hearing on the Parks Department budget. More
Ray Kelly: 'What do leaders of the communities of color say ... to get guns off the street?'
"What I haven't heard," Kelly said later, "is any solution to the violence problem in these communities. People are upset about being stopped, yet what is the answer? What have you said about how we stop this violence?"
"What do leaders of the communities of color say?" Kelly wondered aloud. "What is there tactic and strategy to get guns off the street? Don't tell me a gun buyback program."
After dismissing gun buyback programs as inadequate, Kelly said, "I'm waiting for leadership in these communities" to "say something about how we stop the violence." More
(1)City Council to weigh in on Village Voice Media's controversial adult-services classifieds
Backpage is both a boon and a headache for Village Voice Media, which acquired its flagship publication in 2006 under a previous corporate title, New Times Media. While the site serves as a revenue driver for a publisher trying to keep a national chain of cash-strapped alt-weeklies afloat, it's also cast a cloud of controversy over the company, which has been facing mounting pressure to stop running the seedy online classifieds. Activists say the site provides a forum by which minors can be sold into prostitution. More
