Ydanis Rodriguez
Carrion opposes voting rights for non-citizens
Adolfo Carrion Jr., the Independence Party mayoral candidate who often reminds voters he would be New York City's first Hispanic mayor, came out against a bill allowing non-citizens the right to vote in municipal elections, calling it, "well intentioned" but "one of the dumbest things I've ever heard." More
(1)Livery-backed councilmembers object to 'e-hails'
On Valentine's Day, members of the livery car industry filed suit against New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission, charging that the Bloomberg administration had violated the law when it approved a one-year taxi app pilot program that would allow smartphone users to hail cabs by tapping their iPhones and Androids. More
(3)Jackson, to Thompson: 'Can you see? Hello? Am I black enough for you, brother?'
"I'm not part of the Northern Manhattan team?" "Can you see? Hello? Am I black enough for you, brother?" Jackson yelled. More
'We're going Obama-style:' Bill Lynch, for Council candidate Zead Ramadan
Ramadan is one of about eight candidates running to replace Robert Jackson, who is term-limited and running for Manhattan Borough President. More
The NYPD gun-buyback total, so far
Back in March, New York Police Department commissioner Ray Kelly responded to a City Council grilling on stop-and-frisk by asking members what they'd do to address gun violence. More
(2)Establishment-backed candidate for Robert Jackson's Council seat emphasizes diversity
Here's City Council candidate Mark Levine, formally kicking off his campaign by emphasizing his desire for a racially diverse coalition. More
(1)Council-staffer vote mystery solved: It was the spaces
The allegation that the staffer had been prevented from casting the ballot was raised by Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez before, and during, a contentious hearing last week about the board's performance overseeing the vote and subsequent tally. More
The case of the Council staffer who couldn't vote, continued
Before a contentious City Council hearing last week, Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez told reporters that the city Board of Elections mangled the June 26 congressional primary contest so badly that his own staffer couldn't vote with a regular ballot when she went to the polling place that day.
I forwarded de la Rosa's "Notice of Approval" to a BOE spokesperson for comment, and have not yet heard back.
Rangel campaign manager says it was nearly an 'ass-whupping'
Despite a "perfect storm" that should have propelled Adriano Espaillat, Charlie Rangel's campaign manager suggested last night that Espaillat was lucky to avoid an "ass-whupping" at the hands of the longtime incumbent.
At a panel discussion on the aftermath of the race, Moises Perez dismissed the idea that Espaillat had over-performed, given Espaillat's status as the first Dominican congressional candidate, combined with the recent Dominican elections and a prolonged fight for a Dominican-drawn seat. More
Espaillat supporters rally outside Rangel's office
Adriano Espaillat supporters Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, Assemblyman Nelson Castro, and the head of the corrections officers union, Norman Seabrook, will have a press conference outside of the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. More
Ydanis Rodriguez re-fires the 'terrorist' spokesman he had unfired
David Segal, the spokesman for Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez who was let go after being accused by the New York Post of being a "terrorist," was fired this afternoon, six hours after he being re-hired by the councilman.
Segal, in a brief interview, told me he will speak out on Monday about the incident, and promised to reveal "a number of facts that haven't been brought to the public eye yet." More
David Segal is unfired and back at work at the City Council
He's back.
David Segal, who was fired from his job as City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez's spokesman after his 7-year-old arson conviction was made public, is back at work today, according to a knowledgable source.
Hunter Walker reported Segal is back at his old desk and David Seifman last week had the scoop that the an offer was made to rehire Segal because Rodriguez "may have overstepped his legal authority."
A lawyer for the City Council initially said Segal couldn't be fired because of the conviction. That's also what I heard from an expert on the matter:
The head of public policy for the Fortune Society, a nonprofit group that helps former inmates reenter society, said, "This dismissal may violate state law," and said that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission updated its guidance and reissued it nationally, "making it clear that this sort of practice is illegal and discriminatory." 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
A councilman fires a staffer with an arrest record; another councilman says he'd 'be proud to work with him now'
When the New York Post revealed today that a Council staffer had been arrested seven years ago for throwing a flaming rag at an army recruitment center, the story quoted a Council lawyer who said it would have been illegal to take the conviction into consideration when the staffer was hired. More
(2)Petitioning Cuomo, at City Hall, to get involved in the Dream Act in Albany
Against a backdrop of more than 50 students holding banners and chanting “si se puede” on the steps of City Hall at high noon on Tuesday, council members and immigration advocates took turns demanding passage of the so-called New York State Dream Act, a proposal on which Governor Andrew Cuomo has yet to take a position. More
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