Capital New York

Under police protection, staunchly ecumenist Park51 achieves a sort of normalcy

At 6:30 p.m. on May 6, downtown on Church Street, homebound commuters were streaming by what’s been built of 1 World Trade Center. The sun over the Hudson River beamed off the newly installed glass on the lower section; a building nearly a decade in the making was taking shape.

The day before, the whole area had been on lockdown. Osama bin Laden was dead, and President Obama had visited ground zero to lay a wreath for the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Things had returned to normal. At the corner of Fulton Street, a man handed out cards for a nearby strip club. On the next block, another man was distributing leaflets advertising Judgment Day on May 21. More

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By Colby Hamilton

Nadler's nightmare: The Republican House that murdered stimulus

The way Jerrold Nadler sees it, the newly elected congressional class of 2010 is going to make Newt Gingrich’s Republican revolutionaries of the mid-‘90s look downright reasonable about the role of government. More

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By Colby Hamilton

A middle-class soldier in defense of an undistinguished majority

“So where are we?” United States Senator Charles Schumer asked. "Is this Fresh Meadows?"

Schumer was 20 minutes late to meet former city councilman and Democratic mayoral candidate Tony Avella at the Waldbaum's grocery store off of exit 26 on the Long Island Expressway. Avella is challenging longtime Republican state senator Frank Padavan in a one of a handful of competitive races that will determine whether the state Democrats maintain control of the State Senate. More

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By Colby Hamilton

For an immigrant-wrangling campaign volunteer, no 'enthusiasm gap'

This is the third in a new five-part series called "The New York Vote," a partnership between WNYC and Capital New York. We will be painting a portrait of the New York electorate in 2010, as explained by a diverse cast of political players.

Today, we interview an immigrant activist on Staten Island. There is no enthusiasm gap for her from 2008, when she worked for Barack Obama, and 2010, when she is fighting to elect Michael McMahon against a Tea Party challenger.

>> Watch the video and read the story here: For an Immigrant-Wrangling Campaign Volunteer, No Enthusiasm Gap (WNYC.org) More

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By Colby Hamilton

In the age of the Tea Party, who are the New York Conservatives?

Today, we present the first in a new five-part series called "The New York Vote," a partnership between WNYC and Capital New York. We will be painting a portrait of the New York electorate in 2010, as explained by a diverse cast of political players.

To begin, we interviewed Michael Long, the 70-year-old chairman of the New York State Conservative Party. Long spent much of this year campaigning for Rick Lazio, his choice for the next governor of New York. Lazio's devastating defeat in the Republican primary put the future of the Conservative Party in question, and raised doubts about the power of the state's Republican establishment. Yet for all that, Long is confident about the future of the conservative movement, and is ready to harness the power of Carl Paladino's 'angry voter' bandwagon.

Watch a video and read the story by clicking here:

In the age of the Tea Party, who are the New York Conservatives? More

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By Colby Hamilton

Video: In Harlem, a strong challenge to a strong incumbent

The story of a New York City politician in trouble usually begins with something dramatic or embarrassing. A scandal of some sort—ethics violations, some improprieties of finance, the delving into the illicit—is the catalyst to bring the political opportunists out of the shadows. More

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By Colby Hamilton

Basil Smikle and the war in Harlem

The 126th Street block party was the last event on the day’s schedule for Basil Smikle, the 38-year-old political operative  who is challenging incumbent Harlem state senator Bill Perkins in a Democratic primary.

He’d shaken hands with and handed literature to just about every resident on the block, and he and his entourage were about to head back to their cars when they ran into Lisa Sledge. More

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By Colby Hamilton

The Charter Revision Commission has its final say, at length

Charter Revision Commission chair Matthew Goldstein busied himself pulling individual commissioners aside before their meeting last night at Baruch College. The conversations appeared intense as Goldstein rallied them for the culmination of their efforts. More

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By Colby Hamilton

Hydrofracking opponents advertise victory at City Hall, seek another

It was 90 degrees, and a group of elected officials, environmental activists and one award-winning actor stood on the stone steps of City Hall yesterday afternoon, sweating profusely.

Standing behind the speakers, holding a sign, was a Pennsylvania resident named Craig Sautner, who wore a baseball hat, flannel and jeans. This was his third event in New York City. He had come, he said, to try and spare us from what had happened to him and his neighbors. More

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By Colby Hamilton

A meeting about a violent week, on a violent day, in Harlem

Outside the 148th Street station there were cop cars with their lights on and yellow tape strung across a number of blocks down Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard. I had to make a big loop around to get to 106 145th Street, the home of Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network’s headquarters.

On the way, I asked some people what had happened, and they told me someone had been shot. More

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By Colby Hamilton