“Our past historical leaders are not without sin, nor are our current ones.”
-Staten Island Councilmember Joseph Borelli, at a rally denouncing Mayor de Blasio’s plan to appoint a commission to study the question of whether to remove statues honoring flawed historical figures* * * *
Furor at Mayor For a Decision He Has Yet to Actually Make
Politico New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s yet-to-be named commission to examine the city’s statues and monuments for symbols of hate and racism drew a large crowd of Italian Americans to City Hall on Thursday to protest the possible removal of the Christopher Columbus statue from Manhattan’s Columbus Circle. Councilman Joseph Borelli, a Republican from Staten Island who organized the boisterous rally, railed against de Blasio, criticizing the mayor for ‘opening up a can of worms’ that will lead to the elimination of several statues around the city and backlash from communities who cherish the memorialized historical figures. * * * *
Lower East Side Council Hopefuls Steer Clear of de Blasio
Gotham Gazette “The five were hesitant to praise Mayor de Blasio. Asked to give a letter grade to his mayoralty and whether they would vote for him in November, Rivera and Vasquez gave him a “B” while Cho and Sanchez each gave a “C”; Silver, a former educator, gave an “incomplete.” Cho and Silver said they would vote for de Blasio this fall over his Republican opponent, Staten Island Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis; Sanchez said she wouldn’t, and Vasquez and Rivera said they are undecided. Universal pre-K was praised as an ameliorative effort to address the “tale of two cities” that de Blasio campaigned on; however, the continuing rise in the cost of living led the candidates to lower their marks for the mayor, some said. Vasquez also criticized the mayor for claiming support of SBJSA but then backtracking upon entering the mayoralty.” * * * *
Lawyer Outed for Posing as Pols Online
New York Post “The bogus Facebook page in the name of [Staten Island Councilmember Debi] Rose falsely claimed she was in favor of a “heroin-methadone den” in her council district. Luthmann, who once tried to settle a legal beef with a duel, told The Post Thursday that the pranks were satire. ‘This is protected by the First Amendment. These people are public officials, public candidates,’ he said.” * * * *
City Agrees to $5M Settlement of Rikers Cases
Daily News “Traditionally, inmates are sent to solitary when they commit crimes or infractions. Their time in “the hole” is determined at a hearing. Occasionally, city inmates went from solitary to full release, causing their time in the hole to get interrupted. But if they were rearrested for another crime, they were thrown back into solitary and stayed there until they finished their original punishment.”