“I think she’s in a little bit of a pickle. She just has a legislative record which is a good fit for Staten Island, but not really citywide.”
Malliotakis’s Deeply Conservative Voting Record
“Stepping outside her district into the mayoral campaign spotlight, Malliotakis has faced few questions about her voting record on major pieces of legislation that have come through her house of the Legislature. Notably, she has said she regrets her 2011 vote against marriage equality; comparing herself to former President Barack Obama, she told news outlets that her views on the issue had since ‘evolved.’ It is not the only vote Malliotakis must now account for to a broader electorate, as she has weighed in on dozens of high-profile bills of importance to New York City residents, like those regarding women’s reproductive rights, criminal justice reform, equal pay, college affordability, rent regulations, and the minimum wage.”
De Blasio Names Jails Chief
“[Acting Commissioner Cynthia] Brann takes over as the issue of leading, and eventually closing, Rikers becomes increasingly divisive. The corrections officers’ union has long advocated for the department to be led by one of their own, while criminal justice reform advocates pushing for the closure of the troubled city jail called on the mayor to appoint a reformer with a record of turning troubled facilities around.”
Assemblyman’s Son Seems to Have the Edge in Brooklyn Council Race
“Yoni Hikind, running on the ‘Our Neighborhood’ party line, announced today he filed a massive $250,000 war chest of contributions to run a very formidable campaign. While the Hikind campaign boasts the cash demonstrates enormous community support, it is in no doubt helped that Yoni is the son of popular Assemblyman Dov Hikind. … Meanwhile, Yeger received yet another embarrassing setback when Crain’s reported last week that his campaign website boasted the endorsement of Assembly Members Bill Colton (D-Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend) and Robert “Bobby” Carroll (DPark Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington), but both denied endorsing him.
Push on Across NYS to Boost Census 2020 Participation
“New York’s participation in this longstanding census program has historically been low: around 25 percent of communities review the census rolls, compared to 30 percent nationally. New York City, Rockland and Nassau counties participated in the program in 2010, but Westchester and Suffolk counties didn’t — and both have substantial pockets of ‘hard-to-count’ populations.”
“With the mayoral contest limping toward what appears to be a foregone conclusion in favor of Mr. de Blasio, political eyes have swung to the biggest contested race in town: the internecine fight to replace the current speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito, who is leaving the Council because of term limits.”
