Behind every New York City mayoral candidate, there’s a woman: our next potential First Lady. But who are these partners, and what impact will they have on the race?  Amid the blur of constant campaigning and fundraising, Tamra Lhota, wife of Joe Lhota, the former MTA chief turned Republican candidate for mayor, maintains she has given little thought to the idea of possibly becoming New York City’s First Lady. Lately, though, she has been forced to give the subject quite… [More]

After largely steering clear of the media on Tuesday, Manhattan Republican Party Chairman Dan Isaacs turned up at the party’s 3rd annual “Spring Fling” fundraising event and addressed the  legal trouble that has ensnared state Sen. Malcolm Smith, City Councilman Daniel Halloran, Queens Republican Party Vice Chairman Vincent Tabone and Bronx Republican Party Chairman Jay Savino. Isaacs read a statement he had already emailed to his supporters earlier in the day yesterday, saying that the alleged crimes demonstrate that “corruption… [More]

State Sen. Malcolm Smith woke up to FBI agents pounding on his door in Queens on Tuesday morning—and his colleagues in the Independent Democratic Conference woke up to a pounding headache. Federal prosecutors charged Smith with bribing New York City political officials in a quixotic bid to run for mayor on the Republican ballot, the latest in a steady stream of corruption cases flowing out of Albany. The elaborate alleged conspiracy and extortion plot also ensnared Queens Councilman Dan Halloran, two… [More]

State Sen. Malcolm Smith just got stripped of his titles. Senate Majority Co-Leader and Independent Democratic Conference leader Jeff Klein removed his colleague’s leadership positions after federal agents arrested Smith on Tuesday morning for his role in an alleged bribery conspiracy. He also questioned whether Smith could effectively serve his constituents given the seriousness of the charges. The move is the first action by the state Senate against Smith, who left Senate Democratic Conference and joined the Independent Democratic Conference… [More]

We have a budget – and it’s the earliest in 30 years! Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state legislative leaders finalized a two-year budget agreement on Thursday evening that includes a package of tax cuts, a family tax credit, an extension of the millionaire’s tax, and a minimum wage increase after several days of negotiations. “We’ve made a lot of good progress not just in this budget,” Cuomo said. “Hopefully this is going to be another budget that shows the people of the… [More]

Nearly 5,000 gun rights enthusiasts descended upon the State Capitol grounds on Thursday to call for an immediate repeal of a package of gun control laws the state Legislature passed last month. The rally attracted National Rifle Association members, hunters and sportsmen groups, law enforcement officials and others who brought signs that read “Cuomo is a Tyrant,” “Cuomo kiss my ar’s,” “Boycott the State Lottery,” and “Ted Nugent for President.” Republican legislators who addressed the crowd castigated Gov. Andrew Cuomo… [More]

Ted Nugent would be proud. Western New Yorkers of all ages will be able to hunt and kill wild squirrels with shotguns and semi-automatic rifles for sport next Saturday—and it’s all perfectly legal. The squirrel shoot, titled the “Seventh Annual Hazzard County Squirrel Slam,” is a fund-raiser for the volunteer fire department of  Holley, a village of less than 2,000 people just outside of Rochester. The contest is open to both adults and children ages 14 and under in groups… [More]

The only thing that isn’t frozen in Albany is the budget. Temperatures plummeted in the Capitol Region this week with highs barely cresting above 10 degrees and lows bottoming out at one degree Fahrenheit. Legislators are reaching for their thermal gloves, scarves, and overcoats to combat the frigid conditions, which are starting to bother them. “The Albany cold has gotten the better of me and given me a bug of some sort,” said state Sen. Daniel Squadron. “It was inevitable.”… [More]

A divided state Senate spent its first day of session debating the merits of a package of new gun laws that would tighten restrictions on assault weapons, before passing it late Monday night in a 43-18 vote. It was the first bill passed under the body’s new power sharing agreement, though it was unclear to some lawmakers who was actually in charge. “It doesn’t matter,” said Temporary Co-President Jeff Klein, a Democrat who shares control of the Senate with Republican… [More]

A flurry of fundraising emails were sent today by New York City elected officials and candidates as the filing deadline for campaign finance disclosure statements approaches. With the fundraising period ending tomorrow and the statements due on January 15th, messages were sent out to supporters of various candidates encouraging last minute donations, with some candidates using language that strayed from the usual generic attempts at persuasion. City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito sent an email on behalf of Council candidate Ede Fox,… [More]