Brooklyn State Sen. John Sampson, facing federal embezzlement charges, has so far kept his seat in Albany, but he has apparently lost a different position: Chief Executive Vice President of the New York City Real Estate Regional Center (NYCRERC). The firm recruits immigrant investors seeking green cards in exchange for  low-interest loans to job-creating businesses, under a federal program known as EB-5. In the highly competitive EB-5 market, as City & State reported in June 2012, a public official associated with… [More]

On Friday evening past the close of the business day, Bronx Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj sent out to his contact list a rather standard email asking his supporters to join him in celebrating the campaign kick-off of Richie Torres, a candidate running for New York City Council. The only problem is that the email originated from Gjonaj’s official Assembly email account, a breach of the rules covering governmental communication. Reached for comment, Will Madonna, a spokesman for Gjonaj, acknowledged the mistake,… [More]

Assemblyman Vito Lopez’s abrupt resignation from office leaves a vacuum of power in North Brooklyn with no obvious successor. Lopez’s departure could be an opportunity for Jason Otaño, a former state Senate candidate and former counsel for Borough President Marty Markowitz. Otaño lost to state Sen. Martin Dilan last year, but is expected to announce his intentions to run for Lopez’s seat in coming weeks. Democratic District Leader Maritza Davila, who narrowly lost to Councilwoman Diana Reyna four years ago, may… [More]

Assemblyman Vito Lopez announced he would resign from office at the end of the legislative session next month—but he could still pick his successor. Lopez has the power to select a candidate to replace him if a special election is held later this year thanks to an arcane state law empowering district leaders to choose candidates for office in the event of a vacancy. Under state election law, a party’s state committee leaders can pick a candidate to run, who is then approved by… [More]

The Cuomo administration’s top energy official defended a plan that would all but privatize the Long Island Power Authority, arguing that a competing proposal to restructure it as a fully municipalized public utility would be unwieldy and could perpetuate political meddling. “Municipalization could take many of the problems LIPA has had for years and make them even worse,” Richard Kauffman, the governor’s chairman for energy and finance, said in an email to City & State on Thursday. “It would mean… [More]

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy met with Mayor Michael Bloomberg at City Hall on Wednesday, but he had a few things to say about Gov. Andrew Cuomo too. “I think he’s doing a great job,” Malloy said. “He’s working very hard, he’s assembled a good team on the gun control stuff. He shot out pretty quickly and did a lot of good work. I support him.” Malloy, a Democrat, also got a gun control bill through the state legislature this year but has dealt with far less corruption… [More]

In a crowded race to take over the seat of term-limited incumbent Manhattan City Councilwoman Gale Brewer, real estate attorney Marc Landis picked up a key endorsement that helps bolster his standing as the “progressive” candidate in the race. Landis was among the Council candidates to be endorsed by the labor-backed Working Families Party last week, who highlighted Landis’ work around affordable housing and fighting for tenants’ rights as part of the reason for their support. “We’re proud to endorse… [More]

Bronx City Council candidate Ritchie Torres announced today that he has received the support of the Progressive Power Coalition, a group of advocacy groups that consists of Make The Road Action Fund, Citizens Action NY, VOCAL NY Action Fund, Community Voices Heard Power, and New York Communities for Change. “We want a City Council that reflects progressive values and is fired up about moving forward racial and economic justice in our city,” said Jim Lister, board member of VOCAL-NY Action… [More]

In advance of the May 15 filing deadline, Bill Thompson’s mayoral campaign announced that they have raised more than $600,000 in the two-month filing period, almost double what his campaign had reported in the previous filing. Thompson’s chief campaign strategist and manager, Jonathan Prince, said that the uptick in fundraising lends credence to the notion that Thompson is building momentum in comparison to his Democratic rivals. “The campaign is starting to kick into high gear, and we have moved aggressively… [More]

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]