“Being powerful is like being a lady,” mused the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. “If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” In Albany, as in every political arena, bluster is often mistaken for true power. Of course, even the perception that one has influence can yield genuine authority, but more often that not, those with true power in government are not the grandstanders but those who work dutifully, quietly and shrewdly behind the scenes to achieve their… [More]

At the Association for a Better New York’s panel discussion yesterday morning at the Sheraton in midtown Manhattan entitled “Election Day 2012: What Does It Mean For New York?”, the event’s host, ABNY Chairman Bill Rudin, recognized MTA Chairman Joe Lhota, who was seated in the audience, noting that he “probably hasn’t slept in 10 days.” Lhota, who had just returned from trying to get the G train back on track—which happened successfully a few hours after the breakfast—received an enthusiastic round… [More]

From today’s Heard Around Town:  * Brad Hoylman, a candidate for the seat to be vacated by state Sen. Tom Duane, faced questions last night from Democratic primary opponents about his former job at the Partnership for New York City, a pro-business group where he was a vice president and general counsel. At a 27th Senate District debate, one candidate,Tom Greco, asked Hoylman what he did to save St. Vincent’s Hospital, since Bill Rudin, the developer behind a controversial plan to redevelop the shuttered… [More]