A look at the photos, awards and memorabilia on Rep. Nita Lowey’s desk Rep. Nita Lowey has represented Westchester and Rockland counties since 1988, serves on the House Appropriations Committee and was one of the earliest backers of Hillary Clinton’s political career. As such, she has collected scores of awards from downstate community groups and framed photographs of both Clintons in her White Plains office.… [More]

As budget negotiations entered their final stages last week, teachers and students crammed the halls of the Capitol, carrying signs and shouting slogans for increased school aid. Given that Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal this year raises education spending by 4 percent, an $805 million bump over last year, all the activity seemed a bit superfluous. But a brief glance at the fiscal woes of school districts across the state suggests otherwise. Take the Haverstraw–Stony Point school district in northern Rockland… [More]

* Gov. Andrew Cuomo‘s updated public schedules from the past few months reveal he’s been working with a new speechwriter named Arielle Goren, who used to write speeches for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and once served on the press staff for Sen. Chuck Schumer. Goren turns up on Cuomo’s schedules starting in November, and is said to have helped write his State of the State speech. Villaraigosa is a rising star in the national Democratic party.  He is set… [More]

Gov. Andrew Cuomo praised the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project at his cabinet meeting this afternoon, saying his transportation team has already made “phenomenally rapid progress.” He also defended the project against criticism that it won’t immediately add mass transit, an element that years of research and analysis had concluded should be part of a replacement bridge. “The bridge will be train- and bus-accessible immediately,” Cuomo said. “It’s in the design. It’s not an issue about the bridge at all.… [More]

Evan Stavisky and Kristen Zebrowski Stavisky are husband and wife. He is a well-known political consultant in Queens; she is the head of the Rockland County Democratic party. When they attend the Democratic National Convention in North Carolina in September, they will represent districts an hour’s drive apart. Their dual lives have led to grumbling among Queens Democrats and questions about the state’s porous residency laws. But Evan Stavisky says the arrangement is proper, if convoluted, as he remains as… [More]

The best items from the City & State First Read morning email City & State First Read delivers every day’s headlines, schedules, birthdays and “Heard Around Town” news nuggets like these into your inbox before 7 a.m. Not getting City & State First Read? Sign up free at www.cityandstateny.com/first-read.… [More]

Town of Ramapo Councilman Patrick Withers, a Democrat, is mulling a primary challenge against State Sen. David Carlucci, four Rockland County Democratic sources have told City & State. But whether that’s simply a rumor being pushed by Rockland County Democrats spurned by Carlucci’s defection to the Independent Democratic Conference last year remains unclear. I spoke to one Ramapo  source quite close to Withers who repeated the rumors, but Withers himself did not return multiple requests for comment. Oddly, Withers also… [More]

The best items from the City & State First Read morning email City & State First Read delivers every day’s headlines, schedules, birthdays and “Heard Around Town” news nuggets like these into your inbox before 7 a.m. Not getting City & State First Read? Sign up for free at www.cityandstateny.com/first-read. SENECA COUNTY Who is really the most popular member of the New York Senate on Facebook? Senate staff ranked 25 of its members based on Web analytics several weeks ago,… [More]

Oneida County • Reduce per-student spending for the community college • Cut summer jobs for youth and other youth programs • Target other social services spending Onondaga County • Eliminate 14.5 jobs, including five teachers and two custodians. • Cut $30,000 for extracurricular activities and professional development. • Reduce late school bus run one day a week. • Eliminate summer school for grades 1 to 8. Essex County • Cut back program for home health services • Make cuts to… [More]

Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence said throughout his foreshortened race for lieutenant governor that he would not run against Andrew Cuomo’s choice if not picked by the Democratic… [More]