Albany
The unofficial guide to New York political slang
New York State Capitol in Albany Yurii Prohonnyi/Shutterstock
"Lulu"? "Goo-goo"? "Big ugly"? To the uninitiated, New York political slang can sound more like playground gibberish. Now that session is beginning in earnest, it's time to brush up on your Albany lingo.
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C•F•E n. [formal] 1 an acronym for Campaign for Fiscal Equity, a nonprofit that sued the state to get equal funding for New York City schools 2 the continuing fight to get equitable funding when the state chose to interpret the lawsuit ruling differently than intended
con con n. 1 shorthand for constitutional convention
CU•NY n. 1 acronym for City University of New York, the largest urban university system in the U.S.
D-trip n. 1 Spoken shorthand for Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee; written: DCCC
fu•sion vo•ting n. 1 When a single candidate appears on multiple party lines on a ballot; see: Wilson Pakula
goo-goo n. 1 Shorthand for good government organization or person, such as the League of Women Voters or New York Public Interest Research Group, which is committed to improving government management
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Hizz•oner n. [formal] 1 Term used in reference to the mayor of New York City, as in His Honor
I•D•C n. [formal] 1 The acronym for Independent Democratic Conference, a group of eight breakaway Democrats in the state Legislature who share power with Republicans; note: does not include state Sen. Simcha Felder, who also caucuses with Republicans
L•L•C loop•hole n. 1 A clause that allows limited liability corporations to donate large sums of money to political candidates and campaigns, allowing wealthy donors to circumvent contribution limits by going through a shell company; a target of goo-goos
lu•lu n. 1 An extra stipend given for chairing a committee in the state Legislature; recently the subject of ethics investigations
The Big Ug•ly n. 1 The package of many unrelated bills that get thrown together at the end of the legislative session
Mitch•ell-La•ma n. [formal] 1 A long-standing public housing program in New York City
nim•by n. 1 A person who is opposed to a development close to their home or neighborhood they perceive as dangerous, undesirable or detrimental e.g., landfills, airports, chemical plants. From NIMBY, an acronym for “not in my backyard”
nim•by•is•m n. 1 The state of mind of a nimby
p•3 n. 1 Shorthand for public-private partnerships; also: PPP
per•vy pol adj. 1 A term used by the Daily News, the New York Post and other tabloids to describe a politician accused of sexual misconduct; e.g., Anthony Weiner
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pre•stat•ed meet•ing n. 1 The press conference held by the New York City Council before a stated meeting
rab•bi n. 1 Used as reference to a political mentor; archaic
Room 9 n. 1 Term used to refer to the press corps at New York City Hall
Row C n. 1 The third row on an election ballot that is determined by the number of votes a party gets in the gubernatorial election, with the Working Families Party, Independence Party and Conservative Party most often vying for the spot
school runs n. 1 The budget printouts that outline state funding for all school districts, often one of the last items given to lawmakers before they vote
Sec•ond Floor n. 1 The governor’s inner circle, named after the second floor of the state Capitol where the administration’s offices are located
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stat•ed meet•ing n. 1 The semi-monthly meeting of the full New York City Council at City Hall in the Council Chambers
SU•NY n. [formal] 1 Acronym for the State University of New York
three i’s n. 1 The three countries a New York candidate running for office needs to visit: Israel, Ireland and Italy; archaic
Taj Mc•Call n. [formal] 1 A nickname for the state comptroller’s office in Albany, stemming from its first inhabitant, H. Carl McCall
Tamm•an•y adj. 1 Relating to a group exercising or seeking local political control through methods associated with corruption or a political machine; from: Tammany Hall
t tri•ple-p n. 1 An acronym for titles, power, pork and patronage
W•F•P n. [formal] 1 An acronym for the Working Families Party
Wil•son Pa•ku•la n. [formal] 1 The authorization given by party leaders to a person registered with one party to also run on another party line; see: fusion voting
Editor's note: An earlier version of this post incorrectly characterized the relationship of the IDC with the state Senate Republicans. The two conferences share power. Additionally, the "CFE" definition was updated to clarify the legal goals of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity.