City & State New York - Politics

GOP bullish on stock trading attacks in midterm

Megan McGibney — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 05:00:00 -0400

When Vice President JD Vance hosted a Long Island rally in June, he knew how to attack the local Democratic member of Congress.

“Tom Suozzi is really good at one thing: trading stocks,” Vance said as the “Protect Taxpayers Dollars” rally audience chuckled.

Congressional stock trading has become a hot issue in politics. Some members expressed dismay that both Republicans and Democrats traded heavily last year amid the tumult from President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. But the initially bipartisan push for a ban on insider trading ended up dividing the House. The Stop Insider Trading Act passed on July 22 in a 232-198 party-line vote led by the Republican majority. Democrats like Rep. Joe Morelle called the bill a “sham” with an irrelevant poison pill provision about voter ID added to the bill to deter Democratic votes.

And in the state that’s home to Wall Street, congressional stock trading is at the forefront in two tight races where the GOP is seeking to unseat Democratic incumbents: Suozzi and Rep. Josh Riley.

Before and after Vance’s rally, Suozzi’s Republican opponent Mike LiPetri has repeatedly criticized Suozzi’s stock trading. In a May Instagram post, LiPetri alleged Suozzi had “violated the Stock Act 300 times” and “had 35% gains on his portfolio in 2025, far EXCEEDING the S&P - and even Warren Buffet.”

There is merit to LiPetri’s claims. In 2021, a complaint from ethics watchdog the Campaign Legal Center accused Suozzi of violating disclosure rules about 300 times by failing to file any reports whenever he bought or sold stock. And outlets including the New York Post reported on his portfolio’s impressive performance.

But Suozzi’s campaign brushed away LiPetri’s criticism, when asked to respond. “Mike LiPetri’s baseless and misleading attacks are his attempts to hide from his own record as a Trump loyalist pledging his allegiance as a ‘MAGA Warrior,’ Suozzi campaign Senior Adviser Kim Devlin, told City & State. “Trump knows LiPetri can be counted on to support his agenda of reckless tariffs, endless wars, and cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and life-saving medical research.”

Like most Democrats, Suozzi voted against the Stop Insider Trading Act, telling Newsday, it was “a watered-down version with unrelated poison pills” and that he instead co-sponsors the bipartisan Restore Trust in Congress Act, which is meant to ban members of Congress from owning individual stocks.

Congressional stock trading has become an issue people talk about, said democratic strategist Jack O’Donnell. “Voters broadly have heard, whether they're real stories or anecdotal stories, about members of Congress benefiting from information to make money,” he said. “It’s something that voters know happens, and it's something that they're concerned about.”

But it may not be enough to make voters overlook other issues, said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist University Institute for Public Opinion.

“It’s not like the cost of living, the war in Iran, immigration,” Miringoff said. “It's obvious insider trading is like in sports when you're kind of betting on your own team. It kind of doesn't sell well for voters.”

Still, stock trading has become a key talking point in the upstate race where Republican state Sen. Peter Oberacker is taking on Riley, the Democratic incumbent.

In May, Rep. Riley called for legislation to ban lawmakers from trading stocks. Oberacker shot back on X, criticizing his opponent for owning stock in the parent company of New York State Electric & Gas – which Riley has slammed for raising rates.

“Give me a break. How about you start by selling your Iberdrola stock and stop profiting off of struggling Upstate families?”

Oberacker has repeated the attack line, even though Riley’s not even a direct investor – he has shares of a mutual fund, where Iberdrola is one of 700 stocks, WIVT News 34 reported. The state pension fund holds shares in Iberdrola too, making Oberacker an indirect beneficiary, and has gotten a few hundred dollars in campaign donations from the parent company too, Riley’s campaign shot back – though Oberacker said he’s since returned the donations.

“Josh Riley doesn’t own any stocks, and he’s leading the effort in Congress to ban stock trading,” a campaign spokesperson said. “Pay More Pete accepted campaign cash from utility monopolies as they were jacking up rates.”

Riley was one of the few Democratic co-sponsors of the Stop Insider Trading Act, but ended up voting against it, after the voter ID provision was thrown in. Riley also voted “nay”. He said he was against the bill because a voter ID requirement was added.

“Washington Republicans used (the bill) as a ploy to stop senior citizens from voting,” he said in a statement after the vote. “These people aren’t interested in taking on corruption, only scoring political points.”

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Hochul, Mamdani united against ICE, pledge legal funding for migrant children

Sahalie Donaldson and Kate Lisa — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:45:27 -0400

New York Democratic leaders assembled in force Wednesday to announce that the state would provide $7.25 million in legal aid services for unaccompanied migrant children, presenting a united front behind Gov. Kathy Hochul against the Trump administration amid a surge of federal immigration activity across the state.

“We don’t think it’s right for a child to be left alone in the court defending themselves,” Hochul said, flanked by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Attorney General Letitia James as they gathered in her Manhattan office. She added, “That statement of our values as Americans and as New Yorkers is just thrown on the trash heap of civility and other long-standing norms.”

Hochul and other top Democrats are remaining steadfast in countering federal deportation efforts as the governor’s race tightens less than three months until Election Day – and just days before the president heads to Long Island to appear with Republican gubernatorial nominee and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.

The state is stepping in to fill federal funding gaps after the Trump administration allowed a $356 million annual contract with legal aid providers to expire July 31. It was a decision that has already had broad ramifications, leaving over 25,000 unaccompanied migrant children at risk of deportation to navigate the immigration system alone, without legal representation. More than 1,300 of those children are in New York – and there have already been more deportation hearings for unaccompanied migrant children this year than throughout all of 2025.

“That is a betrayal of some of the most vulnerable people in our city and an insult … to the very ideals upon which our nation has been built today,” Mamdani said.

While the federal government technically awarded a new contract to a small Texas law firm with ties to the Trump administration, per The Associated Press, the firm’s experience with immigration law is sparse. According to James, the funding is also still in limbo. Mamdani expressed skepticism about the move, arguing that many of the contract’s service providers “lack the credibility and the seriousness to protect these children.”

U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement agents have ramped up their presence across the state in wake of a new state law included in this year’s budget to take effect Aug. 25 restricting local police from having formal 287(g) agreements to assist ICE with civil immigration enforcement. The provision – which Hochul has touted and did so again Wednesday – was upheld by a federal judge in a split decision earlier this month. The judge blocked part of the law that bars all law enforcement officers – including ICE agents – from wearing masks or face coverings.

The state directed all counties with existing 287(g) agreements to end them by the time the law takes effect, but some local officials, like in Rensselaer and Otsego counties, have said they will ignore the new state policy. Several counties, including those without an agreement, have indicated they will consider filing an additional lawsuit challenging the policy.

That includes Blakeman, who said Sunday that he’s weighing his legal options as he decides if, or how, he’ll change his county’s 287(g) agreement. Blakeman’s running mate, Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood, has said the new law will not stop him or his officers from working with ICE.

Asked for her message to Blakeman on the matter, Hochul said, “My message is I expect him to follow the rules of New York, and there are consequences if you do not. Someone like that will intentionally misrepresent – which is a nice way of saying ‘lie’ about – what we're actually talking about, because we are not disallowing cooperation with local law enforcement when it comes to crimes.”

Mamdani proactively stepped in to defend the governor after she was asked about the criticism she’s faced from Blakeman and the president. “If New Yorkers want a leader like the governor that we have, who can look at that cruelty and name it for what it is, then they know that the choice is Gov. Hochul,” the mayor said. “If they want a leader who looks at the cruelty of ICE and sees a playbook of what to deliver at an even greater extent in New York state, then that’s Bruce Blakeman.”

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New poll shows race for governor tightening

Rebecca C. Lewis — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 05:30:00 -0400

A new Siena University poll shows the race for governor narrowing three months from Election Day, even as Gov. Kathy Hochul maintains a double-digit, 10-point lead over Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, her Republican challenger.

The poll has Hochul leading Blakeman 49%-39% among likely voters. It’s the first survey of the cycle to poll that population. Since previous ones have been wider in scope and polled registered voters, it’s impossible to directly compare the results of this poll to others conducted about the race – but this is still the closest Siena has had the race yet. The last poll from Siena in June of registered voters had Hochul up 20 points over Blakeman.

Siena surveyed 811 likely voters in New York between Aug. 3 and 6. The poll has a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points.

The findings show Hochul on worse footing now than about the same time four years ago. A Siena poll of likely voters released in August 2022 had Hochul leading then-Rep. Lee Zeldin by 14 points in the race for governor. She ultimately defeated him by just 6 points later that year in November.

According to the new poll, independents are split but slightly favor Blakeman 45%-40%. The Republican also leads in the downstate suburbs by 8 points, 49%-41%. Both are slightly better showings for Blakeman than Zeldin four years ago, as well.

Still, likely voters polled by and large expressed more faith in Hochul to deliver on a number of high-priority issues, like affordability and safety. Specifically, a 51% majority said they believed the governor would do a better job than Blakeman on increasing affordable housing in the state, compared to Blakeman’s 35%.

A 48% plurality also agreed Hochul would outperform her opponent on making prices more affordable, with 41% favoring Blakeman on the topic. A smaller 47%-44% plurality of likely voters said Hochul would deliver better on public safety, an issue Blakeman and other Republicans – including Zeldin in 2022 – have consistently attacked Hochul and other Democrats on.

Hochul’s campaign defended the governor’s track record in a preemptive statement in response to the poll’s finding. “The difference in this race is crystal clear: Governor Hochul has put money back in New Yorkers’ pockets at every opportunity, invested billions in public safety, and stood up against Donald Trump’s endless attacks on this state … and that’s what we continue to see voters respond to,” campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki said.

In better news for Hochul, the Siena poll found that the one-year moratorium on data centers she established is resonating with likely voters. The governor has heavily promoted the move in the weeks since signing the executive order. A small 52% majority said it was the right move, while just 25% of those polled said it was the wrong one.

The poll also asked likely voters to weigh in on who will be some of the biggest surrogates for attack this race: President Donald Trump, whom Hochul has consistently sought to closely tie to Blakeman, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America, whom Blakeman has frequently criticized Hochul for working with. Trump remains deeply unpopular in New York, with a whopping 60% majority viewing him unfavorably and just 38% viewing him favorability, per the new poll. In the suburbs, the president’s numbers are much better, with 50% viewing him well compared to 48% who view him poorly. Trump is set to stump for Blakeman on Long Island on Friday.

Mamdani’s rating remains positive, if only by a small margin, with a 47%-44% favorability across the state. But that drops to 60%-34% unfavorable in the suburbs, worse numbers than Trump statewide. The DSA is also underwater statewide, with only 30% of likely voters polled viewing the increasingly powerful left-wing organization favorably, while 47% viewed it unfavorably.

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Taking a page from Zeldin, Blakeman makes his pitch to East Asian voters

Sophie Krichevsky and Chantal Mann — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:53:34 -0400

In an attempt to sway East Asian voters ahead of November’s election, Republican gubernatorial candidate and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman headed to Downtown Flushing Tuesday afternoon for a walking tour of the bustling Chinatown’s small businesses. Blakeman’s message was clear: He is the pro-public safety, pro-gifted and talented candidate in the race.

“Isn’t it a shame, everything (Kathy Hochul) does in the criminal justice department makes us less safe,” Blakeman said at a press conference in the Queens neighborhood, criticizing a law the governor signed to restrict local law enforcement from working with federal immigration authorities.

Blakeman’s approach to campaigning in Flushing is not exactly new. Then-Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Republican nominee for governor in 2022, spent considerable time and campaign resources there. And he hammered the governor on public safety and supported the preservation of the Specialized High School Admissions Test and gifted and talented programs – top issues that have swayed some East Asian voters away from the Democratic Party and toward Republican candidates in recent years.

“We are not getting rid of gifted schools,” Blakeman said. “Gifted schools are for students who need to be challenged and can’t be challenged in a regular school because they excel, so we want to put those students in a school where it is competitive. … Zohran Mamdani, Kathy Hochul – they don’t like these gifted schools.” It was unclear from his comments whether he was calling for the protection of gifted and talented programs or of the Specialized High School Admissions Test, but a spokesperson later clarified he supports both. (While the SHSAT is enshrined in state law, the governor doesn’t directly control the schools or gifted and talented programs.)

Asked for comment on Blakeman’s remarks, Hochul's campaign shot back. “While Governor Hochul passed universal free school meals, a bell-to-bell cell phone ban in schools that’s transforming classrooms and helping kids learn, and a path to universal childcare, Blakeman sent childcare in Nassau into a ‘death spiral’ and said nothing when Trump gutted funding for New York’s schools,” spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki told City & State in a statement.

Though Blakeman’s pronouncements suggest those programs are in danger, neither Hochul nor New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani seem to be making it a priority to reform or axe either one. And discussion of specialized high schools has not focused on whether they should exist, but on the admissions process for them. The Blakeman spokesperson did not respond to a follow-up question pointing that out.

Blakeman has taken a similar approach before. During a Brooklyn Chinatown campaign visit in Sunset Park in January, he inaccurately claimed that Hochul and Mamdani wanted to shut down several of the city’s specialized high schools.

Asked for comment on Hochul’s position on gifted and talented programs and the SHSAT, the governor’s office didn’t go into specifics. “Governor Hochul believes all New York students deserve access to a quality education,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

Zeldin ultimately lost to Hochul by 6 points in 2022, but his strategy paid off in Flushing: He defeated the governor by more than 500 votes in Assembly District 40, which covers most of the neighborhood. And down ballot, Democratic Assembly Member Ron Kim only narrowly won reelection that year, despite a low-profile challenge. (Notably, Kim does not have a challenger this November.)

Blakeman is also hoping to appeal to East Asian voters. And like other candidates campaigning in Flushing, he leaned into what one Democratic strategist calls the “bubble tea photo op.” “We sampled the cuisine,” Blakeman said. “The bubble tea was outstanding.”

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NYC-DSA is 60% white, internal survey says

Peter Sterne — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 05:00:00 -0400

The demographic make-up of the Democratic Socialists of America, and particularly its New York City chapter, has become a major topic of conversation in six weeks since the DSA-backed congressional candidates Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier won their Democratic primary elections in June.

Political commentators – and politicians who found themselves on the opposite side of NYC-DSA – have suggested the socialist organization is practicing a kind of white supremacy by challenging Black and Latino incumbents like Rep. Adriano Espaillat. Of course, the victorious DSA candidates are also usually people of color – for instance, Avila Chevalier is Afro-Latina, while Valdez is Latina and a citizen of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Nation, a Native American tribe – but DSA’s critics have suggested that these non-white candidates merely serve as a smokescreen for an organization made up largely of white gentrifiers.

The last time that DSA did a comprehensive demographic survey of its membership was in 2021. That survey found that 85% of DSA’s nationwide membership identified as white – a statistic that is now routinely cited as evidence of NYC-DSA’s lack of racial diversity, despite being a half-decade out of date and including all DSA members across the country rather than just members of the New York City chapter.

Both DSA and NYC-DSA have experienced an incredible degree of turnover since that survey was conducted. In July 2021, DSA had about 76,000 dues-paying members across the country, with NYC-DSA having about 7,600 members. By July 2024, DSA had dropped to 52,000 members and NYC-DSA to 5,700 members. Just two years later, DSA has more than 120,000 members and NYC-DSA’s total membership exceeds 15,000.

NYC-DSA recently compiled a demographic report based on years of internal demographic data. That report, which was shared with City & State, shows that 60% of the group’s active members identify as white.

The data comes from optional surveys that DSA offers to all members when they join the organization, which includes a question about which of the following races and ethnicities they identify as: White, Jewish, Hispanic/Latinx, Black/of African descent, Asian, South Asian, West Asian/Middle Eastern, Native American/Indigenous, Pacific Islander and Other.

NYC-DSA said that 63% of its 15,600 members chose to fill out the optional survey, which provides a strong demographic sample, but falls short of a comprehensive census.

In total, 60% of survey respondents identified as white, 12% as Jewish, 14% as Hispanic, 9% as Black, 10% as Asian, 5% as South Asian, 4% as Middle Eastern, 2% as Native American and less than 1% as Pacific Islander. Members were allowed to choose more than one identity, such as white and Jewish or Black and Hispanic.

The demographic data suggests that NYC-DSA is less racially diverse than both the national Democratic Party and the population of New York City. According to the Pew Research Center, the Democratic Party was roughly 56% white, 18% Black, 14% Hispanic and 6% Asian in 2023, the most recent year for which data is available. The U.S. Census estimates that the population of New York City last year was roughly 34% white, 22% Black, 29% Hispanic and 15% Asian.

But the report also suggests that NYC-DSA is gradually becoming less white, with 57% of members who joined NYC-DSA since Jan. 1, 2026 (and opted to fill out the survey) identifying as white. As for the national organization, a DSA spokesperson told City & State that 67% of members who had joined DSA in the past year (and filled out the optional demographic survey) identified as white.

Asked in a radio interview with Clay Cane last week about DSA being “a white movement,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who calls DSA his political home, credited the socialist group with providing a path to political leadership for non-white organizers.

“One thing I've appreciated about New York City DSA,” he said, “is that it has been one of the engines behind the creation of a new generation of Black and Brown leadership, the likes (of which) we haven't seen in quite some time.”

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Blakeman, Constantino tender two takes on Trump

Kate Lisa — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:57:45 -0400

As Republicans in the state look to defend a North Country congressional seat in upcoming midterm elections, they’re also aiming to drum up support at the top of the ticket in the well-known party stronghold. And two GOP candidates who often campaign on their close ties to President Donald Trump are starting to heed different strategies when it comes to Trump, who’s widely unpopular downstate, but popular in some upstate enclaves.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Republican running against Gov. Kathy Hochul, on Sunday headed to Fulton County and joined Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino as he vies to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik in Congress. “We’re a team, and we’ve got to make sure that we support each other,” Blakeman said of Constantino after the event. “It’s important that we keep this congressional district red.”

The GOP pair met last fall at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club in Palm Beach, Florida, where Constantino is a member. Both Blakeman and Constantino have since spoken with, or met with, Trump on several occasions as they look to advance his agenda in New York.

Constantino is staying as close as he can to Trump as he runs against Democrat dairy farmer Blake Gendebien in the 21st Congressional District, where there are roughly 215,000 registered Republicans compared to just under 133,700 registered Democrats. He often refers to an artificial intelligence-generated music video he made about the president that he’s particularly proud of. People have boycotted his sticker and T-shirt company because of his relationship with Trump.

Sunday’s event was no different: When asked where he disagrees with the president, Constantino would only recount a boxing opinion of Trump’s he didn’t like. Even when asked more detailed questions about the potential effects on the North Country from Trump’s threatened 50% tariffs on Canadian exports, Constantino declined to answer before speaking to the president. (He said he’s been invited to meet again with Trump and his staff sometime in the near future, where he hopes to discuss many issues with the president, a date has not yet been set.) “I think President Trump tries to do his best to do what’s right for the country, and he uses tariffs as a negotiating tactic, and I think you’ve got to trust the judgment of leadership,” Constantino told reporters, minutes before speaking behind a podium with a campaign sign with the slogan, “Nobody’s man but yours.”

The sticker magnate said White House staff told him the president will support the campaign with anything he needs, though Constantino self-funds his campaign (records show he’s given himself at least $12 million so far). He added he hopes to get the president to campaign for him in the North Country, as he did recently for Rep. Mike Lawler.

Likewise, Blakeman has never been shy about his loyalty to Trump, and has refused to publicly discuss where his views differ from the president’s. But Blakeman seems ready to talk: He told reporters in Albany last week he has “philosophical differences” with Trump on some things, like the economy, immigration and guest worker programs, and he plans to reveal them in the coming weeks.

Blakeman is one of several county leaders the state has directed to end its local 287(g) agreements, or formal partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He said he still hasn’t made a decision about how he’ll limit the existing county policy, or if the county will pursue legal action. Not doing so would represent a departure from the Trump administration’s hardline approach to immigration.

Blakeman appears to be putting his distance between himself and Trump for the first time as Republicans focus on keeping control of the U.S. House of Representatives – though it was reported Monday that the two will appear together in Nassau County on Friday. Last week, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee put NY-21 on its list of seats party leaders think they have a shot at flipping. And top Democrats in the state, like Hochul, agree, and have said they think they can take the seat back in November, likely fueled by a fiery intraparty primary fight. Blakeman didn’t take a side in that race, and only endorsed Constantino after it was over.

Stefanik backed Constantino the night he won the June primary, but had stayed silent in the contest before that. She has yet to endorse Blakeman, who became the Republican gubernatorial nominee after she suspended her campaign.

“She’s been a little busy down in Congress, and she’s been a little busy on her book tour,” Blakeman said when asked about it Sunday. “I’m sure we’ll get together at some point.”

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State Democratic Party files formal complaint over Blakeman’s AI use

Rebecca C. Lewis — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 05:00:00 -0400

The state Democratic Party is asking the state Board of Elections to take action against Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman’s use of generative artificial intelligence in his campaign materials. In a new letter to BOE officials shared exclusively with City & State, state Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs alleged the Blakeman campaign is violating election law through his use of AI.

Blakeman has frequently used AI to create campaign videos and social media content. According to state law, updated roughly two years ago through a provision in the state budget, “materially deceptive” media made with AI requires a disclosure. Blakeman has often not included the required disclosures.

“It has been reported that a myriad of Blakeman generated ads rely on artificial intelligence to distort reality – specifically using Governor Hochul’s image but manipulating it to say and do things that she has not,” the letter reads. “According to the media, there is no consistency in whether the Blakeman campaign includes the mandated disclaimer for the computer created communications.”

Jacobs argues in the letter that in addition to Blakeman’s lack of disclosure, the Nassau County executive’s campaign may also be misusing public matching funds to pay for AI materials that run afoul of election law. Blakeman has received millions in matching funds that have helped to substantially bolster his campaign coffers after he sued to ensure he had access to the public dollars.

“The State Board of Elections cannot permit a campaign to repeatedly flout the Election Law, and it certainly cannot permit that campaign to pull down public matching funds in furtherance of this subversion,” Jacobs writes. “The Board and the (Public Campaign Finance Board) should take all steps to ensure that the disclaimer obligations are applied consistently and that state dollars are not being used by campaigns.”

City & State first reported on Blakeman’s use of AI in his campaign materials and its potential violation of state law in May, after he posted an AI-generated video in the style of the cartoon South Park criticizing both Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s energy policies. While the visuals are clearly stylized, animated depictions of the two Democrats, the video featured realistic-sounding voices of the pair saying things neither ever said, which could easily be mistaken for actual audio clips dubbed into the video. The video itself does not contain an AI disclaimer, and Blakeman’s campaign only added one through social media posts after City & State inquired about it.

At the time, Blakeman’s campaign defended the use of AI and claimed the law did not apply to the video because of a provision exempting satire. His campaign has continued to use AI frequently on social media and defend in subsequent reporting on the issue in outlets like Politico New York, Newsday and Gothamist.

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Adriano Espaillat and Zohran Mamdani meet again

Chantal Mann — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:32:44 -0400

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani may be the Padrino of honor in the Bronx, but Rep. Adriano Espaillat isn’t quite ready to shower him with praise.

The mayor joined Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Espaillat on Friday to share security information ahead of Sunday’s National Dominican Day Parade in Manhattan. The press conference at NYPD headquarters marked the first time Mamdani and Espaillat have appeared together publicly since democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier – who the mayor unexpectedly endorsed – unseated the five-term Congress member and chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in the June Democratic primary. Though Espaillat supported Mamdani’s opponent, ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in the mayoral primary last year, Espaillat was reportedly blindsided by the move since the mayor agreed behind the scenes not to do so.

Tisch opened her remarks at the press conference praising Espaillat for his leadership, as Mamdani and Espaillat stood next to each other but avoided eye contact. Espaillat did not mention or thank the mayor in his remarks. (Mamdani’s public schedule didn’t mention Espaillat would be there Friday, though Tisch’s did.)

It’s not clear if Mamdani and Espaillat will celebrate the parade together either. Espaillat will hold a pre-parade breakfast on Sunday morning where Tisch and City Council Speaker Julie Menin will be honored. But as first reported in City & State’s Heard Around Town newsletter, Mamdani had not been invited to the breakfast as of Thursday, according to his spokesperson. The mayor will host a separate Dominican heritage reception – which his predecessors, including self-declared honorary-Dominican Eric Adams, held prior to the parade – several days later, on Aug. 13. Espaillat is invited, according to Mamdani’s spokesperson.

Earlier this year, Mamdani drew backlash for reworking a Puerto Rican cultural reception at Gracie Mansion. (An initial email from the Mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement suggested there would be no reception.) In the end, rather than hosting one of the large outdoor parties that marked the Adams administration, Mamdani opted for a smaller lunch – a break in tradition that upset some Puerto Rican leaders.

Mamdani still faces some fallout in the Dominican community following the 13th Congressional District Democratic primary. While Avila Chevalier is also Dominican, almost all the community’s political leaders endorsed Espaillat. One Dominican elected said they are skipping the mayor’s reception and suggested others might too.

Espaillat declined to comment when asked by City & State Friday afternoon about his relationship with Mamdani and whether they were planning to attend each other’s events. After the brief press conference ended, Espaillat rushed out of the room and told someone in Spanish, “we have to go.”

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Should DSA table at Mamdani’s government events?

Peter Sterne — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 15:52:02 -0400

A good government group is criticizing the Mamdani administration for allowing the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America to have a table at an official government event, but the socialist group insists that it had every right to be there.

NY1 reporter Samantha Liebman tweeted a photo showing an NYC-DSA table at the mayor’s Central Brooklyn Bus Riders Town Hall Thursday night. Placed next to tables for the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit and New York City Department of Small Business Services, the DSA presence prompted criticism that Mayor Zohran Mamdani had mixed government with politics.

“There needs to be a bright line between government-led civic engagement and political organizing,” Citizens Union Executive Director Grace Rauh said in a statement. “A government-run town hall that crosses that line is deeply concerning. The public needs an explanation from City Hall about how a partisan political organization was able to set up a table at an official city event, and what steps will be taken to keep partisan activity separate from government-run civic engagement going forward.”

But NYC-DSA believes that its presence at the event was entirely appropriate. The socialist group is best known for its electoral organizing, but it is technically registered as a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, not a political party. That means it legally must spend at least 60% of its budget on non-electoral work.

“NYC-DSA does extensive community organizing and social welfare work, such as housing, transportation, and environmental advocacy,” NYC-DSA Co-chair Grace Mausser told City State. “We were one of many non-profit community organizations that tabled at the event, including Riders Alliance and Transportation Alternatives.”

But even if DSA sees itself as legally equivalent to transportation advocacy organizations such as Riders Alliance, they never had a presence at city government under the previous administration. “I don’t think they ever asked,” former Eric Adams spokesperson Kayla Mamelak Altus said about the org that regularly ridiculed Adams. “That being said, I’m not aware of any sort of political organization tabling at a press conference.”

Mamdani’s senior spokesperson Dora Pekec defended DSA’s inclusion in the event – and confirmed the group was specifically invited.

“For the town hall, a number of community and advocacy organizations that work on transit issues were invited to table, including Fair Fares NYC, Transportation Alternatives, the DSA’s transit working group, and Riders Alliance,” she said. “These organizations provided a variety of resources and perspectives on transit advocacy for New Yorkers.”

Mamdani has a close relationship with NYC-DSA, which he has called his political home. He is a longtime member of the socialist group, which endorsed both his 2020 Assembly run and his 2025 mayoral campaign, and was one of its “Socialists in Office” while an Assembly member. NYC-DSA played a major role in his mayoral campaign last year, and since taking office, he has appointed NYC-DSA members like Cea Weaver and Tascha van Auken to top positions in his administration.

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Progressive groups decry House’s investigation into NYC leftist org

Peter Sterne — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 17:58:16 -0400

The influential union 32BJ SEIU and dozens of progressive groups released a joint statement on Thursday in opposition to the Republican-controlled House Ways and Means Committee’s subpoena of The People’s Forum, a nonprofit leftist activist group based in Manhattan.

“The House Ways and Means Committee’s investigation of The People’s Forum is part of a broader effort by the Trump regime and its minions in Congress to intimidate organizations whose speech they disagree with, and to threaten the very values that are essential to a free and open civil society,” reads the statement, shared first with City & State, which was signed by 71 groups. “This subpoena is an effort to chill speech and association, taking a page straight out of the authoritarian playbook.”

The New York Immigration Coalition and New York Civil Liberties Union organized the joint statement. Other groups that signed on include VOCAL-NY, New York Communities for Change, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Jewish Voice for Peace and the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.

The powerful House Ways and Means Committee issued a subpoena to The People’s Forum on July 21, demanding information about its donors and its communications with China-based tech entrepreneur Neville Roy Singham, who is a major funder of the group. The People’s Forum must turn over the documents by Friday or risk being held in contempt of Congress.

Republican Rep. Jason Smith, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said in a statement accompanying the subpoenas that they are designed to “expose how America’s tax laws and charitable sector may have been exploited to advance the (Chinese Communist Party’s) influence operations inside the United States” – using rhetoric that NYIC and NYCLU said evoked McCarthy-era witch hunts against leftists.

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Zellner in line for DMV commissioner, sources say

John Celock — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 17:54:46 -0400

State Sen. Jeremy Zellner is in line for a position in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration, a post which would end his longtime leadership of Erie County Democrats in a matter of months.

Multiple sources confirmed to City & State that Zellner is in line for a top job from Hochul, most likely commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles, left vacant with the retirement of Mark Schroeder this year. The discussion comes as Zellner is ramping up his campaign to win an eighth term as chair of the Erie County Democratic Committee in September. Zellner has drawn two opponents in his reelection campaign. Zellner would need to step down from his party post to accept the Hochul administration job, though he would need to be confirmed by the state Senate.

Zellner was quick to dampen speculation that he was planning to leave the county party. “I haven’t had any discussions about that, and you know, there haven’t been any discussions about that,” Zellner told City & State. “My plan is to find a position where I can continue serving as chair and doing the good work that I’ve done for the last 14 years.”

A spokesperson for Hochul declined to comment on a potential nomination.

Zellner gave up his job as Democratic commissioner of the Erie County Board of Elections to run in the special election to fill Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan’s former state Senate seat earlier this year.

The speculation that Zellner is in line for the DMV job, or another from Hochul, is being widely discussed in Western New York politics. Zellner dismisses the source of any such discussion as people who want to “cause drama.”

Discussion of Zellner’s future has reached fever pitch since the June primary, which not only saw his defeat by Assembly Member Jonathan Rivera in a landslide, but the defeat of a party-backed candidate for Rivera’s Assembly seat by Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidate Adam Bojak, as well, leading some to question the establishment’s strength under Zellner’s leadership. Dissent against Zellner has grown since the party picked him over Rivera to run in February’s special election. Zellner has long said that he recused himself from the Senate nominating process.

Zellner now faces challenges from Amherst Town Council Member John Davis and Erie County Legislator Jeanne Vinal as he looks to remain party chair. Most observers say Zellner will easily prevail over the little-known Davis and Vinal, noting that Zellner has a strong base of support within the Democratic committee. Davis’ town government colleagues and Vinal’s county legislative colleagues have backed Zellner, along with Hochul and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, a longtime ally.

The current conventional wisdom is that the plan will be for Zellner to be reelected in September and see Hochul through her likely reelection and then step down in January to join her administration. But some are pushing for an earlier time frame. This one would have Zellner leaving at the September reorganization meeting, allowing for a new county party chair to be elected then by the full committee and then taking the helm of the party for Hochul’s reelection campaign. If Zellner were to leave after winning an eighth term, the county party’s executive committee would select his successor.

The DMV commissionership has long been filled by upstate residents, with it becoming a de facto post for a Buffalonian for most of the past 20 years when former Commissioner Nancy Naples took the job. Only Barbara Fiala, a Binghamton resident who held the post during former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s first term has broken the streak.

Zellner stressed that he has not had any discussions or received any offers to join the Hochul administration. He said his priority is next year’s open county executive race.

“If I was chosen to be on the next presidential ticket as the vice president, would I think about it? Yes. I mean, I would never say no to opportunities, but my priority here is to get reelected for an eighth term as party leader and guide our party through the county executive process of next year because it’s a really important year, and that has been my goal all along,” he said.

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Pataki urges candidates to accept gubernatorial election results

Kate Lisa — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:38:33 -0400

For just a few hours Wednesday morning, Old Albany came back to life, with sophisticated dress, food and cocktails and a man in the corner crooning Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits. The occasion: a ribbon-cutting ceremony morning to honor the former governor and dedicate the new Gov. George E. Pataki Center in Albany’s Center Square neighborhood.

But the bipartisan smattering was a return to the Albany of yesterday, complete with pre-MAGA Republican politics, for another reason: Former Gov. George Pataki wants Republicans and Democrats in the state to accept the results of November’s gubernatorial election after Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s suggested last week that Democrats will likely “steal” the election to win, and said he’ll only accept the outcome if it’s “fair.”

Speaking with reporters after the ceremony, Pataki wouldn’t denounce Blakeman’s recent claim that Democrats would cheat in November. “I certainly hope not,” he said when asked if he agreed with Blakeman’s assertion. But Pataki stressed that it’s important for both parties to accept the election results. “Whoever wins, wins, and the election’s over,” he said.

That’s quite the contrast from Blakeman, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Republican challenger, who sowed distrust in the state’s election system last week – echoing a tactic of President Donald Trump’s. Blakeman refused to say he’ll accept the election results regardless of the outcome, and that his campaign expects Democrats to cheat, and said he will fight back.

But asked about Pataki’s more democratic comments on the subject, Blakeman neither doubled down, nor changed his tune. “That’s a ridiculous question. Of course, I will accept the results of the election because I'm going to win,” he said before turning on his heel to leave.

Blakeman did not attend the dedication ceremony, but had lunch with Pataki and some of his former top aides in Saratoga on Wednesday afternoon. Pataki, the state’s last Republican governor, threw his support behind Blakeman earlier this year and said they talk occasionally. He wouldn’t share what advice he’s given Blakeman as he tries to unseat Hochul. “It’s not about a Republican beating a Democrat or a Democrat beating a Republican, it’s about you being able to make people’s lives better, and I would just run a campaign based on that,” he said.

In that spirit, politicians from both sides of the aisle attended Wednesday’s ceremony. Former Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Secretary Karen Persichilli Keogh gave remarks, and Red Apple Group Chair and CEO John Catsimatidis was in the crowd, along with state Budget Director Blake Washington, state Sens. Pat Fahy and Jake Ashby, Assembly Members John McDonald III and Scott Bendett.

“As governor, you built a foundation for this state that we continue to benefit from, and it’s a real credit to you in so many areas,” Keogh said. She then jokingly thanked the former governor for his role in the landmark case Silver v. Pataki, which legally cemented the executive’s overarching authority in the state budget process.

The new center, located next to the state Republican Party headquarters on Spring Street, marks the first building to be named for Pataki, who served as the 53rd governor of the state from 1995 through 2006. The nonprofit, operated by Committee for the Governor George E. Pataki Leadership and Learning Center Inc., aims to help young people interested in government.

Pataki said both parties must put politics aside after an election in order to govern. “The election should not be the end, the election should be the beginning,” he said. “That happens after you win, and too often, people in politics see it the other way around.”

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Mamdani and allies celebrate El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan

Peter Sterne and Fariha Rahman — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:31:18 -0400

The Mamdani wing of the Democratic Party is celebrating after Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens in a contentious race for U.S. Senate, dealing a defeat to the pro-Israel lobby.

“I’d just like to congratulate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed on his victory,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told reporters at an unrelated press conference on Wednesday morning, highlighting the record amount of money spent against El-Sayed in the primary – a situation similar to his own race last year. “What I will say is that when you are facing $60 million in outside spending, you are facing almost what feels like surround sound across a state where people are hearing a message about you again and again and again. And to win this race as someone who is not currently holding elected office, it is a testament to what he ran on, and also the way he ran the campaign.”

Mamdani said he’s spoken with El-Sayed “a few times” and met with him when he came to New York City “years ago.” He said he sees himself and El-Sayed as part of the same political movement, though he dismissed Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson’s description of El-Sayed as a “mini-Mamdani.”

“I don't think in any way this man is a mini-Mamdani,” the mayor responded, joking that the muscular El-Sayed “can lift a lot more than I can.”

“I also think that what we're talking about is someone who has shone a light on the importance of public health and healthcare in our country for years,” he added. “And I am proud to be part of a movement of politicians and candidates who are looking to put working-class Americans back at the heart of our politics, and that's our focus here in New York City.”

The mayor’s remarks Wednesday were his first comments at length about El-Sayed, even as the candidate earned comparisons to Mamdani over the past several months while gaining momentum in the closely watched primary. Mamdani has avoided getting involved in elections outside New York City, and said he has no plans to go to Michigan to campaign for El-Sayed in the general election. But many of Mamdani’s top allies – including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former Rep. Jamaal Bowman and state Senate nominee Aber Kawas – made the trek to Michigan in recent weeks to campaign for El-Sayed in the primary

“This is a political revolution. Not just in New York but in America,” Bowman told City & State in a text message.

The race in Michigan had influence on both sides from prominent New York politicians. U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senate Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand joined with much of the Democratic establishment to back Stevens. The two New York senators worked methodically behind the scenes to assist Stevens, even reportedly pushing for rival candidate Mallory McMorrow to drop out to try to clear the field for Stevens.

Bowman and Ocasio-Cortez were in Michigan last week, campaigning for El-Sayed on the ground. Kawas is currently in Michigan, supporting El-Sayed as well as other DSA candidates like Donavan McKinney, who defeated incumbent Detroit Rep. Shri Thanedar on Tuesday night.

“I was proud to campaign in Michigan and I am thrilled about the victories of Abdul El-Sayed, Donavan McKinney, and other candidates who will help deliver the transformative change we need in Congress,” Kawas told City & State in a text message. “As a candidate running to make life better for working people in New York, I believe we need to build a movement at the local, state, and federal level, with candidates across the country who will challenge the political establishment and have the courage to speak out against the genocide in Gaza — that’s what real leadership looks like, and voters from New York to Michigan agree.”

About 50 members of the Democratic Socialists of America, Mamdani’s political home, also flew from New York to Michigan to campaign for DSA candidates. Although DSA did not endorse El-Sayed, who does not identify as a socialist, many DSA members who went to Michigan to canvass for DSA-backed candidates like McKinney also canvassed for El-Sayed.

“The reason I came out here is because AIPAC has spent ($30 million) in this race against Abdul, and that must mean he's doing something right,” said Ella Devi Weerackody, an NYC-DSA member and political commentator. “I'm looking to build mass politics within a mass movement and I think to engage in sectionalism is not productive.

Andrew Zink, a Saugerties Village Board Trustee and member of Mid-Hudson Valley DSA, also joined the effort. “DSA members like me are more than capable of building coalitions with people who center the working class in their policies and politics,” he said.

El-Sayed has been endlessly compared to Mamdani. Both are younger, photogenic Muslim men who have not shied away from criticizing Israel and accusing the nation of committing genocide in Gaza. Both have faced accusations of antisemitism and an avalanche of spending by pro-Israel groups. And they do have an enemy in common, in the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The United Democracy Project, a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, spent nearly $32 million to boost Stevens, who was ultimately backed by more than $60 million in outside spending.

El-Sayed’s defeat of a candidate backed by both the Democratic establishment and AIPAC is the latest sign that Democratic primary voters are embracing left-wing insurgents, following DSA congressional victories in New York City, Denver and Philadelphia. But the left is not unstoppable; former Rep. Cori Bush’s attempt to retake her old congressional seat from incumbent Rep. Wesley Bell in St. Louis fell badly short on Tuesday.

As the midterm elections grow closer, the two sides of the Democratic party – influenced by notable New York politicians like Schumer and Ocasio-Cortez – are battling over whose vision represents the future of the party.

El-Sayed will now face former Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate nominee, in November, in a race that will serve as a key test of whether left-wing, pro-Palestinian politics can win the day in a key swing state. If he manages to pull it off, it would strengthen the case for Ocasio-Cortez to run for president in 2028.

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Who gets a car in the Mamdani administration? These 52 officials

Sahalie Donaldson — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 04:00:00 -0400

"I think the way that you move around the city, it influences the way in which you see the city,” then-New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani told Wired last October. “Too often if you’re riding around only in a car with tinted windows, the only New Yorker you might see is a reflection of yourself.”

As mayor, Mamdani is often sitting behind those tinted SUV windows. He’s not alone. From deputy mayors to agency heads, here’s who else gets a car and driver in the Mamdani administration, according to a freedom of information request returned in late May.

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Dozens of city officials are driven around by chauffeurs. Are they living in a bubble?

Sahalie Donaldson — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 04:00:00 -0400

As mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio kicked off many of his mornings with a cross-borough odyssey by car. Boarding his private, chauffeured SUV at Gracie Mansion, police escort in tow, de Blasio would be driven about 12 miles to the Prospect Park YMCA – a roughly 35-minute drive that would have taken just shy of an hour by train.

Polly Trottenberg often sat shotgun in her city-issued car where she liked to control the music and sing along. What better way to alleviate stress as de Blasio’s Department of Transportation commissioner? Sometimes her driver would join in, she said, the two belting out Frank Sinatra as one.

Eric Adams, self-proclaimed mayor of swagger, kept a row of suits, collared shirts and ties strung along a clothing rack in the back seat of his black Chevrolet Suburban – his ride doubling as closet-on-wheels as he was whisked from flag raisings to press conferences to court appearances to dinner at Zero Bond.

As a deputy mayor in the Adams administration, Adolfo Carrión Jr. enjoyed traveling to City Hall from his home on City Island by ferry. But sometimes he had his driver meet him at the Wall Street ferry terminal to be driven the final leg of his journey.

Passenger princess status, city government edition, is a less exclusive club than one might think. Fifty-two of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s appointees travel in rarified, climate-controlled air, thanks to the full-time car and driver assigned to them, according to a list provided by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services in response to a freedom of information request from City & State.

That includes obvious big shots like First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan, schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch – officials whose jobs frequently have them on the move. But it also includes lesser-known appointees like Fuleihan’s chief of staff Freddi Goldstein, Chief Actuary Marek Tyszkiewicz and Housing Authority Chief Operating Officer Eva Trimble. Top mayoral press office officials like Joe Calvello and Anna Bahr also get their own chauffeured vehicles, as do the five other deputy mayors and more than two dozen commissioners.

Then-Mayor Eric Adams' closet on wheels / Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

This system isn’t unique to the Mamdani administration. While exact figures aren’t available online, scores of officials working under prior mayors had their own cars and drivers, likely in roughly equal numbers. Car ownership is a politicized issue in New York, but the chauffeured life isn’t partisan or ideological among the city’s government officials. Borough presidents, the City Council speaker, comptroller and public advocate all have this perk.

“It makes a huge difference if you are like I was, going seven days a week, all day, all night, across the whole borough,” City Council Member Gale Brewer said of having a car and driver during her eight-year tenure as Manhattan borough president. “I could not have done it any other way.”

Of course, these chauffeured vehicles don’t come with a 24/7 all-access pass to the city. The Fleet Management Manual states that cars are not supposed to be used “for personal reasons,” though “brief stops for meals or other incidental activities” are acceptable while performing normal work activities.

But even with guardrails, getting driven around doesn’t exactly foster relatability – especially if it’s overly relied upon. Critics argue it’s akin to traveling around in a bubble. Add it to the long list of things that already separate public officials from the many New Yorkers who travel by public transit.

Mamdani’s perceived accessibility and pavement-pounding across the city were fixtures of his upstart mayoral campaign. He has tried not to stray from that since taking office. He has been spotted traveling by Citi Bike, train and on foot. The 34-year-old democratic socialist is acutely aware of how much his life has changed and how fixtures of his new reality – like the chauffeur and police detail – could easily alter his perception of the problems he’s supposed to solve.

Zohran Mamdani hops on a Citi Bike — going back to his campaign office in Chelsea, his campaign tells me after. A woman heckles him, shouting “communist!” pic.twitter.com/pNgkOeE8o3
— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) October 8, 2025

“If you spend every single day driving around in a tinted window security detail, you will have a very specific view of the city,” Mamdani said in an April interview with WBUR. By taking other modes of transportation, he said, “You actually meet other New Yorkers and you break out of the bubble that so many have come to expect of politics.”

But he’s still relying on his car and driver virtually every day.

And that can be a barrier. “I still remember feeling just a shock at becoming aware after leaving that meal,” Citizens Union Executive Director Grace Rauh said, reflecting on a dinner she shared with a deputy mayor as an early career journalist covering the Bloomberg administration two decades ago. “That realization that ‘Oh, this person’s meal with me is part of their workday, but they’re going to get driven home and I’m going to go walk to the subway.’”

Perk or necessity?

Ask just about anybody who has had their own car and driver while serving in city government, and they’ll give a strong defense in its favor: Good luck doing the job without one.

Fabien Levy, who started in the Adams administration as press secretary and finished as deputy mayor for communications, said he’d initially been skeptical about the arrangement. But while his gut reaction was to turn down his own chauffeured vehicle, the job’s demands promptly dispelled him of any illusions that he could go without.

One night after getting dropped off at home in Manhattan around 11 p.m., he received a call notifying him that a police officer had been shot – the latest in a string of officer shootings that rattled the city in early 2022. Having already sent his driver home, Levy took a cab to the crime scene, only to be stopped at the police line. It took ages to talk his way in.

Taking the train isn’t a great option for officials who need to be on their phones either, he argued. “Our subway system has no cell service, so you can’t take any calls. You can hardly send emails or text messages,” Levy said. “Depending on where you live, imagine being underground for an hour-plus and there’s an emergency situation.”

For the handful of city officials with a police detail – the mayor, speaker, comptroller and police commissioner – there are real safety reasons for being driven around. Cops and personal aides typically ride alongside them in the vehicle, which is far simpler than flanking their charge on public transportation. How many times has a video of Mamdani riding a Citi Bike or striding down the train platform gone viral? “His security team must be stressed lol” is a sentiment that frequently appears in those comment sections.

The commenters are probably on to something.

“It’s just such a liability,” said Mandela Jones, a former spokesperson for then-City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. As one of the only speakers who lived outside of Manhattan, she would spend particularly long stretches on wheels as she traveled from her Southeast Queens home to City Hall. Jones remembered taking the train with her once, but the situation stressed out her security detail. “The subway can be a challenging space," he said. "If they were given their choice, they would keep you in a car. Their job is to protect the person and to minimize risk.”

The safety argument doesn’t carry for the majority of officials who are assigned a car and driver. It’s unlikely anyone is closely tracking the head of the School Construction Authority or the chief technology officer, for example. Most can easily take the train under the cloak of anonymity, and many do.

But former and current officials who’ve had their own chauffeur point to other benefits like efficiency. They worked frequently in the car, using the privacy to take calls, respond to emails, pour over documents and pound out press releases on their laptops.

Looking to capitalize on long stretches of time on the road, Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani ordered a small drop-down desk to use in the back of his vehicle. “It has really helped and was fairly inexpensive,” he said. “I read and saw a bunch of people using it during the pandemic who work in different locations, so it sounded like a smart complement to do more detailed and comprehensive work when in the car.”

Another benefit: Private vehicles come in handy for escaping and evading journalists. What better way to get the last word than to fire off a nasty barb and disappear into the safety of 3,000 pounds of metal? “You want a mint? You need one,” Phil Banks, then-deputy mayor of public safety, told The City Reporter’s Katie Honan in 2024 when she asked him about having his phone seized by FBI agents. He jumped into his car and didn’t answer the question.

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio was known for morning rides to the YMCA / Spencer Platt/Getty Images

And in the whirl of high-pressure situations and go, go, go, it’s nice to have someone to bounce ideas off – or even just to make sure you’ve eaten or got home safely. Once, hospital-bound after the cab she was riding in got into an accident, Brewer called her driver for aid, not wanting to break the news to her husband. “They really look out for you,” she said. “In many cases, they become friends because you’re with them more than you’re with family.”

Tapping the brakes

For all the reasons it may be beneficial for high-ranking elected leaders and city officials to be chauffeured around, it’s hard to imagine the arrangement not having some impact on their psyche. How could it not? In a car, you are locked in with maybe four people tops, all of whom work for you, subjected to traffic, sure, but moving through the city shielded from inclement weather, subway delays and fellow New Yorkers who might demand something of you. But on the train, bus or even walking on the street, you’re part of a far more diverse array of commuters, taking in the same inconveniences, the same interactions, the same observations. (Of course, quite a few New Yorkers regularly travel by car – particularly in outer borough neighborhoods with limited public transportation – but this is still a far cry from the chauffeur life.)

“The very people that are able to separate themselves from the experience of everyday New Yorkers through a car and driver are the ones making policy decisions,” Rauh said. “Any mayoral administration should be very judicious about who gets access and why.”

Ryan Birchmeier, who served as Eric Adams’ communications director, noted that the types of jobs that come with their own car and driver are already intense. For him, being chauffeured was just another thing in a “vortex of incoming emails and the political problem of the day” that made being grounded in reality challenging.

“You’re on the phone all the time, you’re on emails all the time,” he said. “Magically popping up in new locations is just one more iteration of getting sucked into this digital world.”

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, also a fan of travel by helicopter / Andrew Burton/Getty Images

But several people argued that public officials actually see quite a lot in a car – things they wouldn’t see underground that can inform their perspective on issues like disinvestment in neighborhoods and redlining.

“The F or No. 5 (trains) might have no shortage of subterranean human sights, but they can’t reveal the redlining of Allerton or Hillside avenues,” said Amit Singh Bagga, who often drove himself while on the job in the de Blasio administration. “You’ll need the light of day and a set of wheels for that.”

“Forever annoyed” when she’d spot litter or graffiti coming off a bridge or the highway, former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said she would often call in issues while being chauffeured that she likely wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

“There’s pros and cons,” Quinn said. “If somebody is going to become in a bubble because part of the time they get driven, they are going to be in a bubble anyway.”

Good-government groups urge caution. City officials’ access to chauffeurs has erupted in scandal before. In 2006, then-Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum was forced to fork over several thousand dollars in repayments for using her driver for personal trips, like Hamptons visits and Costco runs. Concerns about reducing carbon emissions and the city’s dependence on vehicles have stirred conversations about shrinking the city’s fleet. With more than 30,000 vehicles, New York City has the largest municipal fleet in the nation. Environmental and bike advocates argue that’s not a flex. Though in recent years, officials have started to get driven around in more hybrid and electric vehicles, including Toyota Highlanders and Ford Mustang Mach-E’s.

There are also concerns about transparency. Asked for information about how much the city spends on drivers and city-owned vehicles for city officials, the FOIL office said that DCAS does not have the “necessary detailed agency time/salary/usage information that would be needed to report such a report.” Not to mention City & State had to submit a FOIL request to get access to this list.

“I think when it starts to get to a level of where it’s more a perk of the job, rather than a necessity, is where we would question the public policy benefits of extending more cars to the workforce,” Reinvent Albany Senior Policy Adviser Rachael Fauss said.

Of course, as with all perks and pitfalls of public service, the ride comes to an end eventually. Whether it’s in eight years, or mere months, chauffeur access ends with the job. Mayor, press secretary, borough president, agency head alike, all eventually find themselves in the same place: picking up the pieces and readjusting to their old life.

After 16 years of being chauffeured, former Manhattan Borough President and city Comptroller Scott Stringer recalled one of the first times he ordered an Uber. “I said to the guy, ‘Hey, this is my second Uber ride ever.’ And he goes, ‘Well, actually this is my first Uber ride in five years – I’ve been suspended for five years and now I’m back.’ I go, ‘What were you suspended for?’” Apparently, smoking pot while driving. “And then I realized I am back in the real world,” Stringer said.

Some look back with nostalgia. Levy bid his driver farewell in Times Square, just after the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Day, bringing the Adams administration to a close. Levy and his driver keep in touch, he said, but nothing like their daily contact before.

For others, the return to the real world was like slipping on an old skin – or so they say. “It’s all about keeping your perspective,” Carrión said. “I went right back into being a normal, average joe in a hot minute when I walked out of City Hall.”

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NYPD inspector investigated in psych eval scandal getting promoted

Kelly Grace Price — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 18:02:53 -0400

Last year, New York City Police Department Inspector Terrell Anderson was transferred and served department charges, blamed for allowing dozens of police recruits to continue in the hiring process despite failing psychological exams. On Friday, he’s getting a big promotion, and will be named a deputy chief.

That’s a career turnaround for Anderson, whose allies say was trying to clean up the NYPD’s disorderly, racially biased psych exam process which serves as a screening for the police academy. A City & State investigation published in August of 2025 found that NYPD candidate psychological screenings were mostly performed by unlicensed psychologists who were under-supervised and overworked, in some cases earning thousands of hours in cumulative overtime.

“Inspector Anderson’s promotion is testament that if you honorably stand your ground against the powers that be, you will be rewarded,” Rev. Kevin McCall, a police reform advocate, told City & State. “It seems that the mayor is placing a precedent on rewarding whistleblowers instead of ostracizing and penalizing them as we have seen in the past.”

A formal public announcement of Anderson’s promotion has not been made but the NYPD shared details Monday evening in an internal notice reviewed by City & State. Podcaster Sal Greco and the Daily News first reported on the promotion.

On Monday, NYPD whistleblower Edwin Raymond was sworn in as sheriff of New York City, after being appointed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Raymond was persecuted for exposing NYPD misconduct, stood his ground, and was ultimately rewarded with a significant promotion. City Hall did not respond to a request for comment on whether promoting whistleblowers was a priority in the Mamdani administration.

Anderson declined to comment on the move, and referred City & State to the NYPD press office which did not provide a response.

NYPD whistleblowers like Frank Serpico or Adrian Schoolcraft have been forced out or sidelined. Joseph Trimboli marks one, apparently rare exception. Trimboli spent years trying to investigate the corrupt "Loser's Club" ring of officers (including Michael Dowd) but was blocked by his own superiors, who ignored his reports and even accused him of misconduct to discredit him in the 1990s. After the Mollen Commission vindicated him, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly promoted Trimboli and explicitly stated the promotion was to recognize Trimboli's "faith in the law" and "steadfast faith in what is right" when others looked away.

The NYPD sent officers who had been cleared by Anderson after failing initial screenings a letter in July 2025 placing them on modified duty and notifying them they had 30 days to resign or they would be fired, citing their failed psych exams. The department told The New York Times the officers shouldn’t have been hired in the first place for many reasons going beyond the psych evaluations, such as drug use and lying about criminal records. The Police Benevolent Association filed a lawsuit to stop the terminations which was settled in December of 2025 allowing the recruits to return to work.

Anderson, who had presided over the NYPD’s Candidate Assessment Division and made the reversals was originally transferred out of his role and brought up on departmental charges. But the case was dismissed in December 2025 when he returned to work in Patrol Borough Brooklyn North, where he’ll be serving as second in command, according to the Daily News.

One of the officers who returned to work in December praised Anderson for raising concerns.

“I entered the academy last spring and I sat for five months waiting for the courts to decide my fate. Since I was a kid, I always dreamed of becoming a police officer. They were pressuring us to quit or to take civilian jobs instead, but I was not bowing down,” said the officer, who was granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. “We are all thriving now on the job. Inspector Anderson was right to question the evaluation process and all they did was waste our time and Anderson’s.”

Anderson is Black, and the fraternal organization for Black officers has long criticized the department’s hiring practices as harmful to applicants of color.

“Terrell Anderson challenged policies that continue to discriminate against and oppress officers and candidates of color as they are a direct cause for black officers being underrepresented by 7.5% in the NYPD,” NYPD Guardians Association President Patrick Gordon told City & State.

The NYPD assembled a task force to examine Candidate Assessment Division processes and personnel in the Fall of 2025, two former division employees told City & State. The NYPD did not respond when asked what the results of the task force were, if any, nor did it comment on the status of the 31 candidates returned to duty after being suspended.

The NYPD press office cited a New York State Education Law statute that they claim allows unlicensed, student psychologists to practice psychology under supervision in New York. A different state statute calls for only “fully licensed” or “board-permitted” psychologists in police psychological assessment roles. However, the NYPD seems to be moving towards more licensed psychologists.

An analysis of the Candidate Assessment Division’s personnel changes over the past year reveals that of the five new psychologists hired, four are licensed to practice psychology in New York State. Three of the five unlicensed psychologists who were students working towards their licenses have since passed their boards and become licensed psychologists with New York State’s Office of the Professions.

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Blakeman sets stage for election denialism

Rebecca C. Lewis — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 17:00:57 -0400

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman is taking another page out of President Donald Trump’s playbook and refusing to say whether he will accept the results of the November election without a caveat. That comes shortly after he said Democrats will “steal” the election in order to win.

Speaking to reporters in Penn Station on Wednesday, Blakeman said Democrats have “consistently tried to cheat” over the course of the gubernatorial race so far. He cited a since-reversed decision by the Democrat-majority Public Campaign Finance Board to deny him matching funds and being blocked from speaking at the recent Dominican Day Parade. “Do I think they’re going to try and cheat?” Blakeman said. “Yeah, but we’ll stop them.”

Trump sowed distrust in the lead up to and in the aftermath of the 2020 election, and he has continued to falsely claim he won despite overwhelming evidence and investigations disproving the widespread election fraud he claimed. Blakeman’s rhetoric now is not dissimilar.

“If the results of the elections are fair and they reflect what actually people voted for, yes,” Blakeman said when asked directly if he would accept the outcome of the election regardless of who wins. He added, “Kathy Hochul, if you try to cheat, people are going to go to jail.”

What exactly his definition of “fair” is is another question.

Asked for any additional evidence to suggest Democrats will engage or have engaged in illegal activity to sway the outcome of the election, Blakeman’s campaign reiterated the same two examples the candidate already cited.

Earlier Wednesday morning, Blakeman claimed in a Fox Business interview that Democrats would attempt to steal the gubernatorial election and engage in “dirty tricks” in response to a question about noncitizens erroneously voting in New Jersey. (The state Board of Elections said New York’s voter registration system is different from New Jersey’s, so a similar mistake could not have occurred.) Blakeman also said his campaign is investing significant money in “ballot security” and would recruit thousands of volunteers to combat any alleged malfeasance from Democrats.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s campaign blasted Blakeman’s comments in a statement. “When Bruce Blakeman says he’s running for governor to bring ‘Trump-style leadership to Albany,’ this is what he means – first campaigning with January 6th architects, now embracing Trump’s election denial lies,” Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki said. “New Yorkers see this for what it is: putting MAGA first no matter the cost.”

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Mamdani orders agencies to find 2.5% savings – again

Annie McDonough — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 16:47:08 -0400

Sooner or later, every mayor comes to the PEG. The Program to Eliminate the Gap, often criticized as an overly blunt budget tool to lower city agency spending, has nonetheless been used (to varying degrees of frequency) by a string of previous mayors to rein in city spending.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, though a vocal critic of austerity budgets, arguably arrived there earlier this year, when he instructed city agencies to find 1.5% savings in fiscal year 2026 and 2.5% in fiscal year 2027. He didn’t characterize those savings “targets” as a traditional PEG, however, saying in January that there was “a difference between pursuing savings and efficiencies and pursuing austerity.” Under Mamdani’s plan, a designated “chief savings officer” at each city agency was asked to find places to eliminate wasteful spending, an effort that resulted in $1.77 billion in savings across fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

Now, with his first budget done and his next fast approaching, Mamdani is leaning further into the approach, while also putting a fresh spin on it that the administration considers less rigid and more collaborative than traditional PEGs. On Tuesday, City Hall announced that all city agencies are being directed to find an additional 2.5% savings in fiscal years 2027 and 2028. That effort will start, City Hall said, with a “Workforce Savings and Efficiency Survey” through which employees can recommend areas for cutting waste, to be reviewed by chief savings officers. The savings will be worked into the November Plan, a regular update on the budget that arrives (unsurprisingly) in November.

“The administration’s savings exercise is a collaborative effort with our city agencies to do the painstaking work of identifying efficiencies and opportunities to reduce costs, while protecting the strong city services New Yorkers rely on,” press secretary Joe Calvello wrote in an email. He added that “layoffs to city agencies are not on the table” as part of the savings they’re exploring.

Call it a PEG or not, the move has elicited praise from budget watchdogs. “Launching a savings program now, early in the fiscal year, is the right thing to do,” New York City Comptroller Mark Levine wrote on X. “Kudos to the mayor for this prudent step.”

The Citizens Budget Commission, a watchdog group often urging fiscal responsibility, also heralded the savings program as a promising start to chip away at out-year budget gaps. The city has a projected $6.4 billion budget gap for fiscal year 2027, and while those gaps typically narrow in a good economy with growing tax revenues, other tools will likely be needed. “Quite frankly, the gaps are big. They’re growing,” president Andrew Rein said. “We’re going to need more savings over time, so (the mayor is) smart to start now,” he added, calling it a “good start” while saying it won’t solve next year’s budget deficit or longer-term budget problems on its own.

Former City Council Finance Chair Justin Brannan suggested there’s a difference between PEGs under previous administrations and Mamdani’s approach. “Savings that eliminate waste + improve operations & outcomes = good. Typical gun-to-your-commissioner’s-head “find us 5% savings by 5 PM” exercise that’s led to cruel cuts under previous Admins = bad. Also asking employees where the waste is? Smart,” he wrote on X.

City Council Speaker Julie Menin, at the helm of a body that typically presses for more funding for city programs and services, praised it too. “Identifying savings early is the kind of fiscally responsible planning our City needs as we prepare for a potential fiscal gap next year,” she said in a statement.“The Council has long emphasized finding efficiencies without cutting services, and I appreciate the Administration’s commitment to advancing that goal as we work together to deliver the services New Yorkers rely on.”

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With Glick retiring, what will become of PRRIA?

Kate Lisa — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 17:46:15 -0400

Lawmakers packed up and left Albany without passing the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act for the year just over a month ago, but lobbyists already have big plans to significantly amend the hotly debated bill as Assembly Member Deborah Glick, its longtime sponsor, prepares to retire.

One of the most heavily lobbied and expensive non-budget battles in recent years, PRRIA aims to reduce single-use plastics by 30% in the state over the next 12 years, and make businesses making $5 million or more create an extended producer responsibility program, under which they’d shoulder the costs of waste management rather than municipalities. Large industries and business leaders particularly take issue with the source reduction provision of the bill – the heart of the bill – that requires companies to reduce their packaging by 30%, a figure some businesses argue would be impossible to achieve, even though it was originally 50%.

Despite Glick and state Senate sponsor Pete Harckham meeting with concerned business leaders at the end of last year, Business Council of New York State Vice President Ken Pokalsky told City & State’s Heard Around Town, that provision was not axed in the amended bill this year – and ultimately never reached the Assembly floor.

“You can’t walk around with a handful of cherries and grapes coming in from the grocery store,” said Frank Nemeth, a lobbyist who represents the Business Council of New York State, which has aggressively opposed the legislation.

One lobbyist who represents major beverage companies fighting the bill said “Glick was immutable” and wouldn’t back down on the source reduction provision. But lobbyists see an opening for the bill – which has passed in the Senate the last two years – with Glick retiring at the end of the year.

“If lawmakers work with industry, I think they could get there,” Nemeth said. “It's just going to take some give and take.”

It’s unclear who Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie will select to carry the measure after Glick’s departure, or head up the chamber’s Environmental Conservation Committee.

Still, James McMahon, a lobbyist who represents the American Chemistry Council and companies like Snapple and Keurig, said getting the bill changed won’t be easy. “Some members on her side really aren’t giving up,” he said.

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An early look at the state legislative races on our radar this November

Rebecca C. Lewis — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 14:25:36 -0400

With 100 days until Election Day, all eyes are on crucial congressional races as control of the House hangs in the balance. But they’re hardly the only contests that will be on the ballot. Democrats are hoping to strengthen their numbers in the state Legislature this year, especially in the state Senate. They briefly held a veto-proof supermajority, but lost it in 2024. Now, they’re targeting a handful of Republican-held districts – including one open seat – in hopes of winning back that two-thirds majority in both chambers. With 41 members currently, Democrats only need to win back one more seat, so long as they also protect all their incumbents.

Democrats in the Assembly came close to losing their super majority a few years ago, with departures and election losses bringing them down to as few as 100 members at one point. They sit more comfortably at 103 members now, but that’s still less than Democrats’ peak 107 in 2022. While they’ll have some pick-up opportunities, Assembly Democrats also will find themselves on the defensive in some cases.

After progressive energy that propelled leftwing candidates to victory in June, here are some of the big races to watch in November.

STATE SENATE

District 7

On Long Island, Republican state Sen. Jack Martins decided against seeking reelection for his historically swingy seat, which consistently switched hands for more than a decade. Republicans tapped Assembly Member Jake Blumencranz to run for the seat, while former New York City Council Member Rory Lancman is running on the Democratic line. Both have put up impressive fundraising numbers, and neither faced primaries, so the contest promises to be incredibly competitive as Republicans attempt to hold on to the seat in a year conventional wisdom suggests will be a strong one for Democrats. Lancman has over $571,000 in the bank as of mid-July, while Blumencranz has about $208,000 on hand.

District 38

This isn’t the first time that Democrats are targeting Republican state Sen. Bill Weber in the Hudson Valley. Weber flipped the seat in 2022, winning over then-state Sen. Elijah Reichlin-Melnick. The pair have faced off multiple times to represent the district, first in 2020 when Reichlin-Melnick won the open position, and again in 2024 when Weber defended his seat. But Democrats have a new candidate this year in Joe Rand. And unlike last cycle, there is no spoiler candidate running on the Working Families Party line after a “ballot line hijacking” incident. Rand edges out Weber in finances as of mid-July with $348,000 on hand – though Weber isn’t far behind with $330,000.

District 39

Also in the Hudson Valley, Republican state Sen. Rob Rolison currently represents a district created in 2022 as part of redistricting. By most metrics, the seat should have been a potential Democratic pickup, but the moderate Rolison, the former mayor of Poughkeepsie, has managed to win it twice now. His 2024 election was fairly close, though, as he edged out Democrat Yvette Valdés-Smith by about 1.4 percentage points. This year, Democrats have Dutchess County Legislator Lisa Kaul running to unseat Rolison after she won her primary in June. She has $37,000 on hand as of mid-July following that primary, far more than the $8,800 Rolison has heading into the general election cycle.

District 43

In the Capital Region, Democrats are hoping to unseat Republican state Sen. Jake Ashby. Though the district is traditionally Republican and Ashby won his last reelection by a comfortable margin, Democrats are supporting state historian Devin Lander in their attempt to take advantage of a favorable midterm year to win the seat. Heading into the general election cycle, the two candidates have comparable warchests. Ashby had about $176,000 in the bank as of mid-July, while Lander had $202,000 on hand.

District 44

Democrats are taking aim at Republican state Sen. Jim Tedisco this year, though it’s another contest where the odds are less favorable than in other districts they’re trying to flip. Tedisco handily won his 2024 election to continue representing his Capitol Region district. But that’s not stopping Democrats, who are backing immigration attorney Sarah Rogerson to take him on. As first reported in City & State’s Heard Around Town, the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee even paid for an opposition website about Tedisco that highlighted campaign contributions he has received from utility companies. The incumbent heads into the general election on more solid financial footing with $120,000 on hand as of mid-July, while Rogerson has a little under $58,000.

ASSEMBLY

District 16

Republican Daniel Norber flipped his Long Island district for the first time in decades two years ago. But after just one term in the Legislature, he’s calling it quits and leaving the seat open and providing Democrats an opportunity to win it back. Their candidate is Kim Keiserman, who previously ran an unsuccessful state Senate campaign against Martins in 2024.Republicans are running David Hassid, a recent college grad working for the town of North Hempstead. Keiserman has about $94,000 on hand as of mid-July, far outpacing the less than $3,000 Hassid had in the bank.

District 21

Democratic Assembly Member Judy Griffin will be on the defensive again this year after a series of back-and-forth election results have so far prevented her from holding more than two consecutive terms in the chamber. First elected in 2018 when she unseated former Assembly Member Brian Curran, she lost the Long Island seat to Curran again in 2022 before flipping it a second time two years ago. Curran is not running again this year, with attorney Irene Villacci instead running on the Republican line this year. Griffin had nearly $99,000 on hand as of mid-July, more than the roughly $21,000 Villacci has heading in the general election cycle.

District 23

Democratic Assembly Member Stacey Pheffer-Amato’s last few reelections were tough battles with her eking out wins by narrow margins. And now she’s retiring, leaving the Queens seat Republicans have come close to winning twice now wide open. Republican Tom Sullivan is trying his hand for a third time after his near-misses at unseating Pheffer-Amato in 2022 and 2024. He’ll face off against Democrat Pesach Osina, who previously ran for New York City Council in 2021. But a complicating factor is fellow Democrat Mike Scala, who lost the June primary to Osina may still appear on the ballot on a third-party line. Sullivan had about $46,000 in his campaign account as of mid-July, Osina had roughly 25,000 and Scala had $920.

District 46

Brooklyn is in for a rematch between Republican Assembly Member Alec Brook-Krasny and Democrat Chris McCreight. The pair last faced off in 2024, when McCreight gave Brook-Krasny a run for his money and the incumbent won in a tight race. Brook-Krasny had over $171,000 on hand as of mid-July, while McCreight had about $123,000.

District 97

Democratic Assembly Member Aaron Wieder won back the Hudson Valley seat for his party in 2024 for the first time since now-Rep. Mike Lawler flipped it in 2020. Lawler was replaced in 2022 by fellow Republican former Assembly Member John McGowan, whom Wieder bested two years ago. Before Lawler, the district had been pretty safely Democratic, so in theory the odds are in Wieder’s favor to win a second term. He won handily in 2024, thanks in part to a Conservative Party candidate that siphoned votes from McGowan. This year, Wieder will face Republican construction union leader Rob Bonomolo. But once again, the Conservative Party line went to someone else, with some accusing primary winner Abraham Klein of being a Democratic plant to split the right-wing vote. Bonomolo has about $21,000 in his campaign account as of mid-July, not too much less than Wieder’s $36,000. Klein has no associated campaign committee, and filed a claim of exemption for filing campaign finance disclosures. Filing the exemption means that Klein attested to the fact he would not spend or raise – and has not spent or raised – more than $50 for the race.

District 107

In another rematch, Republican Scott Bendett is set to run against Democrat Chloe Pierce for a second cycle in a row in the Capital Region. Although Bendett won decisively in 2024, Pierce gave him a competitive fight. This time around, Democrats united early behind Pierce, allowing her to avoid a costly and involved primary. She had an impressive $169,000 in her warchest as of mid-July, putting her on stronger footing than Bendett, who had $99,000.

District 143

Two years ago, Republican Assembly Member Patrick Chludzinski bested Democratic former Assembly Member Monica Wallace in Western New York. The seat has alternated between the two parties in recent years, so Chludzinski’s reelection after his first term is not a given. He’ll face off against Democrat Ryan Taughrin in November. Chludzinski enters the general election cycle with $196,000 in cash on hand as of mid-July, while Taughrin trailed him with $73,000.

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When the state Capitol’s empty, what do lobbyists do?

Kate Lisa — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 05:00:00 -0400

If the couches in the state Senate lobby could talk – their stately, dark green upholstery and all, they’d speak of nearly a century and a half of influential whispers. Every year, from January through mid-June, they are the literal seats at the table as lobbyists, lawmakers and advocates vie for eye contact or a chat with stakeholders.

But as quickly as the couches teem with the state’s most powerful lawmakers and their staffers, they just as soon vanish from the People’s House and sit vacant for the remaining six months of the year – save for the occasional security guard or group of visitors.

For lobbyists, Albany slows down in the summer compared to New York City. “With state clients, things maybe get a little quieter in the summertime,” said Zack Fink, director of external affairs in the government relations practice at Davidoff Hutcher & Citron. “For city clients, it doesn’t get quiet, ever.”

Yet long gone are the days where Albany lobbyists could check out for the summer months and resurface in September to connect with clients and revisit policy items.

“Now, you really can’t disappear because you’ve got so many moving parts,” said James McMahon, a lobbyist of more than 30 years and a partner at the Albany-based firm Elk Street Group. “If you disappear for a long time, then it’s hard to get back into it.”

Things have changed in the past few decades. On top of technological advancements and the emergence of the 24-hour news cycle, former Gov. David Paterson’s insertion of substantive policy items into the state’s annual spending document fundamentally changed the state budget process, injecting a different energy into state politics.

And the competition for lawmakers’ attention is only growing. Special interest groups spent a record $384.8 million on lobbying in the state last year, according to the state Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government’s annual report.

Taken together, that means the action in Albany doesn’t totally grind to a halt when lawmakers head home at the end of the session.

Though away from the stress of the state Capitol, the summer leaves plenty of room for relationship-building – and with that, the first discussions of the following year’s budget.

Fink said the summer months are the perfect opportunity for lobbyists and lawmakers to see the work of a community center or nonprofit asking for more money the following year. And Frank Nemeth, partner at Hill, Gosdeck, McGraw & Nemeth in Albany, fills his summer calendar with fundraisers and golf outings. “When I’m at a fundraiser, I don’t talk to them about legislation or government,” he told City & State. “Basically, I’ll talk to them about their district, ‘What’s happening out there? … How’s your campaign going?’ Things like that. I stay away from legislation.”

Even as some try to avoid the shop talk, summer conferences and golf tournaments are not just junkets. They serve as a critical step where the next cycle’s laws are born. Nemeth said he has seen the events yield ideas for model bills that lawmakers bring back to staffers or legislative leaders. “I don’t want to call it a breeding ground, but it’s definitely a think tank for issues and ideas,” he said.

While lobbying has its summer perks, it also has its sorrows. The state’s primary races take place at the end of June, meaning the last day of the session about two weeks earlier can mark the last time that lobbyists and lawmakers may work together. Mourning the loss of lawmakers who lose their primaries or are retiring is never easy.

“People vanish with impunity in Albany,” McMahon said. “Because of the retirements or people losing their primaries, it’s brutal because it’s kind of like they do vanish. It’s not like they’re dying, but it’s brutal how people just come and go through the process.”

Those departures also mean lobbyists need to build new relationships as legislation meaningful to their clients gets picked up by new lawmakers. And ultimately, that’s part of the job. “What lobbyists do, we’re Sherpas – we try to get the people to the mountain, right where they want to go,” McMahon said.

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Partisan rift deepens over NY immigration law

Kate Lisa — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 17:06:25 -0400

As state leaders took the first step to force local police to comply with a new law banning them from working with federal immigration officials, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman blasted the policy with the family of an 18-year-old from Yorktown who was killed in Chicago by an undocumented man earlier this year.

Blakeman on Friday stood with the parents of Sheridan Gorman, a Loyola University Chicago freshman who died in March. “Stop normalizing what happened to Sheridan Gorman – it’s not normal,” Blakeman said at the campaign event in Yorktown, in Westchester County. “When I become governor, the first executive order I will sign on day one is: New York state is no longer a sanctuary state.”

Blakeman, who is also the Nassau County executive, and Gorman’s family were additionally joined by Rep. Mike Lawler, who’s facing one of the nation’s toughest reelection bids in the battleground 17th Congressional District. Both were moved to tears by Gorman’s parents.

“Elections decide whether laws are enforced, whether police are empowered and whether families like ours are protected, or whether they’re left to bury the consequences,” Jessica Gorman said.

At almost the same time, state Attorney General Letitia James’ office sent letters to 12 local law enforcement agencies that have formal partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement known as a 287(g) agreement. Agencies included the Nassau County Police Department and the Madison County Sheriff's Department, led by Blakemans’ running mate Todd Hood. The agreements can include sharing information, deputizing local police officers to enforce civil immigration law or using local jails for immigration enforcement. A new law expanding protections for immigrants will require all 12 agencies to end their partnerships with ICE by Aug. 25.

All 12 agencies must respond to the letter about the status of their agreement by Aug. 14.

The new law has stirred controversy and drawn the attention of the federal government. The U.S. Department of Justice sued Hochul and James over the policy last month. State officials filed a counter federal suit as a defensive mechanism, asking the court to uphold the legislative package as a defensive measure on the same day.

Blakeman said he has spoken with other county officials who have similar agreements, and they’re exploring their separate legal options to react to the legislation. He added he has not taken action to change his county’s 287(g) agreement to date. “The lawyers for our police department and sheriff’s department are reviewing the law and the attorney general’s letter, and we will have a written response by Aug. 14,” Blakeman told City & State in a statement after the Yorktown event.

Immigration policies at both the state and federal level remain at the forefront of the gubernatorial race and high-stakes midterm elections – especially as Republicans vie to maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

“If you don’t want ICE to be a necessity, if you don’t want ICE to be surging in your communities, it’s very simple: Seal the border and cooperate when it comes to criminal aliens,” Lawler said. “Then you really won’t have any of these issues.”

Hochul’s office argued that the new immigration law, called the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, bars local police from entering into 287(g) agreements, but does not prohibit the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, nor local jails, from coordinating with ICE in criminal matters. If New York’s new policy had been in effect in Illinois, it would not have affected the jail's ability to turn over a detainee to ICE in the case of Sheridan Gorman, according to Hochul’s office.

"The murder of Sheridan Gorman is a tragedy, and if found guilty the man responsible should serve the maximum sentence and then be deported,” a spokesperson with Hochul’s office said in a statement. “But the way we keep New Yorkers safe is by focusing our local law enforcement on actual criminals, not assisting in ICE operations that harass innocent people and split apart families.”

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Federal employees say they’ll quit if they have to move to New Jersey

Fariha Rahman — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 17:46:47 -0400

What brings Democratic congressional nominee Brad Lander, Republican Rep. Mike Lawler and the majority of New York’s downstate congressional delegation together? A niche labor protest over the Trump administration’s attempt to move federal workers out of New York City.

The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 98, representing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ New York District and North Atlantic Division employees, rallied outside 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan on Thursday, protesting the proposed relocation of their offices to New Jersey. New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Lander were among those who joined in person, while Mayor Zohran Mamdani sent a statement in support, calling on the federal government to keep the employees in New York. Members of both the Democratic and Republican New York congressional delegations have sent letters to the Trump administration urging them to reconsider the move.

Employees say they were not consulted on the decision to move offices out of New York City. The plan would move approximately 465 employees from the New York District office in Manhattan and the North Atlantic Division office in Brooklyn to a new proposed headquarters – likely in Newark, Hoboken or Jersey City – in an effort they say is aimed at reducing costs.

Critics of the planned move say it’s unfair and expressed concerns about depleting the workforce. When surveyed by the union, 45% of New York-based employees said they would leave their position if the office was relocated to New Jersey. Union members also claimed that this move would disproportionately impact women employees.

“We know that this issue disproportionately is affecting women when you talk about the additional costs that the workers would have to face,” Menin said Thursday. “We’re talking about childcare costs. We’re talking about extra transit costs. We have a situation where both Democrats and Republicans in Congress are opposed to this move.”

A lease for the new headquarters has not been signed yet according to Daniel Kim, president of IFPTE Local 98. An initial planned move for management into the new office is scheduled for Aug. 15 but the lease must be signed by July 31 to meet a 14-day requirement in accordance with the Congressional Review Act.

In a statement to City & State, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed that no lease has been signed yet. “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has an ongoing responsibility to review its facilities and operational footprint to ensure the effective stewardship of taxpayer money,” said spokesperson Hector Mosley. He added they are “committed to ensuring there will be no impact on mission execution.”

Lander blamed President Donald Trump, claiming the move is aimed not at saving money but at weakening the Army Corps of Engineers.

“Their thought is that if they move it across the river, many people won’t stay in their jobs because they can’t manage a life of longer commuting, and they think some people will leave the agency,” he said. “Since they started with (the Department of Governmental Efficiency) they have been looking for a weaker, smaller federal government where they try to bust the labor unions, where they try to weaken the capacity of the essential services that Americans rely on, and we’ve seen that in agency after agency.”

A White House spokesperson referred City & State back to the Army Corps of Engineers when asked about Lander’s comments.

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Blakeman reports extra $1.6 million raised in amended campaign filing

Rebecca C. Lewis — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 16:44:09 -0400

A week after his July campaign finance report showed him millions of dollars short of what he’d initially claimed to raise, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman has finally filed a promised amended report that makes up the difference.

Blakeman’s campaign told the New York Post on July 13 that he’d raised $11 million since launching in December to unseat Gov. Kathy Hochul. But when the campaign actually filed his July periodic report with the Board of Elections on July 15, City & State reported that he fell at least $3 million short of that total.

The amended filing, posted on the state Board of Elections site Wednesday, reflects an additional $1.6 million in contributions the campaign did not previously report . Blakeman originally recorded roughly $3 million donated to his campaign between March and July. Now, his campaign says he received over $4.6 million from donors.

Previously unreported donors include data rights whistleblower Brittany Kaiser and Charles F. Dolan (presumably billionaire James Dolan’s son, since his father Charles F. Dolan died in 2024), who each gave $18,000 to the campaign, and the Transit Supervisors Organization PAC, which gave $9,000. Blakeman will need to return half of the larger donations since he didn’t face a primary. An initial review of the amended filing showed at least two dozen donations over the $9,000 general election limit.

The new filing also includes an additional $1.2 million in public matching funds, which Blakeman’s campaign said would be reflected in a fixed report, after City & State inquired about the discrepancy last week. But his campaign did not indicate there would be an additional $1.6 million in previously unreported contributions – despite standing by the $11 million figure and promising an amended report “shortly.”

The amended report additionally reflects an extra $1.4 million in expenditures made by the campaign. Blakeman initially reported $1.8 million in spending between March and July, while the new version reports over $3.2 million spent during that time.

All told, Board of Elections records show that Blakeman has brought in about $11.4 million since he launched his campaign seven months ago, tracking with the claim made last week.

Asked about the significant differences between the original and amended reports, as well as the seven-day period it took to file the new version, Blakeman spokesperson Madison Spanodemos blamed tech issues at the state Board of Elections.

“Kathy Hochul's illegal attempt to block Bruce Blakeman from receiving public matching funds created reporting complications that have been corrected, along with other issues caused by the state's antiquated campaign finance reporting system,” Spanodemos said, referencing a Public Campaign Finance Board decision to refuse Blakeman matching funds citing paperwork errors. Hochul denied influencing the decision, but Blakeman ended up getting paid out after he sued the board and won.

“Blakeman for New York filed amended reports to accurately reflect the millions more collected to support Blakeman’s campaign, which has raised more than $11 million to fire Kathy Hochul,” Spanodemos added.

Spanodemos did not respond to a follow up question for additional clarity about specific “issues” the campaign encountered that led to multi-million dollar discrepancies between the original and amended reports.

A spokesperson for the state Board of Elections said Blakeman’s campaign treasurer reached out on July 16, one day after the filing deadline when the campaign submitted the original report, to say he had encountered some technical issues. This did not prevent the campaign from getting the original report submitted in a timely fashion, and the spokesperson said she is not aware of any technical problems with the reporting system.

Blakeman’s campaign also filed an amended March report on Wednesday as well. Initially, he recorded a closing balance of $1.6 million after receiving $284,000 in contributions. That was at odds with the $2.2 million opening balance recorded in both the original and amended July reports. The new March report now reflects a $2.2 closing balance for the period with $868,000 in contributions.

This isn’t the first time that Blakeman’s campaign has amended campaign finance reports that resulted in some significant changes between the versions. His very first filing in January has four versions, three of which were posted on the filing deadline of Jan. 15. The original closed the period with $1.6 million on hand. That dropped to $1.1 million in the first amended filing, before settling on $1.2 million in the third and fourth amendments.

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Who’s who in Zohran Mamdani’s administration?

City & State — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 17:57:42 -0400

As soon as a New York City mayoral candidate wins election – and in most cases for several months before – the city’s political class and media corps eagerly anticipate news of who he will hire to actually carry out his vision.

That fervor has been especially strong for this mayor. Zohran Mamdani pulled off a stunning victory to rise from two-and-a-half-term Assembly member to mayor. But his youth (a young millennial at 34 years old) and scant management experience have attracted particular attention to the balance of old hands and newcomers that will fill his administration, as well as their diversity along the ideological spectrum.

Keep up with Mamdani’s hires and appointments below, as of July 31, 2026.

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