** Things To Do This Weekend in NYC & Boros

Friday the 13th, Many Martin Luther King Day Weekend Events, Winter Jazz Festival & the January Arts Festival continue, Closing Reception, Play about Patriarchal Power & Skating

January 13, 2023 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

NYC Weather. The temperature highs will be in the high 50's on Friday, the high 30's on Saturday and the mid 40's on Sunday and Monday. The temperature lows will be in the low to mid 30's all weekend. No precipitation is in the forecast. The humidity will be in the 60% range on Friday, the 50% range on Saturday, the 40% range on Sunday and Monday. The winds will be 12 - 17 mph on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, dropping to 5 - 10 mph on Monday.

The photo at right was taken a week ago at City Hall, where Mayor Adams opened himself up to a wide range of questions from the local press. This week the Mayor released the Preliminary Budget for NYC for 2024.

Link coming at a later date.

NYS Primary This Month & NYC / NYS Politics

NYS Primaries are June 28th - Except for U.S. Congressional & NYS Senate Races

June 14, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC. 

The NYS primary election is June 28th.  On the ballot are the following races: U.S. Senate, Governor, Other state executives, State Assembly, Special state legislative, School boards, Municipal government and Ballot measures.

Click on the image above to access the poll finder website, so you can easily find where to vote in your neighborhood.  Remember this is the land of the free and the home of the brave and many of our ancestors died for our right to vote, as the Ukrainians appear to be doing now.  So try to be brave, and also be careful in who you choose to represent you. There's still time to do some researchs on candidates on the web.  

Early Voting - June 18 - 26, 2022

Early voting began on Saturday, June 18th and runs through Sunday, June 26th, 2022. Two days later is election day, when you can find your poll site by clicking on the graphic above. For those who wish to find an early voting poll site use this link, which not only shows the sites, but also the wait times.

Early Voting NYC

The New York City election is Tuesday June 28th and polls are open from 6 am - 9 pm.

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Things To Do This Weekend in NYC - Halloween is Over & the Holidays have Begun

NYC Marathon & Daylight Savings Time [2 am] Sunday, Holiday Ice Skating has Begun, coming Soon Big Apple Circus Returns to Lincoln Center 11/11 & Holiday Markets are beginning to Open

November 5, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Weather. The temperature highs will be in the mid 50's all weekend, while the temperature lows will be around 40 all weekend. No rain is in the forecast. The humidity will rise from 40% - 60% on Friday to 50% - 60% the rest of the weekend. Winds will be around 5 mph. All in all a great NYC Marathon Weekend.

Daylight Savings Time. At 2 am Sunday we 'fall back' to 1 am as we make the switch to Daylight Savings Time. So remember Saturday night to make the switch, and enjoy the extra hour of the weekend.

Election Referendum Results in NYC

There were five referendums on the ballot Tuesday. They seemed to get little attention from the mainstream media. Here are the results.

The 1st Referendum was to change the way redistricting is done. This was voted down 1.5 million or 56% voting no, and 1.2 million or 44% voting yes.

The 2nd Referendum was whether citizens should be guaranteed the right to clean air and water. This was approved by 69% or 1.9 million voters, while 31% or .9 million voters didn't think we should have that right.

The 3rd Referendum was to do away with the 10 day advance voter registration period, enabling voters to register at the polls, the day of the election. About 1.6 million voters or 56% approved this, while 1.2 million voters or 44% didn't think it should be changed.

The 4th Referendum proposed doing away with the requirement that voters must attest to not being able to vote locally in order to qualify for an absentee ballot. About 1.7 million or 57% of voters wanted to keep this requirement in place, while 1.2 million or 43% of voters were ready to do away with that requirement.

The 5th Referendum proposed increasing the jurisdiction of the New York Civil Court to cases valued at up to $50,000, versus the current limitation of $25,000. About 1.7 million voters or 63% voted in favor of the change, while 1 million or 37% voted against the change.

The NYC Marathon Celebrates its 50th Year Following a Hiatus in 2020

The biggest event of the weekend is the NYC Marathon on Sunday. The race runs through all five boroughs, and for those driving that day, there will be numerous road closures as is normally the case.

Fewer runners will participate in order to keep the race socially distanced as CoVid is still traveling among us. About 27,000 are expected to compete in the race.

LINK - Click link to go to page with larger rendition of the map shown at right.

Here are some links [to copy and paste in your browser] of prior years coverage, showing the best places to view the NYC Marathon, as well as video and some other highlights from prior years.

Generally, the start and end times, and the NYC Marathon course, have not changed much in recent years, so the guidance contained in these prior reports is probably still pretty solid today. The Queens link is the most complete as it is the original site.

NYC Marathon 2019

NYC Marathon Queens 2008 - 2013

NYC Marathon Brooklyn 2019

NYC Marathon Manhattan 2017

NYC Marathon Bronx 2018 on Video

And still working on Staten Island.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report on the NYC Marathon Weekend, including the NYC municipal election referendum results, and an update on the Biden Administration's progress in clearing up the supply chain bottlenecks.

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Eric Adams Wins in Landslide Defeating Sliwa by More than 2:1

Republican Voter Turnout Was Strong on Long Island, but not in NYC

November 3, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Politics & Government / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Moderate Democrat Eric Adams sailed to victory Tuesday to become NYC's second African American Mayor. Democrat David Dinkins was the first. With 78% of the precincts reporting Adams won 676,481 votes to Sliwa's 293,127.

Democrat Jumaane Williams was re-elected Public Advocate, garnering 598,810 votes which was nearly 69% of the total, with 93% of the scanners reporting.

Progressive Democrat Brad Lander won the NYC Comptroller position, winning 604,000 of the votes, or 70% of the vote with 93% of the scanners counted.

And Democrat Alvin Bragg won the Manhattan District Attorney office, garnering 183,000 votes or 83% of the total.

Four of the five Borough Presidencies were won by Democrats. In Manhattan Mark Levine handily won the borough presidency with 181,000 votes or 85% of the total, with 93% of scanners counted. In Queens Donovan Richards handily won re-election, winning 160,000 votes or 66% of the total, with 79% of the precincts reporting. In Brooklyn Antonio Reynoso also won handily, winning 217,000 votes or 73% of the total, with 78% of the precincts reporting. In the Bronx Vanessa Gibson took in 80,000 votes which was 80% of the total, with 72% of the precincts reporting.

And on Staten Island, the only Republican to win a Borough Presidency, Vito Fossella, won 60,000 votes or 60% of the total, with 87% of the precincts reporting.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report on the election results of NYC and surrounding area municipal areas in November 2021, including Eric Adams landslide victory vs Curtis Sliwa.

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NYC Municipal Elections Tuesday

Early Voting Ended Sunday 10.31.21 / Click on Image to Find Your Poll Site

November 1, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Politics & Government / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Well, election day have nearly arrived. In this election you'll be voting for those who will allocate the $90 billion annual NYC municipal budget, for those who legislate the local statutes in our communties, and who will play a major role in leading the narratives about life in NYC.

On the ballot Tuesday, are the candidates for the following offices: Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller, Borough President and City Council. In addition to voting for candidates for these offices, there are five ballot initiatives.

NYC Ballot Initiatives 2021

Question #1. The Redistricting Process. This proposal contains a number of provisions modifying the redistricting process. The redistricting process is done every decade based on U.S. Census numbers to create voting districts. In the proposal is a freeze on the number of Senators, including incarcerated prisoners using their pre-incarceration home address and including all people regardless of their citizenship status in the districting process. It also changes how new districts are approved and subsquent schedule for certification and implementation.

My vote will be No. Too many initiatives stuffed into one package. Give us an option to vote on each initiative.

Question #2. The Right to Clean Air, Clean Water and a Healthful Environment. This proposal would grant citizens a right to clean air, water and a healthful environment by adding it to the NYS Bill of Rights.

My vote will be Yes. Seems reasonable.

Question #3. Same Day Voter Registration. Currently voters must register to vote ten days in advance of election day. This proposal wants to eliminate that ten day screening period. As this is a municipal ballot initiative, it wouldn't be binding, but rather as a rallying cry to change the law to enable more time for voters to register in future elections.

My vote will be No. Time should be allotted to verify voters registrations in advance of the election, otherwise election day and the thereafter could become an even more royal mess.

Question #4. No Excuse Absentee Voting. Currently one can only file for an absentee ballot if they expect to be out of town on election day. This proposal recommends that voters be allowed to vote via mail regardless of whether they expect to be in town or not on election day. As this is a municipal ballot initiative, it wouldn't be binding, but rather as a rallying cry to change the law to enable voting by mail in future elections.

My vote will be Yes. There's no reason why older people and folks with severe time constraints shouldn't be permitted to vote from the privacy of their home and mail in the ballot in advance of election day.

Question #5. Jurisdiction of the New York City Civil Court. The proposal wants to increase the jurisdiction of the NYC Civil Court to address claims of up to $50,000 versus the current limit of $25,000. Currently claims over $25,000 are heard by the NYS Civil Court. The impetus behind this proposal is to address the backlog of cases, which has grown since the pandemic.

My vote will be Yes. Seems reasonable.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report on the upcoming NYC municipal elections November 2021.

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NYC Recent News Roundup

Homecoming Concert Rained Out Halfway Thru, Cuomo to Step Down Tuesday, a Few NYC Census Highlights, NYC Vaccine Policy vis a vis Schools & Businesses, NYC Public Library Update & Biden vs the Distorted Narratives Coming from Murdoch's War Mongering Fox News, Wall St Journal, NY Post & Increasingly ABC News

August 23, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Weather. The temperture highs will be in the low 90's on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and possibly Friday, before falling into the low 80's / high 70's in the following weeks. The temperature lows will be in the high 70's during the week, before falling into the low 70's by the weekend. The Monday rain will end about 4 pm and the rest of the week should be dry. The humidity will be about 80% Monday, falling to about 65% for the rest of the week. Winds will be 5 - 8 mph all week.

Central Park Homecoming Concert Rained Out

Prior to Saturday, the weather forecast indicated that the heavy rains would come late Saturday night / early Sunday morning. But alas, that was not meant to be. Instead the rain came several hours early, stopping the Central Park Homecoming concert around 7.30 pm - about two and a half hours after the concert had started.

The rain broke several records, including the most rain in a single hour [nearly two inches] and the most rain in Central Park in a single day [about four inches]. The planet has been breaking a number of weather records this year including the most or almost most fires in the western part of the nation, the first recorded rainfall in northern Greenland, the hottest day on record in Europe [Sicily], one of the great glacial ice shelves collapsed, there's been flooding in Europe and China, and great forest fires in Siberia. Climate change?

• CLICK here for the NYC News Update for August 2021.

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A Look Back at the NYC Municipal Primary Election Results of 2021

Females Won Big, But Because of Ranked Choice Voting, the Results Trickled in Over the Past Month, & Real Assessments of the Changed Landscape have yet to Follow

August 3, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Government & Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

The June 22nd election primary for NYC municipal offices has long passed, but a solid look at the overall results of the election has not yet followed. What I will attempt to do today, is to offer provide a top down summary of the results, along with some interpretation of what this means going forward.

Women Won Big in the New York City Council Democratic Primaries

One of the biggest changes to municipal government likely to occur following the November election is that the NYC Council will move from less than a third women, to over half women for the first time in NYC history. This assumes most or all of the Democrats win their seats in the general election. This usually happens in a heavily blue state like New York, just as Republican primary winners in Alabama become the likely winners of the general election in that heavily red state. Somewhere between 29 and 31 of the Democratic primary winners in the NYC Council races were women out of a 51 member municipal legislative body.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report about the NYC Municipal Democratic Primary Election results of June 2021.

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Comptroller, Borough Presidents, Public Advocate, Manhattan DA & NYC Mayoral Races - Analysis

Early Voting Has Started, Update on Controllers Race, Queens & Manhattan Borough Presidents & the NYC Mayoral Contest

June 14, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Well, this election certainly snuck up on us. It's hard to believe that early voting began on Saturday, June 12, 2021 and continues through June 20th. Election day follows a couple of days later on Tuesday, June 22nd - only a week away.

Please be advised that these are not endorsements, per se, just an opinion based on an analysis of the best information I have at this time.

NYC Municipal Election Primaries Underway - Early Voting has Begun

This is an important election, where most of the key municipal offices are up for grabs, and many of the key incumbents have been term limited. There's the Mayor's race, of course, which I'll get to in a minute. And also the Comptroller, the Public Defender, all of the Borough Presidents, and all members of the City Council.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report on the NYC Democratic Primary Election begins early voting & ranked choice voting June 2021.

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NYC Mayoral Debate Review

In the Debate, McGuire Moved up a bit, Donovan Moved Down & ...

June 7, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Weather. Some small amounts of rain are expected on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday - but at a below 50% probability - except Wednesday early afternoon. The temperature highs will be in the mid 80's on Tuesday and Wednesday, dropping to the mid 70's on Thursday and the mid 60's on Friday. The temperature lows will go from about 70 on Tuesday and Wednesday to about 60 on Thursday and Friday. The winds will be between 3 - 10 mph, being calmer in the first couple of days, and a bit more windy toward the end of the week. The humidity will be between 70% and 90% through the week.

The First Live NYC Mayoral Debate was Wednesday June 2nd

It was nice to see all of the major candidates on the same stage talking the issues, as for the first time the debate was live. I went in with Garcia, Morales and Yang near the top of my list; with Adams, Stringer and McGuire at the bottom; and the other two - Donovan and Wiley - in the middle.

I came out of the debate a bit less certain of Garcia, more convinced by Garcia and unchanged on Yang. Wiley stayed in the middle, probably dropping a notch, as she triggered concerns that she may be trying to do too much, too quickly, and thus may fail. Based on what I've seen over the years, you can't lead from the fringer.

Shaun Donovan shot down into the middle of my bottom tier, where Stringer championed the bottom slot. McGuire moved up to the top of the bottom tier, while Adams moved up into the middle tier, pulling neck and neck with Wiley. I'll show you a before / after graphic later this week.

So why the changes?

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report on the NYC Democratic Primary Mayoral Debate June 2021.

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NYC Mayoral Race - Kathryn Garcia

Garcia has Emerged as One of the Two Leading Females, with Momentum in an Evolving & Very Undecided NYC Mayoral Race

May 24, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods /NYC Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Weather. The temperature highs will rise into the mid 70's on Tuesday, mid to high 80's on Wednesday and Thursday, and then drop into the 60's for the Memorial Day Weekend. The temperature lows will be in the mid 60's on Tuesday and Wednesday, dropping into the mid to high 50's the rest of the week, including the Memorial Day Weekend. There's a 50% chance of about a third of an inch of rain Wednesday and 65% chance of about three quarters of an inch of rain on Friday, but otherwise it should be clear sailing ahead for the entire week and weekend. Humidity is 50% - 70% on Tuesday and Wednesday, falling into the mid 40% range on Thursday, and climbing back to the 70% range on Friday. Humidity will be in the 40% - 50% range through the weekend. Winds will be 5 - 10 mph except on Saturday.

Will Kathryn Garcia Break Some Glass & Kick Some A_s?

If the ads shown by the NYC Mayoral candidates were a proxy for what we're gonna get, then - by a long shot - I would have to go with Kathryn Garcia.

Most of the ads run by NYC's mayoral candidates smell like the same warmed over hash we've been watching for decades. Scott Stringer's ads tell us that he's a family man like one of us. Eric Adams tells us he'll be tough and fair like he was a a policeman. Andrew Yang, who broke through the noise for a brief period in the Democratic presidential primary, also seems to pursue the theme that he's one of us. It's worth noting that part of Yang's breakthrough in the Democratic candidate national field was due in part to the fact that he was reportedly the first Asian American to run for president on the Democratic ticket [Bobby Jindahl ran as a Republican before him]. Maya Wiley is running ads that tell us she's a Mom [one of us] who will fight for our kids.

And then there's Kathryn Garcia's ad.

What it tells us about her. Cut the crap. Short and not so sweet. A touch of underlying humor. Connecting to the modern era of comic book heroes, or maybe even Austin Powers, breaking out of a fire cabinet that looks a lot like a superman / superwoman phone booth. Not so vaguely blasting the historical gender bias, that looks like a glass ceiling, in the two centuries old NYC Mayoral Office.

It's a ten second commercial that's fully loaded. It says a lot about her. Creative, unabashedly female but with the swagger of a man, and a terribly efficient well messaged commercial because her campaign is only funded at what I would call the second tier of candidates. But with nearly a quarter of voters still undecided, and perhaps even some of the decideds trying to make up their mind, Garcia's chances of becoming the next NYC Mayor seem to grow daily.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report on Kathryn Garcia and her career in NYC government.

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How Would a Mayor Eric Adams Govern?

He Seems to Favor Charter Schools & They Seem to Favor Him, He's Pulled in the Most Real Estate Cash & He has Indicated He'll Reverse Course a bit on Police Reform

Included in this Report is a Look at the Impact of Gun Sales on NYC Violent Crime

May 17, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Eric Adams isn't Scott Stringer

We recently did a report showing how Scott Stringer has repeatedly appeared to have traded the community interest for his personal interest and career ambitions.

In that report we showed how Stringer takes big public stands, on what I would call generic Democratic issues over which he has little influence, such as gender equality, race and climate change. And yet on issues over which he has considerable influence that significantly impact the local communities, neighborhoods and unions - like real estate developments, local education, public libraries and the pension fund investments - he has taken big public stands in one direction, while appearing to do just the opposite with his actions.

In that report I also noted how Stringer seems opportunistic in compromising his stances [for example in education and the public library system] in order to capitalize on what he seems to think are self enhancing career opportunities. Stringer also seems to have used the power and authority of government positions entrusted to him by the people, to aid those who fund his campaigns, possibly trading what's good for the people, in exchange for what's good for Scott Stringer.

Stringer hit my radar nearly a decade ago, while Eric Adams only hit my radar a couple of years ago. So I'm less familiar with Adams' career than Stringer's. But in doing the research, I found that Eric Adams appears to be a slow steady hand, whose positions have evolved over time ... and I would add that generally they appear to have evolved carefully.

1. Eric Adams - Public Schools & Education

Pro Charter Schools & What that Means

In my reporting I have found that FOR PROFIT Charter Schools, don't seem to solve the failing schools problem, but rather split and shift the problem burdens, while privatizing and gutting a significant portion of the public school system.

I began reporting on education during the Bloomberg era, wherein Bloomberg's Administration seemed to split public schools into two smaller entities, and then parcel out the achieving students / families via charter recruitment to the privately run for profit charters, while leaving the lower performing students / families in the care of unions and the general public. It seemed to me they didn't really solve anything, and sucked needed capital out of the public school system, putting it in the hands of the venture capitalists who were funding the for profit charter schools.

This situation appeared to me not unlike what the insurance industry had done prior to Obamacare - whereby the insurance companies recruited healthy people for health insurance, and avoided signing those who weren't healthy in order to enhance their economic performance. To me this goes against the grain of what America is all about - which is equal opportunity for all. The privatization of the public schools by the predatory for profit charters would turn the public education system into the haves and have nots.

*** It's worth noting that NON-PROFIT CHARTERS evolved for different reasons and provided a healthy challenge to the union run public education system and thus non-profit charters appear to have a more more beneficial impact than the for-profit charters.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report about Eric Adams political career and policy positions on charter schools, housing and the police / also an analysis of gun public policy failures in the U.S..

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Special Interests & Scott Stringer NYC Mayoral Candidate

NYC Mayoral Stringer Candidate Scott Stringer Frequently Appears to be an Agent for Special Interests - Except When Their Interests & His Career Ambitions Collide

May 10, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Weather. It's going to be a fairly consistent weather week with the temperature highs in the 60's and the temperature lows in the high 40's to low 50's. There's scant chance of rain [12% on Tuesday], and winds will be about 10 mph give or take. Humidity will be low all week faling from 40 - 50% today to between 30 - 40% during the middle of the week and returning to 40 - 50% by Friday.

In the photo at right are a couple of direct mail pieces that were sent by Stringer and funded, in part by NYC real estate developers. Stringer took in considerable donations from participants in the real estate industry, before declaring he wouldn't accept any more donations from them for this campaign, but he kept the funds previously donated.

The NYC Mayoral Campaign - Based on Funding & Polls it's a Two or Three Horse Race Unless Things Change Significantly as Voters Tune in - Garcia

According to the NYC Campaign Finance Board as of May 7, 2021, Eric Adams and Scott Stringer were leading in campaign contributions and with cash on hand. Eric Adams has $8.9 million and $7.9 million left to spend, while Stringer raised $8.4 million and has $7.4 million left to spend. Andrew Yang is a distant third having raised $5.9 million with $5 million left to spend, and Maya Wiley an even more distant fourth having raised $3.9 million with $2.5 million left to spend.

The second tier of candidates including Shaun Donovan [$2.2 million left to spend], Dianne Morales [$2.5 million left to spend], Kathryn Garcia [$2.7 million left to spend] may not be viable unless things dramatically change in a fairly short period of time. This assessment isn't just based on funding, but on the polls, as these candidates are running far behind the leading candidates Yang [26%], Adams [20%] and Stringer [13%], as each of them has less than 10% of the vote. Wiley has 10%, so she is very disadvantaged in both cash and polling vis a vis the two leaders.

It's worth noting that the New York Times endorsed Garcia this week. She's not getting the oodles of special interest money like the front runners, has solid track record in NYC municipal government, and she would be the first woman to become the Mayor of NYC, were she to prevail [as would Maya Wiley or Dianne Morales].

Scott Stringer Stays Focused on his Career

I started paying attention to Scott Stringer as I began the launch of Gotham Buzz / Manhattan Buzz in the summer / fall of 2013. The first reporting I did which included Scott Stringer in it, was a short brief in the late summer of 2013, when as the Manhattan Borough President Stringer gave his conditional approval of the Midtown East Rezoning Plan. As I was launching those sites, I didn't have the time to do the proper research into the planned mega real estate rezoning and development, which Stringer had publicly criticized, but which he ultimately approved.

That said, what did happen was that my 'Spidey Sense' had picked up the scent of a self-serving politician.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report about the political career and character of Scott Stringer & Special Interests.

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The NYC Mayoral Race Heats Up 2021

#1 Andrew Yang Slipping in Polls, #2 Eric Adams Holds / Moves up on Yang, Already #3 or #4 - Scott Stringer Now Accused of Sexual Harassment, Plus a Bit of News on the Four Candidates Trailing the Leaders & the Mysterious Impact of Ranked Choice Voting

May 3, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Corona Virus / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Weather. It's going to be a fairly rainy week, starting late afternoon / early Monday evening ending Tuesday morning. Tuesday looks to be cloudy, but not a lot of rain until Tuesday evening, which will last through Wednesday. Thursday looks to be winner [sunny & dry] and then Friday afternoon less rain returns. Temperature lows will be in the 50's and temperature highs in the 60's on Monday, Thursday and Friday, and in the 70's on Tuesday and Wednesday.

NYC Mayoral Primary is Tuesday, June 22nd

The NYC Mayoral Primary is only seven weeks away. So it's time for voters to begin doing their homework on the candidates in order to make an informed choice. As of the most recent poll, there are at best, about seven viable candidates for the Democratic primary. The viable candidates include Andrew Yang, Eric Adams, Scott Stringer, Maya Wiley, Raymond McGuire, Shaun Donovan, Dianne Morales and Kathryn Garcia.

While there are another five candidates who qualified for the race, they do not appear to have much popular support nor competitive financial backing. So those five, who include Art Chang, Aaron Foldenauer, Paperboy Love Prince, Joycelyn Taylor and Isaac Wright, Jr., have just received all the mention I intend to give them prior to the election.

Brief NYC Mayoral Candidate Look - See at Most Competitive Candidates including Andrew Yang, Eric Adams, Scott Stringer, Maya Wiley, Raymond McGuire, Shaun Donovan, Dianne Morales and Kathryn Garcia

With More Depth to Come Prior to the Primary / Decision Day

I. Andrew Yang has been polling as the leading candidate for the longest time, but his support appears to be fading as voters become more familiar with him as well as the other candidates. What likely drove Yang's early poll numbers was his high name recognition at the beginning of the race. Yang had gained name recognition by virtue of his failed run for president in 2020.

It's worth noting that Yang has not held publicly elected office, and prior to his run for president, was best known for a non-profit venture that gained some national attention from the Obama Administration. In a February 10, 2021 Politico report, Yang was the top choice of 28% of respondents in a poll conducted by Core Decision Analytics which is a lobbying firm. According to an April 29, 2021 report in Politico, a recent simulation poll by StudentsFirstNY, showed Yang's support at 26%.

Yang is generally perceived as a left leaning progressive, who sparks creative discussions about what ifs. However, given his limited track record professionally and operationally, it's difficult to tell what a Yang Administration would look like in reality, since he's not held publicly elected office and his claim to fame was only a six million non-profit venture. NYC operates on about a $90 billion budget each year and it's important to have someone familiar with the operations of the city prior to assuming office. Donald Trump comes to mind here, in that he had no prior experience that qualified him for the presidency. In Andrew Yang's case, his experience vis a vis NYC government, is miniscule at best.

EDITOR'S NOTE. Please note that the poll numbers cited in this report come from two different sources whose polling methods likely differed, and which may have some sort of poltical agenda, even though both poll reports were published in Politico, an online political web magazine.

Brooklyn Borough President - Eric Adams

II. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has held the second place in polls, and his support seems to be solidifying and possibly growing. While Yang had about 84% name recognition going into the race, the next best known contestants - Eric Adams and Scott Stringer - came in at about 60% and 66% name recognition, respectively. Adams was supported by 17% in the February 2021 poll, and inched up to 20% in the StudentsFirstNY simulation poll in April 2021.

Eric Adams has been the Brooklyn Borough President since 2013. Prior to that he was an NYS State Senator for four terms. And prior to that, Adams spent two decades as first a transit police officer and then as a member of the NYPD. While seeming to start from a conservative vantage point early in life, Adams appears to have moved steadily toward a moderate, even progressive stance, favoring gay marriage, calling for more dialogue about race and policing as early as 2004, advocating for the first two years of public college to be free and wanting developers to do more for the communities in which they operate.

But there are critical areas where it's unclear as to what an Adams Mayoralty may look like as he has taken in more real estate development cash than any other candidate. Also, the charter schools companies, that make a lot of money by privatizing the best part of the public school system, leaving the rest behind in the hands of the government and unions, while they rake in the cash and the accolades have also contributed a fair amount of cash to the Adams campaign. The private charter schools essentially ravage the public school system in a manner not unlike how insurance companies used to recruit the healthy, leaving the sick in the hands of the public or on their own.

Adams is perceived to be a moderate who has moved leftward from registering as a Republican in the 1990's.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report providing a brief look into the major candidates of the NYC Democratic Mayoral primary on June 22nd including Andrew Yang, Eric Adams, Scott Stringer, Maya Wiley, Raymond McGuire, Shaun Donovan, Dianne Morales and Kathryn Garcia.

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This Weekend Things To Do NYC

Giddyap. As CoVid Abates, More Semblances of Normality Return, 5 Boro Bike Ride to be Rescheduled, Some Live Events in Manhattan & Queens, More Reopenings, Upcoming Fairs & Festivals, Curfews, CoVid, Falling Rents & Mayoral Race

April 30, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Corona Virus / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Weekend Weather. The temperature highs will rise from about 70 on Friday and Saturday to about 80 on Sunday. The temperature lows will rise from the mid 40's to the high 50's on Saturday and Sunday. Humidity will be about 40% on Friday and Saturday, rising to 40% to 60% on Sunday. The wind will fall from 20 mph on Friday to 10 - 15 on Saturday to 5 - 10 on Sunday. No rain is expected this weekend.

CoVid Vaccinations by Seniors Now at 80%

A full 80% of the most vulnerable segment of the American population - those aged 65 and older - have been vaccinated. That is probably the single biggest contributor to the declining death and hospitalization rates around the nation.

Both Moderna and Pfizer have been testing vaccines on children below age 16 [down to 12 years of age] and the results of those tests are expected soon. Children represent about 20% of the American population.

There are now 17 people who encountered blood clotting problems after taking the J&J vaccine. All were women, except one. Between 8 and 9 million people have received the J&J vaccine, so the risk to the general population is very small.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines reportedly appear to present no greater risk to pregnant mothers than the general population, but it's unclear to me whether that risk assessment also applies to the children they are carrying. It could be too early to tell.

Governor Cuomo Accelerates Removal of the CoVid Controls

Bars and restaurants can now seat folks at the bar, effective Monday, May 3rd.

The curfew for outdoor dining ends on Monday, May 17th and the curfew for indoor dining ends on Monday, May 31st.

Effective May 15th, gyms will be able to use 50% of their capacity, up from 33% - but this is only outside of NYC. Casinos and gaming facilities will be able to increase the use of their capacity from 25% to 50%.

The Governor also announced that Offices can begin using 75% of their capacity, up from 50%, effective May 15th.

On Wednesday, May 19th outdoor sports / events venues like stadiums, can increase capacity to 33% from the current 20% level.

Mayor de Blasio Expects NYC to be Fully Reopened by July 1st

The Mayor announced this week that he expects NYC to be fully reopened by July 1st, including the resumption of 24/7 subway service. Not long after the pandemic began, the subways were closed down from 12 midnight to 5 am [later shortened to 1 am to 5 am] for deep cleaning.

On Monday, May 3, 2021 the remaining 80,000 of 180,000 municipal workers will return to their offices. According to CBS News the municipal office workers have been vaccinated and $200 million was spent preparing the offices for the workers' return. The municipal office employees' work environment has been compared to that of teachers, although an activist group that arose out of the pandemic, says it's unsafe to do so.

The Mayor also had some good news on the public library front, telling us that effective Monday, May 10th, 2021 folks will be able to visit the libraries and rsvp computer time there. Book borrowing limits will be loosened from curbside pickup.

The Mayor reminded folks that any adult can now obtain a vaccination without scheduling an appointment, by showing up at one of the vaccincations sites - which include many pharmacies - with proper identification / insurance info.

The Mayor said that 6.4 million vaccine doses have been injected into New Yorkers' arms. Nationally about a third of the population has been fully vaccinated, and about 43% have received at least one dose. Remember, children are a fifth of the population, so we're about half way home for those eligible to be vaccinated.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report about the accelerating changes toward a post CoVid pandemic normalcy in NYC and NYS in Spring of 2021.

1615

The Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Cuomo

The Sheer Number of Allegations Appears to Indicate Something is Not Right

But This Report is Not About Judging Cuomo, Either Way, but Urging People to Let Due Process Play Out

March 15, 2021 / US Politics / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC. Part II.

I'm going to explore each accuser's allegations while providing a bit of background on each of them. I have found some of Cuomo's accusers more credible than others, in what I would call the integrity of the whole situation. That said, the sheer number of allegations certainly lends credence to the notion that something is not right in how Cuomo is managing his staff at the Capitol and in the Governor's mansion.

One's attractiveness to the opposite sex, can cut both ways. It can be used: 1) as a powerful tool to obtain special favors, wage increases and promotions one didn't earn, or 2) it can attract unwanted advances that feel threatening to one's person and livelihood. In the former case (#1), one's co-workers or competitors are often the victims by being passed over for promotions, travel and other opportunities. In the latter case (#2), one is a victim / target of unwanted sexual advances by virtue of their god given beauty.

While in Business School, one of my very best friends - who coincidentally was named Murdoch [but no relation to Rupert] - told me that his father had told him that

"... it was more important to be respected, than liked ..."

We both had to seriously contemplate this advice, as this friend was immensely popular. He had asked me to help him unravel what seemed his father's riddle. Ultimately In due time I concluded that my friend's father was right - it is more important to be respected than liked.

I think that is also good advice for women in the workforce, and provides a compass for how one should conduct oneself. Not every man out there is a gentleman, and oftentimes successful men are also the badly behaved men, some can even be assholes like - let's say - Donald Trump. And as we've seen over the past four year presidency, both the men and women who reported into him were certainly psychologically abused. And I won't even begin to contemplate Melania's situation.

So with that in mind, let's take a brief look at each of Cuomo's accusers and their allegations regarding the Governor.

I. Lindsey Boylan (36) - Deputy Secretary for Economic Development & Special Advisor to the Governor

Lindsay Boylan was the first woman to come forward and charge Andrew Cuomo with sexual harrassment in a tweet in December of 2020. She worked for Cuomo from 2015 - 2018 as the Governor's Deputy Secretary and Advisor, during which time she alleges she was continually harassed. Boylan is now running for Manhattan Borough President.

In the accounts of Boylan's claims I've seen published she indicated Cuomo would touch or brush against her arm or leg, compare her to an ex-girlfriend, make unwanted sexually charged statements or inquiries, and on one occasion kissed her on the lips without her permission following the award of a promotion.

Boylan first went public with her claims in December 2020, telling the world that she was speaking out now, because she felt that the public should know this, as Andrew Cuomo was up for consideration for the position of the U.S. Attorney General. This seemed reminiscent of Christine Blasey Ford stepping forth in 2018 with allegations of attempted rape by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. But attempted rape is a far more serious allegation than harassment / inappropriate workplace behavior.

At the time Boylan said she didn't want to speak to any journalists about the explosive claims. This set off my spidey sense, because it seems unfair to think that you can make such explosive, career busting allegations without expecting reporters to want to dig deeper for the full context of the story.

Cuomo denied the allegations.

Last year [2020] Boylan was beaten in the Democratic congressional primary. It would seem to be a fair question to ask whether she is angry / blames Cuomo for her loss, believing that perhaps he did not help her enough? One might also ponder whether she is she using the explosive claims of sexual harassment against Cuomo to gain publicity for her current campaign for Manhattan Borough President, while simultaniously by capitalizing on / reaching out to the #MeToo movement?

In what appeared Cuomo pushback, some of Boylan's personnel files were disclosed to the press, indicating there may have been some issues surrounding to her departure from the Cuomo Administration, regarding her management of employees working for her. Boylan says this is part of a Cuomo intimidation / smear campaign.

Boylan said she was harrassed most or many of the nearly four years she worked for Cuomo [2015 - 2018]. Like many women, she hesitated and waited until [two] years after her departure before going public.

The #MeToo movement advocates that all women's sexual harassment claims should be believed, as for centuries women's sexual harrassment claims have been discredited and ignored.

Yet not long after she went public, she threatened to start a women's PAC to torch Schumer and other New York politicians who did not come out to support her in her allegations sooner. The gap in her announcement and in Schumer and other politicians' speaking out in her favor, was about two and a half months [late Dec 2020 to early Mar 2021]. Boylan also published a threatening tweet castigating both President Biden & Vice President Kamala Harris for withholding judgment as well, before she deleted it.

Boylan's vehement 'PAC fundraising' response, caused me to stop to ponder the full nature of Boylan's nearly four relationship with Cuomo, which seems to have greatly benefitted her with promotions and travel, until it did not. I was also reminded of how Donald Trump and Senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz opportunistically used 'Stop the Steal' to fundraise PAC money for themselves off of an emotional, voter 'patriotism' hot button issue.

As with Janice Dean's allegations / crusade / soft gubernatiorial campaign launch, where Shakespeare's quote in Hamlet "The lady doth protest too much me thinks" seemed to resonate, as I again found myself asking if this quote also has some relevance to Boylan's case. See prior report for full explanation regarding Janice Dean.

Boylan's allegations would be given due consideration in an investigation. And we may learn much more about hers and Cuomo's relationship ... and it's possible that it could be highly toxic to both of them.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report about the multiple sexual harassment allegations against Governor Cuomo including by Lindsey Boylan, candidate for Manhattan Borough President.

1616

Media Monopoly Billionaire, Rupert Murdoch, Incites Another Mob & Pushes a VIGILANTE 'Rush to Justice' through his Propaganda Outlets

A Closer Look at Janice Dean's Vitriolic Accusations that Andrew Cuomo Mishandled the Corona Virus Pandemic in Nursing Homes & the Multiple Allegations of Harassment

March 15, 2021 / US Politics / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC. Part II.

We left off last week with Janice Dean telling us 'Our Family's Losses are Not Political' and she appears to do a soft launch of her campaign for NYS Governor in 2022 with what seems the unbridled media support aka propaganda of Australian born billionaire Rupert Murdoch.

Rupert Murdoch controls Fox News, the NY Post, the Wall St Journal, Harper Collins Book Publishing and he is the largest shareholder of Disney / ABC. Allowing one person, especially this one, to control this much share of America's media is harmful to this nation because he appears to use his mass media outlets propagandistically to control who gets elected.

Why Murdoch's 21st Century Fox FCC licenses aren't legally challenged for spreading all of the distorted truths to outright lies about gender and race - is incomprehensible to me.

The NY Post graphic at right was used to try to incite and railroad Democrats to oust Cuomo in one of Murdoch's many fascist efforts to bypass rule of law and due process, to enable another of his power grabs in our governmment. I did what the editor of that poorly edited Murdoch media outlet should have done, and turned it back around to feature Murdoch in place of Cuomo.

This is Nazi style management of media and government, as oftentimes the pols Murdoch propagandistically pushes out of office wouldn't bend to his will, and those he ushers in, seem to give him whatever he wants, that they can either hide from the public or con the public into believing is good for them. This is how Goebbels and Hitler usurped the people's power in the budding German democracy in the late 1920's and early 1930's.

Rupert Murdoch & Janice Dean Want You to Believe She's Sunshine, but her Tweets & Vicious Comments Reveal the Opposite

Dean Claims She's Not Politically Motivated, while Seeming to do a 'Soft Launch' of Her Campaign 2022 for NYS Governor on 'Free' Murdoch Media Infommercials

See the report posted on March 12, 2021 for a look into Janice Dean's soft campaign launch for NYS Governor and probe into some of her possible motives for launching such vehement attacks on Andrew Cuomo. Here we pick up on more Janice Dean contradictions where the Fox News host and weather person seem guilty in some measure of doing the same things of which they're accusing Governor Cuomo.

A December 12, 2020 report in the Wrap tells us that Janice Dean tweeted the following,

" ... Nothing wrong with criticizing a politician who likes to profit off the deaths of New Yorkers. (He wrote a book too about ‘leadership’ during a pandemic) You’re right, I don’t like the governor because his policies help kill my husbands parents... "

In the Friday, March 12, 2021 report I probe the guilt that oftentimes afflicts families that place their parents [in this case it's Janice Dean's in-laws] in nursing homes, and explore some possible personal motivations for placing or shifting the blame for their deaths at the feet of Governor Cuomo. There's also a brief timeline of the events in question and less so of the nursing home reporting aftermath.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report about Rupert Murdoch's Mass Media Assault on NYS Democracy and Governor Cuomo.