“… I’m offering [the press] a chance to ask a few more questions. So just let’s bear with them a few more times, and then the rest of New York City will go back to caring about real things.”
De Blasio Mocks Press for Asking Whether He Sold His Office
“Mayor de Blasio astonishingly said Sunday that New Yorkers don’t care whether City Hall is corrupt. ‘There are much more important issues than what these guys [reporters] are raising,’ the mayor claimed amid bombshell allegations in court last week that pay-to-play was alive, well — and rampant — at City Hall. Hizzoner insisted that the topic is far from “interesting conversation. ‘But I’m offering [the press] a chance to ask a few more questions. So just let’s bear with them a few more times, and then the rest of New York City will go back to caring about real things,’ he told a group gathered at a post-Hurricane Sandy event.”
Why De Blasio Expanded his Housing Plan and What it Means
“‘I’m sure he wants to finish strong,’ Jarrett Murphy, executive editor of City Limits, said. “But he didn’t need to do this. I think this is more about trying to answer the question that editorial boards have had and other reporters about what the second term is going to be about.’ Still, while de Blasio has made enough progress to make him confident about raising the target, there has been intense debate among housing circles about whether his affordable housing should be built for the lowest-income households, or for middle-class ones that are increasingly finding New York City’s cost of living too high.”
De Blasio’s Paid Parental Leave Policy Helps 400 Families
“The number through September 30 was 436 individuals, including an almost even split among men (203) and women (221), according to city data (12 who have utilized the program were “unknown” in terms of gender). The policy, announced by de Blasio in December 2015 and signed in January 2016 into retroactive effect beginning November 9, 2015, covers city employees who are not part of labor unions where such benefits must be collectively bargained. De Blasio and his aides have indicated that paid family leave is part of the recently-begun next round of contract negotiations with the city’s municipal unions. Similar to his implementation of a $15 per hour minimum wage for city employees and those in city-contracted nonprofits, de Blasio’s move on paid family leave has been seen as part of the successful push for similar statewide programs that Governor Andrew Cuomo championed and pushed through the state Legislature in 2016.”
Democrat in Tight Council Race Runs Away from Mayor
“Mayor Bill de Blasio elicits strong feelings from many in this otherwise quiet corner of single-family homes and short apartment buildings along Brooklyn’s southwestern edge. Although polls indicate that Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, is likely to win re-election easily on Nov. 7, his unpopularity here, in the 43rd Council District, is such that he has not campaigned for the Democratic candidate, Justin L. Brannan, who worked on the mayor’s prekindergarten program as a political liaison at the Education Department. None of the mayor’s flash point issues — his trip to Germany a day after a police officer’s death; a controversy over a Christopher Columbus statue; a former militant marching in the Puerto Rican Day Parade — have resonated in the mayoral race, but they do here.”
Women pay Their Dues to Seek Office in Queens
“Kimberly Roberts, 36, a former Peace Corps volunteer, began looking for ways to get involved after the election of Donald Trump. Her journey intersects with another woman’s, Adrienne Adams, who is chair of the local community board. Adams ran unsuccessfully for state Senate last year and is currently running for City Council. Her experience offers Roberts some tough lessons in how political power works in Queens — and what it means to pay your dues.”
