Cuomo leaves his mark on de Blasio’s city — Van Bramer out of Queens BP race — State budget day dawns Presented by Ørsted

Mayor Bill de Blasio is not the master builder type. He has left a mark on New York City during his six years in office, to be sure — but his impact lies more in social programs, like universal pre-kindergarten and guaranteed paid sick days, and less in the city’s skyline.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on the other hand, is a self-styled Robert Moses acolyte who adores a vacuum. And so, our Dana Rubinstein reports , Cuomo has spent years treating de Blasio’s New York like his personal SimCity. For better or for worse, he is likely to leave a far more conspicuous and lasting impact on the city’s built environment than the mayor who has governed it.

In one of the latest examples, Cuomo may allow two of the city’s biggest real estate firms to tear down Donald Trump’s first significant Manhattan project, and build a skyscraper next to Grand Central Terminal — while circumventing the city approval process. He recently proposed a major expansion of New York Penn Station, and is rebuilding LaGuardia and JFK airports. Many of his projects are disdained by urbanists, including an AirTrain planned through Queens. But they’re nothing if not eye-catching, like the rebuilding of the Kosciuszko Bridge into a striking cable-stay crossing with spangly lights (never mind how rush hour traffic failed to improve when the bridge was replaced — a phenomenon with allusions to Robert Moses, as well).

“It’s easy to rattle off a big list of things that Cuomo has done to the physical environment,” said Nicole Gelinas, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. “You have to work a lot harder to come up with a similar list for de Blasio.”

IT’S TUESDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: [email protected] and [email protected] , or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold

WHERE’S ANDREW? Presenting his 2020 budget at The Egg in Albany.

WHERE’S BILL? Traveling to Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Conference of Mayors' 88th Winter Meeting.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The reality is you can buy marijuana anywhere in the state, in any high school. The private market has won, so we should be regulating this and getting the tax revenue." — State Sen. Pete Harckham, a Westchester Democrat who is one of a number of legislators who told the Buffalo News they’ve come around to getting recreational pot legalized this year.

WHAT CITY HALL'S READING

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer is dropping out of the race for Queens Borough President. In a statement to POLITICO, Van Bramer cited family circumstances in quitting the race for the March special election to replace Melinda Katz, who became Queens district attorney. "I love serving the people of Queens as a Council Member, which is why I was excited to continue that work as Queens Borough President. My family is the reason I love this borough and its residents; they are the ones who instilled Queens values in me and inspired me to be an advocate for working families,” he said. “But family circumstances have been weighing on me for some time, causing me to reconsider the timing and feasibility of this campaign. Prioritizing my responsibilities as a son and brother is where my attention needs to be right now. While this is a difficult decision, this is the right one for me and my family at this time. I will of course continue to fight for the working people of our borough and city everyday in the New York City Council and beyond.” Van Bramer had been courting the progressive vote centered in western Queens, and his staunch opposition to Amazon’s HQ2 became a flashpoint in the race. Other BP contenders include Council Members Donovan Richards and Costa Constantinides and former Council Member Elizabeth Crowley.

“NO WONDER HE wanted to do away with speed cameras. Bronx Councilman Mark Gjonaj — who once introduced failed legislation to replace ticket-issuing city speed cameras with toothless warning signs — had nine such citations issued to his car last year for zooming through school zones in The Bronx, records show . The tickets went to the Bronx Democrat’s black Audi between Jan. 3, 2019, and Nov. 1, 2019 — the first coming not long after Gjonaj introduced legislation in 2018 to eliminate speed cameras altogether and instead install less-intrusive, digital radar signs outside roughly 1,200 school buildings. The proposal ultimately stalled in committee after Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo cut a deal to expand the city’s speed camera program — which required authorization from Albany.” New York Post’s Rich Calder

A HEATED EXCHANGE between yeshiva reform advocates and schools chancellor Richard Carranza Friday indicates the fight over curriculum at the religious schools is far from over. At a New York Law School breakfast of roughly 100 people, where Carranza discussed the city's progress and fielded questions on a variety of issues, Naftuli Moster, who heads Young Advocates for a Fair Education, or YAFFED, called out Carranza over continued criticism that the city's investigation fell far short of effecting change in some of the schools. Only two of the 28 yeshivas visited by the city's Department of Education are providing substantially equivalent instruction, according to a report released last month by the city on the long-delayed probe into yeshivas. POLITICO’s Madina Touré

“BETWEEN JULY of 2018 and June of last year, 404 people considered homeless in New York City died. Those deaths represent a 39 percent increase over the prior year, the largest year over year increase in a decade. They died in hospitals, shelters, outside the entrance of a building, on a subway car, in an abandoned building, and in a vacant lot. The majority of them were middle-aged men. … The data on these deaths comes from an annual report mandated by city law. According to the report, the top five causes of death were drugs, heart disease, alcoholism, unspecified accidents, and cancer.” WNYC’s Cindy Rodriguez

“CITY COUNCIL STAFFERS could be on their way to forming New York’s first new union in decades. ‘Because it’s a new, unaffiliated union, it’s a little bit different,’ organizer Zara Nasir, director of the Council’s Progressive Caucus, said of the undertaking. ‘It was, at the beginning, a little bit of a scary decision to make, but it felt like the right one.’ She said the budding union has been receiving donations of about $25 a pop from staffers interested in joining, and the group is planning its first fundraiser, to be held Feb. 4 at a bar near City Hall. They’re aiming to get at least 51% of the roughly 400 people who work for specific Council members to commit to joining. After that, they hope Speaker Corey Johnson, who’s voiced support for the movement, will voluntarily recognize the union, to be called the Association for Legislative Employees. Their attorney would then file the necessary legal forms to get certified.” New York Daily News’ Shant Shahrigian

A message from Ørsted: A Greener Path Towards Recovery. Across the state, we have felt the impact of COVID-19 on our economy and our communities. But now, we have the opportunity to rebuild, and to do so greener. At Ørsted, we believe that the time to transition to renewable energy is now. And as the nation’s leading offshore wind developer, we’re here to help.





WHAT ALBANY'S READING

IT’S BUDGET DAY: “Gov. Andrew Cuomo will present his budget proposal for the coming fiscal year on Tuesday with New York facing the worst financial condition since he took office in 2011.

The $6 billion deficit will loom large over the state Capitol for the next several months as Cuomo and lawmakers will need to close the gap in hopes of having an on-time budget for the fiscal year that starts April 1. Cuomo has laid out dozens of agenda items for 2020, but he has stayed clear so far from offering any specific plans on how he will close the deficit. That will change Tuesday at 1 p.m. when he will make his plans known before lawmakers and state leaders in a theater next to the state Capitol.” USA Today Network’s Joseph Spector

— GOV. ANDREW CUOMO'S budget proposal is likely to call for sweeping changes to Medicaid , particularly in how the program runs long-term managed care, a major driver of health care spending in the state….Although Cuomo has been tight-lipped about his plans to address Medicaid spending, he hinted at changes to the program's local share and called for a new "Medicaid Redesign Team" effort in his State of the State address earlier this month. “The situation is unsustainable,” he said in the Jan. 8 speech. “We have restructured Medicaid before with our MRT program and we’re going to have to do it again this year and we will, and we can. The MRT program actually made Medicaid better than ever before and we will do that once again this year.” The governor provided no details about changes he would seek to implement. Meanwhile, questions remain over who would be involved in a new MRT and whether the work could be completed before the budget's end-of-March deadline. POLITICO’s Shannon Young

THE NUMBER of New Yorkers who support the recently-implemented changes to bail has plummeted, a poll released Tuesday morning by the Siena College Research Institute found. Last April, soon after the budget bill that eliminated cash bail for many offenses was passed, Siena found that 55 percent of registered voters thought it would be good for New York and 38 percent said it would be bad. Now, only 37 percent think it will be good, and 49 percent say it will be bad. The law took effect on New Year’s Day. Republicans, law enforcement officials, and other critics have spent weeks hammering on an argument that the changes are flawed and will make it more difficult to keep dangerous people off the streets. Support has since plummeted across the board. “[I]ndependents have flipped from a 22-point margin thinking ‘good,’ to a 27-point margin saying ‘bad,’” said Siena spokesman Steve Greenberg. POLITICO’s Bill Mahoney

“REPUBLICAN SEN. JAMES SEWARD on Monday announced he would not seek re-election to a central New York seat he's held since 1987. Seward is the latest GOP state lawmaker to announce plans to not run again this year or retire. Seward announced last year he would be undergoing another round of treatment for a recurrence of cancer.” Spectrum’s Nick Reisman

“A FORMER executive director and accounting firm linked to the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators were issued subpoenas last week as part of a state attorney general’s investigation into the nonprofit’s murky finances, a source with knowledge of the documents said.” Times Union’s Steve Hughes

#UpstateAmerica: Rochester has gotten nearly five feet of snow so far this year. Track the totals!

... 2020 VISION ...

MIKE BLOOMBERG began his presidential campaign with an apology to African Americans — an acknowledgment of the racial inequities spurred by the controversial “stop and frisk” policing practice he oversaw as New York City mayor. It was also a recognition of the political realities confronting a campaign for the Democratic nomination that hinges on a strong performance on Super Tuesday, when black voters will cast a majority of the primary vote in a handful of states. Bloomberg has so far amassed a roster of surrogates that includes prominent black politicians, traveled to cities with large black populations like Oakland, Detroit and Cleveland to solicit input on policy, and unveiled proposals on issues central to many black communities, such as maternal mortality and incarcerated youth. Aides point to his work on education, gun control and job creation in addressing concerns he faces among black voters. “I think he has challenges, but he has, I think, made a more-than-expected attempt to deal with the challenges,” Rev. Al Sharpton told POLITICO, noting endorsements like Columbia, S.C. Mayor Steve Benjamin and other black leaders who were early endorsers. “I don’t know how much it will work, but I can say he’s put more of an effort in it than I would have thought.” POLITICO’s Sally Goldenberg and Christopher Cadelago

— This is why Bloomberg’s ‘stop and frisk’ legacy has persisted , The New York Times writes.

— Bloomberg may now submit his financial disclosure form as late as March 20, an extension that will come weeks after Super Tuesday.

— State Sen. Todd Kaminsky, a Long Beach Democrat, has endorsed Mike Bloomberg , citing his work to combat climate change, pass gun control and help rebuild lower Manhattan in the aftermath of 9/11.

— Bloomberg’s massive ad spending has made TV ads more expensive for candidates up and down the ballot.





TRUMP'S NEW YORK

“THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION took renewed aim at New York City’s so-called sanctuary policies on Friday after the recent arrest of an undocumented Guyanese man on charges that he raped and murdered a 92-year-old woman in Queens. Matthew T. Albence, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, accused the city of allowing the accused killer of the woman, Maria Fuertes, to walk free months ago when he should have been held for possible deportation. ‘A phone call, one simple phone call, and Ms. Fuertes would be alive today,’ Mr. Albence said at a news conference at ICE headquarters in Lower Manhattan. His criticism echoed complaints from his agency this week, after the arrest of the suspect, Reeaz Khan. The Jan. 6 rape and murder of Ms. Fuertes has become a flash point in the broader debate over immigration and so-called sanctuary cities, where officials have resisted deputizing law enforcement to help federal immigration authorities detain and deport undocumented immigrants.” New York Times’ Annie Correal

— ICE issued subpoenas to the Department of Correction for information about four foreign nationals.

— A manufacturing company that hoped to bring back jobs to Central New York has been hit hard by the president’s trade war with China.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP voiced opposition to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers‘ proposal to build a $119 billion sea wall to protect New York and New Jersey from storm surges, advising residents to “get your mops & buckets ready” for future flooding. “A massive 200 Billion Dollar Sea Wall, built around New York to protect it from rare storms, is a costly, foolish & environmentally unfriendly idea that, when needed, probably won’t work anyway,” Trump said in a Saturday tweet. “It will also look terrible. Sorry, you’ll just have to get your mops & buckets ready!” Congress approved legislation in 2015 directing the Army Corps to study areas in the eastern and southern United States that are at the greatest risk of storm surge. The study was initiated in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, which caused roughly $60 billion in damage in New York and New Jersey and destroyed or damaged thousands of homes. POLITICO’s Danielle Muoio

FROM THE DELEGATION

FORMER REP. CHRIS COLLINS was sentenced to 26 months in prison for an insider trading scheme that led to his arrest and resignation from Congress. The Western New York Republican pleaded guilty in October, accused of passing illicit stock tips to his son from the White House lawn during a Congressional picnic. Judge Vernon Broderick handed down the sentence Friday in Manhattan federal court along with a $200,000 fine, after the disgraced Congressman broke down in sobs as he pleaded for mercy for himself and his son. “I violated my core values and there is no excuse,” Collins said, breathing heavily. “What I have done has marked me for life.” POLITICO’s Erin Durkin

— The Democratic Socialists of America, which helped propel Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez into Congress, has so far limited its congressional endorsements while focusing its efforts on statewide office.

AROUND NEW YORK

— Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lucy Liu and Martin Luther King III are part of a high-profile state campaign to get everyone counted for the upcoming Census.

— Brooklyn Borough President and mayoral hopeful Eric Adams told gentrifiers , “Go back to Iowa! You go back to Ohio!” in an MLK Day speech.

— Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez plans to introduce a bill Thursday that would give non-citizen immigrants working legally the right to vote in city elections, sources say.

— Some New York community colleges have lost more than a third of students since 2010.

— The Brooklyn Democratic party is more than $226,000 in debt, including $50,000 to departing boss Frank Seddio.

— Michael Avenatti’s lawyers say he is struggling with the cold in El Chapo’s old prison cell.

— New affordable housing apartments for the city’s poorest have so far been clustered in areas with the lowest income.

— A row of townhouses caught fire on Staten Island.

— SUNY Empire State College has launched a new bachelor’s degree program in addiction studies.

— A 19-year-old from Schenectady County is petitioning to be a Biden delegate at the Democratic National Convention.

— State Sen. Luis Sepulveda is being eyed by the Board of Elections for his handling of a $200,000 loan he received from a Long Island dentist to fill a campaign budget hole.

— Underdog mayoral candidate Loree Sutton has raked in $113,000 in donations just two months after launching her 2021 campaign, and outraised Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

— Violators of the 14th Street busway will be hit with fines starting Tuesday.

— Only two white women were chosen for the jury in Harvey Weinstein’s trial, drawing objections from prosecutors.

— Bus ridership in the city plummeted for the sixth straight year in 2019, hitting its lowest level in decades.

— Two more New Yorkers have died of vaping-related illnesses.

— Plans for an archway that was meant to symbolize the “friendship” between Brooklyn and Beijing have come to a standstill .

— An accused serial burglar was released repeatedly and went on to allegedly commit more thefts under the state’s new bail reform laws.

— Council Speaker Corey Johnson called for cops to stop giving tickets for jaywalking.

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Becca Glover … Eric Holder is 69 ... Sam Feist, CNN Washington bureau chief and SVP … Gary Locke, former Commerce secretary and ambassador to China, is 7-0 … Josh Isay, newly named CEO of SKDKnickerbocker … Chris Donovan, executive editorial producer at ABC News, is 45 … Jack Weiss … Edelman’s Sean Neary and Lyla Shaibi … Tyler Cowen, GMU economist and Marginal Revolution blogger, is 58 ... Matt Cooper … Alex Plitsas is 35 … Michael Lemov … Josh Warren … Steve Rosenthal is 67 …

... (was Monday): Kellyanne Conway turned 53 … Nikki Haley turned 48 … CBS’ Maria Gavrilovic … WSJ’s James V. Grimaldi ... Georgina Bloomberg turned 37 … Diane Ruggiero, CNN supervising producer … Peter S. Greenberg … former Rep. Bill Owens (D-N.Y.) turned 71 … Ian Sams … Susan Finkelstein … Brent Desiderio turned 5-0 ...

… (was Sunday): Pete Buttigieg turned 38 … Ann Compton … John Avlon, CNN senior political analyst and fill-in anchor for “New Day,” turned 47 … Evan McMorris-Santoro, CNN correspondent … Tammy Wincup, president of Protocol (h/t Amanda Farnan) … Subrata De, EP and showrunner at Vice Media … former U.N. Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar turned 1-0-0 … CNN’s Catherine Valentine … Jon Karl turned 52 … Alexis Gay … Tyler Kendall, CBS associate producer and criminal justice reform reporter … Brian Hawthorne … Heather Roth … Paul Thacker … Dan Shulman turned 61 ...

… (was Saturday): Anna Morris of Treasury … outgoing FT editor Lionel Barber turned 65 … Brian Callanan, general counsel at Treasury … NBC’s Jane Timm … Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, contributing writer at National Geographic and contributor to The New Yorker and the NYT Magazine, turned 47 … Sandy Cannold, EP for CNBC’s “The Exchange” and “Power Lunch” … Laura (Maloney) Johnsen … Jonathan Serrie, Fox News correspondent in Atlanta … Beth DeFalco, managing director at Mercury

MEDIAWATCH — Rachel Glasberg is joining MSNBC as an associate producer for weekends. She was previously a production assistant at “CNN Tonight with Don Lemon.” … Andrew Couts has been promoted to be deputy editor of Gizmodo. … Edgar Sandoval has been hired by the New York Times as a full time Metro reporter.

MAKING MOVES — Betsy Plum has been named the new executive director of the transit advocacy group Riders Alliance. She’s the former policy chief for the New York Immigration Coalition.

A message from Ørsted: It’s time to embrace New York State’s innovative, forward looking and ambitious clean energy agenda. Offshore wind can support the state’s transition from fossil fuels while stimulating local economies and accelerating job growth. Learn more from Ørsted, the world leader in offshore wind, at https://us.orsted.com/.

REAL ESTATE

“IT WAS MORE telling who didn’t attend the Real Estate Board of New York’s annual banquet last week. A slew of powerful Democratic politicians — from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio to state Attorney General Letitia James and city Comptroller Scott Stringer — have attended the bash in the past to rub elbows with deep-pocketed potential-donor developers. But amid continuing pressure from the left wing — including the Working Families Party and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Queens-Bronx) — to not accept campaign cash tied to the real-estate industry and other wealthy interests, the pols have all recently been no-shows , sources said. Another conspicuous absence: Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who is also running for mayor. Both Johnson and Stringer indicated they won’t accept real-estate donations during their mayoral bids. Also MIA: Bronx Borough President and mayoral contender Ruben Diaz Jr., who has attended the banquet in prior years.” New York Post’s Lois Weiss and Carl Campanile

— But some moderate Democrats, including those who voted against rent reforms last session, are still accepting real estate funds.

THE HOME TEAMS, BY HOWARD MEGDAL

The Mets and Astros are both now searching for managers after MLB's report on the Houston cheating scandal led to the departure of Carlos Beltran and AJ Hinch, respectively. The Astros have already interviewed impressive veteran candidates like Buck Showalter and Dusty Baker. The Mets, who prefer their managers inexpensive and without opinions that run counter to ownership, have not.

Knicks 106, Cavs 86: This is not a great Knicks team by any stretch, but there are shades of gray, even at the bottom of the NBA.

Sixers 117, Nets 111: Ben Simmons scored 34 points amid a triple-double, and the Nets were victimized by a talented young player who appears to be making the leap.

The day ahead: Rangers-Islanders at The Garden.

Follow us on Twitter Erin Durkin @erinmdurkin



Anna Gronewold @annagronewold