Doe Fund troubles — Loree Sutton runs for mayor — Cuomo’s airport caper Presented by Facebook

There’s trouble afoot at the Doe Fund, the venerable city charitable institution that propelled its founders into political high society.

The group helps ex-convicts rejoin society by giving them jobs, and is known for its workers sent out to clean up trash on city streets. But behind the scenes, its founder, George McDonald, stands accused of creating a hostile work environment and running his fiefdom with fear and retaliation.

Over a year and a half, at least seven staffers left the Doe Fund’s executive offices, our Dana Rubinstein reports — and at least five have signed confidential agreements and received payouts after alleging managerial misconduct. Employees point the finger at McDonald, who ran for mayor as a Republican in 2013 and was named to the Port Authority board by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2017.

A now-former employee wrote in a complaint that McDonald’s behavior created a culture “that promotes misogyny, allows bullying, is abusive and instills fear.” He and his wife run the organization out of the top floors of their Upper East Side home, and the former mayoral hopeful is accused of flying off the handle in particular at staffers who let slip any criticism of Cuomo. One tirade was apparently sparked by a disagreement about the opponents of the scuttled Queens Amazon deal, while another was set off when someone said they didn't like the governor’s management of the MTA.

McDonald disputes the allegations, saying they “were constructed to exact a financial settlement from us.” But he seems to recognize the seriousness of the complaints: the charges, he said, will “ruin my life.”

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

WHERE’S ANDREW? Flying to Puerto Rico and back to attend the Somos conference.

WHERE’S BILL? Also in Puerto Rico, making an announcement about women- and minority-owned businesses.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “You go into some communities like Williamsburg, which was a historically Puerto Rican community. And now it’s like Disneyland for hippies.” — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, bemoaning gentrification at a town hall with constituents in the Bronx.

WHAT CITY HALL'S READING

“THE FORMER COMMISSIONER of the city’s Department of Veterans’ Services, Loree Sutton, has filed a campaign committee to run for mayor with the state Board of Elections, public records show. Sutton, a retired Army brigadier general, left her post at the helm of the agency on Halloween — several weeks after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced her replacement. A source said Sutton could make a campaign announcement as early as Friday. ‘We’re always glad to hear that talented thoughtful people, particularly veterans, want to run for office,’ said Kathy Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, a coalition of businesses.” The City’s Yoav Gonen

STATEN ISLANDERS are pushing state officials for answers on why the borough has such high rates of thyroid cancer and have expressed frustration so far with the health department’s response. Incidences of thyroid cancer on Staten Island were 67 percent higher than the other four boroughs and 69 percent higher than the rest of New York state, according to a state report released earlier this month and shared with a group of residents during a recent public meeting. The state report found no significant environmental risks that led to an uptick. Rather, New York health officials believe the increase is due to medical professionals testing for thyroid cancer more often than federal guidelines recommend — and finding a common type of cancer that “is slow growing and rarely fatal,” according to the state health department. But the state’s report leaves some troubling questions for borough residents. POLITICO’s Amanda Eisenberg

THE HIGHEST RANKING black official in the NYPD said Wednesday he was “disappointed” to be passed over to become the next police commissioner, as Mayor Bill de Blasio fended off criticism for picking a white man for the job for the third straight time. De Blasio tapped Dermot Shea, the current chief of detectives, to take over the top post after Commissioner James O’Neill decided to step down. He passed over First Deputy Commissioner Benjamin Tucker, who acknowledged Wednesday he wanted the job but was snubbed. “Yeah, of course you’re disappointed,” Tucker said at a press conference, where he sat alongside de Blasio, O’Neill and Shea. “At the same time, it’s the mayor’s call.”

Elected officials have criticized the decision, saying de Blasio missed the opportunity to elevate a black or Latino law enforcement official to the post. Shea, O’Neill and de Blasio’s first police commissioner, Bill Bratton, are all Irish-American. “I am frustrated that this mayor who came in talking about diversity has now skipped over the top ranking black and brown people who work in the NYPD for another white male,” Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said Wednesday on the Brian Lehrer show. POLITICO’s Erin Durkin

— O’Neill will take a job as senior vice president and global head of physical security for credit card giant Visa.

— The incoming commissioner faces big challenges.

“BROOKLYN PROSECUTORS, complying with a Freedom of Information Law request from Gothamist/WNYC, have released the names of dozens of officers whose credibility has been called into question. The release … comes months after Gothamist/WNYC broke news that all five borough DAs, including Brooklyn, are building secret lists of officers accused of dishonesty. DAs maintain such records because they are legally obligated to turn over information that may undermine police witnesses’ trustworthiness. The list includes 53 cases, some of which are sealed, between 2008 and 2019 in which officers had their testimony discredited or called into question by state and federal judges.” WNYC’s George Joseph

— The New York Times expanded on why seven officers in particular were deemed untrustworthy .

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The International Union of Operating Engineers’ six New York locals are endorsing City Council Member Ben Kallos, who last week launched an early bid for Manhattan borough president. Kallos has pushed bills to track construction deaths and injuries and to require workers on city-subsidized projects to get prevailing wage.

— The MTA will begin installing bus boarding platforms on 14th Street near 7th Avenue.

A message from Facebook: Visit Facebook's Voting Information Center today Facebook is building the largest voting information effort in US history, starting with the new Voting Information Center, where you can find the latest resources about voting in the 2020 election. Our goal is to help register 4 million voters. Visit our new Voting Information Center now





WHAT ALBANY'S READING

THE MORNING after Election Day isn’t always time for a celebration, but for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Nov. 6, 2019 was the perfect day for a multi-stage production hitting all the Cuomonian pleasure points . After a night that held few direct threats to Cuomo or Democratic rule statewide, the three-term governor convened a bipartisan swath of Capital Region officials at the Desmond Hotel in Albany to celebrate the opening of a new exit from the Northway near the Albany International Airport, the third time he’s held a public event for Exit 3 this year. The draw for reporters this time was a promised opportunity for Cuomo to address Tuesday’s local elections, his evolving take on fusion voting and the fate of New York’s third parties, and his ongoing war of words with President Donald Trump But upon arrival, the governor's aides said all of that would come last and at a different location, at about Stage Five in the extended photo opportunity for the 61-year-old newly permanent Albany resident. POLITICO’s Anna Gronewold

— During the eventual Q&A, Cuomo said unnamed third parties support raising the threshold to gain automatic ballot status because they want to eliminate the competition. Each of the parties that fit Cuomo's characterization ardently denied that this is the case.

— Additional money for local prosecutors as well as state Attorney General Tish James to implement changes to evidence discovery isn’t necessary , Cuomo said.

— The governor also spent some time bashing President Donald Trump and then bashed the New York Post, both in person and in the pages of the Post for criticizing him for bashing Trump . The Post responded to his response.

“A NEW DIGITAL AD takes aim at the ‘Long Island Six,’ the half-dozen Democratic senators from Long Island, most of whom won their seats just last year from Republicans. ‘Despite running a platform of aggressive pro-tenant legislation and Democratic unity, the Long Island Six have already succumbed to the influence of real estate lobbyists. They are the new IDC,’ a speaker says in the ad. The Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) was a group of Democrats who broke ranks and helped maintain Republican control of the state Senate. All but two members of the IDC were defeated in primaries last year. But now, New York Communities for Change and other progressive activist groups are threatening primaries against the ‘Long Island Six’ as well. ‘I think if they are going to vote with Republicans, there is a similar trajectory on how we dealt with the IDC,’ said Jonathan Westin, of New York Communities for Change. ‘There were challengers that were run against them in order to make sure we had progressive members in those seats.’” NY1’s Zack Fink

A JOINT PROPOSAL BY CON EDISON and the state Department of Public Service to hike utility rates runs afoul of New York’s ambitious mandates to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, some environmental groups are warning. The proposal includes hundreds of millions in investments for new or upgraded fossil fuel infrastructure and defers planning for a future without natural gas. Environmentalists who did not support the proposal urged the Public Service Commission to reject it because those elements do not align with the state’s new climate law. The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in July requires the state to reduce emissions 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050 and use offsets for only the most difficult-to-tackle pollution. Meeting the statutory mandates requires eliminating all use of natural gas for heating and powering buildings — a challenging task given the state economy's current reliance on the fossil fuel. POLITICO’s Marie J. French

#UpstateAmerica: Who’s a good boy? The dog who played Conan in this week’s SNL episode is from Endwell, New York. (There’s always an upstate connection.)

TRUMP'S NEW YORK

“President Trump may have officially declared himself a full-time Florida resident, but for some reason he keeps returning to his hometown. Organizers of New York City’s Veterans Day Parade announced on Wednesday that Mr. Trump would help kick off the event on Monday at Madison Square Park in Manhattan, the first president to do so.” New York Times’ Azi Paybarah

“President Trump has, at best, a questionable grasp on how the justice system operates, according to Gov. Cuomo. The ongoing war of words between the pair, reignited by Trump’s recent decision to change his residency from New York to Florida, boiled over Wednesday as Cuomo slammed the commander-in-chief for spinning conspiracy theories. ‘In the president’s mind, you can interfere with the justice process, with the Justice Department,’ Cuomo said. ‘Maybe he does that in Washington. I don’t do that in New York. I believe it would be illegal.’ The president, dealing with several legal woes in his home state, claimed last week that he and others have left the Empire State because the governor ‘as weaponized the prosecutors to do his dirty work (and to keep him out of jams).’” New York Daily News’ Denis Slattery

A FEDERAL JUDGE in New York tossed the Trump administration’s “conscience rule” that would allow health plans and providers to refuse to cover or perform services like abortion, contraception or gender transition procedures that they oppose on religious or moral grounds. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Engelmayer sided with 26 plaintiff states, municipalities, providers and advocacy groups like Planned Parenthood, affirming their argument that the policy could threaten funding they've long relied on and drastically disrupt the health care system. Although the legal arguments focused on funding and operations of health care providers, the Trump administration policy and its potential impact on women and LGBTQ people has been highly controversial — and that's where the winning plaintiffs focused. “Health care is a basic right that should never be subject to political games," said New York Attorney General Tish James, who brought the case. "Once again, the courts have blocked the Trump Administration from implementing a discriminatory rule that would only hurt Americans.” POLITICO’s Susannah Luthi

“PRESIDENT TRUMP’S PERSONAL LAWYER, Rudolph W. Giuliani, said on Wednesday that he had assembled a legal team to represent him in the criminal investigation into his activities related to Ukraine, an announcement that came after weeks of sputtered attempts to find a lawyer willing to take him on as a client. Mr. Giuliani said on Twitter that he would be represented by three lawyers, including his longtime friend, Robert J. Costello. The hires show how serious Mr. Giuliani is treating the inquiry by federal prosecutors in Manhattan, who are investigating whether he violated lobbying laws in his efforts to dig up damaging information about Mr. Trump’s rivals.” New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, William K. Rashbaum and Michael Rothfeld

... 2020 VISION ...

“JUST A MONTH after one of her aides was busted in a mafia-linked scheme, Staten Island Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis is having a Nov. 19 birthday fund-raising bash for her congressional bid that is being co-hosted by a real life mob wife, The Post has learned. Sandra Corda Sciandra — the ex-wife of Carmine Sciandra, a reputed Gambino crime family capo who co-owned the Top Tomato grocery chain on Staten Island and pleaded guilty to running a massive sports betting and loan sharking ring — is one of six hosts listed for the Staten Island event. ‘Celebrate Nicole’s Birthday and Support Her Congressional Race. Enjoy Live Music, Surprise Guest Appearances, a Buffet and Specialty Drinks. Rolling Stones cover band Sha-Doobie live!’ the Malliotakis campaign invite said of the event at Violette’s Cellar.” New York Post’s Carl Campanile and Alex Taylor





AROUND NEW YORK

— Former Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s gun control group outspent the NRA to help Democrats take over Virginia state government.

— A Bronx man who deliberately turned himself into immigration authorities in Florida so that he could expose conditions in detention centers will petition for political asylum on Thursday.

— An elderly man was struck and killed by a yellow school bus in Queens. The city had refused requests for speed bumps and stop signs on the street.

— Federal agents searched Buffalo’s City Hall as part of a public corruption investigation.

— Nine City Council members who voted against a plan to put more protected bike lanes and bus lanes on city streets explain their votes.

— Mayor Bill de Blasio slapped the Board of Elections for spending millions on black cars to chauffeur its employees. But in other news, he has spent over 1,200 hours working from his car, The Daily News reports, emitting 6,000 percent more greenhouse gases since his first year in office.

— A hotel on Manhattan’s billionaires’ row is charging $50,000 a night for a suite.

— City Comptroller Scott Stringer is demanding lead paint inspection data from the Department of Education.

— “Leadership at CUNY’s faculty and staff union is expressing confidence that a major contract agreement will be approved when its delegate assembly votes Thursday night, despite a faction of rank-and-file members pressuring fellow colleagues to hold out for more money.”

— A Bronx woman is suing the NYPD after breaking her ankle at a police haunted house.

— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said her strategy for beating a primary challenger is to “kick ass at my job.”

— State Sen. James Seward will take time off after the cancer he contracted in 2016 has recurred.

— New York Law School is launching an institute focused on broadening Census participation.

— Police have arrested an alleged Brooklyn pumpkin smasher.

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

By Daniel Lippman

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Former CIA Director David Petraeus, now a partner at KKR and chairman of the KKR Global Institute … Siobhan Gorman, partner at Brunswick Group (hat tips: Tim Griffin and George Little) ... Daniel Libit … Jen Friedman, SVP for global public affairs at Blackstone … Avi Zvi Zenilman is 35 … ABC’s Kaylee Hartung … Kyle Kerchaert … Kate Murphy … Max Viscio

SPOTTED on Wednesday at the 30th anniversary of Michael’s restaurant in NYC: Joanna Coles, Michael Wolff, Jay McInerney, Bryant Gumbel, Steve Kroft, Alan Patricof, Ken Auletta, Henry Schleiff, Tammy Haddad, Tom Rogers, Susan Mercandetti, David Adler, Desiree Gruber and Lisa Dallos.

MAKING MOVES — Per Politico Influence: “Bully Pulpit Interactive has hired Melody Meyer as a managing director in the firm's New York office. She previously ran her own communications consulting firm.”

MEDIAWATCH — Per Talking Biz News: “Nicole Einbinder, a reporter at Insider, is moving to Business Insider’s investigations team. … Yael Kohen has joined the Wall Street Journal as an arts and entertainment editor. Previously, she was working at Refinery29 as an executive editor.”

— Per a release coming out this a.m.: “The nonprofit organizations the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the Committee to Protect Journalists, along with a coalition of over 30 media, technology and nonprofit partners, today launched the ‘Protect Press Freedom’ campaign to mobilize the public to stand up for press freedom and actively protect their right to be informed.” The ad

— AP: “Mark Halperin’s first book since his career was upended by allegations of sexual harassment is clearly no Game Change. ‘How to Beat Trump’ sold just 502 copies in its first week.” AP

A message from Facebook: How Facebook is preparing for the US 2020 election — Launched new Voting Information Center

— More than tripled our safety and security teams to 35,000 people

— Implemented 5-step political ad verification

— Providing greater political ad transparency Learn about these efforts and more





REAL ESTATE

“OWNERS OF BROOKLYN HOMES perched next to a trench used by the Q and B subway lines say they were stunned to receive letters from the Department of Buildings last week informing them they’re violating city codes . The letters also demand that owners immediately inspect and submit technical reports — including photographs and diagrams — documenting the condition of retaining walls next to the train tracks. The ‘commissioner’s order’ issued by DOB Commissioner Melanie La Rocca makes no sense, they say, because the century-old walls are MTA property. ‘The city just totally screwed up,’ said Blake Morris, a lawyer and community activist who got a violation notice at his Ditmas Park home on East 16th Street, between the Cortelyou Road and Newkirk Plaza train stations. ‘And got everybody really crazy because the notice of violation has very serious penalties for noncompliance.’” THE CITY’s Reuven Blau and Jose Martinez

THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY’S CHIEF LOBBYING GROUP is joining hands with the city’s construction unions — with whom it's been at odds for years — as it attempts to maintain relevance in a political climate that’s become increasingly hostile to developers. A new agreement between the Real Estate Board of New York and the Building and Construction Trades Council seeks to advance their “common interests” in growth-friendly policies while leaving behind, at least for now, a historically rocky relationship fraught with numerous public fights. The agreement — signed on Nov. 4 and obtained by POLITICO — comes as REBNY is still reeling from a bruising state legislative session in which its sudden lack of sway shocked many in the industry.

Meanwhile, the trades are fighting to maintain their own relevance as they negotiate their future in a city where non-union construction is expanding. This newfound cooperation follows years of discord between the two, but there’s little in the agreement that keeps them from once again ending up on opposite ends of issues that have long plagued their relationship, such as construction wages. POLITICO’s Janaki Chadha

THE HOME TEAMS, BY HOWARD MEGDAL

Pistons 122, Knicks 102: Mitchell Robinson, the one bulwark against Mount Vernon's own Andre Drummond destroying the Knicks, was lost early in this one with concussion-like symptoms. 27 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists from Drummond followed. On the plus side, seeing the Morris twins reunited is always heartwarming.

The day ahead: The Rangers head to Carolina. The Islanders host the Penguins. In women's college hoops, Niagara plays at St. Bonaventure.

Follow us on Twitter Erin Durkin @erinmdurkin



Anna Gronewold @annagronewold