The Weekly Watchdog

Welcome to this week’s Weekly Watchdog. This week? The state budget dance becomes intense, scaffolding is coming down, and a reminder of political feuds of the past. Let’s dive right in.

News Worth Clicking

Budget woes incoming G.O.P.’s Push to Cut Federal Spending Places New York Budget in Limbo The New York Times By Benjamin Oreskes	We wrote about this a couple weeks ago, and now that budget negotiations are here, it seems New York State’s leaders are having a tough time grappling with the likely budget cuts coming from the federal government. Without knowing how deep those cuts will go, lawmakers are figuring out they might have to come back for a special session this summer to readjust. On top of that, the public’s downward economic sentiment is only making things worse, potentially decreasing expected sales tax revenue.
Feuds of Years Past…and Future? Cuomo held up Citi Field mass vaccine site amid beef with de Blasio Politico By Sally Goldenberg, Nick Reisman and Michael Gartland	We admit as Andrew Cuomo runs for Mayor, we should expect to see unflattering stories about the former-Governor come out, but this is quite the doozy. Politico reports that Cuomo delayed vaccine distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic to Citi Field because he was angry that former NYC Mayor de Blasio received credit for opening the site. If true (Cuomo’s team denies it), such an action is definitely an inappropriate abuse of power during a time when people’s lives were on the line.
Scaffolding coming down NYC Council passes tougher limits on sidewalk sheds in public blight crackdown New York Daily News By Chris Sommerfeldt	Speaking of implementation, the Newsday Editorial Board has had enough. It’s time to end the debate over when the new rule on how much outside income a lawmaker can make outside Albany is put into effect. The law passed two years ago, and respective party leaders keep finding ways to kick the can down the road. Current elected officials knew this law would have to take place and the reasons why such a cap is needed in the first place are still alive and well in New York. Hint: they’re corruption related.
Who votes in New York City? Who Votes the Most in New York? West Siders, Older People and College Grads The CITY By Katie Honan	What do residents in the Upper West Side, Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Heights, and Fort Greene have in common? A lot probably, but they also have the highest turnout in City primary elections, according to Campaign Finance Board data compiled by the CITY. As the headline hints, City elections tend to represent whiter, older, and wealthier populations than the City’s actual demographic representation of those who live here and can vote. We here at CU might have an idea on how to improve this…
FJC MIA @ NYCHA Security Guards Were AWOL at NYCHA Developments, DOI finds The CITY By Greg Smith	PSA to all other cities considering a contract with FJC Security/Allied Universal. Don’t. A NYC Department of Investigation report found that security guards from the company often did not report for their shifts or just left their duties and falsified paperwork to cover it up. NYC’s contracts with FJC have expired and it seems like NYCHA is heeding the advice of DOI to improve the agency’s oversight practices, but it’s an alarming story nonetheless.
Commentary Who Will Be Our John Lindsay? New York Magazine By Errol Louis	Errol Louis has a message for those candidates competing to be the Democratic nominee for Mayor in 2025 (and thus likely the next Mayor): think big or go home. Using former Republican Mayor John Lindsay’s campaign and administration as an example, Louis paints why such an attitude (albeit supplemented by smart, hardworking people) is needed at this moment for the City.