Uncategorized
Extras
May 8th - 5:08 pm
Assemblywoman Vivan Cook, who allegedly went on shopping sprees with disgraced politician Shirley Huntley (and has not been charged), said her home was burglarized Monday night.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver abruptly cancelled today’s Assembly session because members were occupied with regularly scheduled ethics and sexual harassment training sessions.
In case you missed today’s tourism summit while monitoring the latest corruption developments, here are photos from the event.
A classic video from Sen. Eric Adams, retired NYPD officer, on how parents can spy on their kids. (Yet he didn’t find Huntley’s wire).
Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson, who was also caught on Huntley’s wire taps, referred a call seeking comment to the Senate Democrats’ central press office.
Why was Melvin Lowe identified in Huntley’s sentencing memo as an “associate” of AG Eric Schneiderman?
…a Schneiderman spokesman says it was in “retaliation” for the fact that the AG was the first prosecutor to indict the former senator. (See Nick’s post above).
Sen. Malcolm Smith’s lawyer confirmed his client spoke with Huntley in 2012, but insisted he’s “confident that there wasn’t a word spoken about criminal conduct.”
Getting caught on the Huntley recordings could have a negative impact on the borough president campaigns of Adams (Brooklyn) and Sen. Jose Peralta (Queens).
The NYC Council voted 45-3 to pass a paid sick leave bill.
The NRCC has some fun with Rep. Dan Maffei’s upcoming “Galactic Trivia Battle” fundraiser.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo honored 16 fallen police officers from across New York State – including four who died in the line of duty in 2012.
New Yorkers Against Fracking debuted a new radio ad.
Mayor Bloomberg doesn’t think his successor will have the “nerve” to roll back bike lanes in NYC.
New Yorkers for Life launched a virtual Mother’s Day-themed postcard campaign.
City Council Speaker Chris Quinn says scandal-scarred Councilman Dan Halloran “is working full-time for his defense, I can imagine, not full-time for New Yorkers,” and so should consider resigning.
The state Commission on Judicial Conduct is asking whether judges should have special license plates on their cars.
Bernard Tolbert, the former Buffalo FBI chief who has been exploring a primary challenge to Mayor Byron Brown for more than a year, said he will officially announce his candidacy Saturday.
Hillary Clinton is in Beverly Hills tonight.
More layoffs at the DN.
Remembering Melvin And Curtis (Updated)
May 8th - 3:39 pm
The list of nine names of those caught on ex-Sen. Shirley Huntley’s wiretap includes two that might not immediately ring any bells with all but serious political insiders. And so, a little history to refresh your memory.
- Melvin Lowe. He’s described in the sentencing memo as a “former political consultant and associate of New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.” His backstory is, not surprisingly, much more complicated than that.
Lowe goes back years with former Senate Minority Leader John Sampson, and he was brought on as a consultant to the DSCC in the 2009 post-coup reorganization days. Prior to signing on with the DSCC, Lowe worked for a number of Democratic pols, including former Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV, former state Comptroller H. Carl McCall and now-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s failed 2002 gubernatorial bid.
Updated: Cuomo’s 2002 gubernatorial campaign paid Lowe’s consulting firm $75,000 between 2001 and 2002. In 2003, Cuomo would later thank him in the acknowledgements section in his book “Crossroads.”
At the time he was added to the DSCC roster, Lowe was also a consultant to developer Bruce Ratner on the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn – a connection that made some members of the Democratic conference (not to mention opponents of Atlantic Yards) very unhappy.
While working for Ratner, Lowe was also involved in the Ridge Hill development project in Yonkers and was among the people mentioned in subpoenas that came out of the local U.S. Attorney’s office related to the passage of that project.
Democratic conference members were also not happy to learn in 2010 that Lowe had earned over $300,000 from the DSCC through two companies that were set up to appear as separate entites but were actually run and solely operated by Lowe himself.
City&State reported in 2010 that Lowe’s past also includes a stint as the chair of the CUNY Student Senate in the 1980s in which he was involved in some questionable financial dealings at the time, had to be brought to court to compel him to call a new election and was ultimately forced to resign from the position after it was revealed that he was serving in the position, which came complete with stipend and staff, while no longer actually registered as a student at CUNY.
Also, in September 2010, the Senate Democrats hired Lowe’s son, Melvin E. Lowe, as a regional coordinator for the Majority Conference Services department, a 30-hour per week, $32,000 per year position.
- Curtis Taylor. He’s described as a “former press advisor for Malcolm Smith.” Taylor was actually not merely an “advisor, ” but actually was on staff with the Senate Democrats when Smith was majority leader.
Taylor, a former Newsday reporter, resigned abruptly from his post as communications director and press secretary of the conference in 2008 after Smith was quoted as suggesting to some lobbyists at a fundraiser that they should “get in on the ground floor” with the Democrats because the price would go up after they took control of the chamber – a comment the Republicans insisted was an ethics violation and Smith insisted was merely a joke.
Taylor was not jettisoned completely by Smith, however. He moved over to what’s known as “conference services.” In July 2009, Taylor was one of a handful of Democratic Senate staffers who received a raise. His title at the time was “special adviser to the majority leader,” and the $13,500 bump he received took his salary to $135,000.
Taylor and Smith shared a personal connection. They were both members of the Queens-based Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of Greater New York, the church led by the Rev. Floyd Flake, a former congressman and Smith’s political mentor.
Here And Now
May 8th - 7:04 am
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is in Albany
At 10:30 a.m., Cuomo hosts the state’s first-ever tourism summit in the Hart Lounge at the Egg Center for Performing Arts.
At noon, Gay and transgender rights advocates including Empire State Pride Agenda members and city and community officials call for state lawmakers to pass GENDA during the current legislative session, City Hall steps, Manhattan.
At 1 p.m., LG Bob Duffy (a former police chief) delivers remarks at the Police Officers’ Memorial Remembrance Ceremony, Empire State Plaza, Albany.
The NYC Council will hold a long-awaited vote on paid sick leave legislation at 1:30 p.m., Council chambers, City Hall, Manhattan. The vote will be preceded by a rally with advocates, and business and labor leaders on the City Hall steps.
At 2 p.m., a judge will release documents revealing the names of six lawmakers caught on the ex-Sen. Shirley Huntley wiretap – unless prosecutors appeals.
The IDC is holding an ethics and campaign finance reform hearing in Rockland County (home turf of Sen. David Carlucci) from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Valley Cottage Library, 110 New York 303, Valley Cottage.
At 6 p.m, the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee holds a fundraiser, Tuscana West, 1300 I St. N.W., Washington, D.C.
Headlines…
Former gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino is now a Buffalo school board member after winning 79 percent of the vote in yesterday’s elections.
“Something was missing at a public hearing held by the State Senate on Tuesday to examine New York City’s campaign finance system: the public.”
Stunned by the indictment of state Sen. John Sampson, charged with embezzling $440,000 from sales of foreclosed properties, the state Office of Court Administration launched a review of how foreclosure sales are handled.
Sampson’s mole in the US attorney’s office, exposed.
Bob McManus believes corruption in Albany starts at the top, and calls out Cuomo for his taxpayer funded pro-business ad campaign.
Sen. James Sanders, who replaced Huntley in the Senate, slams elected officials who “snitch” on their colleagues.
The state Department of Financial Services has begun an investigation into pension advance firms, the lenders that woo retirees to sign over their monthly pension checks in return for cash.
The Senate GOP’s casino plan, which is still being drafted, protects the Seneca Nation of Indians’ three casino investments in the region by honoring a decade-old compact between the state and tribe to keep new Las Vegas-style casinos from locating in a large portion of the region.
Extras
May 7th - 5:37 pm
The Clintons are regular passengers on John Catsimatidis’ Gulfstream IV.
Bill Clinton thinks all the obsessing over his wife’s potential 2016 run is “the worst expenditure of our time.”
At Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s direction, DFS today sent subpoenas to ten companies engaging in pension advances.
Here’s the Citizens Union report on the undisclosed campaign activity of political clubs in New York. (This was featured on last night’s CapTon).
Catsimatidis’ mayoral campaign was endorsed by the Liberal Party.
The recent spate of Capitol scandals, which hit the Democrats particularly hard, could help the Republicans in the 2014 election cycle.
House of Cupcakes is opening a New York City location Thursday with a giant 25-pound, 35,800 calorie-cupcake named “The Mayor.” Mayor Bloomberg’s response: “Oh, come on!”
President Obama says his daughters “have taught me a pretty good ‘Gangnam Style.’”
The Donald is launching a crowdfunding site.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand expressed her frustration at the reported rise in sexual assaults in the military, released less than 48 hours after the head of prevention efforts for the Air Force was himself arrested for sexual assault.
Democratic NYC mayoral hopeful Sal Albanese accused two of his rivals – Council Speaker Chris Quinn and NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio – of hiring political operatives at taxpayer expense as they readied their campaigns.
Marc Ambinder, who had weight-loss surgery, congratulates “the most famous American” to do the same: NJ Gov. Chris Christie.
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s sixth annual report examining IDA performance found improved reporting of data, but recommended that IDAs do more to objectively weigh incentives against economic benefits.
“The Senate now has four conferences: Republican, Democrat, Independent Democrat – and indicted.”
Sen. John Sampson’s seat in the Senate chamber was moved, but he’s not sitting next to his scandal-scarred colleague, Sen. Malcolm Smith.
Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. suggests lawmakers of color are being targeted in corruption investigations.
New York finished 49th in CEO Magazine’s 2013 ranking of states that are “best for business,” behind California.
Andrea Catsimatidis (daughter of John Catsimatidis and wife of state GOP Chairman Ed Cox’s son Chris Cox) is an Internet sensation in China.
Stewart-Cousins ‘Hopes’ For No More Charges, But Can’t Be Sure
May 7th - 1:40 pm
ICYMI: Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told me last night that she’s hopeful Sen. John Sampson is the last member of her conference who will face charges for wrongdoing, but she isn’t 100 percent confident there won’t be more where that came from.
“I want to say that I feel confident,” Stewart-Cousins told me. “I feel confident that the conference that we are today is a conference that is filled with committed public servants who understand what their role is and is more than capable of performing that role.”
“I hope that there would be no other allegations against any of the members of the Legislature, frankly, because I think that we’ve all been hit and it always disturbs the public trust when we are. So it doesn’t matter if it’s this conference or that. We are all unfortunately painted with the same brush when this happens.”
Given the accelerated rate of announcements by federal prosecutors of charges being brought against state lawmakers these days, most Capitol watchers believe Sampson is probably not the end of it. Up to this point, one corruption case has led to another as dirty pols flip on their colleagues or agree to work undercover for the feds in an attempt to lessen their own charges.
Stewart-Cousins said she got a “heads-up” from Sampson the day before he turned himself in to the FBI (in other words, Sunday) after she called him to inquire about reports on his imminent arrest in the NYC tabs. During that conversation she informed him she would not only be stripping him of his ranking committee posts, but also booting him from the conference altogether.
One thing she did not do, however, is call on Sampson to resign. I asked her why not, and she said the senator is an “adult” and has to make his own decisions.
Watch Video Here >> (TWC ID required)
Here And Now
May 7th - 6:56 am
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is in Albany with no public schedule.
The Buffalo School Board elections are today. These races will be closely watched, thanks largely to Carl Paladino’s candidacy. (Edited).
From 8 a.m. to noon, City & State hosts its State of the State conference, Taste Albany, 45 Beaver St., Albany.
At 10 a.m., LG Bob Duffy will be in Buffalo to make an announcement about the “Buffalo Billion” and unveil a new ad campaign. Burchfield Penney Arts Center, Buffalo State College, 1300 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo.
At 10:15 a.m., NYPIRG releases a report showing 103,805 violations of state campaign finance laws since 2011, LCA Press Room, Room 130, Legislative Office Building, 181 State St., Albany.
At 10:30 a.m., Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. endorses Bill Thompson for NYC mayor, City Hall steps, Manhattan.
At noon, Duffy will be at the Riverside Convention Center in his hometown of Rochester to deliver remarks at the Rochester Rotary Law Day program. 123 E. Main St.
At 11 a.m., there will be a hearing in federal court on the Obama administration’s motion to stay order of the Plan-B decision. U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Courtroom 8A S, Brooklyn.
Also at 11 a.m., the Senate Republicans are holding an invite-only hearing on “abuses” in NYC’s public campaign finance system. Room 124, state Capitol, Albany.
With only 20 days left in the 2013 legislative session, the New York State DREAM Coalition is increasing its presence in Albany to finally pave a path to higher education for undocumented students. At 1 p.m., the group holds a press conference with supportive lawmakers, Room 130, LOB.
NOW-NYC, in partnership with Pace University, will host back-to-back forums featuring candidates for mayor at 7 p.m. Joyce Purnick, author of “Mike Bloomberg: Money, Power and Politics,” will moderate. One Pace Plaza, Manhattan.
Headlines…
NJ Gov. Chris Christie secretly underwent lap-band surgery and has already lost about 40 pounds. He says it was for his wife and kids, not his political career.
With the arrest of another former state Senate majority leader, John Sampson, Albany has seen 32 state level officials snared in corruption cases in the past seven years.
Sampson asked a mole in the US Attorney’s office for the names of witnesses cooperating to make a case against him so he could “take them out.”
Tom Precious believes Sampson’s alleged embezzlement of nearly $500,000 to help fund his campaign to be the top law enforcement official in Brooklyn “could be a first” and is “bizarre” – even by Albany standards.
Sampson pleaded not guilty, but has one month to decide whether to take the following plea agreement: Accept a sentence of 37 to 46 months by pleading to embezzlement and one other charge.
If he doesn’t take the plea deal, Sampson faces up to 120 years behind bars.
Extras
May 6th - 5:12 pm
AG Eric Schneiderman will sue Bank of America and Wells Fargo for violating the National Mortgage Settlement reached last year.
Tom Precious recalls John Sampson‘s heyday: “Soft-spoken, the large, muscular Sampson held a regular workout routine in a legislative gym located across the street from the Capitol.”
Brooklyn DA candidate Ken Thompson used the Sampson scandal to slam his primary target, DA Joe Hynes, though the charges against Sampson stem from his ’05 challenge to Hynes, which complicates things. (More here).
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said his Women’s Equality Act, which he hasn’t yet formally introduced, will be “the most comprehensive women’s equality agenda that’s ever been done.”
Ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner isn’t a candidate for mayor yet, but he’s already drawing demonstrators.
Jason Collins, the pro basketball player who outed himself as gay, will appear alongside First Lady Michelle Obama at a New York fundraiser for the DNC on May 29.
The Senate approved Cuomo’s high court nominee, Justice Sheila Abdus-Salaam, after several legislators praised her experience and qualifications.
A bill to require businesses to give their workers paid sick days passed a City Council committee today and will go before the full Council for a vote Wednesday.
A report from the Empire Center for New York State Policy found counties sitting in the Marcellus Shale could see their per-capita income increase by 15 percent by 2015 if the state gives fracking the go-ahead.
Former Assemblyman Ryan Karben describes Cuomo as a “maestro” of political music.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was the guest of Marylou Whitney at this weekend’s Kentucky Derby, and bet on a horse called “Frac Daddy.”
Democratic NYC mayoral hopeful Bill Thompson did some hiring.
GOP NYC mayoral hopeful Joe Lhota won’t ever wear a dress at the Inner Circle show like his former boss, Rudy Giuliani.
A Cuomo sister clarifies another sibiling’s pro-Hillary 2016 Tweet, insisting the family is “all in Andrew’s corner” should he chose to run for president.
Cuomo gave a group of fourth graders visiting the Capitol an impromptu history lesson in the Hall of Governors.
“New York, I didn’t come here for ice cream or cafe latte or bike lanes. New York, you’ve lost your soul.”
Hendrick Hertzberg on why President Obama should move to legalize pot.
Even former President Clinton didn’t have the juice to get Led Zeppelin back together.
Bipartisan Consultants Poll On Campaign Finance Reform (Updated)
May 6th - 12:56 pm
Seeking to really drive home the message that campaign finance reform is neither a Republican nor Democrat issue, the New York Friends of Democracy commissioned a poll jointly conducted by two consulting firms – one best known for repping Democratic clients, including, at one time, Gov. Andrew Cuomo; the other better known for its GOP clients.
The survey conducted by Global Stratey Group (Democrat) and Mercuy Public Affairs (Republican) found strong, across-the-board support for reforming the state’s campaign finance system and revealed that seven in 10 voters believe that to do so would reduce the influence of money in politics and also help end corruption in state government.
Founders of each firm participated in a brief conference call with reporters this afternoon to review the numbers: Global’s Jefrey Pollock (perhaps best known for his cameo appearance in “The Place Beyond the Pines” and also for serving as a longtime consultant to former AG/Gov. Eliot Spitzer) and Mercury’s Kieran Mahoney (who was once part of ex-Gov. George Pataki’s political braintrust).
Mahoney noted that upstaters appear to be paying even more attention to the issue of campaign finance reform and public corruption that residents in NYC and the suburbans, adding: “This is a state that’s fed up with corruption, and a state that believes campaign finance reform is the best method to address that corruption.”
UPDATE: A savvy reader reminds me that Mercury’s Mike McKeon headed up Republicans for Cuomo in the 2010 campaign and also served (or is it serves, assuming this thing is still a going concern) as the spokesman for the pro-Cuomo and business-backed Committee to Save New York. So, there’s definitely some cross-pollination going on there.
NY Friends of Democracy-CFR Survey-Press Memo[1] by liz_benjamin6490
Et Tu, Shirley?
May 6th - 12:21 pm
ICYMI, this was today’s morning memo:
Et Tu, Shirley?
Since the revelation that former Bronx Assemblyman Nelson Castro had been working as a double agent for federal prosecutors for almost the entire duration of his four years in office, the most popular political parlor game in Albany has been trying to guess who else might be wearing a wire.
Queens Assemblyman David Weprin even joked to the New York Times that it had become de rigueur upon meeting colleagues to “feel them up and down” – in a joking sort of way, of course.
Little did he know.
Last week, we learned Castro was not alone in his undercover activities. Former state Sen. Shirley Huntley, also of Queens, had also been working for the feds after discovering she would be slapped with corruption charges.
It looks like prosecutors hit pay dirt with Huntley – netting a much bigger fish than the one Castro managed to reel in (freshman Assemblyman Eric Stevenson, who is scheduled to be indicted in federal court today).
Former Minority Leader John Sampson turned himself in this morning to the FBI to face corruption charges in connection with a bribery deal that also involved Huntley and his own embezzlement of some $440,000 from the foreclosure sales of four Brooklyn properties for which he was the court-appointed referee.
Court documents reveal that Huntley, who pleaded guilty to corruption charges in January, recorded meetings with nine different people, seven of whom were elected officials and two others who had previously worked as a consultant or staff member to a public official.
It turns out that Sampson is the lawmaker identified in those documents as “Senator #1,” who sought help from Huntley for a businessman who was offering bribes in exchange for help to expand his business at Kennedy International Airport, which is in Huntley’s district.
Sampson set up a meeting between Huntley and the businessman, and Huntley subsequently contacted airport authorities on his behalf over the next two months, receiving $1,000 for her efforts. The money was ill spent, however, because despite the bribe, the businessman did not receive a lease for additional space from the Port Authority.
This is not the only incident involving Sampson that has caught the interest of federal investigators. They’re also reportedly looking into the Brooklyn Democrat’s relationship with Edul Ahmad, a Queens real estate broker whom Sampson represented as a client through his legal practice.
Ahmad pleaded guilty in federal court in October to a mortgage fraud scheme and has been the focus of a loan scandal involving Queens Rep. Gregory Meeks.
It’s ironic that Huntley is the one to take Sampson down. Back in 2010, he defended her against LGBT advocates who were furious that he agreed to support her and other Democrats who voted “no” on the gay marriage bill.
At the time, Huntley was facing a primary challenge from gay-marriage supporter Lynn Nunes. Sampson gave Huntley $9,500 from his own campaign cash and tried unsuccessfully to prevent the Empire State Pride Agenda, New York’s largest LGBT organization, from endorsing Nunes.
Nunes was not successful at ousting Huntley in the September primary. She won roughly 70 percent of the vote in that race.
Unlike with Castro, whom the feds allowed to stand for election three times, knowing all the while he was 1) a crook, and 2) splitting his time between representing his constituents and trying to catch fellow crooked colleagues in the act; Huntley only ran for re-election once, and was defeated in a primary by former NYC Councilman-turned-Sen. James Sanders.
It’s unclear if there will be more charges stemming from Huntley’s work on behalf of the US attorney’s office, but most observers agree this is just the tip of the iceberg.
It’s certainly bad news for the Senate Democrats, who have been trying to argue since last year’s elections that they are no longer the dysfunctional and trouble-ridden conference of the past.
And it’s especially bad news for those who are close to Sampson and might have something to hide. Sen. Malcolm Smith, the Queens Democrat who replaced Sampson as conference leader during the infamous 2009 coup, is battling his own corruption charges.
But there are one or two others – elected officials and former Senate staffers – who must be pretty darn concerned these days.
Here And Now
May 6th - 6:40 am
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is in New York City and Albany.
At 8:30 a.m., he’ll deliver remarks at the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee Spring Breakfast in the ballroom of the The Yale Club of New York City, 50 Vanderbilt Ave., Manhattan.
At 10:15 a.m, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara; John Morton, the director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and Mongolian officials mark the return of a 70 million-year-old dinosaur skeleton to Mongolia, which had been smuggled into the U.S.; Manhattan Room, second floor, One U.N. New York hotel, One U.N. Plaza, First Avenue and 44th St., Manhattan.
At 11 a.m., The executive director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Jeffrey Reynolds, Sen. Charles Schumer, health care professionals and parents introduce a campaign to reduce abuse of prescription painkillers; suite 2309, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System’s Zucker Hillside Hospital, 75-59 263rd St., Queens.
Also at 11 a.m., Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr. marks the start of “Bronx Week 2013″ during a news conference featuring a performance by Latin jazz group Yuka Seka and samples from local bakeries, breweries, restaurants and vendors; Veterans’ Memorial Hall, Bronx County Building, 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx.
At 1 p.m., Sen. Terry Gipson and Assemblyman Frank Skartados introduce Rosie’s Law involving allowing a witness to testify with a facility dog, State Capitol steps, Albany.
At 1:30 p.m., AG Eric Schneiderman discusses new legal actions against major financial firms related to housing; 25th floor, 120 Broadway, Manhattan.
At 2 p.m., Assemblyman Eric Stevenson will be indicted on federal corruption charges, U.S. District Court, 500 Pearl St., Manhattan.
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli will address state firefighters gathering for their annual lobby day. 3 p.m., Albany Hilton, 40 Lodge St.
At 7 p.m., the Costume Institute’s annual “The Met Gala” benefit takes place, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 100 Fifth Ave., Manhattan.
At at 7 p.m., Rochester Mayor Tom Richards will deliver his annual State of the City address at Rochester’s School of the Arts, 45 Prince St.
The Clinton Global Initiative’s mid-year meeting takes place today at the Sheraton New York, 811 Seventh Ave., between West 52nd and West 53rd Streets, Manhattan. Mayor Bloomberg speaks about mobilizing reinvestment in cities at 3 p.m.
Bloomberg will also meet with Miguel Angel Mancera, mayor of Mexico City, at City Hall in Lower Manhattan at 10 a.m.
The state Senate is in session at 3 p.m., and is expected to vote to confirm Cuomo’s latest Court of Appeals nominee, state Supreme Court Justice Sheila Abdus-Salaam.
Sen. Neil Breslin and Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins will welcome members of the progressive Reform Jewish Voice of New York to the Capitol as they push for the Women’s Equality Agenda and campaign finance reform.
The US Senate is expected to vote on legislation today that will require online retailers to collect sales taxes and send it to the government in the state where the buyer lives.
Headlines…
Embattled Sen. John Sampson, a Brooklyn Democrat, is set to turn himself in to authorities today after being ensnared in a bribery scandal involving his former colleague, ex-Sen. Shirley Huntley.
Sampson will be facing federal charges, including obstruction of justice.
A “high-level official” says Cuomo is “floundering around” and trying to get his poll numbers up as corruption cases mount in Albany.
Cuomo reiterated his end-of-session “to do” list, which is topped by the Women’s Equality Act that he says should be passed as a “single, vital piece of legislation.”
As the Legislature heads into its final months of the session, the state Democratic party is set to spend more than $1 million on TV ad campaigns designed to promote and execute two central planks of his agenda: The Women’s Equality Act and anti-corruption proposals.
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