Spin Cycle
News, views and commentary on Long Island, state and national politics
Nassau: Suozzi's man Jacobs takes a shot at rival Haber
Nassau Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs is attacking county executive candidate Adam Haber for his use of a Suffolk County marketing firm run by a former Republican political consultant.
Haber, a Democrat, hired Patchogue-based Public Relations and Marketing Group to run his Nassau Suggestion Box, a Web site where residents can vote on a host of issues. John Zaher, a registered Independent...
Read more »No L.I. fallout, so far, as IRS scandal resounds elsewhere
No Long Island group has surfaced among the nonprofits the IRS admitted it targeted from 2010 to 2012 for having “tea party,” “patriot,” “9/12” or a political word in its name. “I honestly don’t know of anybody personally that was stonewalled like that,” said Frank Seabrook, the former editor of the local tea party website Liberty Report.
“A lot of the tea party groups were loosely knit groups...
Read more »New LIPA boss hands out cash -- his own
They may not qualify as cushy management bonuses, but new Long Island Power Authority boss John McMahon recently handed out $50 bills at a staff meeting to boost morale.
The former Con Ed executive, according to sources, took a wad of cah out of his pocket and began giving each staffer a $50 bill suggesting they go to dinner on him.
McMahon’s gesture came as the embattled public utility...
Read more »So far, Silver survives the fall, and further fall, of Vito Lopez
And so, the long political career of Assemb. Vito Lopez (D-Brooklyn), resigning effective Monday, has crashed and burned in stages since the middle of last year.
Some of the falling debris hit Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), of course. He’s admitted for months that when two female staffers claimed sex harassment in Lopez’s office, the house’s ethics committee should have been...
Read more »Gov. Cuomo lists personal assets worth $1.8M plus
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has assets worth at least $1.8 million, according to new documents published by the state’s ethics panel.
The governor’s 2012 financial statement was made public last week under new disclosure rules enacted since he took office. The rules require the value of assets to be set in dollar ranges, so exact totals can’t be determined. Filings showed Cuomo with a blind trust...
Read more »Suffolk Legis. Krupski to face ex-rival from Southold town race
Suffolk County’s newest lawmaker, Democrat Al Krupski, will be facing a rematch of sorts in November.
Republicans last week named as their candidate Albie De Kerillis, of East Marion, who ran and lost to Krupski in a 2009 four-way contest for two Southold town board seats.
Krupski lead the field with 28.9 percent of the vote along with Republican Christopher Talbot. De Kerillis came...
Read more »Romaine insists axing of Walsh ally was coincidence
The deal between Suffolk Executive Steve Bellone and Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine to share a veterans counselor will also ax a close ally of town board member Kathleen Walsh, who is running for re-election on the Democratic line.
The town-county deal will put a county veterans counselor in town hall and the town will pay $25,000 toward his salary. But that means John Rago, a town veterans...
Read more »Suffolk: Ex-Assemb. Murray skips a Calarco challenge
Suffolk Republican and Conservative leaders tried to convince former Assemb. Dean Murray that he should revive his electoral career by taking on freshman Democratic lawmaker Rob Calarco this fall.
“It was suggested that it might be a good idea to run, but I decided against it,” said Murray. The newly married Murray said he demurred because he wants to spend time on building his business, which...
Read more »Grucci tapped for Brookhaven IDA
Felix Grucci, the former congressman and Brookhaven Town supervisor, has landed a new public position, albeit an unpaid one.
The town board named Grucci earlier this month to its Industrial Development Agency, which provides incentives and low cost bonds for businesses looking to move in or expand. There is no fixed term and Grucci will serve at the pleasure of the town board....
Read more »Add union leader Mattera to list of Smithtown GOP candidates
Primary fever just keeps growing in the ranks of Smithtown Republicans.
Republican union leader Mario Mattera, has decided to challenge GOP designee Paul Hennings, a town zoning appeal attorney, for the legislative seat being vacated by term-limited Legis. Lynne Nowick.
Mattera joins Nowick is running a GOP town board primary as well as Robert Creighton, who is challenging longtime GOP...
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