Spin Cycle
News, views and commentary on Long Island, state and national politics
Cuomo: I go to great lengths not to engage in presidential politics
In another careful response about 2016, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Monday he’s not talking about running for president and not waiting to see if Hillary Clinton runs.
On the Capitol Pressroom, a public radio program where the governor is a frequent guest, Cuomo first said “no” when asked if he has decided not to run for president in 2016 if Clinton were to run.
But the governor went on...
Read more »Gov taps the brakes on "women's agenda"
[From the weekly "Cuomo Watch" feature]
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo tapped the brakes on his "women's agenda" when he said he couldn't move forward without a consensus among advocates about the items to include.
Read: the abortion-rights issue.
Most of the Democrat's 10-point agenda, which includes toughening laws against domestic violence and human trafficking, has...
Read more »HUD Secretary rolls out $1.73B Sandy aid package
Photo credit: Newsday / Thomas A. Ferrara
U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan came to the State Capitol Friday to announce a rollout of $1.73 billion in aid New York is slated to receive for superstorm Sandy recovery. It's one of the initial blocks of aid package that will eventually total around $30 billion.
Donovan, joined Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), was expected to approve...
Read more »Haber releases Web video touting Nassau county executive campaign
Nassau County Executive candidate Adam Haber has released a two-minute Web video in which he introduces himself to voters and lays out his campaign agenda before the November elections.
In the video, Haber, a Roslyn School Board member and retired Wall Street futures trader, paints himself as a political outsider who can solve Nassau’s most vexing problems.
“He's not a politician...
Read more »Cuomo renews pitch for limits on police, fire arbitration awards
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo used a question about struggling municipalities Thursday to renew his pitch for capping binding arbitration awards to police and fire departments.
Cuomo first proposed the idea in his State of the State address in January -- a 2 percent limit on raises provided through arbitration. The Legislature didn’t adopt the proposal as part of the state budget in March.
But...
Read more »Scandals prompt call for 'recall' elections
In the wake of recent political corruption scandals, some Republican state legislators on Wednesday proposed giving voters to the power to recall elected officials.
“Recall elections demonstrate the will of the people and provide for a swift, decisive remedy when corruption rears its ugly head,” Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb (R-Canandaigua) said.
Under his proposal, 20 percent...
Read more »Enviro chairman targets "killer couches"
Assemb. Robert Sweeney (D-Lindenhurst) wants to ban "killer couches." And, no, he's not talking about great looking sofas.
Sweeney, chairman of the Assembly Environmental Committee, says “killer couches” contain flame retardant chemicals that are linked to numerous health risks without providing “any practical safety benefit.” He said flame-retardant chemicals are...
Read more »Microphones go dead at Nassau legislative meeting
It seemed at first that Nassau Presiding Officer Norma Gonsalves had decided to end the furious bickering between Republicans and Democrats at Monday’s legislative meeting by simply shutting off lawmakers' microphones.
As Democrats Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, of Glen Cove, and David Denenberg, of Merrick, pressed for legislative hearings on superstorm Sandy spending, both their microphones...
Read more »Poll shows deep mistrust of state pols
Photo credit: AP
New Yorkers hold a high level suspicion of their elected leaders, according to a poll released Monday.
More 80 percent of those surveyed by Siena College say they expect more arrests of state legislators in the near future. And, perhaps underscoring the depth of mistrust, about one-third say their legislator could be arrested. The poll also found a slight dip in Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s approval...
Read more »Ex-Suffolk legis. Viloria-Fisher eyes B'khaven supervisor race
Photo credit: Howard Schnapp
Former Suffolk lawmaker Vivian Viloria-Fisher is eyeing a race against new Brookhaven Town Supervisor Edward Romaine, her former legislative colleague.
Anthony Parlatore, the new town Demcoratic chairman, acknowledged that Fisher could appear before the party screening committee as early as this week.
“We were talking abnd the subvject came up and a light bulb went off in our minds simultaneously,”...
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