Big business endorses in CD2 race

Daily Point

Open congressional seat: Day 177

In the latest sign of the high-stakes race in New York’s 2nd Congressional District, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is swooping in to endorse. 

It’s the first downstate New York congressional endorsement for the chamber this cycle — though more in the Empire State are expected this week. As with other establishment groups and figures, the chamber went with Andrew Garbarino over his State Assembly colleague and Republican primary opponent Michael LiPetri. 

“As we take on this pandemic and work to not just reopen our economy, but return to growth, and expanded opportunities for all Americans, we need leaders like Andrew Garbarino who have a proven track record of legislating responsibly and standing up for good policies,” said U.S. Chamber chief executive Thomas J. Donohue in a statement exclusive to The Point on Wednesday. Garbarino also gets a U.S. Chamber PAC check, according to a spokesman.

The chamber joins the local GOP parties, Reps. Pete King and Lee Zeldin, and House Whip Steve Scalise and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in lining up behind Garbarino. The falling in line began early, as Democrats coalesced behind Jackie Gordon for the chance at turning King’s red seat blue. (Gordon didn’t get a questionnaire to compete for the chamber’s nod.)

But LiPetri has remained in the race, sharpening an outsider image off vocal criticisms of the state’s COVID-19 response and his lack of support from institutional voices.

“The people know Mike LiPetri is concerned about them, not securing D.C. endorsements during a pandemic,” he wrote in a text message to The Point. 

—Mark Chiusano @mjchiusano

Talking Point

Will Bill Gates compute this time?

The New York political establishment can blow up within party lines, and across them, on just about any topic that comes up. There are times when it seems no issue or problem could ever bring the various sides together. 

But if there is a thing they can mostly agree on, it’s a willingness to battle against education reform led by Bill Gates, and in an election year, a strong desire to stay on the good side of teachers, their unions and the opt-out parents. 

Now Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has poked the education establishment bear with the sharp stick of Gates for the second time, a decade after the Microsoft founder’s beloved Common Core curriculum and standardized testing blew up huge parts of Cuomo’s education reform agenda beyond recognition.

This week, Cuomo announced that Gates would be central to an effort to revamp the education system in New York, a move spurred by statewide remote learning imposed during the coronavirus pandemic. Wednesday, in his daily news conference, Cuomo said: “We went to Bill Gates and he’s going to work with us on reimagining the education system.”

The response from across the political spectrum has been nothing short of apocalyptic.

Wednesday, Franklin Square Republican Assemb. Ed Ra trashed Gates in a statement decrying his involvement in the federal Race to the Top program from which New York got $700 million worth of grant funding and the Common Core curriculum that went with it.

“I’m all for seeking input on how to get better outcomes and create more dynamic opportunities for our kids, but we need to ask the right people. We should start with the thousands of New York state teachers who have been on the ground working to transition to online learning since March.”

Ra and other Republicans, though, are not on board with what the New York State United Teachers union wants: money, which they say must be raised through big tax increases on the wealthy, even as state coffers suffer.

And at least five major education advocacy groups that traditionally side with Democrats have attacked Cuomo’s Gates plan, falling in line behind NYSUT, whose president, Andy Pallotta, said, “If we want to reimagine education, let’s start with addressing the need for social workers, mental health counselors, school nurses, enriching arts courses, advanced courses and smaller class sizes in school districts across the state. Let’s secure the federal funding and new state revenues through taxes on the ultrawealthy that can go toward addressing these needs. And let’s recognize educators as the experts they are by including them in these discussions about improving our public education system for every student."

The last big education fight Gates and Cuomo teamed up for was less about money than standards, in curricula, testing and teacher performance. This time cash is king.

—Lane Filler @lanefiller

Pencil Point

No more task force

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Final Point

The challenges of shutting down NYC’s subway

The first planned overnight shutdown in the 115-year history of the New York City subway system took place early Wednesday morning, and the complications are clear. 

Closing the beating heart of the city that never sleeps — a subway system with thousands of cars, millions of riders, and hundreds of stations — is a massive undertaking, as indicated by a service delivery bulletin for MTA workers. The bulletin lays out what employees can expect with the shutdowns continuing “until further notice.”

The four-page bulletin includes a schedule for arrivals and departures of last and first trains in passenger service. Though the system reopens to customers at 5 a.m., the schedule shows many trains won’t leave right then. 

Delays for early morning riders are possible. 

“It may be necessary to delay some terminal departures to facilitate the completion of the cleaning process,” says the memo, signed by chief officer of field operations Paul J. McPhee. 

The bulletin also outlines the complex dance for MTA workers and police officers during the hours when passengers aren’t around. They still have to ride still-moving trains to get to different work places — cleaning crews, for example, were being moved to different stations, said Sarah E. Feinberg, interim president of New York City Transit at a Wednesday briefing. So on the customer-less trains, employees are being instructed to wear face coverings and be careful even around each other: “Although it may be necessary for personnel to move to an adjacent car to ensure social distancing, all boarding and alighting activity must be facilitated by the Conductor aboard the train and only from the lead car.”

See the “last and first trains” schedule here.

—Mark Chiusano @mjchiusano