Gov. Cuomo, in his first State of the State Address, today will grimly warn today that New York faces massive losses of private-sector jobs and population unless it drastically cuts spending and consolidates government agencies.
Cuomo is expected to call for an overhaul of the state’s troubled juvenile justice system, putting him on a collision course with Bloomberg, who has demanded that the city takeover the system.
And get ready for fun! Cuomo plans to use 82 power point slides in his State of the State.
Cuomo has moved the speech from the Assembly chambers to the Empire State Plaza convention center, and “insiders view the shift as a signal to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver that Cuomo is calling the shots. Perhaps more important than the venue itself, the move has given Cuomo control of the distribution of tickets to the event — something that used to be the province of Silver’s office,” the T-U reports.
On the Barrett/Robbins departure, former Voice editor Don Forst says, “With the loss of Wayne and Tom, they lost Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle.”
There is criticism from some quarters about the pace of Andrew Cuomo’s transition, especially his failure to name a budget director.
Cathie Black across the river? Gov. Chris Christie is pressing for regulations that would allow some New Jersey school districts to hire superintendents without traditional academic backgrounds or experience, in an effort to change confining state rules.
City Hall refuses to say who ran the city during the weekend of the big blizzard, since neither Mayor Bloomberg nor Deputy Mayors Goldsmith or Wolfson were in town.
“Bloomberg is a CEO, but you can’t run a city like a corporation when lives are at stake,” Sanitation Worker No.5 tells Dennis Hamill.
Cuomo’s call for fiscal austerity has yet to be embraced by some state lawmakers, who have introduced bills this week that would expand efforts to enroll Medicaid recipients, prevent the state from reducing the health benefits of retired public servants, and create new state councils on food policy, housing, and other matters.
The main contractor on the CityTime project has been slapped with a federal subpoena
Dan Halloran has met with a federal prosecutor over allegations he revealed about a Sanitation Dept. slowdown during the snowstorm.
Mixed messages from Zadroga lawyers.
The Senate Democrats are in more debt than was previously reported.
Rory Lancman says Cuomo should extend the millionaires tax.
Steve Israel makes the WaPo’s 10 to watch list, who say that his role as head of the DCCC could propel him to a leadership post.
