Plugged In @ Hinman Straub – November 27, 2018

What’s Inside

  • Governor Pushes Back Against Critics, Defends Incentives for Amazon
  • Statewide Public Transportation Coalition Launches
  • Attorney General-Elect James Announces Senior Staff Appointments
  • Mayors Announce 2019 Legislative Priorities
  • Profiles of Newly-Elected State Legislators
  • Political Update
  • Coming Up

Governor Pushes Back Against Critics, Defends Incentives for Amazon

On Monday, Gov. Cuomo released a lengthy statement in which he criticized detractors of the recent announcement that New York State and New York City will provide various incentives to Amazon to establish a new corporate headquarters in Long Island City, Queens.

The Governor explains that the “ongoing economic competition among the states” drove this process, and that “New York’s bid for incentives was not close to being the highest bid compared to other states.”

A number of lawmakers have raised objections to the city and state providing economic incentives to one of the world’s most valuable companies, and there is concern about the impacts Amazon will have on Long Island City.  Michael Gianaris, who is expected to be part of the leadership team of the incoming Democratic Senate Majority which will take control of the State Senate in January, announced that he plans to introduce legislation that would ban governments from entering non-disclosure agreements at the insistence of private corporations engaging in economic development talks.

Statewide Public Transportation Coalition Launches

On Monday, a coalition of groups led by led by the New York Public Transit Association announced the launch of New Yorkers for Better Public Transit, which will advocate for public transportation systems throughout the state.

The coalition includes the General Contractors Association of New York; Reinvent Albany; the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative; Vision Long Island; the Riders Alliance; and the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee.

According to its web site, the coalition’s goal is to “educate lawmakers in Albany on the enormous benefits of public transit and that a significant, long-term commitment to increased transit funding can lead to sustainable success in our economy, classrooms, medical centers, places of business, and homes.”

The coalition’s web site highlights the role public transit plays in the state’s economy, and it has launched a petition drive that calls on Gov. Cuomo and the members of the state legislature to increase public transit funding throughout the state.

The 2019 legislative session is expected to focus heavily on transit issues, particularly in New York City.

Attorney General-Elect James Announces Senior Staff Appointments

On Tuesday, Attorney General-Elect Letitia James announced her first senior staff appointments.  She has appointed:

  • Ibrahim Khan as Chief of Staff;
  • Jennifer Levy as Chief Deputy Attorney General for Social Justice; and
  • Jose Maldonado as Chief Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice.

She also announced the launch of a transition website, “which will host all the updates about Attorney General-Elect James’ team and priorities, as well as serve as a portal for interested candidates.”

Mayors Announce 2019 Legislative Priorities

City and village officials from throughout the met in Albany this week as part of the New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials (NYCOM), and identified some of the top issues they would like to see addressed by state lawmakers in 2019.

NYCOM’s 2019 priorities include a new $100 million Municipal Investment Initiative that would provide need-based funding to cities, villages and towns; taxing online retailers with a substantial economic presence in the state; and increased funding from the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS), which provides crucial money for constructing, renovating and improving local infrastructure.

Profiles of Newly-Elected State Legislators

In January, 17 new State Senators and 21 new Assemblymembers will take office. Between now and the end of the year, Plugged In will provide brief profiles of these newly-elected members.

Senators

In the 6th Senate District, which includes central Nassau County, Democrat Kevin Thomas upset 28-year incumbent Republican Kemp Hannon.  Thomas, an attorney and an appointee of the US Commission on Civil Rights to the New York State Advisory Committee, will be the first Indian-American to serve in the state Legislature. His priorities include ensuring that all children receive a quality education; enacting the Reproductive Health Act; and single-payer universal health coverage.

In Brooklyn’s 18th Senate District, Democrat Julia Salazar defeated incumbent Democratic State Senator Martin Dilan in the September primary.  Before running for office Salazar was a community organizer with the Democratic Socialists of America and other activist groups.  Her legislative priorities include supporting affordable housing and tenant’s rights; passage of the New York Health Act; improving the New York City transit system; and promoting civil rights.

In the 39th Senate District in the lower Hudson Valley, Democrat James Skoufis won the race to replace retiring Republican Bill Larkin.  Skoufis has served in the Assembly since 2013.  His legislative priorities include providing tax relief; cleaning up corruption in Albany; supporting public education; and improving the region’s infrastructure.

In the 50th Senate District in Central New York, Republican Bob Antonacci will replace fellow Republican John DeFrancisco, who did not run for re-election.  A CPA, Antonacci has served as Onondaga County Comptroller since 2008.  His legislative priorities improving the economy; fiscal responsibility and accountability; and making the real property tax cap permanent.

Assembly Members 

Republican Joe DeStefano won the race for Suffolk County’s 3rd Assembly District.  He will replace fellow Republican Dean Murray, who lost a race for State Senate.  DeStefano has served as a Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Communication Supervisor for the last 27 years. His legislative priorities include reducing taxes, eliminating wasteful spending and improving the region’s quality of life.

Democrat Mathylde Frontus was elected to represent Brooklyn’s 46th Assembly District.  She replaces fellow Democrat Pamela Harris, who resigned in April after she was indicted for fraud. Frontus founded and lead three organizations, most recently Urban Neighborhood Services (UNS), a grassroots agency providing a range of services to community members, including financial literacy, veterans’ services, health education, LGBTQ resources, and college prep. Her legislative priorities include public school funding; safe and affordable housing; greater transparency in government spending; and preventing gun violence.

Republican Colin Schmitt was elected to represent the 98th Assembly District, which includes parts of Orange and Rockland counties.  He will succeed James Skoufis, who was elected to the State Senate. Schmitt currently serves as chief-of-staff for New Windsor’s town government, and he is a member of the Army National Guard. He previously worked as the director of operations for the State Senate’s Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee. His legislative priorities include ensuring fair school funding; property tax relief; addressing the heroin epidemic; fighting systemic welfare abuse and supporting term limits.

Democrat Jonathan Jacobson was elected to represent the 104th Assembly District in the mid-Hudson Valley.  He will replace fellow Democrat Frank Skartados, who died in April.  Jacobson is a Newburgh city councilman who has served as Orange County Democratic Committee Chair, Assistant Attorney General and Assistant Counsel to the Assembly Speaker.  His legislative priorities include ending the reliance on the local property tax to fund schools; protecting reproductive rights; expanding the Excelsior Scholarship Program of free tuition at state colleges to include part-time students and for vocational training; and funding the repairing of local roads and water/sewer systems.

In the 130th Assembly District, which covers, Wayne, Oswego, and Cayuga Counties, Republican Brian Manktelow won the race to replace fellow Republican Bob Oaks, who did not seek re-election.  Manktelow has served as Supervisor of the town of Lyons, in Wayne County, since 2010, and is a farmer.  His legislative priorities include addressing costly state mandates; ethics reform; infrastructure funding; and term limits.

Political Update

Contradicting AP Report, Cuomo Says He Is Not Running for President

An Associated Press article on potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidates reaching out to potential staffers and party organizers in Iowa said that Gov’s Cuomo “has contacted Des Moines-area Democrats.”

Gov. Cuomo denied the report, saying that “there is no truth to it.”  During the Democratic primary debate in September, he promised that only death would stop him from serving his full term as governor.

Coming Up

The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) holds its next meeting at 10:30 today. (Read the agenda here.)

Also at 10:30 today, the Assembly Banks and Consumer Protection committees are holding a public hearing on the practices of the student loan industry.

On November 28, the New York State Compensation Committee holds its first public hearing in Albany.  The committee will hold a second public hearing in Manhattan on November 30.

The state Board of Regents holds its next meeting on December 10 and 11.

On December 12, the Assembly’s Veteran’s Affairs Committee is holding a public hearing in Albany on veterans’ employment programs.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) holds its next meeting on December 13.

On December 14, the State Board of Elections meets.

The New York State’s 2019 legislative session begins on Wednesday, January 9.