| | | | |  | | By Anna Gronewold and Erin Durkin | Presented by Equinor | Lest anyone forget amid a tightening gubernatorial race and a handful of House tossups , some of New York's veteran politicians are facing challengers next month. That includes Tom DiNapoli, who was appointed comptroller in 2007 and has been reelected thrice, giving him the fourth-longest tenure of anyone elected to a top executive branch post in New York. Last night, he got up on the debate stage with his Republican opponent, investor Paul Rodriguez, in his bid for a fourth full term. As if to underscore the level of engagement surrounding a comptroller race, the Spectrum News debate started with an explanation of what a comptroller does, our Bill Mahoney reported . (We don't need to tell our readers this, but it includes things like overseeing the state's $246 billion pension fund. Don't sleep on a comptroller though. Remember last year, when he authorized Attorney General Tish James to conduct a criminal investigation into former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's book deal.) The debate last night ran through a number of topics where candidates often agreed, sometimes even vocally, with each other. They disagreed about how much of an activist role the pension fund should take in the companies it invests in. DiNapoli said things like diverse representation and women on boards should matter, while Rodriguez said he doesn't think "that public pension plans should be managed like private activist hedge funds." Overall, it's unlikely the civil discourse will shift the momentum of the race; DiNapoli is polling with a 24-percentage-point lead . He's also spent 201,733 times as much money as his opponent: about $2.2 million this election cycle compared to Rodriguez's $10.86. But is his campaign's outreach to Gen Z voters hitting? That remains to be seen. Next up for Democratic fan favorites fending off Republican challengers? Chuck Schumer and Joe Pinion debate on Oct. 30. IT'S THURSDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: EDurkin@politico.com and agronewold@politico.com , or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold WHERE'S KATHY? Making a transportation announcement and a green jobs announcement on Long Island and attending the Al Smith Dinner. WHERE'S ERIC? Making an education announcement, speaking at the C40 World Mayors Summit, making a public safety and workforce development announcement, speaking with survivors of domestic violence, and attending the Al Smith Dinner.
| | | | A message from Equinor: Can a wind turbine generate more than electricity? Yes, it can. At Equinor, our work to power 2,000,000 New York homes with homegrown, renewable energy is only part of the story. The Empire Wind and Beacon Wind projects are also boosting the economy, generating jobs, and launching tomorrow's clean energy infrastructure today. Equinor is a broad energy company, committed to become net-zero by 2050. We're proud to be a leader in this growing industry. | | | |  | What City Hall's reading | | " City Hall aide fired after being caught on video calling NYC Mayor Adams 'corrupt,' mocking cops ," by New York Daily News' Chris Sommerfeldt: "A City Hall staffer has been fired after being caught on camera mocking NYPD officers and calling Mayor Adams 'corrupt,' Hizzoner's office announced late Wednesday. Adams spokesman Fabien Levy pinned the axing of the staffer, Christopher Baugh, on the harsh comments he made about cops in video covertly shot and disseminated by the right-wing Project Veritas group. 'His comments today disparaging first responders are completely unacceptable, and we've terminated this employee effective immediately,' Levy said in a statement. 'Mayor Adams will always stand up for our first responders and have their backs.' Levy did not acknowledge that the video — a copy of which was obtained by the Daily News ahead of Baugh's termination — also shows the City Hall aide questioning Adams' morals and ability to govern." " NYC's controversial Randalls Island tent camp admits handful of migrants on first day ," by New York Daily News' Barry Williams and Chris Sommerfeldt: "Only a couple of Latin American migrants had been admitted to the Adams administration's new migrant tent camp on Randalls Island as of late Wednesday afternoon, making for a slow first day of operations at the controversial facility. Around 10:30 a.m., a shuttle bus was seen dropping off two male migrants at the sprawling facility in the Icahn Stadium parking lot, making them the first to arrive. Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol, whose agency is spearheading the tent project, could be seen shaking hands with the two men before they went through the intake process, which includes being tested for COVID-19." " Dozens flood NY City Hall over contentious $2 billion Innovation QNS proposal ," by New York Daily News' Michael Gartland and Bahar Ostadan: "Dozens of Astoria residents took to the steps of City Hall Wednesday morning urging rejection of the sweeping Innovation QNS project, saying the development would drive up rents in the neighborhood and force them from their homes. If approved by the City Council next month, the $2 billion rezoning would make way for a dozen new residential and commercial towers in Astoria, with nearly 3,000 apartments, two acres of green space, restaurants, stores and a movie theater. ... Farihah Akhtar, a lead organizer with the activist group CAAAV, said that the prospect of the project being approved is leading landlords in the area to begin pushing out long-standing tenants in an attempt to raise rents and further gentrify the neighborhood." " Times Square May Get One of the Few Spectacles It Lacks: A Casino ," by the New York Times' Dana Rubinstein, Nicole Hong and Michael Paulson: "Times Square, New York City's famed Crossroads of the World, could hardly be considered lacking. It has dozens of Broadway theaters, swarms of tourists, costumed characters and noisy traffic, all jostling for space with office workers who toil in the area. Now one of the city's biggest commercial developers is pitching something that Times Square does not have: a glittering Caesars Palace casino at its core. The developer, SL Green Realty Corporation, and the gambling giant Caesars Entertainment are actively trying to enlist local restaurants, retailers and construction workers in joining a pro-casino coalition, as the companies aim to secure one of three new casino licenses in the New York City area approved by state legislators earlier this year."
| | | | NEW AND IMPROVED POLITICO APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. With a fresh look and improved features, the sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don't miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. Already a POLITICO app user? Upgrade today! DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID . | | | | | | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | " Zeldin Built His Profile Defending Trump. Will New Yorkers Mind? " by The New York Times' Nicholas Fandos: "The comments — blaming Democrats and 'rogue state actors,' not Mr. Trump, for undermining confidence in the election — drew little attention at the time. Soon after, Mr. Zeldin would join 146 other Republicans in seeking to overturn Joe Biden's victory in key states. Two years later, though, as Mr. Zeldin seeks to become governor of New York, the episode has come to illustrate what may be his greatest political liability: a well-documented, yearslong alliance with a former president many New Yorkers consider a pariah. Mr. Zeldin, a conservative from Long Island, is far from the only or the most extreme Trump acolyte running a competitive midterm race who has helped to sow doubts about the 2020 election. But there is perhaps no other major candidate as deeply associated with Mr. Trump and his campaign of election lies who is seriously contesting a state that has so thoroughly rejected the former president." " Cuomo's return: Ex-gov launches podcast, laments downfall ," by The Associated Press' Michael R. Sisak: "Fourteen months after resigning from office in a sexual harassment scandal, the former New York governor is elbowing his way back into the public eye, launching a podcast and a political action committee in what could be the first steps toward a comeback bid for political office. But he isn't following the usual playbook for misbehaving politicians seeking redemption. Cuomo is unrelenting in his view that he was the victim of a political hit job. And he isn't concerned that stance might cost him listeners on his new show, which has its debut episode Thursday. 'It's just about expressing my opinion to the public and speaking publicly,' Cuomo said in an interview with The Associated Press. 'And to the extent they don't like what I have to say, then don't listen.'" " New York Attorney General Letitia James says state's bail reform should be looked at ," by WRGZ's Andy Paden: "Crime and bail reform are central topics in so many elections around the state this season, and the state attorney general's election is no exception. In an exclusive interview with WGRZ on Tuesday, incumbent Letitia James shared her stance on bail reform, which slightly differed from what she's shared in the past. 'We need to address a wide range of issues, including but not limited to looking at bail reform,' James said." #UpstateAmerica: Rhinebeck and Cold Spring are among the most beautiful towns in America, according to Architectural Digest.
| | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | " Trump appears for deposition in E. Jean Carroll lawsuit ," by CNN's Kara Scannell : Former President Donald Trump appeared Wednesday for a deposition as part of the defamation lawsuit brought by former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll. Last week, a federal judge cleared the way for Trump's testimony saying the former President had already taken steps to delay the case and he 'should not be able to run out the clock.' 'We're pleased that on behalf of our client, E. Jean Carroll, we were able to take Donald Trump's deposition today. We are not able to comment further,' said a spokesperson for Kaplan Hecker & Fink, the law firm representing Carroll. Lawyers for Trump have not responded to a request for comment. It is not clear if Trump answered questions or what he said during the deposition, which was taken at his Mar-a-Lago resort."
| | | | A message from Equinor: The energy transition is the defining challenge opportunity of our time. Our world needs energy to keep moving forward — but it must be affordable, reliable, and accessible. We all have a role to play. At Equinor, we're doing our part by helping accelerate the energy transition. We're growing our renewable energy portfolio and lowering emissions from production. We're already on the way to powering about 2,000,000 New York homes with energy from the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind offshore wind projects. We're creating jobs, building tomorrow's infrastructure, and sparking new economic activity. But for us, that's only the beginning. By the time the global population reaches 9 billion in 2050, our goal is to have net-zero emissions. Discover more about Equinor at www.equinor.com/USA. | | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | Super PAC cavalry starts shoring up House Dem campaign chief amid GOP deluge , by POLITICO's Sarah Ferris and Ally Mutnick: A Democratic super PAC is beginning to mount a rescue mission for the party's beleaguered House campaigns chief. Our Hudson PAC, a group that formed in July to aid Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) in his summertime primary, is the first Democratic outside spender to jump into his narrowing race against GOP state legislator Michael Lawler. Maloney's newly redrawn district in the lower part of Hudson Valley has quickly become a top GOP target, with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's aligned super PAC dumping $4 million of broadcast TV ads into the race this week.
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — The head of New York City Transit said cops in subway stations have not been enough to deter crime. — State outreach teams have helped find beds for 150 people living in the subways in their first six months of operation. — The city's new composting program in Queens has collected more than 1 million pounds of food and yard waste in its first two weeks of operation. — The area around Citi Field sees 100 percent more traffic crashes and 77 percent more injuries during baseball season compared to the off season. — New York City has given two companies tasked with running heliports at least $1.4 million in breaks on rent payments during the pandemic. — Guilderland High School walked out to draw attention to what they describe as a racist school climate . — Outgoing New York State Police Superintendent Kevin Bruen thanked the agency's workforce for their support in a memo as his resignation took effect.
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NYT's Matt Apuzzo … Commerce Department's Roddy Flynn … Eliza Relman … Greg Lowman of Fidelity … Bart Marchant … Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani … Christie Boyden MAKING MOVES — Ravesa Bajo is now public affairs manager for strategic response at Meta. She was previously executive director for policy initiatives and special projects at the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs. … Hassan Naveed has been named executive director of the city Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes. He was doing the job on an acting basis and was previously director of outreach for the NYPD inspector general. … Rendy Desamours is now senior strategist and deputy press secretary for the New York City Council. He previously was a senior account executive at BerlinRosen.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today . | | | | | | | Real Estate | | " 13 Years, 3 Mayors, Countless Community Board Meetings, and Just One Building ," by Curbed's Bridget Read: "On the corner of 54th Street and Ninth Avenue on Manhattan's far West Side, a blue fence skirts a gray parking lot. Windowless slabs hug the lot from two sides: on 54th, the beige wall of a large building owned by the MTA, whose employees park their cars in the lot; on Ninth, the concrete side of a glass-sheathed apartment building. Behind, more shiny towers, more brick tenements. In many ways, the parking lot was a prize — 'one of the few available pieces of dirt left,' as one city worker put it, in a housing-scarcity emergency that has lasted five decades. The lot was on publicly owned land, among only a thousand or so sites that remain property of New York City, which meant that, unlike a private lot, the site did not have to make a profit. Since 2009, the city has wanted to turn the parking lot into apartments." " Prosecutors Allege Bushwick Developers Cashed In on Tax Breaks While Overcharging Tenants ," by The City's George Joseph: "Manhattan prosecutors allege that a group of six developers ripped off taxpayers, overcharging Bushwick tenants while cashing in on a controversial, now lapsed, state tax breaks for developments that are supposed to include income-restricted affordable units. According to an indictment announced Wednesday, the developers violated the terms of that tax break, known as 421-a, by falsely claiming that the 'affordable' units had been rented out to income-qualified tenants. They instead hiked rents, prosecutors allege — in some cases more than $1,000 per month above approved levels — to renters who did not qualify." | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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