| | | | |  | | By Joe Anuta, Anna Gronewold and Zachary Schermele | Presented by The City University of New York | For a mayor who has vowed to make government more efficient, Eric Adams has sure created a lot of new positions since taking office. Adams has announced around 10 new entities that include a chief public realm officer, chief business diversity officer, a rat czar (who will not be Curtis Sliwa), along with the Mayor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships and the Mayor’s Office of Municipal Services Assessment. These new creations are pinned to various spots on the city’s organizational chart and have a variety of job descriptions — though some appear to operate with similar goals. The latest? Yesterday, Adams announced the Office of Asylum Seeker Operations, which will run point on services provided to migrants arriving in New York City. Mayoral spokesperson Fabien Levy said these offices fulfill the mayor’s pledge for streamlined government (Adams has also created a chief efficiency officer) by building intragovernmental bridges or allowing someone to focus solely on an issue of importance like asylum seekers. “Making government more efficient starts with breaking down silos between agencies and fostering greater collaboration to achieve shared goals,” he said in a statement. “When it comes to city government, we need to put in place real-time systems to inspect what we expect, tracking how well we’re delivering services to New Yorkers, and identifying areas where we can improve or streamline operations.” These new divisions, however, can also serve another purpose. “[Offices like this] do many things, but No. 1 is marketing,” said Doug Muzzio, a recently retired Baruch College political science professor. “He is marketing himself as a do-something mayor.” New municipal appendages have often functioned as a sort of shorthand for what mayors want to communicate to voters. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio, for example, created the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice and was fond of forming blue-ribbon panels and commissions to take on politically thorny issues. Even the City Council can find the allure of a new czar hard to resist. But Council Member Gale Brewer, who has been working in New York government since Gerald Ford was in the White House, argued superfluous titles distract from work that would normally fall into the wheelhouse of deputy mayors, who already have a bird’s eye view of their agencies. If an issue needs cross-agency coordination, she added, the mayor hires a first deputy mayor for a reason. “I don’t believe in these offices. I believe in: deputy mayors do the job,” she said in an interview Tuesday. “You don’t need 10 people to do the same thing.” IT’S WEDNESDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: agronewold@politico.com or on Twitter: @annagronewold WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany and New York City with no announced public schedule. WHERE’S ERIC? Riding the NYC Ferry, hosting an International Women’s Day event and attending New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams’ State of the City address.
| | | | A message from The City University of New York: When it comes to lifting up New York and building a strong, equitable workforce for the future, no one does it better than CUNY. With 2,800-plus programs, our 25 schools turn out thousands of graduates annually with the drive to help your organization thrive. So partner with us as your number one talent source. Mentor our students. Offer them internships. Hire them. Discover New York’s most vital university at cuny.edu/hirecuny and follow us on Twitter. | | | |  | What City Hall's reading | | “Adams Ally Moves Quickly From City Hall to Lucrative Real Estate Work,” by The New York Times’ Dana Rubinstein, Emma G. Fitzsimmons and William K. Rashbaum: “Since Mr. Carone left his job at the end of December as Mr. Adams’s right-hand man, he has been busy building a consulting business whose clientele now includes two of the city’s biggest landlords, and he may soon add a Saudi-based firm.” “Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, staff largely MIA from NYC office,” by New York Post’s Carl Campanile, Steven Vago and Bruce Golding: “On Tuesday, The Post visited the Public Advocate’s Office in Lower Manhattan and found mostly empty cubicles, with just five workers sitting at their desks out of a staff of 59.” “Brooklyn Dems sued for breaking office lease,” by City & State’s Jeff Coltin: “The Brooklyn Democratic Party is getting sued by its landlord, which says the party tried to break its lease on office space without permission, and now owes $82,000 in back rent.” LONG READ: “106 Cases, Three Jobs, One Lawyer: The city’s public defenders are struggling,” by Intelligencer’s Nia Prater COUNTERPROPOSAL: A group of lawmakers and activists largely from the vanguard of the city’s left gathered yesterday to push back against elements of the mayor’s budget proposal, which is being combed through by the City Council. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Council Members Lincoln Restler and Shahana Hanif, who both co-chair the newly streamlined Progressive Caucus, criticized City Hall’s plans to roll back a planned 3K expansion and require savings from most city agencies while sparing the NYPD. The People’s Plan, an alternative budget proposal endorsed by the elected officials in attendance, also criticized proposed cuts to library and CUNY funding. And in a sign that opposition to elements of the administration’s spending proposal extends beyond the left wing of the Democratic Party, Council Member Kevin Reily, a Bronx lawmaker who co-chairs the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus was also scheduled to speak at the rally in opposition to a reduction in education spending, though he did not end up attending. — Joe Anuta
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | “Hochul facing fight over cigarette tax hike, ban on flavored tobacco,” by Newsday’s Michael Gormley: “Hochul says the measure, which would create the nation’s highest tobacco tax, will save lives and ‘lead the way for a tobacco-free generation.’ ... But the proposal faces stiff lobbying now from the industry and some law enforcement groups that predict the proposal will lead only to more illegal sales. Some Black leaders fear a ban on menthol flavoring popular in their community would give police a pretext to stop and question Black residents. And a public advocate warns the measure doesn’t go far enough.” “Over 500 NYC parents, students rally at City Hall in effort to lift charter school cap,” by New York Post’s Kyle Schnitzer and Carl Campanile: “The push comes as Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to lift the cap has faced fierce resistance from state Democratic legislators allied with the anti-charter teachers union. But only two politicians — Assembly members Brian Cunningham of Brooklyn and John Zaccaro of the Bronx — showed up to back the campaign.” “Hochul says her bail law changes are about fairness,” by Spectrum’s Nick Reisman: “Making further changes to New York's controversial cashless bail law will make the state's criminal justice system more fair, Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Tuesday as she makes a push for her anti-crime proposals in her $227 billion budget plan due April 1. Hochul in Rochester pivoted to an issue that animated much of the 2022 campaign season: Tackling rising crime in New York and voter perceptions of feeling unsafe.” CONSUMERS COMPLAINING, 2022 edition: AG Tish James’ office released the top 10 types of consumer problems they heard about last year. Complaints about retail sales — issues with online purchases, defective products and poor customer service — led with 5,240 grievances. You can and should alert Tish James about a scam this year, she said in the release. NEW POD: David Lombardo, host of WCNY’s The Capitol Pressroom, is launching Dispatches from Planet Albany, which he is describing as “weekly conversations that are (supposed to be) a smart and funny encapsulation of the discussions reporters and sources have off the microphone at the Capitol in Albany.” The first round of guests this Friday are no strangers to you: Tusk Strategies Executive Vice President and co-head of the New York Practice Shontell Smith and Citizen Action of New York Legislative Director Rebecca Garrard. #UpstateAmerica: More than 180 farms are inviting the public to get an up-close look at how the states’ springtime maple harvest goes from sap to syrup, starting March 18.
| | | | A message from The City University of New York:   | | | | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Daily News: “Ex-cop fired for Roger Stone ties says NYPD commissioner should be sacked for inviting Cardi B to speak” — Planned Parenthood of Greater New York and multiple board members allegedly subjected its Black chief operating officer to race discrimination, according to a new lawsuit. — Four construction workers in Chinatown were injured, including one critically, after a building collapse at a site where numerous building code violations had been found. — "A casino in Nassau is not a done deal," Brian O'Dwyer, chairman of the state's Racing and Gaming commission, told Newsday. — Mayor Adams has cut the Department of Investigation's budget funding, slowing down investigations and reports.
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE 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. 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. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NBC’s Lester Holt … World Bank President David Malpass … Robert Wolf … Alex Olsman … Emma Brodie … NY1’s Zack Fink … Taylor Lustig MAKING MOVES — Per POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman: “Mark Halperin, the former top political commentator who was fired from NBC under a cloud of scandal, is leaving his current position as a senior communications adviser to the bipartisan group No Labels, the organization confirmed. Halperin had been No Labels’ highest-paid employee after joining the group in 2021. The circumstances of his departure were not immediately clear. Two people familiar with the matter said he was forced out. A statement from No Labels framed the exit more amicably.” … Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is now global ambassador for heat, health, and gender at the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Resilience Center. … … Per Variety’s Angelique Jackson: “Veteran communications executive Claudia Russo has joined United Talent Agency as SVP of corporate communications. Russo joins the global talent, entertainment, sports and marketing company from Verizon Business Markets and previously spent 15 years at Fox Television Stations.” … Miriam Cash is now director of national media at the National Partnership for Women & Families. She most recently was comms director for former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) and is an Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand alum. … ... Kerry Ann O’Meara has been appointed as the next vice president for academic affairs, provost and dean of the Columbia University Teachers College.
| | | | A message from The City University of New York: When it comes to lifting up New York and building a strong, equitable workforce for the future, no one does it better than CUNY. With more than 2,800 world-class majors and programs, our 25 schools turn out thousands of graduates each year with the talent and drive to help your organization thrive. You can be part of our career-related programs focused on fields such as tech, healthcare, renewable energy, construction and marketing. So partner with us as your number one talent source. Mentor our students. Offer them internships. Hire them. Our city is evolving, and CUNY stands ready to meet the moment. Discover the nation’s largest urban public university system at cuny.edu/hirecuny and follow us on Twitter at @CUNY. | | | | | Real Estate | | “Council Speaker Adams Reboots Twice-Failed Public Housing Idea. Is Her Plan Any Different?” by THE CITY’s Greg B. Smith: “In the speaker’s annual State of the City speech Wednesday, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams plans to offer a proposal to build new public housing on existing empty spaces within existing New York City Housing Authority developments, THE CITY has learned. Adams will propose ‘infill’ development, building on open spaces — rebooting a concept that failed twice in the recent past, with former Mayors Michael Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio both seeing their versions stalled by opposition from Housing Authority tenants and local elected officials. According to a source familiar with the plan, Adams will propose building new public housing apartments to replace existing NYCHA units at developments that have fallen into disrepair.” "City’s oldest off-Broadway theater sells to private equity firm," by Crain's New York Business' Natalie Sachmechi: "The Cherry Lane Theater, a century-old fixture in the West Village’s off-Broadway playhouse scene, has been sold for $10 million." | | | | 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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