Last night's Gracie Mansion dinner dustup

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Jun 15, 2023 View in browser   By Julia Marsh and Hajah Bah Presented by Gracie Mansion. | AP Photo/Seth Wenig New York Mayor Eric Adams hosted a dinner for elected officials at his official Gracie Mansion residence Wednesday night — much like the reconciliation meal he shared with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other Queens and Bronx lawmakers in March. But Wednesday’s Kosher dinner geared toward Orthodox Jewish officials was notable for who didn’t show. Like state Sen. Simcha Felder. Felder received an invitation to the two-hour event “to continue cultivating relationships with Mayor Adams,” according to a copy of an email from City Hall’s legislative representative Sam Weprin. Felder told Playbook he refused to attend because of the mayor’s failure to improve a longstanding problem with private school tuition compensation from the city to parents of students with disabilities. “It’s not the time to stuff myself like a pig — eat, drink, be merry — when these kids with special needs are not being reimbursed for services,” the lawmaker said. He's been an outspoken advocate for the families in part because he has a grandchild with Down Syndrome. Wednesday’s stance was in stark contrast to Felder’s praise for Adams in December, when the administration added 3,000 special education seats for early childhood. But a person with knowledge of the dustup said Felder’s real reason for skipping the event had nothing to do with struggling students. Instead, he boycotted it after he failed to secure the finance commissioner job — or another position in the administration, a second source confirmed. Felder admitted he was interested in working for Adams and said “they asked me to send my resume to them.” “I am very happy being a state senator, but was happy to send him my resume,” he texted Playbook. However, he insisted he stayed home and had Rice Krispies for dinner on behalf of the children. Mayoral spokesperson Fabien Levy said no topic is off the table in the mayor’s private meals with elected officials. “If there is an issue State Senator Simcha Felder wanted to discuss with the mayor, it is unfortunate he has chosen not to attend tonight’s dinner to engage in that conversation,” Levy said in a statement Wednesday night. Felder said he’s too angry over the issue to have rational discussion about it: “I don’t think it’s fair or nice to come to a dinner and start screaming." Other electeds who were expected to attend the dinner include City Council Members Kalman Yeger and Eric Dinowitz and Assembly Member David Weprin. IT’S THURSDAY. WHERE’S KATHY? Delivering remarks on youth mental health at Javits Center in New York City. WHERE’S ERIC? Delivering a makes-labor-related announcement, announcing a summer volunteer event series, visiting a veterans housing roundtable hosted by Commissioner James Hendon, delivering remarks at flag-raising ceremony for the Caribbean Community, announcing a public-safety related statement on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, and hosting a Juneteenth celebration. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "You go forth from here today as one of New York's pacemakers. You'll see things that you never thought possible. You'll see the depths of humanity at its lows, but you'll all have a chance to experience the greatest highs.” — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday in a speech to 238 new state troopers as they graduated from the police academy. A message from Uber: Uber riders have already paid $629 Million in Congestion Pricing fees. If the Congestion Pricing on Uber rides goes up even more, it will put tens of thousands of NYC Uber Drivers out of work. That’s why 35,483 drivers across New York have signed a petition telling the MTA not to raise Congestion Pricing on them. Learn More   ABOVE THE FOLD House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) at the Capitol last week. | Francis Chung/POLITICO COULD GUN CONTROL HELP DEMS RETAKE THE HOUSE? — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wants New York voters in swing districts to know that vulnerable Republicans voted this week to block regulations on guns with pistol braces, a popular firearm accessory that’s been used in mass shootings. “While House Democrats are taking action to keep our communities safe, the so-called moderate New York Republicans voted with the NRA to put even more dangerous guns on our streets,” Jeffries told Playbook in a statement. One Republican aide scoffed at the approach, saying it was a sad attempt to deflect from Democrats' real problems around inflation, crime and President Joe Biden’s sagging poll numbers. Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican who represents a wide swath of upstate New York, said the braces help “veterans with service-related injuries safely operate a firearm.” “It's extreme to make these braces illegal and turn disabled veterans into felons,” Molinaro said. — Julia Marsh   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 CITY HALL IS READING Adams defends purview of police commissioner in wake of exit, by POLITICO’S Joe Anuta: Sewell is set to depart at the end of the month, closing out a tenure marked by plateauing crime — with several categories of violent offenses on the decline — along with a tenuous grip on power in the Adams administration. Multiple people familiar with the internal dynamics of the department said this dilution of authority was a major reason behind her exodus. Grand jury indicts Daniel Penny in chokehold death of New York City subway rider Jordan Neely, by Spectrum News Bill de Blasio on Post-Mayoral Life and His Biggest Regrets (Groundhog Included), by New York Magazine’s Benjamin Hart who asked: “On a lighter but more tragic note, do you have any regrets about dropping the groundhog in 2014?” De Blasio responded: “It was idiocy. Why would you want an elected official to hold a groundhog? I don’t know anything about holding groundhogs. So the whole thing is just insane. There’s an original sin here. Don’t hand someone a groundhog, right?”   A message from Uber:   WHAT ALBANY'S READING As Senate approves ‘Coverage for All’ Focus Shifts to Assembly on Health Coverage for Undocumented New Yorkers, by Gotham Gazette’s Samar Khurshid: “The bill, which immigrant advocates have been pursuing for years, would expand health care access to more than 240,000 undocumented immigrants in the state, allowing them to enroll in New York State’s Essential Plan that gives low-income New Yorkers access to health insurance." Queens lawmaker resigning to take top job at Jewish philanthropy, by The Forward's Jacob Kornbluh: “The UJA-Federation of New York, one of the largest Jewish philanthropies in the nation, has appointed Daniel Rosenthal, a Democratic member of the New York Assembly, to fill a top position at the nonprofit. Rosenthal, 32, will succeed Louisa Chafee as vice president for government relations." Albany’s to-do list when the Assembly returns, by Spectrum News’ Nick Reisman: “An agenda has not been formally announced by the Assembly's Democratic leadership. But after lawmakers narrowly approved a measure to automatically seal many criminal records for the first time in the chamber, it's unclear how much appetite is left within the chamber itself for similar measures.”   SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don’t miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY.     TRUMP'S NEW YORK They Are Trump’s Aides and Lawyers. Now They Could Be Trial Witnesses, by The New York Times’ Alan Feuer, Maggie Haberman and Glenn Thrush: “Mr. Trump is in the position of waging a presidential campaign and preparing a defense at the same time. "Complicating matters, he has been forbidden from discussing the latter with a number of people who could presumably help him with the former, some of whom are no doubt wondering who is saying what to the government as they go about their jobs." AROUND NEW YORK — New York City Comptroller Brad Lander wants the Adams administration to join his push for a court slowdown on eviction cases. (Queens Daily Eagle) — The state’s new liquor authority chair has big and expedited plans. (Times Union) — Add Ontario County officials and Finger Lakes Gaming to the list of opposition to a Seneca casino in Rochester. (Democrat and Chronicle) SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN HAPPY BIRTHDAY: CNN’s Dana Bash, Bianna Golodryga and Karl de Vries … Alyssa Farah Griffin … Richard Edelman … AP’s Evan Vucci … Clifford Levy … MSNBC’s Will Rabbe … Sophie Vaughan … Marie Harf … (was Wednesday): Stanley Druckenmiller ... Pavel Khodorkovsky  A message from Uber: Who says polluting doesn’t pay? Today gas powered trucks pay $0 in Congestion Pricing  Meanwhile all electric Uber Green cars pay $2.75 in Congestion Pricing everytime they go into Manhattan’s congestion zone. Do you think electric Ubers should have to pay more than gas trucks? Learn More   Real Estate Mayor’s business-zoning plan eases restrictions on casinos, corner stores, microbreweries, by Crain's New York’s Nick Garber: “The city this week rolled out details about its planned rewrite of zoning laws aimed at easing restrictions on businesses — revealing for the first time that it might fold in a measure to permit casinos within the five boroughs.”   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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