Carolyn Maloney’s second act

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Sep 22, 2023 View in browser   By Emily Ngo Presented by Ørsted Former Rep. Carolyn Maloney looks at documents in her Roosevelt House office on Tuesday. Maloney is asking her former congressional colleagues once again to recognize the Equal Rights Amendment. | Emily Ngo/POLITICO Former Rep. Carolyn Maloney has a plea for her one-time colleagues in Congress. It’s the same drum she beat when she served among them until last January: Recognize the Equal Rights Amendment. “We are closer now than we ever have been,” she told Playbook recently in an office adorned with green ERA signs. “As one of the advocates said, ‘Carolyn, you’re much more valuable to us out of office than in the office because you have time to work with us on this.’” Women’s issues were Maloney’s signature cause during her three decades in Congress, a time filled with highs and lows and a career cut short sooner than she wanted when she lost in August 2022 to Rep. Jerry Nadler. After she recovered from the shock, she got to work, especially on the unfinished business of putting an amendment in the Constitution that would guarantee equal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. “We’re claiming it’s already ratified, but it’s in dispute,” Maloney said. “So a way to clarify it is: If Congress can add a time limit, Congress can remove that time limit.” Playbook asked if Maloney now works with Nadler. “No,” she replied curtly, unsurprising to anyone who witnessed their bitter battle of the titans last year. Playbook asked if Maloney will vote for Nadler next year. “Fortunately, in America, our votes are confidential,” she responded. “Isn’t that wonderful?” Playbook asked if Maloney has plans to run for office again herself. “You never know what’s going to happen,” she said, adding, “I’m always running. I’m running right now. I ran to three or four meetings before I got to you.” Maloney’s titles, distinctions and awards post-Congress are many. She’s a distinguished leader in residence at Hunter College’s Roosevelt House and president of the New York chapter of the National Organization for Women. She has traveled recently to Washington, to Richmond, Va., and to Seneca Falls. Everywhere she goes, she solicits signatures on the Sign4ERA petition, hitting up her Upper East Side neighbors, mayors around the country, anyone she comes face to face with. And Maloney, 77, who pushed fiercely for the Second Avenue subway line, has another big goal in mind once the ERA is recognized. “I want to really devote my time to high-speed rail between New York and Boston,” she said. HAPPY FRIDAY. TGIF! Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman. WHERE’S KATHY? Appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" and speaking at the Business Council of New York State's annual meeting. WHERE’S ERIC? Making a public safety-related announcement, meeting with the Vietnamese Prime Minister, speaking with the Ecuadorian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility and receiving an award at the Sisters in Crisis’ Black Man’s Gala. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Urgency and action together mean we'll save the planet for future generations. That's our responsibility. That’s the responsibility of every single person who breathes air on this beautiful planet.” — Gov. Kathy Hochul on announcing efforts to decarbonize buildings and quadruple heat pump installations by 2030 alongside Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Maine Gov. Janet Mills.   A message from Ørsted: For New York Climate Week, Ørsted is sharing its approach to renewables: building clean energy right, now. This means doing more than just decarbonizing the power sector. It’s our commitment to making a positive impact on people, nature, and climate. It’s job creation, community investments, biodiversity conservation, and emissions reduction – right, now.   ABOVE THE FOLD For about one in three apartments under the city's housing authority, it costs more to repair them than to build them new. | H.L.I.T. PUBLIC HOUSING: Nearly one-third of the apartments at the beleaguered New York City Housing Authority have reached, or are very close to hitting, a stunning threshold: the point at which it costs more to repair them than build new. Another 57 percent are at risk of reaching that point in the near future. That’s according to a new Citizens Budget Commission analysis of NYCHA’s latest physical needs assessment, provided exclusively to POLITICO ahead of a City Council hearing on the issue on Friday. The number of NYCHA apartments at risk of not being cost-effective to repair “increased much faster than CBC had forecasted,” Sean Campion, director of housing and economic development studies at the think tank, wrote in testimony for the Council. CBC estimated in 2018 that by 2023, just 5 percent of units would be at or very close to the point where they cost more to repair than to build entirely new homes. The housing authority’s capital needs backlog has ballooned to $78 billion over the next 20 years, according to the assessment released in July, up 73 percent from 2017. “This increase in NYCHA’s 20-year needs is not due to unexpected deterioration, but rather to high inflation and the insight — gained from having renovated thousands of units — that the 2017 [physical needs assessment] underestimated both the scale and scope of repairs needed,” Campion wrote. — Janaki Chadha NEW THIS MORNING: Why Eric Adams is pushing thousands of migrants out of New York shelters   GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.     WHAT CITY HALL IS READING The union representing most of New York City school bus drivers reached a five-year tentative agreement with five bus companies. | AP Photo/Seth Wenig A WIN FOR BUS DRIVERS: New York City school bus drivers, attendants and mechanics secured more holidays and salary increases as part of a five-year tentative contract agreement with five companies. Roughly 5,000 staffers will now see additional paid holidays and longevity payments which entail wages they accrue after five years of employment, Carolyn Rinaldi, chief of staff for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181, which represents the workers, told POLITICO Thursday. They will also reach top pay faster — in under 12 years. The deal, which the union reached Wednesday, also includes attendance bonuses similar to sick days as well as individual medical coverage after 90 days and family medical coverage after two years. And workers will no longer have copayments for radiology, including X-rays, and lab work. “We fought for the contract our members need and deserve to support themselves and their families, and so that there are enough skilled school bus workers to provide safe and reliable service to New York City families,” Rinaldi said in a statement. The news came as a relief for the families of 86,000 students a strike would have impacted. Employees will vote on the agreement in the coming weeks. The contract does not cover 3,000 members, including those employed by a nonprofit company and two other smaller companies. — Madina Touré More from the city: — Inside the Manhattan Hotel that is the new Ellis Island (The New York Times) — NYPD counterterrorism unit’s ranks could be slashed by up to 75 percent: internal email (New York Post) — NYC wants to know how $4 billion is being spent on migrants (Bloomberg)   A message from Ørsted:   WHAT ALBANY'S READING Facing significant financial troubles, the state is asking its agencies to freeze spending. | Matthew Cavanaugh/Getty Images ZERO-POINT-ZERO: Let the spending crunch commence. The state Budget Division on Thursday ordered state agencies to freeze spending in most cases for the coming fiscal year amid ballooning budget deficits. Expect more belt tightening in the coming months as Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Legislature face their worst financial troubles since the recession in 2009. The letter Wednesday from budget director Blake Washington to commissioners notes many of the fiscal challenges facing the state, such as “softening economic activity, a reduction in state tax receipts and a humanitarian crisis” that hints at the influx of more than 100,000 migrants to the state since 2022. After years of record spending, “the days of wine and roses” are again over as newly elected Gov. Hugh Carey famously declared in 1975. The budget gap for the coming fiscal year that starts April 1 is at $9.1 billion and is expected to grow to $13.4 billion in two years , the state's financial plan last spring showed. — Joseph Spector More from Albany: — In a new forecast, Con Edison warns of more extreme climate impacts and hotter days (POLITICO Pro) — Stopping by Albany? Check out the 75 best restaurants in the Capital Region. (Times Union)   Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of the first episodes in September – click here.     AROUND NEW YORK – Two people died after a bus carrying students from a Long Island high school crashed on Interstate 84 near Middletown. (Times Herald-Record) — Non-profit newsroom, The City, is facing significant drops in revenue, forcing journalists to take pay cuts. (Semafor) — Buffalo’s city comptroller said she'll now pursue an investigation into a city clerk who was paid $600,000 over seven years — without showing up to work a single day. (Buffalo News) — Rochester city school district is reconfiguring and giving up three buildings, leaving residents to balance a need for more housing or charter schools. (Democrat and Chronicle) — The New York City Ballet celebrated its 75th anniversary. (The New York Times)   A message from Ørsted: What is clean energy right, now? It’s Ørsted’s approach to renewables. We see clean energy projects as more than just a way to generate sustainable power – they're a chance to prioritize people, preserve nature, and protect our climate. So, how do we do it? • Creating jobs and training workers • Investing in local communities • Preserving ecosystems and biodiversity • Decarbonizing the power supply chain • Accelerating the energy transition By deploying renewable solutions now, the right way, we’re make lasting, positive impacts on the American workforce, economy, and environment. That’s clean energy right, now.   SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN WHAT WALL STREET IS READING: “Top GOP recruit David McCormick launches Pennsylvania Senate campaign,” by Axios’ Hans Nichols MAKING MOVES: Stanley Richards will serve as The Fortune Society’s next president and chief executive officer, the first formerly incarcerated person to lead the nonprofit. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Jeffrey Goldberg … Amy Chozick … CNN’s Gloria Borger and Jamie Crawford … Edelman’s Kelsey Cohen … Sandra Smith of Fox News … Carl Cameron … Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. … NBC’s Katherine Doyle … Chris Carlson … Caroline Pope … Jerald Watson … Helena Zay … Toafa Cattell WAS THURSDAY: Cheryl Fishbein ... Lisa Keys ... Jeffrey Aronson ... Andrew Berman (h/ts Jewish Insider) Real Estate — An 1870s Brooklyn building was renovated into an oasis-like home with a near zero-carbon footprint and a live tree growing in the middle of it. (New York Times) — The “who’s who” of New York City luxury agents are entangled in a Section 8 discrimination lawsuit. 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