| | | | |  | | By Emily Ngo, Jeff Coltin and Nick Reisman | | | With help from Shawn Ness
|  Former New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer is registering a campaign committee. He could be the first viable challenger to Mayor Eric Adams. | Mary Altaffer/AP | Scott Stringer is running for mayor. Well, he’s all but running for mayor. The former city comptroller is registering a campaign committee today and will begin raising funds as he explores a bid, he confirmed to Playbook. The Manhattan Democrat presents the first real, formal and viable challenge to Mayor Eric Adams. And as he did in 2021, he will be opposing Adams from the political left. “You can’t love migrants on Monday, blame them for the ills of the city on Wednesday and fail to build relationships at the highest levels of government and think it’s going to be OK,” Stringer told Playbook. Stringer was a frontrunner in the crowded 2021 Democratic primary for mayor before a sexual misconduct allegation derailed his campaign. He finished in a distant fifth place. He sued his accuser for defamation, producing sworn statements from allies disputing her account. His suit was tossed because he filed it too late, and he is appealing. The formalizing of his interest in the race comes when Adams is at his weakest politically, hamstrung by a federal investigation into whether his 2021 campaign colluded with a foreign government and rocked by a record-low 28 percent job approval rating. Stringer has more encouraging numbers, if you squint at least in one poll. A Slingshot Strategies survey from December shows he could have a shot, though he trailed names like Andrew Cuomo (who is still in trial-balloon mode), Jumaane Williams (who said he not interested in running for mayor) and Curtis Sliwa (who wouldn’t be in the Democratic primary). Other names floated as 2025 challengers have included state Sens. Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie, City Councilmember Justin Brannan and Hochul administration official Kathryn Garcia. Stringer is focused on Adams. “Crime is up, housing’s down, education’s flat,” Stringer said. “For the last two years, this administration has been steering the ship straight into an iceberg, and we need a new captain to get around these multiple crises.” The mayor’s campaign declined to comment. Adams has previously responded to critics by noting that murders and shootings are down and more jobs are being created under his watch. He has said he is steering New York City through the arrival of 170,000 migrants since spring of 2022. Adams also has a massive fundraising advantage with more than $2.2 million in his 2025 campaign war chest. Stringer was initially boosted in 2021 by a coalition that looked nothing like him: Younger people, Black, Latino and Asian New Yorkers, all who shared his progressive platform. But backers peeled off when he was accused of unwanted sexual advances 20 years ago. He’ll have to rebuild that support to go up against a mayor who remains popular with Black, middle-class and politically moderate New Yorkers. — Emily Ngo IT’S THURSDAY. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | | | A message from New Yorkers for Local Businesses: Small businesses are the lifeblood of New York’s economy, employing millions of New Yorkers in hard hit communities. But rising costs and an unstable economy pose a direct threat to the jobs they create and equity they've ensured. That's why New Yorkers for Local Businesses is urging Albany to reject proposals that could kill middle class jobs and raise food prices in New York. Learn more here. | | | WHERE’S KATHY? Announcing new economic development funding for Long Island and delivering remarks at the Real Estate Board of New York's Annual Cocktail Reception. WHERE’S ERIC? Making a housing-related announcement in City Hall, meeting with Cape Town Executive Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, delivering remarks at REBNY's 128th Annual Gala and speaking at the "Sashing of the Marshals" Ceremony. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I would love it. I would love it.” — former President Donald Trump, responding to a judge’s threat to remove him from a New York courtroom.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | | 
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s former fundraiser appears to be randomly mailing top aide Melissa DeRosa’s memoir to previous campaign donors. | Mary Altaffer/AP | WHAT’S LEFT UNSIGNED: Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s former fundraiser appears to be randomly mailing top aide Melissa DeRosa’s memoir to people with only tangential connections to Cuomo World. The free books don’t come with any note or explanation, just a return address from Jennifer Bayer Michaels, who advised Cuomo’s campaigns from 2009 to 2019. “Random — just got this in the mail. I did not purchase,” read an Instagram post from somebody who last donated $25 to Cuomo in 2021. Another book was mailed to a former Cuomo staffer’s mother, who never donated to the governor. “I did not order it, I promise you that. I was surprised,” said one man who last gave $5 to Cuomo’s campaign in 2018, but asked for anonymity because he’s still a little afraid of the famously vindictive former governor. But if Bayer Michaels’ plan was to change hearts and minds, it might be working. “I did get some kicks out of reading it,” the man said. “Maybe I’ll have to donate to future campaigns, because for five bucks I’ll get a book.” Bayer Michaels didn’t respond to a request for comment, and DeRosa declined to comment. Cuomo political spokesperson Rich Azzopardi denied any knowledge of the random gifting. He said that Bayer Michaels isn’t involved in the campaign currently and that the campaign isn’t buying the books. Giving books to donors isn’t uncommon — Andrew Yang did it — but it’s not clear in this case how the book recipients were picked. Three past Cuomo donors reached by Playbook didn’t get a book. The person behind a Cuomo fan account on Twitter did get one. Political activist Christopher Leon Johnson, who donated to Cuomo in 2021, got two. Readers, if you were gifted “What’s Left Unsaid,” let us know, too. — Jeff Coltin
| | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
Yusef Salaam, one of the Central Park Five, is now the chair of the Committee on Public Safety of the City Council, the body overseeing the NYPD. | New York City Council | WHAT’D YA GET: Yusef Salaam was arrested by the NYPD, and now he’ll oversee them. The newly minted city councilmember who was one of the exonerated Central Park Five has been tapped to chair the Committee on Public Safety, which has jurisdiction over the police, courts and prosecutors, two people familiar with the decision told Playbook. Speaker Adrienne Adams is shaking up a lot of committees in the new session, to the chagrin of some (Chi Ossé and Tiffany Cabán, for example, lost their chairships, POLITICO scooped) and the delight of others (Shaun Abreu will lead Sanitation, Carlina Rivera gets a ticket to the Met Gala with Cultural Affairs, City & State reported). Kamillah Hanks, who chaired Public Safety last term, is expected to get the Landmarks subcommittee. All will be revealed before the stated meeting today. — Jeff Coltin THE MONEY GUY: City Comptroller Brad Lander outpaced Mayor Eric Adams in individual campaign contributions in the last six months — even as Adams made way more money, thanks to bigger checks. Lander brought in $163,000 from 805 donors, according to his campaign finance filing Tuesday. Adams brought in $525,000 from 626 donors. (Plus another $732,000 from 223 donors to his legal defense fund.) Lander has been a thorn in Adams’ side and is considered a potential challenger for mayor, though Stringer’s announcement today may change his successor’s calculus. His campaign was eager to highlight his progressive bona fides in declaring he doesn’t take contributions from certain sectors, including for-profit real estate developers, fossil fuel executives, private equity and investment fund managers, corporate PACs or corporate lobbyists. Compared to the other citywide electeds, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams is barely fundraising. His campaign reported contributions of $39,000 from 161 donors. — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — Ahead of his likely veto of two law-enforcement measures, Adams is mounting a multipronged push to win over local lawmakers. (POLITICO) — Two wives of developers doing business with the city – who would be barred from giving to Adams’ legal defense trust — donated $5,000 each anyway. (Hell Gate) — Evictions will be delayed for women with newborn babies under six months old or for mothers in their third trimester of pregnancy. (The City)
| | | | A message from New Yorkers for Local Businesses:   | | | | | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | |  Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas and Sen. Rachel May are fighting for SNAP, the measure is backed by Price Chopper and Tops Friendly Markets. | Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP | GROCERS FOR SNAP: Two of the largest supermarket chains in upstate New York are supporting a measure that would guarantee a minimum monthly payment under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The measure, championed by state Sen. Rachel May and Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, would set a minimum benefit of $100 a month. The proposal has the backing of Tops Friendly Markets and Price Chopper, whose presidents pushed Hochul in a letter to get behind the proposal. “By increasing vital nutrition assistance to low-income New Yorkers, this proposal would establish an adequate monthly benefit,” they write. The SNAP program was considered a lifeline for low-income families during the pandemic-era shuttering of businesses. When an emergency program ended, the minimum SNAP benefit dropped to $23 a month. — Nick Reisman SPONSOR ALERT: A bill meant to bring high-impact tutoring to underserved students in New York has gained backing in the state Senate. Democratic Sen. Nathalia Hernandez has signed onto the legislation, which was introduced by Assemblymember Brian Cunningham. — Nick Reisman I’LL TAKE ALBANY FOR $400: Republican state Sen. Dean Murray was a clue on Jeopardy Wednesday: “This movement named for a 1773 event arrived in 2010 starting with the election of newbie Dean Murray to the NY State Assembly.” The answer, of course, is: “What is the Tea Party?” Murray was a Tea Party activist before his election to the Assembly. He was elected to the Senate in 2022. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — Former Hochul aide Micah Lasher has launched his long-expected bid for the Assembly. (West Side Rag) — Hochul has been winning changes to bills after they passed, utilizing the chapter amendment more than her predecessor ever did. (NYS Focus) — Environmental advocates are angry about reductions in funding to replace water and sewer systems. (Times Union)
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | | 
Mazi Melesa Pilip and former Rep. Tom Suozzi are going back and forth with ad attacks. | Emily Ngo/POLITICO | SLINGING MUD: The latest battle in the NY-3 ad wars pits the NRCC against the DCCC. And as can be expected, each ad that hit the airwaves Wednesday accused the other party’s candidate of being too extreme. The “Radical Suozzi,” a dark TV ad by the National Republican Congressional Committee, seeks to tie Democrat Tom Suozzi to crime and illegal immigration. A rival spot called “Whisked Away” from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee attempts to link GOP-backed Mazi Melesa Pilip to proposals to ban abortion and cut Social Security benefits. Both are a leap. Suozzi and Pilip will face off in the Feb. 13 special election in Nassau County and Queens. — Emily Ngo HTC’S GOTV: The influential Hotel Trades Council will launch a nearly $500,000 voter contact campaign meant to get Democratic voters to the polls in the upcoming special election to replace ex-Rep. George Santos. The union, along with the Las Vegas-based national union UNITE HERE, is going to be deploying canvassers to target base Democratic voters to boost turnout for Suozzi against Pilip. The union views the effort as an early show of strength ahead of the upcoming November elections with about a half-dozen House seats in New York in play and control of the chamber up for grabs. “This special election is the first test for Democrats’ efforts to win back the House and there’s no one better than union members to lead the way to victory,” Hotel Trades Council President Rich Maroko said. “Working with our national union partners, we’re proud to serve as front-line ambassadors for Democratic candidates who will serve and support the interests of working families.” HTC has a reputation for a vaunted field operation in New York on behalf of Democrats like Adams and Hochul. Doorsteps will also be crowded in the Queens-Long Island district: The left-leaning super PAC Battleground New York has launched its own door-knocking campaign for Suozzi as well. — Nick Reisman MARC’S MONEY: Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro’s campaign raised $447,701 in the fourth quarter of 2023, his campaign told Playbook. Molinaro, a Hudson Valley lawmaker, raised more than $2.1 million last year combined, his campaign said. His campaign did not make a cash-on-hand figure available. Molinaro is one of four freshman House Republicans in New York running for a second term in the closely divided chamber this year. He is expected to face Democrat Josh Riley, his 2022 opponent. — Nick Reisman More from the delegation: — Donald Trump is looking more closely at Rep. Elise Stefanik as a potential running mate, calling her a “killer.” (NBC News) — Rep. Dan Goldman wants to censure Stefanik for supporting “the duly charged and convicted Jan. 6 insurrectionists.” (POLITICO)
| | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — Daniel Penny, the former Marine who choked Jordan Neely to death on a New York City subway, lost his bid to have the charges dropped. (New York Daily News) — Did Hofstra University collude with a Queens casino? Nassau County certainly thinks so. (New York Daily News) — Urban farmer Hakim Jeffrey met Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, a fellow Brooklynite. (New York Times)
| | | | A message from New Yorkers for Local Businesses: Rising costs, an unstable economy, and a hostile business environment have made it harder than ever to start, manage, or grow a small business in New York. New Yorkers for Local Businesses is fighting back against misguided bills that threaten New York’s economic job recovery. Learn more here. | | | | | SOCIAL DATA | | MEDIAWATCH — Burgeoning nonprofit news outlet New York Focus won a $1.5 million grant from the American Journalism Project to expand its statewide coverage and newsroom, particularly in its Albany bureau. — Former New York NOW managing editor and host Dan Clark has joined the Times Union as a politics and law reporter. … Times Union health reporter Rachel Silberstein has joined the New York Independent System Operator as a senior communications writer. MAKING MOVES — Senior adviser to Gov. Kathy Hochul Amit Bagga is leaving government to start a government affairs and campaign strategy firm, Public Progress Solutions. … — Rahul Agarwal, former deputy chief counsel to Mayor Eric Adams, has joined law firm Friedman Kaplan as a partner. … Vernon Baker has joined House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ office as a senior policy adviser on tax and trade issues. Baker previously worked in the Biden White House for the Office of Legislative Affairs, and is a former aide to Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.). WEEKEND WEDDING — Schuyler Ebersol, a principal at Core One Solutions, LLC, on Friday married Clementina Dávila, who runs strategic partnerships for the East Coast for Main Street Research LLC. The couple met in Charlottesville. Pics by @seanthomasphoto ... Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NBC’s Jane Timm … Fox News’ Jonathan Serrie … CNN’s Sam Waldenberg … Alex Korey … Shane Cardillo … Laura (Maloney) Johnsen (WAS WEDNESDAY): Alyssa Franke ... Perry Teicher ... Aaron Jungreis ... Joseph Berger ... Edward Mezvinsky
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