Espaillat picks a fight with Assembly endorsements

Jun 06, 2024

By Jeff Coltin, Nick Reisman and Emily Ngo

Presented by

With help from Shawn Ness

Adriano Espaillat

Rep. Adriano Espaillat has made many Black leaders and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie mad after he endorsed his Latino candidates. | Mike Groll/AP

NEW YORK MINUTE: The New York City Council is expected to pass a bill today expanding its advice and consent powers to 20 more commissioners appointed by the mayor.

Lawmakers were apparently unmoved by 11 minutes of arguments against the measure from Mayor Eric Adams’ team Tuesday, comparing the council to Tammany Hall. But his lobbying effort is continuing — four former city commissioners are calling it a “grave overstep” in a Daily News op-Ed this morning.

RECRUITING THE SQUADRIANO: Rep. Adriano Espaillat is ticking off Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and other Black leaders, endorsing Latino primary challengers to two Black Assembly members.

First in Playbook, Espaillat and Rep. Jerry Nadler are announcing their support today for Xavier Santiago, a TV producer who’s taking on Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs for the East Harlem seat.

And last week in the South Bronx, Espaillat endorsed Leonardo Coello, a staffer for Adams, over Assemblymember Landon Dais.

Heastie and Bronx Democratic Leader Jamaal Bailey “are taking it personally,” said a person familiar with conversations around the endorsements.

Espaillat didn’t even give them a heads-up, another person added, even though they’ve teamed up on races before — like running Miguelina Camilo against state Sen. Gustavo Rivera last cycle.

“There’s no reason why Espaillat wouldn’t be supporting (Dais), other than him being a Black candidate, which is unacceptable,” said City Council Member Althea Stevens, an ally, who’s also Black and from an overlapping district. “Him being a Congress member in a place that is so divided, he should be focused on building unity and coalition in our community. Especially when Trump was in our community two weeks ago.”

Racial politics are paramount in New York, and Espaillat has made no secret of his desire to build Dominican and Latino political power — working with his “Squadriano” of elected officials — even if it means contentious primaries.

But these latest endorsements have been too spicy for even diehard allies like Assemblymembers Manny De Los Santos and George Alvarez, who Heastie made sure didn’t cross their Assembly colleague.

“How does it feel to tell your daddy no for the first time?” Heastie joked with De Los Santos recently, a person who heard about the conversation told Playbook.

Espaillat said Santiago “has consistently shown that he is a leader who listens, learns, and takes decisive action,” in a statement. The district is plurality Hispanic, and Espaillat is a key endorsement in the low-turnout primary. Two other Black candidates on the ballot threaten to split the vote with Gibbs.

“I’m not worried,” Gibbs told Playbook, touting his own support from Heastie and the state’s most powerful labor unions. He passed five bills into law in his two terms, he said.

“What argument do you have that you should challenge me, other than I’m Black? Or formerly incarcerated?"

But Espaillat isn’t the only one picking fights for racial representation. Assemblymember Inez Dickens told a mostly Black crowd last month they’ll take Espaillat’s seat back “to become a Black seat,” a remark reported first in Playbook.

The Bronx Dems defended Espaillat at the time: “Districts should be represented by individuals who are dedicated to serving their constituents, regardless of their race or ethnicity.” — Jeff Coltin

HAPPY THURSDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.

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WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany with no public schedule.

WHERE’S ERIC? Hosting a roundtable discussion with leaders in the nightlife community, delivering remarks at the Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony, hosting a reception to celebrate Puerto Rican heritage, and appearing on Univision’s “Noticias Univision 41.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “There’s pizza, and there’s other non-healthy alternatives to McDonald’s.” — Todd Blanche, former President Donald Trump’s defense attorney in the records-falsification case that resulted in the former president’s conviction, told the podcast “For the Defense with David Oscar Markus” of their trial diet.

ABOVE THE FOLD

Traffic traverses 42nd Street near Grand Central Terminal in New York.

State Senate Finance Chair Liz Krueger has said that Gov. Kathy Hochul's pivot away from congestion pricing will create a fiduciary crisis for the MTA. | Mary Altaffer/AP

INDIGESTION PRICING: A plan to toll drivers traveling below 60th Street in Manhattan is on life support only weeks before it was set to take effect.

It’s not yet clear where the estimated $1 billion a year the MTA was counting on for its capital fund will be generated if the transit agency’s board approves Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recommendations to shelve congestion pricing indefinitely.

And fiscal hawks are deeply concerned.

State Senate Finance Committee Chair Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat, warned that Hochul has “single-handedly created a financial and fiduciary crisis” for the MTA.

The options are paltry. There’s the state’s rainy day fund, to which Hochul has eagerly added billions of dollars in recent years. But that money is intended to offset lost tax revenue if the economy sours.

Hochul, who has touted the savings strides she’s made for the state, is not expected to embrace a raid on the fund.

So that leaves a potential business tax for the MTA to make up some of the lost money — a provision that has historically been deeply unpopular. An MTA payroll tax was largely blamed for Democratic losses in the state Senate in 2010, an election that threw what was then a far more closely divided chamber to the GOP.

“All should be acutely aware that alternatives that raise New York’s already highest-in-the-nation business taxes or deplete the State’s precious reserves come with real consequences,” said Andrew Rein, the president of the Citizens Budget Commission — a group that promotes fiscal conservatism. ”Our transit system urgently needs investment to bring it to a state of good repair; we should not be hurtling towards more ‘Summers of Hell.’” — Nick Reisman

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CITY HALL: THE LATEST

Rikers Island jail.

The Adams administration and his legal counsel are asking a federal court to "suspend the requirements" of the law that banned solitary confinement. | Julie Jacobson/AP

ADAMS V. SOLITARY BAN: The Adams administration is seeking an order from federal court “suspending the requirements” of a law banning solitary confinement in city jails — and it’s bringing in outside counsel Dechert LLP to help, according to a letter sent Wednesday.

The law, set to take effect at the end of July, was enacted after Adams vetoed it and the City Council overrode his veto.

Anisah Sabur of the #HALTsolitary campaign said the mayor and Department of Correction should be preparing for implementation “rather than trying to delay and circumvent their legal obligations in order to continue a practice that tortures people and worsens safety.”

Adams’ team noted where two parties often at odds have found common ground.

“As Mayor Adams and the federal monitor have stated, Local Law 42 could endanger both our Department of Correction staff and those in our care,” said mayoral spokesperson Kayla Mamelak. “The monitor has previously stated that this bill could impede our ability to comply with the Nunez court orders, which is why we are requesting further evaluation from the judge.” — Emily Ngo

CHECK IT: Education advocates have rallied time and again in recent months for the restoration of cuts and other adjustments relating to the city’s budget, but the time is now ripe for props and gimmicks.

Students with the Urban Youth Collaborative plan to present a symbolic 40-inch check at Tweed Courthouse today to the mayor and Schools Chancellor David Banks in the amount of $100 million, which the group says could be spent on mental health resources and other social services if the city divests, as they are demanding, from school policing.

Also today, a “play date” rally in City Hall Park against 3K and pre-K cuts will feature toys and bubbles in addition to kids and City Council members.

On policing measures in schools, Adams spokesperson Amaris Cockfield said, “We won’t do anything to jeopardize the safety of our children, and that includes removing school safety agents from our schools.” She added that the administration has invested in preventive and intervention programs.

And the mayor has touted numerous steps to preserve early education, especially for low-income families. He also said he must make difficult budgeting decisions amid sunsetting Covid funds and the cost of sheltering migrants. — Emily Ngo

More from the city:

— New York City touts pro-immigration political traditions but it’s also the toughest place to win a claim in the country, records show. (New York Times)

— Two of the city’s five borough presidents said they will push to soften parts of Adams’ City of Yes housing plan. (Crain’s)

— A council member is floating a plan to give new power to the agency running the city’s campaign finance program amid deepening investigations into Adams. (Gothamist)

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NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY

The New York state Capitol is seen before special legislative session vote on pay raises for lawmakers Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, in Albany, N.Y.

A coalition of labor unions is pushing for the creation of the first public bank. | Hans Pennink/AP

LABOR BOOSTS PUBLIC BANK: A coalition of labor unions is backing a measure that would create the nation’s first public bank.

The proposed bank would be in Rochester and essentially operate as a lending and financial institution with management appointed by elected officials.

The proposal — meant to provide a banking institute in an underserved area — has won support from labor unions, including AFSCME and CWA District 1.

Something like this is untried in the country, and it’s not clear how Hochul would act if the bill comes to her desk.

“The public bank would serve Rochester and Monroe County with the kind of transparent and accountable economic development that everyday New Yorkers will see and feel — from affordable housing and mortgages for first-time home buyers to small business development that leads to good jobs in low-income communities and communities of color,” the groups said in a statement. — Nick Reisman

More from Albany:

— Former acting Budget Director Sandra Beattie helped a friend and former lawmaker land lobbying and consulting deals, a state investigation found. (New York Times)

— A bill that would help Resorts World casino by accelerating the casino bidding process copies a draft version by the casino’s lobbying firm nearly word for word. (NYS Focus)

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND

— Reps. Ritchie Torres and Hakeem Jeffries were among the lawmakers targeted by an influence campaign organized and paid for by Israel, as it aimed to foster support for its actions in the war with Gaza. (New York Times)

— Former state Sen. Mark Grisanti won’t be reappointed as a judge following a confrontation between Buffalo officers back in 2020. (State of Politics)

— The man accused of multiple murders in Gilgo Beach is now being charged with two more. (News Day)

A message from Amazon:

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SOCIAL DATA

Edited by Daniel Lippman

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — MEDIAWATCH: The Wall Street Journal employee union has complained to the legal department of the paper to get them to change out-of-office emails that the paper wrote for laid-off employees that falsely appeared to be written by them, a union representative told Daniel.

“Thanks for your email. I am no longer with the company. Please contact Jennifer.Levitz@wsj.com for any future inquiries,” read an email that recently cut WSJ reporter Ben Kesling posted on Tuesday. He tweeted: “In more than a decade at the Journal I never had words put into my mouth. It’s happened after I was laid off. (And there’s a typo).” Former WSJ reporter Alicia Caldwell also chimed in, saying: “Nearly 25 years in journalism and this is the first time I’ve had words attributed to me that weren’t mine.”

After the union raised an immediate alarm, the union representative said that the paper told them that the messages would be changed, with laid-off employees’ emails now saying that departed employees are “no longer with the company.”

A Journal spokesperson said in a statement: “The out-of-office message was part of an automated messaging system. It’s a regrettable error and we have corrected it.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Hochul aide Brandon Lloyd … ABC’s Katherine Faulders … Bloomberg’s Justin Sink … CNN’s Kevin Liptak and Ariel Edwards-Levy … CBS’ Weijia Jiang and Natalie Morales … NBC’s Allison Hageman … former Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) … Anja Crowder Morice … Sarah Gadsden … Donna Fenn … Rolling Stone’s Waiss Aramesh … Abby Ginzberg … (WAS WEDNESDAY): Suze Orman ... Andrea Peyser ... Elan Kriegel.

Missed Wednesday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here.

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