Brooklyn GOP County Join Manhattan and Queens In Backing John Catsimatidis for Mayor

It's official: Brooklyn GOP Chairman Craig Eaton is supporting John Catsimatidis. 

Mr. Eaton praised the billionaire businessman in a lengthy statement."John grew up in Harlem, attended our public schools and built a successful business career right here on the streets of our city," Eaton said. "As an immigrant, John intuitively understands the problems and challenges that so many new New Yorkers face. As a product of our public schools, John knows firsthand how a good education prepares our children for the future with the academics and skills they need to succeed." 

Flashback: Not The First Time Bill de Blasio and Quinn Quarrel Over Discretionary Funds Reform

Its not the first time Bill de Blasio and Christine Quinn are at each other over discretionary funds reform. In 2010, David Chen reported in the NY Times, a proposal pushed by Public Advocate Bill de Blasio to make discretionary city funds more transparent, and create a searchable database that would disclose pertinent details about all applications for such funds.

War of Videos Loom Over Member Items

In the wake of the latest scandal arrests, including four City Council Members being criminally charged with abusing Member Item allocation, Public Advocate released this following video calling out Speaker Quinn for defending member items.

   

Quinn Raises Money On Independent Attack Ads

The new Normar in todays politics. Instead of dismissing an attack ad as being lousy and inaccurate, Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s raised the level of the ad by asking her supporters to boost her campaign war chest in order to fight back against these sorts of attacks. 

Growing Anxiety Of Post-Bloomberg Mayor Immune To Powerful Interests

The latest corruption scandals, has exacerbated those fears of many from a post-Bloomberg mayor immune to bribery or intimidation by powerful special interests. After 12 years of  a billionaire mayor, who had no outside interests to abide with, a less assertive manager would bring down New York to the level of a messy backroom deal-making government, Chris Bragg and Andrew Hawkins write in The Insider Blog.

Lhota Touts Thatcherist Legacy

“Margaret Thatcher was a 20th century visionary who understood the power of individual freedom versus the tyranny of government collectivism,” Mr. Lhota said in a statement released on the day the former british Prime minister passed away. 

“She was a loyal supporter and friend of the United States and her terms as prime minister were marked as the beginning of the resurgence of the economy of the United Kingdom,” he continued. “She will be missed. My prayers go out to her family and to our brothers and sisters in the United Kingdom.”

Rudy Pitches In For Brother Lhota: "Joe Is One of Us."

Celeste Katz has the invitation to an upcoming fundraiser for Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota, on April 29, headlined by Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

First Anti-Quinn Ad Fills The Democratic Field With Smoke and Gun Shots

It has officially begun, when Christine Quinn is being painted as a moderate who's out of touch with progressive Democratic voters. A new outside campaign, by a coalition of left-leaning labor unions and Democratic activists who say they are not backing anyone in particular, has been launched Sunday night with the release of a 30 second TV ad scheduled to air on cable television stations like MSNBC and Bravo for three weeks, David Chen reports in the NY Times. 

The Jewish Vote 2013 #1 - How The Mayoral Candidates Are CourtingOrthodox Jewish Voters

(By Jacob Kornbluh). Over the past two decades, since 1993, New York City’s Jews have broken with their traditional Democratic voting pattern,  to back Republican mayoral candidates. Even in 2001, Mike Bloomberg, Giuliani’s successor roughly split the Jewish vote against fellow Jewish candidate Mark Green, not to mention his decisive victories in 2005 and 2009.

Where Is Thompson... Where Are You?

Since covering the mayoral race, we have gotten numerous calls from former Thompson supporters who have expressed disappointment in Bill Thompson's absence from major Jewish events.

Mr. Thompson's last visit to the Jewish community in Brooklyn, was at a closed event in the Avenue Plaza hotel's conference room, with the attendance of a dozen community leaders and operatives. However, Mr. Thompson was notably absent from the annual COJO of Flatbush legislative Breakfast, as from the JCC of Marine park breakfast a week earlier.