Caption Cuomo's new look

Also...

Name this band

Wrong answers only pic.twitter.com/AtwnVxzM9F

— This is JQ LLC (@ImpunityCity) November 27, 2021

Jimmy Van Bramer campaigns to spend more time with his family

 

NY Post

 Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer announced Tuesday that he is ending his campaign for Queens borough president, citing family reasons.

“Family circumstances have been weighing on me for some time, causing me to reconsider the timing and feasibility of this campaign,” the Queens Democrat said in a statement.

“Prioritizing my responsibilities as a son and brother is where my attention needs to be right now. 

While this is a difficult decision, this is the right one for me and my family at this time.”
A special election will be held March 24 after former Borough President Melinda Katz was elected Queens district attorney.

Van Bramer helped lead the controversial fight against Amazon building a new headquarters in Long Island City — a deal that was ultimately scuttled due to the backlash.
 
The Queens pol had previously complained about getting threatening texts over his opposition, but told The Post that his decision to pull out of the race “has nothing to do with anything other than my mom and our family.”

Van Bramer was a front-runner and had already scored some key endorsements, including Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and actor-turned-progressive darling Cynthia Nixon.
 
Others still vying for the beep job include fellow term-limited Councilmen Donovan Richards and Costa Constantinides, and former Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley. The Queens Democratic Party is backing Richards.

Van Bramer as of last week had raised $463,701 for his campaign and had $203,185 on hand. His fundraising efforts have exceeded both Richards’ and Constantinides’, but slightly trailed those of Crowley, the cousin of longtime Queens power broker and former Rep. Joe Crowley.

If Jimmy was so weighted with these thoughts for "some time", why did he show up and passionately pleaded for voter support at that ridiculous two mic forum last week?

De Blasio: Puerto Ricans who come to NY must have family here

From CBS 2:

Life after Hurricane Maria for thousands of Puerto Ricans could mean a new life in New York City.

As CBS2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer reported, Mayor Bill de Blasio said there will be health and educational support. But he said finding a place to stay is up to those who arrive.

It was only a few weeks ago that Mayor de Blasio walked to a Brooklyn firehouse to donate diapers to people in Puerto Rico who were devastated by Hurricane Maria. And while the city certainly intends to help the displaced, there is a limit – they will have to stay with family members because the city will not provide housing.

Kramer asked de Blasio what if they are to do if they come to New York and do not have family – and whether they will have to stay in hotels or whether affordable housing might be allotted. She asked if the city has any money available if Puerto Ricans coming to New York need any financial assistance.

“Marcia, we do not have that plan, and I don’t want to encourage people to come here if they don’t have some family to turn to,” de Blasio said. “I think we have to be really clear about that.”

Joe Crowley keeps his campaign money in the family

From the NY Post:

Rep. Joseph Crowley, who serves as Queens Democratic leader, is ­using campaign funds to rent office space in a family-owned property outside his district, rec­ords show.

Crowley has paid at least $69,700 since 2007 to ­Killean Enterprises LLC, which is controlled by his brother, lobbyist John “Sean” Crowley.

As chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, Joseph Crowley is the fourth-highest ranking member of his party in the House.

“This, without a doubt, raises red flags about conflicts of interest,” said John Kaehny, chairman of the NYC Transparency Working Group.

“As an important public official, you want to be above suspicion, not raising suspicion.”

The campaign office in Elmhurst is about 10 blocks outside Crowley’s congressional district.

But as party boss, he already has space at Queens Democratic headquarters in Forest Hills three miles from the Elmhurst office.

“It’s not physically in his district — that would be a key point,” said Ken Boehm, chairman of the National Legal and Policy Center. “What he uses it for — it’s as old as politics — it’s called a slush fund. And what do you know? It goes to a family-connected entity.”

The Elmhurst address is also home to Crowley & Kaufman, the law firm of Crowley’s campaign treasurer, Scott Kaufman, an attorney who since 2006 has raked in at least $550,000 in fees via appointments from Queens Surrogate’s Court.

Joe ran away from reporters asking questions about this.

DHS pulls a fast one on Riverdale residents

From Riverdale Press:

The dozens of homeless men whom the city had promised to relocate from the Van Cortlandt Motel by late September are now gone – only to have been replaced by homeless parents with children, in a reshuffle that prompted an outcry from local residents, politicians and community activists.

Community Board 8 voted unanimously on Sept. 29 to approve a resolution demanding the resignation of city officials it blamed for a “material misrepresentations of facts” – the head of New York’s Department of Homeless Services, Steven Banks, and his deputy Matthew Borden. Several speakers at the meeting accused the officials of having “lied.” The resolution also called for an investigation and for an end to the motel’s use as a homeless shelter.

City officials denied having lied and argued that the arrival of homeless families was prompted by the city’s attempt to find temporary housing for an influx of homeless New Yorkers this summer.

The Van Cortlandt Motel has long been known as a place for assignations and suspected drug use, and linked to violent crimes and theft. It also sits next door to a home for people with mental health problems, the Riverdale Manor, and is just across Broadway from Van Cortlandt Park.

But the main focus of the outrage at the board meeting was the city’s apparent failure to notify the community about placing homeless families at the motel – a charge of surreptitiousness that officials tried to refute, but with little apparent success.

Son of council member behaved badly

From the Daily News:

The son of a Queens Councilman found himself on the wrong side of the law when he pummeled and threatened to stab a man during a road rage attack, authorities said Monday.

“I will stab you,” Coron Miller, 31, son of City Councilman I. Daneek Miller (D-Queens), said during the Friday night fight on a Jamaica street, according to the criminal complaint.

Miller was charged with assault, criminal mischief, resisting arrest, menacing, and harassment following the attack, according to the Queens district attorney’s office.

He was released on his own recognizance after the court issued an order of protection for his alleged victim, José Nieves, according to the Queens district attorney.

During the 7 p.m. argument over asphalt etiquette, Miller got out of his car and punched Nieves twice as both men were stopped at a red light at 150th Ave. and 148th St. in Jamaica, according to the criminal complaint.

The political scion then grabbed the man’s shirt and ripped it, police said.

He was arrested at the scene, but not before jerking his arms away when cops tried to handcuff him, police said.

Lawyers love John Duane

John Duane's campaign contributions, summarized:

Total $44,420 as of 3/11/13
$72,065 as of 5/11/13

Disclosure Period 8: $27,645 3/12 to 5/11

Total Number of Contributions:   114    ($27,645)
Total Number of Contributors:    106

Duane Family/Friends/Political:       9    ($4,450)

Real Estate / Developers / Construction:           6    ($1,125)

Lawyers:     35   ($10,695)

Unions:        2    ($1,675)

58.3% of contributions come from these 4 categories: $17,945
45.6% of contribution #s come from these 4 categories: 52
44.3% of contributors come from these 4 categories: 47

Other important info:

15 of 114 contributors, or 13.2%, are from the 19th Council District.
$2,350 of $27,645 or 8.5%, is from the 19th Council District.

Meanwhile, the following was sent out by the Duane campaign:

We are pleased to announce that our campaign has reached our maximum fundraising goal of $165K from 291 contributors!

Please do not hesitate to contact us, if you have any questions about this or anything else regarding the District 19 City Council Campaign.

I hope this email finds you well and I thank you in advance for your response.

Warm regards,

Dore Mann
John Duane for New York

And then this:

A correction on the total from yesterday. John Duane's City Council campaign has reached it's maximum fundraising goal of $170,980K from 291 contributors!

What? I think you better check your numbers there.

LIC apparently not a place for teens

From the NY Times:

THE third wave of gentrification is just now being felt in Long Island City, Queens. Artists and other creative types colonized the area’s warehouses several decades ago, followed by a burst of high-rise development aimed at singles and couples who wanted a lower-cost alternative to Manhattan.

Now apartments that can accommodate families are in demand, and buildings on the drawing board or under construction will have playrooms as amenities, along with gyms and rooftop spaces, area brokers say.

“We’re just seeing the infancy, no pun intended,” said David J. Maundrell, the president of brokerage firm aptsandlofts.com, which has many listings in the area. “By the time the child is ready for preschool, there will be many options for them, and they can grow and stay in the community for 10 years.”

So, when the kid hits junior high, it's off to greener pastures?

Bellerose boy saves family from fire

He learned fire safety from his teacher!

LIC baby boom

From the Real Deal:

Price was a major factor for Letia Frandina, who moved to Long Island City from North Carolina two years ago, around the same time that she gave birth to her son.

She chose an apartment on Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City because "it was closer to my husband's job than anywhere we could afford to live in Manhattan," Frandina said. "Even on the Upper West Side the commute would have taken longer."

Frandina, who gave birth to her second baby late last month, noticed that there were many other young families in the area, but few children's clothing stores. Last year, she opened a children's consignment store, Little Closets, at 46-46 Vernon Boulevard. Nearby, daycare Lolly's Learning Center opened around the same time.

When a new, 8,000-square-foot children's playground opened in LIC's Gantry State Park over Memorial Day weekend, "it was mobbed within the first 10 minutes of opening," said Verma, who blogged about the event. "It was filled with soccer moms and nannies."

In fact, there are so many children in Long Island City that they're quickly outgrowing the schools in the area. For the first time this year, "a significant number" of students who applied to attend pre-K at P.S. 78, located in the City Lights building at 48-09 Center Boulevard, didn't get in, Frandina said. TF Cornerstone will soon begin construction on a new 600-seat K-8 public school at Queens West, and a 145,000-square-foot middle/high school is planned for Hunters Point South, but classes there are already expected to top 40 students each, Verma said.

Oh so we are already short on school space even though we have a condo glut but are planning to build more? What magnificent planning!

Crappy predicted this years ago and was laughed at by the brokers in LIC. Listen to Crappy. I'm more accurate than Nostradamus.