Results tagged “christinequinn”

One of the staunchest opponents to same-sex marriage is a Bronx state senator with two gay brothers, a gay grandchild, and a gay chief counsel. Democrat Ruben Diaz, Sr., a Pentecostal minister, has been a die hard foe of any bill that would legalize gay marriage in New York State, despite his supposedly convivial relationship with many homosexuals. "I love them. I love them," says Díaz, who grew up one of 17 children in Puerto Rico. "But I don’t believe in what they are doing."

Yesterday we reported on an anti-gay attack that occurred in Hell's Kitchen this past Friday night. WPLJ DJ Blake Hayes (pictured), cabaret and Broadway performer Danny Calvert, and another friend were attacked by a patron of McCoy's bar; they claim the police officers who showed up refused to take their attacker's information, or let them file a claim. They also expressed concern that McCoy's bouncer (who stopped the attack) allowed the attacker back into the bar.

Earlier this year Reverend (and mayoral hopeful) Billy Talen told us, "Wal-Mart in New York City? DEVIL GET THEE BEHIND ME! As Mayor, I will take that company to the LAKE OF HELLFIRE!" Since then, the chain has been quiet, leaving one to assume they either got the fear in them, or they're assembling an army for the ultimate showdown. Now Crain's reports that the store is hunting for locations in the city again, this time focusing on all five boroughs. The store's spokesman said, “Now, more than any other time in recent memory, New York City residents want and need better access to our stores... Hopefully we will be able to bring a store to New York in the near future.” Along with Billy, local labor leaders and other elected officials are also against a Wal-Mart moving in, one saying, “The reality remains the same. Wal-Mart is not welcome in New York City, and it should not try to take advantage of these economic times to slither in.” And City Council Speaker Christine Quinn declared, “Until they make actual changes, providing a living wage and ending the practice of preying on small businesses, I will block any attempt to locate in the five boroughs.”

Mayoral hopeful Bill Thompson was downplaying controversy that he sat by silently while a local business owner called Speaker Christine Quinn a "whore" and could "kiss (his) ass." But the man who was caught on tape making the remarks certainly was doing his part of mop-up duty. Tea And Sympathy owner Sean Kavanagh-Dowsett wrote an email to Quinn saying, "Please believe me when I say that the comment that I blurted out was a pathetic attempt to get a laugh out of a couple of people in the room. This inappropriate and rude comment was meant as a joke (a bad one) and was made in such an off-the-cuff manner that I didn't remember having said it." The small businessman also insisted that Thompson could not have heard the ill-advised joke, be caused he never would have "entertained it." And if you could not use your power as Mayor Bloomberg's right-hand woman to mess with his business, he'd love that as well. A spokeswoman for Quinn said that Thompson did apologize for the incident privately over phone and e-mail.

The Bloomberg camp is hoping some offensive remarks made by a disgruntled restaurateur about Council Speaker Christine Quinn will do some damage to city Comptroller Bill Thompson, a mayoral hopeful. Thompson—not Quinn—was present during an intimate meeting with small business owners at a Village restaurant on Wednesday morning. According to audiotape provided by the Bloomberg campaign to Politicker, Sean Kavanagh-Dowsett, the co-owner of the restaurant Tea and Sympathy, called Quinn "a whore, and you can quote me on that!" Okay! And during the ensuing laughter, Kavanagh-Dowsett added, "I'll drop my trousers, and she can kiss my ass." The tape does not record Thompson saying anything to denounce the remarks, and one witness tells the Post that "Thompson laughed with discomfort and shook his head while looking at an aide, and covered his ears for a brief moment." Kavanagh-Dowsett insists he won't apologize because he thinks Quinn, who works closely with Bloomberg, is anti-small business (and pro-prostitution?). Thompson's campaign issued a statement saying, "Bill has great respect for Speaker Quinn and believes the comments made yesterday—at a forum open to the public—were inappropriate and offensive."

Bad news for squatters and survivalists: Instead of just letting abandoned condo developments turn into illegal havens for trespassers, the city is starting a $20 million pilot program to turn unsold condominiums, unrented apartments and stalled construction sites into affordable housing for middle-income families. Yesterday Mayor Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced the plan, called the Housing Asset Renewal Program (HARP), in which the city will negotiate with developers and banks to turn the unoccupied units into affordable housing.

Bearing signs that read "You Will Eat Your Babies" and "Fags Doom Nations," members of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church showed up at gay-friendly The Congregation Beth Simchat Torah in the West Village ready to give its members a piece of their mind. Westboro member Steve Drane told NY1, "Anywhere where God's word needs to be preached to an unrepentant generation, that's where we'll be." This weekend marks the first that the church led by Fred Phelps is expanding its anti-gay crusade to now include Jews as well, for reasons such as their exceeding tolerance of homosexuality and abortion to their lack of repentance for killing Christ. While only a handful of Westboro members made it out today, hundreds including Speaker Christine Quinn faced off with them in a counter-protest, where members of the temple were encouraged to keep their message positive when addressing the visitors, particularly while speaking to the press.

The City Council endorsed today Mayor Bloomberg's plan to raise the city's sales tax to 8.875 percent. The measure, which passed 37 to 10, now goes to Albany for approval by the State Legislature. While those who voted against the increase argue the tax is regressive and unfair, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn says the measure will save 1,200 to 1,500 retail jobs. But, not all councilmembers who approved the tax say they did so willingly. Said Councilman Lewis Fidler to the Gotham Gazette: "If we don’t authorize the sales tax, as distasteful as it is, there will be layoffs...I prefer we find it somewhere else, but that is not the choice we have." The increase is expected to bring more than $500 million in new revenue to the city.

City Council members looking for reelection have found a reliable source to turn to for hefty campaign contributions—organizations they have hooked up with taxpayer money. The Daily News says that 3/4 of council members who have taken money from organizations that total (at a conservative estimate) more than $200,000 in contributions, or up to $467,000 with public matching dollars. The paper cites Christine Quinn, David Yassky, Bill de Blasio, Jessica Lappin, Vincent Gentille and John Liu as the worst offenders of taking money from groups they have set up with slush funds where they get to funnel tax dollars directly into district organizations of their choice. Lappin has received nearly as much in contributions from board members of a school she sponsored (just under 12K) as the amount of funds she sent to them (15K). Susan Lerner of Common Cause told the News, "It makes the whole thing seem incestuous. (Groups) feel they have to hire lobbyists and give campaign contributions in order to continue to provide services in the community." Flashback: Last year's slush fund scandal.

For those tired of assaulting prostitutes with crowbars in Vice City, there's the Japanese virtual "rape game" entitled "Rapelay," in which sick bastards can sexually assault a mother and her two daughters, among other simulated depravities. Following outcry, Amazon, eBay, and Overstock.com pulled Rapeplay from their sites, but it's still available elsewhere. Today Council Speaker Christine Quinn and the NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault asked computer game distributors nationwide to refrain from selling Rapelay. A thorough review on Something Awful reminds us (ugh) that rape in video games goes back at least as far as the notorious Indian rape level (NSFW? video) in the 1982 Atari-compatible game Custer's Revenge. According to Something Awful's sardonic description, "RapeLay is the Gears of War to Custer's Combat... It was a simpler time. A better time." At today's press conference, Quinn said, "The fact that such violent and atrocious acts are being marketed in the form of a game makes it even more disturbing and trivializes the violent nature of a sexual assault."

While few seem to believe that Mayor Bloomberg is very vulnerable in his quest for a third term, today's Daily News suggests that there quietly is a sound rival stepping up to keep his power in check—believe it or not, Speaker Christine Quinn. Quinn has long been viewed by critics as a "Deputy Mayor of the City Council" due to her close allegiance with Bloomberg. But some think that their political marriage is in the past since it might have been partially motivated by Quinn's hopes to ride the mayor's coattails into her own mayoral run, something she was planning on before term limits were extended (incidentally, a bill she backed). The News cites her spurning Bloomberg's plan to raise the sales tax in favor of a half-millionaire's tax instead, her overriding Bloomberg's veto of a bill easing residency requirements on DC37 members and pressuring the mayor to junk a $117 million plan to revamp the city's senior centers. The column says that her recent behavior "makes you wish she was running after all." Quinn 2013?

Yesterday, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn gave her State of the City address, trying to set an optimistic tone, "We may be in the worst fiscal crisis in decades, but New Yorkers know better than anyone that no crisis has ever stopped our city from moving forward."

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn will be giving her State of the City address at noon today. NY1, which will be carrying the speech, reports that she'll be discussing taxes: "The Speaker will propose eliminating personal income taxes for low and moderate income households that don't pay state or federal income taxes. Quinn also plans to propose a tax increase on New Yorkers earning more than $300,000 a year." She will voice her opposition to Mayor Bloomberg's proposal to raise the sales tax. It's unclear how much this speech is costing; last year, the Daily News found Quinn paid $12,000 to an outside consultant to write the speech (at the time, her spokesperson said it was common for elected officials to hire speechwriters, because it allows them and their staffs to focus on their work).

Speaker Christine Quinn wants to get to the bottom of series of allegedly false arrests that she calls "the most egregious I have heard of," where officers are accused of luring gay men at porn shops into trumped up charges of prostitution. For months NYPD has allegedly been using "handsome young undercover cops" to solicit (consensual) sex out of middle-aged gay men and then arresting them for prostitution as they exit the store. At a town hall meeting last month, one man described the scenario where after agreeing to go home with the young man, "He said, 'I want to pay you $50 [to have sex].' I didn't respond, but I thought it was strange." Once accosted by police outside he said, "I thought I'd been set up by a gang...They handcuffed me and said, 'Why the f--- do you think we're arresting you—loitering for the purpose of prostitution.'" Some believe that the city may be using the arrests to shut down sex shops under the "nuisance abatement law," which led the city to sue Unicorn in Chelsea last month.

Is Speaker Christine Quinn guilty of cronyism when it comes to moving legislation through City Council? Since 2002, Quinn has seen 35 of her bills get passed, second only to her closest ally David Weprin (he's had 78 bills passed). Meanwhile, foes Charles Barron and Tony Avella have only seen four bills total passed over the same period of time. That sharp contrast led Councilman Avellla to tell the News, "The speaker is very vindictive, and when you oppose the speaker, she doesn't let bills go through." But other members defend the Quinn's methods as rewarding persistence, pointing out legislation most often comes from committee chairs, whom she's appointed. Weprin heads the Finance Committee, which leads to a number of procedural budgetary legislation, and Quinn herself headed the Health Committe before coming Speaker. Former Speaker Peter Vallone Sr. said to the paper, "Every speaker is accused of playing favorites when it comes to bills."

In the two years since she has become City Council Speaker, Christine Quinn has used funds from the central budget to provide 14 council members (including herself) with 18 additional staffers. The Post claims that those receiving the extra staff tend to have close ties to Quinn and says that her office would not disclose what the reasoning was behind the bolstered help for certain councilmen. "It's rewarding political loyalty, by and large. It's something I think should be out in the open. It's not the right way to do things," one anonymous council member told the paper (does any griping politician allow themselves to be quoted these days?) A spokesman for Simcha Felder, one Quinn ally on the council who has received two extra staffers justified it by saying, "Simcha's proud to have extra staff members, and he has a large concentration of Holocaust survivors and immigrants. A lot of these people go to this council office for help and wouldn't go to a government office for help."

Last week, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn issued a letter to President-elect Obama's inauguration committee to express her dismay over the selection of Rick Warren as pastor. Quinn, who is openly gay, wrote, "Yet what is so offensive here is not the mere selection of a religious leader who is opposed to same-sex marriage. It is the selection of a man who has used his position to try to deny others their civil rights, and to create huge divisions among Americans." On the other hand, State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., a Democrat and a Pentecostal minister who opposes discussing gay marriage in the next legislative year, thinks Warren's invitation is important, "The Democratic Party should not be a party of only two issues: Abortion and homosexual marriage. Everybody should be accepted: Orthodox Jews, Evangelical Christians, Catholics, Muslims, and those with religious beliefs that oppose abortion and homosexual marriage. YES WE CAN!"

In response to a recent spate of violent muggings in the West Village, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has sent an email to constituents warning them to "remain alert." In the email, Quinn cites six violent muggings that have occurred in the neighborhood from November 15th to December 4th, explaining that "every time, the victim was approached from behind by two males, hit and then mugged. This past Monday, the 6th Precinct formally declared these muggings to be a pattern." (This contradicts the Post's earlier report, citing NYPD sources dismissing the notion a pattern was emerging.) In the most recent attack, a young woman's jaw was broken during a mugging near The Spotted Pig. Quinn's email details exactly where the crimes took place but does not include a description of the suspects. And she assures residents that the 6th Precinct's Anti-Crime Unit, in conjunction with the NYPD City Wide Robbery Squad, will beef up their presence in the area.

A City Council hearing had to be recessed after Council members James Oddo and Charles Barron got into a shouting match about a bill. The bill was the Clinic Access Bill--which covers harassment outside abortion clinics and is sponsored by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

City Council Christine Quinn joined a protest over a plan to restructure senior centers. Given how Quinn put her political future on the line by supporting the term limits extension, PolitickerNY's Azi Paybarah asked her "what she’d say to critics who’d see this protest more for its symbolism--to separate herself from Bloomberg--than for its substance," to which Quinn said, "If I had worn closed-toed shoes, you would have said that was a desire to have a tougher shoe so I could kick somebody in the tuchas, to seem tough." Still Fordham professor Bruce Berg tells the Times, "She has to demonstrate to the 22 who voted against term limits that she can lead independently from the mayor. What she’s doing is as much for internal consumption for the Council as it is for the mayor and the press."

extend term limits to three. Second, she wouldn't run, "If term limits are extended to 12 years from 8 years, no, I would not run for mayor." As for other mentioned 2009 hopefuls, City Comptroller Bill Thompson's campaign is still "moving forward" and Representative Anthony Weiner, who narrowly lost the 2005 Democratic primary to Freddy Ferrer, is still interested in running and said there should be a special election for term limits.

The Legal Aid Society and Legal Services of New York have filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court to overturn a controversial vote in June by the Rent Guidelines Board to add a supplemental rent hike for tenants who have lived in a rent-stabilized apartment for over six years and who pay $1,000 or less a month in rent. The lawsuit argues that requiring tenants to pay an extra $45 or $85 is a higher increase than what's allowed under this year’s RGB guidelines. A press release from Legal Services describes the hike as “a poor tax” against low-income tenants; at a press conference yesterday City Council Speaker Christine Quinn declared that "this unprecedented increase on longtime, low-income residents could very well drive some residents out of their homes. This rent hike proves once and for all that the RGB is completely out of touch and needs to be reformed.”

Mayor Mike sure likes to keep people guessing. Yesterday the mayor altered his position on any extension to the term limits law, saying that he would consider a change to the rule that will force him out of office next year if City Council were to send a bill his way.

The most indispensable member of Council Speaker Christine Quinn's staff seems to be an unpaid 81-year-old World War II veteran, her father Lawrence P. Quinn. An endearing profile in the Times today spotlights his ongoing efforts for his daughter, who will run for mayor next year. Ms. Quinn, an openly gay liberal, calls him "an all-purpose schlepper" who comes in handy for retirement home photo-ops. Mr. Quinn, a practicing Catholic, seems to be crying for help: “It’s not volunteerism; I am forced to do it." But he lives alone and all his pals are dead, so maybe he's okay with being his daughter's "trophy wife." Although he's been known to tell voters, "I don’t agree with her, either. But listen, if she loses, she’s unemployed and I’m going to have to pay her rent"

Today, the NY Sun had an editorial questioning why City Council Speaker Christine Quinn remains in a $1,600/month rent-stabilized apartment, when she makes $141,000/year from the City Council, owns half a $500,000 house in NJ, and her partner is a corporate lawyer enough for their combined income to probably be at least $300,000. The editorial then looks at Governor Paterson's and Representative Charles Rangel's rent-stabilized living situations (Paterson also has a home upstate, and Rangel has a villa in the Dominican Republic). The Sun writes, "The effect is that a measure originally designed to keep the lower and middle classes from being forced out of the city has become a program that effectively subsidizes country homes outside the city for the upper middle class."

Second quarter campaign filings reveal who's leading and who's lagging among the contenders for the mayor's office. On top of the list is Representative Anthony Weiner (he ran a surprisingly strong second to Fernando Ferrer in the 2005 Democratic primary) who raised $1.4 million and believes he reached the maximum of $6.2 million (including matching funds). City Comptroller William Thompson raised $625,000 and has raised $4.8 million so far. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn raised $620,000 for the period, which consultants believe is a disappointment, given that she has $3 million so far. And City Councilman Tony Avella raised $32,000, for $212,000 total.

            

Even a downpour couldn't stop the Gay Pride March down Fifth Avenue yesterday, which attracted half a million participants and an estimated million spectators. Besides the costumed performers, motorcyclists, bands and floats, elected officials were part of the parade. Along with Mayor Bloomberg and Senator Schumer, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Governor David Paterson marched and spoke out on behalf of gay rights.

With the City Council's budget practices coming under fire as the slush fund scandal continues to simmer, Speaker Christine Quinn introduced new, tougher rules to reign in discretionary funds.

Two former staffers under City Council member Kendall Stewart were "arrested and charged on mail fraud and money laundering charges" from the U.S. Attorney's office, according to WNBC.

In the wake of revelations that the City Council had a slush fund (for rainy days when the mayor would cut budgets), City Comptroller William Thompson told City Council Speaker Christine Quinn that his office would review how the council uses discretionary money. In a letter, he wrote, "It remains clear…that the Council’s process was conceived and used to deflect legitimate inquiry into how our City’s tax dollars are being allocated.”