Results tagged “congressmananthonyweiner”

If you're one of those people that think the FBI has better things to do than investigate Roger Clemens, you have an ally in Washington DC. Congressman Anthony Weiner voiced his opinion on the investigation into Clemens. Weiner sent a letter to the Attorney General questioning the benefit of continuing the investigation into Clemens’ testimony to Congress, saying "Whether or not Roger Clemens may have committed perjury should not compete with real national security threats for the FBI’s time, attention and resources.”

The announcement that six detainees in Guantanamo would be charged and tried for the September 11, 2001 attacks was welcomed by a number of parties, including the families of people who died on September 11. However, some would like to see a trial in New York and not in Gitmo.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an explosion at Linden Blvd. and 220th St. in Queens, a homicide on Sedgewick Ave. in the Bronx, and a water main break on Prospect Place in Brooklyn
• Santa may have to bypass coalition troops stationed around the world today, but holiday presents will be appreciated even if they do arrive a few weeks into 2008. Newsday has a nice piece on gift-giving to troops and how to do it.
• U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner is in permanent campaign mode to become Mayor of NYC, as the office now seems to be a viable stepping stone for higher national office. Interesting fact: Weiner was a post-college roommate of comedian/news man Jon Stewart.

Just because the 2009 elections are over 22 months away doesn't mean some interesting moves can't happen. Adolfo Carrion Jr. (pictured, on left), the Bronx Borough President, has decided to run for City Comptroller in 2009, making it a tough field and shedding light on the mayoral contest.

We all knew the real estate bubble was causing insanity, but we should have known it's encouraged people to divorce. There's a NY Times Styles section article about some who wait until the market's at its peak to divorce - that way, they can benefit from an even bigger profit when selling their homes.

While we're dealing with knowing that a lot of city traffic is caused by regular ol' New Yorkers, politicians are still concerned with truck traffic. Congressman Anthony Weiner released a study showing that truck traffic will increase by 83% by 2020, with truck traffic in Staten Island and Brooklyn doubling. Since 1998, truck traffic has increased by 30%, while car traffic has only increased by 8%. (On Staten Island alone, the number of trucks has increased 84% since 1998.)

Remember how this summer, the Department of Homeland Security reduced the amount of anti-terror funding NYC would get? Sure, NYC was still getting most of the funding, but funds were being increased in less risky areas with, well, influential politicians. And then the press had a field day with how Homeland Security didn't think there were any national monuments or major buildings at risk? And then Homeland Security claimed that NY State and NYC didn't file their request properly?

The heated fight for Major Owens' Congressional seat gets hotter as City Council member Yvette Clarke has landed three important endorsements - two from big unions and the other from Congressman Anthony Weiner. Brooklyn's 11th District covers Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, and Park Slope, and the race has already attracted four would-be candidates (who would likely be elected to the seat in November): City Council members Clarke and David Yassky, State Senator Carl Andrews, and Owens' son, Chris Owens, with Yassky the only white among the three black politicians. Now, with these two endorsements, signs are indicating that Clarke's campaign is getting stronger. And that Weiner is thinking to the 2009 mayoral race by endorsing a black woman with Caribbean roots (her mother is Jamaican). From the NY Times:

When asked if his endorsement was made with the expectation of support in 2009, Mr. Weiner said, “My only thought about 2009 is that Yvette Clarke will be an incumbent member of Congress.”

Continue reading "Controversial Brooklyn Congressional Race Starts to Shape Up"

depressing.

The House of Representatives voted to reopen the Statue of Liberty's crown, which had been closed due to security concerns. (Today visitors can go to the pedestal, but that's it.) Congressman Anthony Weiner spoke before the House, "We figured out a way to open the Capitol. We figured out a way to open the Washington Monument. We figured out a way to open Hoover Dam." Good point, but he also said, "We need to break the ties that bind Miss Liberty and that continue to make her a laughingstock for al Qaeda." Anyway, the passed proposed will allocate $1 million from government salaries to security for the statue.

This is a dis on a grand scale (to NYC tourism, at least). Or it's a blessing in disguise. The U.S. Olympic Committee is not visiting New York City when it visits potential cities for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Cities the USOC is visiting: Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. One could say that the USOC already visited NYC before it selected it to be the 2012 US Olympic city bid, but, hey, it's a whole new ballgame, with no hope of a West Side Stadium, a probably most-completed Ground Zero, and a huge tract of land in Greenpoint ripe for development.

It's deja vu all over again! In the recent Democratic mayoral primaries, runoffs were threatened and this year's was no exception as campaigns squirmed in too-close-to-call limbo. While former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer has essentially 40% of the vote needed to avoid a runoff, he's about 0.04-0.05% short of a perfect, unequivocal 40%, which translates to a handful of votes. And Congressman Anthony Weiner, who has 29%, will be demanding that every vote be counted, including 8,422 valid absentee ballots. Which means that the results for the Democratic primary might not be known for days, even a week. Ferrer was in the odd position of being so close to victory, but not guaranteed of it, last night at his party, while Weiner's party got more interesting as Ferrer's numbers dropped.

Okay, so it's crunch time for the Democratic mayoral candidates, with just hours until the polls open tomorrow and New Yorkers (hopefully) go and vote for a Democratic candidate. Former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer received an endorsement from Reverend Al Sharpton yesterday, which helps his frontrunner status, but many polls show the Congressman Anthony Weiner is right at Ferrer's heels - and that Ferrer still might not be able to avoid a runoff. While a lot of polls and surveys seem to indicate that Mayor Bloomberg is uncommonly popular for a Republican mayor in our blue city, the NY Times finds some voters that do want him out but, as ever, it comes down to who will actually come out and vote. The big questions are the middle-class (Miller or Weiner) and African-American population (Fields, Ferrer, or maybe even Weiner?). What Gothamist has been finding interesting in this final stretch is that we've been noticing the NY Post has been talking up Congressman Anthony Weiner's chances a lot, perhaps trying to sway voters to force Ferrer into a run-off. The latest stories about Gifford Miller seem to be more about his finance troubles, and C. Virginia Fields seems to have faded completely. Gothamist thinks it's too close to call whether or not there will be a primary. What do you think will happen tomorrow?

It was the Democratic mayoral hopefuls' second-to-last-debate-gasp to get in some good punches, but it was actually kind of boring because the answers were 25 seconds. Former Bronx Borough President and frontrunner Fernando Ferrer, Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, City Council Speaker Gifford Miller and Congressman Anthony Weiner mainly tried to attack the Mayor whose popularity with Democrats is confounding their campaigns. And with Hurricane Katrina very much the top story of the news, they all said the Mayor's plans in the event of a disaster woudl be "muddled". The NY Times noted that the candidates "in many cases they either overstated their own accomplishments, exaggerated problems facing the city or did not have sufficient backup for their claims about the state of the city." Read the transcripts here and here's Gotham Gazette's handy primer on the Mayoral race.

- Bob Denver passed away at age 70; Gothamist spent so many hours of our youth watching Gilligan's Island on Channel 5 that we really feel like we've lost a bumbling friend who looked great in the color red

On what was surely one of the most beautiful "last day of the summer" in recent memory, millions of people celebrated in Brooklyn at the 38th West Indian American Day Carnival and Parade. While people with roots in the Caribbean were the main participants, they weren't the only ones: The NY Times reported that "four rabbinical students donned do-rags with the colors of the Jamaican flag." And Gothamist's favorite quote comes from Newsday, where Jason Ridges said, "I'm not from any island but Coney Island. This is the one day of the year I can feel Caribbean."

rough and tumble thirty some years ago, versus the Starbucks and Barnes and Noble Babyville it is now... still, Gothamist would prefer to say "down at the heels"), not getting into Stuyvesant, and how Senator Schumer Weiner to run for Congress in Brooklyn and not Florida. An interesting quote occurs when the Times suggests that Weiner has been "frustrated" in Congress (his "does not have a long list of significant legislative achievements"):

"I frankly in some degree have found my voice as a member of the minority party with Bush in the White House. When you are the 200th person following the president's coalition, like I was to some degree in my first term under Clinton, to some degree you're a foot soldier. When you're a third-termer or a fourth-termer in the minority party, it's much more entrepreneurial. You kind of have to think a little bit about how you're going to approach the job, and I think I really found my voice."

What do you know, there is some benefit to Bush in the White House! And of course, no article about Weiner is complete without mention of the Vanity Fair article that implied he was romancing Beltway babes by saying he was "Anthony, an auto parts salesman." One thing is for sure: If Weiner were Mayor Weiner, it would be a funnier administration...though we're not sure that's a mandate.

The Campaign Finance Board's records show that Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields has not reimbursed her government drivers for driving her to campaign events. Newsday points out that Fields hasn't "paid for gas or parking used during those appearances" and that in the past week, only two of her many events were job-related. Fields' campaign manager, Chung Seto, claims that the drivers/city will be reimbursed, but she doesn't know why it's taking so long. Just like she didn't know why the flyer was Photoshopped, eh? Actually, the practice of using a city government car for campaign events is common, as long as the city is reimbursed is common (City Council Speaker had his police detail drive him around). Congressman Anthony Weiner's campaign took the opportunity to say that while he has a congressional car, Weiner uses his own hybrid car to get to campaign events.

Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields is featured in the third mayoral hopeful profile from the NY Times (which means we'll be reading about Congressman Anthony Weiner next week). The article notes that she's nice, "immaculately turned out," and, so far, not very firm when it comes to taking sides in a issue. The article is filled with examples of Fields's good nature but not exactly distinctive political career:

When Percy E. Sutton, the Harlem business mogul and a fund-raiser for Ms. Fields, was asked to name her most memorable achievement, he paused, searching for an answer. "I just know I admire her because she stands up for causes," he said at last.

The Politicker points out that in Times reporter Randal Archibold's slideshow, Archibold says, "She’s good-natured. She just generally seems a very nice person...[hesitates, then adds with a gentle laugh]...which, in New York City, is not always an asset when you’re campaigning." Ouch - but she was trying to calm Weiner down during Sunday's debate by placing her hand on his. New Yorkers, whether they admit it or not, seem to like tough or extreme mayors (even though Ed Koch was all "How am I doing?" he was pretty extreme - he didn't want a second area code for the city because he thought it would divide the city!, Rudy Giuliani was thought of as a near-fascist before September 11, and Mayor Bloomberg, well, he's extremely rich), and a nice lady from Birmingham whose fierceness only appears occasionally probably won't make the cut come September 13.

The first official Democratic candidate mayoral debate took place last night with all four candidates, including Congressman Anthony Weiner who had been passed a kidney stone earlier in the day. After that, we can only imagine the debate was a walk in the park! The NY Times has a transcript of the debate, but there's nothing like seeing City Council Speaker Gifford Miller get all pissy when asked if he would send his kids to public school (they attend private pre-K now). Former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer tried to redirect criticism from himself to the Mayor, Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields was the only candidate to eagerly say she wanted the Reverend Al Sharpton's endorsement, and Weiner came away with the best one-liners. All in the all, the debate was kind of boring, like the candidates themselves; the Observer's Ben Smith and Lizzy Ratner explain the problems with all the candiates, including Mayor B, in an article today called the "Aristo-Democrats," with the most frightening cartoon EVER.

Gothamist learns something new everyday! In today's NY Times profile of City Council Speaker and mayoral hopeful Gifford Miller, not only did we find out his first name is Alan, it turns out that Miller is also the one who worked on the "investigation into vastly understated calorie counts in some of the city's best-selling frozen yogurt brands" a few years ago! Oh, to be living in those simple days again.

- City Council Gifford Miller's commercials are out, and Gothamist sees one advantage that Miller has over the candidates: He's got adorable moppets (even though they are dressed sort of the same - Gothamist is very anti-dressing your kids in the same or similar outfits because kids are individuals; let them dress the same when they are teenagers and learning to be sheep) that he can hoist onto his shoulders while campaigning - people think twice before taking shots at guys with little kids on their shoulders, at least outside of ballparks. Anyway, the NY Times has more thorough analysis of the commercial (slick but misleading in some areas), but Gothamist will say that it's kind of goofy, because Miller is striding forward in most of the setting (down the steps of a building, on a city street, in a cafeteria) as he's talking to the camera. It almost seems like a Saturday Night Live goof commercial.

Last night, the mayoral would-be candidates, sans Congressman Anthony Weiner (because of stuff in DC) and the Mayor (because he didn't want to), debated the issues on NY1 in the first televised forum. The big topic of the night was how the Mayor's education plans are still failing the city's kids as well as how security measures like bag checks are not very effective. Ooh, we can't wait for campaign caricatures that show "Bag Check Bloomby!" Like the Parks Mayoral Forum we attended earlier this week, Fernando Ferrer, Gifford Miller, C. Virginia Fields and the lone Republican, Thomas Ognibene, tried to establish their own distinct personalities. The NY Times pointed out that Ognibene attacked Bloomberg in "more personal terms", and we suspect that Ognibene is a dream for the Democrats, as their candidates don't have to get their hands too dirty with attacks.

Last night, Gothamist headed to the mayoral forum held by Parks 1, the non-profit that is working to make NYC's parks the number one in the nation by trying to get the city goverment to commit 1% of the city's budget to the parks. (You can sign the pledge here.) Four of the potential candidates appeared: Former Bronx Borough President Ferando Ferrer, City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, and former Queens City Councilman Thomas Ognibene. Congressman Anthony Weiner had agreed to come, but he was stuck in D.C. (legislation!), and Mayor Bloomberg was invited but did not attend. The discussion covered topics like how the candidates would deal with poorly maintained parks, vehicles in parks, and community gardens. Also, the candidates had other ideas about revenue to support and maintain the parks besides the 1% idea, because 1% of the city's budget is a huge chunk of change (we think it's about $500 million, based on the 2006, but we're still trying to figure out how the parks line item works). While the candidates tried to emphasize their commitment to New York and the parks, Gothamist began to think about who might be left standing this fall.

- "When the speaker puts out his public schedule, he makes his whereabouts clear." - City Council Council Speaker Gifford Miller's office.Seriously, every time Gothamist hears something from the Weiner camp, it's not that great. We think that our Mayor should be in town most of the time, but if, as Beep Fields puts it, he needs to go to NJ, DC, or Albany to beg for money, it be okay. This story is just another one of those "How Mayor Bloomberg is very, very different from most politcians," from being a billionaire to being secretive.

The NY Times conducted some research on the Mayor, as well as his standing versus other mayoral hopefuls such as former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, Congressman Anthony Weiner, Manhattan Borough President Virigina Fields, and former Councilman Thomas Ognibene. The study says that 41% of registered voters view the Mayor favorably; while 41% sounds mediocre, that's a 10% increase from last summer. He does lead his opponents (see the NY Times graph here), but one Democratic strategist tells the Times that "Any incumbent starting off an election year with an approval rating under 50 and losing to an unnamed opponent by 22 points is in real trouble." To drive that point home, it seems that these numbers are closer to David Dinkin's pre-reelection numbers than Rudy Giuliani. Ouchy. Issues where voters are still on the fence with the Mayor are indeed education and the proposed Jets stadium on the West Side, which means Bloomberg will be working overtime to emphasize his strengths and appeal to voters that overhauling the education system will take time and he should be in office for that.

City Council Speaker Gifford Miller is staging an event in Brooklyn to "receive" support from various politicians there today. The Post reports the Brooklyn locale was a deliberate choice to one-up fellow Democratic candidate wannabe Congressman Anthony Weiner, a Brooklyn boy.

For more about MLK, go to The King Center, with an essay about the holiday from Coretta Scott King (she also did a rare recent public appearance last week). And InfloPlease has links to many MLK-related events.

And, unsurprisingly, the City Council is overriding that Mayor's veto to allow more public funds to be spent by candidates running against wealthy opponents. But, in the good news column for Mayor B, the Marist poll showed his approval rating was up to 46% from 42% and the Independent Budget Office said the city's deficit was about $800 million less than expected, thanks to the strength of the real estate market and Wall Street.