Results tagged “kevinsheekey”

When Mayor Bloomberg gave an "oy vey" and expressed restrained indignation last week at the revelations about city jail chaplain's pampering of Jewish inmates, he said he didn't want to get in the way of the ongoing investigation of Rabbi Leib Glanz. What he didn't say is that his administration might end up as part of that investigation. Now a report reveals that Bloomberg's top aide, Kevin Sheekey, had three scheduled meetings last fall right before the now-infamous Bar Mitzvah thrown by the well-connected Glanz, who resigned just yesterday. For one of them, Sheekey even trekked out to a catering hall near Glanz's Williamsburg home. A spokesman for the mayor's office says that the meetings were "an effort to listen to different perspectives on similar community issues." He added, "Kevin never had a conversation with Rabbi Glanz that was at all related to the rabbi’s part-time chaplain work. Ever. And he learned about the New York Post story from reading The Post."

In what sounds a little like a case of biting the hand that feeds you, one of the Kennedys is saying that maybe Caroline doesn't need so much support from Mayor Bloomberg. A member of the Camelot clan told PolitickerNY, "We love the kind words the mayor has said about her but this is Governor Paterson's decision, and we were concerned that the mayor's vocal support would crowd the governor and damage the effort." The article then makes a convincing case for how Bloomberg's backing of Caroline has been a wise strategic move to both establish himself as the alpha male in New York politics while simultaneously keeping big name Democrats (like Obama) out of the way of his reelection bid. When Bloomberg's Deputy Mayor and Caroline ally Kevin Sheekey last came to bat for Kennedy in the press, he made it clear what made her stand out as a potential choice, "New York needs someone who supported the New President."

Caroline Kennedy may have been a hot mess with the press, but suddenly Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver, who questioned her abilities not that long ago, is singing her praises.

Of all the people for Caroline Kennedy's people to piss off, probably pissing off Governor Paterson, who makes the final call on who gets Hillary Clinton's soon-to-be vacated Senate seat, is a bad idea. Yet the NY Times reports that he's not very happy:

The governor is frustrated and chagrined, the advisers said, because he believes that he extended Ms. Kennedy the chance to demonstrate her qualifications but that her operatives have exploited the opportunity to convey a sense that she is all but appointed already. He views this as an attempt to box him in, the advisers said.

Continue reading "Kennedy Headache for Paterson"

Caroline Kennedy had lunch at Sylvia's with the Reverend Al Sharpton today and told reporters, "I feel like I'm a Kennedy Democrat, a Clinton Democrat, [Sen. Charles] Schumer, Barack Obama -- these are all leaders whose values I share and I feel like those are the kinds of values that I would bring."

Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey has come out and said that he is opposed to a third term for Michael Bloomberg as mayor of New York. Sheekey is Bloomberg's top aide and no stranger to the mayor's political ambitions--he was the force behind laying the groundwork for Bloomberg's extended flirtation with a presidential bid earlier this year. Speculation was that Sheekey was also behind the talk that Bloomberg has been considering an attempt to repeal term limits in order to stay in office another four years. However, Sheekey went on record to the NY Sun today that he thinks that "change is good" in regards to the term limit law that will force the mayor to step down in 2009. Mayor Bloomberg as well has publicly denied the persistent rumors that he is seeking a way to keep himself in office.

Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey, who has spent many months (if not years) hinting about his boss's presidential ambitions, is still stirring the pot of rumors. Last night on NY1's Inside City Hall, Sheekey, "promoted the idea of an Obama-Bloomberg presidential ticket."

Mayor Bloomberg's un-campaign for President is losing momentum even before it could officially get started. Bloomberg's position on a run has always been that he is not running at any particular point at that time, even as his Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey aggressively pursues advance work for the campaign that is not happening. Political consultant Doug Schoen confirmed that Sheekey has a formal plan in place already that merely needs the Mayor's go-ahead to begin.

Mayor Bloomberg's continued insistence that he is not currently running for President is bordering on the absurd, as even attempts to ascertain where his aide Kevin Sheekey is spending his vacation time turns up blacked out in official requests. Sheekey is Bloomberg's chief political deputy, and the man most closely identified with pushing the Mayor forward in a Presidential bid. The New York Times filed a Freedom of Information request with the Mayor's office to see what Sheekey had been up to around the time that Bloomberg excused himself from the Republican party. The results were less than revealing.

Mayor Bloomberg may be finding that coy flirtation can be cute at first, but quickly becomes old and aggravating if carried on for too long. The New York Times has a story today describing a growing backlash against a Mayor who seems preoccupied with something big, but it's something big that he won't discuss, or even acknowledge.

Mayor Bloomberg's generosity has been noted from educational institutions (like his alma mater Johns Hopkins) and even city organizations (like the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation). He gave staffers on his re-election campaign payouts as big as $300,000-400,000. And when Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff announced he would leave City Hall to become president of the mayor's business, Bloomberg LP, it suggested that the Mayor rewarded staffers he trusts. Well, the NY Times now looks at how some Bloomberg aides' salaries have grown since taking the government jobs in City Hall.

Even though speculation is running high/wistful on a Michael Bloomberg presidential candidacy (maybe because all the other confirmed candidates are boring - or reporters are bored of covering the other candidates), the Post resurrects a rumor from earlier this year: Bloomberg wanting to run for governor against Spitzer in 2010. Back in May, the Post claimed the Mayor had discussed running for governor on two occasions, but the Mayor said the reports were completely made...

For an avowed non-presidential candidate, Mayor Bloomberg certainly gets more attention than some of the actual candidates. Newsweek devotes its cover story to "Mike" Bloomberg, "The Billion Dollar Wild Card," a reference to the billion dollars Mayor B has at his disposal, should be decide to run for president next year. That is so much more flattering than the "Lazy Like a Fox" cover Newsweek had of Fred Thompson! Newsweek editor-in-chief Jon Meacham got to...

We don't know if that's brilliant or frightening.

We've heard Mayor Bloomberg speak (Mayor Monotone!), so after reading the lyrics to "Born to Run" as he and his staff performed it at the Mayor's staff holiday party, the idea of him singing was both frightening and irresistible. But now the NY Times reveals why government holiday parties really should become part of the public record:

At the annual holiday party for his staff on Thursday night, Mr. Bloomberg, wearing a T-shirt, jeans, mullet wig and bandanna, performed his own version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run,” imagining a successful campaign for president ending with a White House “painted saffron by Christo” and Washington playing host to the Olympics.

Continue reading "Mayor Mullet Sings"

Mayor Bloomberg keeps saying he isn't running for President, but his actions seems to indicate he does have the West Wing on the mind. The odd thing is that in the midst of the Mayor's denials, his deputy mayor Kevin Sheekey keeps talking about wanting the Mayor to run for President. Today, in an interview with the Daily News, Sheekey says he hopes Bloomberg "changes his mind", and says:

If you have a country which continues to be divided the way it is, if you find that increasingly you have gridlock in Washington and that the country needs a chance to start over, then, I think, they'll look to a person like Mike Bloomberg.

- The "Trouble with Vito" series in the Daily News continues! Now it's a suspect photo of Congressman Vito Fossella with Sesame Street's Elmo and Rosito that has appeared in both re-election media and a "taxpayer-financed constituent mailing." Fossella's people say that muppet picture and other were "indvertently" used on a reelection website. Inadvertently or advertently so the Daily News could plaster it on the front page?

For obvious reasons, we're always interested in who the players are in current political administrations (we mean, who isn't?). In that vein, today's Times has a good look at Bloomberg's top political strategist/deputy mayorfor intergovernmental relations Kevin Sheekey.

11:24PM: Mayor B is done with his speech - so far, winning by 19%.

Gothamist wonders if the televisions in the Mayor's office have access to all the tiny cameras that the Mayor's team must have installed over all the city.

There are many websites advocating that people unhappy with the Republicans and this administration volunteer and sandbag the Republicans in some way (such as not showing up or showing up and being anti-Republican); shadowprotest.org has been telling people to infiltrate both the Republican and Democratic conventions. Kevin Sheekey, head of the NYC host committee, tells the Times, "Those sort of things would harm the city. Those wouldn't be anti-R.N.C. protests. Those would be people protesting New York City." Gothamist has to agree - if protestors were to sabotage the convention, while their ideologies and hearts might be in the right place, it's just a classless move. Gothamist is not saying that the Republican government has been classy, but there's nothing like reports of these types of stunts to rile up people who may have been on the fence. A simple sign that says, "Go Away," held outside Madison Square Garden, might say it all.