Attorney General Andrew Cuomo made his first public appearance as gubernatorial candidate yesterday by marching in the Salute to Israel Parade down Fifth Avenue. With 15-year-old daughter Cara by his side and an Israeli flag in hand, he basked in cheers of "Go Cuomo!" and "Yeah Andrew!" And he promised he'd listen to the public, unlike some people upstate: "Politicians tend to follow what the people in the district want done, otherwise they are not politicians for long. You go to the people first, and get the people on your side. My mission is to develop an agenda for this state and to develop support among the people." more ›

Yesterday afternoon, after releasing a campaign video stating as much, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo finally announced that he is running for Governor of NY State this November. To strains of Bon Jovi's "Work For The Working Man," Cuomo said to the crowd gathered at the Tweed Courthouse in downtown Manhattan, "New York was not always like this. This is not New York at its best. I'm old enough to remember when it was better than this," reminding people of the dysfunction in Albany and issues on Wall Street. more ›

Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino, who has already made some waves by comparing health care reform to 9/11, is going to announce his candidacy for governor of New York at 6 p.m. The Buffalo News has an article about the conservative real estate developer, "Is New York ready for Carl Paladino?" which has the 63-year-old explaining his strengths: "When people say to me that I have no experience in government, I say that's my greatest asset... I bring values, resiliency, a thick skin and I'm not afraid to be confrontational. I don't remember anyone ever before bringing that to the table." And, yes, he does have a 10-year-old love child by a former employee—an admission that he made to his wife after the death of their 29-year-old son. more ›

Embattled by the state's economy and some of his (and his staff's) own missteps, Governor Paterson is considered an underdog to run for governor next year. But here he is, releasing television ads touting his case. The NY Times says of the pair of ads, "The two ads, each 30 seconds long, highlight his biography and address criticism Mr. Paterson has faced from labor unions and business interests over his proposed cuts to the state budget. Both directly confront what polls say is Mr. Paterson’s central political problem: widespread public skepticism that he has the ability to lead the state effectively." more ›

It's been 14 years since Mario Cuomo left the Governor's Mansion, but he still hasn't taken time out to sit for his official Governor's Portrait. According to the NY Times, while successor George Pataki's portrait will be unveiled next year, Cuomo is a bit more modest. He "suggested he found the whole idea pompous. He also said he had no patience for posing: 'I went to electric razors so I would not have to look at myself in the morning.'" But the State is impatient --and may chose a image of Cuomo that might not be flattering to avoid having a "12-year blank" in the gallery of governors past. Illustrator Thomas Fuchs offers some illustrations of Cuomo in the style of Warhol, Mondrian, Picasso and R. Crumb, and CityRoom is welcoming readers' submissions of Cuomo portraits, too. Slightly related: Even former NJ Governor James McGreevey has his official portrait! more ›

Governor David Paterson hoped his and his wife's admission that they had extramarital affairs meant that everyone could move on. Other politicians certainly want to move on and constituents generally don't think it's a big deal (Hookergate fatigue?), but now that the tabloids have license to run with it, it means details (and long cover headlines) galore! more ›

David Paterson was sworn in at NY State's 55th governor today, in the standing-room State Assembly chambers and those gathered gave him a two-minute standing ovation, "David! David! David!" more ›

Plans for a World Trade Center memorial continue to crawl along, and WNBC has a story today about the personal donations that are funding the effort and the memorial itself. $300 million has been raised to build a set of reflecting pools and a museum at Ground Zero, much of that money coming from a fundraising drive over the last six months. The story includes a list of top donors, and we found it interesting that most of the individuals listed are New York-area politicians. Mayor Bloomberg donated $15 million. NJ Governor Jon Corzine donated $2 million. Governor Spitzer and his family chipped in $2 million as well. Donors in the under $100,000 category include former NY Governor Pataki and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. more ›

The Nor'easter that drenched - and flooded - the Northeast with inches of rain has headed out. Many homes in the area were flooded and pummeled by winds; the NY Times adds that though the storm is gone, rivers are "still rising, swollen by the runoff of record rains." Residents in some suburbs were evacuated and thousands of people are without power: NY Governor Spitzer noted the devastation, while acting NJ Governor Richard Codey said that NJ "continues to operate under a state of emergency." Damages are expected to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. more ›

After yesterday's announcement that federal and state agencies will lease 1 million of Freedom Tower's 2.6 million square feet, the candidates for NY Governor have backed the plan as well. The NY Times reports that Democratic nominee Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and Republican nominee John Faso both threw their support behind the plan, which now "signals that whoever wins the general election in November is likely to continue Gov. George E. Pataki’s plans for the skyscraper." While it was expected Faso would support the plan, Spitzer's been more vocal in criticizing the project, which is one of the biggest symbols of Pataki's failure as a leader. But now, with the NY Governor's office moving to Freedom Tower, as well as other federal agencies, it seems Spitzer is on board. When the Times asked Mayor Bloomberg's office if the city would move any of its offices to Freedom Tower, his spokesman simply said, "When we have an announcement to make, we’ll make it.” Well, it's not like Mayor Bloomberg's administration would even see the agencies move there, since the tower won't be completed (if it actually gets built) until well after his term is up. more ›

- Critics are still unhappy with the plan - including other real estate developers and building owners whose downtown buildings aren't getting $59/footStay tuned - there will probably be some sniping to come. more ›

- And Real Worlder Kevin Powell (RW New York, circa 1992) isn't running for Congress anymore - don't get any ideas, Eric Nies! more ›

So maybe Bloomberg isn't running for President? Or is that just what he wants us to think? more ›

- And Mayor Bloomberg is giving the convocation speech at the University of Chicago on June 10; we point this out because while Mayor Bloomberg claims he doesn't want to run for president, it's unusual for UChicago to have a non-faculty speaker (there was Bill Clinton, but he was President, and Kay Graham, but she was the publisher of the Washington Post and a big donor)... maybe Mayor Bling is donating some money or looking to take advantage of midwest media affiliates more ›

Or at least that's what World Trade Center leaseholder Larry Silverstein promised yesterday, now that he and the Port Authority have agreed on terms that divvy up control of Ground Zero's various components. "I have instructed our construction team to mobilize into the site tomorrow so that we can begin construction of the Freedom Tower immediately," he told the media. The Port Authority says that the eastern section of the WTC site will be excavated by next year, in order for Silverstein to start building his towers (Towers 2, 3, and 4 in the plan). At this point, (Gothamist can barely remember what's supposed to be at Ground Zero, so we've been going back to the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's website about the WTC site - but we're not sure if all the changes have been updated on it.) more ›

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The government powers that be when it comes to the World Trade Center site - NY Governor Pataki, NJ Governor Corzine and NYC Mayor Bloomberg - have worked out a plan that was presented to WTC developer Larry Silverstein in hopes of getting the Ground Zero rebuilding off the ground. The deal is for Silverstein to build Freedom Tower (but the Port Authority would control it) as well as giving him control of three additional buildings and a mall along Church Street, with an opportunity to buy the mall later, and limiting how much his developer's fee is - plus promising 1 million square feet of tenants. And somewhere in there, concessions from Silverstein would translate into $100 million for the WTC Memorial. If he doesn't agree to that, then he gets $50 million in cash, plus Tower 5, which is worth $250-300 million. The third option is for Silverstein to argue this out in court. Yes, Gothamist wishes there was a flow chart with clip cart of Silverstein, Pataki, et al. too. more ›

Bill Weld's campaign for NY Governor just hit a bit of an ethical problem. The Times reports today that the News section of his website weldfornewyork.org has been playing fast and loose with the facts.

"Campaign aides have significantly altered two newspaper articles on his Web site about his bid for governor, removing all negative phrases about him, like "mini-slump" and "dogged by an investigation," and passages about his political problems."

like a good idea, as the NYPD's network is probably much bigger than the other smaller agencies. But there do need to be checks and balances, and other agencies might have their own areas of expertise. The best quote is from Jerome Hauer, who worked in emergency management under Rudy Giuliania: "Since the mayor has no understanding of public safety, he defers to Ray Kelly. And Ray Kelly's idea of public safety is, 'I run everything and I'm the only one that can do it.'" Snap! more ›

The reopening of the PATH Train station at the World Trade Center was greeted by government officials and citizens alike with excitement and a sense of accomplishment with the completion of this 16 month station rehabilitation. The opening was bittersweet, as memories of Port Authority colleagues and other PATH train commuters lost during September 11 were evoked. One lower Manhattan resident told the Post, "They knocked us down, but they can't knock us out." And Christy Ferer, mayor's liaison to families of September 11 victims and whose husband, Neil Levin, executive director of the Port Authority was killed during the attacks told the Times, "He'd be very proud to see this organization kick into gear...No, let me take that back. I think he'd have expected no less." more ›

The re-opening of the Path Train at the World Trade Center will be marked by NY Governor Pataki and NJ Governor McGreevey at 2PM tomorrow, with free rides until midnight. The governors will ride in a train that was the last to leave the WTC Path station on September 11. This station will accept Metrocards at turnstiles, except weekly and unlimited cards. Additionally, since this is station at Church Street is a temporary one, there is no heat or air conditioning, no concessions, and or advertising. A permanent station will open in 2006. more ›

NY Governor Pataki says "fiscal nightmare," solutions like this, SUNY Board Calls for 40 Percent Tuition Increase, are offered. The real question is probably not whether it gets passed but how much the rate increase actually is. more ›