A four-time State Assembly member representing East New York in Brooklyn was convicted of third-degree bribe-receiving and official misconduct yesterday. When a developer was interested in acquiring city land back in 2004 and 2005, Assemblywoman Diane Gordon asked for a home in a Queens gated community, worth $500,000. When the Brooklyn DA's office discovered evidence of bribe taking, they offered her a deal that would have let her off if she quit. But she ran......

Yesterday Forbes magazine, in their annual ranking of the rich, declared New York City is no longer the billionaire capital of the world. Where have all the dollar signs gone? To Moscow, of course, who beat us out by 3 billionaires (they have 74 to our 71). Most of the big buck city dwellers are familiar names: Mayor Michael Bloomberg ($11.5 billion), publishing powerhouses Samuel Newhouse Jr. and Rupert Murdoch ($8.5 billion and $8.3 billion),......

The NY State Legislature has long been considered the most dysfunctional state government in the country, and NY Sun has a great article giving weight to that statement: "The Empire State's Legislature employs more people than any other state legislature in the nation." Well, all that dysfunction has to be enabled from someone - or many someones! According to the most recent data from the National Conference of State Legislatures, the NY State Assembly and......

Weighing in on the modified congestion pricing plan the Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission recommended, Mayor Bloomberg said:"The Commission has done a thorough and thoughtful job. They've taken testimony from hundreds of residents, community leaders and civic organizations. They've held dozens of public meetings and have analyzed mountains of data. Although the final recommendation varies from our original proposal, I accept it. "We will work with our partners in the Council and the State Legislature, and......

During an address at a Center for Working Families conference yesterday, New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said that Gov. Spitzer may consider delaying a fare hike. Spitzer already changed his mind about raising the base fare above $2 a ride and limiting any hikes to multi-ride metrocards. Only 15% of riders actually use the $2-a-ride cards though. Silver told the Daily News that he's been urging the governor to postpone any fare......

"With Spitzer, it seems like he’s walked into buzz saws of his own devising." - Richard Norton Smith, biographer of former Gov. Thomas E. Dewey, to the NY Times Today, Governor Spitzer dropped in on the State Assembly Democrats' annual meeting, which has been characterized as being "almost like a pre-game show to the session," held at the Marriott in downtown Brooklyn. According to video from Elizabeth Benjamin at the Daily Politics, an almost warm-and-......

Mayor Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Quinn urged the State Assembly to pass a bill authorizing the marine transfer station at the Gansevoort Pier. The MTS, part of the city's Solid Waste Management Plan, would handle recyclable paper, metal, glass and plastic and would help to ease garbage truck traffic. Bloomberg said there would be "a disaster" if the plan doesn't pass. Assembly members whose districts are affected by the plan, such as Richard Gottfried,......

State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver made a public plea to Gov. Eliot Spitzer to cool down his feud with State Senate Leader Joseph Bruno. The so-called Troopergate scandal began when the Governor allegedly sicced State Police on Bruno to monitor his business travel practices. In the aftermath, Spitzer lost some of his long-time aides when he claimed he knew nothing about the surveillance and they resigned. Darren Dopp recently was hired as a lobbyist after......

As part of the deal to advance congestion pricing (and nab the $354 million the feds are offering), the city and state have announced their appointees to a panel to, ur, study congestion pricing and develop a recommendation. The Mayor, Governor, City Council, State Senate Majority Leader, and State Assembly Speaker each get to select three appointees, while the Senate minority leader and Assembly minority leader each select one. Mayor Bloomberg said, "Today we are......

While everyone else was busy trying to find someone to blame in the congestion pricing gridlock, it turns out that lawmakers have been actually trying to work out a plan. Of course, this may come too late for the city to qualify for federal funding, but progress is progress. The NY Sun reports that Albany Democrats "were close to agreeing to a deal in which they would authorize the city to begin implementing the infrastructure......

Yesterday, Albany lawmakers failed to decide on the proposed congestion pricing program for New York City, missing the deadline for NYC to qualify for $537 million in federal funding. Congestion pricing revenue, as well as federal funding to enact the plan, would go towards mass transit and road improvements. The Assembly was meeting in Manhattan, while the State Senate was meeting in Albany; theDaily News explains, "no deal could possibly get passed" without both......

There's no session scheduled for the State Assembly Monday in Albany, but state senate leader Joseph Bruno took a break from barking back and forth with Governor Spitzer to draft a bill in an effort to lay claim to a half-billion dollars in federal funds targeted at improving transit. Senate Majority leader Bruno had the bill drafted and urged fellow lawmakers to convene in an effort to get the state's hands on $500 million in......

The State Assembly voted in favor of allowing same-sex marriages in New York. Newsday said it was the first time a gay marriage bill was "debated publicly in one of the houses of the State Legislature Tuesday." However, the bill is not expected to make it pass the Republican-controlled Senate. Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said, "We're not doing gay marriage by [tomorrow's adjournment], that's for sure." The Sun had a breakdown of how the......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a baby locked in a car in Staten Island, a near drowning at a West 14th St. YMCA in Manhattan, and a shooting at Randall and Rosedale Aves. in the Bronx. New York remains alive and well, as someone decided to throw a guerilla dinner party at the World's Fair site in Flushing Corona, Queens. A Brooklyn swimmer, who shockingly admits that he has no idea what it would......

With a million ways to buy tickets these days, it still seems almost impossible to get your hands on those to sold out shows. Perhaps texting for tickets will make this easier, or perhaps...making scalping legal is the answer? Today, the Senate is scheduled to vote on a bill that would do just that, it was already passed in the State Assembly. From NY1: Lawmakers are easing current restrictions on the practice, hoping that will......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: A large fight at Heritage High School in Manhattan, a trench rescue in Queens, and a suspicious substance at Canal & 6th Avenue Aw, Hakan Yalincak, the NYU student who conned people out of millions, filed an ethics complaint against his lawyer; his lawyer's lawyer told Yalincak (who faces prison time), "You are the ultimate evil person. Have a good time in jail. Watch out for the bathrooms." Peter......

Governor Jon Corzine expects to be discharged from the hospital next week. Corzine has been at Cooper University Hospital where he has been recuperating after severe injuries after the SUV transporting him (where he sat seat-belt-less in the front passenger seat) crashed on the Garden State Parkway. NJ Acting Governor Richard Codey and State Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts visited Corzine at the hospital, and Roberts said, " “I think that he views this, very literally,......

NY State lawmakers are working on legislation that would guarantee rent subsidies that keep Brooklyn public housing project Starrett City affordable, no matter who owns it in the future. Real estate group Clipper Equities has been rebuffed twice in efforts to buy Starrett City, because it was expected the company would attempt to remove long-time residents and charge higher rents. While the legislation is being crafted in Albany in the State Assembly, U.S. Senator from......

There are special elections and extra special elections. Residents of Brooklyn's 40th Council District, includes Flatbush and Crown Heights, already voted in a special election and now they will be voting in an extra special election. The special election was held to fill the council seat of Yvette Clark, who was elected to Congress. Matheiu Eugene beat nine others to win the special election. Following his victory questions were raised about where Eugene lived on......

Queens Assemblyman Michael Gianaris accused Con Ed of placing its own PR needs above basic needs of customers. Gianaris says that the utility spent over a half million dollars to shore up its image after last summer's Queens blackout. He argues that money should have gone towards increasing reimbursements to businesses, whose reimbursements were capped at $7,000. Con Ed's response? "Advertising in local papers . . . is an important means of communicating our......

While the State Assembly may be the face of dysfunction, we have to say their passage of a bill allowing New York City to increase the "failure to scoop dog doo" fine is something we can get behind. The bill, which would open the gate for fines to be increased from $100 to $250, still needs the State Senate's and Governor Spitzer's approval, but Assemblyman Audrey Pheffer of Howard Beach tells amNewYork he's sure......

Newly anointed State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli may be a "nice guy" who finished first, but the State Legislature's dealings to put him in place makes our head spin. The Legislature, and more importantly the Assembly, had agreed to select someone an outside panel would find qualified. The thing is, no one on the shortlist was an Assembly member, so the Democratic-run Assembly which calls the shots in Comptroller selection, decided to pick Assemblyman DiNapoli......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: cracks in a building in Tribeca, train derailment at Grand Central, and a burn victim at the Harlem Water Treatment Plant. The Hamptons: they're not just for summers any more. (via Blog Soup) The State Assembly has picked the next comptroller-- Thomas P. DiNapoli, a Democratic Assemblyman from Nassau County-- he's probably not as much fun as Hevesi. Maybe they should start throwing in SCUBA lessons with those overpriced......

A couple weeks ago, the state Public Service Commission released a report that slammed Con Ed over the Queens blackout that left 174,000 people without power for over a week. The PSC wrote that Con Ed "failed to fulfill its responsibilities under Public Service Law." Now, the State Assembly has issued its own report, which one member slipped to the NY Times, and that report takes the Public Service Commission to task as well......

Yesterday afternoon, Governor Eliot Spitzer spoke to the people of New York State during his inaugural address and claimed, "Like Rip Van Winkle, New York has slept through much of the past decade while the rest of the world has passed us by." That's some ouchie for outgoing governor George Pataki! Or is that a rebuke on State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, under federal investigation for dealings with a business partner, who said, "I......

NY State Assembly Speaker Sheldon has done it again: NY1 reports that Silver has delayed ruling on the Atlantic Yards project because "he still has financial questions." The NY Sun had a story today about growing pressure for Silver to delay the vote, given outcry from not just civic groups like the Municipal Art Society, Regional Plan Association, Citizen's Union, and National Resources Defense Council, but other politicians as well. Brooklyn Papers also adds that......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: pedestrian struck by vehicle on 34th Street and 11th Ave, a school hazmat condition at 103rd and CPW, and an all hands fire in Soho on Thompson Street. Soho residents and shoppers want to trade parking spaces for wider sidewalks. If you've ever been on Prince Street on a Saturday, you know why. Chase Bank has agreed to turn off those annoying sidewalk projection ads-- about two dozen branches......

Tomorrow is Election Day! There are many big elections this year, so if you haven't thought about how you're voting, we highly recommend Gotham Gazette's Guide For The Last Minute Voter, 2006 General Election to understand the candidates and issues. Many races seem like runaways (Governor, Senate), but the State Comptroller race is in play, as are some Congressional races; you may also be able to vote for State Assembly races. And there are......

After Scott Fappiano was freed last week, after being in falsely imprisoned for 21 years (he was mistakenly convicted of raping a police officer's wife in their Brooklyn home), more questions are being raised about the way police evidence is stored/a>. Thought Fappiano had requested a pair of sweatpants be tested for DNA evidence in 1989, the technology back then wasn't able to read the small sample - and then the pants and sample were......

Democratic Governor hopeful Eliot Spitzer brought some life back into the gay marriage debate here in New York on Thursday night at an event for the Empire State Pride Agenda when he told the audience that "we will make it law in New York." Considering Spitzer's lead in the polls, his remarks were unexpected if welcome. “We will not ask whether this proposition of legalizing same-sex marriage is popular or unpopular; we will not......