Massey On Mayoral Control

Republican mayoral candidate Paul Massey supports mayoral control of the City school system, but doesn’t have any preference between the one house bills currently floating on the opaque sea of Albany.  The state Senate has approved a bill giving a five year extension of mayoral control, but additionally providing for increases in then number of charter schools.  The Assembly has approved a two year extension, without the Senate charter school provisions.  Should the legislature not agree on an extension before concluding the legislative session next week New York City would revert from mayoral control to the discarded board of education model.

Massey passed on supporting either of the competing bills, saying that he’ll leave it to the legislature to resolve.  That’s somewhat surprising since the Senate version seems well suited to his aspiring to be mayor and his support of charter schools.  His response included a lengthy statement supporting charter schools, but as noted above, it didn’t move him to supporting the Senate version of mayoral control.  Massey also said that he has not been in contact with Senate Temporary President John Flanagan, or any other legislators, on the topic of extending mayoral control.

We spoke this afternoon at the conclusion of Massey’s walking tour of Koreatown businesses.

Here’s our full exchange:

Massey Hits The Upper East

Republican mayoral candidate Paul Massey made a brief visit to the Upper East Side Monday, greeting passersby at 86th Street and Lexington for about 15 minutes and speaking with the press for about 10 minutes.  He received an unremarkable reception, with most people streaming past him on the busy corner while a few said hi, shook his hand or stopped to chat on a hot summer evening.

In a post-meet & greet Q&A I asked Massey about two topics; the realities of his campaign call for greater mayoral action on the MTA and whether ratcheting up criticism of rival candidate Nicole Malliotakis reflects concern that she’s had some successes recently.

Continue reading Massey Hits The Upper East

Photo Gallery: Puerto Rican Day Parade

Sunday’s Puerto Rican Day Parade featured many elected officials, although some elected and appointed officials skipped the parade in reaction to the parade honoring Oscar Lopez Rivera.  Mayor Bill de Blasio marched in the parade, but appeared to make significant effort at avoiding Lopez Rivera, skipping the opening ribbon cutting and instead arriving after Lopez Rivera had joined the parade. Continue reading Photo Gallery: Puerto Rican Day Parade

Cuomo Skips Ahead

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s political focus skipped ahead a year as he and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi hosted a rally focused on 2018 House of Representatives elections.  Tuesday afternoon saw Cuomo turn away from more immediate concerns, such as the looming end of the state legislative session and the 2017 election that will include a New York City mayoral election and a statewide ballot question of whether to convene a state constitutional convention.  Instead he joined six current New York Democratic House members, former Rep. Charles B. Rangel and former Rep. (and current Lieutenant Governor) Kathy Hochul in urging a crowd of 500 or so to work toward electing a Democratic House majority in 2018.  Continue reading Cuomo Skips Ahead

Polanco At QVRC

J.C. Polanco, expected to be a candidate for public advocate, made a very impressive appearance at the Queens Village Republican Club Thursday night.  Polanco has been visiting many Republican political organizations throughout the City over the past couple of months, preparing to launch a bid for public advocate.  As recently as Thursday he said that he expects to formally launch his campaign this week. Continue reading Polanco At QVRC

Malliotakis At Queens Village Republicans

Some love, some like and a dash of dissent.  That was mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis’ welcome as she visited the Queens Village Republican Club Thursday night.  She’s broadly popular with the membership and many expressly support her, but her support wasn’t universal.

One of the few New York City Republicans elected to public office, Malliotakis is well-known to the Club.  She was honored as “Woman of the Year” at the Club’s Lincoln Day Dinner in March, before any public mention of running for mayor.  She’s the third mayoral candidate to visit the Club this election season, receiving the strongest welcome of the three.  (Our analysis of Paul Massey’s March visit is here and our analysis of then-mayoral candidate Michel Faulkner’s April visit is here.)

Continue reading Malliotakis At Queens Village Republicans

Massey On Endorsement Value

I asked Paul Massey today for his view on the value of endorsements.  His answer?  Bill de Blasio is corrupt.  He didn’t address the question, instead offering a standard pitch of why he’ll be better than de Blasio.

I had asked Massey a similar question last week, with three county endorsements then open.  The Bronx Republicans went for Massey the next day, Staten Island Republicans went for their fellow Staten Islander Malliotakis Thursday night and the Brooklyn Republicans went for Malliotakis tonight, putting the candidates in a 2-2 split with Manhattan undetermined.  That’s a tough outcome for Massey, whose candidacy has adopted a sort of inevitability argument based in part on his ability to provide a substantial amount of self-funding.

Massey began well, receiving the endorsement of Staten Island Assembly Member, and now Staten Island Republican Chairman, Ron Castorina in February.  Unfortunately for Massey, Castorina later rescinded his endorsement of Massey and instead endorsed fellow Staten Islander Nicole Malliotakis.

Here’s what Massey had to say today:

 

My exchange with Massey last week on this topic is available here.

Massey Outlines Opioid Epidemic Plan

Republican mayoral candidate Paul Massey visited a Staten Island drug treatment facility this afternoon, outlining his proposed plan to address the opioid epidemic in a post-visit press conference.  Prevention efforts in his proposal include expansion of a Staten Island school prevention program Citywide, creation of a “Synthetics Task Force” with federal, state and city law enforcement and “develop[ing] clearer standards for prescribing opioids.”  Treatment efforts he proposes include hiring and training first responders in administering anti-overdose medications and creating additional crisis treatment centers.  He also proposed additional recovery efforts.

Massey did not provide any cost estimates for his proposals, nor say how the unspecified costs would be paid.

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Here is Massey’s prepared statement:

Massey On The Puerto Rican Day Parade – Update

Republican mayoral candidate Paul Massey has refined his approach to the controversial Puerto Rican Day Parade.  Massey previously said that he would not march due to the parade honoring Oscar Lopez Rivera, a co-founder of the FALN, but would attend.  He’s now said that he won’t attend the parade, but will instead attend an unspecified “celebration of Puerto Rican heritage.”  At a Staten Island press conference this afternoon Massey was asked (by Erin Durkin of the Daily News) for an explanation of his changed position.  Like rival candidate Nicole Malliotakis Massey has never marched in the parade, nor has he ever attended.

Massey On Lhota Endorsing Malliotakis

I’m a huge Joe Lhota fan.  That was about all Republican mayoral candidate Paul Massey had to say about Lhota endorsing rival candidate Nicole Malliotakis over Massey.  Lhota, the 2013 Republican and Conservative Party mayoral candidate, issued a statement this afternoon endorsing Malliotakis shortly before a Massey press conference.

I asked Massey for his reaction to the Lhota endorsement, including Lhota’s reference to Malliotakis as “the only real Republican in the race,” and whether he had approached Lhota for an endorsement.  His fairly lengthy answer included an attack on Bill de Blasio and touting his own candidacy, with only a brief complimentary mention of Lhota.  Massey described himself as an “independent candidate”  and cast the race as a “referendum on my character and my ability to manage” but didn’t offer any direct reaction or rebuttal to Lhota’s “only real Republican” comment. Continue reading Massey On Lhota Endorsing Malliotakis

Malliotakis P.R. Parade Past

Republican mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis held a press conference today condemning the National Puerto Rican Day Parade for honoring Oscar Lopez Rivera, co-founder of the F.A.L.N. which carried out fatal bombings in New York City and elsewhere.  Malliotakis has said that she will not march in the parade and has condemned Mayor de Blasio for planning to march.  Malliotakis has never marched in the parade, however, and said she last attended the parade in 2009.  It was unclear whether she attended the parade before 2009.

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