Week in Review 1/23 - 1/27

Monday 1/23
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is most famous for going after Wall Street malfeasance, but in immigrant communities his office is just as well known for prosecuting violations involving low-wage workers, illegal and legal alike. This approach has won him fans among many immigrants and their advocates, but some employers and lawyers are claiming he has unjustly put a priority on illegal immigrants instead of legal residents.

The new speaker of the City Council proposed legilsation that will require hospitals to notify patients of financial assistance plans and to report the amount of charity care they provide. Manny’s Law was drafted after an uninsured patient died when a hospital allegedly delayed surgery because of insurance status.

Gale Brewer, the Upper West Side City Councilor, wants to ban the sale of reconditioned mattresses as part of an effort to tackle the spread of bedubugs in apartments and hotels citywide.

A proposal to build a multimillion-dollar mall in a dilapidated area of the Bronx is sparking debate about whether the City Council has the authority to use its land-use power to block certain stores. Several City Council members and community opponents of the project are saying that opening a BJ’s, which charges a membership fee and generally does not accept food stamps, is a disservice to the local community.

With new budgetary concerns for Fiscal Year 2007, Democratic lawmakers fear the mayor may threaten to closer more firehouses.

Lawrence Kudlow calls for tax cuts to keep the New York economy on track. On Monday, he publishes an op-ed titled Capital Ideas, where he explains what New York State needs to do in order to steer the ship in the right direction.

Gubernatorial candidate, John Faso, writes an editorial on Govornor Pataki’s education tax credit which will benefit poor and middle-income New Yorkers. The first bill of such a plan was first proposed by Mr. Faso, when he was Minority Leader in the State Assembly.

Tuesday 1/24
Mayor Mike Bloomberg returns to his Rockefellor roots after he said he would not raise taxes and now proposes to raise taxes. Mayor Mike’s war on tobacco increases by 50¢, in addition to Gov Patatki’s proposal of a $1 increase on the state tax. The idea, he said, isn’t that this tax will increase city revenue, it’s just he wants more people to quit. The most likely outcome will be that poorer New Yorkers will deafult in their bills and have to collect welfare. The City Council should oppose this tax and it would be wise for each of us to call our representative and tell them to strike down this proposal.

The Upper West Side open seat in the 67 Assembly District has seven democrats vying for the nomination. Linda Rosenthal (favorite), Marc Landis, Arthur Greig, Charles Imohiosen, Charles SImon, Tom Weiss and Michael Lupinacci will all present their case for being the county committee nomination on Sunday, Jan 29. Under current county election law for Special Elections, the districts 240 committee members nominate the party candidate. Three democrats who don’t expect the nomination, Simon, Weiss and Lupinacci have been petitioning to get an independent ballot line. All candidates could also seek the nomination of the Independence, Working Families and Conservative Party, parties that already have perminent ballot lines.The lone republican candidate, Emily Csendes, who ran for the State Senate in 2004, is received her party’s endorsement Thursday night.

Wednesday 1/25
Republican candidate, John Faso, announced that he would not abide by a court decision requiring the state to give billions more dollars in aid to the New York City public schools. “The courts can’t make the Legilsture and the governor appropriate money,” Mr. Faso said. “The notion that we’re going to turn over school funding decisions to a single judge in Manhattan and three hand-picked special masters is absurd.

Nassau County Executive, Tom Suozzi, took on the state Democratic establishment saying party leaders like Sheldon Silver and party chairman, Herman Farrell were part of the problems that plague Albany.

Thursday 1/26
We’ve become that much closer to the candidacy of Tom Golisano, an independent businessman from Rochester, who has ran three times on a reform agenda and viciously attacked Gov. Pataki each time. It could spell major doom for the New York Republican Party and create a worse case scenerio by knocking the party down to the third of fourth row on the ballot.

Gubernatorial candidate, Randy Daniels, continues his writing campaign of op-eds on the rising costs of Health Care and how we can get it under control.

Friday 1/27
Former US Senate candidate, Ed Cox, has announced that he will not restart his campaign to challenge Sen. Hillary Clinton. This puts former Yonkers mayor, John Spencer, front and center as the republican candidate. Mr. Spencer has quietly been gaining support in the conservative and republican ranks and it is quiet possible that when the time comes, his campaign will explode as a real alternative against the former first lady.

For anyone who remembers the legislation passed in Congress that says states must improve their voting machines, will learn that New York has failed to have new and improved systems in place for this November. The legislation states that new systems must be in place by 2006. Of course, our corrupt incumbo-crats in Albany have spent the money elsewhere.

New York Sun columnist, Alicia Colon calls Governor Pataki to to lead the party at its current moment of disaray. Though her comments are well intentioned, they are not for the true reform-minded republicans. In all honesty, it’s time the NYGOP move on from the Pataki era and build with new leaders to take the party in the right direction. Two years after being sworn in as governor, George Pataki has taken the state party down a road to ruin. In order for the GOP to rebuild, we must look to new leaders like John Spencer, Ed Cox, Pat Manning and John Sweeney.