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vito lopez

By Colin Campbell 2/02 5:49pm

getting crowded

Tommy Torres (Photo: Facebook)

Field for Diana Reyna’s Council Seat Grows

Earlier today, Politicker reported that Councilwoman Diana Reyna's Chief of Staff Antonio Reynoso is looking at running for her seat when she retires, joining Borough President Marty Markowitz's aide Jay Otaño. Since then, District Leader Maritza Davila told City & State she's in the race again as well.

Now, Tommy Torres, a teacher active in Democratic politics, tells Politicker he's also considering joining the crowded fray. "Right now, it's just an exploratory committee," he said. "I'm excited about the opportunity to run."

He's already taken the first step needed to raise funds for such a campaign by registering a committee for the seat.

Read More

4 By David Freedlander 10/25/11 12:36pm

The Boss

vito-lopez-300x220

Vito Lopez Interview Veers Awkwardly Into Discussion of Federal Investigation [Video]

Brooklyn Democratic boss Vito Lopez sat down for an interview with "Good Day New York" this morning to discuss the march he has planned for later this afternoon to support Occupy Wall Street.

Mr. Lopez said that 50 different organizations were participating, including 11 unions and 15 politicians in a march that will go across the Brooklyn Bridge from Borough Hall to Zuccotti Park.

"We have the rich getting richer, so we figured it would be nice to stand up and advocate for a millionaires tax—city level, state level," he said. Read More

6 By David Freedlander 10/18/11 2:11pm

#OccupyWallStreet

vito-lopez-300x220

Vito Lopez to Lead Occupy Wall Street March

Brooklyn Democratic Party leader Vito Lopez is the latest pol to jump on board the Occupy Wall Street movement.

A reader passes along the following invitation from the longtime assemblyman for a "Making a Difference Rally" with Brooklyn legislators and union leaders. The group is slated to meet at Brooklyn Borough Hall and march over the Brooklyn Bridge, where they will join the folks down at Zuccotti Park. Read More

1 By Azi Paybarah 8/30/11 5:09pm
Council Member Jumaane Williams During the Press Conference (Photo Credit: William Alatriste)

Councilman with Tourette’s is a Spokesman for Reform

On a recent Thursday afternoon, Councilman Jumaane Williams was sitting half a foot away from the small round table in his office, lamenting that he can’t do as much as he’d like with the job he currently has.

"A lot of us are trying to do the best we can the way the rules are set up," said Mr. Williams. As he spoke, his body jerked, tossing his arms a few inches in either direction, and bouncing his long tightly-wound dreadlocks. "The rules are problematic, so, let's go and change the whole structure. The structure is bad." Read More

2 By Azi Paybarah 8/14/11 11:50am

suggested reading

AUGUST 12: Minnesota Congresswoman and Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann looks out the window of her bus as she leaves the Iowa State Fair August 12, 2011 in Des Moines, Iowa. Most of the Republican presidential hopefuls are visiting the fair ahead of Saturday's Iowa Straw Poll to greet voters and engage in the traditional Iowa campaigning ritual. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Sunday Reading: Bachmann Surges, Pawlenty Exits, Perry Enters

 

2012: Bachmann wins Ames straw pol with 4,823 votes; Ron Paul got 4,671. Pawlenty got 2,292. [Thomas DeFrank and Rich Schapiro / Daily News]

2012: Pawlenty drops out. [ABC News]

2012: Texas Gov. Rick Perry enters, officially. [Dave Montgomery / Star-Telegram]

2012: "Perry’s announcement stepped on Bachmann’s triumph in the Ames Straw Poll, the biggest moment yet in her presidential campaign." [West, Mehta and Reston / SentinelSource.com]

2012: "Republicans sense a new opportunity to win back the White House, but there was little clarity about whether voters would choose someone from the party establishment, an outsider or a hybrid." [Jeff Zeleny / New York Times]

2012: Romney's name was on the Ames ballot, but didn't campaign; Perry was not on the ballot. [Jonathan Weisman and Neil King Jr. / WSJ]

2012: Fact-checking Perry's statements on budget, jobs. [Dallas News]

2012: Perry's program to fund tech companies in Texas gave a lot of money to companies run by political donors. [Charles Dameron / WSJ]

Congress: "Rep. Nydia Velazquez has not sponsored one bill, amendment or resolution this year." [Alison Gendar / Daily News]

Lawsuit: GOP County Exec in Buffalo, Collins, accused of unfairly firing a prominent Democrat in his administration. [Phil Fairbanks / Buffalo News]

Ads: Spokeswoman for Collins' Dem rival explained why they are using actors in their campaign ads. [Robert McCarthy / Buffalo News]

Ads: Bloomberg highlights his fight against coal. [Flickr]

Redistricting: "About the only thing near-certain is that all of Staten Island will remain in the 13th C.D., which will link in some fashion to Brooklyn and not Manhattan, as it did several decades back." [Judy Randall / SI Advance]

Layoffs: NYC delayed sending pink slips to 465 park workers; may send next week if deal with labor union isn't achieved. [Michael Saul / WSJ]

Unions: CSEA will tally votes tomorrow on whether to accept deal with Cuomo. [Rick Karlin / Times Union]

NYPD: Ticket-fixing probe shrinks scope down to 12 cops. "No high-ranking member of the NYPD are expected to be charged." [Alison Gendar andKevin Deutsch / Daily News]

NYC Dept. of Corrections: Chief Davis resigned. He may have used a public employees as "his personal valets." [Reuven Blau and John Doyle / Daily News]

NYC Dept. of Corrections: "Department of Investigation began looking into allegations that Davis took vacations that were paid for by his subordinates." [Goldenberg, Otis and Perone / NY Post]

Brooklyn: Vito Lopez allies are new board members of Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council. [Gary Buiso and Aaron Short / NY Post]

Crown Heights: How much has changed since the 1991 riots there? [Simone Weichselbaum and Katie Nelson / Daily News]

Transportation: "[W]e hope New Yorkers will heed our ad campaign, "Don't Be a Jerk," and call out the rogue riders," wrote NYC Transportation Commissioner. [Voice of the People / Daily News]

Fracking: Editors urge Christie to veto NJ bill outlawing franking. "[I]t would do enormous damage. To the nation. To Jersey. And even to Christie's own political prospects (should he ever decide to seek national office)." [NY Post]

Trees: Some newly planted trees in Brooklyn aren't doing so well. [Sarah / KensingtonProspect.com]

Schools: In one year, Buffalo Superintendent out of town "more a total of more than 130 days." Currently on vacation while Board of Ed tries firing him. [Mary Pasciak / Buffalo News]

Schools: Bloomberg defends new sex education requirement; says parents aren't teaching their kids these lessons. [Michael Saul and Lisa Fleisher / WSJ]

District Attorney: Two high-profile losses may hinder a Texas DA's first re-election. [Geoff Grammar / Santa Fe New Mexican]

Opinion: "He is still the same anti-American leftist he was before becoming our president." [Norman Podhoretz / WSJ]

Media: NYT public editor asks, "did Joe Nocera really go too far" when he called Tea Party members "terrorists" on a "jihad"? [Arthur Brisbane / New York Times]

2 By Azi Paybarah 7/24/11 9:49am

suggested reading

Christine Quinn, Tom Duane and others watch the first same-sex marriage ceremony in the New York City Clerk's office Sunday morning. (via Quinn's Twitter stream)

Sunday Reading: Weddings, Weddings, Weddings, Weddings, Weddings

First: Buffalo residents Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd got married just after midnight, and claim title as first gay couple married in NY. [Charlie Specht / Buffalo News]

Rushing: "They found a Queens justice willing to come out here at midnight." [Ginger Otis and Candace Amos]

Albany: Midnight marriages in the capital. [Lauren Stanforth / Times Union]

Silence: "[A] sampling of pastors in the New York City area found that most did not intend to discuss same-sex marriage in their sermons on Sunday." [Thomas Kaplan / New York Times]

Headline: "Gay marriage is legal in N.Y. today, but local clerks get few license requests." [John Davis / Poughkeepsie Journal]

Bloomberg's Donations: In addition to Alesi et al, money went to Golden and Lanza, which "put him in"the funny position of rewarding both backers and opponents of the law." [David Seifman / NY Post]

Syracuse: City Clerk expects "15 to 20 couples to pick up licenses between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m." [Paul Riede / Post-Standard]

Transit: "The choice of an MTA chief is fraught with pitfalls for Mr. Cuomo." [Andrew Grossman / WSJ]

Vito Lopez:FBI probe into his non-profit doesn't stop DA Charles Hynes from attending Lopez's annual picnic. Also there: Weprin, Bill Thompson, and Diaz Jr. [Gary Buiso and Aaron Short]

School Closure: UFT and NAACP who brought failed lawsuit against the city "should be ashamed" said Bloomberg. [Sally Goldenberg / NY Post]

School Reform: Bill Gates admit his push for schools with fewer students didn't ultimately lead to more kids going to college. [Jason Riley / WSJ]

WalMart: Money the company gave to Markowtiz's concerts called a "bribe." He gets slammed for taking the money and not staying "bought." [NY Post]

Tax Stories: Resident says, "I love it here. I really love this area, but with the way property taxes were going up it just didn't make any sense to stay." [Jon Campbell / Poughkeepsie Journal]

Food Safety: Garodnick and Peralta want food cart info online. [Candice Giove / NY Post]

Poverty: "According to the [Children's Defense Fund] a child is born into poverty every 17 minutes in the city. Yet, the budget adopted in June punishes the poorest New Yorkers by axing $5.2 billion from anti-poverty programs." [Albor / Daily News]

Media: How thorough a probe will News Corp conduct if it's headed by top Murdoch aide, Joel Klein? [Jeremy Peters, Michael Barbaro and Javier Hernandez / New York Times]

Media: Post-Standard new news editor is Sonja Duntley; social media manager is Charlie Miller. [Charles McChesney / Post-Standard]

Media: MSNBC shouldn't hire Sharpton, argues a writer who teaches at Columbia and writes for The New Republic. [John McWhorter / Daily News]

 

2 By David Freedlander 7/20/11 7:44am

stockpiling

ChristineQuinn

Christine Quinn to Fundraise for Vito Lopez Foe

A reader passed along the following invitation to a fundraiser hosted  by Brooklyn Councilwoman Diana Reyna which features Council Speaker Christine Quinn as a host.

Normally, a fundraiser for a council member headlined by the leader of the body would hardly matter for much, but in this case Reyna is a sworn foe of powerful Brooklyn Democratic Party head Vito Lopez.

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1 By Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke 7/18/11 3:49pm

54th Assembly District

Ms. Towns, from her campaign website.

Sides Begin to Take Shape in 54th District Filings

The first round of campaign filings for the 54th Assembly District gives a glimpse into the proxy battle between three of Brooklyn's power brokers.

Deidra Towns, raised $93,915, the most of any candidate, and also had the most corporate donations with $20,650.

Her father, Congressman Ed Towns, gave $1,000 from his personal account and $3,000 from his reelection fund, and appears to have leaned on some friends in the Congressional Black Caucus. Read More

8 By Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke 7/15/11 12:23am

very special elections

Courtesy Jesus Gonzalez for Assembly

Personable Jesus: Reformers Hope for a Savior in Brooklyn Special

On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Jesus Gonzalez finished a Newport outside his Bushwick office, then ducked to the back with a comb and some gel. He emerged with his close-cropped hair slicked down, and picked up a stack of campaign literature before setting out to knock on some doors.

“It is one of the oldest community organizing tactics,” said Mr. Gonzalez, in an untucked beige polo shirt, an oversized blazer, baggy jeans and shiny patent leather kicks. “Even Jesus’ disciples did it to spread the word.”

Mr. Gonzalez, who goes by the English pronunciation of his first name, Jesus – though some supporters have quietly tried to push the Spanish pronunciation for the campaign – will need some new converts to win the upcoming special election in New York’s 54th Assembly District. Read More

1 By Azi Paybarah 5:01pm

suggested reading

The County Leaders: Vito Lopez of Brooklyn and Joe Crowley of Queens. (photo credit: azi paybarah / observer)

Roundup: Vito Lopez and Joe Crowley; David Weprin and Bob Turner

2012: Cuomo backs Obamanomics. [Ken Lovett / Daily News]

NY9: Queens to cave to Conservatives and back Bob Turner. [Liz Benjamin / Capital Tonight]

NY9: "This is going to be a real race. We have to take this seriously," said Weprin. [Grace Rauh / NY1]

NY9: "NY GOP should unite behind Bob Turner & redeem themselves from their dismal failures of the past." [Daniel Horowitz / Red State]

NY9: Conservative group of Orthodox Jews criticize Weprin for supporting same-sex marriage. [Community Guardians Group]

NY9: Weprin donors include "many boldfaced real estate names." [CJ Hughes / Real Deal]

Council: Vallone lost thousands in discretionary funding for upstaging and opposing Quinn's push to rename bridge after Koch. [Sally Goldenberg / NY Post]

Manhattan DA: Dershowitz criticizes Vance for 'stonewalling' on probe of sister-in-law's death. [Sabrina Ford / NY Post]

Layoffs: HHC can proceed with layoffs, appellate court rules, reversing lower court decision. [John Elligon / New York Times]

And Vito Lopez explains the need to take Republican Bob Turner seriously (and wages a beer on the race after the jump!). [Youtube] Read More