Bill De Blasio Pledges To Support Small Businesses

Public Advocate Has Sued The Bloomberg Administration To Expose Budgetary Fees That Over-Bill Small Businesses

Bill de Blasio, the Public Advocate For New York City, is running for mayor in 2013, and one of the central issues of his campaign's platform is making it easier for small companies to do business in New York City. This focus on small businesses is winning him some serious attention.

To achieve that end, Mr. de Blasio has filed a lawsuit against the Bloomberg administration for "data on city revenues from fines, which have nearly doubled in the last decade," according to The New York Times.

“If small-business people in this city did not have those additional burdens, if they could depend on not being socked with those additional charges, it would be easier for them to grow, it would be easier for them to employ more people — it’s as simple as that,” Mr. de Blasio said.

By focusing on the city budget policies that are approved annually by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Mr. de Blasio is trying to find a more "populist" voice. Each year, Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn engage in an annual city budget charade, which distracts voters on illusionary controversies, such as proposed closings to firehouses. These distractions take attention away from the kinds of taxes and fees that are included in the city budget, but which hurt small businesses.

Hopefully, in the wake of the disaster from Hurricane Sandy, Mr. de Blasio will come to the rescue of small businesses.

Quinn Angers Chelsea Voters Due To Absence From Chelsea Market Hearing

The Chelsea Market Expansion Plans Puts Quinn At Risk Of Losing The Support Of Core Manhattan Voters

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn was absent from a City Council Hearing about the zone-busting real estate development expansion project for Chelsea Market by its owner, Jamestown Properties. Speaker Quinn's decision to blow off the hearing angered some of her core supporters.

“It’s her council district. She was elected from a district, even though she’s now got citywide ambitions, and she should be here to hear testimony about a project that’s going to destroy her community,” Michael McKee told The Wall Street Journal. Mr. McKee once worked with Speaker Quinn back in 1989, when she was an organizer with the Housing Justice Campaign.

“She was a great community organizer. She was one of the best I’ve ever met,” Mr. McKee added, “but I don’t know where that Chris Quinn is.”

Also from The Wall Street Journal :

Quinn spokesman Justin Goodman said the speaker doesn’t always appear at hearings, even for projects in her own district. The spokesman noted that she also missed a hearing last year on the closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital.

Jill Abramson NYT Editor Ignores Media Bias Tweet

@jillabramson how does @nytimes address the appearance that you promote @chriscquinn for mayor ? christine-quinn-sold-out.blogspot.com/2012/09/Protes… #mediabias #TalktoNYT

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) October 17, 2012

Allon Becomes Republican To Help Mayoral Bid

Tom Allon switches crosses over to the GOP in an effort to break through the strangle-hold that Christine Quinn's political machine has over the Democratic Party.

Bloomberg Quinn Love Boat Parody Video

Bloomberg Close To Knocking Stringer Out Of Mayor's Race

Stringer-for-comptroller rumors heat up

Over the past year, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer has tried to squash speculation that he will "drop down" to run for comptroller rather than mayor in 2013. He hired several top consultants in January to give his campaign a mayoral sheen and has proposed a tax plan and other policies to burnish his citywide credentials.

Yet many insiders now believe the comptroller rumor persists because Stringer himself is stoking it.

One Democratic insider with direct knowledge of his thinking said Stringer is seriously considering the lesser race. Another source said Stringer is working to poach support from Manhattan Councilman Dan Garodnick, who has announced a bid for comptroller and landed several key endorsements.

"He hasn't quite definitely said it, but he's having conversations about doing it, which means he's doing it," the party insider said of Stringer. "Otherwise, talking about something like that is what your opponents would do, not what you would be doing yourself."

Stringer has struggled to build support in a mayoral race expected to include Council Speaker Chris Quinn, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Comptroller John Liu and 2009 runner-up Bill Thompson. Stringer's fundraising has been good, but his poll numbers have stayed stubbornly low. A Stringer spokeswoman declined to comment.

Stringer's dropping down to run for comptroller could help Quinn solidify the Manhattan vote and help de Blasio pick up outer-borough Jewish voters who might have migrated to Stringer's camp after the implosion of ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner. It could also result in Councilman Domenic Recchia running for Brooklyn borough president rather than comptroller, though State Sen. Eric Adams would represent a tough challenge in the borough president's race.

Still, recent events have made a run for comptroller a less attractive option for Stringer. Insiders say he angered northern Manhattan officials after challenging one of Manhattan Democratic Chairman Keith Wright's nominees for state Supreme Court.

"If Stringer can't get Garodnick to drop, and can't solidify northern Manhattan, dropping down will be his worst decision," said one Democratic source.

Will Christine Quinn Bust Up SDNY Sanitation Workers' Union ?

Heard on the street : New York City Council Speaker Quinn is considering privitising the Sanitation Department. Will that act bust the sanitation workers' union ?

Quinn Supports Tax Breaks For Top 1 Percent

In the post-Occupy Wall Street world that we live in, now comes New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who has flip-flopped -- she has announced that she no longer supports her very own 2009 proposal to raise taxes on the 1%. Instead of raising taxes on the top income-earners in New York City, Speaker Quinn now favours not raising taxes on them.

Because she is ashamed of being outed as secretly supporting the 1%, "Ms. Quinn on Monday repeatedly declined to answer questions about her position on income taxes," The Wall Street Journal reported.

Is Quinn Using Taxpayer Money During A Recession To Promote Her Mayoral Campaign ?

Christine Quinn Continues the Practise By City Council Speakers Of Using City Resources -- And Your Taxpayer Dollars -- To Promote Their Political Ambitions.

During the Great Recession, at a time when there is a $600 million hole in the city budget thanks to the failed taxi medallion scam, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is using taxpayer-funded Public Service Announcements to promote her mayoral campaign, so says Michael Schenkler in his Not For Publication column in The Queens Tribune.

Mr. Schenkler was watching “Food, Faith & Culture,” a program on CBS Channel 2 last Sunday, and, in his newspaper column, Mr. Schenkler described Speaker Quinn's PSA :

“Hello, this is Council Speaker Christine Quinn” or something like that said the recognizable voice of the council boss and Mayoral wanabe. It was a 30-second, multi-cultural lovefest with terrible production values – as bad as you ever see on network television. But the message of “Love Love” and “Hate Hate” is of course a seller in our great city. At the end of the painfully bad commercial with a solidly good message, was the City’s logo (NYC) taking ownership for the spot.

Mr. Schenkler then criticised Speaker Quinn for using taxpayer money to promote herself in the lead up to next year's Democratic primary fight in the 2013 mayoral election :

"She is not to be lavished with promotional funds to spread her name around our city. She should not be the beneficiary of taxpayer funds or City-owned property to elevate her image as she prepares to run for Mayor. Not on our backs, Chris."

What do you think about Speaker Quinn using not only your taxpayer money for her slush funds, but now for this stealth self-promotional political marketing campaign ?

Bloomberg Quinn Impose Illegal Campaign Sign Fines On Thompson But Not On Hoylman

The New York Post hounds Bill Thompson over suspiciously large fines being imposed by the Bloomberg administration in what has all the appearances of a politically-motivated effort to suck the funding out of any competitors that are challenging City Council Speaker Christine Quinn for the Democratic Party primary in the 2013 mayoral election. Meanwhile, here is evidence that political allies of Speaker Quinn break the law, too. But do the Bloomberg-Quinn administration likewise fine Brad Hoylman out the ass to the tune of $600,000, too ?