Quinn Protest at 2013 Mayoral Education Forum

"City Council Speaker Christine Quinn will accept money and support from StudentsFirstNY, an education advocacy group that was criticized today for having some donors in common with Mitt Romney." (Capital New York)

Quinn and Questionable Education Contracts

Speaker Quinn says there are likely DOE contracts that are "simply not necessary." Why is council funding them?

— Michael Howard Saul (@MichaelHwrdSaul) November 19, 2012

Board of Elections Scandal Grows : 330K Ballots Stored in Garbage Bags

#NYC #BoardofElections has 330K uncounted ballots stored in garbage bagstruenewsfromchangenyc.blogspot.com/2012/11/true-n… @tomallon4mayor @billdeblasio @johnliu2013

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) November 19, 2012

Scott Stringer Drop Out Rumours

Stringer Expected To End His Ambition for Mayor

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer is expected to announce as early as next week that he will not run for New York City mayor in 2013, but instead campaign for comptroller, according to The New York Times.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg had been bullying candidates out of the race, in order to select his successor.

Adolfo Carrion Pass Fake Candidacy ?

Former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión, Jr., is expected to enter the race for mayor in 2013 as a candidate for the Republican nomination, The New York Times reported.

Mr. Carrión joins an close political ally of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, George McDonald, the founder and president of the Doe Fund, in trying to draw votes away from Republican candidate Tom Allon.

Mayor Bloomberg used donations to the Doe Fund to buy "astroturf" support to overturn term limits. And The New York Times reported that Mr. Carrión has been a supporter of Mayor Bloomberg.

In similar fashion, it is being said that Mayor Bloomberg may be resorting to alternative strategies to thwart the candidacies of mayoral hopefuls, who are seeking to challenge New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn for higher office. Mayor Bloomberg is trying to personally install Speaker Quinn as his chosen successor.

Hurricane Sandy Christine Quinn Hospital Evacuations

Mayor Bloomberg's $500 Million Repair Fund Will Not Fix Healthcare Inequality

NEW YORK (12-Nov-2012) -- At Mayor Michael Bloomberg's news conference today, he announced a $500 million emergency repair fund for schools and public hospitals.

But this repair fund will not fix the grossly uneven distribution of hospital beds in Manhattan. Please see the attached map used by St. Vincent's Hospital activists that demonstrates the dangerous distribution of hospital beds in Manhattan.

Watch this YouTube video that questions the impact of the Berger Commission hospital closings on our hospital systems, now that they have been damaged by Hurricane Sandy :

"Let us pray that our political leaders and public health commissioners will use this opportunity to really examine and fix the unequal provision of healthcare that Hurricane Sandy has exposed," said Louis Flores.

Can one partially-functioning hospital on back-up generators be deemed "excess capacity" ?

The nurses' union, NYSNA, reported that in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the only functioning hospital below 57th Street in Manhattan was Beth Israel Hospital, which was operating on back-up generators :

In the face of this dangerous situation, North Shore-LIJ CEO Michael Dowling said that he did not want Hurricane Sandy to be used as "justification" to restore a full-service hospital in the Lower West Side of Manhattan ?

How much more insensitive could Mr. Dowling be ? Even in the aftermath of such a devastating natural disaster, North Shore-LIJ is putting its financial interests before our public health.

Healthcare activists demand to know : Why is this acceptable ?

St. Vincent's Hospital

The taboo question that the media is too afraid to ask is : How could St. Vincent's Hospital have helped in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, if Christine Quinn had fought to keep it open ? Will we ever know the true loss to public health that we paid, and continue to pay, after Bill Rudin's luxury condo conversion plan was approved by the New York City Council.

Click here to read the mayor's repair fund news release.

Tom Allon NYC Marathon Postponement Statement

Mayoral Candidate Tom Allon Statement on the NYC Marathon

New York City 2013 mayoral candidate has just issued this statement on the controversy of using valuable city resources for the NYC Marathon in the wake of the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy :

"We're living in a highly-charged and evolving crisis and the Mayor's leadership has been sound thus far. Second guessing the Mayor's decision on the scheduling of the Marathon is an easy way for the Democratic Mayoral candidates for 2013 to get attention and score points with outraged New Yorkers. The anger that is being expressed by the elected leaders of Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens reflects the concerns and frustrations being felt for the ongoing hardships of their constituents. For them, the Marathon symbolizes misplaced priorities.

"Personally, I would have delayed the Marathon for at least a week, like the Knicks-Nets game was postponed for four days, so that we can concentrate on helping all those in need and getting our electricity and mass transit back."

Bill de Blasio Marathon Hurricane Sandy Update

Bill de Blasio · 5,281 like this

about an hour ago · 

• We need to postpone the Marathon and keep our focus where it belongs: on public safety and vital relief operations.
  
  The pain and suffering still unfolding in our neighborhoods is too deep for words. I walked more streets with Councilman Oddo in Staten Island today, and listened to people who still remain without power, food and water – so near the race’s starting point. It's convinced me the needs are simply too great to divert any resources from the recovery. Lodgings reserved for marathoners must be re-allocated to utility workers.

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 ?