March 14 - 20, 2013
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Quinn is running for mayor and is leading, polls say
CONFERENCES
Now through march 31
Solo in the City: Jewish Women, Jewish Stars featuring Sandra Bernhard, Jackie Hoffman, Tovah Feldshuh, Sheba Mason, Rachael Sage, Inna Faliks and Judy Gold. march 14 • 8:30 am
Photo: The Travelers Companies
march 21 • 1:15 pm
For a compleTe calendar oF THe BarucH conFerences go To
www.baruch.cuny.edu
april 5 • 12 NooN
What is the Reputational Risk of Being Politically Active? A panel of experts addresses this question at Corporate Communication International at Baruch College’s 11th Annual Symposium on Reputation, held at and hosted by Pfizer Inc. april 19 • 8:30 am
Living and Working in a Connected Community, Accessible Technology for All This Annual Conference from Computer Center for Visually Impaired People (CCVIP) features interactive workshops, app recommendations and a “Breaking Barriers” award ceremony. Featuring Dr. Judy M. Dixon, Library of Congress.
Photo: The Rubin Museum of Art
Futureproofing Our Cities: Urban Resilience, At What Cost? Problems, Solutions and Pathways to Implementation; a half-day conference featuring key NY City leaders presented by The Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute.
The 8th Annual Burton Kossoff Business Leadership Lecture featuring Jay S. Fishman Mr. Fishman is chairman and chief executive officer of The Travelers Companies, Inc.
www.reddenfuneralhome.net
too.” One other key piece of the political puzzle is what the city’s labor leaders end up doing in the Democratic primary. For now, most seem content –– even committed –– to holding tight. Quinn scored one early victory, however, when the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, led by Stuart Appelbaum, who is gay and a leading critic of Bloomberg, embraced her candidacy at the end of January. It was Appelbaum with whom Quinn negotiated the living wage legislation, and he is clearly primed to make the progressive case on her behalf. Quinn and her Democratic rivals will appear at a March 20 candidates forum sponsored by the city’s L.G.B.T. Democratic clubs. The forum, at Baruch College’s Mason Hall at 17 Lexington Avenue, starting at 7 p.m., will be moderated by Gay City News.
Take part in the dialogue on timely & critical issues that shape our lives.
Photo: ©WireImage.com
Pinter, one of the men arrested and the original organizer of opposition to the practice, told Gay City News at that time, “Christine Quinn’s leadership provided a forum for this rare admission [of errors] by the N.Y.P.D. and the genesis for the positive changes that followed.” Last year, Quinn joined an umbrella group of civil rights organizations in a massive Father’s Day protest against the widespread use of stop-and-frisk tactics in communities of color, even as she showed support for steps Police Commissioner Ray Kelly was making, in his words, “to increase public confidence” in the department in light of the practice. Around the same time, Kelly and Quinn announced new police procedures to deal more respectfully with the city’s transgender community. City Council measures aimed at broader questions of police-community relations have not yet been acted on, but advocates for policing reform recently said they remain optimistic that legislation will advance. Over the past several weeks, Quinn has come under increased pressure to allow Council action on a paid sick-leave bill that would cover most of the city’s private-sector employees. The speaker has argued that ongoing economic sluggishness makes this the wrong time for imposing new burdens on small businesses, a position she stuck to at her campaign kickoff, even though she said she supports “the goal” of the legislation. Congressmembers Carolyn Maloney and Nydia Velazquez were among those at a recent City Hall rally pressing for Council action, framing paid sick leave as an issue that disproportionately impacts women. Feminist Gloria Steinem has said she will withdraw her endorsement of Quinn if the speaker remains an obstacle to the measure, and out bisexual actor Cynthia Nixon endorsed de Blasio, saying her concern over the issue trumps “identity politics.” Despite her critics, Quinn maintains a formidable position in the Democratic race, according to polls. A Quinnipiac University poll conducted in late February said she was leading de Blasio, her closest rival, by 37 percent to 14 percent. A candidate needs to reach a 40 percent threshold to avoid a runoff, so at this moment, the speaker is within striking distance. Still, many political observers agree that it is very early in the race and Quinn might now be benefiting from superior name recognition, an edge that could fade over time. The speaker also leads in fundraising, besting de Blasio by a margin of $6.1 million to $3.5 million as of
the mid-January filing date, though the public advocate out-hustled her by $300,000 in the six-month period ending then. The next filing deadline is March 15. Despite her close ties to Bloomberg, a series of New York Times articles over the past several months have reported that the mayor has cast about for other candidates he would like to see enter the race –– including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Though stories like that provide some embarrassment for Quinn, they may also help her with the Democratic primary electorate. “It helps her, obviously, to get some distance from the mayor,” George Arzt –– who served as press secretary to the late Mayor Ed Koch and now runs a communications and government relations firm –– said. “If she can say, ‘Have you been reading the newspapers?’ while clearly getting his support, she can bake the cake and eat it,
2013
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april 24-25 • 4:30 pm
Museums and Higher Education in the 21st Century: Collaborative Methods and Models for Innovation Co-hosted by the School of Public Affairs and The Rubin Museum of Art.