UPFRONT
DON’T FEAR THE REPORTER Denouncing the TimesIn this issue, State Sen. Malcolm Smith gives an Union’s story in a particuexclusive interview to City & larly nasty 1,300-word letter State opening up for the first sent to the paper, Richard Cuomo’s time about his tumultuous Bamberger, director of communicayears in elected office. Of course, Smith is the tions, concluded, “it would not the first politician to be shameful for you to have a distant relationship compound your prior errors with the press. Many politi- by making use of your news cians consider members of pages to try to rehabilitate the media to be a nuisance, your own image by manufacturing doubt if not sworn about profesadversaries. sional work Take our done by career governor. When prosecutors Andrew Cuomo in the public was running interest.” for his current Whew. Tell us office, NY1 ran a what you really “Cuomo Clock” think, Richard. on their website The Timestracking the Morgan Pehme EDITOR Union is not the numbers of days Cuomo had declined to first news outlet to receive a livid letter such as this one appear on Inside City Hall. Since getting elected, from the Cuomo adminisCuomo’s relationship tration, nor will they likely with the media has only be the last. Apparently the governor grown icier. Though he has embraced some journal- does not agree with the late ists, like the New York Post’s British MP, Enoch Powell, Fred Dicker, he has become who mused, “For a politiincreasingly hostile toward cian to complain about the most of the other members press is like a ship’s captain complaining about the sea.” of the Albany press corps. Governor, I realize that These days it seems any story daring to criticize the we can’t always write what governor or probe his admin- you want, and yet I wonder istration prompts some form why you can’t come to of invective from Cuomo’s love the press? After all, so spokespeople. Most recently many of your initiatives it has been reporter James have been the byproduct of Odato and the excellent hard-hitting news investigapolitical team at the Albany tions. Your sky-high approval Times-Union, who have ratings are at least in part been the subject of Cuomo’s owing to media accounts ire for having the audacity of your legislative victories. to examine Cuomo’s public And your rumored presidenrecords as Attorney General tial aspirations are propelled pertaining to the “Trooper- by the rumors we print. Another Englishman, gate” investigation and then Northcliffe, once alerting their readers when Lord the documents they exam- declared, “News is what ined were subsequently someone, somewhere is removed from the state trying to suppress. The rest archives by members of the is advertising.” Don’t hate us, governor. governor’s staff in response We’re just doing our job. to the paper’s inquiry.
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JULY 30, 2012 | www.cityandstateny.com
AROUND NEW YORK The best items from The Notebook, City & State’s political blog City & State’s political blog, The Notebook, is your key source for political and campaign developments in New York. Stay on top of the news with items like these at www.cityandstateny.com/thenotebook. 1. WESTCHESTER Among the items in Senate Independent Democratic Conference Leader Jeff Klein’s $176,649.50 in campaign spending over the past six months: 1–3) 3 separate expenditures on magicians: One $150 payment to Kenneth Krebs, representing the magician “Candini the Great” Two payments, for $200 and $150, to magician John Turdo 4) Several dinner dances, including one for $1,250 at the Benjamin Franklin Democratic Club and a $2,125 dance at the Chippewa Democratic Club 5) One bunny breakfast and build-a-bunnies from the Bear Factory /) /) (-,-) o(“) (“)o (One at Villa Barone Manor costing $3,688, and $872 on bunnies built by children at the bunny breakfast from the Bear Factory) 6) $100 on a card party at the Locust Point Yacht Club 7) $1,770 on St. Patrick’s Day cookies from the Golden Glow Cookie Company 8) $159.87 at American Balloon Time (memo line: “balloons”) 9) $146.98 on Hanukkah gelt from Moishy’s Bakery (buy in bulk and it seems you get approximately 270 bags with four pieces of gelt each for this price) 10) $1102.69 on holiday turkeys Eric Soufer, spokesman for the Independent Democratic Conference said the expenditures are for community events. “Senator Klein
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enjoys supporting community programs, especially those focused on kids and seniors,” he said. “These donations are one small way that we’re able to contribute.”
2. ALBANY The Senate Republicans’ highest-paid consultant between July 2011 and February 2012 departed the Senate GOP campaign payroll around the same time City & State revealed her connections to the Jack Abramoff fundraising scandal. Susan Ralston’s firm, SBR Enterprises, had taken in 64 percent of the SRCC’s total spending (nearly $93,000) in the eight-month period, but hasn’t been paid a cent since the story came out, according to campaign-finance records. But Senate GOP spokesman Scott Reif has maintained that Republicans aren’t concerned about Ralston’s past history in Washington, D.C., and said that the timing of her departure from the SRCC payroll was merely coincidental. “Simply, I would say that she was brought in to do a job and she finished it,” Reif said. Back in February we reported that in 2006 Ralston was forced to resign from her position as a top aide to White House political director Karl Rove because of her ties to the Abramoff scandal. No full-time fundraiser appears to have replaced Ralston on the SRCC payroll.
3. KINGS PARK At the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizen Council’s annual summer picnic on the north shore of Long Island, Brooklyn
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Democratic State Sen. Martin Dilan fretted that the Independent Democratic Conference would hurt the Democrats’ chances of retaking the majority this fall. “I believe the presidential election will increase the number of Democratic voters, but challenges from the independent conference could hurt our chances,” said Dilan, flipping steaks at the event. Recently reports have surfaced that the IDC could step into a couple of primary races, including throwing support to Guillermo Linares in Manhattan and Manny Tavarez in the Bronx. The IDC is already lending financial support to Shawn Morse, who is taking on State Sen. Neil Breslin. Meanwhile, Dilan was more confident of his own reelection chances in a race against Jason Otaño— especially since he believes the Zalmanite faction of Brooklyn’s Satmar Hasidic community will come out strongly for him. “Parts of the community are in my district and I believe I will do as well as (my son) Erik [Dilan], who got over 6,000 votes,” the elder Dilan said. A Senate Democratic source notes that a spokesman for Linares ruled out the prospect of his conferencing with the IDC.
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