4
CityAndStateNY.com
The
August 20, 2018
Latest OUT OF THE RUNNING After initially saying that he would continue to seek re-election following a federal indictment on insider trading charges, Rep. Chris Collins suspended his campaign. The announcement left county Republican leaders in Western New York scrambling to figure out what to do next. They met on Tuesday to discuss out how to get Collins off the ballot, but have not yet decided who will replace him. More than a dozen Republicans have expressed interest in running, including developer Carl Paladino and Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw.
“NEVER THAT GREAT” In the latest example of him putting his foot in his mouth, an attempt by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to ridicule President Donald Trump’s famous “Make America Great Again” slogan spectacularly backfired. At a bill signing ceremony, Cuomo told the crowd that America “was never that great.” The remark quickly drew criticism from his Republican challenger, Marcus Molinaro, who said that “America has always been great.” Trump himself weighed in on Twitter, writing that Cuomo was “having a total meltdown.” A spokeswoman for the governor later put out a statement saying Cuomo thinks America is great, but hasn’t reached “maximum greatness.”
Norman Seabrook, the former New York City Corrections Officers’ Benevolent Association president, was found guilty on charges of bribery and conspiracy after his initial trial ended in a mistrial last year. Seabrook – who famously received a $60K bribe in a black Salvatore Ferragamo bag – now faces up to 20 years in prison. Seabrook served for 20 years as head of one of the city’s most influential public unions and was a staunch supporter of the Rikers Island jail complex. During his tenure, he also used $20 million of union funds to invest in a hedge fund in exchange for a cut of the profit.
Back & Forth Rep. Joe Crowley has lost his seat, and some are calling for him to step down as chairman of the Queens Democratic Party as well. Would you be interested in the job? I’m really flattered that some people have mentioned my name. Joe Crowley is still our chairperson right now and that will be a decision that he will have to make later on. I’m willing to play whatever part I can to make the Queens Democratic organization a stronger organization and one that has even better outreach.
A Q&A with Rep.
Grace Meng The
You’re a vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. What have you been doing in that role ahead of the midterms? Everyone who is an officer, from the Chairman Tom Perez on down, we all travel around the country. What I talk about a lot in Democratic politics is the importance of reaching out to underrepresented
Kicker
communities. And I think whether you are talking about minority communities, the millennial voters, or rural communities, there are many things they have in common and I’ve tried to work hard to make sure the Democratic Party is doing better outreach among those groups. My district is not rural at all, but there are many underlying feelings that are similar between these groups. Your district overlaps with two former IDC members’ state Senate districts, Tony Avella and Jose Peralta. Are you getting involved in either of those races? I have endorsed (Avella challenger) John Liu. I’ve worked closely with him in the past when he was an elected official. I’ve stayed out so far of the (Jessica) Ramos-Peralta race. I have a little less of that district, but I’ve stayed out of that one.
“What else is there to say? I try not to mention his name when I talk with voters, because it’s never a good reaction.” – state Senate candidate JOHN LIU, on whether he would accept support from de Blasio, via Politico New York
Get the kicker every morning in CITY & STATE’S FIRST READ email. Sign up at cityandstateny.com.
LEV RADIN, CREATIVE LAB/SHUTTERSTOCK; YAHOO; SASHA MASLOV
The
SEABROOK BAGGED