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November 13, 2017

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City & State New York

November 13, 2017

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EDITOR’S NOTE

JON LENTZ Editor-in-chief

One of the few times when average New Yorkers pay close attention to local politics is on Election Day. They scramble to figure out who’s running and where they stand. Some voters try to make sense of obscure ballot proposals. Others even read up on down-ballot contests like judgeships.

What’s just as important, of course, is what politicians actually do in office. Do they fulfill their high-minded campaign pledges, from combating corruption to working collaboratively across the aisle? Or do they misinterpret their victories as sweeping mandates and invite a backlash by catering narrowly to their partisan base?

Among the offices that often operate below the radar are those of prosecutors, both elected and appointed – although Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.’s decision not to pursue cases against Harvey Weinstein and two of Donald Trump’s children put him in an uncomfortable spotlight. In this week’s cover story, City & State contributor Justin Sondel looks at other top prosecutors – and whether they ever get too political.

CONTENTS BOCHINCHE & BUZZ ... 6

Gossip on Nicole Malliotakis’ next steps, and Trump’s reaction to Astorino’s defeat

GRAD SCHOOL SUPPLEMENT ... 24

Certificate program or master’s degree?

NEW YORK NONPROFIT MEDIA ... 28 How one nonprofit appears to have gone too far supporting a political candidate

WINNERS & LOSERS ... 34

Who was up and who was down last week

COMMENTARY

Bruce Gyory on New York’s most influential voting blocs ... 8

WITCH HUNT

Are prosecutors going after politicians for political purposes? ... 10

AGENCY FOCUS

The 411 on the state Education Department ... 16

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CityAndStateNY.com

The

November 13, 2017

Latest SURPRISES AROUND THE STATE Laura Curran became the first woman to be elected Nassau County executive, and only the third Democrat, defeating Republican rival Jack Martins. In a surprising upset, Democrat George Latimer defeated incumbent Republican Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, who had a three-to-one fundraising advantage. In Erie County, Democrats regained a one-vote majority in the county Legislature. Democrats didn’t fare so well in the race for Rensselaer County executive, with Republican Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin eking out a victory against Democrat Andrea Smyth, who has refused to concede until the recount. In Syracuse, independent Ben Walsh became the first third-party candidate to be elected mayor in 100 years.

DE BLASIO CRUISES TO VICTORY

The

New York City Councilwoman Margaret Chin soundly beat Christopher Marte, after narrowly defeating him in the Democratic primary.

Councilman Mathieu Eugene also rebounded to defeat his erstwhile primary challenger Brian Cunningham. Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley was not as lucky as her other colleagues, narrowly losing to Robert Holden, although she did not concede. Democratic newcomers Justin Brannan, Keith Powers and Kalman Yeger also prevailed over Republican and third party opponents in the races for open seats.

Back & Forth

A Q&A with chef and author

Julia TURSHEN

C&S: You’ll be speaking at City & State’s Politics of Food event on Nov. 16. What does “the politics of food” mean to you?

JT: This year I put out this book called “Feed the Resistance,” which sort of ties together politics and food, and activism and food. What I was planning to really center everything on is the question I’ve been getting the most, which is what does food have to do with politics and why would you mix those two? To me, they’re inseparable, and they’re completely about people.

So to talk about that connection as people who both work in politics and food to combine those conversations and to just help everyday people understand that every decision we make about food, which are daily decisions, there are multiple decisions every day, each of those decisions is a political choice – from what we eat to where we buy the ingredients for what we cook to are we

cooking, or are we going out to eat, who’s restaurant are we going to, who’s getting the loan to open that restaurant, etc., etc.

C&S: Any more specific details about the link between food and politics?

JT: One is the connection between food justice and racial justice, which often ties to economic justice, especially when it comes to job opportunities and business opportunities and business loans and that sort of thing. There’s a huge tie between food justice and immigrants’ rights. When we talk about people in the food workforce, for the most part they tend to be immigrants, and that’s a hugely important thing. And so much of what is in my book, and what is important to me, is the way that food can build and sustain a community – even as simple as inviting neighbors over to eat and getting to know your community better.

Kicker “Being a Republican in New York City is like being The

an ICEBERG in the CARIBBEAN.” — former Gov. George Pataki, via The Wall Street Journal Get the kicker every morning in CITY & STATE’S FIRST READ email. Sign up at cityandstateny.com.

A KATZ/SHUTTERSTOCK, EDWIN J. TORRES/MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE, WILLIAM ALATRISTE/FOR THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL, TWITTER

CLEAR SAILING FOR THE CITY COUNCIL

De Blasio coasted to victory on Tuesday, becoming the first Democratic mayor to win re-election since Ed Koch. With twothirds of the vote, the mayor called his victory a “mandate” for a second term – although the raw numbers may suggest otherwise. Elsewhere in the city, Comptroller Scott Stringer and Public Advocate Letitia James easily dispatched underfunded Republican challengers. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. also defeated his write-in opponent, Marc Fliedner.

A KATZ/SHUTTERSTOCK, EDWIN J. TORRES/MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE, WILLIAM ALATRISTE/FOR THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL, TWITTER

2017

City & State New York

November 13, 2017

MAYORAL ELECTION

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio easily won a second term last week with 66 percent of the vote, the first time a Democrat has been re-elected to the position since Ed Koch. Although de Blasio may see his victory as a mandate for his agenda, calling it “the beginning of a new era of progressive Democratic leadership in New York City for years and years to come” at his election night party, the actual voter turnout numbers may not support that optimism.

As of July 2016, there were

8,537,673 people in New York City.

5,053,842 registered voters in the city as of Nov. 1.

4,596,813 voters are considered “active.”

There were

1,097,846 people voted in the mayoral election.

726,361 people voted for de Blasio.

782,252

Meanwhile, New York City voters opposed a state constitutional convention – more than voted for de Blasio.

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CityAndStateNY.com

November 13, 2017

Exclusive scoops and insider gossip from

GERSON BORRERO

WEINER COULD RUN AGAIN The way Anthony Weiner was saying adiós to a select group of amigos and supporters the day before he reported to prison at Federal Medical Center Devens had at least one bochinchero thinking that he may run for office again someday.

“In his mind, he’s still a candidate for something down the road. Hey, you never know,” said the insider bochinchero. We checked with two other bochincheros familiar with the mentality and psyche of pols who do prison time. “Look, given all the stories coming out about perverts in Hollywood, Weiner sexting with a minor could eventually be seen as inoffensive.” You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! Not according to one political consultant, who said, “There’s bound to be a few (Roy) Moore-types among the pols and Weiner’s compulsion could pale next to them.” I guess we’ll have to wait until inmate No. 79112-054 is released in May 2019 and then see how he does with his three-year supervised release.

ANTHONY WEINER

SILENT TAG TEAM FOR MARK New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio chilled on the calls for City Councilman Mark Levine as his fave to be the next speaker as soon as it was clear that his efforts were hurting the well-liked wannabe. “His open support of Mark was hurting him and he stopped,” a bochinchero said. However, according to several bochincheros, the talking on behalf of Mark has now been taken up by none other than City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. B&B was surprised since the current speaker had told me that she wasn’t going to pick among her colleagues. “The mayor can’t do it, so she’s taking up the talking points,” one of the bochincheros said, but it’s not a formal endorsement. “She’s been cautious in her wording,” said another bochinchero familiar with the effort by the lame duck pol. I spoke to some folks who MMV has spoken to and they tell me that among what she’s pitching is her concern for her “legacy.”

Really? The one that leaves an all-male slate of candidates for speaker?

Or is it the “legacy” that leaves fewer mujeres in the City Council than when she was selected as speaker? Legacy schmegacy.

MARK LEVINE

City & State New York

November 13, 2017

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ASTORINO LOSS PLEASES CUOMO … AND TRUMP? As strange as it may sound, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino’s huge re-election loss to Democrat George Latimer is not bothering the Trumpistas that much. “Don’t forget that there’s no love between Rob and Donald,” one bochinchero reminded me. That dates back to 2012-2013 when Trump wanted to run for governor and Rob wouldn’t go along with his getting anointed with the nomination.

“As happy as Cuomo is, you’d be surprised that this is good news for the president,” the Republican bochinchero tried to convince me. “Watch who emerges as the GOP contenders against Cuomo for next year and you’ll see Trump all over this.” Ha, I’m already salivating.

ROB ASTORINO

DONALD TRUMP ANDREW CUOMO

NICOLE’S NOT DONE NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS

Several Republican bochincheros tell B&B that while Nicole Malliotakis was trounced across New York City by the incumbent alcalde, the assemblywoman has a future in politics. “On balance, I think this was a positive for her,” was one opinion shared. There’s buzz that if Rep. Dan Donovan’s race against Michael Grimm gets too tight, “Nicole could benefit and jump in as the alternative to these two guys.” Wait, I thought that was New York City Councilman Joe Borelli’s plan? “Nicole would get more traction as the option,” is the sentiment of this Republican. As complicated as this sounds, a bochinchero said: “I think anyone who takes that possibility off the table is foolish – so, maybe.” Will she or won’t she ...

REMEMBER, GENTE, IT’S ALL BOCHINCHE UNTIL IT’S CONFIRMED.

COMMENTARY

BUILDING BLOCS

THE GROUPS THAT WILL DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF NEW YORK’S ELECTIONS

BY BRUCE N. GYORY

City & State New York

November 13, 2017

N

OW THAT LAST TUESDAY’S election returns have been tabulated, what are the enduring electoral lessons? Let’s explore that question by analyzing four major contests in New York.

First, in New York City, the fulcrum point in the electorate now lies with Latino and Asian voters. Shane Goldmacher wrote a splendid piece in The New York Times exquisitely capturing the narrative of the mayoral campaign, but I believe that Goldmacher missed the arithmetic at the core of New York City’s electoral equation.

Goldmacher accepted the central assumption of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s political team: If they won three-quarters of the black vote, the mayor would win because any opponent would face the nearly impossible mission of garnering 61 percent from the rest of the electorate. But that calculation misses the fact that no one or even two voting blocs dominate New York City politics.

Today, there are three relatively equal voting blocs in New York City: blacks (casting a 26-28 percent share), outer borough Jewish and white Catholic voters (at 27-30 percent), with Latino and Asian voters (at 24-27 percent of the city’s total vote).

New class voters (the highly educated, professional, mostly white voters, including LGBT, who dominate in Manhattan and the gentrifying neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens) are the remaining bloc, with just under a fifth of the city’s total vote (a 16-19 percent share).

Latino and Asian voters do not march together, but they usually wind up at the same destination in terms of candidate support.

Moreover, in polling on issues like criminal justice, education and housing, Latino and Asian voters tend to fall between the views of black and white voters.

My alternative to the de Blasio team’s postulate is that the mayor was a prohibitive favorite to win precisely because no single candidate had the wingspan to win simultaneous support from white Catholic, Jewish, new class, Latino and Asian voters.

If de Blasio got 80 percent of black voters, but an opponent got 70 percent of white Catholic and Jewish voters, that would not have been a prohibitive advantage. Therefore, the lesson to be learned is that Latino and Asian voters (who will grow to a full third of the electorate by 2025) have become the city’s ultimate swing voters.

Second, Democrat Laura Curran’s victory over Republican Jack Martins in the Nassau County executive’s race may have predictive value for future contests.

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LATINO AND ASIAN VOTERS (WHO WILL GROW TO A FULL THIRD OF THE ELECTORATE BY 2025) HAVE BECOME NEW YORK CITY’S ULTIMATE SWING VOTERS.

Independents in Nassau County determine elections, as registration between the parties is relatively even (397,859 Democrats to 336,208 Republicans) while independents number 239,342 (just shy of a quarter of Nassau County’s 1,025,598 registered voters).

In the past, when Nassau County’s independent voters drive a change in the county executive’s office, it has proven a harbinger of voting patterns for independents statewide. In 2001, when Democrat Tom Suozzi was first elected county executive, that foreshadowed independents breaking against Republicans, which played out in the state’s 2006 and 2008 elections. Then in 2009, after Republican Ed Mangano was elected, New York’s independent voters tended to turn against Democrats in 2010 and 2014. The question going forward will be whether Curran’s victory will once again presage independents shifting against the Republicans across New York in the 2018 and 2020 elections.

Third, in Westchester County, Democrat George Latimer’s victory over incumbent Republican County Executive Rob Astorino puts a spotlight on three lessons. One, unlike New York’s governors, who have a rich tradition of third and fourth terms, county executives and mayors often face a third-term jinx. That took Astorino down.

Two, public foibles usually trump private blemishes with voters. Pundits thought Astorino had beaten down Latimer’s prospects by exposing the Democrat’s family issues, but Latimer proved a doggedly resilient campaigner. Then Astorino tripped over testimony from the Norman Seabrook trial, which asserted that Astorino had accepted a Rolex watch largely paid for by embattled real estate developer Jona Rechnitz. Astorino was never able to persuasively explain that controversy to voters. Furthermore, the registration advantage has swung so

sharply to the Democrats in Westchester County (302,376 Democrats to 140,118 Republicans with 147,483 independents), that if a Democratic candidate can unify the party, Republican candidates, even an incumbent like Astorino, are behind the eight ball.

Fourth, in the Syracuse mayoral election, independent candidate Ben Walsh won. The key to the outcome was going to be whether Democrat Juanita Perez Williams could connect with black voters as well as to conservative white Democrats or whether Walsh would be able to add Republican voters to his independent base. Early polls showed the Republican nominee Laura Lavine with 30 percent of Republican support and 15 percent of Republicans leaning toward Joe Nicoletti.

When the votes were counted, however, Walsh won 54 to 38 percent over Perez Williams because the support for Lavine (2 percent) and Nicoletti (1 percent) melted away, allowing Walsh to aggregate Republican and independent voters.

Of the Democrats statewide registration advantage of 3.4 million people, more than 2.9 million comes from New York City.

Outside New York City, the Democrats’ registration advantage is only 480,556 voters, with 1,738,892 independent voters.

The ineluctable lesson for analyzing elections outside the city is that independent voters drive the electoral engine.

When you boil all this down, the most enduring lessons charting the future course of New York’s politics become where will Latino and Asian voters from New York City and independent voters outside New York City land. For as they go politically, so goes the Empire State.

■

Bruce N. Gyory is a political and strategic consultant at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP and an adjunct professor of political science at the University at Albany.

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CityAndStateNY.com

November 13, 2017

EVERETT HISTORICAL

WITCH HUNT

WHEN POWERFUL PROSECUTORS CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION, THERE’S A THIN LINE BETWEEN JUSTICE AND POLITICS

By JUSTIN SONDEL

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“YOU ARE WITNESSING THE SINGLE GREATEST WITCH HUNT IN AMERICAN POLITICAL HISTORY – LED BY SOME VERY BAD AND CONFLICTED PEOPLE! #MAGA” MARK REINSTEIN/SHUTTERSTOCK

EVERETT HISTORICAL

City & State New York

November 13, 2017

– President DONALD TRUMP

W

HEN POLITICAL OPERATIVE Steve Pigeon was charged with a raft of political corruption charges by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the U.S. attorney’s office, it was, he claimed, old scores being settled. It was a “witch hunt.” When a congressional ethics watchdog found there was a “substantial reason to believe” Rep. Chris Collins violated federal law and congressional rules in his dealings with a biotech company, Collins said the panel was acting on behalf of partisan legislators and organizations – again a “witch hunt.” And former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara’s investigation into campaign fundraising on behalf of former New York City comptroller and 2013 mayoral candidate John Liu, which recently resulted in more than $26,000 in fines? You guessed it. “Witch hunt.”

This is nothing new. For years prosecutors and investigators have been accused of being overly ambitious, partisan or simply vindictive, especially when pursuing cases of political corruption. And the narrative, in some cases, seems plausible, especially for elected prosecutors constantly seeking to prove their mettle to voters. But, perhaps not since the era of McCarthyism – when people from all walks of life were accused, often incorrectly and without evidence, of sympathizing and even colluding with the communist Soviet Union – has the phrase so consistently appeared as part of the common vernacular around politics.

PAUL MANAFORT, WHOSE ARREST DREW THE PRESIDENT’S IRE.

And this narrative isn’t just the stuff of minor battles being waged in county and state politics. It’s coming from the top.

President Donald Trump – also a prime target of Schneiderman’s – and the president’s surrogates have bandied about the phrase as a regular justification for the scrutiny he has faced from law enforcement officials.

“You are witnessing the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history – led by some very bad and conflicted people! #MAGA,” Trump wrote in a tweet this summer, amid stories about special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Late last month, Mueller brought the first charges resulting from his probe, handing down a 12-count indictment accusing Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, of crimes including money laundering and conspiring against the United States. On the same day, it came to light that George Papadopoulos, a former foreign policy adviser to the campaign, had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, admitting in sworn testimony that he had worked to get “dirt” on Hillary Clinton from Kremlin-connected sources.

“Instead they look at phony Trump/ Russia ‘collusion,’ which doesn’t exist.

The Dems are using this terrible (and bad for our country) Witch Hunt for evil politics, but the R’s are now fighting back like never before,” Trump wrote in a series of tweets as the first reports of an impending Manafort indictment swirled.

For those politicians who stand accused, whether they are guilty or innocent, the public shaming and a presumption of guilt in the court of public opinion can be deeply painful. After former state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his son Adam were sentenced in their federal corruption trial, Billy Skelos, Dean’s nephew, attacked a Daily News reporter outside the court building, throwing her phone across the street and violently grabbing her wrist.

State Sen. Rob Ortt, who was indicted

by Schneiderman’s office early this year, was accused of setting up a no-show job for his wife while serving as mayor of North Tonawanda, allegedly as part of a scheme to make up for a loss in income when he moved over from his city clerk-treasurer post. Those charges were thrown out by a judge this summer.

CityAndStateNY.com

Ortt’s indictment was the result of an investigation into longtime Western New York kingmaker, former state Sen. George Maziarz, whom Ortt succeeded after Maziarz’s sudden decision not to run for re-election. While Maziarz remains under indictment, Ortt – who also described the charges against him as a “witch hunt” – said the ordeal had been terrible for his family.

“It’s unfortunate,” he told City & State shortly after the case was thrown out. “It’s unfortunate that my wife and I had to go through that.”

R

OGER STONE, the political operative and self-described “dirty trickster” who helped get Trump elected, is no stranger to investigations and prosecutions. Stone was questioned by a congressional committee at age 19 during the Watergate investigation. In September, he was again in front of a congressional committee, this time being quizzed about his role in and knowledge of possible links between the Trump administration and Russian interference in the 2016 election.

November 13, 2017

Sheldon Silver – before those convictions were overturned, albeit as the result of a subsequent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

In the eyes of their supporters, prosecutors like Schneiderman and Bharara are aggressive lawmen looking to bring punishment for political crimes in a state that routinely ranks among the most corrupt on both the arbitrary lists of prognosticators and in scientific studies. To their detractors, they are hellbent on advancing their careers and taking down people who have crossed them.

“He’s politicized that office more so than any attorney general than certainly I’ve seen,” a longtime Republican veteran of Albany politics said of Schneiderman, only agreeing to talk to City & State on the condition of anonymity.

But, as former Assemblyman Richard Brodsky points out, in an environment where prosecutors do not go after public corruption, wrongdoing by electeds and other officials may go unchecked.

“In the end, prosecutors have a very important job when it comes to public corruption, and that’s to be vigilant and

“NOT EVERY CHARGED PERPETRATOR IS GUILTY. THAT’S WHY WE HAVE TRIALS AND THAT’S GOOD.” – former Assemblyman RICHARD BRODSKY

An avowed hater of both Schneiderman and Bharara, Stone doesn’t begrudge them their high profiles or ambition. That comes with the territory. However, too often prosecutors are willing to illegally leak information to the press or bring charges on legally tenuous ground hoping something sticks, aka, “violating the law in order to prosecute people who have violated the law,” he said.

“Where I do have a problem is when they cut corners to get a conviction,” Stone said.

Here in New York, Schneiderman has garnered the lion’s share of of these accusations of late, but Bharara, too, has been accused of grandstanding on charges and targeting high-ranking politicians in order to make a name for himself. Bharara’s office gained convictions of the two most powerful members of the state Legislature – Skelos and former Assembly Speaker

accurate,” said Brodsky, who ran for state attorney general in 2010. “Generally speaking, I’m glad we have prosecutors who are following through on public corruption matters. Not every charged perpetrator is guilty. That’s why we have trials and that’s good.”

In many cases, the record paints a different picture than the story told by critics. Schneiderman and Bharara, both Democrats, have targeted Republicans and Democrats alike. And while some of that can be explained by pointing to battles within the parties – Pigeon, a Democrat, has a history of bad blood with Schneiderman – there are plenty of counter examples that don’t fit the narrative. Bharara took down one of the most powerful Democrats in the state by indicting Silver.

Schneiderman’s most recent corruption conviction resulted in Ruben Wills, a former Democratic member of the New York City Council, getting sentenced to prison for two to six years.

Schneiderman declined to be interviewed for this article, though Amy Spitalnick, a spokeswoman for his office, said in an email that most investigations begin with referrals from nonpartisan boards and are carried out in collaboration with a variety of law enforcement agencies.

“Politics stop at the front door,” Spitalnick said. “That’s the charge of this office, and the professional standard every attorney in this office is held to.”

Bharara did not respond to requests for an interview.

DID EX-U.S. ATTORNEY PREET BHARARA HAVE HIGHER AMBITIONS?

ANDREW KIST

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ANDREW KIST

City & State New York

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

November 13, 2017

Jeanne Zaino, a professor of political science at Iona College and longtime Albany observer, said prosecutors are by nature “political animals,” which makes it easy for people facing scrutiny to downplay an investigation.

“I think it’s very, very common for the attorneys and defense attorneys, and also the people under investigation, to say this is a political witch hunt by somebody who is hellbent on entering politics and wanting to make a name for themselves,” Zaino said.

While recognizing that there are unavoidable political aspects to the role that both elected and appointed prosecutors play, good government advocates and experts say that in many of these cases, defendants who are accused of political corruption are looking to shield their image.

Jennifer Rodgers, the executive director of Columbia Law School’s Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity and a former assistant U.S. attorney, said that in most of the cases she has seen where the defendant is claiming unfair prosecution, it’s more about optics than anything.

“The political witch hunt claim doesn’t hold a lot of water,” Rodgers said. “In many of these cases I think it’s often just something for them to say.”

A

T THE HEART of the issues around the politicization of prosecutions, experts say, is that our legal system is designed in a way that makes the mixing of politics and law enforcement unavoidable. Those elected to office in New York – the state attorney general and county district attorneys – are responsible to their constituents and must work the party system to get into office. Those who are appointed, like U.S. attorneys and municipal attorneys, are put in place by elected officials.

Because those same people are charged with enforcing public corruption laws, it creates an innate tension.

“The problem is our system is kind of set up to make this problematic, right?”

Rodgers said. “These elected officials are constantly running, they’re constantly campaigning and they’re constantly having to raise money.”

For the most part, the public has trusted prosecutors to carry out these roles faithfully, despite their political associations, Zaino said.

“I do think there is something to the notion that the public sees the prosecutor as this objective, sort of apolitical individual who is out there to stop corrupt politics and corrupt politicians,”

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A.G. ERIC SCHNEIDERMAN WAS ACCUSED OF SETTLING OLD SCORES.

she said. “Certainly there’s a lot of truth to that.”

Indeed, many prosecutors have gone on to serve in other roles at the highest levels of government. Thomas Dewey, New York’s 47th governor, served as the Manhattan district attorney before going to Albany, and was the Republican candidate for president in 1944. Jacob Javits was elected four times as the U.S. senator from New York after serving as state attorney general.

And in more recent history, the state attorney general’s office has been a particularly effective stepping stone to higher office. Gov. Andrew Cuomo was attorney general just before being elected governor and former Gov. Eliot Spitzer also took the same path.

“The office has served as a springboard into a political job, if you will,” Zaino said.

S

INCE TAKING OFFICE, Schneiderman has faced speculation that he sees a similar path for himself.

It is unlikely that he would run against Cuomo in the Democratic primary next year, being better off waiting for a clear shot. But with many prognosticators putting Cuomo in the 2020 race for president, Schneiderman’s opportunity may not be far off.

Spitalnick, Schneiderman’s spokeswoman, said he remains focused on the job he has.

“While the chattering class is always interested in the next horse race, our attorneys are experts at blocking out that noise and focusing exclusively on doing the best job possible for New Yorkers,” she said.

Schneiderman has never publicly voiced a desire to run for governor. But the speculation alone has gone a long way toward opening a window for those seeking to paint him as a lawman driven by his political ambitions.

Bharara, too, has been rumored as a possible candidate, though the office he might seek is less clear. Unlike some prosecutors, both held press conferences announcing political indictments and have had aggressive press offices.

Federal Judge Valerie Caproni even reprimanded Bharara for his public comments admonishing the corrupt political environment in Albany and for his conduct during the Silver prosecution.

“The U.S. Attorney, while castigating politicians in Albany for playing fast and loose with the ethical rules that govern their conduct, strayed so close to the edge of the rules governing his own conduct that Defendant Sheldon Silver has a non-frivolous argument that he fell over the edge,” Caproni wrote in a decision discarding Silver’s legal team’s motion to dismiss the charges because Bharara’s statements were denying him a fair trial.

CityAndStateNY.com

Brodsky said that while he believes it is essential that prosecutors aggressively pursue corruption cases, the way that information finds its way into the hands of the press before indictments are filed is sometimes troubling.

“I think in many cases law enforcement uses public relations in a way that make me uncomfortable,” he said.

Commonly referred to as the “perp walk,” Silver, Skelos, former state Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith and, most recently, Manafort have all had to walk past a sea of cameras as they head to their arraignments. This can be a double-edged sword. While the publicity helps prosecutors appear tough on corruption, the leaks and aggressive public relations work is often offered up as proof of having an ulterior motive.

Prosecutors don’t often help themselves, using their press offices to aggressively pursue media coverage, Zaino said.

She pointed to Schneiderman, Bharara and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who served as a U.S. attorney before being elected governor, as examples of prosecutors who consistently sought publicity for their work.

“I wish they would give the appearance of less political activity when in office,” Zaino said. “But, on the other hand, they also are subject to the voters and so they have to get their name out there.”

So, will these accusations ever cease?

It seems unlikely, as there is no way to extricate the politics from the prosecutor. With no better system at hand, there will always be an opportunity for prosecutors to abuse their power. And for their

November 13, 2017

“THE PROSECUTORS, THEY HAVE TERRIFYINGLY ENORMOUS POWERS FOR GOOD AND FOR EVIL.” – JOHN KAEHNY, executive director of Reinvent Albany political enemies, there will always be opportunities to make such claims, even without any credible evidence of prosecutorial misconduct.

Rodgers, the Columbia Law School professor, said part of the issue for prosecutors is that sometimes ambitions and good cases overlap.

“It’s very hard to separate,” she said.

“You think that a Preet Bharara or an Eric Schneiderman want to bring the best cases they can bring because they want to have the best office they can have and do the best job that they can do. If that also means they then, later down the road, have a better job, I don’t know how you can say it’s one thing and not the other.”

F

OR PEOPLE FIGHTING for greater transparency and harsher punishment for corruption in the state, most prosecutors, including Schneiderman, have not done nearly enough to combat what is described as endless misdeeds at every level of government.

John Kaehny, the executive director of the good government group Reinvent Albany, argued that with the amount

DEAN SKELOS AND HIS SON’S CONVICTIONS WERE VACATED – FOR NOW.

of corruption in state and local governments, prosecutors have barely scratched the surface with the cases that have been brought forward recently.

“We’re really not seeing a prosecutorial wave of terror in New York,” Kaehny said. “I mean, Preet Bharara was very aggressive, but it’s also true that the facts in the Silver and Skelos cases in particular reveal this environment of embedded and continuing corruption and bribery.”

In fact, some prosecutors have been accused of declining to pursue cases because of political considerations.

Last month, a series of news reports showed that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. received political donations from lawyers representing Harvey Weinstein and the Trump family months after he decided to end criminal investigations – Weinstein had been accused of sexual misconduct and Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. were being investigated for misleading prospective condo buyers at one of their Manhattan buildings. Similarly, former Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita III, now a state Supreme Court justice, was criticized for not pursuing charges against Pigeon despite a series of complaints from the operative’s political foes alleging election law violations.

Critics alleging prosecutorial overreach have been provided with ample fodder in recent months. Schneiderman’s charges against Ortt were dismissed and key evidence in his case against Pigeon was suppressed – although he is working to have it reconsidered – in the same week. Silver and Skelos, who were both indicted in 2015, had their federal corruption convictions vacated in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s McDonnell v. United States decision, which narrowed the definition of the term “official act” when exchanging political action for gifts or favors. Both will be retried.

ARMAN DZIDZOVIC

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ARMAN DZIDZOVIC

City & State New York

MIKE GROLL

November 13, 2017

CHARGES AGAINST STATE SEN. ROB ORTT WERE TOSSED BY A JUDGE.

To some, these developments are proof that the headline-seeking, vindictive prosecutor is a serious problem.

The Albany insider pointed to the Martin Act, a law that makes New York’s attorney general the most powerful state prosecutor in the country, as an example of the wide latitude that prosecutors enjoy, allowing them to use the office as a political cudgel. And getting a conviction is not always the only goal, the source said. Sometimes the news stories and the pictures of an official or operative being arrested are enough to raise the profile of an ambitious prosecutor.

“It allows them to indict, to do the perp walk and to get the headline,” the source said.

When federal agents showed up to raid Pigeon’s condominium, for example, reporters and photographers from local news outlets were on hand – proof, some from the Pigeon camp said, that the charges were as much about publicly taking down a controversial political operative as they were about upholding the law.

A friend of Pigeon’s, Stone believes the McDonnell decision and other setbacks should throw cold water on some of the more aggressive prosecutors, in New York and elsewhere.

“You’re going to have a course correction, I think, relatively soon,” he said.

But many good government advocates see these setbacks as technicalities that have little to do with the merits of the cases.

Brodsky pointed specifically to the ruling in the Ortt case.

After Albany County Court Judge Peter Lynch dismissed the charges, Ortt claimed total vindication, having maintained all along that Schneiderman, a Democrat, was targeting him because he is a member of the state Senate’s Republican majority coalition.

“Everything I said from day one, was basically borne out in the judge’s ruling,” Ortt told City & State.

While the judge ruled that there was not enough evidence to proceed, he never said that Schneiderman proceeded in bad faith or brought faulty evidence.

In his ruling dismissing the charges, Lynch concluded that because Ortt did not sign the campaign finance reports used as evidence, he could not be implicated. “The Court has inspected the grand jury minutes and finds the evidence before the jury was legally insufficient to establish the offenses charged,” he wrote.

Brodsky said he does not believe Schneiderman would have brought the case if he did not feel he had the evidence he needed to get a conviction.

“It’s a fair thing to say that the decisions over the last couple of weeks have been setbacks for the attorney general,” Brodsky said shortly after the Ortt case was dismissed and evidence in the Pigeon case was suppressed. “The second way to look at this is that the wider question of the behaviors involved, whatever the legal technicalities, are worthy of the the attention of the attorney general.

And they are.”

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But even the most enthusiastic of those hoping for a greater push to bring cases against corrupt officials concede that prosecutors can cause great harm to innocent people.

While Kaehny stressed that the prosecutions of the past few years are not cases of prosecutors “running wild,” he said it’s important that they use discretion when moving forward with a case. He pointed to Rudy Giuliani’s prosecution of dozens of Wall Street executives in the ’80s. Few were convicted and many lost their jobs and suffered serious damage to their reputations.

Spitzer, who earned the nickname the “Sheriff of Wall Street” as state attorney general and famously called himself a “fucking steamroller” while governor, suffered no shortage of witch hunt accusations. While Spitzer was investigating corruption at the New York Racing Association, the “witch hunt” charge was leveled by then-head of the association, Terry Meyocks. And Maurice “Hank” Greenberg, the former chairman and CEO of American International Group Inc., better known as AIG, may move forward with a defamation lawsuit against Spitzer related to the former attorney general’s Wall Street crackdown. Greenberg recently reached a $9 million settlement with Schneiderman over civil accounting fraud charges brought by Spitzer. But an appellate court also ruled that the insurance executive would be allowed to move forward with a portion of his lawsuit that said Spitzer had “acted with actual malice” in a quest to damage Greenberg’s reputation.

“POLITICS STOP AT THE FRONT DOOR.” – AMY SPITALNICK, spokeswoman for state Attorney General ERIC SCHNEIDERMAN While the claims of prosecutorial overreach are increasingly common, those claiming to be victims rarely fight back in court.

Critics say this is because fighting those court battles is expensive, and challenging a powerful law enforcement official can be intimidating. But it also remains clear that evidence of political motivations in prosecutions rarely comes to light.

“The prosecutors, they have terrifyingly enormous powers for good and for evil,” Kaehny said. “That’s the nature of power.”

■

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CityAndStateNY.com

November 13, 2017

AGENCY FOCUS

INTRODUCTION TO THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT KEY CONCEPT: The state Education Department’s mission is to raise the knowledge, skill and opportunity of all the people in New York.

STATISTICS TO KNOW: ■ 733 districts ■ 4,449 public schools ■ 308 charter schools ■ 210,496 public school teachers ■ 2,640,250 total K-12 public school students in the state

One of the primary roles that government plays is providing a public education. The state Education Department carries out that task in many ways, most visibly by educating public school students from prekindergarten through 12th grade. This part of the department’s work is carried out by the state Office of P-12 Education – and it’s no small task.

THE DEPARTMENT IS overseen by the state Board of Regents, whose members are voted into office by the state Legislature. The Board of Regents’ 17 members are unpaid and are elected for five-year

terms. The body is headed by Chancellor Betty Rosa, who works closely with state Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia on policy and strategy. We’ll hear from both of them in later this chapter.

City & State New York

November 13, 2017

% OF STUDENTS PROFICIENT IN GRADES 3-8 STATEWIDE 2016

2017

English language arts

37.9

39.8

Mathematics

39.1

40.2

a $2.1 billion increase, including an additional $1.8 billion in state funding through the Foundation Aid formula, which supplements local school district funds. The final state budget increased education aid by $1.1 billion, including $700 million through the Foundation Aid formula.

Finally, a big question each year is how well students perform on standardized tests and whether scores are on the rise. Due to a recent change, only 2016 and 2017 scores are comparable.

LET’S REVIEW That’s quite a lesson! How much did YOU learn?

1. How many school districts are there in New York?

2. How many members are there on the state Board of Regents?

3. How much did the state increase education funding last year?

Answers: 1) 733, 2) 17, 3) $1.1 billion

The department has many other duties beyond P-12 education, which are carried out by other offices. We’ll also learn more about some of them in this chapter, including: ■ The Office of Higher Education ■ The Office of Cultural Education ■ The Office of the Professions ■ The Office of Adult Career and Continuing Education Services The department also has an office dedicated to overseeing charter schools that are authorized by the Board of Regents.

The charter schools committee of the State University of New York’s board of trustees also authorizes charter schools in the state, and it set off a dispute with the state Education Department by easing its teacher certification standards.

Another matter that the department confronts each year is funding. To start the budget process, the Board of Regents adopts its budget proposal and makes its request for state education funding. A year ago, Rosa and Elia proposed

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CityAndStateNY.com

November 13, 2017

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY

Commissioner

MARYELLEN ELIA

on ensuring the same opportunities for every student in New York C&S: New York has submitted its plan to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. What are the biggest changes that will come out of that plan?

ME: The plan is actually on fostering equity for all students and schools across the state. When I say that, it’s important to understand that no matter where you live in New York state, you should have access to opportunities and programming that lead you to success. We have some school districts that are providing lots of opportunity, and we have others that we

really need to focus their attention on the kinds of things that will bring equity across every place. That’s a very important part of that plan.

Going along with that, the whole idea of expanding the measures that we provide for schools in terms of support and accountability, focusing on students and school success. For instance, we’ve added components in the indicators, so it’s not just focused on tests and assessments, but rather opportunities that schools are providing for their students.

To tie it to careers, schools will have an indicator on whether or not they’re providing access to college coursework that is Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate so that students can start to work toward the next step in their life while they’re in high school. It also talks about and supports the concept of improvement plans for our lowest performing schools. This parallels very well with the work that we’ve been doing with our existing low-performing schools in the state, focusing on indicators and tracking whether they’re really improving. There’s a major emphasis in the plan on supports for English language learners and multilingual learners as well as immigrant students and homeless youth and those students who are incarcerated in facilities across the state, so they have access to a solid education that can help them move forward and overcome challenges that are pretty substantial. The plan itself gets to academics, but it also supports students and families in social and emotional ways and really wants to make sure that equity is foremost in the minds of educators across the state.

C&S: Gov. Andrew Cuomo has warned of a looming state budget shortfall next year. What are you expecting in terms of funding for the state education department?

ME: There’s no question about the issues relating to constraints that we may have in New York. Some of the things are just unknown. We clearly have an agenda in Washington for tax changes that will bring up more issues for New Yorkers. We have to be able to be cognizant of the fact that in the federal system we could have changes that will greatly

aff ect what will happen in New York. We need to be careful in what we think is an important budget position for us, but also be aware of the constraints that the state has as a state and deal with those as well. People don’t often think about the fact that a federal budget related to Medicaid aff ects schools – and it does.

Many of our students get support and have resources within the schools that are actually funded through Medicaid funds, so all of these things have to be part of the plan for how we move forward in New York to fund a quality education for our kids, and do it within the constraints that we have. I know the governor is very focused on making sure that we support our students across the board, both in pre-K up through our K-12 system and then in our higher ed system. We have to make sure we’re working together for those same goals.

C&S: What impact will the governor’s Excelsior Scholarship, which covers additional tuition costs for many CUNY and SUNY students, have on your work?

ME: It’s overseen by the governor’s office and the Higher Education Services Corp., and it doesn’t, as a program, have any effect on our department. However, it’s critical for us all to work together on this. If you’re talking about opportunities that we have, the funding for students that are going to apply for the Excelsior Scholarship could be also seen as something that isn’t just in higher ed, that is, those students who already have a diploma. If you look at that in the context of, how can we use something that we say we want to make sure our kids have access to get a college degree, whether it’s an associate degree and a career and technical certification, or whether it’s a four-year university degree, how can we make sure that they are the most efficient with that as possible?

While we’re doing that, the ESSA plan is encouraging all of our schools across the state to provide students opportunities to get college credits while they’re in high school. So shouldn’t we be saying, all of these things should be joined and we should figure out the pulse points where we can come together to provide that kind of access.

City & State New York

November 13, 2017

SETTING NEW POLICIES

JHONE EBERT Senior Deputy Commissioner for Education Policy

C&S: Now that the state has submitted its plan to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, what are the next steps?

JE: We expect (the U.S. Department of Education) to give us initial feedback on our plan in December, and final signoff in January or February 2018. Then we’ll work with our stakeholders to develop implementation guidance for schools and districts. It’s exciting because our plan emphasizes the need to foster equity for all students throughout the entire education system. And it expands New York’s accountability measures beyond just student scores on the state math and (English language

arts) exams – and will now also include science, social studies, acquisition of English proficiency by English language learners and chronic absenteeism. And this list will evolve over time.

C&S: What does the Office of Higher Education do? What is one of the biggest initiatives the office is working on?

JE: The Office of Higher Education works to ensure that New York’s colleges, universities and proprietary, degree-granting institutions meet the highest standards for quality. Through our opportunity programs, OHE makes it possible for students who have traditionally been

underrepresented in higher education to get the support they need to get into college, stay there and graduate. And through the Office of Teaching Initiatives, OHE works to make certain that only qualified individuals are certified to teach and to lead our schools and school districts. OHE also works to ensure that educators have access to professional development opportunities that help them stay current with best practices.

The department is working with SUNY to identify and address the factors that make it difficult to recruit and retain high-quality teachers, particularly in certain subjects and in certain schools and districts.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

BETH BERLIN Executive Deputy Commissioner

C&S: What does the state Department of Education’s Office of Cultural Education do?

BB: The Office of Cultural Education includes the New York State Museum, New York State Library, New York State Archives, Public Broadcasting and Educational Television Office and the Summer School of the Arts.

The state Museum, Library and Archives collectively hold millions of artifacts, documents and images that document New York’s history, science, art and culture.

C&S: What about the Office of the Professions?

BB: The Office of the Professions helps to ensure the

public’s safety and protection through its oversight of more than 50 licensed professions – running the gamut from architecture to veterinary medicine. (The office) licenses professionals, ensures they remain current on the latest advances in their respective fields and, when necessary, takes disciplinary action against professionals who are found guilty of misconduct or neglect of duty.

C&S: Finally, what does the department do in terms of adult career training and conti nuing education?

BB: The department’s Office of Adult Career and Continuing Education Services offers employment and education

services through each of its program areas.

Vocational Rehabilitation is a direct service provider that helps youth and adults with disabilities prepare for and become employed.

Adult education provides basic literacy, math and English language instruction to older youth and adults who do not have a high school or equivalency diploma.

The Bureau of Proprietary School Supervision licenses and supports over 400 nondegree, post-secondary career schools. These institutions offer tuition-based instruction in hundreds of approved programs leading to family wage sustaining employment opportunities.

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CityAndStateNY.com

November 13, 2017

TEACHING THE TEACHERS Regents Chancellor BETTY ROSA on untangling the charter school teacher certification controversy C&S: What is the latest take on SUNY’s plan to ease teacher certification requirements for the charter schools that it authorizes?

BR: Well, I think you know my position hasn’t shifted, especially since I think that we, the regents and the commissioner, we have been pretty clear on our high expectations in terms of the standards. We’ve invested a lot of time on revamping our exams, and the certification, and GPA, with a lot of collaboration from the deans and higher ed people. Particularly with SUNY, we’ve been partnered with SUNY to do TeachNY as part of the recruitment process, and that is a big investment the commissioner has made with former (SUNY) Chancellor Nancy Zimpher. So in light of the fact that SUNY has made this major investment – and I’m talking about SUNY, not the SUNY (Charter Schools) Institute – on recruitment and teaching and the focus on the importance of a highly qualified teacher. It just seems to me that within the same institution, you’ve got two competing messages.

So for us, since we have invested so much time around the recruitment and the whole idea of preparing teachers to really go through a rigorous process to become certified, we are standing on our position and the importance of teacher preparation, and that of course includes the number of hours, the real experience, the student teaching, all of those elements that we believe are critical to a teacher being eff ective.

C&S: Do you have any sense of what the next steps are? How can this be resolved?

BR: I think that they did make some changes. The new changes were kind of a tradeoff, on the one hand they increased the number of hours that would be for training purposes, but they decreased the field experience. They went to 40 hours of field experience, while our teachers obviously do over 100 hours, so we are concerned about no student teaching being part of it.

This new proposal made some shifts, but in my humble opinion did not create an opportunity for a highly qualified teacher.

And we still stand on the fact it does create a two-tier system, and we are concerned about that as well. So we are standing on the fact that we are, at this point, having all kinds of discussions. There is at least one out there challenge, and so we are exploring our possibilities and at this time we are reviewing all of our options. I don’t think we have come to a definitive position – I mean, we have in terms of what we agree with and what we disagree with – but in terms of our next steps, we are exploring which is the best and most effective way to deal with the situation.

C&S: In the wake of Hurricane Maria, there are a number of Puerto Ricans coming to the mainland either temporarily or more long term. What does that mean for schools in New York?

BR: We have some students already in Rochester and Buffalo. Buffalo has done an amazing job in attracting – before the

storm, they were working with the University of Puerto Rico and the recruitment process to bring in additional teachers to support their English language learners.

New York City was doing something similar. So what has been done is the commissioner engaged the staff early on, right after the storm hit, not only creating conditions for teachers being welcoming and receptive and districts dealing with the havoc of children being traumatized by that and coming to the mainland. So there were guidelines that we gave to the field in order to respond to potential increases in students. We also looked at potential teachers that are certified in Puerto Rico that could be eligible also to support the students that are here, if they so choose to be here. We have been keeping tabs through various individuals that are on the ground. I’ve been having conversations with some of the people from those universities and others that are there. We are working constantly with the Somos network. We have been sharing a lot of information about what we foresee as the potential. Right now, the schools are in a horrific condition, children are really delayed, but there is a commitment for many families to remain on the island with the hope of rebuilding. So we’re anticipating some students coming. But you have to remember that in Florida, for example, the Orlando area has a large Puerto Rican population that has a lot of families, that they would probably get more students than we would in New York. Right now it’s wait and see.

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CityAndStateNY.com

November 13, 2017

THE CHARTER SCHOOL STANDOFF, EXPLAINED … and what the Education Department has to do with it

SUCCESS ACADEMY

By GRACE SEGERS

SUCCESS ACADEMY FOUNDER AND CEO EVA MOSKOWITZ PROTESTS OUTSIDE NEW YORK CITY HALL.

CHARTER SCHOOLS HAVE been a point of contention since they were established as part of the state’s public school system in 1998, when then-Gov. George Pataki threatened to veto a legislative pay raise as leverage to get the Charter Schools Act of 1998 through the state Legislature.

As established by the act, these schools are publicly funded and given five-year contracts – or charters – by the approved authorizers, either the state Board of Regents or the State University of New York’s board of trustees.

These privately operated public schools can design their own curricula, with the goal of providing a higher standard of education, and are held accountable for student achievement through renewable contracts.

Once the Board of Regents has authorized a charter, the state Education Department’s charter school office oversees the day-to-day

activities of the schools, and conducts reviews and site visits. The SUNY Charter Schools Institute conducts similar administrative duties for the SUNY board of trustees. Students, who are selected to attend charter schools by lottery, achieve higher exam scores on average than their regular public school counterparts.

While proponents of charters see them as providing an alternative choice for parents who want to see their children succeed, critics fear that they divert resources away from students in regular public schools. The act was amended in 2007 and 2010 to establish higher caps on the number of schools allowed in the state. A 2015 compromise kept the limit at 460 charter schools, but allowed for 50 of those slots to be opened in New York City.

Supporters and opponents of charter schools have a long history of conflict, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is currently engaging

“LOWERING STANDARDS WOULD NOT BE ACCEPTABLE FOR ANY OTHER PROFESSION; THIS IS AN INSULT TO THE TEACHING PROFESSION.” – statement by Regents Chancellor BETTY A. ROSA and state Education Commissioner MARYELLEN ELIA

SUCCESS ACADEMY

City & State New York

November 13, 2017

in a war of attrition with Success Academy Charter Schools by refusing to provide the charter school network with space for new middle schools. Conflict has even broken out between the two authorizers of charters over what constitutes appropriate teacher certification standards.

In October, the SUNY board of trustees approved a plan to revise the requirements for charter school teachers that it certifies, including 160 hours of classroom instruction and 40 hours of field experience. The original proposal had required 30 hours of classroom instruction and 100 hours working in a classroom, and was criticized by state Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia as being less rigorous than training to work at a fast food restaurant. The requirements for

charter school teacher certification under the state Board of Regents’ approval process are the same as those for teachers in regular public schools.

Elia and Board of Regents Chancellor Betty Rosa remain critical of the revised plan, saying in a joint statement that it was “an insult to the teaching profession.” A state Education Department spokesperson added that the proposal “will allow inexperienced and unqualified individuals to teach those children who are most in need – students of color, those who are economically disadvantaged, and students with disabilities – in SUNY-authorized charter schools.”

SUNY and the state Education Department previously collaborated on TeachNY, an initiative to improve teacher preparation.

Elia and Rosa noted in a letter sent to the SUNY board of trustees in September that the proposal to revise charter school teacher certifications was in direct contrast to this program. The spat over teacher certification requirements may not only show a gulf between the SUNY board of trustees and the Board of Regents, but between the work done

by SUNY through TeachNY and its board.

As the standards for charter schools operated by SUNY and those overseen by the Board of Regents diverge, it may affect the other ongoing fights over charters.

Success Academy is authorized by SUNY, and having different teacher certification requirements may affect who applies to teach at their schools and, ultimately, the quality of the education.

■

TRAINING DAYS The charter schools committee of the SUNY board of trustees recently approved a controversial new plan to revise teacher certification requirements for charter schools that it oversees. These requirements differ from those authorized by the state Board of Regents and state Education Department, which are the same for public and charter school teachers. Here are the requirements for teachers to be certified by SUNY and NYSED: NYSED ■ Completion of an approved teacher education program in a New York college or university, or, if applying from out of state, completion of a comparable approved teacher preparation program and a bachelor’s degree ■ 765 hours of classroom instruction ■ 100 hours of “field experience” ■ Two 20-day placements or one 40-day placement as a student teacher ■ Passing a content specialty test, the Educating All Students test and the edTPA teacher certification exam

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SUNY ■ Bachelor’s degree in any subject with at least a 3.0 GPA at an accredited institution or a master’s degree in education ■ 160 hours of classroom instruction, with at least 20 hours of students with disabilities training ■ 40 hours of “field experience” in teaching, with six hours focused on assisting students with disabilities ■ Passing one examination that may be edTPA, the state teacher certification exam or the Educating All Students test

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CityAndStateNY.com

November 13, 2017

PUBLISHER'S SECTION

Certificate Program orMaster’s Degree?

Figuring out which path is right for you

By Caitlin Dorman

City & State New York

November 13, 2017

NEW YORKERS INTERESTED in public service, the nonprofit sector or law should consider the benefits of pursuing a level of education beyond a fouryear degree. Going back to school can be daunting, but luckily there are plenty of continuing education options in New York, from noncredit certificate programs at CUNY to a master’s degree at an Ivy League university.

Choosing between these options, the first limiting factor would be how much time and other resources can be committed. While a secondary degree is highly prestigious, certificates are less time-consuming and less expensive. Certificate programs are also quite abundant, with a range of classroom models to fit a variety of needs.

At the Coro New York Leadership Center, courses aim to help already active citizens get the skills they need to enact further change in their communities. Garrett Lucien, a Coro alumnus and director of the Neighborhood Lead-

ership program and the Immigrant Civic Leadership program, explained how the environment differs from a more traditional classroom. “A school approach is somebody teaching you something, but at Coro, it’s about building experience.

We’re not teaching them per se, but putting them into situations where they can use their own expertise, and the cohort of group knowledge, to come together and come up with new strategies.”

Lucien added that an integral aspect of the program is facilitating connections between different community players in the five boroughs. “A lot of times, a Brooklyn person may know other Brooklyn people, but this gets them to know other people and other things going on out in the Bronx or Staten Island that are relevant to them.”

New York University’s School of Professional Studies provides a more traditional academic setting, with a range of classes that culminate in certificates, digital resume badges and diplomas,

TAKE YOUR CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL JOB

JOB

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among other options. Patricia Moran, director of the George H. Heyman Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising, explained why these certificates are so useful to people in the field. “Fundraising and grant-making are interesting professions. People don’t often go to college to learn those skills, but they have a commitment to the mission of their organization, so we provide them with the tools they need to be more effective.” She added the program provides those tools through a curriculum “that looks at both the skills that are needed in these professions as well as theory, history and an understanding of the operations behind it.”

According to an alumnus, the approach works. “I started (in) the certificate in fundraising part-time in 2014, after realizing I wanted to change careers … It helped me move more fully into a new career without the added expense of a second master’s degree,” said Michele Amendolari, a former therapist

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CityAndStateNY.com

November 13, 2017

COLUMBIA SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES' CINDY LOTT CALLS MINORITY VOICES ESSENTIAL.

and current major gifts officer at a college in the New York metropolitan area.

Certificates are a popular approach for anyone interested in working as a paralegal. Some institutions offer fullfledged degrees, but they are uncommon in a field that traditionally required only a four-year bachelor’s degree.

Richard Olivieri, the director of the paralegal program at Long Island University’s School of Professional and Continuing Studies, attributed the certificate craze to credential inflation. “In some of the big law firms in Manhattan, you need a four-year degree to work in the mailroom, so there is this need to get additional skills in order to make yourself more marketable,” he said. Cynicism aside, Olivieri added, “I’ve definitely seen a change in the past few years, people doing the program are not just PUBLISHER’S SECTION

on the path to paralegal work, and then maybe law school. Now we’re having people from all different areas, including government, public sector and private sector, who just feel that they need knowledge in the law, how it works, how it’s applied.”

At the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy, both certificates and a master’s degree in public administration are available to applicants. Professor Ellen Rubin described students as coming from two distinct places. “Some are young, with a few years of experience. They don’t find what they’re doing that interesting and they’re thinking of changing career paths,” she said. “We provide them with the skills and credentials to be competitive in the application process, along

with letting them test out the water to see if a career in government or nonprofits is really for them.” Meanwhile, the other cohort of students consists of “individuals with a lot of experience in government or politics who are interested in moving into a managerial or analysis-heavy position, and we help them enhance and improve their skill set so they are qualified for that upward mobility.”

Albany’s goals extend beyond academic enrichment for the duration of enrollment. One year out of the master’s in public administration program, there is a 98 percent job placement rate in relevant career fields. “We take career placement very seriously, and we do a lot of work to keep in touch with the places our alumni or interns go on to work at, to see what’s working and what’s not,” Rubin said.

An MPA is not the only option for someone considering a career shift or advancement in the nonprofit world, specifically. Columbia University recently reconstituted its fundraising degree into a program focused solely on nonprofit management. Current student Megan Candio spent 10 years as an opera singer before a battle with cancer and a fortuitous Google search brought her to Columbia. A year later, Candio is taking three classes a semester and served as the operations manager for Shelley Brindle’s mayoral campaign in Westfield, New Jersey.

Originally, Candio saw herself going into something arts-related, but she credited the degree program for introducing her to an undiscovered interest in politics.

Cindy M. Lott, who serves as the academic director for the nonprofit management program at Columbia’s School of Professional Studies, felt it was essential that her program could meet people at their different modalities. With the start of the 2018-2019 academic year, the nonprofit degree will be available online and the larger Columbia School of Professional Studies offers a fellowship with historically black colleges or universities.

“It’s really important that we have mi-

City & State New York

November 13, 2017

“IN SOME OF THE BIG LAW FIRMS IN MANHATTAN, YOU NEED A FOUR-YEAR DEGREE TO WORK IN THE MAILROOM, SO THERE IS THIS NEED TO GET ADDITIONAL SKILLS IN ORDER TO MAKE YOURSELF MORE MARKETABLE.” – RICHARD OLIVIERI, director of the paralegal program at Long Island University’s School of Professional and Continuing Studies

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nority voices, that we have had different communities that have been impacted and affected through charitable money through the years, but didn’t always have a say in the management piece of it, and we’re trying to make some change on that, to help those people get a seat at the table, and have their voices heard,” Lott said.

Regardless of which type of program an applicant chooses, and what slip of paper comes at the end of it, the sheer diversity of continuing education options in New York seems to indicate a widespread desire to create positive change. Describing recent trends in the people choosing to get involved with nonprofits, Lott said, “We have some activism going on, where people really do want to translate that into a career, and they want to make a difference. And not just young people, but also middleaged people, people who have retired and are saying ‘I’m not done yet, I have more to offer.’”

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CityAndStateNY.com

November 13, 2017

The must-read news source for New York’s nonprofits Edited by AIMÉE SIMPIERRE

CROSSING THE LINE How one nonprofit may have gone too far supporting a City Council candidate

By FRANK G. RUNYEON

CHRISTOPHER MARTE

I

T APPEARS THE 501(c)(3) Friends of Elizabeth Street Garden, which supported New York City Council candidate Christopher Marte, grew into what is effectively a political action group, possibly in violation of federal, state and local laws, according to experts consulted by City & State.

The group’s actions raised red flags and may be outright violations of laws barring campaign activity and substantial lobbying by tax-exempt nonprofits, such as 501(c)(3) organizations, according to several experts and a watchdog group. The experts reviewed research that was recently shared by a source on the condition of anonymity and verified

by City & State.

“For sure they should be investigated and someone should file a complaint about this,” said John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany and co-chairman of the New York City Transparency Working Group. “I would suspect that they could face significant fines and penalties from the IRS, maybe lose their nonprofit status.”

The group’s efforts to save the Elizabeth Street Garden, a popular community garden in Nolita, played a pivotal role in galvanizing opposition to New York City Councilwoman Margaret Chin but may have crossed a legal line in its support for Marte, who was Chin’s opponent, and in its criticism of Chin, charity experts said. Chin ultimately prevailed, winning 49.8 percent of the vote to Marte’s 36.9 percent.

Charities “are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating” in a political campaign, according to the Internal

CHRISTOPHER MARTE AT A PRESS CONFERENCE WITH FRIENDS OF ELIZABETH STREET GARDEN.

Revenue Service. Although federal authorities rarely investigate and penalize such behavior, experts said, the state Attorney General also has broad powers to penalize and dissolve offending charities.

When asked whether Friends of Elizabeth Street Garden was violating IRS rules, Jeannine Kiely, the group’s president, said the nonprofit “did not intend to advocate in support of or in opposition to any candidate for public office, but instead to educate the public and interested parties about issues related to the garden and our mission to preserve Elizabeth Street Garden as a unique public green, open space and NYC park.”

Marte said he was surprised by the idea that the nonprofit had crossed a line in its advocacy.

“This is the first I’ve actually heard of this. It’s not really the Friends of the Eliz – it’s the individual people of the community,” Marte said, adding, “I don’t really agree with the whole, kind of like, ‘special interests of the garden affecting our campaign.’”

The distinction between an individual’s political support and the organization’s political support is an important one, experts said, because while leaders can legally be politically active, a charity cannot. Over time, it appears the line between the group and its leaders became blurred.

Residents rallying to save a garden created the nonprofit in 2014. It became increasingly politically active and partisan as one of their own – “Christopher Marte, Garden volunteer,” as he is identified in the group’s

CHRISTOPHER MARTE

City & State New York

November 13, 2017

get-out-the-vote messages – faced off against a New York City Council member who threatened the place that they loved.

Chin was one of the few sitting council members who had a serious general election challenge this year. Marte, a community activist and former financial analyst, gave her a close race in the Democratic primary, and was back on the ballot in the general election on the Independence Party line.

Marte told City & State that he grew up four blocks from the garden and used to volunteer there, befriending other people who loved the green space. Now, he said it has been one of the top issues in his campaign because Chin’s desire to build on the plot is “a symbol of the current council office” in terms of “the lack of transparency, the lack of engagement, the lack of listening to the community” and looking at alternative sites for new senior housing.

The garden played a major role in the election, Emily Hellstrom, a board member for the nonprofit, told City & State in a recent interview. It has “galvanized people to vote for a change this year, vote for Christopher Marte,” Hellstrom said. “Because they know District 1 can do better.” Later, however, Hellstrom noted that Friends of Elizabeth Street Garden cannot participate in politics due to its 501(c)(3) status.

Friends of Elizabeth Street Garden has thrown its support to Marte, experts said, by praising him repeatedly while criticizing Chin in public statements by the organization, and by inviting him and not her to events. A review of social media postings shows Marte attended at least eight of the nonprofit’s events, including “Wake Up Campaign” events, since May 2016. Chin has never been invited to a Friends of Elizabeth Street Garden event, according to a spokesperson from her campaign.

Kiely did not say whether the nonprofit ever extended invitations to Chin, but did say that its events are open to the public and that anyone interested in attending is welcome.

“We have a broad mailing list that includes residents, small business owners, community and parks organizations and current and former staff members of city, state and federal officials, but all who are interested in attending our events are welcome,” she said. “This includes current and former staff for Chin.”

While charities can organize candidate forums, they cannot host an event explicitly endorsing a candidate, said Allison Grayson, a policy director at Independent Sector, who educates nonprofits on how to advocate for their causes within the rules.

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“I DON’T REALLY AGREE WITH THE WHOLE, KIND OF LIKE, ‘SPECIAL INTERESTS OF THE GARDEN AFFECTING OUR CAMPAIGN.’” — CHRISTOPHER MARTE, then a New York City Council candidate “You can walk really far up to the edge of something that looks like an endorsement and it’s still legal,” Grayson said. Still, there are limits. “The real issue is they need to invite both candidates.”

At a rally organized by the group in December 2016, Marte, holding a “Save the Garden” sign, called out to the crowd, “Where was she for the community? How can this be done in our neighborhood?

Where is Margaret Chin?” The video of his remarks was posted on his Instagram account along with a link to his campaign website: “Visit martenyc.com and join the movement.”

The nonprofit has raised $73,329 to date for its “Wake Up Campaign,” to fund protests, outreach, banners, signs and messaging, including email blasts to more than 6,000 members “to alert people who is for saving and who is for not saving the garden,” Hellstrom said.

Considering the group’s support for Marte, experts noted that the New York City Campaign Finance Board and state Joint Commission on Public Ethics, which mon-

itor lobbying, could deem the “Wake Up Campaign” and related activities to be unreported spending or spending exceeding legal limits, or that the organization itself is engaged in unregistered lobbying.

An email blast from Friends of Elizabeth Street Garden on Sept. 12, with the subject line “It’s Primary Day, VOTE! Save the Garden” read, “Councilmember Chin will destroy the Garden. Each of her challengers will save it! Margaret S. Chin, our only local elected official who is committed to destroying the Garden, faces three challengers in the Democratic primary, all who support saving the Garden: Aaron Foldenauer.

Dashia Imperiale. Christopher Marte, Garden volunteer endorsed by Garden supporter Downtown Independent Democrats.”

Kiely, the group’s president, has repeatedly endorsed Marte on her social media accounts. Also on Sept. 12, Kiely tweeted, “Campaigning for @ChrisMarteNYC since dawn!” Her Twitter bio first identifies her as “President, Friends of Elizabeth Street Garden,” but adds at the bottom, “Tweets and views my own.”

CHRISTOPHER MARTE HOLDS A RALLY IN CHATHAM SQUARE.

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CityAndStateNY.com / PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES

November 13, 2017 Notice of Formation of Inyoung Lee, DMD, PLLC. Arts of Org. filed with New York Secy of State (SSNY) on 9/26/17. Office location: New York County.

SSNY is designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: 230 E. 79th St, Off. 1, NY, NY 10075. Purpose: Dentistry.

November 13, 2017

Notice of Formation of Vitasquad NYC LLC. Arts of Org. filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 10/18/17. Office location: New York County.

SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 187 Wolf Rd, Ste 101, Albany, NY 12205.

The name and address of the Reg. Agent is Business Filings Incorporated, 187 Wolf Rd, Ste 101, Albany, NY 12205.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of KENNEDY LEWIS GP LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/18/17. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/15/17.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 80 Broad St., 22nd Fl., NY, NY 10004. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808.

Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

SIZS REALTY II LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/17/2017. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 111 Fulton St., Unit 608, NY, NY 10038. Reg Agent: Suhail Sitaf, 111 Fulton St., Unit 608, NY, NY 10038.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1306072 FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 425 7TH AVE NEW YORK, NY 10001.

NEW YORK COUNTY, FOR ONPREMISE CONSUMPTION. G & T 1 CORP. Dre on Demand LLC, Arts.

Of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/11/2017. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, Attn: Andrea M. Martin, 744 Floyd Street, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Notice of Qualification of 238 MADISON OWNER LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 9/27/17. Office location: New York County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 5/8/17. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011. DE address of LLC: 160 Greentree Dr., Ste 101, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St. Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901. The name and address of the Reg. Agent is National Registered Agents, Inc., 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of Reynolds Construction, LLC. The fictitious name is: REYNOLDS CONSTRUCTION OF NEW YORK, LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 9/6/17. Office location: New York County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 3/1/16. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011. DE address of LLC: 1209 Orange St, Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St. Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901. The name and address of the Reg. Agent is CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of VIVINT SOLAR NYC ELECTRICAL, LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 9/27/17. Office location: New York County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 9/25/17.

SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011. DE address of LLC: 1209 Orange St, Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901. The name and address of the Reg. Agent is CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of Wisdom Foods Randall’s Island, LLC d/b/a Ellary’s Greens. App. For Auth. Filed with NY Secy. of State (SSNY) 6/8/17. Office: NY County. LLC formed in DE 5/9/17. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: LLC 175 Varick St. 6th Fl., NY, NY 10014. DE addr of LLC: c/o Corp Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1306077 FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 394 COURT ST BROOKLYN, NY 11231.

KINGS COUNTY, FOR ONPREMISE CONSUMPTION. FRAGOLE ON COURT CORP.

Notice of Qualification of FRESCO MOBILE LLC..

Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) o n 9/22/17. Office location: New York County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 9/15/17.

SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011. DE address of LLC: 1209 Orange St, Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St. Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901. The name and address of the Reg. Agent is CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 614 Croton Farms LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 8/31/17. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 614 Croton Lake Rd., Bedford, NY 10549. LLC formed in DE on 8/29/17. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc., 10 E. 40th St., 10th Fl., NY, NY 10016, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Solid Step Properties, LLC App. for Auth. filed w/ SSNY 4/27/16. Off. in NY Co. Arts. of Org. filed w/ SSNV 1/22/16.

SSNY desig. as agt. of LLC whom process may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 116 W 87th St, Unit 8, NY, NY 10024. The prins. off. of the Foreign LLC maint. at same address. Name & add. of the auth. officer in NV where copy of Arts. of Org. filed: NV Sec. of State, 101 N Carson St, Ste. 3, Carson City, NV 89701.

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Notice of Qualification of CA II Flatbush TIC LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 9/29/17. Office location: New York County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 9/14/17.

SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011. DE address of LLC: 1209 Orange St, Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St, Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901. The name and address of the Reg. Agent is CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of OldSlip Logos LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 7/21/17. Office location: New York County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 5/3/12. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 1 State St Plz., Fl. 29, NY, NY 10004. DE address of LLC: 1013 Centre Rd, Ste 403-B, Wilmington, DE 19805.

Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St. Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of THE TRENDY GROUP USA LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/20/17. Office location: NY County.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of SIGHTWAY CAPITAL, LP Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/10/17. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/06/17.

Princ. office of LP: 100 Ave. of the Americas, NY, NY 10013.

Duration of LP is Perpetual.

SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to the Partnership, Attn: General Counsel at the princ. office of the LP. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808-1674. Cert. of LP filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of ZAPALIT MANAGEMENT LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/27/17. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/17/17. Princ. office of LLC: 595 Madison Ave., 29th Fl., NY, NY 10022. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St. #4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of Overhill Bar Bldg, LLC. Arts of Org. filed with New York Secy of State (SSNY) on 9/13/17. Office location: New York County.

SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 815 King St, Port Chester, NY 10573 Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of formation of Smallwood Properties, LLC filed with SSNY 6/7/17. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon who process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC Attn. Nicole Traub, 35 Grove St Apt 4F, NY, NY, 10014.

Purpose: any lawful purpose HAYS CPA LLC. Filed with SSNY on 6/26/17. Office: Richmond County.

SSNY designated as agent for process and shall mail to: 370 St. Marks Place, Staten Island, New York, 10301. Purpose: any lawful

Notice of Qualification of Tennessee Industrial Electronics, LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 9/26/17. Office location: New York County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 8/5/14.

SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 111 8th Ave, Fl. 13, NY, NY 10011. DE address of LLC: 1209 Orange St, Wilmington, DE 19801.

Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of Corbin Equity Fund, L.P. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 9/28/17. Office location: New York County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 9/25/17.

SSNY is designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 590 Madison Ave, Fl. 31, NY, NY 10022. DE address of LP: 1209 Orange St, Wilmington, DE 19801. List of names and addresses of all general partners available from SSNY. Cert. of Limited Partnership filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St, Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901. The name and address of the Reg. Agent is CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

EVERYBODY BROW BAR, LLC. filed with SSNY 7/18/17.

Office loc: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, Attn: Rebecca Hoffman, 25 West 13th St, NY, NY 10011.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

SHAMPS BEVERAGE, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/15/2017. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 990 Avenue of the Americas Apt 9J, NY, NY 10019.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

150 WEST END AVE SUITE 1 LLC Art. Of Org. Filed Sec. of State of NY 7/7/2017. Off. Loc.: New York Co. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY to mail copy of process to The Limited Liability Company, 118-21 Queens Boulevard, Suite 520, Forest Hills, NY 11375. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of Advanced Skill Development, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/21/17. Office location: Richmond County.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: Paracorp Incorporated, 2804 Gateway Oaks Dr. #200, Sacramento, CA 95833-3509.

Purpose: any lawful activities.

PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES / CityAndStateNY.com

November 13, 2017 Notice of Formation of Kenmare Productions LLC. Arts of Org. filed with New York Secy of State (SSNY) on 10/26/17. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 3 E. 84th St, #4, NY, NY 10028.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of Tony Mac Media LLC. Arts of Org. filed with New York Secy of State (SSNY) on 10/23/17. Office location: New York County.

SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 225 W. 70th St, Apt 4F, NY, NY 10023.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

432 PARK JOY, LLC Art. Of Org. Filed Sec. of State of NY 10/27/2017. Off. Loc.: New York Co. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY to mail copy of process to The LLC, c/o Edelstein Law Group, P.C, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Qualification of COA 200 E 34TH LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/16/17.

Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/27/17. Princ. office of LLC: 1500 Broadway, Ste. 2301, NY, NY 10036. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: A developer for residential condos.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM Notice of Formation of RA 4720 Third Ave LLC. Arts of Org. filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 10/17/17. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011. The name and address of the Reg. Agent is National Registered Agents, Inc., 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of BOB LESSER, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/19/17. Office location: NY County. Latest date on which the LLC may dissolve is 12/31/2065. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 360 W. 22nd St., #17, NY, NY 10011.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF FORMATION of COMMON CONCEPTS LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY 11/07/14. Office loc: NY County. SSNY designated agent upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to LLC c/o US Corporation Agents, Inc, 7014 13th Ave, Ste 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of TWO SIGMA VENTURES, LP Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/10/17.

Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/06/17. Princ. office of LP: 100 Ave. of the Americas, NY, NY 10013. NYS fictitious name: TWO SIGMA VENTURES, LP 1. Duration of LP is Perpetual.

SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to the Partnership, Attn: General Counsel at the princ. office of the LP. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808-1674. Cert. of LP filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Application for Authority of Tiger Path Ventures, LLC filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) 10/19/17. Formed in DE 10/18/17. Office loc.: NY County. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The principal business loc. and address SSNY shall mail copy of process is 166 E. 63rd St., Apt. 11C, New York, NY 10065. The office address in DE is 203 NE Front St., Ste. 101, Milford, DE 19963.

Cert. of Formation filed with Jeffrey W. Bullock, DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corporations, PO Box 898, Dover, DE 19903.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of 18 Amalfi Enterprises, LLC. Arts of Org. filed with New York Secy of State (SSNY) on 10/4/17. Office location: New York County.

SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 8 W. 40th St, Fl. 6, NY, NY 10018.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of KRL 175 Pearl LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 10/6/17. Office location: New York County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 3/21/17.

SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011. DE address of LLC: 160 Greentree Dr., Ste 101, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St, Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901. The name and address of the Reg. Agent is National Registered Agents, Inc., 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 903 PARTNERS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/17/17. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/06/17. Princ. office of LLC: 1270 Ave. of the Americas, Ste. 1815, NY, NY 10020. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Investment advisor to venture capital funds.

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Notice of Formation of Weingold Law PLLC. Arts of Org. filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 10/5/17. Office location: New York County.

SSNY is designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: 187 Wolf Rd, Ste 101, Albany, NY 12205. The name and address of the Reg. Agent is Business Filings Incorporated, 187 Wolf Rd, Ste 101, Albany, NY 12205. Purpose: Law. Notice of Qualification of Aircraft Hangar Services LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 10/17/17.

Office location: New York County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 9/8/17.

SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to3500 S. DuPont Hwy, Dover, DE 19901.

DE address of LLC: 3500 S. DuPont Hwy, Dover, DE 19901.

Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St, Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of JUST ANOTHER BRAIN LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/18/17.

Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/25/17. Princ. office of LLC: 33 W. 60th St., 2nd Fl., NY, NY 10023. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Michael Rabadi at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, P.O. Box 898, Dover, DE 19903.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

The Marketing Arsenal LLC filed with SSNY 10/24/17. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 75-25 l53rd St. Apt PH9, Kew Gardens Hills, NY 11367. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of 170 Westside Market, LLC. Arts of Org. filed with New York Secy of State (SSNY) on 9/18/17.

Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 148 W. 24th St, Fl. 3, Apt 3A, NY, NY 10011.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of SUN FLATBUSH LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 8/10/17. Office location: New York County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 6/30/17.

SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: 31 W. 34th St, Ste 1012, NY, NY 10001. DE address of LLC: 1013 Centre Rd, Ste 403-B, Wilmington, DE 19805. Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St, Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Opuscule, LLC. Arts of Org filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) 1/12/17. Office loc: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC to: 7014 13th Ave., Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. Principal bus addr of LLC: 347 Manhattan Ave., #3B, NY, NY 10026 Purpose: any lawful act or activity Notice of Formation of FH 65 Associates LLC. Arts of Org. filed with New York Secy of State (SSNY) on 8/31/17. Office location: New York County.

SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 20 W. 47th St, Ste 205, NY, NY 10036.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Empower-U LLC, Arts. of Org. filled with SSNY 10/16/17.

Office loc: Richmond County.

SSNY designated agent upon whom process against the LLC maybe served. SSNY shall mail process to: Empower-U LLC : Attn: Clifford Leconte, P.O. Box 40630, Staten Island, NY. 10304.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Notice of Formation of MYU Media LLC. Arts of Org. filed with New York Secy of State (SSNY) on 9/8/17. Office location: New York County.

SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 75 West End Ave, # P7K, NY, NY 10023.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of Sidiki Dabo, MD, PLLC. Arts of Org. filed with New York Secy of State (SSNY) on 9/26/17. Office location: New York County.

SSNY is designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: 19 W. 34th St, Fl. PH, NY, NY, 10016. Purpose: Medicine.

Notice of Qualification of Durational Capital Management LP. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 10/13/17.

Office location: New York County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 9/21/17. SSNY is designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 107 Grand St, Fl. 7, NY, NY 10013. DE address of LP: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808.

List of names and addresses of all general partners available from SSNY. Cert. of Limited Partnership filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St, Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of Sun Flatbush Manager LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 9/29/17. Office location: New York County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 9/14/17. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011. DE address of LLC: 1209 Orange St, Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St, Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901. The name and address of the Reg. Agent is CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, NUMBER # 1305949, FOR BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 2458 JERICHO TPKE GARDEN CITY PARK, NY 11040.

NASSAU COUNTY, FOR ON PREMISE CONSUMPTION. 4 SEAN INC. Notice of Qualification of 130 EAST 12TH STREET DEVELOPERS LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 8/8/17. Office location: New York County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 7/12/17. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 900 3rd Ave, Fl. 17, NY, NY 10022. DE address of LLC: 1013 Centre Rd, Ste 403-B, Wilmington, DE 19805.

Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St, Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of 170 Westside Enterprises, LLC. Arts of Org. filed with New York Secy of State (SSNY) on 9/18/17. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 148 W. 24th St, Fl. 3, Apt 3A, NY, NY 10011.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

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Notice of Formation of JMAB BOWERY LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 8/17/17. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Margaret D. Baisley, Esq., 561 Broadway, Ste. 9B, NY, NY 10012, principal business address.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

PULCINO LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/05/2017. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 250 E 63rd St. Apt #711, NY, NY 10065. Reg Agent: NYSCORPORATION. COM, 1971 Western Ave, # 1121, Albany, NY 12203.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

TEMPEST PRODUCTIONS, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/19/2017.

Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 36-40 11th Street, Long Island City, NY 11106. Reg Agent: NYSCORPORATION. COM, 1971 Western Ave, # 1121, Albany, NY 12203.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Notice of Qualification of ACQUA DI PARMA LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/17/17. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/03/06.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Dept. of State, Div. of Corps. and LLC, P.O. Box 898, Dover, DE 19903.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

OTTO GREY, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 10/03/2017.

Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, Attn: Laura Miller, 330 W 145th St #508, NY, NY 10039.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1306208 FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 426A 7TH AVE BROOKLYN, NY 11215.

KINGS COUNTY, FOR ONPREMISE CONSUMPTION. LIGURIAN BROS INCORPORATED.

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CityAndStateNY.com / PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES

Notice of Formation of Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/06/17.

Office location: NY County.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Babycakes NYC, Inc., 248 Broome St., NY, NY 10002.

Purpose: any lawful activities.

Notice of Qualification of 30 Flatbush TIC LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 10/3/17. Office location: New York County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 9/14/17.

SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011. DE address of LLC: 1209 Orange St, Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St, Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901. The name and address of the Reg. Agent is CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of YORKTOWN ASSETS SERVICES LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/30/17.

Office location: NY County.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of DANSKAMMER INVESTMENTS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/25/17. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/07/17.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 19 WEST 44TH STREET MEZZ IV, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/11/17. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/11/17.

Princ. office of LLC: 430 Park Ave., 12th Fl., NY, NY 10022.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543, regd. agent upon whom and at which process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John B. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 19 WEST 44TH STREET JV, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/11/17. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/04/17.

Princ. office of LLC: 430 Park Ave., 12th Fl., NY, NY 10022.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543, regd. agent upon whom and at which process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John B. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity Notice of Formation of Daniel Goldweit, D.M.D., PLLC. Arts of Org. filed with New York Secy of State (SSNY) on 10/17/17. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 140 Riverside Blvd, Apt 608, NY, NY 10069. Purpose: Dentistry.

Notice of Formation of BMJ SALTAIRE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/16/17. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: c/o Moses & Singer LLP, Attn: Gideon Rothschild, Esq., 405 Lexington Ave., NY, NY 10174-1299.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Respectful Productions LLC. Arts of Org filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) 7/10/17.

Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail any process to: The LLC, Attn: James Flanagan, 508 E 79th Apt 4F. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of Entiere 17th Street Tenant LLC. Arts of Org. filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 10/27/17. Office location: New York County.

SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 29 W. 17th St, FL. 9, NY, NY 10011.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

PUBLIC NOTICE AT&T proposes to modify an existing facility (new tip heights 415’ & 424’) on the building at 80 Broad St, New York, NY (20170999). Interested parties may contact Scott Horn (856809-1202) (1012 Industrial Dr., West Berlin, NJ 08091) with comments regarding potential effects on historic properties.

November 13, 2017 Notice of Qualification of Hero Traveler LLC. Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/06/17. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/16/17.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: 44 West 28th St., 8th Fl., NY, NY 10001. Address to be maintained in DE: 1013 Centre Rd., Ste. 403S, Wilmington, DE 19805. Arts of Org. filed with the Secy. of State, DE Division of Corporations, 401 Federal St. - Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: any lawful activities.

Notice of Qualification of Van Wagner Telecom, LLC. Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/02/17.

Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/29/17.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Van Wagner Group, LLC, 800 Third Ave., NY, NY 10022. Address to be maintained in DE: 160 Greentree Dr., Ste. 101, Dover, DE 19904. Arts of Org. filed with the Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: any lawful activities.

REFEREE’S NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE SUPREME COURT – COUNTY OF KINGS U.S. BANK, NATIONAL A S S O C I AT I O N , A S SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO BANK OF AMERICA, N.A. AS SUCCESSOR TO LASALLE BANK, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR THE HOLDERS OF THE MERRILL LYNCH FIRST FRANKLIN MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE LOAN ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 20071, Plaintiff – against – JOSEPH O. LORMEJUSTE, et al Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on October 17, 2017. I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction, in Room 224 of Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 on the 14th Day of December, 2017 at 2:30 p.m. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York.

Premises known as 4011 Hubbard Place, Brooklyn, NY 11210. (Block: 7813 and Lot: 146 f/k/a part of Lot 45) Approximate amount of lien $891,527.07 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed judgment and terms of sale.

Index No. 508366/2014.

Steven Naiman, Esq., Referee.

Davidson Fink LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 28 East Main Street, Suite 1700 Rochester, NY 14614-1990 Tel.585/760-8218 Dated: October 20, 2017

THE ANNUAL RETURN OF THE FRANKLIN FUND FOR THE YEAR ENDED June 30, 2017 is available a t its principal office located at FARKOUH, FURMAN & FACCIO LLP 460 PARK AVENUE, 12TH FL, NEW YORK, NY 10022 for inspection during regular business hours by any citizen who requests it within 180 days hereof. Principal Manager of the Foundation is SHEILA FRANKLIN LIEBER. Notice of Formation of Big & Fast, LLC. Arts of Org filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/25/17. Office loc: NY County.

SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process to: US Corp. Agents Inc., 7014 13th Ave, #202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. Princ bus addr: 210 E 90th St #4B NY, NY 10128.

Purpose: any lawful act.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1306339 FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR

BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 145 E 49TH ST NEW YORK, NY 10017.

NEW YORK COUNTY, FOR ONPREMISE CONSUMPTION. ABAITA 49 EAST LLC & SSUBURANDCO LLC. Notice of Qualification of 72andSunny Midco LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 10/26/17.

Office location: New York County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 6/6/13. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011. DE address of LLC: 1209 Orange St, Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St, Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901. The name and address of the Reg. Agent is CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of formation of CENTRAL PARK WEST RESIDENCY LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 09/19/2017. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process served against the LLC to CENTRAL PARK WEST RESIDENCY LLC C/O LAW OFFICE OF Z. TAN PLLC 110 E. 59th Street, Suite 3200 New York, NY 10022 Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of Inflection Point Advisors, LLC filed with SSNY on 10/18/17.

Office loc: NY County. SSNY designated agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 150 E 77th St, Apt. 14C, NY, NY, 10075. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

CITYANDSTATENY.COM FAMILY COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK: COUNTY OF QUEENS SUMMONS Docket No.: B-16889/15 ------------------------------X In the Matter of NOEL SEAN CJ IVAN WEBB A/K/A NOEL WEBB, A dependant child, under the age of 14 years, to the custody of Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York, alleged to be a permanently neglected and abandoned child, pursuant to Section 384b of the Social Services Law. -----------------------------X IN THE MATTER OF THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK: TO: CALVIN REID COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SERVICES OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK A verified Petition having been filed in this Court alleging that the above-named child in the care of Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York, the petitioner, is a permanently neglected and abandoned child as defined by Article 6, Part 1 of the Family Court Act and Section 384-b of the Social Services Law. YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to appear before the Family Court at 151-20 Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, New York, Part 1, 2nd floor on the 5th day of January, 2018 at 9:30 o’clock in the forenoon of said day to show cause why the Court should not enter an Order depriving you of all the rights of custody of NOEL SEAN CJ IVAN WEBB A/K/A NOEL WEBB, awarding the custody of said child to the petitioning authorized agency as a permanently neglected and abandoned child as provided by law.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that if said child is adjudged to be a permanently neglected and abandoned child, and, if custody is awarded to said authorized agency, said child may be adopted with the consent of said authorized agency without further notice to you and without your consent.

In the event of your failure to appear, said failure to appear will result in the termination of all your parental rights to the child.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that your failure to appear shall constitute a denial of an interest in the child, which denial may result in the transfer or commitment of the child’s care, custody, guardianship or adoption of the child, all without further notice to the parents of the child.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that you are entitled to be represented by an attorney, and, if you cannot afford to retain an attorney, one will be appointed to represent you by the court free of charge to you.

Dated: August 25, 2015

By Order of the Court Vaunda L. Strachan Clerk, Family Court, Queens Co.

Notice of Qualification of MAYFLOWER VERNON HILLS INVESTOR, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/02/17.

Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/26/17. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, Attn: Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. The regd. agent of the company upon whom and at which process against the company can be served is Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of CLEANCHOICE ENERGY COMMUNITY, LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 9/26/17. Office location: New York County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 6/22/15. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 1055 Thomas Jefferson St, Washington, DC 20007. DE address of LLC: 1013 Centre Rd Ste 403-B, Wilmington, DE 19805. Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St. Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 353-357 Broadway Member LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 10/20/17. Office location: New York County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/16/17.

SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: 111 8th Ave, NY, NY 10011. DE address of LLC: 1209 Orange St, Wilmington, DE 19801.

Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St, Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of Small Packages, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/19/17. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Robert Fried, c/o Withum, 1411 Broadway, 9th Fl., NY, NY 10018.

Purpose: any lawful activities.

Notice of Formation of Ross Mechanical LLC. Arts of Org. filed with New York Secy of State (SSNY) on 10/30/17.

Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 1700 York Ave, Ste B2, NY, NY 10128.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES / CityAndStateNY.com

November 13, 2017 Notice of Formation of 11-11 creative, LLC filed with SSNY 7/17/17. Office: NY County.

SSNY designated agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to LLC: attn: US Corp Agents, Inc. 7014 13th Ave, Suite 202 Brooklyn, NY 11228 Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of ASCRX TECHNOLOGIES LLC, Arts of Org filed with SSNY 10/13/17.

Office loc.: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, Attn Abram Shulruff, 58 E First St #7E, NY, NY 10003.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1306294 FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR

BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 36-02 30TH AVE ASTORIA, NY 11103.

QUEENS COUNTY, FOR ONPREMISE CONSUMPTION.

Notice of Qualification of Level Z LLC, Fictitious Name: Level Z New York LLC. Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/10/17. Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/05/17. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: 21 West St., Apt 14j, NY, NY 10006. Address to be maintained in DE: Harvard Business Services, Inc., 16192 Coastal Hwy, Lewes, DE 19958. Arts of Org. filed with the Secy. of State, 401 Federal St, Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: any lawful activities.

DA’NOI SALON, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/02/2017. Office loc: Richmond County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 4108 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10308.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

GW ASTORIA LLC.

NOTICE OF FORMATION of SUMTYPE TECHNOLOGY, LLC. Arts of Org filed with Secy. Of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/19/17. Office location: NY County, SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to US Corp.

Agents Inc. 7014 13th Ave, #202, Brooklyn, NY 11228.

Purpose: any lawful act.

Accel Properties Group, LLC, Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) on Aug. 25, 2003 office in New York Co. SSNY Desig. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process 150-01 Northern Blvd., Flushing, NY 11354. Purchase: Real Estate Holding & Management.

Notice of Formation of ReImagining Student Excellence, LLC filed with SSNY 10/3/17.

Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: US Corp., 7014 13th Ave, Ste 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful act.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1306307 FOR LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 257 MALCOLM X BLVD BROOKLYN, NY 11233.

KINGS COUNTY, FOR ON PREMISE CONSUMPTION. JOHNSONS INDUSTRIAL CORP. Notice of Formation of HAMILTON EXHIBITION, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/31/17. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 1501 Broadway, 24th Fl., NY, NY 10036. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, NUMBER 1303903, FOR BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 743 E 187TH ST BRONX, NY 10458.

BRONX COUNTY, FOR ON PREMISE CONSUMPTION. 720 E 187TH STREET REST CORP.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

New York 2150, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY 07/31/2017. Office loc: NY Co. SSNY designated agent upon whom process against LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: US Corp Agents, Inc, 7014 13th Ave, Ste 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. LLC princ bus addr: c/o Harry Assouline, 233 W 83rd St, NY, NY 10024.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

HARRY ASSOULINE, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY 07/26/2017. Office loc: NY Co. SSNY designated agent upon whom process against LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: US Corp Agents, Inc, 7014 13th Ave, Ste 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. LLC princ bus addr: c/o Harry Assouline, 233 W 83rd St, NY, NY 10024.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

An advocacy campaign including CITY & STATE FIRST READ provides a targeted way to reach decision makers in NEW YORK GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS. CAMPAIGNS INCLUDE:

ADVOCACY MESSAGING OPEN-HOUSE PROMOTIONS NEW HIRE ANNOUNCEMENTS EVENTS & LOBBY DAYS Contact us at advertising@cityandstateny.com for advertising and sponsorship opportunities.

LEGAL NOTICES? WE CAN PUBLISH! CALL DANIELLE 212-268-0442, EXT 2039 LEGALNOTICES@CITYANDSTATENY.COM

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CityAndStateNY.com

November 13, 2017

CITY & STATE NEW YORK MANAGEMENT & PUBLISHING CEO Steve Farbman, President & Publisher Tom Allon tallon@cityandstateny.com, Vice President of Strategy Jasmin Freeman, Comptroller David Pirozzi dpirozzi@cityandstateny.com, Business & Operations Manager Patrea Patterson

Who was up and who was down last week

LOSERS BILL DE BLASIO That sound you hear is the soft weeping of the New York Post editorial board. The New York City mayor won a second term, soundly defeating GOP opponent Nicole Malliotakis and a handful of third party candidates. Although the de Blasio team was quick to tout his victory with two-thirds of the vote as a mandate, the mayor received fewer votes than he did in his first mayoral election. Still, despite low turnout and the unflattering testimony of a felonious former donor, de Blasio has four more years in office.

OUR PICK

OUR PICK

WINNERS

Democrats rode a “tsunami” to victory in races across the country last week, but Republicans are still in position to pass sweeping tax cuts. Which party gains the upper hand going forward may hinge on whether House and Senate Republicans can get on the same page on tax policy. While the GOP sorts things out in Washington, here are New York’s latest Winners & Losers.

PRODUCTION creativedepartment@cityandstateny.com Creative Director Guillaume Federighi, Senior Graphic Designer Alex Law, Graphic Designer Kewen Chen, Junior Graphic Designer Aaron Aniton, Digital Content Coordinator Michael Filippi, Multimedia Director Bryan Terry

ROB ASTORINO It was a double-whammy loss for the soon-to-be former Westchester County executive. The suburban home of Hillary Clinton leaned left on Tuesday, and Democratic state Sen. George Latimer swamped Astorino riding the blue wave, earning an impressive 57 percent of the vote.

With that, Astorino lost his seat and fell off the launching pad for a second run at governor’s mansion, ruling out a second run against Cuomo and clearing the way for a scramble for the Republican line in 2018.

THE BEST OF THE REST

THE REST OF THE WORST

MARIO CILENTO

ELIZABETH CROWLEY

LAURA CURRAN

BO DIETL

MARK HALL

JOSEPH MONDELLO

BEN WALSH

RICH SCHAFFER

His state AFL-CIO scored a victory when NY overwhelmingly voted con con con.

In a narrow win, she was voted the first female Nassau County executive.

The Proposal 3 vote was huge for the Adirondack Towns and Villages chief.

The next Syracuse mayor was the first independent to win in over 100 years.

EDITORIAL editor@cityandstateny.com Editor-in-Chief Jon Lentz jlentz@cityandstateny.com, Features and Opinions Editor Nick Powell npowell@ cityandstateny.com, Editor-at-Large Gerson Borrero gborrero@cityandstateny.com, New York Nonprofit Media Editor-at-Large Aimée Simpierre asimpierre@nynmedia. com, Managing Editor Ryan Somers, Digital Editorial Director Derek Evers devers@cityandstateny.com, Senior Reporter Frank G. Runyeon frunyeon@cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Jeff Coltin jcoltin@cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Dan Rosenblum drosenblum@nynmedia.com, Copy Editor Eric Holmberg, Editorial Assistant Grace Segers gsegers@cityandstateny.com

The family name did little in the face of rabid, anti-homeless shelter activism.

He got 1 vote for every 69 de Blasio votes.

It’s the kind of humor he’d appreciate.

ADVERTISING Vice President of Advertising Jim Katocin jkatocin@ cityandstateny.com, Account/Business Development Executive Scott Augustine saugustine@cityandstateny.com, Account/Business Development Executive Danielle Mowery dmowery@cityandstateny.com, Sales Associate Cydney McQuillan-Grace cydney@cityandstateny.com EVENTS events@cityandstateny.com Events Manager Lissa Blake, Senior Events Coordinator Alexis Arsenault, Marketing & Events Coordinator Jamie Servidio

Vol. 6 Issue 44 November 13, 2017

CIT YANDSTATENY.COM

@CIT YANDSTATENY

November 13, 2017

Cover by Guillaume Federighi

Tuesday was a rough night for the Nassau County GOP chairman ... ... but it wasn’t great for Suffolk County’s Democratic chairman, either.

WINNERS & LOSERS is published every Friday morning in City & State’s First Read email.

Sign up for the email, cast your vote and see who won at cityandstateny.com.

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