Adams Corruption Roundup + Redistricting Maps Approved
The NYC Thorn is a weekly roundup of local political news compiled by members of NYC-DSA.
NO. 256 | Monday, February 7
Local News
Republicans and many suburban Democrats are opposing Governor Hochul's plan to override exclusionary zoning as a way to add more housing.
Governor Hochul's housing plan mostly preserves the state's 421-a abatement, a tax giveaway to real estate developers opposed by housing activists.
New HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión paid one of the steepest city worker conflict-of-interest fines ever in 2007, after accepting free home renovation work from a developer and subsequently approving their development plans in the Bronx.
Mayor Adams chief of staff Frank Carone has been subpoenaed as part of a federal racketeering case against Geico.
Politico reported that Mayor Adams has been spending time (and breaking veganism) with Johnny Petrosyants, a fraudster who was convicted of a money laundering scheme in 2014.
The state Senate confirmed Adrienne Harris as superintendent of New York's Department of Financial Services. The department is responsible for regulating insurance companies and mortgages, among other roles, which is interesting given Harris' previous work as a lawyer who defended financial institutions that engaged in predatory policies.
Mayor Adams named Rohit T. Aggarwala, an environmental policy expert who previously led the New York City Office of Long-term Planning and Sustainability, as New York’s chief climate officer.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and National Grid mutually decided to extend the deadline for a decision on expanding natural gas production at the Greenpoint Energy Center after activists and some local elected officials called on Governor Hochul to reject the permit. The new deadline is February 7th.
According to a report by New York Focus, the State's jails failed to adequately test patients for coronavirus during the recent omicron wave. Lack of testing and treatment in the State's jails were also a major failure in the initial wave, back in spring of 2020.
Elections
Governor Hochul signed new state redistricting maps into law and the New York City Council began the process of redrawing council district maps.
According to anonymous sources, former mayor De Blasio is considering running against Rep. Nicole Malliotakis now that her district includes parts of Park Slope, Sunset Park, and Gowanus.
The general consensus about the current redistricting process and the creation of the Independent Redistricting Commission was that it was doomed to fail due to inevitable gridlock. The commission was designed to be split between the political parties, and thus by design it was never independent.
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