Hochul’s Budget Proposal Released + Stringer Explores Challenging Adams
No. 358 | Monday, January 22, 2024
The NYC Thorn is a weekly roundup of local political news compiled by members of NYC-DSA.
Local News
Governor Kathy Hochul proposed a $233 billion budget, a roughly $6 billion increase from last year’s budget. The relatively low increase is due in part to her opposition to raising taxes on the wealthy. The budget also includes the same "copy-and-paste" tough on crime formula that were used to address guns, now aimed at shoplifting.
Governor Hochul proposed requiring Buy Now, Pay Later lenders to obtain a license to operate in New York, which would allow the state to limit late fees and force companies to implement fraud protection.
A report from the Environmental Defense Fund and ElectrifyNY found that one in four New York State residents now lives within half a mile of an e-commerce mega-warehouse and resulting air pollution from hundreds of thousands of freight truck trips daily, disproportionately affects Black, Hispanic/Latino, and low-income populations.
The president of Local 1549, one of the largest locals of municipal workers union DC37, was expelled from the union after an audit revealed he used $30,000 in union dues to travel to and from work with a car service.
Election News
Tom Suozzi and Mazi Pilip, who are running in the special election to replace George Santos in New York's 3rd Congressional District, each submitted financial disclosures. Pilip's contained inconsistencies with previously filed disclosures, while Suozzi reported large incomes from his consulting roles taken on after he left Congress in 2022.
Scott Stringer, who ran for mayor in 2021, announced that he is considering a run against Adams in 2025.
Two $5000 contributions to Eric Adams' legal defense fund came from spouses of people who are doing business with the city, which is a likely violation of campaign finance law.
A week after announcing his intention to run for a newly vacant Assembly seat in the Bronx, district leader Yves Filius withdrew from the campaign and the Bronx Democratic Party instead nominated Landon Dais, a local attorney and consultant in the cannabis industry, for the seat. The election is scheduled for February 13th.
Jordan Wright, son of the Manhattan Democratic Party Chair Keith Wright, is planning to challenge Inez Dickens (D-Harlem) in New York's 70th Assembly District. Wright was previously campaign manager to Yusef Salaam, who ran against Dickens for a City Council seat last year.
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