NY Observer > Tom Suozzi

Paterson's Choices If Hillary Goes

Azi Paybarah — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:44:36 -0500

If Hillary Clinton’s becomes Barack Obama’s Secretary of State, Governor David Paterson fills her vacancy in the Senate. read more »

Tom Suozzi's Ticket to Albany?

Azi Paybarah — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 07:49:04 -0400

David Paterson just named a guy from Long Island—William Cunningham—to be his top aide. Will that pave the road to Albany for another Long Islander, Tom Suozzi? read more »

A Private Thank You for Clinton Backers, and an Appeal

Jason Horowitz — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:40:43 -0400

Hillary Clinton held a private meeting for supporters last night at Cipriani's, thanking them for their help during the primary.

Introduced by Senator Chuck Schumer, who spoke about local issues in Mount Vernon and Westchester County, Clinton addressed key supporters, including Hassan Nemazee, Alan Patricof, and Fred Hochberg, and elected officials like Tom DiNapoli and Tom Suozzi.

According to one of the attendees, Clinton did not discuss her future plans.

The event wasn't explicitly a fund-raiser, but at one point Patricof asked guests, once again, to work to help Clinton erase her campaign debt.

UPDATE: The attendee described Clinton as "very much at peace" and characterized the meeting as a sort of final thank you for the campaign. read more »

Paterson to Obama: I'll Campaign With You

Azi Paybarah — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:08:25 -0400

David Paterson spoke with Barack Obama around 2 p.m., he told reporters in Midtown during the New York State Democratic Party’s meeting.

“He asked me how the first two and a half months were going," Paterson said. "And I told him it might have even been more difficult than your campaign.” read more »

Scenes From (Outside) 41 Broad Street

Azi Paybarah — Fri, 23 May 2008 09:11:54 -0400

Here’s a ticket that intern Em Whitney and I scored as a souvenir from last night’s State Democratic Party fund-raiser at 41 Broad Street. Since the event was closed to the press, we didn’t actually make it inside, but we did get to chat with a few people outside about Hillary Clinton‘s presidential campaign and other topics of interest. read more »

Spitzer On Property Tax Relief

Azi Paybarah — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:50:34 -0500

Eliot Spitzer spoke about his his efforts to control rising property taxes, a major issue affecting local governments, at the Association of Towns annual meeting at the Hilton in Midtown this morning.

From the podium the governor said, "This year, we will continue with Medicaid cuts. We will continue to control our own spending, but property taxes must be addressed.

"And let me tell you something. We have tried many different ways to address the problem. read more »

Cuomo's Next Target: Big Healthcare Fraud

Azi Paybarah — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:03:23 -0500

Andrew Cuomo announced he’s conducting a major investigation of the healthcare industry that could explain why healthcare costs are so expensive.

According to Cuomo’s office, insurers have low-balled the cost of medical treatment, pushing off a majority of the expenses to customers. The companies being investigated include UnitedHealth Group, Ingenix and others.

Here’s an example of how the scheme worked, according to a public statement from Cuomo’s office:

United insurers knew most simple doctor visits cost $200, but claimed to read more »

Suozzi Says Property Tax Commission Will Use Subpoenas Lightly

Azi Paybarah — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:06:13 -0500

Eliot Spitzer has given his New York State Property Tax Commission the power of subpoena, but commission chairman Tom Suozzi told me today, “I can’t imagine any circumstances that we would use the subpoena powers."

Suozzi--who joined the governor in announcing commission members today in Albany, and was arriving in Rochester to be part of Spitzer's "Bringing the Budget Home" tour when I spoke to him--went on,"[I]f we try to get information from some entity, we’ll use [subpoenas] if we have to. But I can’t imagine what the circumstance would be.”

“The most important entity is going to be the school districts,” he said, when I asked what groups the commission may want information from.

When I then asked if they will look at groups like the teachers' union--which opposes limiting property tax because it is a major source of funds--Suozzi said, “I can’t imagine what we would need from them...[there is] no instance that I can think of where we would look at a union specifically.”

But he did add, “Of course we would look at salaries and benefits and pension” and “other costs” related to education professionals.

Tom Suozzi, Albany Guy

Azi Paybarah — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:59:13 -0500

I just ran into Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, who ran for governor on a platform of changing Albany's status quo (before Eliot Spitzer took on that fight).

He’s in high spirits right now, in the moments before Spitzer's state of the state speech here in the Capitol.

Suozzi is expected to sit in the Assembly Chambers right next to V.I.P. guests Chuck Schumer to his right, and Michael Bloomberg two seats away.

I asked if he felt vindicated that his message of cutting property taxes and changing the status quo had basically been adopted as Spitzer's platform. read more »

In State of State, Spitzer Says 'Get Real' on Property Tax

Azi Paybarah — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 09:30:06 -0500

Here are excerpts of Eliot Spitzer's State of the State speech, which he will deliver in Albany this afternoon.

In it, Spitzer says lawmakers have to "get real" about the property tax burden facing New Yorkers, co-opting a point raised by Tom Suozzi during the 2006 Democratic gubernatorial primary, and by Republican legislators.

The excerpts are after the jump. read more »