Bill Hammond

This morning, the New School hosted a panel discussion on whether Eliot Spitzer can regain his political capital. (The answer is already looking quite different in light of yesterday's special election.)

Some highlights:

Panelist Wayne Barrett of the Village Voice said "hallelujah!" about yesterday's results and said Democrats should be given a chance to control the entirety of state government.  read more »

A business associate of graffiti advocate Marc Ecko was busted. For graffiti.

The head of the NRA is going to attend Rudy Giuliani's fund-raiser.

The state comptroller thinks the governor's spending plan is unsustainable.

Bill Hammond looks at which lawmakers are tilting towards 1199.

The head of the state lobbying commission called the Times to say his mid-day trip to play curling is no more outrageous than going to an AIDS charity walk, or to church.

ReformNY is surprised that fixing Albany is considered fodder for presidential talk.

Albany Reform is the name of the party line that an Republican-backed Assembly candidate on Staten Island hopes to use.

But he may have some residency issues.

Ben wants Rock Hackshaw to be his City Councilman.

Barack Obama had unpaid parking tickets. Scandal quickly averted.

Juror Number 9 offers an exclusive, inside look at the Scooter Libby trial.

And above is my footage from a City Council hearing yesterday.

-- Azi Paybarah

Bill Hammond has the comptroller list from the independent screening panel. It's three people, not five.

Businessman Bill Mulrow NYC Finance Commissioner Martha Stark and Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman

Discuss.

-- Azi Paybarah

The Journal News reports that local anti-war activists are not happy with Hillary Clinton.

Write-ups of yesterdays MLK celebration at Al Sharpton's National Action Network are here, here and here.

Eliot Spitzer is making a mistake by not putting up a candidate in the race for state comptroller, says the editorial board of the New York Post.

Bill Hammond compares New York's health care spending to California's.

Friends of George Pataki could make millions from a real estate deal in Brooklyn.

Mike Bloomberg installed a clock in his bullpen to remind his staff how much time left they have to complete everything before he leaves office.

New York Republicans had a bad year, but they can always count on Staten Island.

Republican Senator Wayne Allard of Colorado will not seek re-election in 2008, which should make the Democratic National Convention in Denver that much more interesting.

The Pentagon is backing away from remarks made by a top official about boycotting law firms that defend detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

And a majority of women are living without a spouse.

-- Azi Paybarah

Bill Hammond takes issue with Alan Hevesi's refusal to campaign, and thinks it'll haunt the comptroller, even if he wins re-election.

Every time he puts out an audit about a village clerk with his hand in the till, Hevesi will face questions about his own sticky fingers. Hevesi's only chance for redemption is to throw himself on the mercy of the court of public opinion. That means accepting debates with Callaghan.

-- Azi Paybarah

We've heard a bit of muttering lately on the, er, slightly superficial question of Freddy's facial hair. When, we were asked, was the last time New York elected a mayor with a moustache?

The results of our extensive research aren't encouraging for the former Bronx Borough President. The last mustachioed mayor, John P. O'Brien, was a Tammany man who served less than a year in 1933 before being thumped by the clean-shaven Fiorello LaGuardia. O'Brien had a modest, Ferrer-like 'stache. If Freddy does decide to stick with it, though, perhaps he should go all the way and grow what we'll call a Van Wyck in honor of the first Mayor of Greater New York.

Henry Stern, who follows such things, explained to us the disappearance of moustaches from American politics in the second half of the 20th Century.

"Moustaches were dealt a heavy blow in the 1940s by the Fuhrer and by Governor Dewey," he said. "Harold Ickes [the FDR aide] described Dewey when he was running against Roosevelt as 'the little man on the wedding cake.'"

We can think offhand of two major moustaches on the city's political scene, belonging to Bernie Kerik and to the News's Bill Hammond. Neither man, we venture, will soon be running for public office.

As for Stern, he was agnostic on whether the moustache affects Freddy's chances of getting elected.  read more »

"If it became an impediment, I'm certain he would shave it," he said.

CORRECTION: We're really slipping here. Dinkins, of course, had a moustache! Not a Van Wyck, but no missing it. Things are looking up for Freddy.