Dennis Rivera

Mayor Bloomberg's budget director said that the governor's budget would create an $862 million shortfall for NYC.

Ken Raske and Dennis Rivera pen an op-ed letter today asking if Eliot Spitzer really has a plan to cover uninsured New Yorkers.

The letters exchanged by Spitzer and hospital lobbying groups are here.

Ryan Sager returns to the New York Sun with a bloggy website about politics.

246 36 city lobbyists and 428 of their clients face fines for not registering with the city clerk.

Rudy Giuliani said he'll campaign in Iowa next month, but declined to say much more about his family.

Barack Obama invested $50,000 in two companies whose major investors included his biggest political donors.

The Times editorial board said the conviction of Scooter Libby shows the administration cherry-picked favorable info about Iraq, and wasn't duped by faulty intelligence.

The Post editorial board wants to free Scooter Libby.

And the Politico published a criticism from Media Matters accusing them of excessive coziness with Washington Republicans.

-- Azi Paybarah

Hillary Clinton is fishing for the female vote.

Ben doesn't think much of her apparently big advantage among women.

Thrush doesn't think much of the analysis of her Southern accent.

Eliot Spitzer wondered aloud how hospital groups opposing his health care spending cuts can afford a $65 million advertising campaign.

Dennis Rivera, president of 1199 SEIU Healthcare Workers East, has some questions for Spitzer [added].

The downstate chairman of the Economic State Development Corporation will visit the Atlantic Yards site on March 22.

ReformNY said that a rules fight in the state Assembly is over.

Final campaign finance numbers are available for the recent hotly contested state Senate race in Nassau.

Consultant Dan Gerstein, who is no fan of the netroots, wondered why the big media outlets ignored Ann Coulter's f-bomb at a conservative convention recently.

Andrew Sullivan wondered if Vice President Dick Cheney should resign in light of his poor health and the conviction of his former chief of staff today.

Congestion pricing is gaining support in Stockholm. Can you feel the momentum?

And above is Brooklyn Tech senior Dwayne Jones, who said he was glad to see Mayor Bloomberg at his high school today, but wasn't quite sure whether he'd support him for President.

-- Azi Paybarah

More from Eliot Spitzer on Dennis Rivera and the 1199 ad campaign:

PRESSMAN: And when Rivera says that cuts are not reform, what do you say?

Gov. SPITZER: Well, you know, what we are doing is insuring 2.6 million New Yorkers, providing for better preventive care, insuring that we have primary care doctors. What he wants to do is keep funding bricks and mortar that has not been providing good care. So we're cutting here to invest over here. That is good health care.

The full transcript of the WNBC interview is here.

-- Azi Paybarah

Remember Hillary Clinton's tough talk yesterday about the impact New York hospitals would feel thanks to president Bush's proposed budget?

Well, Dennis Rivera and Ken Raske, guys who represent health care workers and hospitals, respectively, are putting Hillary's statements yesterday to work in their public campaign against Eliot Spitzer's budget.

In a letter the two men sent to Spitzer, and reporters, they quoted Hillary saying that GME "is one of the reasons why American health care is so good. Because we invest in the training of those who take care of us. That too is on the chopping block."

One thing worth noting is that before Hillary lavished praise onto the GME program yesterday and, ostensibly, took a swipe at Spitzer's budget, she explained where her information about some of these cuts were coming from.

From Hillary's remarks at yesterday's press conference:

"And Ken Raske just told me the budget eliminates Medicaid payments for something called Graduate Medical Education. Now that would cut, according to Ken's calculation, $1.2 billion to the state of New York."

It's safe to say Spitzer's information about the program was coming from someone else.

-- Azi Paybarah

Eliot Spitzer's budget will likely include $1.4 billion for NYC schools this coming year.

Departing union leader Dennis Rivera has a message for Spitzer: "We're not going to be a punching bag for anybody."

Spitzer and Sheldon Silver met but reached no deal about the comptroller, according to Fred Dicker.

Bill Hammond likes how Spitzer is acting tough in Albany.

Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman has a scathing report about Nassau County Clerk Maureen O'Connell, a Republican who just happens to be running for state Senate in next month's special election.

Mike Bloomberg's budget doubled the subsidy for the Atlantic Yards Project.

Although Rudy Giuliani supported the assault weapons ban as mayor, he doesn't anymore, according to a leading supporter in New Hampshire.

LI Rep. Peter King is convinced that Giuliani will run, and he's on board.

White House spokesman Tony Snow said Hillary Clinton thinks Hillary Clinton needs to take some responsibility for Iraq.

Mitt Romeny skirted federal campaign contribution limits by setting up campaign committees in three states that don't have those kind of caps.

And if you can get around the Times Select wall, Clyde Haberman looks at the unstoppable activist Michael Harris.

-- Azi Paybarah

Dennis Rivera is taking over a new super-union for national health care workers, leaving the New York-based 1199 SEIU. His replacement is George Gresham, currently the secretary-treasurer .

The major bump up for Rivera comes right when Eliot Spitzer is about to (what's Hillary's phrase for this kind of thing?) drop the hammer on health care spending in New York, and, presumably, look for more federal aid to offset some of the costs. That's where Rivera, now an official national union leader, may have an impact.

In other words, they'll be speaking to each other in slightly different negotiating positions.

Official statement after the jump.  read more »

-- Azi Paybarah

1199 SEIU, the powerful health care workers union, has announced that they're endorsing Republican state Senate candidate Maureen O'Connell in the special election in Nassau.

As Liz notes, the move is a sign of the tension that exists between union president Dennis Rivera and Governor Eliot Spitzer, who have very different views of health care spending. It's also an indication of the union's enduring (and pragmatic) alliance with Joe Bruno and the Senate Republicans who are, after all, still in the majority.

In the all-politics-is-local category, the 1199 announcement contains another reason for the endorsement: O'Connell is a former nurse who sided with them while serving in the Assembly. From the release:

"Among the highlights of O'Connell's healthcare record are her staunch support of major pieces of healthcare legislation including the Health Care Reform Act (HCRA), budget bills that restored billions to the Medicaid program and legislation that expanded Medicaid for persons diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer."

-- Azi Paybarah

For what it's worth--maybe a lot--the New York State AFL-CIO has put out a press release offering strong support to embattled Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno. Liz Benjamin, who had it first, notes that Bruno and 1199 boss Dennis Rivera like to go horseback riding together. Didn't horses get him into this mess?

New York State AFL-CIO Voices Support of Senator Bruno

ALBANY, NY -- (12/22/2006; 0930)(EIS) -- Denis Hughes, President of the 2 1/2 million member New York State AFL-CIO today issued the following statement:

"Throughout his career in public service, Joe Bruno has served the men and women of this state with great distinction. He has proven himself time and again to be a man of honor and unquestionable integrity.

"The labor movement has no better friend than Senator Bruno. He has consistently fought to protect and enhance the lives and well-being of working people, often at great political risk.

"Senator Bruno's lengthy and distinguished career speaks volumes to his character. As such, there should be no rush to judgment regarding his ability to lead.

"The New York State AFL-CIO fully supports Senator Bruno's leadership and looks forward to continuing to work with Senator Bruno, Speaker Silver, all members of the state legislature and Governor-Elect Spitzer in our efforts to further the cause of working men and women across this state."

UPDATE: Rivera's come out with his own statement of support.

-- Andrew Rice

And they're off ...

Crain's is reporting that the Greater New York Hospital Association and the powerful 1199-SEIU health care workers' union have finally thrown down the legal gauntlet and sued Governor Pataki to restore $110 million in Medicaid funding.

The lawsuit is the latest volley in a protracted budgetary ping pong game that has been playing out in Albany between Pataki, the Legislature, and the state's various powerhouse health care interests. In a nutshell, it asks the court to rule that the Legislature has the constitutional right to reinstate the funds and that the governor must enact them.

The lawsuit is also a pointed reminder of how much as changed since that March morning in 2002 when Dennis Rivera endorsed Pataki with the words: "Never in the history of 1199 SEIU, has a Governor of this State demonstrated such unwavering commitment to the delivery of quality healthcare or been so responsive to the needs of the workers, the patients, and the entire healthcare industry, as has Governor Pataki."

We guess this means that Rivera probably wants to amend that statement.

-- Lizzy Ratner

Dennis Rivera, president of the city’s hospital workers’ union, controls the most powerf  read more »

Dennis Rivera, president of the city’s hospital workers’ union, controls the most powerful and s  read more »

As the teachers' contract fight intensifies, a correspondent reports another sighting the day after union president Randi Weingarten breakfasted with Freddy: 1199 chief Dennis Rivera, lugging his backpack into the UFT's headquarters for their gathering this morning.  read more »

Up at SEIU Local 1199's auditorium on West 43rd Street, a packed auditorium of union healthcare workers hollered and danced to an upbeat soundtrack of funk and salsa, played so loud the bass vibrated in my teeth and the most placid of press photographers were tapping their feet.

"Is 1199 in the house?" yelled the emcee. Indeed, 1199 was in the house. He promised to keep the pumped soundtrack going and added that "we want you to explode! At the proper time."

Putting reports of a failed Bloomberg deal behind them, the workers of 1199 were flying Freddy's flag. And when the candidate emerged, they exploded in a fervor approaching Beatlemania.

"I know you, because you do some of the hardest work, the most thankless work, and you get the smallest paycheck for it!" Freddy hailed them. He also recast his role as a putative Bloomberg-slayer: "All the smart money was on Goliath," he said, adding the Biblical bruiser "probably had tattoos." He cast the assembled crowd as his humble arsenal.

"1199, all 200,000 of you: You are my smooth stones!" His stones hollered, looking eager to be hurled at Hizzoner.

Then Dennis Rivera struck the first blow.

"The Bloomberg administration has done a terrific job of trying to dampen the enthusiasm" behind the Ferrer endorsement, he said, referring to Bloomberg's claim that he refused an offer to put 25,000 home health workers on the city payroll in exchange for the nod from 1199.

Growling that he was angry, Rivera pledged the to unleash the union's campaigning power for Freddy. Then he added cooly: "We don't get mad. We get even."  read more »

Ferrer said told reporters the only firm committment he'd made to union members was a non-specific one to "work every day to make their lives better."

A careful reader of today's Post scoop on 1199's near-miss endorsement of Mike finds an echo with the Dennis Rivera's last grand endorsement deal.

Before the 2002 election, Rivera backed Governor Pataki's reelection after the Governor found about $1 billion -- on a state budget of, very roughly, $100 billion -- for raises for health-care workers.  read more »

This year, the cost of benefits for his members would have been about $500 million on a base of roughly 50 billion -- the same 1%.

Mike, who has bought his share of endorsements already this campaign, walked away from that deal. But you can't say Dennis Rivera doesn't know his own worth.

You have to think that Dennis Rivera is enjoying the extended, agonizing flirtation with the Ferrer campaign when his spokesman sends on an email headed:

"1199 Endorses...Stringer."  read more »

At this point, Stringer's bid for Manhattan Borough President has become a test of whether the usual predictors of victory -- politicos, unions, the Times -- can deliver as promised. Since he basically has rounded up all of them.

NOTE: Also, Newsday's politics blog is reporting that Dennis won't endorse.

The Ferrer campaign made three minor hires today -- or, as the Post would have it, landed a Key Black Strategist or two. But we hear the staffer Ferrer's team really covets is Patrick Gaspard, Dennis Rivera's well-reputed political hand, currently the political director for Rivera's powerhouse union, SEIU Local 1199.

Hiring Gaspard, a discreet guy who runs what many see as the best political operation in town, would indicate that Freddy will have the same all-out backing from 1199 he enjoyed in 2001, and that Rivera (and Gaspard) like his chances in November. So far, it's been hard to tell where Dennis stands, though he did let one of his staffers -- Patrick Brennan -- take a job with Mike.

But we note that Gaspard's name isn't on the press release the campaign was kind enough to send over. So, in our overstated political reporter's way, we wonder whether there isn't a Gaspard Primary going on -- the contestants most likely being Freddy and nobody -- with the outcome determined by the judgement of Gaspard and his boss on Freddy's political prospects. No Gaspard would hardly be a vote of confidence.

(Yes, we expect 10% of that raise you're getting, Patrick.)  read more »

For the record, the others going on board are Scott Schell, Leonard Joseph, and Nicole Landset. All, we trust, Key Black Strategists.

Since Jan. 2, Iowans have been getting to know Mary Schlicte, R.N.  read more »

Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, who is in the midst of a bitter budget war with his fellow Repu  read more »

April is turning out to be cruel indeed for Governor George Pataki.The first day of the new month-th  read more »

Labor leader Dennis Rivera has been spending lots of time this month campaigning for a candidate he  read more »

A portion of Cliff Street near the South Street Seaport waspacked with sanitation workers on the sun  read more »

Rudolph Giuliani never made any secret about his love for baseball and the Yankees.  read more »

Eighteen inches of snow fell in Albany in the days beforeGovernor George Pataki's State of the State  read more »

Thirteen days before arguably one of the most contentious and important Mayoral elections in the cit  read more »

It's hard to tell exactly what Fernando Ferrer and his prominent supporters think they're doing righ  read more »

The leaders of the lunch-bucket crowd gathered for afund-raiser in a basement conference room at the  read more »

Dennis Rivera, president of the city's hospital workers' union, controls the most powerful and sophi  read more »