Drum Major Institute for Public Policy

The spokesman for Marty Connor's re-election campaign, Chad Marlow, supports term limits, even though his boss, a state senator, has been in office since 1978.

In 2005, when the City Council was reportedly looking to alter the city's term-limit laws, Marlow authored a blog post on the Drum Major Institute’s web site called "Confessions of a Term Limits Convert." He wrote:

“If you believe our elected officials are largely comprised of highly talented, innovative thinkers who represent the very best our society has to offer the public sector, you would naturally oppose term limits. I do not.”

Connor’s opponent, Dan Squadron, talks frequently about the need to shake things up in Albany.  read more »

Democratic state Senator Liz Krueger aired some of her frustrations about fund-raising and Eliot Spitzer at a panel discussion in Manhattan yesterday, hosted by the Drum Major Institute. Her comments, according to DMI:

"I'm disappointed in the progress of the Spitzer administration's lack of progress on campaign finance reform. The loopholes in the state system are bigger than the system itself. Bundling is a reality even in the city system, I mean, who's kidding who?

I hate fundraising. I hate spending a huge percentage of my time begging strangers for money."

Progress on campaign finance reform, and other major legislative initiatives of Spitzer's, have been delayed since the investigations into the Troopergate incident picked up in July.

What's unusual about Krueger's remarks here, excerpted and posted on DMI's blog, is that she appears to blame Spitzer, and not Republicans in the state Senate, for the delay.

UPDATE: DMI revised their excerpts of Krueger's remarks, and puts them
in context of her complaints about Joe Bruno.  read more »

In the paper this week, I've got a short write-up of an explicitly mayoral mailing Anthony Weiner sent to donors that says he's "in the driver's seat" for the 2009 race.

In the mailing, Weiner writes, "Many of the issues that made me want to run for Mayor are still left to be resolved."

The piece goes out shortly before the April 2 forum about middle class economic issues hosted by the Drum Major Institute, which is expected to feature Weiner and at least two other possible candidates.

More on the mailing here.

-- Azi Paybarah

As George Pataki attempts to hammer out his final deals with the state legislature, here's a helpful reminder of the state of their relations in the closing days.

From Assemblyman Dick Gottfried the other day at a Drum Major Institute panel about prescription drug costs:

"Pataki's TV ads for Child Health Plus is like Japan taking credit for peace in the Pacific... He fought us tooth and nail."

More highlights from the DMI event are here.

-- Azi Paybarah

Tonight, Latina PAC hosts its inaugural awards ceremony, honoring Drum Major Institute's Executive Director Andrea Batista Schlesinger, with guest of honor Mike Bloomberg.

Tomorrow, City officials and community leaders will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Triborough Bridge.

New York Immigration Coalition will deliver thousands of voter registration forms to the Queens Board of Elections office and unveil their empowerment campaign.

Denny Farrell will be honored by the Armory Foundation.

Assemblyman James Tedisco will unveil a new task force on terrorism.

—Nicole Brydson

The NYC Patrolmen's Benevolent Association will endorse Andrew Cuomo for Attorney General at their headquarters.

The Drum Major Institute will host a benefit, presenting its Drum Major for Justice awards, followed by an after party roundtable for bloggers.

The Young Democrats of Richmond County host their monthly meeting featuring Diane Savino and Sean Patrick Maloney.

—Nicole Brydson

This is clever and, I bet, will be much-imitated.

The Drum Major Institute released today a report grading members of the state legislature on what the liberal think-tank sees as their support for the middle class: the issues in question include subsidized daycare, immigrants' access to education, and the way unions are regulated.

Anyway, it's the kind of thing that wouldn't get much attention from politicians. Unless, say, every time anyone Googles Joe Bruno's name, his grade (D, in this case) comes up.

They've bought Google Ads next to the names of every member of the Senate and Assembly. And if there's anybody who sits around googling him or herself, it's state legislators.

The only daytime political event we've got for you is the monthly meeting of the Campaign Finance Board.

A slightly busier evening, though, as Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and New York City Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott talk about cities at a a Drum Major Institute forum. Because every city has something to learn from Buffalo.

And the New York County Republicans hold their Lincoln Day Dinner at Cipriani, but most candidates won't be there. Mike will. all the candidates will be there, along with Mikeand the Gov.

—Nicole Brydson

The Times's Adam Nagourney's been off the local politics beat for years now, but he still has his detractors.

Over at the Drum Major Institute's blog, Andrea Battista Schlesinger takes a whack at him, and political reporters in general.

Without getting into the details, it will kind of be an honor if people are still mad at me a few years after I get off this beat.

A couple of things you might want to check out:

The Politicker, along with Gotham Gazette and the Drum Major Institute, is doing a "conversation" next Wednesday about the role of the media in the last election.  read more »

The Times's Pat Healy, El Diaro's Evelyn Hernandez, Gotham Gazette's Jonathan Mandell, and I will have terribly important stuff to say, moderated by DMI's Andrea Batista Schlesinger.Details here.

And on Thursday, the League of Conservation Voters and Baruch are holding a Speaker's debate. Details here.

I'd sort of expected the free-speech conservatives over at the Manhattan Institute to appreciate how the logic of Steve Minarik's attack on the Drum Major Institute threatens them.

Minarik's underlying point is that think tanks are arms of political campaigns, or movements, and thus should be regulated. And the conservative think tank's motto is "turning ideas into influence;" that sounds indictable by Minarik's argument.  read more »

But partisan loyalties seem to be trumping ideological consistency in this case:

"We don't want to comment on what the Drum Major Institute is doing," was all the Manhattan Institute's spokeswoman, MacKenzie Chambers, would say on this one.

Arianna Huffington will be trying on Freddy Ferrer's old platform as the guest of honor (along with Harry Belafonte) at the Drum Major Institute's annual benefit on June 8.

Testing the waters, perhaps? That blog isn't working out so well...  read more »

(Yes, Monday is the day on which we float improbable rumors. And Bob Kerrey was busy.)