Christine Quinn | The New York Observer

Lawmakers Inviting Michelle Obama to Push for Paid Sick Days

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:13:38 -0500

Michelle Obama was sent a letter by city lawmakers inviting her to testify here in favor of requiring paid sick days for workers.

The first lady recently embraced paid sick days in a talk with the business leaders, according to the Times.

In the November 12 letter, the lawmakers said, “We believe that with the leadership of women like you all Americans will no longer have to make the choice between going to work or...

The First Holiday Party Invitation

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:19:17 -0500

The first political person to send out an invitation to a holiday party this year is...

Bernard Whitman!

He’s the guy who raised money for the "next mayor" Christine Quinn before he got picked up to do polling for Michael Bloomberg.

Whitman's party is taking place in Soho the first week of December. I'm allowed to attend, but I'm not sure if my camera is. Anyway, if there are more opportunities to drink eggnog and trade campaign...

Quinn on Albany's Agenda

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:40:52 -0500

One way legislative leaders exercise their power and shield allies is by controlling what gets voted on, and what legislation never reaches the floor for a vote. (Remember how congestion pricing died in Albany?)

So here's City Council Speaker Christine Quinn explaining why she sees some significance in the mere fact that lawmakers are considering a same-sex-marriage bill tomorrow.

"The thing about it is, this is on the agenda. Right? It’s been put on a list....

Quinn Argues Consistency, Then Backs Thompson

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:21:03 -0400

When Christine Quinn said she supported extending term limits, she said it was necessary in order to have the same in place to deal with the fiscal crisis.

“As we move forward in these very difficult times, continuity in leadership will allow our city to continue to work,” Quinn told reporters on October 12.

Today, she endorsed Bill Thompson, not incumbent Michael Bloomberg.

How does Quinn square her endorsement of Thompson with her reasoning for extending term...

Politics at the Pride Parade

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:51:08 -0400

Every year the political class pays homage to the gay community at the Pride Parade, and yesterday's was no...

Quinn: Nobody Made Gotbaum a Priority, Complaints Are 'Ridiculous'

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:31:00 -0400

Christine Quinn defended the 40 percent cut to the public advocate’s office, telling reporters it simply wasn’t raised as a priority by any of the council members during the budget negotiating process. “No delegation recommended restoring the public advocate’s office,” said Quinn, flanked by a number of those members. Quinn said the members made a priority out of funding “Administration for Children Services workers, firehouses, libraries, day care centers,” all of which Quinn described as “core...

Gotbaum on Being a Budget Victim

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:38:00 -0400

Here’s more from Betsy Gotbaum’s press conference this morning, where she said, “I can’t imagine why I am the only elected official” who has a budget that “is not...

Gotbaum Says 40 Percent Budget Cut Is 'Payback' From Quinn for Term Limits

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:44:00 -0400

Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum said her office will be cut by 40 percent in the budget being passed by the City Council this afternoon because of her opposition to extending term limits, and called it “political payback from Speaker Quinn,” the Council speaker. A spokesperson for the speaker, Christine Quinn, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Quinn does not have a media availability scheduled today and is set to pass the budget...

A Member-Item List for a Recession

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:27:00 -0400

For the last day or so, City Council members have been looking over the list of member items they’ll be getting this year, and according to one member, they've been cut by as much as 20 percent compared to last year. It's an election year, and for elected officials, there's an obvious imperative in delivering money to groups in their district. The City Council is expected to vote on the list tomorrow. After...

Bloomberg's Budget Deal: 'No Major Cut,' At Least for Now

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:08:00 -0400

Michael Bloomberg and the City Council agreed on a $59.4 billion city budget deal that squashes the mayor’s plan to shutter 16 fire companies, maintains current six-day services at libraries, prevents layoffs of child welfare workers, and trims by an unspecified margin the number of layoffs planned for other city workers. “This is basically, as Chris said, preserving services,” Bloomberg said, referring to Council Speaker Christine Quinn, during an event with the Council in the...

Quinn Goes to Albany, Comes Back 'Optimistic'

Tue, 19 May 2009 13:19:00 -0400

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said after meeting with undecided state lawmaker she feels “very optimistic” that same-sex marriage legislation will eventually pass. In a brief telephone interview on her way back from Albany, Quinn told me she met with Democratic Senators Ruth Hassell-Thompson of the Bronx and George Onorato of Queens, Republican State Senator Andrew Lanza of Staten Island, and others who have not publicly taken a position on the issue. Quinn, who is gay...

Bloomberg Meets a Democratic District Leader

Tue, 05 May 2009 15:18:00 -0400

Attending Michael Bloomberg’s press conference inside a restaurant on 106th Street in Spanish Harlem this afternoon were two members of the City Council and John Ruiz, who the mayor noted is retired from the F.D.N.Y. and “a vice chairman of the Manhattan Democratic Party.” Afterward, Ruiz was approached by a few reporters about why he was at the event. Ruiz said he invited by his local City Council member, Melissa Mark-Viverito, because he is a local...

Bloomberg's Election-Year Budget Features Taxes, Layoffs

Fri, 01 May 2009 14:49:00 -0400

Making his annual budget presentation to reporters at City Hall this morning, Michael Bloomberg said "never occurred" to him that he’s running for re-election even as he’s calling for higher sales taxes, a new tax on plastic bags, and is preparing to lay off 3,759 public employees. The mayor is also banking on 9,782 public employees to leave the workforce through attrition. When asked how likely it is for workers to retire in such a poor...

Quinn on Why She Won't Necessarily Endorse a Democrat for Mayor

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:20:00 -0400

Here’s video of Christine Quinn at last night Stonewall Democrats meeting saying, again, that she won't commit to endorsing a Democratic candidate for mayor. Quinn said, “Once the Democratic primary is over and we know who’s running on what lines and where, I will pick the person, if I make an endorsement. If I make an endorsement I will choose the person I believe is best for the city. I am not prepared to say...

Oh. It's You.

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:45:00 -0400

Here’s Christine Quinn in a chance encounter with a reporter who's making life somewhat complicated for her members at the moment. The Times' Ray Rivera, who used to work out of Room 9 in City Hall, is currently on the City Council scandal beat, doing stories about the alleged legal troubles of members Miguel Martinez and Larry Seabook.(For the record, the meeting was a perfectly friendly one as far as I could...

Bloomberg Says He's Doing Well, JCRC Crowd Agrees

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:50:00 -0400

Mayor Michael Bloomberg didn't need an introduction to know he was among friends at the Jewish Community Relations Council Gala Tuesday night. But Janice Shorenstein, the group's president, obliged anyway, presenting him as "someone all of you know, the wonderful Michael Bloomberg!" And Bloomberg delivered, reminding a 500-person crowd eating kosher hot dogs and sushi at the sumptuous Pierre Hotel on East 61st St. why he's their man. Starting, of course, with stories about the shelling...

New York Pols Who Make Tweets

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:24:00 -0400

I never thought cutting my hair was a sign of the implosion of the American economy, until I read about it on Twitter. “benpolitico: times tough: @azipaybarah cutting own hair.” The item is short, true, and was written a few seconds after the words left my mouth. I was sitting at my desk in City Hall making some idle conversation with a source when part of the talk went online. Not that it was all that surprising....

Quinn in Albany

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:15:00 -0400

ALBANY—City Council Speaker Christine Quinn spent her day in Albany lobbying legislators and the governor's staff about the need to restore New York City's municipal aid payment and education funding. I caught Quinn meeting outside the office of Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith with Angelo Aponte, secretary of the Senate. I asked Quinn how the meetings were going. She said there was nothing she walked away from "really pessimistic about," Aides to Mayor Bloomberg -...

Raising Money Off 'Slushgate'

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:33:00 -0400

A number of readers have forwarded me this harshly worded email from the campaign manager of a City Council candidate who is seeking contributions under the headline, “Help Skaller Stop ‘Slushgate 2.’" The candidate is Josh Skaller of Brooklyn. He’s running for the seat being vacated by Bill de Blasio which was, before that, held by Steve DiBrienza, who is running for that seat again. The email was sent by Skaller’s campaign manager, Chris Owens,...

Who Will Save New York’s Rich People? (Christine Quinn, Maybe?)

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:45:00 -0500

Pity New York’s rich people. Influential elected officials at the city, state and federal levels are all pushing their own plans for new income taxes on high earners. And with gaping budget holes and a generally liberal political environment nationally and locally, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that anyone’s going to stop them. “It’s time to pile on—when in doubt, just go after where the money is” said Joseph Strasburg, president of the Rent Stabilization Association, a...

Clerk Vote Exposes Quinn's Rift With Brooklyn

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:57:00 -0500

The City Council voted 32 to 16 in favor of making Michael McSweeney the city’s new clerk, exposing a deep rift in the Council between Christine Quinn and many City Council members from Brooklyn. Almost everyone from Brooklyn, except Diana Reyna, voted against McSweeney’s nomination. Reyna is openly feuding with Brooklyn Democratic chair Vito Lopez on unrelated issues. Two candidates for citywide office were among the no votes: Bill de Blasio, who...