John Sweeney | The New York Observer

Plaza Watch! Irish Hotelier's Nine Million Lucky Charms

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:16:15 -0400

The Irish equivalent of the Plaza is the Shelbourne Hotel, give or take a couple hundred condos.

Built in 1824, in a landmark building overlooking a park in the heart of Ireland's capital, the Shelbourne has had a long reign as what The New York Times called "the princess of Dublin hotels." Like the Plaza, the 225-room hotel never lost its cache with tourists, even as more luxurious competitors...

Tonight: Lancman, Gillibrand

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 09:50:30 -0400

Here are a couple of events that got left off our list yesterday.

A new political club in Assemblyman Rory Lancman’s district - which used to be represented by Brian McLaughlin before he was implicated in a contract-rigging scandal - is having its first meeting tonight in Fresh Meadows, featuring as guest speaker Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

Another event happening tonight, unrelated, is the first in a series of...

Sweeney: Just a Family Problem

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 07:10:55 -0400

In one of his first interviews since losing a re-election campaign in his upstate district last year, former Representative John Sweeney said that a 911 call made by his wife where she complained that he was "knocking her around the house" was "simply what happens sometimes in families." Speaking on WROW just now, Sweeney said that when it became public that a 911 call had once been made by his wife, "We didn't deny that...

Sweeney Loses, Reynolds Leads

Tue, 07 Nov 2006 18:19:26 -0500

Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand upset incumbent Rep. John Sweeney, who was dogged by allegations that he beat his wife. CNN has the results at 53-47 percent. Another embattled upstate congressman, Tom Reynolds, is holding off his challenger, Jack Davis, 54-46 with about 7 percent of the votes counted. -- Azi...

Sweeney's Good News

Tue, 07 Nov 2006 11:15:33 -0500

No matter the outcome today, there is some good news for upstate Rep. John Sweeney, whose re-election has been in jeopardy since a story surfaced about a domestic abuse 911 call by his wife. "The good news today is, it ends, the smearing ends," Sweeney told reporters. -- Azi...

The Other Maureen

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 10:03:09 -0500

Anybody who shares a name with an elected official, candidate, or press aide, can sympathize with Maureen Donovan whose last name is one letter off from the very busy press aide to congressman John Sweeney (of the infamous 911 calls). Here's Donovan's automated response to from Donovan's Yahoo account:

If you are trying to e-mail Maureen Donovan w/info re: political campaigns, news stories, or visits to NYC, you have the wrong Maureen Donovan! From...

Sweeney's Wife

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 08:45:11 -0500

Here is congressman John Sweeney's wife - the one who called 911 from her home - defending her husband and, of course, blaming Kirsten Gillibrand for the whole thing. As Ben and Liz noted, she doesn't deny, or even address, that December 2005 incident. -- Azi...

Elsewhere: Hillary, Callaghan's Driver

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 12:03:32 -0500

John Sweeney's wife briefly discussed the incident in her home which led her to call 911. And Liz has the script for the new ad she's doing [added]. A Republican congressional candidate in the neighboring upstate district subsequently endorsed Sweeney's Democratic opponent, calling it an "act of conscience." That other Republican, Warren Redlich, went on to say Sweeney is "what's wrong with Washington." Hillary Clinton said John Kerry's "botched joke" about students who don't study...

GOP Candidate Backs Gillibrand

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 10:22:41 -0500

First, reports surfaced that a domestic disturbance in upstate Republican congressman John Sweeney's home led his wife to call 911. Then, a Republican congressional candidate in the neighboring upstate district endorsed Sweeney's Democratic opponent, calling it an "act of conscience." That other Republican, Warren Redlich, went on to say Sweeney is 'what's wrong with Washington." Ouch. -- Azi...

The Morning Read: November 1, 2006

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 04:00:00 -0500

Sparks fly in close races over what to do in Iraq. John Kerry responds to the White House criticism of his "botched joke" about Iraq. The News gets a hold of a 1995 2005 police report of an incident in which Rep. John Sweeney's wife called the police to report that her husband was "knocking her around the house." Charles Schumer and Mike Bloomberg write an op-ed [subscription] about what New York can learn from London, and...

Sweeney's 911 Call

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 18:30:58 -0500

There are two stories coming out about a December 2005 police incident at the home of Republican congressman John Sweeney which could derail his re-election. From the Daily News:

POWERFUL UPSTATE Rep. John Sweeney got into an early-morning fracas with his wife that became so frightening she called 911 for help, the Daily News has learned. Gayle (Gaia) Sweeney told the 911 dispatcher that her husband was "knocking her around the house," according to a December...

The Morning Read: October 31, 2006

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 04:01:28 -0500

Ned Lamont returns to the issue of the Iraq War in his race against Joe Lieberman. Bill Clinton said his wife's senate office had become the "de facto" governor's office because the current governor wasn't doing enough for New Yorkers. Andrew Cuomo's victory on election night could be considered a comeback of sorts for his dad, who helped out behind the scenes. The retired police officers who make up Alan Hevesi's 6-man security detail have special permission...

Elsewhere: Sweeney, Vallone, Hillary

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 13:30:00 -0400

John Sweeney pulls an ad he was shooting. New York City's traffic problem may finally get solved. Chris Owens eyes a race for Brooklyn Borough President. Judicial Reports takes a long, long look at Vito Lopez's finances. The National Republican Senatorial Committee calls Howard Dean a chicken. I mean a duck. Evan Bayh campaigns in New Hampshire. Again. Another page scandal? And pictured above is debate participant Hillary Clinton. -- Azi...

Closer, But Still Not Close

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 07:15:00 -0400

Republican John Sweeney's lead over Kirsten Gillibrand in the 20th congressional district upstate is a "strong" 14 percentage points, according to the new Siena poll. But Sweeney's lead is down from 19 points in August. The poll notes "Both candidates hold voters of their own party, with Sweeney leading among Republicans 77-17 percent and Gillibrand leading among Democrats 73-21 percent. Independent voters give their support to Sweeney 46-40 percent." -- Azi...

Elsewhere: Esquire, Shelly Silver

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 13:36:46 -0400

Ben follows Hillary's cross-wearing habits. Kirsten Gillibrand tries making a strip club an issue in her race against John Sweeney. Rudy's blogger thinks Hotline is cheerleading for John McCain. New York Magazine notes that Esquire withdrew its endorsement of Tom Reynolds because of his weird press conference where he used kids as a human shield. The other Esquire endorsements are here John DeSio wonders who posted this ad looking for a "fearless investigative reporter" on Craigslist. Mike...

Moynihan Detour

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 08:54:31 -0400

Comptroller Hevesi waited until this morning to publicly state he still wasn't satisfied with the Moynihan Station project, giving cover to Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver in case he wants to put off the scheduled vote today by the Public Authorities Control Board, the final approval needed to release state funds for the project. He has already expressed reservations about the project, which would renovate Farley Post Office as a train station. The item is,...

Calling Mr. Available...

Thu, 03 Aug 2006 06:13:03 -0400

The state Democratic Party takes an original approach today to criticizing Rep. John Sweeney, attempting to quantify his lack of dedication to his upstate district by counting the number of times the congressman has blown off local media outlets. I'm not sure sticking up for the press is a great vote-getting strategy -- as aggrieved constituencies go, journalists could hardly rank much lower in the public's estimation -- but we certainly appreciate the effort. (The...

Emanuel on Sweeney

Thu, 13 Jul 2006 09:20:14 -0400

In another sign that national Dems are looking to New York -- and an anticipated Hillary landslide -- to pick up seats in the House, DCCC Chair Rahm Emanuel just called to talk about Congressman John Sweeney. Emanuel just told reporters a few minutes ago on a conference call that U.S. Rep. John Sweeney really, really ought to appear before a New York Assembly committee investigating his role in organizing a $27,000 Lake Placid ski...

The Morning Read: July 13, 2006

Thu, 13 Jul 2006 04:53:14 -0400

The Sun reports that the Javits expansion plan comes down to the vote of the Public Authorities Control Board, and Sheldon Silver. AP reports Richard Brodsky has asked John Sweeney to appear before an assembly committee to answer questions about a $27,000 Lake Placid ski weekend. KT McFarland has another brother, the Post reports. —Nicole...

Chertoff's Gift to New York Republicans

Thu, 08 Jun 2006 09:30:00 -0400

Check out the comments under this post by Liz Benjamin. Could John Sweeney be the first New York elected official to lose his job over the Bush administration's homeland security aide...

Sure, He Likes McCain Now...

Thu, 18 May 2006 08:08:48 -0400

The state Democrats are attacking "hypocritical" John Sweeney for campaigning with John McCain, a man he trashed on behalf of the Bush-Cheney campaign in 2000. It will be interesting to watch how often this theme resurfaces as other New York Republicans who supported Bush six years ago cozy up to McCain ahead of the 2008 election. But I'm not sure the hypocrite charge amounts to more than an annoyance. The Bush versus McCain stuff has...

Where Everybody Knows His Name

Wed, 17 May 2006 13:13:18 -0400

Of course John McCain's recent trips to the donor-heavy New York area couldn't just be about giving speeches at graduations. Ever the coveted fundraising draw, McCain will headline an event this Saturday for embattled Congressman John Sweeney. The event happens to be slightly farther uptown than usual -- in Sweeney's heavily Republican district in Saratoga Springs, to be precise. Anyone looking to see the Senator up close -- and safely out of the...

Gains Against Sweeney?

Wed, 19 Apr 2006 11:32:48 -0400

John E. Sweeney's still favored to win upstate, but according to Congressional Quarterly, lawyer Kirsten Gillibrand is raising some serious cash. Gillibrand's strong early fundraising -- which ranked her 14th among all House challenger candidates as of March 31 -- has prompted CQPolitics.com to change its rating on the race to Republican Favored from Safe Republican. Gillibrand reported raising $716,000 through the end of the year's first quarter, and had $511,000 left in cash on...

Sin of Commission?

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 10:03:51 -0500

Josh Marshall’s spinoff, TPM Muckracker, has an interesting item about Albany Rep. John Sweeney. He is apparently paying his wife a 10% commission on money she raises for his campaign, which "means that the Sweeneys benefitted personally from every contribution." Sweeney’s spokeswoman says there’s nothing unusual about; the reporter...

The DeLay Rule

Fri, 19 Nov 2004 06:52:41 -0500

In what even John Podhoretz thought was an act of arrogant overreach, the House Republicans voted Wednesday to repeal the rule that kept members under indictment -- as Tom DeLay may soon be -- out of leadership. It was a voice vote, but Josh Marshall has been trying valiantly to get these guys on the record. There are only a few GOP members we care about down here in the city: Peter King on Long...

Pataki Lets Daniels Pick Up W. at Airport

Sun, 27 Jul 2003 20:00:00 -0400

When President George W. Bush arrived in New York on June 23, Governor George Pataki dispatched one of his closest advisers to meet him at the airport: Secretary of State Randy Daniels. These sorts of arrangements are almost invisible and surely meaningless to the public. But on the inside, they carry great weight. They confer favor and status; they are complicated transactions that indicate who is in favor and who is in the doghouse,...

Hudson Dredge Order Catches Both Pro and Con Forces by Surprise

Sun, 05 Aug 2001 20:00:00 -0400

Sometime around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 31, upstate New York Congressman John Sweeney got a phone call from Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was, said Mr. Sweeney's spokesman, Kevin Madden, an 11th-hour heads-up about a story about to break in The New York Times the next day.

The E.P.A. had sent up a draft order, saying the General Electric Company had to spend half a billion dollars to dredge the Hudson...

Unions Ditch Principles to Back Energy Bill

Sun, 22 Jul 2001 20:00:00 -0400

Since John Sweeney ascended to the presidency of the

A.F.L.-C.I.O. almost six years ago, he has sought to improve American unionism-to transform labor from a narrowly self-serving special interest into a broad, active movement for social, economic and political reform. Rejecting the conservatism of the old labor barons, Mr. Sweeney has consistently reached out to immigrants, students, clergy, environmentalists and other potential allies. This daring break with institutional culture hasn't fulfilled all the unrealistic expectations evoked by his rise, but it...