The new Board of Education that Michael Bloomberg assembled may be his own worst enemy in restoring mayoral control of the city's schools, critics of mayoral control hope.
A few minutes after Bloomberg introduced the new group as "temporary" and a "band-aid" yesterday, I asked Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., as he left Read More
As an ambitious, abrasive young councilwoman from the Upper East Side with a zeal for education reform, Eva Moskowitz presided over hearings scrutinizing the contracts of the teachers union and excoriating its officials for putting the interests of teachers ahead of students.
Those hearings, on everything from the union's use of tenure to protect bad teachers Read More
Daily News: These days, a lot of time is spent trying to figure out how to "save" newspapers; can something that prints at a printer and then is delivered to a newsstand hours after the thing is "closed," to be purchased for money, really be relevant in the 24-hour instant-news cycle? Or something like that. Read More
The New York Post: All the troops look pretty thrilled that Barack Obama paid them a surprise visit. Sure beats all that Bette Midler-USO crap! Look at all the digital cameras they pulled out! Barack Obama may be all wrong for the military (GITMO!) but when he pays a visit, it pays. The Post knows Read More
ALBANY—Michael Bloomberg and his top aides are here lobbying for education aid with U.F.T. President Randi Weingarten. They spoke to reporters on the Great Western Staircase about meetings with David Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith and Minority Leader Dean Skelos (Bloomberg said Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco was "out of Read More
ALBANY—About forty hours before the M.T.A. board will vote on whether to adopt a "doomsday budget" (unless state lawmakers enact a revenue package), Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith left a closed-door meeting with the other members of the state government troika. He had no good news.
"I'm not saying the deadline is of no Read More
It wasn't Weingarten.
Last night, she had to wait for Read More
Kirsten Gillibrand kind of knows everyone in politics. Just ask her.
“What makes me so successful is that I’ve developed so many relationships,” she said in a phone interview on Jan. 27, hours after being sworn in as a U.S. senator, as she walked to the Senate floor to cast her first vote. “Because I did Read More
For all the accounts of the last-minute machinations that went into the selection of Kirsten Gillibrand as New York's new senator, we haven't heard much about the sudden willingness of some gay-rights activists to vouch for her.
Apparently, this was a prerequisite.
Hours before Governor David Paterson called Gillibrand to inform her that Read More
The reaction to Caroline Kennedy’s recent rollout, at least among unaffiliated political observers I've spoken to, has not been so positive.
The idea that her public performance has damaged her chances, maybe seriously, seems to have become the consensus take.
But Charlie King, at least, has a more charitable view.
“You have to give somebody context,” said Read More
Michael Bloomberg introduced national teachers union head Randi Weingarten at the National Press Club in D.C. this morning, stressing what he described as a cooperative relationship that should be duplicated elsewhere, and presenting the city's school system as a national model.
The mayor credited Weingarten for, among other things, helping to make possible mayoral control Read More
United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten isn’t buying David Paterson’s argument that his new round of budget adjustments is only slowing the rate of increases in funds for education, not making cuts.With approximately 200 people gathered around her on the City Hall steps moments ago, Weingarten said, “I just got a copy Read More
One of Christine Quinn’s spokesman has taken a leave of absence and is now the interim director of communications for Democrat Mike McMahon’s Congressional campaign.The spokesman, Anthony Hogrebe, was listed as the contact on a campaign press release announcing that McMahon has been endorsed by the United Federation of Teachers, which, according to the release, Read More
In 1979, when Joe Bruno was still new to the State Senate, his office was next door to that of State Senator Norman Levy, head of the Labor Committee. Levy’s intern at the time was a young Hofstra student named Randi Weingarten.“I watched him, as a leader, mature,” Weingarten, now the president of the United Read More
Here are some lines from last night's birthday roast of United Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten, who turns 50 on December 18:
“I’m sure many people have gotten you Depends and other things like that, so get used to it.” -- Bill Thompson “I do remember, and will always remember, that you left me, Read More
