Why court races matter
County political parties — particularly the Democratic parties of Brooklyn and Queens — have long derived power, both monetary and political, from their endorsement of judges.
Some of their picks have doled out lucrative estate cases in surrogate’s court. Others have presided over trials being litigated by party-connected attorneys.
And because the races for these positions tend toward the obscure, whoever gets the county line often cruises to victory.
This time around, the Brooklyn Democratic Party is continuing its shakeup of the nomination format in the hopes of professionalizing who gets the organization’s nod.
“We want to have diverse input and views, and also assign clear measurements for what we’re trying to do,” Dana Rachlin, a Brooklyn district leader and chair of the party’s judiciary committee, said in an interview.
While past candidates would normally meet with district leaders on a more informal basis, the 16 hopefuls running for six endorsements are all being asked to sit for standardized interviews rated on a rubric.
Rachlin has scheduled court visits (since all of the candidates are sitting judges) and asked each hopeful to submit 10 unpublished decisions. They also had to fill out a questionnaire, and were the subject of surveys sent to organizations like the Legal Aid Society to glean outside input.
The effort has the support of party leader Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn.
“The committee is gathering invaluable feedback through community town halls, one-on-one meetings, questionnaires and more to ensure Brooklynites are educated and empowered to elect judges who deeply understand and reflect our diverse borough,” she said in a statement.
But what ultimately happens is still up in the air.
The county’s district leaders are set to vote on the six endorsements in the coming weeks. Those picks then head to a judicial convention in early August for final approval.
“The process is designed to demonstrate that a complete and fair evaluation is possible, and to elevate the more qualified candidates,” Rachlin said. “Then it is up to the district leaders to make the decision.”
IT’S WEDNESDAY.
WHERE’S KATHY? In New York City highlighting the full reopening of Metro-North Railroad.
WHERE’S ERIC? Appearing on FOX5’s “Good Day New York”, delivering remarks at the SYEP Kick off Event, hosting a roundtable on combating hate, and visiting a roundtable at CPC Chinatown Older Adult Center.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The more barriers that are broken down, the more chances we have for people to see in themselves the potential to do great things.” — Gov. Kathy Hochul, the state’s first woman governor, speaking at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials 40th Annual Conference.
CRIME CONCERNS PERSIST: Sixty-one percent of New Yorkers are either very (21 percent) or somewhat (40 percent) concerned that they might be a victim of a crime, a Siena College Research Institute poll released Wednesday found.
The poll echoes what was one of the top concerns for voters in the elections for governor and the U.S. House last year. Republicans ran law-and-order campaigns that gained them three House seats — and become a contender in the most competitive governor’s race since 1994.
“Crime isn’t just something that happens to others far away according to New Yorkers,” Don Levy, the poll’s director, said in a statement. “While 87 percent say crime is a serious problem in our state and 57 percent say it is a problem in their community, a disturbingly high 61 percent say that they are worried about it happening to them.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who narrowly won election last year, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams have sought to implement policies and laws to fight problems around crime — both the perception and the reality.
At Hochul’s insistence, the state Legislature has twice strengthened the state’s 2019 law that limits cases when bail can be issued.
How the crime issue will play out in next year’s races for the House and the state Legislature will be vital if Democrats hope to regain ground lost in 2021.
The poll found that 40 percent of residents have spent $100 or more over the past year on goods or services that make them feel safer, or more protected from crime.
Still, 58 percent of those polled said they were no more worried about being the victim of a crime today than they have been in the past. — Joseph Spector
New Migrant Shelter Expected To Become Largest Ever, by THE CITY’s Gwynne Hogan
NYC lost nearly $1B in Madison Square Garden tax revenue, according to IBO report, by Gothamist’s Charles Lane: “‘There’s also a real disconnect in that the property taxes that Madison Square Garden is exempt from are a revenue loss to the city of New York, but this tax exemption remains in perpetuity unless it’s repealed by the state,’ said Sarah Stefanski, who helped author the report for the IBO.”
FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh dragged feet on lithium-ion e-bike battery danger, says fire chiefs’ lawsuit, by Daily News’ Thomas Tracy
Record paid family leave claims made in New York last year, by Spectrum News’ Nick Reisman: “All told, 163,124 claims were paid in 2022, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.”
Transgender party official looks to unseat Ardila, by THE CITY’s Haidee Chu: “A district insider is stepping up in a historic campaign to take the seat of embattled Assemblymember Juan Ardila, whose former allies across Queens have for months called on him to step down after two women accused him of sexual misconduct.
"Émilia Decaudin, a 24-year-old democratic socialist, will announce on Tuesday that she is running for the District 37 Assembly seat, she told THE CITY.”
Flooding concerns now move to the Adirondacks, by Adirondack Explorer’s Chloe Bennett, Jak Krouse
LONG ISLAND HAUL: Long Island congressional candidate Laura Gillen raised $370,935 since announcing her run May 10, her campaign told POLITICO.
Gillen — a former supervisor of the Town of Hempstead — is hoping to win a Democratic Primary next year and then a rematch with Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, a former NYPD detective who won a contested House race in the New York City suburbs last time around.
Gillen’s haul puts her on similar footing to other New York Democrats who are notching six-figure quarters. The official tally for her and her competitors, which will cover the second quarter of the year, will be released later this month.
Her camp said she has $340,030 on hand, and that they expect more support in the wake of a late June endorsement from EMILY’s List.
“Voters on the South Shore want a representative who understands our district, what families here need, and who they know will work tirelessly to achieve common sense solutions on day one in Congress,” Gillen said in a statement.
— CNBC ranked New York as the 20th best state to do business. (CNBC)
— Summer is here: New York City is in for three days in a row of 90-degree weather. (Gothamist)
— Some roads in Orange County around West Point remained closed due to Sunday’s powerful storm. (Times Herald-Record)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: POLITICO’s Ryan Lizza and Adam Wren … FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel … CNN’s Edward-Isaac Dovere and Eden Getachew … CBS’ Mary Walsh … Brooke Baldwin … Bank of America’s Adam Elias ... Alex Levy of A.H. Levy & Co. … Madeline Saunders of Stu Loeser & Co. … NYSE’s Josh King … Basel Hamdan … Jessica Hanks of DKC … Gregorio Gomez … Cecilia Narrett … Ella Riley-Adams … Alexandra Betesh
… (was Tuesday): Alyssa A. Katz ... Daniel Doctoroff
WEDDING — Emily Goldberg, U.S. newsletter editor at the Financial Times and a POLITICO alum, on July 1 married Jake Malowitz, communications manager at Forum Brands. The couple, who met in high school, wed in Woodstock, Vt. Pic
WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Colin Hart, SVP and international affairs lead for the U.S. at FleishmanHillard, and Rebecca Hart, teacher at Brooklyn Arbor Elementary School and 2023 NYC Department of Education Big Apple Award recipient, welcomed Davis Matthew Hart on Saturday.
MAKING MOVES — Maia Yedin is now deputy chief of staff for state Sen. Andrew Gounardes. She was previously director of constituent services and external affairs.
SPOTTED on Tuesday night at an author talk and party hosted by Dr. Kevin Roberts at the Heritage Foundation for John Catsimatidis’ new book, “How Far Do You Want to Go?: Lessons from a Common-Sense Billionaire": Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Newt Gingrich, Margo Catsimatidis, Ben and Candy Carson, Rep. Gus Bilirakis, Diana Davis Spencer, Charlie Hurt, Christopher Dolan, Dr. EJ Antoni, Dave Bossie, Alexandra Preate, Stephanie Whittier, Jamie Linen and Steve Moore.
Renting out a vacation home or pool in Southold could come with hefty fines for homeowners, by Newsday’s Tara Smith
Source: https://www.politico.com/