Kathy Hochul's highway-robbery bragging puts Willie Sutton to shame
That is, the gov's congratulating herself for raking in big bucks from her 'congestion' tolls — hundreds of millions as the scheme hits the six-month mark, on track to hit $500 million by year's end.
Hochul's PR blast over the weekend called this a 'huge success'; Willie could've claimed the same about most of his capers, smirking much as she does in the social-media-campaign part of her 'victory tour.'
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Sorry: Forcing middle- and working-class New Yorkers to pay an exorbitant amount of their income just to get to work — to drive on roads their taxes already funded — is neither a genius nor a heroic one.
And the bragging only adds insult to the injury.
The tolls help 'businesses make deliveries and save costs,' claims Hochul's office.
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Huh? Food distributors are looking at six-figure added costs, while the likes of FreshDirect are slipping in added fees for congestion-zone customers. Small restaurants are also reeling.
This move remains a cruel money grab wrapped up in a green pseudo-justification, one the gov knows people hate — that's why she postponed it until after last November's elections.
We guess she hopes voters will simply have forgotten, or grown resigned to the hit, by the time she faces them in November 2026.
Beware: If she actually wins re-election this way, the plans are already drawn up to move toward doubling the tolls soon after.
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Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Zohran Mamdani Not 'The Best' to Lead NYC, Ex-Democratic Governor Warns
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Former New York Governor David Paterson has publicly challenged Democratic mayoral primary winner and state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani's candidacy, saying he doesn't believe the progressive assemblyman is "the best person to lead New York City." Paterson released the statement following a morning news conference, expressing concerns about Mamdani's ability to govern during "extremely turbulent times" and questioning whether his platform addresses the needs of hardworking families struggling economically. Newsweek reached out to Mamdani's campaign via email Monday for comment. Why It Matters Paterson's criticism highlights a significant rift within Democratic Party leadership as New York City approaches its November mayoral election. The former governor's statement comes as Mamdani leads recent polling with 35.2 percent support, ahead of independent candidates Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Eric Adams. This internal party tension could influence voter perceptions and hinder Democratic unity heading into the general election, where Mamdani faces challenges from centrist and independent opponents. What To Know From 2008 to 2010, Paterson served as New York governor, accepting the seat after Governor Eliot Spitzer stepped down amid a prostitution scandal. Paterson became New York's first Black governor and the second legally blind one in American history. Paterson's tenure was marked by scandals. In February 2010, reported The New York Times, he was accused of witness tampering in a domestic violence case involving his close aide, with questions raised about whether he and State Police inappropriately contacted a woman who had obtained a restraining order against the aide. While Paterson was not criminally charged, according to NBC News, investigations determined he had spoken to the complainant the day before she was set to appear in court, she failed to show up and the case was dropped. Paterson was also scrutinized over accepting free New York Yankees World Series tickets. The New York State Commission on Public Integrity found that he had lied about accepting five free tickets and fined him $62,125. Pressed by the Obama administration and Democratic Party leaders, Paterson announced that he would not seek election to a full term. In his formal statement, Paterson acknowledged Mamdani's successful primary campaign but expressed deep reservations about his readiness for the mayor's office. "I have been very clear in my position that I simply do not believe Zohran Mamdani is the best person to lead New York City during these extremely turbulent times," Paterson said. "We just saw a federal budget passed and signed that will create havoc on New Yorkers in the coming years in our education system, our health care system, our community and our hard-working families already struggling to make ends meet. We cannot afford ideas without a plan for implementation or funding," the former governor added. According to an American Pulse poll conducted from June 28 to July 1, Mamdani maintains a lead over former Governor Cuomo (29 percent) and Adams (13.8 percent). But Cuomo received the highest percentage among likely New Your City voters when asked who would do the best job running the city, with 33.5 percent compared to Mamdani's 32.5 percent. Adams received 12.4 percent. The assemblyman has built his campaign around affordability measures, including rent freezes, no-cost child care, free buses and city-owned grocery stores. His platform also includes implementing a Department of Community Safety with outreach workers in subway stations, contrasting with Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul's police partnership. Mamdani has secured endorsements from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, but lacks formal support from Hochul and two other prominent New York lawmakers, Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries. Political analyst Nate Silver has suggested Mamdani could face vulnerability in the general election as voter turnout increases beyond the primary base. What People Are Saying Paterson's statement: "Mr. Mamdani ran a successful Primary campaign, with tremendous ads and a well-done social media strategy that engaged young voters in a way we have not seen to date. However, the General Election is a very different fight that encompasses the entirety of the city. I truly believe my fellow Democrats will be doing a disservice to the people they wish to serve if they do not come together and decide to support whichever candidate has the most support among them in advance of November 4th." He continued: "We are living in a critically important time in our country's history and the most populous city in America will need true leadership to navigate this moment. That leadership will need to show itself in the coming months, before ballots are printed and voters start returning ballots by mail." Paterson concluded his statement with his final wish for the election: "As public polls and surveys are revealed over these coming weeks, it is my hope and belief that the other candidates still in the race will come to the logical conclusion that New York City needs the most effective leader to navigate what comes next and that cannibalizing each other's support will be doing a disservice to the millions of people who call New York 'home.'" Mamdani posted his latest endorsement to X on Monday: "It's a profound honor to receive the endorsement of @ManhattanDems and its Leader Keith L.T. Wright, who has worked for decades to build a fairer, more just New York. We are uniting this party around a vision to make our city affordable for all. Onward to November!" Former New York Governor David Paterson attends the New York Yankees' World Series victory celebration at City Hall on November 6, 2009, in New York City. Former New York Governor David Paterson attends the New York Yankees' World Series victory celebration at City Hall on November 6, 2009, in New York Happens Next New York City voters will decide their next mayor on November 4, with the race drawing national attention as a test of progressive versus centrist Democratic visions.
Chicago Tribune
5 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
NYC Mayor Adams says Andrew Cuomo is pushing him to drop out of race to maximize chances against Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani
New York City Mayor Adams said Monday that ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo is privately urging him to drop out of November's mayoral election, as their moderate wing of the party scrambles to find a way to maximize their chances of beating Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani. In a morning appearance on CNBC, Adams said he has no intention of heeding Cuomo's call — arguing the former governor's the one who should end his campaign so he can take on Mamdani, a democratic socialist, in the Nov. 4 contest. 'I said, Andrew: 'Are you that level of arrogance?'' Adams said, describing a recent conversation in which he alleged Cuomo encouraged him to drop out. 'I'm the sitting mayor, I'm the sitting mayor of the City of New York and you expect for me to step aside when you just lost to Zohran by 12 points?' The mayor, who often claims he doesn't discuss private conversations, continued: 'They heard your message and you lost. Now let a fresh set of legs that has produced for this city [run the race].' Sources familiar with the matter told the Daily News that the Cuomo camp's outreach to Adams' team has centered on a proposal to commission an independent poll testing each of them in head-to-head general election matchups against Mamdani. The idea, the sources said, would be that whoever between Cuomo and Adams performed best in such a scenario would stay in the race, while the other would drop out and endorse the remaining candidate. Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi declined to comment on private conversations, but confirmed the ex-governor favors running a poll to determine who should be the anti-Mamdani candidate. Specifically, Azzopardi said Cuomo wants to run that poll in September. Azzopardi also took a shot at Adams, calling him 'anathema to Democrats and unelectable.' 'We do not see any path to victory for Mayor Adams,' Azzopardi said. 'This is the time to put aside the usual political selfishness and agree to do what is truly best for all New Yorkers … We call on other candidates to do the same.' There have been no major polls of the general election yet, but some early surveys show Cuomo edging out Adams. That includes an American Pulse poll released last week that found Mamdani winning the race with 35% of the vote, while Cuomo finished second, holding 29%. In that survey, Adams finished fourth with 14%, behind Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa's 16%. Adams, who dropped out of the June 24 Democratic mayoral primary this spring, is running for reelection on an independent line in November. Facing record low approval ratings and fundraising struggles amid continued fallout from his federal corruption indictment, Adams' bid for reelection is widely seen as an uphill battle. But Frank Carone, Adams' longtime confidant who helps lead his reelection campaign, argued the mayor has a long runway to turn the political tides before November and signaled his team isn't interested in the Cuomo camp's independent poll proposal. 'To suggest a 'poll' four months ahead of the election should have any significance is ridiculous,' Carone told The News. Though he lost the Democratic primary, Cuomo's name will also appear on November's ballot on an independent line no matter what, as the deadline has passed to remove it. Cuomo hasn't definitively said yet whether he's going to mount a genuine general election effort. His team says he continues to consider his options after his stunning primary loss against Mamdani, who defeated him by a 56%-44% margin. As the Democratic nominee, Mamdani holds a big advantage in November, given that registered Democrats vastly outnumber other voters in the city. He ran a primary campaign centered on proposals to increase taxes on the wealthy, freeze the rent for stabilized tenants, drastically expand subsidized childcare and make public buses free. Cuomo, Adams and other moderate forces in New York, including business leaders, have sought to blunt Mamdani's momentum by portraying him as too left-leaning, arguing his policy platform is unrealistic and slamming his criticism of Israel's war in Gaza. As they share similar moderate bases of support, Cuomo and Adams would likely hamper each other's chances if they both actively campaign in November's contest. Responding to Monday's back-and-forth between Cuomo and Adams, Mamdani spokesman Andrew Epstein noted his candidate received more than 545,000 votes in the Democratic primary, the most of any mayoral hopeful in 36 years. 'In the coming months, Zohran looks forward to growing this coalition and reaching new voters with his vision for an affordable New York City,' he said. Former New York Gov. David Paterson, who endorsed Cuomo's mayoral run, was the latest moderate Democrat to come out Monday in favor of local business and civic communities lining up behind one independent candidate in pursuit of beating Mamdani. But Paterson declined to say whether Cuomo or Adams should be that candidate. 'Help us put together a search and an understanding of which one of these candidates not only would win the election, but could govern the city,' Paterson said at a press conference in Midtown held with right-wing radio host Sid Rosenberg and billionaire businessman John Catsimatidis. In addition to Adams and potentially Cuomo, Sliwa — who netted nearly 30% of the vote in the 2021 mayoral election — is the Republican candidate in the November race. Attorney Jim Walden is also running on an independent ballot line. 'I'm not dropping out no matter who talks to me,' Sliwa said Monday, adding he hasn't heard from either the Cuomo or Adams camps about coalescing behind one candidate. Some on the right have urged President Trump to offer Sliwa a federal job to get him out of the mayoral race in order to shore up support for Adams, whose friendly relationship with Trump has endeared him to Republicans. Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, told The News he wouldn't be interested if Trump made such an offer. 'Politely, I would say: Mr. President, I am only interested in one job and that's being mayor,' he said. Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid sexual and professional misconduct accusations, has largely stayed out of the public spotlight since his primary loss. His team continues to maintain the ex-gov remains a prolific potential candidate in the November showdown. In making that case, his team has noted Cuomo received 24,000 more votes in last month's election than Adams did in the 2021 Democratic mayoral primary he won.
New York Post
5 hours ago
- New York Post
Kathy Hochul's highway-robbery bragging puts Willie Sutton to shame
At least Willie Sutton was being humble when he declared, 'I rob banks because that's where the money is'; Gov. Kathy Hochul is now boasting about her version of the same insight. That is, the gov's congratulating herself for raking in big bucks from her 'congestion' tolls — hundreds of millions as the scheme hits the six-month mark, on track to hit $500 million by year's end. Hochul's PR blast over the weekend called this a 'huge success'; Willie could've claimed the same about most of his capers, smirking much as she does in the social-media-campaign part of her 'victory tour.' Advertisement Sorry: Forcing middle- and working-class New Yorkers to pay an exorbitant amount of their income just to get to work — to drive on roads their taxes already funded — is neither a genius nor a heroic one. And the bragging only adds insult to the injury. The tolls help 'businesses make deliveries and save costs,' claims Hochul's office. Advertisement Huh? Food distributors are looking at six-figure added costs, while the likes of FreshDirect are slipping in added fees for congestion-zone customers. Small restaurants are also reeling. This move remains a cruel money grab wrapped up in a green pseudo-justification, one the gov knows people hate — that's why she postponed it until after last November's elections. We guess she hopes voters will simply have forgotten, or grown resigned to the hit, by the time she faces them in November 2026. Beware: If she actually wins re-election this way, the plans are already drawn up to move toward doubling the tolls soon after.
