Adams’ What-I-Got budget

Presented by NY Renews, a project of Tides Advocacy

It’s hard enough to make a budget for a city of 8.5 million people that’s aimed at saving money and still has a chance of appeasing the City Council. It’s a lot harder when the state hasn’t come through with its share of the deal for the last… 27 days.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams unveiled his $106.7 billion updated budget Wednesday with an emphasis on continuing to cut costs in the name of preserving the city’s fragile fiscal health.

But there are gaps riddling the plan with uncertainty until a final spending plan gets approved in Albany, where the budget is now the latest it has been since 2010. State leaders, for example, are considering a deal that would require the city to pay $150 million to the MTA for the next two state fiscal years. It would be better than the extra $500 million Gov. Kathy Hochul had initially proposed, but it can’t be counted in until real numbers emerge on paper. Even promises like $1 billion in asylum-seeker money that Hochul and legislative leaders have said is coming can’t be considered a done deal until it’s all done.

“Unfortunately, without an adopted State budget from Albany, the City is operating in the dark when it comes to the impacts of proposed assistance and potential cost shifts, and today’s Executive Budget reflects that uncertainty,” City Comptroller Brad Lander said in a statement.

Adams, on Wednesday, rejected a suggestion that the very tardy state budget might shake his confidence in Hochul. “I am not a fair weather friend. Gov. Hochul has been with us,” he said. “Albany will do Albany."

It remains unclear how long the weather will be, um, not fair. On Wednesday afternoon, some state senators had already begun to tip-toe back to their districts, even though the most recent extended deadline only lasts until Friday. State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said that there are no immediate payroll deadlines that would be missed if a new extender isn’t passed. They will need to do something by next Tuesday in order to pay workers at the Division of Military and Naval Affairs, he said.

Legislative leaders and Hochul still have unsettled business to negotiate, such as whether to allow for more charter schools in New York City and how to address illegal marijuana sales. The Assembly planned to keep members in town today, but not because anyone expected they will be perusing budget legislation.

“I’m listening to Democratic members in there who don’t know if we’ll be here on Friday,” said state Sen. Jim Tedisco (R-Schenectady County). “I’ve never seen majority members that [unaware of] what’s happening. … It’s a total, total lack of transparency right now.”

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WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany with no announced public schedule.

WHERE’S ERIC? In New York City touring a child development center and delivering remarks for a flag-raising ceremony for South Africa, commemorating the 29th anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic elections. Then, the mayor will meet with members of South Africa’s National Department of Tourism and deliver remarks at the New York City Department of Investigation’s “Fighting Corruption: Past Success, Future Challenges” event celebrating the agency’s 150th anniversary. After, Adams will deliver remarks and present a proclamation to Elza Metal, a Holocaust survivor, to celebrate her 100th birthday, and then host a Greek heritage reception. Following, the he will deliver remarks at a gala for the Gateway School and present a proclamation to the New York City Police Department African Law Enforcement Organization at their first annual gala in Queens. Finally, the mayor will attend the NYPD Police Self Support Group annual awards dinner.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We are at a Maslow’s hierarchy of needs moment.” — Mayor Eric Adams, giving a sense of his headspace when it comes to the budget.

WHAT CITY HALL IS READING

“NYC Mayor Adams’ $106.7B budget calls off some of his most controversial cuts, but big holes remain for libraries, social services,” by Daily News Chris Sommerfeldt and Michael Gartland: “Still, the $106.7 billion executive plan keeps in place cuts to the city’s public library, social service and education systems that are expected to remain major sticking points as Adams and the Council enter the final stretch of budget negotiations.”

“Jimmy Oddo to head NYC Department of Buildings,” by City and State’s Jeff Coltin: “Oddo, a Republican, will be replacing another Republican on the job. Former City Council member Eric Ulrich held the job for six months before resigning last November, after it was reported that he was being questioned in connection to an illegal gambling investigation by the Manhattan district attorney’s office. Ulrich hasn’t been charged with any crime.”

“Demoted FDNY chiefs: Rift can’t be fixed by Commissioner Kavanagh, Mayor Adams needs to step in,” by Daily News’ Thomas Tracy: “Three chiefs at the center of the ongoing turmoil at the FDNY spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday, calling on the Mayor to step in and heal the rift between Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh and the department’s top brass.”

“City’s new Open Streets rules would saddle volunteers with red tape, organizers say,” by Crain’s New York Business’ Nick Garber: “The Open Streets program has faced resistance in many of the neighborhoods where it has sprung up, and a group of people with disabilities filed a federal lawsuit against it this week, saying car-free streets discriminate against people with limited mobility.”

— In an interview on NY1, Adams confirmed that White House chief of staff Jeff Zients was one of a number of White House officials he met with last Friday to ask for more federal money to help with the migrant crisis.

WHAT ALBANY'S READING

“He Calls the Shots for New York’s Governor. He Lives in Colorado,” by The New York Times’ Nicholas Fandos and Jeffery C. Mays: “Mr. Sullivan, 42, has no formal job title or social media presence. He operates a small consulting firm from his home in a Colorado mining town, delivering strategy directives on issues like public safety far from the streets of New York City, where crime has unsettled some residents. And his generous compensation — estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars — is mostly hidden from campaign records. Yet 18 months into Ms. Hochul’s tenure, Mr. Sullivan’s fingerprints can be found all over New York, according to more than two dozen people who have worked with him closely.”

“Cuomo sues ethics commission, saying its creation was flawed,” by Times Union’s Joshua Solomon: “He is asking for the court to declare the ethics commission to be an unconstitutional body and, therefore, for any enforcement taken against him by it to be invalid. Explaining why the lawsuit is necessary, Cuomo’s attorneys said the commission intends to garnish “millions of dollars to cover the entirety” of the book deal.”

— “...it’s not an executive entity, Cuomo’s lawyers argue. And the ‘sweeping powers of investigation, enforcement, and punishment’ that it has been given are ‘quintessentially executive.’ This sort of blending of branches has repeatedly been proven improper.” From POLITICO’s Bill Mahoney: Can Cuomo crush New York’s ethics board? He’s trying in a lawsuit

“Public defenders tell legislators not to compromise on discovery reform,” by City and State’s Rebecca C. Lewis: “‘Changes to crucial legislation should always be based on evidence and subject to public debate and scrutiny,’ the letter reads. ‘Thus far, the process that has led us to this moment has been entirely clandestine and undemocratic.’”

#UpstateAmerica: The culture wars have descended on upstate school libraries, the Buffalo News reports.

TRUMP'S NEW YORK

Judge chides Trump for calling rape trial ‘made up SCAM’ on social media, by POLITICO’s Erica Orden: The federal judge overseeing the civil trial in which Donald Trump is accused of rape admonished the former president for a social media post in which he called the lawsuit “a made up SCAM.” Trump could be “tampering with a new source of potential liability,” U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan told one of Trump’s lawyers in court on Wednesday.

“Bannon associate sentenced to 4-1/4 years for Trump border wall fraud,” by Reuters’ by Luc Cohen: “Brian Kolfage, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in Manhattan after pleading guilty last year to misappropriating funds for the “We Build the Wall” campaign, an effort that solicited public donations and, according to prosecutors, raised about $25 million. Torres also sentenced Andrew Badolato, 58, another former Bannon associate, to three years in prison following his guilty plea.”

AROUND NEW YORK

— The head of the MTA isn’t too fond of a new plan to renovate Penn Station by building a new entrance on 8th Avenue.

— The New York Historical Society offers a free program to practice democratic policymaking — with transportation — to fifth- and sixth-grade public school students.

— A new state bill would allow students in New York to opt out of lockdown drills.

— Black drivers in Brooklyn pay more for car insurance than drivers living in wealthier and whiter neighborhoods, according to a new analysis.

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: The Intercept’s James Risen … Michael Crittenden of The Levinson Group … Bloomberg’s Mike Shepard … The Economist’s Jon Fasman … Alexandra De Luca … Goldman Sachs’ Lee Brenner … Doug Rediker … Dan Gerstein … Arielle Patrick … Alexsandra Sanford … Weesie (Vieira) Thelen