Fracking explained. Illustration courtesy of Wiki Commons.

The Cuomo administration has hinted it may allow hydrofracking to move forward only in municipalities that express support for the procedure, and this week Gov. Andrew Cuomo explicitly said that “home rule” should be a factor in deciding where to allow it. But the technology is such that drilling for natural gas in some locations and not in others doesn’t make sense, several lawmakers argued yesterday. “You may have a town that says no, but if the town next to it says yes … well, it’s horizontal hydrofracking we’re talking about,” State Sen. Tony Avella, an outspoken opponent of the controversial practice, said at a rally on the steps of City Hall. “The pipes are going to go a long distance underground and we’ll have contaminated water seeping into the water supply of a town that never wanted it.” State Sen. Liz Krueger said that polluted water from a single source could contaminate crops and livestock, which would in turn spread through the state. “If one county does it, it can contaminate other counties,” she said. “We are all one when it comes to this issue and we are all interdependent, literally and figuratively.”

Stavisky has “consistently fought to protect women’s health and safety,” Gillibrand is quoted as saying in the release. “She has worked tirelessly to improve city schools and expand access to health care.  I am proud to support her for re-election.”

Stavisky was also endorsed in early May by Sen. Charles Schumer, who cited her record helping small businesses in his endorsement.

Stavisky is facing off in the primary elections in September against John Messer, an attorney who also ran against her as a Democrat in 2010 and finished third in the race behind Stavisky and lottery winner Isaac Sasson. A Korean-American real estate agent named J.D. Kim is running against Stavisky on the Republican Party line.

Stavisky is running in the newly-created majority Asian-American district, which she moved into to avoid a primary against fellow Democratic State Sen. Tony Avella.

To read more from City & State click here.

Winners

Tony Avella – Woody Allen famously said 80 percent of success is just showing up. Who knows if Avella’s perfect attendance record in the Senate has anything to do with the fact that he chalked up the Independence Party’s endorsement this week and seems to be cruising to a surprisingly easy reelection, but it certainly didn’t hurt. By taking seriously the fact that he works on the taxpayers’ dime, Avella deserves a gold star and inspires the question: why can’t his colleagues do the same?

Brad Hoylman — Is it possible that a West Side state Senate seat could be open — and the field will be pretty much clear? It’s not quite certain yet, but Sen. Tom Duane quickly said he was likely to back Brad Hoylman if he runs, and no other definite contenders have yet emerged. It also doesn’t hurt that Duane announced his decision only two days before petitioning began — making mounting any sort of insurgent campaign difficult.

Charles Barron - Even if you buy that Barron’s endorsement on Monday by the longtime incumbent, Ed Towns, was neutralized by Hakeem Jeffries’ starring role in Governor Cuomo’s pro-pot decriminalization press conference, there was still ample reason to conclude that the councilman’s campaign keeps building momentum just when it matters most. After leaving little doubt as to who got the better of their NY1 debate, Barron continued to bruise Jeffries the next day by landing The Amsterdam News’ support. Could this be the start of a Nehru jacket craze in Congress?

Barry Caro — New York Congressional candidate Richard Becker has an uphill battle in a four-way Democratic primary this month, but he’s got a great asset in his dogged press secretary Barry Caro, who sniffed out an incendiary Facebook post written by Jay Townsend, the press man for Rep. Nan Hayworth, in which Townsend recommended hurling acid at female Democratic senators. Caro flagged the post and pushed it until it went viral, ultimately forcing Hayworth to let Townsend go. It’s the kind of moment that catches national attention and could ultimately focus more eyes and dollars on the race, a plus for whichever Democrat ends up staring down Hayworth this fall.

To read the full list of this week’s political winners and losers, and to vote for the best and worst, visit City & State by clicking here.

Joe Lhota

WINNERS

Eric Adams — Okay, we admit it, this could really go to anyone left standing in the Brooklyn Borough President’s race, after heir apparent Carlo Scissura announced he was dropping out of the race to pursue a position as president of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. Other bandied about candidates include Sen. Kevin Parker and even City Councilman Domenic Recchia, Jr., who’s also been mentioned as a possible comptroller candidate. Regardless, the race is wide open at this point. And for Senate Democrats like Adams, who are basically powerless as newborn kittens in the current Legislature, any position is better than the one they hold now.

Tony Avella – Some critics blasted his hydrofracking forum – not a hearing, mind you – as a media stunt, but it achieved his goal of keeping the contentious issue in the spotlight. On top of that, two potential and potentially strong challengers made it clear they wouldn’t run against him: fellow Democratic Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky, who was redrawn into his district, and Republican Frank Padavan, whom Avella ousted two years ago.

Greg Ball — Republican Sen. Greg Ball lost a primary challenger yesterday in the form of Steve Katz, the veterinarian Assemblyman who once faced criminal charges over illegally dumping a dog and separate charges over possible mistreatment of a vicious chihuahua. Ball’s only other primary candidate at this point is a man who shares the same surname with a woman at the heart of a massive Manhattan prostitution ring, which leaves Greg Ball, once thought to be the Senate’s biggest liability, looking like the safe choice for Republicans in his district’s primary.

Simcha Felder — In Hebrew, Simcha translates directly into “joy.” And Simcha Felder certainly had a lot of that during his first week as a Senate candidate, landing the endorsements of the Brooklyn Orthodox communities two most prominent current pols, Councilman David Greenfield and Assemblyman Dov Hikind. That could well box other big-name candidates out of the race, like ex-Councilman Noach Dear, and could convince everyone to simply get behind Felder. Maybe that’s why Felder can be so coy with which party he’ll causus with in Albany, and can play it sort of cute by keeping his city job while he runs.

John Sexton — For months, Mayor Bloomberg teased about the possibility of a second applied sciences campus to help spur the city’s developing tech sector. And this week, in a remarkably well managed roll out, he announced that New York University would join Cornell and Technion in the building their own city-supported engineering school. NYU President John Sexton, who was withstood a wave of discontent over the school’s expansion plans, now gets the chance to be on the winning side of the equation. Excelsior!

LOSERS

Courtney Burke – The problems at the state’s embattled Office for People with Developmental Disabilities were around long before Burke took over, but that isn’t shielding her from criticism lately – especially when word got out the Cuomo administration tried to get a critical OPWDD employee kicked off a legislative hearing she was set to speak at. Both eventually did show up, along with a gaggle of reporters, but Burke would only attribute the matter to a “breakdown in communications.”

Dan Cantor — The Working Families Party must of thought it was in the clear after a judge ordered the disbandment of its for profit campaign arm Data & Field Services. But amid the gear up for the 2012 elections and the attempted revival of Occupy Wall Street comes the news that a special prosector was reopening the case, which means more legal fees and more headaches for Executive Director Dan Cantor. He may want to occupy a therapists couch after this one … Or a bar stool.

Joe Lhota – Whether the governor is a car guy or not, the fact that he hasn’t ridden a subway since taking office won’t persuade anyone he cares much about the MTA. And that’s yet another challenge for the MTA chief, who has to keep the trains running and the stations from falling further into disrepair. He did help pave the way for another applied sciences center in New York City, but  the TWU raised hell about the sale, and tarnished the good deed.

To read the full list at City & State and to vote for the ultimate winner and loser of the week click here.

“Handsome cabs,” the horse-drawn carriages and tourist draw that occupy much of Central Park and environs, may be about to have their “licenses suspended” indefinitely. The proposed retirement plan was brought to State Legislators by Senator Tony Avella (D-Bayside) and Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan), who together first introduced the bill on May 16, 2011.

(Photo courtesy of AnnieGreenSprings)

Assemblymember Rosenthal, who resides over parts of Clinton and Hell’s Kitchen is advocating the bill as an effective ban of horse-drawn carriages throughout the city, further requiring “the humane relocation, sale, or disposal (where necessary) of the horses released from their service.” If passed, the law would allow an 18-day grace for carriage drivers, so that they can arrange for the safe relocation of their horses.

A string of recent events have renewed Rosenthal’s concerns regarding the horse-drawn carriage business, and the dangers they pose to both horses and citizens. On Saturday, Mar. 3, a horse pulling an empty carriage was frightened, and ran into heavy traffic, which upended its carriage and put the horse in danger among vehicles for several blocks, until it became exhausted.

“Despite an increasing number of serious accidents involving horse-drawn carriages in the last several months, the City has refused to take any action to protect the public and the horses,” said Assemblymember Rosenthal. “The City’s congested streets are no place for horses, and horse-drawn carriages pose a serious danger to the public’s safety. It is just a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed as a result of this industry.”

While several animal rights groups, including the ASPCA are in agreement with Aseemblymember Rosenthal, Michael McKeon, a spokesperson for the Teamsters Joint Council 16, has said, “No one loves the horses more than the drivers, and to suggest otherwise is outrageous and wrong. The sad truth is that Tony Avella and the rest of the crowd care nothing about the welfare of these horses…to replace them with some ridiculous antique car scheme is a business plan.”

Public opinion does, however, seem to side in favor of carriage bans. According to a Wall Street Journal survey of over 1,500 readers in Oct., 2011, the public heavily favors (76 percent) an outright ban of horse-drawn carriages. And for animal advocates, there can be no greater send off for the iconic carriage horses than a peaceful retirement away from the concrete jungle.

Tony Avella

Mayor
If going against Mayor Michael Bloomberg is considered a long shot for Comptroller William Thompson, then Council Member Tony Avella is the longest of shots. Avella, from Queens, has spent most of his Council career as a firebrand who often casts the lone-dissenting vote on legislation. He wants to empower community boards to take a greater role in local development, pledges to increase the involvement of parents and teachers in education policy making and supports commercial rent control.

William Thompson

Mayor
When most prominent Democrats declined to take on Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Comptroller William Thompson was the last one standing, facing only Avella, a long-shot aspirant, in the primary. As comptroller, Thompson’s alternative investment strategies helped cushion the pension fund when the economy collapsed. He knocks the mayor for being overly focused on Wall Street and real estate, a strategy that he says has harmed the middle class, and he promises to diversify. He would create an independent body to study student progress, and wants to mitigate the taxes, fees and fines that he says burden small businesses.

Melinda Katz

Comptroller
In the City Council, Melinda Katz chairs the powerful Land Use Committee, which oversees all development projects that need zoning changes. That has helped her raise campaign cash from real estate interests, but Katz says she has also pushed for affordable housing, fair labor wages and buildings that fit within a community’s context. Before her Council election, she worked in the Queens borough president’s office and she was a State Assembly member. As comptroller, Katz promises to invest a portion of pension funds in successful but debt-strapped companies that do business in New York, to help spur local job creation.

John Liu

Comptroller
John Liu is a reserved City Council member from Queens, but he also has a reputation for being a pit bull during committee hearings. As chair of the Transportation Committee, he claims to be the first elected official to discover the now-infamous “two sets of books” the MTA was using. Liu promises to use his tenacity when auditing city agencies, which the comptroller must do every four years. He also wants to audit and track stimulus funds coming to the city. On pensions, Liu wants to return to traditional, low-risk, low-yield investment strategies.

David Weprin

Comptroller
David Weprin wants voters to understand that he knows the buck. The Queens Council member chairs the Finance Committee, which must pass the city’s budget. He was also Gov. Mario Cuomo’s state superintendent on banking. His position in the Council has baggage, as he was partly blamed for not catching the slush fund scandal sooner. Nonetheless, he is touting his experience and his willingness to stand up to the mayor when appropriate, as he did when opposing the term-limit extension. Weprin plans to open satellite comptroller offices that would focus on financial literacy and assistance programs.

David Yassky

Comptroller
In a field of comptroller candidates from Queens, David Yassky is the lone Brooklynite. He is also the only candidate who supports the creation of a new level of pension benefits that would ease the city’s budget woes, but that remains unpopular with unions. Yassky points to his record in the City Council, where he worked to eliminate waste in the Housing Department, assisted in closing a tax loophole used by luxury developers and supported creating gas-electric hybrid taxis. He promises to invest a small portion of pension funds into biotechnology companies and increase transparency; during the campaign, he put the city’s budget online, at www.ItsYourMoneyNYC.com.

Bill de Blasio

Public Advocate
Council Member Bill de Blasio became Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s chief antagonist during the fight to extend term limits. The successful extension ruined de Blasio’s plans to run for Brooklyn borough president, but he found a spot in the public advocate’s race. He was quickly endorsed by most of the city’s elected officials. As the city’s ombudsman, de Blasio said he would stand up to a powerful mayor when necessary and promises to work collaboratively with other elected officials to get results.

Eric Gioia

Public Advocate
This two-term Queens Council member built a network of support from unions and young professionals, winning his first term without the backing of the borough’s Democratic organization. Gioia is capitalizing on this “outsider” status in his bid to be the city’s ombudsman and is touting his effective use of publicity to drive policy change. In 2007, he went on food stamps for a week, then pushed for legislation that would put applications online. He says he will continue working to improve schools, fighting for economic justice and holding government accountable.

Mark Green

Public Advocate
Voters may remember Mark Green as the city’s first public advocate who served during the Giuliani years, when he sued the mayor for withholding information on racial profiling and police misconduct, and he served as a general foil to many administration policies. He promises to continue that “aggressive progressive” platform, standing up to City Hall and helping government better serve New Yorkers. Since his unsuccessful bid for mayor in 2001, he has been president of Air America Radio, the liberal talk radio network that was owned by his real estate mogul brother, Stephen.

Norman Siegel

Public Advocate
This is civil rights lawyer Norman Siegel’s third bid for public advocate, following his unsuccessful challenge of incumbent Betsy Gotbaum in 2005. Siegel, who says the public advocate needs to be visible, a big mouth and a fighter, points to his record representing groups like the 2004 Republican National Convention protestors and West Harlem tenants in their battle against Columbia University. He plans to recruit hundreds of volunteers to be “surrogate public advocates” in each community, and create an “Institute of Advocacy” to help New Yorkers make themselves heard.

Richard Aborn

Manhattan District Attorney
Richard Aborn, a former assistant district attorney under Robert Morgenthau, stormed into the district attorney race as a dark-horse candidate. Yet his campaign has gained momentum after most of the borough’s elected officials, including Rep. Jerrold Nadler, endorsed his campaign. A gun-control advocate who was behind the federal assault weapons ban and the Brady Bill, Aborn is running on a platform of providing alternatives to incarceration, rehabilitation for nonviolent offenders and expanding the use of technology in the office.

Leslie Crocker Snyder

Manhattan District Attorney
This year, Leslie Crocker Snyder is mounting her second attempt to be Manhattan’s top prosecutor. In 2005, the former State Supreme Court judge ran against incumbent Robert Morgenthau, who had been in office since 1974. Snyder, a former assistant district attorney, was the first woman to prosecute homicides, founded Manhattan’s Sex Crimes Bureau and co-authored the Rape Shield Law. As district attorney, she would create a Second Look Bureau to address wrongful convictions and connect prosecutors to local law enforcement, civic and religious groups.

Cyrus Vance, Jr.

Manhattan District Attorney
Retiring prosecutor Robert Morgenthau chose Cy Vance, his former assistant district attorney, to be his successor. Vance, the son of President Jimmy Carter’s secretary of state, has been a defense lawyer in Seattle, Wash. for most of his career, litigating white collar crimes at a national firm. He plans to develop a community-based justice model in neighborhoods to better attack problems such as domestic violence and discrimination against immigrants. If elected, Vance would tackle the criminal court backlog and form special units for mental health issues and hate crimes.

There are two issues I want to address. First, the success of charter schools is still in debate and all mayoral candidates, except Tony Avella, support them. I am concerned about where the candidates plan to open new charter schools. There is severe overcrowding in many parts of the city. About a week ago, a decision was decided to eliminate Pre-K classes in P.S. 3 and P.S. 41 on the Lower East Side to make room for roughly 100 kindergarten students on a waiting list. There are not enough student seats on the Upper East and West sides for the growing student population and many elementary schools in Queens have huge enrollments. When charter schools are opened, it is not uncommon to share space with a Department of Education school. This takes valuable space from an underutilized school or crowds a school already at or above capacity. It was nearly three years ago that NEST+M, a citywide gifted school, won a long battle to keep Ross Global Academy Charter School out of its building. Although I agree that parents should have options of where to send their kids, I wonder where the mayoral candidates plan to open new charter schools in the future.
Second, the issue of increasing parental involvement in the school and in children’s lives is echoed by all mayoral candidates, with each suggesting different methods on how to approach it. I would recommend increasing the percentage that the school environment survey plays in the overall scoring of a school’s progress report. Currently, the survey is worth 15 percent of the progress report, where a poor grade for a few years may close a public school. The school environment survey asks focused questions from parents, teachers and secondary students about how their school is meeting the academic and emotional needs of young learners. By increasing the percentage of the school environment to 20 to 25 percent of the total progress report, it would send a clear message to parents that their responses are valuable and that their voices may be heard by those who want a high grade on Department of Education progress reports.

Daniel M. Wolkenfeld
East 82nd Street

Letters have been edited for clarity, style and brevity.