Nathaniel Herz

Corruption Case Spotlight: State Spending Remains Hidden From Public View

Last week’s sprawling corruption probe that ensnared State Senator Malcolm Smith had a guest appearance by a little known pot of cash used to pay for roads and bridges. “Multi-modal money is outside the budget and it’s always around,” the FBI allegedly recorded Smith as saying, as he hatched a plan to funnel $500,000 in state […]

Nathaniel Herz
By Nathaniel Herz

Last week’s sprawling corruption probe that ensnared State Senator Malcolm Smith had a guest appearance by a little known pot of cash used to pay for roads and bridges. “Multi-modal money is outside the budget and it’s always around,” the FBI allegedly recorded Smith as saying, as he hatched a plan to funnel $500,000 in state funding to a

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Affordable Housing Units Promised 7 Years Ago Back In The Plans In NY

The City Council voted Tuesday to approve the expansion of the Chelsea Market in Manhattan, after securing promises to local residents from the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and from the project’s developer, Jamestown Properties. The expansion will build office space on top of the converted industrial buildings that make up the complex but preserve […]

Nathaniel Herz
By Nathaniel Herz
The plaster from a collapsed ceiling is seen in an apartment at 1576 Taylor Ave. Wednesday, April 21, 2010 in the Bronx borough of New York. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin)

The City Council voted Tuesday to approve the expansion of the Chelsea Market in Manhattan, after securing promises to local residents from the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and from the project’s developer, Jamestown Properties. The expansion will build office space on top of the converted industrial buildings that make up the

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Many New Yorkers Ignored Evacuation Orders — Hurricane Experts Say Past False Alarms Had Little To Do With It

The Dresch family, from Tottenville on Staten Island, followed city orders to evacuate before the arrival of Hurricane Irene last year, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg had called “a matter of life and death.” The weather didn’t live up to the hype, and the Dresch home was burglarized after they left. So despite the mayor’s evacuation […]

Nathaniel Herz
By Nathaniel Herz
With the aid of New Jersey State police, a man walks with his dog to a National Guard vehicle after leaving his flooded home at the Metropolitan Trailer Park in Moonachie, N.J., Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in the wake of superstorm Sandy. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

The Dresch family, from Tottenville on Staten Island, followed city orders to evacuate before the arrival of Hurricane Irene last year, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg had called “a matter of life and death.” The weather didn’t live up to the hype, and the Dresch home was burglarized after they left. So despite the mayor’s evacuation orders issued

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East Coast Cities Scramble To Prepare For Tuesday

Officials at the city Board of Elections say they are still confident in their ability to be ready for voters on Tuesday in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, but they’re racing against the clock to finish preparations for the presidential election. On Wednesday afternoon, the board’s headquarters at 32 Broadway were still without power, while […]

Nathaniel Herz
By Nathaniel Herz
This Oct. 23, 2012 photo shows a county election worker checking an absentee ballot at the Post Beach county election board office in Riviera Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Officials at the city Board of Elections say they are still confident in their ability to be ready for voters on Tuesday in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, but they’re racing against the clock to finish preparations for the presidential election. On Wednesday afternoon, the board’s headquarters at 32 Broadway were still without power, while staff

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Leaner Government Storm Response One Year After Irene

Hurricane Sandy will likely hit New York Citywith greater force than Irene, the tropical storm that walloped the area in late August 2011. But a review of published reports and statements shows that in advance of Sandy’s arrival, city and state officials have given residents less time to evacuate from their homes, opened fewer shelters, mobilized […]

Nathaniel Herz
By Nathaniel Herz
Large waves generated by Hurricane Sandy crash into Jeanette's Pier in Nags Head, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012 as the storm moved up the east coast. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Hurricane Sandy will likely hit New York Citywith greater force than Irene, the tropical storm that walloped the area in late August 2011. But a review of published reports and statements shows that in advance of Sandy’s arrival, city and state officials have given residents less time to evacuate from their homes, opened fewer shelters,

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Missing Members On New City Banking Board

The city’s new banking law — hailed by Council Speaker Christine Quinn as “groundbreaking” when it passed this spring — is already behind schedule. Under the Responsible Banking Act, which took effect June 28, Quinn and Mayor Michael Bloomberg had 60 days to appoint representatives to an advisory board that would examine the mortgage and […]

Nathaniel Herz
By Nathaniel Herz
An Occupy San Diego protestor holds a sign urging bank withdrawals while waiting to close her account in a Wells Fargo bank branch Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011 in downtown San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

The city’s new banking law — hailed by Council Speaker Christine Quinn as “groundbreaking” when it passed this spring — is already behind schedule. Under the Responsible Banking Act, which took effect June 28, Quinn and Mayor Michael Bloomberg had 60 days to appoint representatives to an advisory board that would examine the mortgage and lending

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Senate Candidate Says New York City Mayor’s Pledge Of Super PAC Support Came Out Of The Blue

When New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg announced last week that he’d be founding a Super PAC and spending some of his money in Maine in support of Angus King, the Independent candidate for U.S. Senate was as startled as anyone. “I can tell you without any equivocation that I had no idea he was […]

Nathaniel Herz
By Nathaniel Herz
A photo of the former governor of Maine, Angus King, on April 1, 2010. (Photo by CurtFletcher via Flikr)

When New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg announced last week that he’d be founding a Super PAC and spending some of his money in Maine in support of Angus King, the Independent candidate for U.S. Senate was as startled as anyone. “I can tell you without any equivocation that I had no idea he was going to do this Super PAC thing,” King said.

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