Between on-campus uprisings, Trump’s trial, and imminent congestion pricing… How are New Yorkers actually doing? Anyone feeling the inner fire in their core to become civically engaged? How can we spread hope and unity when there’s so much hatred, vengeance and negative sentiment in the air? I’ll tell you how: we focus on elevating hyper-local changemakers, and connecting them to each other to lift each other up. That’s what this newsletter is all about. Thanks for continuing to tune into the weekly Skye Scoops.
In the spirit of lightheartedness, this year’s Inner Circle Show brought together many of New York’s political personalities into Ziegfeld Ballroom on Saturday night – where I personally had the most fun observing who was seated with who at the round tables – and observing real-time reactions from the officials who were mocked in the show. Seated with George Fontas, who hosted and sponsored the after-party at Tanner Smith’s, was a joyful Queens Borough President Donovan Richards as well as NYC Comptroller Brad Lander… Power player John Catsimatidis hosted a table which included Suffolk County DA Ray Tierney (who recently broke his foot, from all the ass he’s been kicking on Long Island…) as well as Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz, who arrived in midtown straight from Albany… Also in the room where it happened, former First Deputy Mayor Lorraine Grillo; Greenberg Traurig’s Ed Wallace and his wife Pamela (who were married by then-City Clerk David Dinkins); former Mayoral communications director, Max Young; former Cuomo deputy press secretary Abbey Barker; new mama, Rubenstein’s Jennifer Blatus McPartland and REBNY’s Reggie Thomas… and a hot couple alert! Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh and former De Blasio press secretary Eric Phillips, who is now head of communications for Craig Newmark Foundation (founder of Craig’s List, and sponsor of the Inner Circle Show) spotted together *fire emoji* Laura in her apropos fire bolt gown (we love when people dress in theme!)
Kicking off Passover this week, former Rep. Carolyn Maloney joined former District Leader Sylvia Di Pietro at the home of Adrien Lesser where casual seder banter included discussions of Netflix’s Leave the World Behind, as well as ‘shop like a billionaire’ app, Temu… while JCRC CEO and former NYC Council Member Mark Treyger shared the secret ingredient to homemade matzoh: love
Long Island Federation of Labor AFL-CIO event at the Hilton Melville attracted both of New York’s US Senators: Chuck Schumer & Kirsten Gillibrand as well as some of our favorite political personalities who began their careers in labor: Assemblyman Mike Durso, a former sanitation worker, and Senator Mario Mattera, a plumber! Also in the room, new LIPA interim CEO, John Rhodes, Rep. Tom Suozzi, Sands New York’s Tracey Edwards, Vineyard Offshore’s Aaron Siegel, EAC Network’s Neela Lockel, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, Assemblyman Ed Ra, and plenty of others, talking about Long Island economic development, jobs and the labor to public office pipeline.
As you were waking up for work or heading to the gym in midtown east Manhattan Thursday morning, you will have heard the reverberating cheers of “four more years” echoing throughout the streets, and that my friends, was because former President Donald Trump arrived at 270 Park to greet union laborers at 5:30am… Meanwhile, upstate that same morning, President Biden joined Governor Kathy Hochul and Senator Schumer in Syracuse for the announcement of a $6 billion investment by the US Department of Commerce in Micron Technology – and we hear there were ample protestors outside…
Is there a difference in the attitudes and actions of students attending private institutions of higher education versus those at public universities? SUNY Old Westbury College Foundation and University President Dr. Timothy Sams hosted a gala this week honoring SUNY Chancellor and former US Secretary of Education, John King Jr. where he shared his educational journey (more on that below) as well as invited a dozen students to share their experiences of overcoming adversity with the crowd… In the room, former Governor David Paterson and his wife Mary Sliwa, former Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman Viviana Russell,
This week, we look forward to the Nassau County Democratic Committee dinner as well as the full-day Regional Planning Association (RPA) event.
Political Personality of the Week: SUNY Chancellor Dr. John King, Jr.
Brooklyn-born Dr. John King, Jr. is an educator, civil servant, former state and federal government official, and now the 15th Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the United States. Chancellor King lost both of his parents by the time he was age 12, and he himself got kicked out of high school. He credits teachers and educators who guided him and helped him become the man and leader he is today.
Under Chancellor King’s leadership, SUNY has seen its largest operating aid increase in over 20 years, including double-digit percentage increases for every state-operated campus and dedicated recurring annual funding for expanding mental health services, services for students with disabilities, paid internships, and research, as well as addressing food insecurity. In fall of 2023, the System saw its first overall enrollment increase in a decade and hired approximately 700 faculty members across all disciplines at SUNY’s State-operated campuses.
Before being appointed SUNY Chancellor, King served as president of The Education Trust, a national civil rights nonprofit, and Professor of the Practice at the University of Maryland College Park. Chancellor King served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the 10th U.S. Secretary of Education. His service in Washington, D.C. followed Chancellor King’s tenure as New York State’s first African American and first Puerto Rican Education Commissioner.
Chancellor King holds a Bachelor of Arts in government from Harvard University, a J.D. from Yale Law School, as well as both a Master of Arts in the teaching of social studies and a doctorate in education from Teachers College at Columbia University.
Fast Facts:
- First US Secretary of Education to get kicked out of high school
- Lost both parents at a young age
- New York State’s first African American and first Puerto Rican Education Commissioner
- Credits teachers & school counselors to helping him refine his life and path
- Triple Ivy League educated
- Ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Maryland
- Brooklyn-born