Somewhere between Hochul and Heastie in the Hamptons and the musical chairs of Manhattan officials running for each other’s seats in office, an uptown bar was stormed by protestors, an ivy league school president resigned, and a county executive tied the knot. Where do we begin?
Before heading to Chicago for the DNC, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine – preparing for his race for Comptroller – launched a media campaign surrounding ghost license plates, and the $200 million per year the city loses annually in uncollected fines. (Dare we ask the amount of taxpayer dollars spent on food waste?)… and Manhattan Assemblyman Alex Bores spoke at a shabbat dinner, accompanied by his lovely wife Daria, at The Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach – many of the congregants are registered to vote in his district… New York journalists Jon Levine, Emma Jo Morris and Matt McDonald gathered at Dave Goodside’s Beach Cafe on the Upper East Side to discuss upcoming DNC coverage – we hear they are seeking someone to go undercover (Nellie Bly style) and live amongst the migrants to report on how hotel and tent living is going… Will they get to speak to migrants in the Windy City about this? We hear Beatriz Ponce de León, Chicago’s Deputy Mayor of Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights, is preparing for an influx during the DNC…
We hear Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams were both on-site for the Harlem-based Harris/Walz rally earlier this week, with an after-party turned-disaster for local cocktail bar, Bird In Hand. Pro-Palestine protestors stormed the bar, destroying outdoor decor, smashing glassware, and physically assaulting bar staff. It’s one thing to protest outside a venue, but to enter and destroy, is a crime – is it not? All eyes are on Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg for his “catch and release” policy for these types of criminals – and Mayor Adams’ response: get out and vote… The partners of Bird In Hand, by the way, are a handful of young people from different races and ethnicities, who created a bar – a place of community gathering – in the shell of an abandoned pharmacy. While the partners are pleased with responses from NYC Office of Nightlife Jeff Garcia and Rep. Adriano Espaillat, one can only hope that other political personalities come forward to denounce violence for the sake of local small business (!) Yes, an altruistic public formed a GoFundMe page for the establishment, raising close to $10,000 – but is there a consequence for the perpetrators?
This week, Council Member Inna Vernikov announced a bill to ban masks, following similar legislation by Nassau County Legislator Mazi Pilip aimed at curbing these violent protests by forcing protestors to show their faces (Mazi’s bill sparked six hours of intense testimony and debate last week at the Nassau County legislature…) But other lawmakers and business owners aren’t as comfortable with a mask ban, like state Senator Iwen Chu who expressed concerns about potential bias, especially considering mask-wearing practices in Asian cultures…Meanwhile Columbia University President Minouche Shafik resigned following significant student protests and Katrina Armstrong, CEO of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, will now serve as interim president, entering the fall semester… Watch out, warns Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO, Anti-Defamation League, who sadly predicts a pending movement this fall to remove Jewish life off of college campuses… What are our political personalities doing to combat not only antisemitism, but harassment, destruction of private property, assaults and attacks on students at schools, and private citizens in restaurants and bars, and at places of both private and public gathering?
Did you know… a prestigious UK boarding school is coming to Long Island? Amity Education’s Savita Arora hosted a luncheon at Oakdale’s Bourne Mansion, the future site of a new boarding school set to be a sister institution to England’s prestigious Harrow School, beginning for the Fall 2025 school year. At the luncheon, Kristen Jarnagin Reynolds, President & CEO of Discover Long Island; former Deputy Suffolk County Executive, Lisa Black; Assemblyman Doug Smith; community affairs rep for Rep. Andrew Garbarino’s office, Lindsay Ekizian; former Suffolk County Department of Economic Development, Jon Schneidawin, as well as leadership from Harrow’s New York branch. Savita’s son, Dev, is a student at Hunter High in Manhattan, who launched a fashion magazine for the school – something Council Member Rita Joseph can get behind, and she’s pushing for newspapers in every high school, emphasizing the importance of keeping students informed and engaged with local current events… It’s local news and local elections that matter!
… And local civic engagement too! NYC Council Member Kevin Riley and Assembly Member Chantel Jackson partnered with Earn Your Leisure to take 80 Bronx high school students to Atlanta for Invest Fest next week, where they’ll gain forward-thinking economic skills and hopefully inspire their classmates and communities (just like Kevin Riley has with his adorable children’s book, Hopping Through Life: Tales of a Fatherless Father)…. Assemblyman Robert Carroll and NYC Council Members Rita Joseph and Althea Stevens participated in a roundtable with Read Alliance, focusing on literacy skills for elementary school students… and also, Althea joined her colleagues, Council Members Amanda Farias, Carlina Rivera, and Gale Brewer, for a New York Public Library Teen Civics Ambassadors event…
Congratulations to former Assemblyman and current Rensselaer County Executive, Steve McLaughlin, and his bride, Tina Keevern, who were married in Troy, New York, by City Court Judge Chris Maier
Keep up the good work everyone!
**SATA** We are weeks away from a first-of-its-kind community engagement bipartisan fashion show, created by yours truly… Message me to purchase an individual ticket. I have a dsicount code for readers of this newsletter 🙂
Political Personality of the Week
Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright
Rebecca represents Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Yorkville, and Roosevelt Island. Elected in 2014, she has authored and sponsored several significant pieces of legislation, including laws that strengthen protections for domestic violence survivors and promote gender equality in the workplace. Her work on the Assembly’s Committees on Codes, Higher Education, and Ways and Means underscores her commitment to addressing complex legal and economic issues affecting New Yorkers.
Born in Texas Rebecca moved to New York City to attend CUNY School of Law at Queens College, where she earned her Juris Doctor degree. Before entering the Assembly, she served as Chief Counsel to the New York State Senate and worked with the New York City Commission on Women’s Issues, where she focused on gender equity and civil rights. These roles provided her with a deep understanding of legislative processes and policy development, which she has applied effectively in her legislative work. A lesser-known fact about Seawright is that she played a crucial role in the early 2000s in advocating for the rights of working women, particularly in addressing pay equity issues in New York.
Seawright is also recognized for her strong connection to the Roosevelt Island community, an area she has consistently championed through her legislative efforts. She has been instrumental in addressing the unique concerns of this small but vibrant community, including healthcare access and infrastructure development.
Fast Facts:
- Born and raised in Texas
- Former Executive Director, Texas Women’s Political Caucus
- Married to Jay Hershenson, Senior Advisor to the President of Queens College
- Chair of the Committee on People with Disabilities
- Typically spotted wearing bright colors
