Latest news with #ZellnorMyrie
New York Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Will a Federal Investigation Help or Hurt Andrew Cuomo's Mayoral Bid?
Not that long ago, an 11th-hour revelation that the Justice Department was criminally investigating a candidate like Andrew M. Cuomo would have been enough to kill or at least seriously maim a mayoral campaign. So it was something of a mile-marker in Democrats' growing distrust of the Trump administration that when news of the inquiry into the New York City front-runner broke late Tuesday, not even Mr. Cuomo's rivals could quite be sure who would benefit politically. On one hand, the inquiry appeared to echo his rivals' criticisms of Mr. Cuomo as dishonest and corrupt. It centers on whether Mr. Cuomo lied to Congress about decisions he made as governor during the coronavirus pandemic. Several candidates seized on the Justice Department's action to argue that New Yorkers should not replace Mayor Eric Adams, whose administration was upended by a federal inquiry, with a second politician who might have reasons to curry favor with Mr. Trump. 'We cannot trade one compromised mayor for another,' said Zellnor Myrie, a state senator from Brooklyn. But Democrats' conviction that President Trump is abusing the Justice Department is now so deep that party leaders and even some of Mr. Cuomo's critics said that being a target could help him in the June 24 mayoral primary in the nation's largest Democratic city. 'I'm not here to support Andrew Cuomo or oppose him, I'm just here to tell you this is another example of retribution and using the Justice Department for political purposes,' said Jay Jacobs, the chairman of the New York Democratic Party. 'You're talking about active, highly motivated Democrats. That's who's going to be voting,' he added. ''The enemy of my enemy is my friend' is pretty much the theory this goes under.' Those voters' views could change in time. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the inquiry into Mr. Cuomo was opened only in recent weeks by the U.S. attorney's office in Washington based on a criminal referral it received from House Republicans. No charges have been brought. Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for the Cuomo campaign, denied any wrongdoing and accused the Justice Department of abusing its power to interfere with an election. The issue is especially sensitive in New York City. In February, Trump Justice Department appointees overruled career prosecutors in Manhattan to toss bribery charges against Mayor Adams after he courted the president. Among other reasons, the department argued that the September 2024 indictment had improperly interfered with Mr. Adams's own re-election prospects. (He is now running as an independent.) In March, The Times reported that the same interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia who was in charge when the Cuomo case was opened had pushed to escalate an inquiry into Senator Chuck Schumer of New York over years-old public comments about the Supreme Court. Then, this month, the F.B.I. opened an investigation into Letitia James, the New York State attorney general who has tangled with Mr. Trump in court, over her personal real estate transactions. Mr. Cuomo, 67, has faced criticism as a candidate for not being more aggressive in attacking Mr. Trump. But his closest supporters were quick to spin the investigation as a sign of Mr. Cuomo's perceived strength. 'Trump wants a mayor who will bend the knee (or be up his butt),' Melissa DeRosa, a top adviser to Mr. Cuomo, wrote on X. 'Andrew Cuomo is his nightmare come true … enter law-fare … and a galvanized Democratic base.' Paradoxically, the strategy echoes Mr. Trump's own approach in 2024, when he used the criminal charges he faced to galvanize Republican support. Still, even if many Democrats eye the Cuomo investigation as a politically motivated attack, the federal scrutiny may be a fresh complication to Mr. Cuomo's attempt to re-enter political office less than four years after he resigned as governor in the face of sexual harassment allegations that he denied. It will give his opponents an opportunity to renew focus on one of Mr. Cuomo's biggest perceived vulnerabilities: how he handled the spread of Covid in state nursing homes in the pandemic's early months. At worst, it could result in federal charges and a trial. The families of New Yorkers who died in the nursing homes have long blamed Mr. Cuomo, citing a March 2020 state directive that ordered the facilities to accept Covid patients from hospitals. They have become a fixture outside Mr. Cuomo's campaign events. The federal investigation specifically appears to involve a report Mr. Cuomo's administration produced later in 2020 that further infuriated victims' families by deflecting blame for thousands of the deaths. In closed-door testimony last summer, Mr. Cuomo initially denied having seen or reviewed the report before its release. He later qualified his denials, saying he did not 'recall' viewing it. But The Times subsequently reported, and the committee concluded, that Mr. Cuomo had not only seen the report but had personally written portions of early drafts. Zohran Mamdani, the state assemblyman running second behind Mr. Cuomo in most polls, seemed to embody his rivals' conflicting views about how to respond. 'Andrew Cuomo's career has been defined by corruption and deceit, and his lying to Congress about his Covid response is no exception,' he said. 'But Donald Trump cannot be trusted to pursue justice.'
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Meet the NYC mayoral candidates: State Sen. Zellnor Myrie
NEW YORK (PIX11) – PIX11 Morning News is making sure New Yorkers know each of the candidates running for New York City mayor ahead of the June 24 primaries. New York State Sen. Zellnor Myrie reveals his plans for New York City, which include public safety, affordable child care and immigration. Watch the video player for the full interview. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NYC mayoral candidate Zellnor Myrie calls for 1-year rent freeze, joining most Democratic competitors
NEW YORK — New York City mayoral candidate Zellnor Myrie is calling for a one-year rent freeze for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments — joining several other Democratic hopefuls. However, Myrie, like some of his competitors, is stopping short of making any broader call or promise as to what he'd do as mayor. The candidate had not committed one way or the other about his stance on rent freezes for months. This call now comes after most of his competitors in the June primary had firmed up their own positions. The one-year pause represents a relative middle ground for the candidate, who is accepting campaign donations from real estate moguls and emphasizing housing development across the city. Myrie's push for a rent freeze is based on new data from the Rent Guidelines Board, he said. He underlined the pause's importance by pointing to his background growing up in a rent-stabilized apartment and his family's struggle to pay the bills. 'This is a reality that far too many New Yorkers are facing today and as Mayor, I'll appoint members of the Rent Guidelines Board that will put tenants first,' Myrie said in a statement. 'After reviewing the 2025 RGB Report, I urge the board to implement a rent freeze for this upcoming year to help New Yorkers like my mom make ends meet.' Myrie vowed to appoint board members who would make 'data-driven decisions' each year on whether to raise rents for rent-stabilized tenants. His campaign said that concerns about the impacts of the Trump administration's tariffs and funding cuts also played a role in his decision. Among the mayoral candidates, City Comptroller Brad Lander, Scott Stringer and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams have all recently come out in support of a rent freeze. Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani has made a broad rent freeze a rallying cry for his campaign, and State Sen. Jessica Ramos and former Bronx Assemblymember Michael Blake have also campaigned on a freeze. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has come out against rent freezes, while Mayor Eric Adams on Monday didn't commit either way, instead saying that the city needs to protect small landlords. Under Adams, the board has approved annual rent hikes of around 3%. Members of the board are appointed by the mayor. The freeze applies to the approximately 1 million rent stabilized units in the city. The Rent Guidelines Board is set to vote on whether to increase rents for stabilized units on Wednesday. _________
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NYC mayoral candidate Zellnor Myrie calls for 1-year rent freeze, joining most Democratic competitors
NEW YORK — New York City mayoral candidate Zellnor Myrie is calling for a one-year rent freeze for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments — joining several other Democratic hopefuls. However, Myrie, like some of his competitors, is stopping short of making any broader call or promise as to what he'd do as mayor. The candidate had not committed one way or the other about his stance on rent freezes for months. This call now comes after most of his competitors in the June primary had firmed up their own positions. The one-year pause represents a relative middle ground for the candidate, who is accepting campaign donations from real estate moguls and emphasizing housing development across the city. Myrie's push for a rent freeze is based on new data from the Rent Guidelines Board, he said. He underlined the pause's importance by pointing to his background growing up in a rent-stabilized apartment and his family's struggle to pay the bills. 'This is a reality that far too many New Yorkers are facing today and as Mayor, I'll appoint members of the Rent Guidelines Board that will put tenants first,' Myrie said in a statement. 'After reviewing the 2025 RGB Report, I urge the board to implement a rent freeze for this upcoming year to help New Yorkers like my mom make ends meet.' Myrie vowed to appoint board members who would make 'data-driven decisions' each year on whether to raise rents for rent-stabilized tenants. His campaign said that concerns about the impacts of the Trump administration's tariffs and funding cuts also played a role in his decision. Among the mayoral candidates, City Comptroller Brad Lander, Scott Stringer and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams have all recently come out in support of a rent freeze. Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani has made a broad rent freeze a rallying cry for his campaign, and State Sen. Jessica Ramos and former Bronx Assemblymember Michael Blake have also campaigned on a freeze. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has come out against rent freezes, while Mayor Eric Adams on Monday didn't commit either way, instead saying that the city needs to protect small landlords. Under Adams, the board has approved annual rent hikes of around 3%. Members of the board are appointed by the mayor. The freeze applies to the approximately 1 million rent stabilized units in the city. The Rent Guidelines Board is set to vote on whether to increase rents for stabilized units on Wednesday. _________
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New York City mayoral contender Zellnor Myrie out with first TV ad
NEW YORK — As New York City's mayoral candidates struggle to gain traction in a race dominated by the frontrunner, among voters consumed with national politics, one lesser-known contender is out with his first TV ad Tuesday. State Sen. Zellnor Myrie is hoping to pull himself out of single digits with a 30-second spot showcasing his bootstraps biography and New York City beginnings. 'He was raised by a single mom in a rent stabilized apartment, and our public schools put Zellnor Myrie on the road to a better life,' an elderly female voice narrates over an image of the Brooklyn lawmaker and his mother holding hands in a humble living room. The narrator for whom the ad is named — his school teacher, Mrs. Randolph — goes on to tick off highlights from the Democrat's legislative record, like bills to tighten gun laws and strengthen tenants' rights. She also touts some of his campaign proposals, including expanding affordable housing and after-school programs. The ad makes no mention of the behemoth in the Democratic primary, Andrew Cuomo, who is outpolling everyone, scooping up coveted union endorsements and benefitting from the backing of a super PAC that's collecting big-dollar donations from real estate titans, finance executives and some prominent Trump supporters. With under two months until the primary to replace Mayor Eric Adams, it's becoming harder to see any candidate with low name recognition overtaking the former governor. But privately, campaign operatives — even the beleaguered ones — insist the relentless attacks on Cuomo's record from rivals and in news coverage will start to hurt his polling lead and open the door to a well-liked candidate who can benefit from ranked choice voting. They readily point to Cuomo's comparatively high negative ratings. Hence Myrie's hope. He's pitching himself to New Yorkers as a relatively fresh figure in city politics, with a base of reliable voters in Central Brooklyn and a housing plan that focuses on building much more and driving down costs without driving away developers. 'This ad will introduce Z to even more New Yorkers who are hungry for new leadership,' campaign spokesperson Olivia Lapeyrolerie said in response to questions about the state of the race. Myrie, who had $2.8 million in the bank as of the last campaign filing, is the second candidate out with a TV ad this cycle — his produced by longtime political consultant Mark Guma. Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, who is polling in second place, put out his first spot last week. Myrie is spending $500,000 for one week of airing the ad on cable and broadcast channels, streaming shows and other digital platforms, 'as well as local sportscasts of his beloved Knicks, Yankees and Mets games,' Lapeyrolerie said. The cable buy includes $65,000 of that. A version of this first appeared in New York Playbook. Sign up here.
