City Council Endorsements roll in + 1997 UPS Teamster Strike
No 29
Monday, September 04, 2017
A note to our readers: The Thorn has switched from Mailchimp to Substack so we can keep delivering you local New York politics news from a socialist perspective with fewer administrative costs. Starting in January 2022 our new issues can be at thethornnyc.substack.com along with how to subscribe. This website will serve as an archive of our past issues.
Local news
- In an attempt to cut the number of smokers in the City by 160,000 in the next three years, mayor de Blasio signed five bills that significantly increase regulations on tobacco products.
- De Blasio also signed the “Stand for Tenant Safety” bills that expand protections for tenants while their building is undergoing construction or renovation.
- Teamsters from the Local 813 in Queens are organizing around a member who has been detained by ICE and is in danger of being deported.
- Governor Cuomo and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi may end up botching an effort to flip vulnerable upstate Republican congressional seats in the 2018 election.
- Public Advocate Tish James said that the Christopher Columbus statue in Manhattan’s Columbus Circle should remain, disagreeing with Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. James made the statement following a news conference where she endorsed Eric Gonzalez for Brooklyn DA.
- New York City is “rewarding harassing behavior” from landlords with its latest investment in cluster site housing programs, homeless advocates say.
Elections
- After barely covering this year’s City Council primaries, the New York Times has announced its endorsement of only five candidates ahead of next week’s primary: incumbent Helen Rosenthal and Keith Powers in Manhattan, incumbent Carlos Menchaca in Brooklyn, Francisco Moya from Queens, and Marjorie Velázquez from the Bronx.
- The Village Voice broadly outlined the goals of both proponents and opponents to a potential state Constitutional Convention, which will be considered on this November’s ballot.
- NY1 hosted a debate over the Democratic primary election in the 35th Council District between Laurie Cumbo and challenger Ede Fox. Housing and gentrification were the main points of contention.
- The Democratic primary in the 38th Council District (Sunset Park) is seeing a flood of campaign contributions from developers and outside sources. Incumbent Carlos Menchaca faces some prominent challengers in this district, including Assembly Member Felix Ortiz.
- Justin Brannan, running for the 43rd District City Council seat (southwest Brooklyn), has received the high-profile endorsement of Rep. Jerrold Nadler (Democrat, parts of southwest Brooklyn and the west side of Manhattan).
1997 UPS Teamster Strike
On August 15th the NYC-DSA Labor Branch organized a panel to discuss the 20th anniversary of the 1997 UPS Teamster Strike, one of the largest in US history and one of labor’s biggest wins in decades. DSA member and illustrator Colleen Tighe was at the event and drew some sketches.
