Java with Joe a Hit
Okane and Addabbo
Governor Kathy Hochul has the power to remove Mayor Adams from his post, but she won’t step in soon to remove him. One of the biggest reasons is the recent Andrew sightings. You see, Andrew has been making some noise about running for mayor of NY and if Adams were removed there would have to be a special election. In a ‘special,’ names go on the ballot without a party affiliation. Cuomo wins by a landslide today. The other current contenders each split the votes of their small group of followers but Cuomo is the only one city residents know. In a primary, we’re not sure he wins, but today, removing Adams would be a disaster for Hochul.
Why?
Nobody wants to tangle with the fellow who was previously your boss – who left his job after sex-abuse allegations – and who she had to throw under the bus.
The relentless press in New York is notorious for staying on a subject until we get answers. Hochul had to come out with statements which acknowledged the allegations Cuomo created an intolerable culture in which women were treated in way which was disgusting. Addressing the situation without throwing Cuomo under the bus was impossible. She stayed away from accusing him without hearing from all sides, but make no mistake about it, he was offended.
Hochul was offended as well. There were leaks from then Governor Cuomo’s office that Hochul would be off the ticket in 2022. There were plenty of reports during the Cuomo administration that she was not included in most decisions. So when she took over she promised big changes (that’s a slight). Hochul publically said Cuomo should have warned her before resigning. If that’s not enough for her not wanting Cuomo to be mayor, think again.
For us at the Pol Position desk every morning it’s like opening up a new birthday present. Each day we hear about another raid or cell phone confiscation. It’s hard to keep up. Anyone and everyone with ties to the mayor is being vetted either by the DA or the FBI. So much so that two top officials decided to get married over the weekend. Yep, first deputy mayor Sheena Wright and ‘now-retiring’ schools chancellor David Banks got married. Remember one cannot be forced to testify against a spouse. Even if it is for ‘love,’ and we should believe it is, the optics are not good at all. Some legal experts say it might not protect them from obstruction of justice anyway. Hope they’re in love.
There is so much going on within NYC politics we’ve got ourselves a regular political columnist. “In this Corner” is premiering this week on the next page. Rob Hornak is a strategist who has typically represented ‘right-leaning candidates throughout NYC for decades. His column this week is about something near and dear to our heart; ‘this mayoral mess should inspire average people to run for office.’
Love it.
We’ve got to hand it to State Senator Joseph Addabbo. He represents areas of Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, Glendale, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Maspeth and Middle Village, Queens. We caught him at Buongiorno Bagels on 88th Street in Glendale last Saturday. The tireless lawmaker has regular sit-downs with constituents at coffee shops and libraries. We’re not sure how much coffee he can really take, but we brushed shoulders with him while talking to Mike Okane, who just happens to be a member of Community Board 5 in Queens.
