Crain’s Insider – Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Crain’s Insider

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Today’s News Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Gay Marriage and the Grisanti Paradox

Buffalo-area Tea Party members vowed in a blog post that Republican state Sen. Mark Grisanti “is toast” for voting for gay marriage. But a successful primary challenge would “play completely into the Democrats’ hands,” said a Democratic insider, by putting up a more conservative Republican in a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans 118,000 to 25,000. A challenger would provoke not only state Senate Republicans, who allowed their members to vote their conscience, but also gay campaign donors and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Redistricting is likely to help Grisanti by reducing the number of Democrats in the district.

“Disastrous” Scores are Foreseen

Education reformers want Mayor Mike Bloomberg to push for victories now, with high school graduation rates at an all-time high, before he takes a hit in the fall when statewide reading and math scores are released, an insider said. This spring’s tests were far more challenging than 2010’s—a response to the state Board of Regents’ realization that they had become too easy. “When the test scores come out … it’s going to be disastrous,” the insider said, reflecting an opinion widely held among teachers. A substantial recalibration of the scores to mask the drop is possible but not likely; the Board of Regents could see raw results as being necessary medicine.

Ravitch Decries Pension Scheme

Former Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch did not mince words when discussing state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s decision to allow municipalities to defer payments to the Common Retirement Fund and make up the difference later. At a panel discussion on pensions this month, Ravitch said the practice started the state down a “slippery slope.” The optional “smoothing” of pension payments was really a loan from the pension fund to localities and was “a grievous injustice to the retirees of the state,” Ravitch said. He warned against a similar arrangement in the works for the pension fund that benefits teachers outside of the city.

Berger to Diagnose Brooklyn Hospitals

Stephen Berger, the former chairman of the state health care restructuring panel known as the Berger commission, will oversee a new effort to save struggling hospitals in Brooklyn. State Health Commissioner Dr. Nirav Shah asked Berger to head a work group that will assess the strengths and weaknesses of Brooklyn hospitals and their future viability.

Ulrich wobbles on Weiner seat

The Republican nomination for Anthony Weiner’s former House seat is Councilman Eric Ulrich’s for the taking.

Rudy Giuliani has urged him to run and offered to help. Bob Turner, who grabbed 40% of the vote against Weiner last November, said he wouldn’t run again if the Queens councilman entered the race. And over the weekend the two would-be candidates met with National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions, R-Texas, and state Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox at the Palace Hotel for more than an hour.

Still, the 26-year-old is only half-certain he wants in.

“I’m 50-50 right now,” Ulrich said. He has many misgivings. The state and national party have yet to commit resources to the race. The district’s Democratic registration edge is daunting. And, of course, the winner may be redistricted out within a year of taking office.

“In that case, winning could be more detrimental than losing,” said Ulrich, who is safe in his council seat through 2013.

Ulrich said he also has personal reasons to avoid the race. He admitted that he’s yet to have a serious discussion with his wife about the possibility of running for Congress, and he fears the impact that the inevitable mudslinging of the campaign might have on his family. He also said he’d have a hard time running against Democratic council colleagues with whom he is close.

“Mark Weprin is my friend,” he said. “Karen Koslowitz is my friend.”

Ulrich still has time to decide. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has yet to call a special election. Ulrich said he plans to meet this week with state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, who may be instrumental in the state’s redistricting.

“Eric has a lot on his plate,” said Bob Turner, who vows to become Ulrich’s biggest supporter if he runs. “I’d like to help him. Failing that, I’ll step up.”

At A Glance

PARTY TIME:  Brooklyn Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries will host a $100-a-head fundraiser tonight for his congressional war chest at the Carlton Hotel, 92 Madison Ave., from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. RSVP at www.HJExploratory.com .

MOVING IN:  Jed Howbert is now vice president for strategic planning at Tishman Construction Corp. and AECOM Construction Services. The former senior policy adviser for Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff hails from Goldman Sachs’ Urban Investment Group.