New York Capital Brief

NYC Mayoral Race Update

Former Governor Andrew Cuomo continues to hold a commanding lead in the polls for NYC mayor with 34% of voters supporting him followed by Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani with 16% of voters supporting the Assemblymember. The rest of the contenders all polled in the single digits. Cuomo’s lead comes despite a technical error denying him millions in public matching funds, which has since been addressed. Mamdani raked in $4 million in matching funds, the largest amount any mayoral candidate has received during this election cycle.

Cuomo faced another setback this week after AI software, ChatGPT, was cited in a section of his housing plan and incoherent text was found throughout the plan, leading his rivals to criticize his use of the AI software on one of the most important policy issues NYC faces. A spokesperson for Cuomo affirmed ChatGPT was not used to craft actual policy, but instead for grammar and spelling, defending the use of the software.

(more…) “New York Capital Brief”

New York Capital Brief:

Budget Update 

Yesterday the Legislature passed a second budget extender (A7635/S7156) allowing for emergency appropriations through Monday, April 7 as the April 3 deadline for the first budget extender was not met. Governor Hochul’s policy priorities are holding up the budget process as parties are still dug in on issues like discovery reform, involuntary commitment, as well as a potential mask ban in cases where one is masked while threatening violence, which was not included in the Governor’s initial budget proposal. Senate Finance Chair Liz Krueger recently expressed frustration with policy taking up all the air with negotiations as she told Politico “We’re not even discussing numbers. She’s obsessed with her policy, and she doesn’t even want to talk about the other stuff. It’s frustrating.”

Next week will be the last chance to wrap up the budget before the scheduled two-week legislative break to observe Passover and Easter. While it is still possible the budget will be voted on before the break, there is a chance these negotiations could be extended further.

We will continue to keep you updated as negotiations proceed.

(more…) “New York Capital Brief:”

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced that he is running for mayor of New York City.

Read the AP article here and his social media post here.

Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado Announces he will not run with Governor Hochul

Read the announcement here.

and the statement from Communications Director Anthony Hogrebe:

“Today, Antonio Delgado finally said out loud what has been obvious for quite some time: he is simply not interested in doing the job of the Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York. Governor Hochul had already begun taking steps to identify a new running mate for 2026. We will also be reallocating responsibilities within the administration to ensure that important initiatives that had been within the Lieutenant Governor’s office are no longer neglected. Governor Hochul wishes him the best in his future endeavors.”

Legislative Budget Hearing Schedule Released

The legislative hearing calendar has been released.

Governor’s Executive Budget Announcement

The governor has released highlights for the executive budget.

The Governor’s State of the State Announcement

The governor has released remarks for the State of the State.

Hodes & Landy welcomes new team members

Ginger Lynch Landy announced today the addition of new partner, Vanessa Bongiorno.  Vanessa comes to H&L as an accomplished, well-respected government affairs professional with 25 years of Albany experience. Ms. Landy stated, ” We are excited to bring Vanessa on board to offer her strategic insights, policy expertise and long-standing relationships to our clients and team. She is already proving herself an incredible asset to the firm and our clients. ”

Also new to Hodes & Landy is Senior Legislative Analyst, Leanne Evans. Leanne brings with her extensive professional experience in the State Legislature, agencies and trade associations.  We welcome Leanne and look forward to her contributions.

Legislative Session Calendar Announcement

The legislative session calendar has been released.