Geva begins a five-year tribute to the late,
great American playwright
Posted inSpecial Sections
Krestia DeGeorge
Posted inNews & Opinion
New date and new deal?
Last week, by a single vote, the County Legislature voted to move the budget’s due date to after Election Day. Thirteen of the 14 speakers who attended the public hearing opposed the law. The single speaker favoring the measure was Robert Fischer, co-chair of the team that first recommended it. But Majority Leader Bill Smith […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
On the campaign trail: remaking Medicaid
By the time this article hits the streets, New York’s Democrats will have elected a gubernatorial candidate. And barring supernatural intervention, it’s Eliot Spitzer. Challenger Tom Suozzi will fade into the background and possibly out of the public eye for good. But by pushing for reform in Albany, and harping on property taxes during the […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
The downsizing of Renaissance Square
A mid-sized theater is no longer part of the mix at Renaissance Square.
Posted inNews & Opinion
An interview with an underdog
For the first time in more than a decade, the highest office in the state is going to turn over. Three men are vying to replace George Pataki and no matter who wins, there will be big changes in store for New Yorkers. So why isn’t this race bigger news? Why aren’t the conversations in […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Reforming from the governor’s mansion
Politics The Democratic primary for governor, as predicted, has become at least partly a contest to see who can talk a better game on reform. Both of the Democratic candidates have said plenty about reform. (Republican John Faso has raised the topic too, but he seems more interested in discussing taxes, at least up to […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
New York’s Lej: still dysfunctional
Two years out, it’s clear that Jeremy Creelan hasn’t lost his passion for this stuff. From the wonkiest of details to the philosophy underlying it all, the attorney speaks with the urgency of someone immersed in a cause in which he believes deeply. In this case, that passion is directed toward an unlikely concern: legislative […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Taking on crime
It’s hard to imagine a political campaign where crime is unimportant. Certainly it took center stage in last year’s mayoral race. But so far, it’s taken a back seat to other issues in the race for governor. Maybe that’s because Eliot Spitzer’s rivals don’t consider it much of a weakness for him, since he’s the […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Growth without growth
Like a lot of people, Neil Jaschik has his e-mail set up to append a quote to each outgoing message. Jaschik’s, attributed to the second-century Rabbi Tarfon, reads this way: “It may not be your obligation to finish the task; but neither are you permitted to refrain from beginning it.” They’re fitting words for anyone […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Eliot Spitzer, New York’s man of mystery
In his bid to gain some traction, Tom Suozzi has had a lot to say about Eliot Spitzer. That’s only natural. Negative campaigning is the territory of the underdog, and in the Democratic gubernatorial primary Suozzi is certainly that. Most recent polls give Spitzer a lead of about 60 percentage points over Suozzi or John […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Fining our way to national decency
Until recently, broadcasters who breached the federal government’s indecency standards risked incurring not only the wrath of some viewers but also fines of up to $32,500. No longer. Now, any “obscene, profane, or indecent” content that the Federal Communications Commission finds “patently offensive” can earn the station’s owner fines of up to $325,000: 10 times […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
An Upstate farmer takes on Albany
Mark Bitz isn’t the kind of man you’d expect to lead a revolution. The turkey farmer from OnondagaCounty is so soft-spoken it can be difficult to hear him at times, and he frequently stops for real pauses between sentences. But the calm demeanor with which he carries himself at public speaking engagements belies a depth […]
