arrow Astoria pool in Queens NYC Dept of Parks / Flickr
On the heels of winning the Queens borough president s race (technically, the race began as a special election but COVID-19 upended those plans) to serve out former BP Melinda Katz, Donovan Richards is already defending his post as three Democrats have thrown their name into the June primary race.
Much like all the borough president races, the perks to the top executive post for The World s Borough (nickname for Queens) is somewhat symbolic, with some semi-powerful duties that involve picking members of a community district whose values reflect theirs, offering an advisory opinion to zoning challenges, and commanding a tiny portion of the city s budget.
WBFO Albany Correspondent Karen Dewitt reports
Cuomo said in his budget proposal that he needs $15 billion in federal aid to ease a two-year budget deficit largely caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. If he doesn’t get that, one option that he presented is a proposal to create five graduated higher income tax brackets for New Yorkers earning more than $5 million a year. The brackets end with a top tax rate of 10.82% for those who bring in over $1 billion annually.
But the governor said he fears the implementation of that plan could cause the wealthy to leave the state, defeating the purpose of the tax. He said it would raise only a tenth of what’s needed $1.5 billion and when New York City’s income tax is factored in, it would lead taxes to skyrocket for some of the wealthiest taxpayers.
All Allied down is certified Family-owned Allied Feather + Down is a leading US-based supplier of ethically-sourced down insulation to the bedding, fashion and outdoor industries. In an interview with
Fibre2Fashion,
Daniel Uretsky, president of Allied, gives an overview of the global down industry, Allied s localisation versus globalisation strategy and its future plans. What is down? Where is it produced from? Which kind of apparels does it find its application in?
Down is grown on waterfowl as an insulating layer under a layer of outer feathers on the belly of duck and geese. Down is a by-product of the food industry. Following culling for meat, the down and feather is collected from abattoirs, separated and cleaned.
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A new pick for state Senate Finance Committee secretary, a top Democratic staff position in state budget negotiations, has raised eyebrows among progressives concerned that the conference has poached David Friedfel, the top state policy analyst of the Citizens Budget Commission, an independent research organization that advocates conservative fiscal policy.
Friedfel will play a lead role in negotiations between the Senate, Assembly and governor’s Division of Budget, as well as in internal discussions among senators, according to longtime Albany observers. Friedfel’s appointment comes as progressives push for a spate of tax-the-rich proposals to meet a projected $63-billion four-year deficit, while centrists, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, argue that the wealthy might flee the state if their already-large tax burden increases.
Mercury
Mercury’s lobbying and public affairs firm, which is headed by Michael McKeon, boasts more than 30 media relations professionals in its New York office. The growing media relations team is led by former Bloomberg spokesperson John Gallagher, managing director and former National Action Network communications lead Rachel Noerdlinger, former Fox News producer Dan Bank and former Associated Press chief White House correspondent Ben Feller. Mercury, which represents a wide variety of clients, has a national presence that is bolstered by former New York Post reporter Stefan Friedman, who leads the media relations practice on the West Coast.
Other key employees: Beth DeFalco, Karen Mustiga, Kim Winston, John Tomlin, Djenny Passé, Shannan Siemens, Eric Bloom