Tag Archives: 2013 elections

Via press release from Empire State Pride Agenda executive director Nathan Schaefer: I could not be more enthusiastic about sharing the following announcement with you: the Empire State Pride Agenda’s Political Action Committee has just announced our endorsement of New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn for Mayor of New York City. This is an amazing moment for us and …

Opponents to the expected mayoral campaign of openly gay New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn have launched a new website. DNA Info today reports on Quinn’s small but very visible group of detractors. [Donny] Moss, a staunch animal-rights activist, said his beef with Quinn began after the speaker blocked a bill that would have outlawed horse-drawn carriage rides in …

The New York Post sure thinks so. The police commissioner and council speaker have cut a private deal that will keep him as top cop for a fourth consecutive mayoral term with a Quinn victory in the November race to succeed Mike Bloomberg, sources said. Confidants in both camps confirmed the secret pact — which will bolster Quinn’s anti-crime credentials …

MTA chief Joe Lhota will resign his position, as is required by New York City law, in order to run for mayor next year. The news comes weeks after Lhota’s handling of the Hurricane Sandy recovery was widely praised by all sides. Though he has said little about his plans, Mr. Lhota floated the prospect of his candidacy during a …

DISCLOSURE: Johnson is a personal friend and my name appears on a list of supporters issued by his campaign earlier this year.

When I ran into attorney and activist Yetta Kurland at the Stonewall Inn two weeks ago, she told me she hadn’t yet decided on whether to challenge Community Board 4 chairman Corey Johnson in the race to succeed Christine Quinn as Chelsea’s representative on the New York City Council. Today we learn Kurland is in. Via Gay City News: In …

Yesterday openly gay New Jersey Assemblyman Reed Gusciora introduced a bill to place marriage equality before the voters. Gusciora said he has been opposed to putting a civil rights question like marriage equality up to a popular vote. But the Assemblyman — New Jersey’s first openly gay legislator — said his constituents asked him to change his mind in light …

Openly lesbian NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the presumptive favorite in next year’s mayoral race, is supporting a bill that would that would loosen the rules on “unions, corporations and advocacy groups” who support the campaigns of local candidates. The bill, to be introduced on Monday, would allow those outside groups to work directly with candidates on their internal political …

Billionaire John Catsimatidis, the owner of the Gristedes supermarket chain, will file his intent to run for New York City mayor tomorrow. Like Mayor Bloomberg, Catsimatidis is a former Democrat seeking a second act after a fabulously successful business career. But this isn’t quite Bloomberg II. While Catsimatidis says he’s prepared to spend as much as $20 million of his …

Last night Alec Baldwin appeared on CNN to tell Piers Morgan that openly lesbian NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn is “untrustworthy” and “self-seeking.” Baldwin, who says he is not running for mayor, added that Quinn “has blood on her hands” for her role in Mayor Bloomberg’s successful bid for a third term despite two earlier voter referendums that had limited …

Two weeks ago we learned that MTA head Joe Lhota, who has earned widespread praise for the response to Hurricane Sandy, was being touted in GOP circles as a candidate to succeed Mayor Bloomberg. Now he’s got Giuliani in his corner. Via New York Times: Former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, under whom Mr. Lhota was a deputy mayor and with …

Perhaps Bloomberg said it in jest. If not, it certainly throws an interesting angle into Christine Quinn’s presumed candidacy. UPDATE: Here’s the story. During their conversation, Mrs. Clinton left little room for doubt: she was not interested in seeking the mayoralty, people briefed on the call said. Even so, Mr. Bloomberg’s reaching out to her is rich with political intrigue. …

Capital New York reports that anti-gay pastor and NOM supporter Erick Salgado may challenge openly lesbian City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the presumptive Democratic favorite for NYC mayor next year. As you’d expect, Sen. Ruben Diaz is backing him. State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., an evangelical Christian and leader of the New York Hispanic Clergy, is encouraging a member of …

The Newark Star-Ledger today reports that both Garden State Equality and the Human Rights Campaign are encouraging Mayor Cory Booker to challenge Gov. Chris Christie in his 2013 re-election bid. Steve Goldstein, the head of New Jersey’s largest gay rights organization, says he’ll go “door to door from New Jersey to West Hollywood to raise millions of dollars” if Newark …