Crains New York - May 27, 2013 - (Page 6)

THE INSIDER DEBATABLE: At a Crain’s forum last week, mayoral front-runner Christine Quinn downplayed Anthony Weiner’s entry into the race. by Erik Engquist and Andrew J. Hawkins Suddenly, mayor’s race is sexy But that’s the horse race. It’s the race for ideas where Mr. Weiner hopes to distance himself—not only from his rivals but from the sexting revelations that drove him from politics in 2011. He is attempting to focus on issues and solutions, which were in short supply at last week’s debate. At one point, long shot Sal Albanese suggested manufacturing subway cars at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a filled-to-capacity hub of small manufacturers (never mind that the transit system gets its equipment from Yonkers and upstate, both important political constituencies for the state-controlled agency). The other candidates regurgitated oft-heard proposals, buck ennis S candal-scarred former Rep. Anthony Weiner joined the scrum to become mayor last week, making national news and triggering a tabloid frenzy. Even the staid New York Times spit out six Weiner pieces within 36 hours. And while the controversial pol ducked the Crain’s Democratic debate on his first day as a candidate, his return to politics drew a horde of media to the event to get front-runner Christine Quinn’s reaction. Which was a routine recitation of her stump speech, along with one off-script remark: “Why should I talk about anyone but myself?” she said. “I’m the one running for mayor.” But the City Council speaker has got a lot of company. The leading Democrats have each lost about a third of their poll support to Mr. Weiner, who is second in the Democratic primary surveys at 15%. Ms. Quinn is down to 25%, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and former Comptroller Bill Thompson to 10%, and Comptroller John Liu to 6%. like bringing more city contracting in-house, as if that would generate the billions needed for the retroactive raises that they all want to give unionized city workers. Mr. Weiner, in contrast, suggested reinventing the city’s health care plan, a $14 billion annual expense. He will attempt to combine wonkiness with a more conventional image for candidates lacking institutional support: that of outsider. Unfortunately for him, the special interests getting behind his rivals typically attract more Democratic primary voters than they repel. Mr. de Blasio is grabbing for the mantle of the labor candidate, having secured the powerful backing of health care workers’ union 1199 SEIU. Signaling his strategy, he skipped the business-oriented Crain’s debate to announce another union endorsement. If the Weiner-crazed media did not notice, other unions surely did. Mr. de Blasio is now positioned to compete for the blessing of hotel workers, building-service employees and teachers. The race, it would seem, is getting hot. Congressional conundrums Two pieces of legislation pending before Congress would have an enormous impact on New Yorkers and the city’s economy, but also present a quandary for the state’s representatives in Washington. The immigration reform bill, which would provide more visas for high-skilled foreign workers, is expected to come before the full Senate in June. Businesses support it, but some advocates say they will be hurt by its exclusion of immigrants with lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender spouses. “What we hear from companies is that they have three problems: They have a recruitment problem, they have a retention problem, and they have a productivity problem,” said Rachel Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality. “The really brilliant engineer that you spent months recruiting is going to decline the job when she finds out she can’t bring her wife with her.” New York’s congressional delegation bemoaned the failure of an LGBT amendment, but did not commit to voting against the entire Turn Sunday into Executive MBA Day at Yeshiva University’s Sy Syms School of Business Apply Now to our Sunday-only Midtown Manhattan Executive MBA program Sy Syms School of Business IS HE A WINNER OR A WIENER? We’ve designed our general management Sunday-only Executive MBA to ﬁt perfectly into your fasttracked life. Attend Yeshiva University’s Sy Syms School of Business Executive MBA program at our FOR WHATEVER REASON, ANTHONY WEINER never does Midtown Manhattan location and beneﬁt from a unique emphasis on entrepreneurship and global market leadership, built on a foundation of ethics. Our students enjoy small personalized classes, outstanding 6 | Crain’s New York Business | May 27, 2013 newscom faculty and an extensive alumni network. Apply now and start your remarkable journey today. For more information or to download an application visit www.yu.edu/syms/emba or contact Margie Martin at 917.326.4839 | mmartin4@yu.edu bill for fear of jeopardizing its passage. Some members are waiting to see if the Supreme Court overturns the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which could change the landscape for LGBT bills. The state’s delegation is split on a new farm bill that would deliver billions of dollars in subsidies to the agricultural industry. The reason: It would cut $4.1 billion from the federal food-stamp program over the next decade, eliminating nutritional assistance to nearly 2 million lowincome families nationwide. It’s unclear how many Gillibrand of New York City’s 2 million food-stamp beneficiaries would fall off the rolls. Representatives of poorer districts are slamming the cuts, while those from rural districts are signaling that they will work with Republicans to craft a final bill. Economists have said food stamps provide strong economic stimulus because they have the highest multiplier effect of any federal funding. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, in a statement last week, expressed “disappointment” that the farm bill “will literally take food away from those who desperately need it, while protecting corporate welfare for insurance companies based in Bermuda, Australia and Switzerland who don’t need it. These are the wrong priorities.” The dilemma for Ms. Gillibrand is that the legislation would benefit New York farmers. Her spokesman said she will wait to assess the final bill before deciding how to vote. Ⅲ well in Crain’s online polls. In the latest such unscientific survey about the former congressman, 77% of 261 respondents called him a “wiener” for entering the mayor’s race just two years after his sexting scandal. Only 23% called him a “winner.” Winner Wiener http://www.yu.edu/syms/emba http://www.yu.edu/syms/emba

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - May 27, 2013

In the Boroughs
In the Markets
Small Business
The Insider
Business People
Opinion
Alair Townsend
Greg David
Steve Hindy
Report: Largest Companies
The List
Classifieds
For the Record
Real Estate Deals
New York, New York
Source Lunch
Out and About
Snaps

Crains New York - May 27, 2013