The mayor pauses on signing a bill; more arguments over terms limits; and the story of the City Hall bouncer.

The mayor pauses on signing a bill; more arguments over terms limits; and the story of the City Hall bouncer.

Neil Bender, one-time disputed heir to a real estate fortune that encompasses more than 100 properties in Greenwich Village, is disputed no longer.

On Tuesday, a court struck down an appeal by Mr. Bender's sister and nephew that challenged his right to inherit the estate from his uncle, William Gottlieb. The news was first reported in the Wall Street Journal:

A long-running family feud over a vast portfolio of Manhattan property moved closer to resolution on...

On the off chance that you haven't seen enough pro-charter school ads lately (and I'm not quite sure that could be the case, as a matter of fact)... Well, here's the latest from Education Reform Now.

It's a reminder that the deadline for Round 2 of Race to the Top applications is fast approaching on June 1, and the state still hasn't officially raised the cap on the schools, which has been widely blamed for New York's failure to capture hundreds of millions in federal education funding in Round 1.

Full script after the jump.

Watch:

On the off chance that you haven't seen enough pro-charter school ads lately (and I'm not quite sure that could be the case, as a matter of fact)... Well, here's the latest from Education Reform Now.

It's a reminder that the deadline for Round 2 of Race to the Top applications is fast approaching on June 1, and the state still hasn't officially raised the cap on the schools, which has been widely blamed for New York's failure to capture hundreds of millions in federal education funding in Round 1.

Charter schools, of course, have had proponents and union critics at each other's throats for ages now.

“Michael Mulgrew claims that New York’s losing Race to the Top would be ‘no one’s fault,'" said ERN Executive Director Joe Williams. (I wonder where he read that?) "However, with a teacher evaluation bill on the table, and the charter cap lift through the Senate, it's very clear exactly who's fault it is if these critical reforms we need to win Race to the Top aren't passed into law."

Full script after the jump.

Watch:

The Wall Street Journal adds its voice to the recent spate of stories about the still fruitless negotiations between labor and incoming Tavern operator Dean Poll that would allow one of New York City's most storied restaurants to finally reopen.

According to the Journal, "The sticking points include the naming of an arbitrator and the solvency of the pension plan."

Mr. Poll, who also holds the operating license for the Central Park Boathouse, has a long...

 Rahm Emanuel reportedly plans to bring his son to Jerusalem for his Bar Mitzvah, prompting this:

Two notorious, right-wing Jewi

Bob Lieber is moving on.

The deputy mayor for economic development since 2008, Mr. Lieber today announced he would be leaving the Bloomberg administration to work with real estate investor and former Andrew Cuomo employer Andrew Farkas, founder of one-time powerhouse firm Insignia (which later became CB Richard Ellis) and a person who had worked with Mr. Lieber in the past.

This makes him the third deputy mayor to depart in the past three months, an...

New York Online: Very expensive coffee, and a possibly fake Internet trend involving drinking a certain brand of liquor on one knee.

You may have already read (if you can get past the paywall) my former colleague Michael Howard Saul's report in the WSJ on the internal poll commissioned by incumbent Rep. Carolyn Maloney in her Democratic primary with newcomer Reshma Saujani.

If so, you know the Lake Research Partners-conducted poll shows Maloney crushing Saujani 75% to 7% in the East Side/Queens contest for the 14th CD, with 17% of likely Democratic primary voters undecided.

But that's not all, folks! We have... the crosstabs.

(Naturally, we have to keep in mind that Maloney is a longtime rep of the district, while Saujani is not as well known.)

First, the memo accompanying the analysis says the poll found 62% of Maloney supporters are "strong" backers and that just 19% of those polled have an opinion of Saujani (14% favorable, 5% unfavorable).

Right now, Maloney has $1.5 million primary cash on hand to Saujani's $369,000. But even assuming Saujani had equal resources to introduce herself to the district, it would be a tough slog: Voters would go 78% for Maloney, 9% for Saujani and 13% would be undecided.

The crosstabs (which you can read yourself after the jump) make a few other interesting points about this contest, which can be viewed through the classic prisms of incumbent versus challenger, older candidate versus younger, differences in ethnicity and many others...

Steve Katz of Yorktown announced this morning that he will wage a Republican primary in the race for the 99th Assembly District. Katz, a Bronx veterinarian, was among a handful of folks seeking the GOP nomination in that race, which went to former Southeast town justice James Borkowski on Monday night.

Yorktown Councilman Nick Bianco and Putnam Legislator Mary Ellen Odell, R-Carmel, decided to drop out of the race after Borkowski got the nod. Katz, though, is staying in.
“The party machine in Albany has made it hard for honest hard working citizens to serve this state in elected positions because it makes back room deals and corrupts the process.  We the people will not be shut out anymore. September 14 will be the convention for us, not the staged one that took place last Monday,” Dr. Katz said in a statement. “We the people aren’t going to take it anymore and we have to take back New York before it is too late.”
The 99th seat is currently held by Assemblyman Greg Ball, R-Patterson, who is running for the state Senate seat held by Sen. Vincent Leibell, R-Patterson, who is running for Putnam County executive – a seat held by Robert Bondi, who is not running for anything.
Read Katz’s full announcement after the break.

CANDIDATE STEVE KATZ FOR 99th  NY ASSEMBLY SEAT VOWS TO STAY IN THE RACE AND FIGHT IN A PRIMARY

YORKTOWN RESIDENT AND VETERINARIAN
STEVE KATZ IS WELL FUNDED TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN

“I PLANNED ON THIS ALL ALONG”

Yorktown, NY – Local tea party member and Republican Candidate Dr. Steve Katz, 56, has vowed he will stay in the race and fight through a primary this September for the 99th Assembly seat.  A veterinarian and successful businessman, Katz is not afraid to fight for his beliefs.

“The party machine in Albany has made it hard for honest hard working citizens to serve this state in elected positions because it makes back room deals and corrupts the process.  We the people will not be shut out anymore. September 14 will be the convention for us, not the staged one that took place last Monday,” said Dr. Katz. “We the people aren’t going to take it anymore and we have to take back New York before it is too late.”

Steve Katz is very well funded to fight for this three-county Assembly seat, and has raised the most by any candidate running for the Assembly in the 99th District.

Commenting on the events of the Republican Convention from last Monday, Ed Ciffone, District Leader for the Yorktown Republican Committee and President of United Taxpayers of Yorktown, said, “I nominated Steve because he is the right man for the job.  People need to have a choice of who represents them and the process needs to be fair and open, not have deals made behind closed doors.”

Steve Katz has started a walking tour of the district and has been meeting residents in the towns of Pawling, Southeast, Carmel, Paterson, North Salem, Somers and Yorktown.  He is raising a family of four with his wife Nicole in Yorktown.  He wants to be a new voice in Albany.  His campaign website is (here).

Bruce Blakeman, one of three Republicans vying to oppose Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, has been endorsed by Rockland County Republican Chairman Vinny Reda, the campaign will announce today.

“Bruce Blakeman clearly has the integrity, intellect, drive and professionalism to get our state and nation
back on track and he will restore the public’s trust in their elected officials. Bruce is a “hawk” when it comes to national defense, and a fiscal conservative in dealing with budget matters,” Reda said. “Considering the recent terrorist attack in Times Square in which a car packed with explosives could have killed or maimed thousands of New Yorkers, and the huge spending binge that President Obama and Senator Gillibrand continue to ram down the throats of our taxpayers; Bruce Blakeman has the background and experience to protect our state and nation from future terrorist attacks and get our nation’s checkbook back on sound financial footing. Bruce has what it takes to beat Kirsten Gillibrand, and that‟s why I am endorsing his candidacy for U.S. Senate.”

Blakeman has secured endorsements from chairs of representing about 30 percent of the weighted vote, he says. (We don’t have a tally on this one, folks. Sorry.) Yesterday, Joe DioGuardi announced the backing of Queens Republicans, and David Malpass was endorsed last week by several upstate counties.

What could Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Jay-Z be talking about over breakfast?

I caught up with State Sen. Frank Padavan up at the Capitol, and of course, like everyone else, the budget is on his mind.

Republican Padavan, who represents Queens, faces a challenge this year in the person of former City Councilman Tony Avella, who as we recall, ran for mayor last year.

Watch:

On the street where Sean Bell died, a modest celebration for its renaming in his memory. With clowns.

Gubernatorial hopeful Carl Paladino, who is kicking off an upstate tour in Albany tonight, said on Talk 1300 AM in Albany today that if he doesn’t get the endorsement from the Conservative Party he will form a third party “for the disaffected Democrats and the independents to go to.

“We’ve been all over the state. The people of this state have had enough,” he said.

Paladino, a Buffalo developer, said he has met tea party members around New York. They are Republicans, Conservatives, moderate Democrats and others who want change, but political party regulars and “elites” are not ready for it.

Paladino criticized state GOP Chairman Ed Cox’s support of Steve Levy, Suffolk County executive, who became a Republican to run for governor, and he said Republican Rick Lazio’s people “seem to be just floating out there. We’re not quite sure what their intentions are.”

Paladino said he expects his name will be put into nomination at the state GOP convention, the week of Memorial Day, and will win the 25 percent needed to proceed on the ballot. “If not, we are prepared to go and petition our way onto the ballot,” he said.

Paladino said in the radio interview that Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, the presumed Democratic gubernatorial candidate, is “unbearably silent.” Cuomo is expected to announce in advance of the state Democratic convention next week.

Paladino, who has pledged to cut spending dramatically if he becomes governor, said parks would still be open. He would cut a lot of optional benefits for Medicaid and “deny Medicaid and social-welfare benefits to strangers to our state,” he said. The SUNY system would “stop highly subsidizing” out-of-state students and would get rid of a lot of state agencies, he said.

Paladino said his campaign has been “quietly vetting” potential lieutenant governor candidates.

So much for Gov. David Paterson’s prediction that many school budgets would fail.

Despite proposed property-tax increases, voters approved 92 percent of school-district budgets across New York on Tuesday, according to the state School Boards Association.

The group said that initial results show that voters passed 621 of 675 school-district budgets.  Fifty-two budgets were defeated, and votes in two districts were too close to call, including in Johnson City, Broome County.

School-tax levies are expected to increase on average by 3.2 percent statewide in the upcoming 2010-11 school year, higher than the current fiscal year.

The increase results in large part from an expected drop in state aid, schools said. School taxes grew by an average of about 1.9 percent in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.

Gov. David Paterson has proposed cutting $1.4 billion in aid to schools, forcing them to reopen union contracts and lay off staff. But the state has yet to adopt a budget, which was due April 1.

School spending is expected to rise an average of 1.4 percent, but state enrollment is dropping 0.7 percent. School groups proposed spending increase is the lowest in 15 years.

“School districts worked hard under very trying circumstances to make sure the budgets they presented to voters balanced educational quality with the very real concerns of local taxpayers,” said Timothy Kremer, executive director of the School Boards Association.

“Today’s results are a testament to their efforts.”

Last year, voters approved a record 97 percent of school budgets, but the average passage rate since 1969 is 83 percent, the school boards said.

School budgets failed in some of the state’s larger districts, including Greece in Monroe County, Poughkeepsie, Schenectady and Lockport in Niagara County. Voters rejected budgets in four lower Hudson Valley districts: Mount Vernon, Pocantico Hills, Katonah-Lewisboro and Ossining.

On Long Island, 10 of its 124 districts’ budgets failed, but few did in western New York, the Southern Tier or central New York.

In districts where the budget failed, a second vote can be held June 15, or schools can adopt a contingency budget. Under state law, the contingency budget would be capped at the rate of inflation, which would allow for a zero spending increase.

Another top executive has left the Paterson administration: Director of Veterans Affairs James McDonough Jr. is leaving June 15th.

The agency will be run by McDonough’s deputy, William Kraus. Last week, the governor’s ever-shrinking press office staff lost one of its stalwarts, Matt Anderson, who was handling  calls at the Budget Division.

Here’s the release on McDonough:

Governor David A. Paterson has accepted the resignation of James McDonough, Jr., as the Director of the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs.

“During Jim’s tenure as Director of the Division of Veterans’ Affairs he aggressively and successfully led the Division forward in service to New York’s veterans and their families,” Governor Paterson said. “In the two and a half years under Jim’s leadership, the Division dramatically increased the amount of federal benefits awarded to New York’s veterans and their families. I thank him for his service to New York’s veterans, and wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Director McDonough said: “It has been a profound honor and privilege to serve New York’s veterans and their families as Director of the Division of Veterans’ Affairs and for that, I’d like to thank Governor Paterson and his Administration for their support.”

Director McDonough’s resignation will be effecti! ve on June 15, at which time William A. Kraus will assume the role of Acting Director. Mr. Kraus has served as the Division’s Executive Deputy Director since January 2008. Prior to working for the Division, Mr. Kraus was employed by the New York State Assembly, Department of Labor and the Office of General Services. Mr. Kraus has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the State University of New York at Albany. In January 2009, Kraus retired from the United States Navy Reserve at the rank of Commander.

After his rally this evening in Albany at the Corning Preserve, Buffalo developer Carl Paladino will begin the journey back to Buffalo — by boat.

The candidate — along with campaign manager Michael Caputo and his parrot, Augie — will travel on a 40-foot barge, according to Caputo.

“Paladino will hold private meetings aboard and public events ashore as he meets with area Republicans, Conservatives, community leaders, and voters across the region.  The swing ends on May 30th, just 36 hours before the Republican Convention,” Caputo said in a press release. There are stops planned in Utica, Syracuse and Rochester.

Speaking to Fred Dicker on the radio this morning, Paladino admitted he will not sleep on the boat.

“I have an aversion to water,” he said.

Paladino also said he expects to gain 25 percent at the GOP convention once the tour concluded. He won’t be able to attend the Conservative Party convention on May 28, but said that if he is not the party’s nominee, he will go ahead with a petition process to create a new, rival party.

 It's become, a colleague notes, the textbook play for candidates struggling for advantage in tough primaries: Run an ad bragging of tough immi