Crains New York - June 4, 2012 - (Page 8)

THE INSIDER by Jeremy Smerd and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh S Pessimism may signal Albany deal enate Majority Leader Dean Skelos has repeatedly called the Assembly’s plan to raise the state’s minimum hourly wage by $1.25 per hour, to $8.50, a “job killer.” Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has said the state cannot afford the Senate’s package of tax cuts and credits for manufacturers, craft brewers and small businesses. Gov. Andrew Cuomo insists there’s little he can do on either issue. “I don’t believe I can convince members of the Assembly for a broad business tax-cut package,” he said. “I don’t believe I can convince members of the Senate on the inverse.” Despite the naysaying, insiders see the outlines of a deal that would pass both bills and lead to victories for each of the “three men in a room.” “This isn’t rocket newscom science,” said one source. “It’s political posturing.” Each measure has broad public support: 78% of New York voters (including 58% of Republicans) support a minimum-wage hike, and 65% support a business tax package (including 64% of Democrats), according to a recent Siena Research Institute poll. Pushing through these popular proposals before adjourning this month would likely give the majority party of each chamber an edge going into the fall elections, insiders say. That could benefit Mr. Cuomo, who has done well with a Democratic Assembly and a Republican Senate. Any bargain, however, depends on Mr. Cuomo spending political capital. He may not be inclined to spend much. After all, he has several major accomplishments under his belt already this year. But the governor also has a history of lowering expectations. “I’d be surprised if he doesn’t swoop in before the end of the session,” an insider said. YASSKY FUELS TALK of another run THE TAXI OF TOMORROW. Outer-borough cabs. A fare hike. The Merryl Tisch trial balloon Insiders viewed last week’s Wall Street Journal story about a potential Merryl Tisch mayoral candidacy as a trial balloon, but not one that is likely to carry the state Board of Regents chairwoman into next year’s race. “This clearly was an attempt by her and her people to float her candidacy and see if it takes off,” one political consultant said. Even though David Yassky’s initiatives as Taxi and Limousine Commission chief have not been universally popular, they have raised his profile, fueling patter that he will run again for city comptroller. “He’s gotten a lot of publicity out of the TLC, that’s for sure,” said Erhan Tuncel, a taxi driver who has been a David Yassky vocal opponent of Mr. Yassky’s outer-borough taxi plan, which gave the commissioner reason to visit nearly all 59 community boards. The plan pleased Dominican livery drivers in upper Manhattan and the Bronx, and aligned Mr. Yassky with influential politicians like Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and Bronx Assemblyman Carl Heastie. “He has contributed with his leadership to make transportation in the city safer and more reliable,” said Cira Angles, a spokeswoman for the Livery Base Owners Association. But the plan enraged taxi medallion owners. “I don’t think the chairman has been particularly cooperative or attentive to our positions,” said a yellowtaxi executive. “I tend to doubt he will raise money from us.” No matter. Mr. Yassky is a prodigious fundraiser, having collected nearly $3 million for his 2009 city comptroller bid and $1.5 million for his 2006 congressional race. He lost to John Liu and Yvette Clarke, respectively. A taxi source says the fare hike is intended to curry favor with the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. “Yassky believes they are the ticket to getting union support during his campaign,” the source said. Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the alliance, said her organization does not endorse candidates or mobilize its 15,000 members for campaigns. “We’re not in it to make kings out of the politicians,” she said. The next mayor is unlikely to keep Mr. Yassky. “That’s always the game for a guy like him: what is next, where is his interest and where are his opportunities,” said one insider. “He’s certainly keeping his political relationships alive.” An insider said Mr. Yassky has been attending political events, like fundraisers. “They are not the type of events attended by a commissioner,” another insider said, “unless they have political ambition.” We Measure Success in Client Satisfaction. Discover Success. buck ennis Random House, Inc. is the world’s largest trade-book publisher, long committed to publishing the best books by authors in the U.S. and worldwide. Assignment: 361,044 SF at 1745 Broadway Team: Richard Bernstein, Adam Ardise and Jared Thal Discover Expertise in Tenant Representation. Discover Cassidy Turley. Peter Hennessy President, New York Tri-State Region 212.318.9790 Peter.Hennessy@cassidyturley.com www.cassidyturley.com A second consultant said it could also have been an effort by others to nudge Ms. Tisch to run. “It’s a consultant business model to recruit deep-pocketed candidates,” the insider said. “So maybe this isn’t from her; it’s from people who she might work with thinking there’s a lot of money to be made.” But the first source, who could end up on the other side of a Tisch campaign, forecast little chance of a Tisch Merryl Tisch run: “At the end of the day, Merryl Tisch will not be a candidate for mayor of the city of New York. She does not want to put herself through the churn of a campaign. She does not want to open up [the subject of ] tobacco money, business dealings, all of her family connections. It’s all fair game if she runs.” The Tisch family fortune comes in part from Newport cigarettes, the longtime favorite brand of black smokers. Although the Tisches spun off Newport maker Lorillard from the Loews Corp. in 2008, and Ms. Tisch’s career has been in education, the first consultant said that if she runs, “not only will she get dragged through the mud, her husband, her brothers-in-law, everyone would.” But the tobacco wars have receded since the tumultuous period surrounding the industry’s huge legal settlement, when an airplane carried a banner reading “Larry Tisch sells cancer sticks” over Long Island beaches. The second consultant said, “[Merryl Tisch] has no personal liability. She’s accomplished, she’s a policy person, she’s charming. It’s family money. I don’t think that’s the issue.” No license? No problem Unlicensed hauling of electronic waste is a growing problem, according to the Business Integrity Commission, the city agency that polices industries formerly infiltrated by organized crime. But the commission does not automatically issue fines, which can be as much as $10,000 per day. Unlicensed haulers will be “given an opportunity to come into compliance,” it said. That’s a blow to licensed carters, who, by the way, are also losing money to thieves who scoop up valuable cardboard left at curbside. It’s costing some carters more than $1 million annually, and has hurt the city’s own cardboard processor, too. Several arrests have been made this spring, but haulers say the misdemeanor penalties provide little deterrence when cardboard prices rise, as they have recently. Tenant Representation / Project Leasing / Project & Development Services / Property Management / Corporate Services / Capital Markets For daily political and government news, subscribe to CRAIN’S INSIDER @ www.crainsnewyork.com/insider 8 | Crain’s New York Business | June 4, 2012 newscom http://www.cassidyturley.com http://www.cassidyturley.com http://www.crainsnewyork.com/insider

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - June 4, 2012

Crains New York - June 4, 2012
Table of Contents
Drink stink: Big Soda aims to fight Bloomberg ban
To your health: Late nightclub owner bequeathed bar’s profits to hospitals
New York, New York
Tax cuts for wage hikes: A political deal takes shape in Albany
Sugar buzz: Readers weigh in on the idea
Viewpoint
Opinion
Small Business
Real Estate Deals
Classifieds
NASCAR’s marketing chief hits the road
Seed money for social entrepreneurs
Hot Jobs
Tracey Stewart finds her “moment of Zen”
A dream of a wine bar opens
The Week Ahead

Crains New York - June 4, 2012