With help from Shawn Ness
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ROAR BRANCHES: In a single ad, State Senator Jessica Ramos today took a swipe at one of the richest men in America as he sought to expand his presence in New York City.
But Steve Cohen, the Mets’ billionaire owner, isn’t done yet.
The vast platoon that makes up Cohen’s team showed no intention of giving up after the progressive state lawmaker declared his opposition to his plans to build a casino at Citi Field. Anyone paying attention to Ramos’ statements over the past few months would have assumed she was headed in that direction and prepared to do so.
“While we respect Senator Ramos’ point of view, the state never intended for any one person to have the ability to single-handedly stop or approve a gaming project,” said Karl Rickett, spokesman for the Cohen Metropolitan Park project, in a statement .
“Because Metropolitan Park has the overwhelming support of elected officials, unions and the local community, we are confident we have the best project in the best location,” Rickett added. “We have more than a year and several paths to secure the necessary approvals. Our team remains committed to bringing Metropolitan Park to life.”
Rickett also highlighted that gaming is “the only viable economic engine to make the 23,000 jobs, $8 billion investment and substantial community benefits possible” – a reference to Ramos’ book. decision to present a bill that would free up the land in question for a convention center and hotel, but not a casino.
Cohen needs the state Legislature to divest the land in question — a parking lot designated as a park in Ramos’ district. Without her support, the candidacy becomes more difficult, but not impossible.
Your team could lean towards support from local businesses and other Queens politicians, and I hope it all becomes so overwhelming that the senator changes her mind – a possibility Ramos effectively rejected today.
“No elected official should be the sole arbiter of this $8 billion investment, so I strongly urge Governor Hochul and the State Senate to explore other avenues to bring the Metropolitan Park proposal to life and ensure Queens continues to receive the money we deserve,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards posted on X today.
In fact, the Mets owner could try to persuade one of Ramos’ Senate colleagues to bypass her and sponsor a bill to free up the land. But such a move — which has little precedent in a state legislature with deference to local members on land-use issues — would mean going to war with Ramos.
A state Senate source who declined to be identified for fear of reprisal said Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins was unlikely to pass a bill that would ignore Ramos’ opposition and open up parks in her district.
Bronx Sen. Nathalia Fernandez’s district includes Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point, the site of another casino bid that also requires a park ordinance. It was presented as a possible alternative solution to Cohen’s team if she presented a bill that would open up parks in the Bronx and the site near Citi Field in one fell swoop.
But Fernandez rejected that idea today.
“Given her respect for her colleagues in the Legislature, if the senator decides to introduce any parks divestment bill, that bill will not include any areas outside of her district,” Justin Sanchez, Fernandez’s chief of staff, told Playbook. “Today’s news doesn’t change that.”
Since New York State announced it would grant three casino licenses in the New York area, Cohen has taken every opportunity he can to win one, hiring an army of lobbyists, sending out hundreds of mailers and winning over a group of local politicians. He spent a lot in the process.
But from the beginning, the progressive senator, who is occasionally tipped as Mayor Eric Adams’ main challenger in 2025, stood in his way. After months of insinuations, Ramos finally spoke out publicly against the project today.
“I think it’s a sad situation when casinos are the main economic development idea in our state,” she told reporters today on the second floor of the Capitol. “The business model of casinos, by definition, is to extract wealth from people. … That’s not something that would be beneficial.” -Jason Beeferman
HOCHUL HURRES TO SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT: Cooperate with the state in drafting legislation to protect children under 18, or deal with it – that’s the message Governor Kathy Hochul is sending to social media moguls.
The push to restrict minors’ use of social media — one of the most high-profile fights this session in Albany — is pitting tech companies against the Democratic governor. And with few legislative disputes to resolve, Hochul is investing a lot of firepower in this one.
“We are not against business, we are against harm to our children,” Hochul told reporters on Tuesday. “They should see this and work with us on this legislation instead of saying no. So I think we’re making some progress; Some of the responsible companies are already taking action on their own and I commend them.”
The measure aims to protect the mental health of children who watch content that proponents — including the state’s teachers union — argue can be addictive and upsetting to them. He faced backlash from wealthy social media giants across the country, including Meta.
But Hochul remains optimistic.
She said part of the legislation being drafted would include a more rigorous process for proving users are over 18, although she did not clarify what those controls would look like.
“Companies already have to do this for online gaming and tobacco sales,” she said. “You already have to do it, for them to say you can’t do it, I don’t believe it.”
Julie Samuels, president and CEO of Tech:NYC, said the organization is in “productive discussions with legislators and community groups about these bills.”
“But this is an extremely complicated task, and we must be careful to avoid the fate of every other state that has passed similar bills: years-long delays in getting child support while rushed legislation remains tied up in the courts,” he added. Samuels. – Katelyn Cordero
KENNEDY, STEIN CLAIM ACCESS TO CREDIT: Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein stopped by the Capitol this afternoon to claim she would soon deliver enough petitions to the state Board of Elections to secure a spot on the New York ballot.
“We know from the Democratic primaries held just over a month ago in this state that the bottom has fallen in the Democratic Party,” Stein said.
The Greens lost their automatic voting status in 2020, thanks to new rules that disadvantage smaller parties. They now need to submit 45,000 signatures for a ballot,
Stein declined to say how many they were actually sending. “We don’t really know,” she said. She said “the system is so oppressive” that it makes it impossible to count signatures.
Another candidate who presented petitions in New York today: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who gathered more than 135 thousand after a collection process that faced some accusations of deceptive signatories. That’s more “than any presidential candidate has ever performed in the state,” Kennedy said in a tweet.
This also seems like a high point for any candidate. The record was previously claimed by Kennedy’s then-brother-in-law, Andrew Cuomo, who gathered 100,000 for his 2002 run for governor. -Bill Mahoney
LETTER WARS – New York City Mayor Eric Adams is keeping a tight lid on his newly announced charter review commission. At a press conference today, his administration said it does not plan to hire any outside staff to help with the task, which involves opening up the city’s governing document and suggesting changes that will be presented to voters in the November vote.
The mayor’s break with custom – most mayors have created multiple charter review commissions – makes the operation more responsive to City Hall’s wishes, at a time when the commission’s creation is already widely seen as an ad hoc response to the city’s push. City Council for further advice and consent on Adams’ appointments.
“You really need staffing if you want to take this seriously,” John Kaehny, head of the government reform group Reinvent Albany, said in an interview. “[The mayor’s commission] it lacks any kind of seriousness, and the mayor is really giving ammunition to critics who say it is a foolish political exercise.”
But speaking to reporters, Adams said former mayors spent a lot of money on charter revisions. “I believe in lean, fast and getting things done,” he said. “We spend a lot of money on windows. We can do a better job.” -Joe Anuta
– Former State Senator Todd Kaminsky is using a legal loophole to lobby against environmentalists. (Bloomberg)
— The sun will set perfectly between buildings over the next two days in Manhattan. (Daily News)
– An appeals court ruled that the state violated the due process rights of opioid companies, which could mean New York would have to repay millions of dollars. (Union of Times)
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