#gary ackerman

[theacademicminute]

On University at Albany, SUNY Week: Is terrorists’ violent behaviors driven by an ideology?

Gary Ackerman, associate professor in the college of emergency preparedness, homeland security and cybersecurity, looks into this question.

http://bit.ly/GAckerAM

[bigapplepolitics-blog]

Start Today: Back in New York.

Sorry for the sporadic posting last week. As I mentioned, I was out of town due to a family emergency. While I was gone, Sunshine Week came and went, and Governor Cuomo (as is his wont) marked the occasion by jamming through legislation.

Anyway, I'm back on a full schedule now. And here's a roundup for you:

Last night, Capital New York broke the news that Queens Democrats were throwing their full support behind Flushing Assemblywoman Grace Meng to take over the new sixth congressional after Gary Ackerman announced he would not run. Meng will be up against Rory Lancman for the seat, and Lancman tweeted some kind words to the assemblywoman.

Quote of the year? “They’re not threats,” [Cuomo] said. “They are an articulation of options, an alternative course of behavior and conduct that we may pursue jointly in a mutual and cooperative atmosphere.”

That same story, by Daily News reporter Kenneth Lovett, talks about how Democrats have alienated themselves from the governor after the redistricting battle, with one "Democrat insider" calling the move, "substantive and political incompetence."

The New York Post has the scoop on more problems for John Liu. It turns out the Comptroller awarded millions in contracts to manage city pension funds to a firm under investigation for — wait for it — scamming pension funds around the world. Oy vey.

The Post also has this "startling" news: members of the city council want some of that $466 million CityTime settlement. (Side note: I'm glad the Post got that figure right. Too many outlets were quick to sell it as "$500 million," which would only be $100 million less than what the city actually paid, and doesn't include the amount of money the city somehow had to pay in outstanding bills to SAIC, the company that straight-up defrauded them.)

"NY Government Gets 'D' Grade for Corruptibility: Report"

[bigapplepolitics-blog]

The new lines spell doom for Bob Turner.

Bob Turner (AP Photo)

I wrote a short post yesterday touching on Gary Ackerman's possibly-shrinking signifigance in the redistricting debate: republicans want him out, while democrats and Judge Mann have shrunk or eliminated his district, depending on how you look at it.

I focused on Ackerman because he's been in office since 1986, has faced little competition for the seat, is the 28th-ranked House member by seniority, was the chair on the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia and is now its ranking member. In other words, he's not a huge deal but he has some prominence and it's interesting to see how this redistricting process affects him. 

But Ackerman's opposite in each of these scenarios has been Bob Turner. Turner, who replaced Anthony Weiner in a special election last year following the latter politician's "sexting" scandal, has had some brief prominence over the past year. Nationally, the election was framed as a referendum on President Obama (a dubious assertion, but one that was widely accepted.) Locally, he's tried everything he can to stay in his constituents' conscious. And in the Republican scenario, Turner would have at least had a fighting chance.

The newly-designed Mann maps, however, are a different story, and is passed, Turner would face an uphill battle in his bid for reelection. And on some level, this makes sense: Turner isn't just the newest representative, with the least experience; he has no prior experience in government whatsoever.

Republicans, though, were certainly hoping that redistricting would provide Turner a better shot. I wrote a slightly longer piece about how that election was a missed opportunity for Democrats, and how it could come back to bite them after redistricting. But it appears that with the new maps the loss might not be as severe. As the Daily Kos points out, Turner's district has been torn to pieces, with some of it going into David Weprin territory, and some if it absorbed by majority-black districts, who would be unlikely to vote for Turner or any other republican over a democratic candidate.

Turner says he's running, no matter what. The only hope he has, though, is if the current maps are not the final ones. Indeed, legislators have a shot at putting together their own districts: they must have maps ready and signed by March 12, three days before the three-judge panel in charge of approving maps in the event legislators can't get something done. And although Governor Cuomo has threatened to veto "hyper-partisan" maps, it is possible that he would deem acceptable slightly altered maps from the ones previously submitted by both the senate and assembly.

But it's likely that the current maps will be used. And if that's the case, both Ackerman and Turner are faced with a more precarious position than is desirable for either candidate.

[bigapplepolitics-blog]

People drawing redistricting maps really trying to tell Gary Ackerman something.

Gary Ackerman (AP Photo)

Depending on how you look at the new maps, Gary Ackerman's district would either shrink or be wiped out completely. The closest thing to his district in the latest release by Judge Mann — which currently spans Northern Queens into Western Long Island — is the new 6th district, which consists solely of a smaller Queens section.

Of course, he could also go for his old Long Island turf, which under this plan would be swallowed by Carolyn McCarthy's 4th. But that appears unlikely, as Ackerman has already come out with his preference. What say you, Gary?

“The new Sixth CD is a fantastic district in Queens where I grew up, went to public school and college, and started my family and my business,” said Ackerman. “It contains my political base and longtime roots, and I have had the privilege of representing approximately 90% of it during my 34 years in the State Senate and U.S. Congress."

Here's the maps drawn by republicans and democrats. To recap: the Republicans' plan would get rid of Ackerman while expanding Bob Turner's district; the Democats' plan would make a Bob Turner challenge of Ackerman plausible; and this newly-drawn map, again, either shrinks or eliminates Ackerman's district, not to mention that the seat Ackerman is interested in already comes with one challenger. I applaud your tenacity, congressman, but it looks like they're all trying to tell you something.