Azi Paybarah
author of The Empire blog
Azi Paybarah appears in the following:
The Lede: Albany's Budget, Pigeon's Probe
Monday, June 14, 2010
Governor Paterson says lawmakers will pass a budget extender, but they don't have a deal on the overall budget.
"[T]here might be some limited borrowing," to close the budget gap, said Paterson.
That borrowing could make getting Tom DiNapoli re-elected even harder.
Weekend: P.R. Parade, Duck Race
Friday, June 11, 2010

June 11, 2010, Crown Point - Governor Paterson and Vermont Governor Jim Douglas break ground for a new Lake Champlain Bridge spanning Crown Point, New York, and Addison, Vermont. (Photo courtesy David Paterson/flickr)
Saturday
9:20 a.m. Christine Quinn is on WNYC Channel 4 ...
The Lede: Diaz's Threat, Hanna's Donation
Friday, June 11, 2010

Mayor Bloomberg meets with state legislative leaders to discuss education funding.
June 09, 2010
(Photo Credit: Edward Reed)
Harry Reid is trailing his opponent.
Ruben Diaz Sr. says he'll vote against the emergency spending bill Monday.
David Paterson warned that will cause chaos.
Tom Precious watches the slow progress on property relief.
LGBT legislation stalled in the state senate. Democrats say Republicans Andrew Lanza and George Maziarz promised to get the bill out of committee, even if they'd oppose it on the floor.
Troubled political consultant Hank Morris was "intimately involved in the day-to-day business" of the state's pension funds, according to court papers filed by Andrew Cuomo.
Richard Hanna gave nearly $5,000 to the Independence Party for advertising, but the party doesn't have a record of it.
Paterson likes the radio: “It’s sort of a perfect medium for me.”
Matthew Goldstein defends the public advocate's office. "I am not at the point where I've heard a very compelling reason to eliminate the public advocate position."
SEIU's national political director said Reps. Mike McMahon and Mike Arcuri abandoned "the needs of working families."
Republicans hit Reps. Bill Owens and Scott Murphy for not stopping "runaway spending."
Unions rally with students walking out of school today.
A survey commissioned by the teachers union says voters favor higher taxes in order to pay for schools.
For some reason, there's a lot of opposition to building new mosques in the city.
Kirsten Powers says watch the left.
When Bloomberg met with college journalists, the event was behind closed doors.
Cuomo struck a deal with Craigslist to curb scalping.
Queens Chronicle: "If elected, [Francisco] Moya would be the first Ecuadorian to hold a public office in the United States."
The Republican challenger running against Rep. Gary Ackerman gets noticed.
And a candidate learns that "after reviewing archived records at the Albany County Board of Elections--it appears he has never been enrolled in the Republican Party."
'One State Senator’s Obstruction Could Bring Down the State Government'
Friday, June 11, 2010
The threat to close the parks didn't happen. State workers weren't furloughed. But New York State, technically, hasn't had a budget for the last two months. WNYC's Azi Paybarah has more.
Shutdown Talk 'Not an Argument for Three Men in a Room'
Thursday, June 10, 2010
While a lot of Democratic lawmakers are complaining about spending cuts David Paterson put into the latest emergency spending bills, only two are threatening to block the legislation, which would shut down state government for the first time in New York's history.
A shutdown would stop government services, ...
Paterson Explains Republican, Democratic Opposition
Thursday, June 10, 2010
As part of radio blitz this morning, David Paterson laid out the case against Democratic and Republican opposition to his budget cuts.
The Lede: Shutdown Chatter in Albany, Feline Swagger in the Bronx
Thursday, June 10, 2010

California replaced their system of partisan primaries with a system that sends the top two vote-getters from the primary into the general election.
Matt Bai explains why Chuck Schumer's model for Democrats' takeover in 2006 wasn't replicated ...
Thursday: Paterson's Blitz
Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Happy birthday State Senate candidate Anna Lewis, blog diva Liza Sabater, and New York Post alumni Frankie Edozien.
7:05 a.m. David Paterson is on WWRL.
7:35 a.m. Paterson is on WCBS.
7:50 a.m. Paterson is ...
Nadler: Senate Democrats Have 'Some Dead Wood'
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Rep. Jerry Nadler doesn’t think much of the current state Senate, which is narrowly controlled by his Democratic colleagues.
Schumer 'Honored' by WFP Support
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Here’s the one-minute highlight of the Working Families Party convention this weekend in Buffalo, where Sen. Chuck Schumer said, “I thank the executive committee for their vote of support a few months ago. Of course I will be honored once again to be your standard bearer.”
The comments ...
The Working Families Party: We Will Unify With Democrats
Sunday, June 06, 2010
“We want to have a unified ticket with the Democrats at the end of the day," said Dan Cantor, the executive director of the Working Families Party, a labor-backed party that wrapped up its nominating convention here today.
But endorsing Democratic candidates isn't so easy.
Independence Party Picks Candidates
Saturday, June 05, 2010
It took the Independence Party just over an hour to pick candidates it wants to support in New York's statewide elections. The party's meeting just outside Albany today was lightening fast because it punted one of the thorniest question of the year: who to support for attorney general.
The Working Families Party And Its Candidates: No Kumbaya
Friday, June 04, 2010
The Working Families Party shook the New York political world when it helped elect half a dozen new City Council members and two of three citywide officials in last year's city elections.
This year, the WFP could become extinct.
GOP Candidates Compete for Chance to Test Gillibrand
Thursday, June 03, 2010
A divided New York State Republican Party will have at least two candidates vying for a chance to run against freshman Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in the fall--and potentially a third.
GOP Convention
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Fred Dicker, state editor for the New York Post, and WNYC political reporter Azi Paybarah discuss the political ramifications of the New York Republican convention, where Rick Lazio was chosen as the party's candidate for governor.
Republicans Nominate Rick Lazio for Gubernatorial Candidate
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Despite opposition from the state Republican chairman, Rick Lazio survived a challenge from Democrat-turned Republican Steve Levy. Lazio defeated Levy, the Suffolk County Executive, by a two to one margin to win the party's designation today.
Inside the GOP Convention: Day Two
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
WNYC's Azi Paybarah and Bob Hennelly report live from Day Two of the GOP convention in New York City.
Inside the GOP Convention: Day One
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
New York Republicans kicked off their convention in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday. WNYC's Bob Hennelly and Azi Paybarah report live from the convention as the GOP picks its slate of candidates for the fall elections.
2010 State Dem Convention: Everything Old Is 'New' Again
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The theme of the 2010 New York State Democratic Convention, here in Rye Brook, is change.
The party posted signs greeting guests here, noting it's the "New Democratic Party."
Latching onto voter outrage for the New York Democrats is going to be tough, though, ...