Azi Paybarah

Keith Olbermann's abrupt departure from MSNBC is, according to Brian Stelter, about "what he did after the suspension."

His 8 p.m. slot is going to The Last Word, with Lawrence O'Donnell.

It's unclear where Olbermann will pop up next, or when.

A spokesperson for the group - who announced Conlin's departure via press release this afternoon - is not explaining why, after 18 years, Conlin is now leaving.

The statement announcing Conlin's departure only says the she "has departed" and "will be available...as they move forward under new leadership."

Conlin's cell phone wasn't taking incoming calls when I tried it just now. Another woman's rights activist based in New York City only learned about Conlin's departure from my phone call.

This activist seemed surprised Conlin would leave the venerable organization she helped put on the map.

"She built that group from the ground up," one reproductive rights activists told me, who learned of Conlin's departure from my call.

A spokeswoman for NARAL Pro-Choice NY, Mary Alice Carr, said she cannot provide any additional information beyond the group's public statement.

In political circles, Conlin has been a respected, and revered voice. She's usually endorsed the winning candidates in major races (Cuomo, Schneiderman, Bloomberg), and has managed to make the group a sought-after validator for most Democrats running for office.

An unimpressed EJ McMahon questions Bloomberg's record on what he now calls the city's #1 priority (and adds some skepticism of the new governor too):

McMahon:

[T]he only pension change the mayor has, in effect, negotiated during his tenure (via a side deal with the teachers union) was exceedingly modest. For example, the taxpayer-guaranteed rate of return on teachers' tax-deferred annuity accounts was reduced from 8.25 to 7 percent. Try getting that on your personal retirement account.

Bloomberg expressed hope that Gov. Cuomo would support his agenda because Cuomo "campaigned on pension reform." If only that were actually true. On pensions, as on so many other issues, Cuomo has ranged from coy to vague, embracing the concept of reform with no details.

It's by no means clear that Cuomo will support Bloomberg -- and on collective bargaining, he absolutely shouldn't. But in this area, as on so many others, New York's governor may be the best hope for serious reform.

Transportation advocate Paul Steely White is disappointed glad Councilman Eric Ulrich isn't pushing harder on his bill to require bikes to have license plates.

The Councilman told us quite frankly that he doesn't expect the bill to go anywhere, which came as a surprise to us, because I guess we learned in civics class that elected officials are supposed to introduce legislation that will have an impact and also have some chance of passing, and apparently he doesn't believe that.

Mayor Bloomberg is stepping up his rhetoric against the rule that protects older teachers from being laid off before younger (and cheaper) teachers.

"The bottom line is, just to say 'since it's hard to measure, we won't measure. Let's just use 'Last in, First Out' - that's craziness," Bloomberg said, speaking on WOR this morning. "And the governor has the same problem with state workers."

One of the items NYS officials are selling on eBay. (ebay)

Glenn Blain has the story about New York State raising $1.3 million by selling surpluses on eBay (why wasn't this on the front page?).

If you want to go shopping for some of those goods, here's the link.

My two favorite items currently for sale: a voting machine, and pile of scrap metal.

At a swearing-in ceremony for a Republican Assemblywoman on Staten Island. (Tom Hilton's Facebook page)

Here's the state's senior senator - and one of the nation's most vocal Democratic strategists -  at the ceremonial swearing in ceremony of Republican Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis of Staten Island yesterday.

Due out next month, by MIT Press. (MIT Press)

The former state attorney general and governor of New York will now also be an author.

From his publishers at MIT Press:

As New York State Attorney General from 1998 to 2006, Eliot Spitzer successfully pursued corporate crime, including stock price inflation, securities fraud, and predatory lending practices. Drawing on those experiences, in this book Spitzer considers when and how the government should intervene in the workings of the market. The 2009 American bank bailout, he argues, was the wrong way: it understandably turned government intervention into a flashpoint for public disgust because it socialized risk, privatized benefit, and left standing institutions too big to fail, incompetent regulators, and deficient corporate governance. That’s unfortunate, because good regulatory policy, he claims, can make markets and firms work efficiently, equitably, and in service of fundamental public values.

Spitzer lays out the right reasons for government intervention in the market: to guarantee transparency, to overcome market failures, and to guard our core values against the market’s unfair biases such as racism. With specific proposals to serve those ends—from improving corporate governance to making firms responsible for their own risky behavior—he offers a much-needed blueprint for the proper role of government in the market. Finally, taking account of regulatory changes since the crash of 2008, he suggests how to rebuild public trust in government so real change is possible.

It's Rob Moore, according to two sources.

He's replacing Kirsten Danis who is leaving to become a deputy editor at the Wall Street Journal's Greater New York section.

Moore has been a staff writer, assignment editor, and is currently the deputy managing editor, at the paper.

[Note: An earlier version of this item incorrectly stated Moore's new title.]

The beleaguered Central Labor Council gets around to responding to MayorBloomberg's speech yesterday:

In his remarks yesterday Mayor Bloomberg took up what has become a trendy political mantra – blame working Americans for the current state of economic affairs.  He essentially called for forced concessions as a prerequisite for new contracts.  We strongly object to this tactic.

In times of crisis New York’s unions have consistently stepped up to provide assistance.  In fact the city was saved from bankruptcy in the 1970’s because unions helped forge a robust recovery.

We look forward to working with the Mayor and the City Council to find constructive solutions to today’s problems.  We will not however stand back and allow our members, the hard working New Yorkers who are the backbone of this great city, to be scapegoated as the cause of those problems.

John T. Ahern, President

George Miranda, Executive Vice President

Michael Mulgrew, Secretary

Talks about widespread state worker layoffs - ranging from 10,000 to 15,000 - is prompting strong resistance from somelawmakers, and this cautionary response from the governor's spokesman, Josh Vlasto.

"The Governor has not finalized his executive budget so any speculation is premature. Unfortunately, as the Governor has said, given that the state is going through its worst fiscal crisis since the 1970's, large cuts and shared sacrificed will be required in order to close the $10 billion budget gap."

UPDATE: One lawmaker from NYC I spoke with said he has been struck by the rhetoric coming out of the governor's office, about massive layoffs and a government shutdown.

"Even Spitzer never said anything like that," this lawmaker said.

The indictments of the people arrested in the huge organized crime sweep today is worth reading for, if nothing else, the aliases used.

Aliases used by people arrested in the huge organized crime bust today:

Whiney

Little John

Tony Bagels

Mousey

Uncle Danny

Beach

The Bull

The Vet

Brooklyn

Lumpy, Fatty, Fats

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, during a 1009 campaign event moderated by journalist Tom Robbins. (azi paybarah / wnyc)

In this Wall Street Journal article, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said he raised $328,000 "in the past six months."

But in the latest filing report for his 2013 committee, de Blasio is listed as only having raised $245,000.

A de Blasio fund-raiser explained the difference.

The $328,000 also included money de Blasio raised in his other campaign committee, set up for the 2009 cycle. That committee raised about $86,000.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. is slamming the producers of American idol for negatively portraying his borough as some urban hell hole unflattering place to visit and raise a family.

NYC Schools Chancellor Cathie Black seemed unphased by the heckling she received last night. Just like Bloomberg was earlier this week.

The meeting was convened so the Panel for Educational Policy could vote on (and approve) a plan to move an elite, mostly white high school, into the same building where another, less prestigious school, is currently located.

So, Black was walking into hostile territory.

“Let’s try to do this with some civility and decorum,” one education official implored.

Here's a fact-check on some of the claims Michael Bloomberg made in his speech yesterday. I'll just add one more to the list.

"Over the past three years, we’ve cut spending nine times for a total of $5 billion, including a $1.6 billion cut this year," Bloomberg said.

According to Doug Turetsky of the NYC Independent Budget Office, that is a cut in the rate of growth, not a cut in absolute terms.

"Year-to-year total budget continues to grow," Turetsky said.

If you know anyone looking work, one of major unions here is looking for help getting their message out.

32BJ OF THE SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION (SEIU)

JOB VACANCY
Assistant Director
Communications Department

For Large New York-based Labor Union
Location

Based in New York, with some travel to nearby states and cities
Job Description

Reporting to the Director of Communications, the Assistant Director will:

A reader says they spotted Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice meeting with former City Councilwoman Melinda Katz, at Pershing Square, about an hour ago.

Wonder what they were talking about?

Rice was considered the front-runner in the Democratic primary for attorney general last year, but was overtaken by Eric Schnedierman and his support from New York City-based elected officials and unions.

Katz too lost a close race, in 2009, when she ran for the Democratic nomination to become the city's next comptroller. That race was won by John Liu, who put together a multi-ethnic coalition and field operation not entirely dependent on the venerable Working Families Party organization.

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said that's what was missing from Bloomberg's state of the City speech.

Stringer:

Today, Mayor Bloomberg unveiled a thoughtful agenda to combat some of the city’s biggest problems, and to plan for a vibrant future. The mayor continues to be a leader on sustainability, immigration and gun reform.

But it is not enough just to ask Albany for a wish list of changes. The speech could have outlined the city’s strategy to engage the state legislature to achieve outcomes so important to the future of New York. We need an economic and political playbook that truly plans ahead and produces results.

Bold pronouncements absent a collaborative plan of action will result in more of the same.