Bob Hennelly

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The four Democratic candidates vying for City Comptroller Bill Thompson's job have faced off in their first official TV debate, sponsored by the city's Campaign Finance Board.

For most of the hour, it ...

New York, NY —

The four Democratic candidates vying for City Comptroller Bill Thompson's job have faced off in their first official TV debate, sponsored by the City's Campaign Finance Board. WNYC's Bob Hennelly reports.

REPORTER: For most of the hour, it was public policy ho-hum. The Democratic field that ...

New York, NY —

New York City mayoral candidate Bill Thompson is accusing Mayor Bloomberg of failing to disclose millions of dollars in political contributions. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more.

REPORTER: In addition to the $37 million the Bloomberg campaign has spent so far, the Thompson campaign says the Mayor ...

New York, NY —

All four Democratic candidates for city comptroller praised the current controller, fellow Democrat Bill Thompson, in their first official TV debate. However, they all suggested new ways for the city to tighten its belt. Brooklyn Councilman David Yassky says the Council should end its long ...

NJ gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie is on the hot seat for his financial relationship with a federal prosecutor and for failing to disclose it. Plus, ethics probes are supposed to be confidential but someone leaked –what does it really mean for the state’s U.S. attorney and for the system? WNYC ...

New York, NY —

Several City lawmakers are pushing to make it harder to put liens on homeowners who've fallen behind on their water bills. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more.

REPORTER: In 2007 the Bloomberg Administration argued that the only way to recoup hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid ...

Does former Governor Mario Cuomo want to see his son run for governor?

'If he runs for governor, I want to see him.'

Cuomo hinted that there might be a way to avoid fallout from the growing rivalry ...

New York, NY —

A bill to reform the state's public authorities is facing some last minute opposition, even though it's already passed the legislature. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more.

REPORTER: At stake is how the MTA and hundreds of other powerful public authorities do business. Dick Dadey, with Citizens ...

New York, NY —

Governor Paterson says he'll meet with the mother of Omar Edwards, the black police officer who was fatally shot by a white officer in May, in what the NYPD calls a friendly fire incident.

Last week, a Manhattan Grand Jury's decision not to indict the white ...

New York, NY —

In New Jersey, former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie has been running a campaign for governor that hinges on his image as a tough corruption fighter. But today, the Republican admitted he failed to disclose on his tax returns a loan he made to a former ...

New York, NY —

In a major rebuff of incumbent New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, the state's Sierra Club is endorsing independent candidate Chris Daggett. It cited Daggett's integrity, and environmental record as former Department of Environmental Protection commissioner under Governor Kean. The Sierra Club was an early backer ...

New York, NY —

The November General election is just over 10 weeks away, and high profile political contests on both sides of the Hudson are jamming the airwaves with campaign ads.

In New York City it's pretty much Mayor Bloomberg wall to wall. But in Jersey the battle between ...

New York, NY —

The New York Civil Liberties Union says the NYPD is on pace to break last year's record for stop and frisk encounters. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more.

In the first half of this year, the NYPD made 311,000 stop frisks. More than 90 percent of those ...

Comptroller Bill Thompson with members of DC 37

City Comptroller Bill Thompson is getting a boost in his bid for mayor. He picked up the endorsement of the city's largest public employee union. DC ...

New York, NY —

Weeks after the FBI arrested 44 people in a corruption probe, Jersey City's Mayor is working to limit the fallout for himself and his administration. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more.

REPORTER: Mayor Jeremiah Healy has not been charged. He's denied any wrongdoing. And he's resisted calls ...

New York, NY —

A grand jury has decided not to indict the white police officer who fatally shot African-American Officer Omar Edwards in East Harlem this May. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more.

REPORTER: The Reverend Al Sharpton is renewing his call for Governor Paterson to appoint a special prosecutor ...

New York, NY —

Sources close to Bill Thompson's campaign tell WNYC that the City's largest municipal union is expected to endorse the City Comptroller for Mayor today. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more.

REPORTER: District 37's endorsement of Thompson is a major rebuff of incumbent Mayor Bloomberg, whom it endorsed ...

New York, NY —

The NYPD is preparing for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan by keeping the lines of communication open with the Muslim community, including some of its own officers. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more.

REPORTER: This year, as in years past, the NYPD is offering the City's ...

Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau speaks at a press conference February 27, 2009, where he announced he would not seek re-election in the fall. (Getty)

With this year's retirement of 90-year-old Robert Morgenthau, Manhattan voters will have to pick a new district attorney for the first time in 34 years.

The last time Manhattan voters had to pick a new district attorney was in the mid 1970's. The top song was Barbara Streisand's 'The Way We Were'. New York, teetering on bankruptcy, appealed to President Gerald Ford for a lifeline.

President Ford: 'I can assure you this president will never allow the doors of the United States Treasury to be flung open to every city with a fiscal hole in its pocket.'

In 1975, Morgenthau's first year on the job, there were 648 murders in Manhattan alone. Last year, the borough had only 62. There were 4400 robberies last year, 30,000 in 1975. Morgenthau became a kind of institution, a D.A.'s D.A. The TV show 'Law and Order' is modeled on his office. Morganthau was more than a politician -- he became a brand.

No wonder then, all three of the Democrats who want to succeed him make sure voters know they worked for him.

There are few empty seats at the DA debate at the CUNY Graduate School. On stage, the three candidates exchange pleasantries. The field consists of former judge Leslie Crocker Snyder, former prosecutor Cyrus Vance Jr, and former Handgun Control President Richard Aborn.

Manhattan DA hopeful Cy Vance Jr wins the endorsement of Pamela Bowens. Bowens crossed paths with Vance back when he was a young Assistant District Attorney and decided that Bowens, who was addicted to cocaine, should be given a second chance through an alternative to conventional criminal prosecution.

Vance, son of the late secretary of state won the endorsement of Morgenthau early on. But at the debate, a New York 1 reporter was quick to ask him about his experience in private practice -- 3000 miles away.

Grace Rauh: 'You have spent much of your career, 16 years in Seattle, a city that one local columnist once described as where a weak latte constitutes a major crime.'

Vance quickly pointed out that he has the endorsement not only of Morgenthau, but of three former U.S. attorneys.

Vance: 'They know me and believe I have the best combination of qualities.'

But Vance also has to pivot away from Morgenthau so as to appear to be his own man.

Vance: 'Looking back at Bob's career I think he could have come earlier to his decisions on cases that ultimately were dismissed had he had a convictions integrity unit to evaluate cases like the Central Park jogger case.'

In 2005, Judge Snyder -- who served both Morgenthau and his predecessor Frank Hogan -- made the bold move of running against him. Backed by law enforcement unions and The New York times, she won 42 percent of the vote. She distinguished herself from Morgenthau. She came across as a tough on crime judge who, unlike Morgenthau, supported the death penalty.

Snyder: 'Now I am concerned about protecting the residents of Manhattan. I am concerned about the little guy, the seniors, the most vulnerable. I want to make sure our white collar plan first and foremost protects those people which means the smaller frauds, the internet scams, the credit card scams, the immigration scams, the identity theft.'

Judge Leslie Crocker Snyder wins the endorsement of Ruth Messenger.

She is also now opposing the death penalty. In the forum, opponent Richard Aborn pushed her to explain.

New York, NY —

With his retirement this year, Robert Morgenthau won't be on the ballot for Manhattan District Attorney for the first time in 34 years. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more on the watershed election.