Good Morning, New York! Spikes have been added to the subways, Hochul has upset climate activists, and the state has a new metric for quantifying absenteeism. This is your Tammany Times AM Briefing for Thursday, January 16th, 2025.

WHERE’S KATHY: Making a subway safety announcement in NYC.

WHERE’s ERIC: Meeting on FY2026 at City Hall.

TIPS? Email me: [email protected]

Front Pages

Hall Monitors

— The NYPD is clarifying its position on car chases. While they previously allowed officer discretion on whether a chase was dangerous or not, they will now not be allowed to initiate chases for low-level offenses. They will also no longer punish officers who stop chases they feel have become too dangerous. (Gothamist)

— Elected officials in the South Bronx continue to express their opposition to a new migrant shelter being built there. Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. criticized the city for making the South Bronx ‘carry the weight’ of the crisis. Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson also criticized the plan as ‘totally unacceptable.’ (Bronx Times)

— The MTA is planning to install spikes on turnstiles in a move to decrease fare evasion. However it only prevents one method of fare evasion, so residents near the preliminary installations do not believe they will be effective. (NY Post)

Capitol Gains

— Gov. Kathy Hochul has upset many climate activists by backing off of key legislative priorities, including the “cap and invest” plan she promised two years ago. The plan will be delayed at least another year, which environmentalists say is unacceptable. Hochul said she still plans to implement the tax, but would like the time to get it right. (NY Post)

— An advanced nuclear reactor could be built at Nine Mile Point in Oswego County, as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority has released a 30+ page policy blueprint outlining the plan. (You can read that here.) The state will support Constellation Energy in their application for grants to build at least one new reactor at the existing site. (Power Engineering)

— The state Education Department is replacing the percentage of chronically absent students with a new “attendance index,” which they say will allow them to more accurately measure absenteeism. It is a priority of the state to solve the high numbers of chronic absenteeism in NY schools, which they believe are still suffering knock-on effects from the pandemic. (Times Union)

Trail Mix

— Assemblyman Chris Tague has reportedly emerged as the frontrunner for the GOP’s nomination in NY-21, according to sources that talked to the Times Union. He is one of the many candidates interested in the race, which is expected to take place in roughly 90 days. (Times Union)

— A new internal poll for Scott Stringer shows that Cuomo is a clear frontrunner in the Democratic mayoral primary, winning 33% of the vote before he even announces his campaign. The following candidates are Stringer (13%,) Adams (11%,) Ramos (7%,) and Lander (6%.) (NY Post)

— The fundraising numbers also show that, with Cuomo's war chest sitting at nearly $8 million. That number could also rise as he is expected to receive taxpayer-funded refunds on some of his legal bills. While he cannot use most of this directly for a mayoral bid, there are many other ways that the money could be used to support his candidacy. He could transfer it to a Super PAC, transfer it to other state candidates for endorsements, or use it to make charitable donations. (Politico)