Bill Perkins

Senator Bill Perkins Actually Voted Against Ban On Spending Welfare Money On Cigs, Booze and Strippers

A bill that would ban spending welfare money on "sins" like cigarettes, booze, strippers and gambling sailed through the New York State Senate yesterday, which is no surprise. The fact that some legislators actually voted against the bill, however, is absolutely shocking.One of the few lawmakers to ... More >>

Fear Not, You Will Likely Be Able to Eat Smelly Spaghetti on the Subway Forever

Doublecool / FlickrIf your food's too smelly, people won't want to sit near you​Don't worry, boys and girls. Despite the fracas that can occur from eating fried chicken and other stinky foods on the subway, there's little chance of the State Senate banning eating on public transportation, the ... More >>

'Rat Czar' Joseph Lhota Tells Senator Bill Perkins That He's Sorry for Being a Big Meanie

So here's a piece of advice for public figures: Think before you speak -- especially if you're going to talk smack about other pols. Today, The New York Times detailed MTA chief Joseph Lhota's opposition to subway food bans. State Senator Bill Perkins, of Harlem, is behind a bill that would fine ... More >>

Report Gives Mike Bloomberg's Polemic School Closure Policy an 'F'

​A new report released last week comes down hard on the mayor's record of shutting down schools that aren't performing well. Mike Bloomberg and the Deptartment of Education can add it to the list of grievances and criticisms that have been thrown at them so far this year (He demonizes teachers ... More >>

State Senate Bill Wants To Ban Subway Snacking To Get Rid Of Rats

via​We know from experience that two things make for strange and uncomfortable subway videos: food and rats. Now, in order to get rid of the latter, a New York State Senate bill aims at getting rid of the former. The New York Post reports that the proposed bill would institute a $250 fine for ... More >>

Occupy Wall Street: Live Updates From the March

The Community/Labor march to Wall Street is on, with thousands of people filling Foley Square, where marchers are assembling prior to the march, which begins at 5 p.m. They're scheduled to head past City Hall and to Zuccotti Park to "unite in solidarity." Nick Pinto (@macfathom) and Rosie Gray (_@ro ... More >>

Have You Seen a Rat Today? The 4, 5, and 6 Line at 125th Street Is the Rattiest

​The results of Senator Bill Perkins' Have You Seen a Rat Today? campaign are in, with responses from some 5,000 New Yorkers who filled out the surveys. The answers are interesting, probably because they are true, or at least, seem representative of our own experience, for the most part.

New York City's Board of Elections: Chaos, Madness, The Absolute Worst?

​Those in New York City responsible for seeing that the Great American Democratic Process goes smoothly -- the Board of Elections -- has had a complete shitshow of an election season. Or has been the complete shitshow of New York's election season -- which, given Charlie Rangel, Carl Paladino, ... More >>

Michael Mulgrew Gloats on NY1 After Dubious Teachers Union "Victory" in Election

​The Michael Mulgrew victory tour took an embarrassing turn on NY1 last night, when the United Federation of Teachers president gloated throughout an extended interview, overstating a very mixed primary day report card.

They All Look Alike: Daily News, Minority Politicians Division

​ "Throw the Bums Out!" is the lead battle cry of the front page of the Daily News' Web site this morning, and it has pix of those rascals we should all be voting against today -- a quartet of black and Hispanic politicians: state senators Pedro Espada, Kevin Parker, Assemblyman Adriano Espail ... More >>

Bill Perkins and the Phantom Charter Schools Group

Perkins​Bill Perkins has been a fixture in Harlem politics since 1997, elected to two terms in the city council first and then to David Paterson's state senate seat in 2006. But the 60-year-old marathoner is in a fight for his political life now, facing a well-financed challenger, Basil Smikle ... More >>

Please Complete This Survey While a Huge Rat Comes Directly Toward Your Face

Hide. ​As rats continue their campaign to take over New York City, we're left wondering how we can take action. One way is by filling out State Senator Bill Perkins' survey, "Have you seen a rat today?," while an enormous kinda-almost 3-D Photoshopped rat looks you right in the eye. Is that a ... More >>

Black Parents vs. the Teachers' Union

Union intransigence hits a low point

Paterson's Cuts Include Hits to a Park He Helped Create Through Protest

​Governor David Paterson's dramatic budget cuts to state parks includes a severe hit to a park he once blocked traffic to create. Back in 1988, then-State Senator Paterson joined environmental activists to block the West Side Highway as a way to protest the stench reeking from the North Rive ... More >>

State Senate Votes to More Than Double Number of Charter Schools

​The State Senate voted yesterday to raise the number of charter schools in the state to 460 from 200. Majority Leader John Sampson supported the legislation and, despite significant Democratic resistance, led it to a surprisingly bipartisan victory (45-15). More than doubling the number of c ... More >>

School Daze: Charter Break-in at Harlem P.S.

Back in February, Mayor Bloomberg threatened that there could be "riots in the streets" if mayoral control isn't renewed in Albany, and in today's Daily News, Juan Gonzalez reports the first mini-riot outbreak.The commotion came at P.S. 123 where yesterday workers showed up unannounced and started r ... More >>

Senate Coup Plotters' Hidden Agenda

Tabloids call it a circus, but the lobbyists' goal is to squelch reforms

Marty Golden Happy Now With His Pal Hiram

Back in January, senate Republicans called Hiram Monserrate a "ticking time bomb" who shouldn't be allowed to contaminate the august state senate chambers. Now, questions about that old girlfriend stabbing incident are just "nit picking" about their new pal Hiram.That's the latest harvest in the bum ... More >>

Atlantic Yards Combatants Finally Forced To Sit Through State Senate Hearing

The footprint. Image via Atlantic Yards or Atlantic Lots. Yesterday was the long-awaited — like, six years long — first state legislative hearing on Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project, with State Senator Bill Perkins convening his Corporations, Authorities, and Commissions Committee ... More >>

School English Test Scores Up; Critics Remain Unconvinced

Mayor Bloomberg happily announced that English scores are up in city schools. 69 percent of students in Grades 3 through 8 met state standards for reading. That doesn't sound so hot, and the statewide figure is 82 percent. But last year the city rate was 58 percent, so that's an 11-point gain, and ... More >>

A Thanksgiving NYC Honor Roll for Hard Times

Golisano's Senate Picks: Mostly (and in NYC, Only) Same-Old

State Senator Rips Bloomberg's Denial of His Minority-Contracting Failures

The Revolt of the Superdelegates?

With Special Guest Uncle Peter Straub, Playing Jazz for People Who Think They Hate Jazz

Vote of No Confidence

New York shows up late in national push for clean voting

Pro-Union Council Gives Labor Their Bill

Meanwhile, in District 9 . . .

Council Cliffhanger

President of What?

Nine's a crowd in the race for Manhattan beep

New York's Detainees

Convention Detention

For Bloomberg, a looming showdown over civil liberties and the right to protest

A Paucity of Choices

Few Challengers, and Fewer Issues, in Council Races

CityState

A Schedule of Protests in the City

Harlemites March

Anti-War Rally Eyes Troubles at Home

NYC's Forsaken Future

An Alarming Report on the State of New York's Women of Color

New York Dodgers

Report and Hearing Mean More Status Quo

Renaissance Rats

Harlem Development Residents Fight Major Developer

The New Harlem

Who's Behind the Real Estate Gold Rush and Who's Fighting It?

Lead Poison Legacy?

Councilmember Dilan No Help on 'Lead Belt' Relief

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

For Months, D.A.'s Office Looks for Link Between Central Park Defendants and Confessed Rapist

Spring Brings Many Things

Playing Catch-Up in Heavy Traffic

Double-Standard Deity

9-11 God Demands Special Treatment on Records and Residence

Getting the Lead Out

Will the City Council Finally Protect Kids From Toxic Paint?

Bloomberg’s Taxing Debut

Beyond Feel-Good Aura, a Brutal Budget Plan

Miller Time

How Internecine Minority Politics Picked the Speaker

Out of the Ashes

Rudy Tries to Ride Rubble to Reelection

HUD: The Horror Movie

A Big Fish Fries the Little Fish in Harlem-Brooklyn Mortgage Scam

By Any Means (Unnecessary)

A History of the Confrontational Politics That Led to the 'Assault' on Councilman Bill Perkins by the Bully Boys of The Million Youth March

At Each Other's Throats

Political retribution in Harlem in the wake of the Million Youth March