NYC NOW - January 9, 2024: Midday News

Episode Date: January 9, 2024

Some migrant families with children must look for new places to live as the Adams administration begins limiting their stays in city shelters to 60 days. Meanwhile two more arrests have been made in connection with a fatal stabbing at a migrant shelter on Randall’s Island over the weekend. Also, City Hall says they're moving the migrants who are currently staying at the relief center at Floyd Bennett Field, ahead of Tuesday’s storm. Finally, Richard Codey, the longest-serving state lawmaker in New Jersey history steps down after 50 years in the Statehouse. WNYC’s Sean Carlson talks with Codey to reflect on his time in office.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Tuesday, January 9th. Here's the midday news from Lance Lucky. Some migrant families with children must look for new places to live as the Adams administration begins limiting their stays in city shelters to 60 days. About 40 families have been told to leave their shelter at the Row Hotel in Midtown today, marking the beginning of the new policy. That includes Angel Gonzalez, who came to the United States with his two children from Venezuela. Now he's heading to Philadelphia, where he'll settle with a family member and look for work. He says he's thankful to New York.

I'm thankful to this country. Many doors have opened for me, and I'm very happy because they treated me well. Families must find alternate accommodations, or they can reapply for shelter within the city's shelter system. The NYPD says two more people have been arrested, in connection with a fatal stabbing at the New York City migrant shelter on Randall's Island over the weekend. 33-year-old Furnese Orta now faces a murder charge while 27-year-old Anthony Navas is charged with gang assault. The NYPD says both men allegedly participated in the stabbing that killed 24-year-old Daffren Canizales at the tent shelter on Saturday. A third suspect, 27-year-old Moises Coronado was arrested on murder charges after the incident.

Officials say all four men were staying at the shelter at the time of the stabbing. And City Hall says they're moving the migrants who are currently staying at the relief center at Floyd Bennett Field ahead of tonight's major storm. Currently about 2,000 people are housed at the shelter in southeast Brooklyn along Jamaica Bay. There have been leaks and flooding at the relief center in the past. The flood watch and high wind warning begin at 6 p.m., but the rain's already started. It will get increasingly heavy, especially during the evening hours with winds increasing to over 50 miles per hour. Gus. This is WNYC.

Stay close. There's more after the break. I'm Sean Carlson for WNYC. New Jersey Assemblyman, state senator, Senate president, governor. Democrat Richard Cody has worn many hats during his career in public service. The longest serving state lawmaker in New Jersey history steps down after 50 years in the statehouse. Senator Cody joins us now and reflect on his time in Trenton. Hey, Senator Cody, thanks for coming on. My pleasure.

What drew you into public service? service originally. And can you describe what it was like in the State House in 1974 when you first walked through those doors as a lawmaker? Well, we came down on horseback. No, so I was the one ever elected to the legislature, and eventually I just started working my way up. One of the things that happened to me, New Jersey passed a resolution allowing casinos in New Jersey. And I was in my 20s at the time and still single. And the Speaker of the House said, and hey, kid, come here, I have a quick, you got something.

He said, listen, you know, this referendum passed and he says, you know, most of our members are married. You're not. I need somebody with some streets marks, which you have to write the laws. Can you do it? I said, yes. And I spent about a year and a half

doing that, and that's kind of what started me to, my rise in leadership, and then eventually running for the Senate when was an open seat. And then, of course, the greatest honor of become governor, obviously the highlight of my career. Talk more about what some of your signature issues have been over the past 50 years. And what are you proudest of? I'm proud of the stuff. My wife, when I became governor, revealed that she had suffered severe postpartum depression and eventually had to be hospitalized.

So when I became governor, she told her story and has helped thousands to thousands of women. And still to this day she gets requests her to speak or testify down in Washington on the issues of postpart of depression. In fact, Brooke Shields contacted her one time and the two of them went to watch and together to testify in that particular issue. So I'm very proud of her and the work she's done to help all those women. Now, you've served in a legislative role in the State House for half a century, but you're best known among New Jerseyans for those two years you spent as governor after Jim McGrivy's resignation in 2004. You declined to run for a full term in spite of some pretty widespread popularity in the state. Why did you decide to step aside?

Yeah, I mean, one of the things was, I don't know if I can do any better. If your polls are 70% thumbs up and 16% thumbs down, I just said, hey, I've enjoyed it. It was almost two years. And by the way, when I was governor, I was still president of the Senate. So if I didn't run, I still held on to the president's office. And I was fine with that.

I felt extremely blessed that I became the governor, didn't have to run for it. So it was something you never know. But I always remembered my wife when McGreevy, the day of McGreeves announced that he was resigning. And she said, Brian Thompson from NBC News called, he got to call him right away. And hey, it's 11 o'clock. I call him tomorrow. And she was having minor surgery. I took her up to the hospital, which is not far from us.

and then I went down to my office and then I have a phone with Brian Thompson and he said, Senator, this is real. And I'm like, holy, whatever. And then I made a phone call somewhere. And they said it's real. And he's resigning.

So you can imagine when my wife came out of surgery and I said to her, how you doing, first lady? Well, put me back under. But I mean, And that certainly was a change in our life. But fortunately, for both of us, it was a change for the better.

Now, we should mention that your successor, John Corzine, was not popular. He lost after one term to a brash former federal prosecutor, Chris Christie, who quickly became a political celebrity and was for a time, at least, a leading voice in the Republican Party. Do you have any regrets about not running for a full term? Well, my regret is what he turned out to be. And unfortunately, as we all know here in New Jersey, he turned out to be a bully. If he wasn't a bully, I thought he could have been a good government. But its personality just didn't lend itself.

It was very sad for me to see that because I knew the family. I was more raped close to them. I had I helped for him. But, you know, bullies don't win at the end, shall I say. Now, you were back in the Senate long before an alliance of your fellow Democrats pushed you out of the Senate presidency in favor of Steve Sweeney. Why would Democrats sideline one of the most popular active elected officials in the state? Well, because unfortunately, my dad always told me,

and never take a job from a politician because if you do, he will have you by your testicles and your heart and your mind will follow. And he was right. So all these legislators, of course, legislative salaries are horrendous than we love, they would give jobs to them. And when they needed to control their votes, they did. Simple as that. But I have no regrets.

Now, Governor, there are increasing calls for the abolishment of New Jersey's party line. That's when whoever party leadership backs from President Biden down on local officials gets placed on a single line on the primary ballot. Many reformers say the system is undemocratic because it all but guarantees victory to the party boss's chosen candidates. Do you agree with that? And would you support doing away with the system? I'm one person who has run off the line numerous times in my county and what.

I was never afraid of running off the line, and I made running off the line the popular thing and not the boss's thing. But, yeah, it's a hurdle. And some change is needed, and hopefully it occurs. Last year you ran against your fellow senator, Nia Gill, because the latest round of districting combined your districts. Now you got the line, won by a comfortable margin, and then dropped out of the race. The local party chapter then picked Assemblyman John McKeon to run for your seed. Do you have any regrets about that dropping out?

No, it got to the point where I kept thinking, okay, it was a two-year term. No problem, but it was four years. You know, by then I was looking at absolutely 50 years, and I just decided time for somebody else. and time for me to move on and have not one i ought to regret. Do you have any regret about maybe depriving Democrats in the 6th County having a direct say and who would represent them? No, not at all. Before we let you go, Governor, what would you say needs to change in Trenton in order for

it to gain more esteem among residents in New Jersey? What needs to change in New Jersey is the grip that political bosses have over some legislators. I want a legislator voting what they think is right, not what a political boss wants. New Jersey State Senator and former Governor Richard Cody, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it. Thank you. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WNYC. Be sure to catch us every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back this evening.