NYC NOW - September 13, 2024: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: September 13, 2024

Queens State Senator Jessica Ramos has entered the primary race against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Meanwhile, officials are warning of significant traffic on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway this upcoming weekend. Also, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban has officially resigned after his brother’s nightlife consulting business came under federal investigation. WNYC’s Sean Carlson speaks with Deputy City Council Speaker Diana Ayala for her perspective. Plus, the Queens Night Market returns to Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Saturday, and the annual African-American Day Parade takes over the streets of Harlem on Sunday.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. I'm Jenae Pierre. Jessica Ramos, a state senator from Queens, is entering the primary race against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. In an interview with WMYC, Ramos questioned the mayor's ability to manage the city amid multiple federal investigations while taking a jab at his trademark motto. With all of the scandals surrounding his administration, And it's more evident than ever that the mayor is distracted and not able to grind. She says her campaign will focus on making the city more affordable and address issues around child care and housing. Ramos is the fourth Democrat to enter the primary race.

The others include city controller Brad Lander, Brooklyn State Senator Zellnor Myrie and former controller Scott Stringer. A heads up if you're driving this weekend, there are some significant traffic. changes on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, and officials are warning drivers to stay away. WMYC's Andrew Jambroni has more. A southbound portion of the BQE is closed to just one lane of traffic until 5 o'clock on Monday morning. It's between Adams and Washington streets and downtown Brooklyn. Transportation officials say that partial closure is allowing workers to install new weight sensors that will help extend the lifespan of the highway's triple-decker structure near the Brooklyn and

Manhattan bridges. The sensors and license plate readers are already in place on the northbound side of the structure, enabling officials to enforce weight limits on large trucks. Officials say the equipment has contributed to a major decrease in overweight trucks on the BQA. Stick around. There's more after the break. As you've probably heard by now, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban has resigned after his brother's nightlife consulting business came under federal investigation. Caban is a is one of several senior members of Mayor Eric Adams' administration to be ensnared in probes by federal law enforcement.

Commandant's a second commissioner to resign in less than three years, and the scandal surrounding Adams comes as his relationship with the city council remains rocky at best. WMYC's Sean Carlson talked with Deputy City Council Speaker Diana Aeila. She represents parts of Upper Manhattan and the South Bronx in the council. Does all the in and out at the top of the department concern you at all about the NYPD's ability to do its job? It does because you need that level of consistency, right,

in order to ensure that things are working appropriately. You know, with every commissioner, you have a new leader with new ideas and that that constant, you know, level of change can, you know, create a level of imbalance, right, in any agency. So it does concern me. You were quoted telling Politico on Tuesday that you were concerned that Commissioner Caban would be scapegoated while others implicated in the investigation appear to be given a pass. What do you mean by that?

I mean that there's been a lot of focus on, you know, the police commissioner and not enough on, you know, all of the members of the administration who was subject to the same level of search of their properties and who had personal property confiscated and obviously are in some way connected to whatever investigation is going on. And so for me, it's really important that everybody be treated equally. And so, you know, the idea that we were focusing in, primarily on just the commissioner, seemed very, you know, alarming to me and felt like a tactic to not necessarily hold the others to the same level of scrutiny. The council and the mayor's team haven't had the warmest working relationship in the past year or so. How has it been this week? And has it

been harder to get a hold of the mayor's team at all? No, absolutely not. I mean, we, we, the council will continue to do the work of the people. We are permitted and, you know, we are professionals. We do this every day. We have no issues working with the administration and, you know, we'll continue to do that. So, but, you know, I would be lying if I didn't say that this was not a distraction. Again, this is, you know, everything and, you know, that everyone is talking about. And there are so many issues that are impacting, you know, New Yorkers day in and day out. that we should be addressing instead.

And so I hope to find some sort of, you know, we find some sort of resolution to all of this. And I hope that this is the last of, you know, this type of investigation because quite frankly, these scandals are not good for the mayor, but they're also not good for the people in this city. And so, you know, it's all really sad. But I think, you know, in terms of the work that we're doing here

in City Hall, the work will continue. And, you know, the council will remain, you know, steadfast in our attempts to be as helpful. as we can to ensure that, you know, laws are passed and that budgets are, you know, enacted and the things are running as smoothly as possible. Yeah, you know, we wanted to ask you about that, to kind of drill down that a little bit, given everything that is happening at City Hall, should New Yorkers be concerned about elected officials' ability to get the people's work done in this current environment? It's difficult to be able to concentrate on the work when there's this

spotlight, right, following you around all day. So I think that these investigations, are not helpful. But again, I think everybody's doing the best that they can. And I can't speak for the administration, but I can't speak for the council and say that, you know, we are just as committed as we have always been to doing the people's work. And, you know, I'm concerned, right? As a voter, I'm concerned about what this all means, right, for the administration and the type of impact that it will have on, you know, the way that we govern the city. Do you think there are any specific initiatives that are suffering because of all of this? I don't think so. I don't, I haven't, I haven't, I'm not that I can point to today, but this seems to be, you know, continuous pattern.

And obviously that is not in anyone's best interest. And so there needs to be some sort of resolution and whether that means that other members of the administration will also have to step down or take some sort of temporary leave while all of this is resolved is a conversation that should be happening. That's Deputy City Council Speaker Diana Ayala talking with my colleague, Sean Cawson. Before we go, a couple suggestions to add to your weekend plans. The Queens Night Market returns to Flushing Meadows Corona Park Saturday night. Vendors come from around the borough selling food as diverse as the borough itself. Plus, expect DJ sets and other performances. The event takes a few weeks off in the late summer to accommodate the U.S. Open, but now it's back,

and it'll be in the park every Saturday through October 24th. Queens Night Market starts at 4 and goes until midnight. Then in Manhattan, the annual African-American Day Parade will take over the streets of Harlem Sunday afternoon. It starts at 1230 and goes along Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard between 111st Street and 136 Street. This year's theme is good leaders equal good government. Vote. It's a nod to the national election. Among the Grand Marshals are prominent leaders from our area, including state attorney general Leticia James and city council speaker Adrian Adams. organizers say the parade dates back to 1968 and aims to highlight African-American culture, heritage, and unity. So far, the weather looks perfect for the celebration.

Thanks for listening to NYC now from WMYC. Shout out to our production team. It includes Sean Boutich, Amber Bruce, Owen Kaplan, Audrey Cooper, Leora Noam Kravitz, Jared Marcell, Jen Munson, and Wayne Schoemeister, with help from all of my wonderful colleagues, in the WMYC Newsroom. Our show art was designed by the people at Buck, and our music was composed by Alexis Quadrado. I'm Jenae Pierre.

Have a lovely weekend. See you on Monday.