FPWA to Host Discussion on Emerging Nonprofit Leadership

 

On September 28, 2016, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA) will host a discussion entitled Emerging Nonprofit Leadership, featuring Brian Silva, Executive Director of Marriage Equality USA. 

The discussion is part of the FPWA's Personally Speaking Series and will be moderated by New York Times reporter Nikita Stewart. The forum will be held at 40 Broad St., 5th Floor, in New York City. 

FPWA’s Personally Speaking series features prominent leaders who help to shape the nonprofit, philanthropic, civic and business sectors in New York City. This next installment focuses on Brian Silva and his journey to nonprofit leadership. 

Mr. Silva is well-known for his work in the non-profit space, especially around LGBTQ issues, having led MEUSA’s efforts to sway the Supreme Court decision on Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act. 

Stewart has spent much of her career focused on local politics as a reporter, previously at The Washington Post and The Star-Ledger in New Jersey. The discussion will feature a wide range of issues facing the non-profit sector today. 

Source: Mercury

'Mississippi Goddam': A Song and Warning for America in the Wake of Police Shootings

"Mississippi Goddam" is a song written and performed by American singer and pianist Nina Simone. It was first released on her album Nina Simone in Concert which was based on recordings of three concerts she gave at Carnegie Hall in 1964. The album was her first release for the Dutch label Philips Records and is indicative of the more political turn her recorded music took during this period.

Simone composed "Mississippi Goddam" in less than an hour. Together with "Four Women" and "To Be Young, Gifted and Black", it is one of her most famous protest songs and self-written compositions.

The song captures Simone's response to the murder of Medgar Evers in Mississippi; and the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four Black children. 

Source: Wikipedia

Benjamin Crump, Attorneys Answer Questions About Terence Crutcher, Tulsa Police Investigation

Source: KJRH -TV | Tulsa | Channel 2

Full Interview: Scott Wood, Attorney for Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby

Source: KJRH -TV | Tulsa | Channel 2

SPLC Statement on the Death of Terence Crutcher

The following statement was issued yesterday by the civil rights organization. 

Yesterday, authorities in Tulsa, Oklahoma, released dashboard and aerial video capturing the killing by police of Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man. 

Lecia Brooks, Outreach Director at the Southern Poverty Law Center, released the following statement in response to the event: 

"The murder of Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man, by a Tulsa police officer is yet another reminder that our nation’s law enforcement departments need radical change. Today, four children are without a father, a mother without a son, a sister without a brother, and a community wondering how many more black lives will be destroyed before America stands up and says 'never again.' As the Department of Justice investigates this case, we must confront the racism embedded so deeply in police practices and demand change now."

The Southern Poverty Law Center is dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society. Using litigation, education, and other forms of advocacy, the SPLC works toward the day when the ideals of equal justice and equal opportunity will be a reality.

Celebrities React: Terence Crutcher Killed By Police

 D.L. Hughley

By Shari Weiss

Celebrities are tweeting angry reactions after an unarmed black man named Terence Crutcher was killed by police. See stars’ reactions tweets below.

Last Friday, Crutcher’s car broke down on a stretch of road in Tulsa, Oklahoma. When police responded to a 911 call about the stalled vehicle, they found him outside the car with his arms raised. It’s unclear what conversation transpired, but Crutcher was fatally shot by one of the officers, Betty Shelby, and tased by another. The 40-year-old did not have any weapons on him.

The case is now getting national attention after 911 recordings, dashcam footage, and helicopter video from the deadly encounter were released on Monday. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating. And on social media, celebrities are reacting to what is the latest instance of fatal police interactions.

Rashida Jones tweeted, “#terencecrutcher This requires everyone’s outrage. It needs to stop.” Karrueche Tran wrote, “RIP #TerenceCrutcher How tf the officer in the heli gon say ‘he looks like a bad dude’ How TF CAN YOU TELL HE LOOKS BAD? CAUSE HE’S BLACK??!” She went on in a second tweet to refer to the capture of the man allegedly responsible for the Chelsea explosion, saying, “They find a bomb suspect and put him on a stretcher while an innocent man who’s car broke down gets SHOT AND DIES?!! HOWW!! Plz tell me how!”

“‘He looks like a bad dude’ cop says from a helo above #TerrenceCrutcher. How many times do we see that fear in eyes we pass on the sidewalk?” asked Jeffrey Wright. D.L. Hughley commented, “I wish Americans were as upset at #TerenceCrutcher getting shot DOWN as they are at #ColinKaepernick not standing UP!#ItsTooMuch #TeamDl.”

Click here for the full article. 

Source: Gossip Cop

Hip-Hop Reacts to Police Shooting of Oklahoma Man Terence Crutcher

Pictured are 2 Chainz, T.I. and Meek Mill

Click here for the article. 

Source: XXL

Hillary Clinton Calls Shooting of Unarmed Black Man in Oklahoma 'Intolerable'

 

By Kurtis Lee

Hillary Clinton condemned the police shooting of an unarmed black man in Oklahoma last week, using the incident to reignite calls for criminal justice reform and to highlight racial biases in policing. 

In an interview on the Steve Harvey Morning Show Tuesday, Clinton called the shooting of Terence Crutcher, 40, "unbearable" and "intolerable." Video footage shows Crutcher was unarmed with his hands visible when he was shot by Tulsa, Okla., police officers after his car broke down along a rural road,

"This horrible shooting — again. How many times do we have to see this in our country?” Clinton asked. “In Tulsa? An unarmed man? With his hands in the air? I mean, this is just unbearable and it needs to be intolerable.” 

Click here for summary. 

Source: The Los Angeles Times

Trump Reacts to Police Shootings, Don King Uses N-word

 

by Ali Vitali

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Boxing promoter Don King used a racial slur while introducing Donald Trump here Wednesday during an African-American outreach event in which the Republican nominee reacted to recent police shootings.

King, who was introduced by vice presidential nominee Mike Pence, regaled the seated crowd of clergy and supporters here at New Spirit Revival Center with a story he once told to Michael Jackson.

"I told Michael Jackson, I said, 'If you're poor, you're a poor negro,' I would use the N-word," King warned, only to fulfill the prophecy moments later.

"If you are a dancing and sliding and gliding [N-word], I meant negro, you're a dancing and sliding and gliding negro. So dare not alienate because you cannot assimilate. So you know you're going to be a negro till you die," King said. 

Click here for the full article. 

Source: NBC News

49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick Says He Has Received Death Threats During Protest Movement

 

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick says he has received death threats amid his growing protest movement against racial injustices and police brutality.

Kaepernick has refused to stand for the national anthem at 49ers games. Since he started the demonstration last month, the protest became a national story, and other NFL players, along with U.S. women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe, have joined in.

“One of the things I’ve noticed throughout this is there’s a lot of racism in this country disguised as patriotism,” Kaepernick said Tuesday. “And people want to take everything back to the flag, but that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking racial discrimination, inequalities and injustices that are happening across the nation.”

Click here for the full article. 

Source: NBC Bay Area

Russell Westbrook, Dwyane Wade, Other Players React to the Shooting Death of Terence Crutcher

 

By Kurt Helin

Another unarmed black man has been shot and killed by white police officers.

This time, Terence Crutcher had his hands up when police arrived at his stalled out car on the highway near Tulsa, Oklahoma. Dashcam and helicopter footage show a man with his hands in the air, but officer Betty Shelby chose to use deadly force and go for a kill shot (while another used a taser at the same time). Then rather than administer first aid Crutcher bled out in the street while being largely ignored.

The video and story have gone viral on social media and a number of NBA players have responded including Russell Westbrook, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul. 

Click here for the full article. 

Source: NBC Sports

Police Chief Clears Up Some Rumors in Charlotte Police Shooting

Protests Erupt in Charlotte After Police Fatally Shoot Keith Lamont Scott

Ohio Police Chief on Crutcher Shooting: 'You Are Making Us All Look Bad. STOP'

MIDDLETOWN, OH (FOX19) -A social media post is making the rounds from a twitter account linked to the Middletown police chief. The message begins with, "I am so sick and drained." 

The post came after a video that was released of a shooting death of an unarmed black man in Tulsa by a police officer. 

This Twitter account that appears to be linked to Chief Rodney Muterspaw in Middletown is not mincing words.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: FOX 19 NOW

Crutcher Family, Attorneys and Rev. Sharpton Call for a 'National Day of Justice' in Tulsa

 

New York, NY — The family of Terence Crutcher, the unarmed African American man killed by a Tulsa, Oklahoma, police officer along with his attorney Benjamin L. Crump joined Rev. Al Sharpton at NAN’s House of Justice to call for a National Day of Justice in Tulsa next Tuesday, September 27. 

Yesterday on Rev. Sharpton’s nationally syndicated radio show “Keepin it Real,” Rev. Al Sharpton interviewed the father of Terence Crutcher and Rev. Crutcher asked for Rev. Sharpton and National Action Network to come to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and help secure justice on behalf of his son. 

Additionally, Attorneys Benjamin L. Crump and Damario Solomon-Simmons called for immediate charges and vigorous prosecution against the officer who fired the shot. 

They also called upon the City of Tulsa to implement mandatory body cameras for officers. They intend to clear up the misconception that Terence was reaching in the car window. According to their review of video tapes the window was up. 

Note: The National Action Network held a press conference today to explain next week's event. If video of the conference is made available, it will be posted on this site. 

Source: Mercury 

PCP Found in Terence Crutcher’s Car

A person who reported Terence Crutcher’s stalled vehicle said the driver may’ve been “smoking something”. Now a report from the Tulsa World indicates that the drug PCP was found in Crutcher’s vehicle.

An attorney for the officer who fatally shot Crutcher, Betty Shelby, says her client thought the driver was acting like a person under the influence.

Homicide Sgt. Dave Walker confirmed Tuesday that a search of Crutcher’s vehicle revealed PCP.

It is too soon for a toxicology report that will be a part of the autopsy.

“If we started to condemn everybody to death who might have some drugs in their system, all our neighborhoods would be affected. And so we know that’s not correct,” said attorney Benjamin Crump at a press conference. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: Your Black World News

Chelsea Bombing Suspect Ahmad Rahami Charged With Using Weapon of Mass Destruction

 

by Tom Winter and Phil Helsel

The man accused of a bombing in New York that injured 31 people Saturday was charged Tuesday with federal counts of using a weapon of mass destruction and bombing public places.

Ahmad Rahami is also believed to have carried out attempted an apparent attempted bombing in Seaside Park, New Jersey, and with leaving in backpack bomb at a train station in Elizabeth, also in New Jersey.

No one was hurt in the New Jersey incidents. Rahami, 28, was captured on Monday after being wounded in a shootout with police in Linden, New Jersey, that left two officers wounded. Rahami had already been charged by the Union County, New Jersey, prosecutor with five counts of attempted murder of police officers. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: NBC News

Veep Meet and Greet: President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine

 

The Vice President met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The Vice President congratulated President Poroshenko on completing the IMF review, and also informed him that all policy steps have been taken to proceed with the issuance of Ukraine's third U.S. sovereign loan guarantee of up to $1 billion. They agreed that these milestones are a demonstration of Ukraine's continued progress on the path of reform.  The Vice President stressed, however, that it was imperative for Ukraine's leadership to accelerate the reforms necessary to strengthen Ukraine's energy and justice sectors. The Vice President also reiterated the urgency of ensuring full implementation of the Minsk Agreements. 

Source: The White House, Office of the Vice President

Politics in Action: H.R. 5719 & H.R. 3438

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

H.R. 5719 – Empowering Employees through Stock Ownership Act

(Rep. Paulsen, R-MN, and three cosponsors)

 

The Administration is committed to helping startups, boosting innovation, and growing the economy, and is willing to work with the Congress on fiscally responsible measures to achieve those goals.  However, the Administration strongly opposes H.R. 5719 because it would increase the Federal deficit by $1 billion over the next ten years.  Failing to pay for new tax cuts is fiscally irresponsible. 

H.R. 3438 – Unnecessary Delay of Rules Act

(Rep. Marino, R-PA, and 32 cosponsors)

The Administration is committed to ensuring that the regulatory process remains efficient and effective, and is tailored to further statutory goals in the most cost-effective manner.  H.R. 3438 would promote unwarranted litigation, introduce harmful delay, and, in many cases, thwart implementation of statutory mandates and execution of duly enacted laws.  The legislation also would increase business uncertainty and undermine much-needed protections for the American public, including critical rules that provide financial reform and protect public health, food safety, and the environment.  For these reasons, the Administration strongly opposes H.R. 3438.

The Unnecessary Delay of Rules Act would delay the implementation of "high-impact" rules until all legal challenges are fully exhausted or, if there is no legal challenge, until the end of a statutorily prescribed period.  H.R. 3438 would require this delay of all rules without consideration of the merits of the challenge or the consequences of delay.  These "high-impact" rules already must adhere to the particular requirements of the statute that the agency is implementing as well as the requirements of other Federal statutes and the Constitution.  Indeed, in many cases, the Congress has mandated that the agency issue the particular rule.  The agency also must comply with the rulemaking requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 551 et seq.).  When issuing a major rule, an agency also must perform analyses of benefits and costs that typically are required by one or more statutes (such as the Regulatory Flexibility Act, the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, and the Paperwork Reduction Act), as well as by Executive Order 12866.  Furthermore, courts already have the discretion to delay rules on a case-by-case basis.  Thus, the Unnecessary Delay of Rules Act is entirely unnecessary and would promote litigation designed only to delay rule implementation.

Given the extensive existing statutory framework already governing agency rules, the additional delays created by H.R. 3438 would needlessly endanger the welfare of the American public, while providing no benefit and creating a powerful incentive for litigation with little to no merit.

If the President were presented with H.R. 3438, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill. 

Source: Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget

Crutcher Family Attorney: Shooting Was Not Justified

Crutcher family attorneys Benjamin Crump and Damario Solomon-Simmons provide new information on the fatal police shooting of Terence Crutcher.

Terence Crutcher's Father and Attorneys Ask Rev. Al Sharpton and NAN to Come to Tulsa

 

New York, NY — Today on his nationally syndicated radio show “Keepin it Real,” Rev. Al Sharpton interviewed the father of Terence Crutcher, an unarmed Tulsa, Oklahoma, man, that was fatally shot by a police officer last week.

Rev. Crutcher asked for Rev. Sharpton and National Action Network (NAN) to come to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and help secure justice on behalf of his son. Additionally, Attorneys Benjamin L. Crump and Damario Solomon-Simmons called for immediate charges and vigorous prosecution against the officer who fired the shot. They also called upon the City of Tulsa to implement mandatory body cameras for officers. They intend to clear up the misconception that Terence was reaching in the car window. According to their review of video tapes the window was up.

National Action Network will release more details in the immediate future after the family and attorneys decide the best time for Rev. Al Sharpton to come to Tulsa. 

Source: Mercury

President Obama U.N. General Assembly Address

 

President Obama addressed the United Nations General Assembly. He was preceded by speeches from the presidents of Brazil and Chad. 

Click here for video.

Source: C-SPAN

National Security Council Notes: Prime Minister Fayiz al-Sarraj of Libya

The following statement was issued today by National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price. 

Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco met today with Libyan Prime Minister Fayiz al-Sarraj on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly to discuss U.S.-Libyan counterterrorism cooperation and other efforts by the Government of National Accord (GNA) on behalf of the Libyan people. During the meeting, Ms. Monaco and Prime Minister Sarraj reviewed the progress of GNA forces in regaining Sirte from ISIL fighters and U.S. support for those Libyan-led efforts. They also discussed the GNA’s plans to stabilize the city after ISIL fighters are cleared out of Sirte. Ms. Monaco congratulated Prime Minister Sarraj on the recent Libyan effort, with international support, to remove chemical weapons precursors from Libya and ensure that they did not fall into the hands of ISIL or other terrorist groups. Prime Minister Sarraj and Ms. Monaco underscored the importance of expanded efforts by the GNA to propose a new cabinet and for the House of Representatives to hold a vote to endorse the cabinet without delay. 

Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary

Roundtable on Child Care and Family Leave Policies

Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Kay Hymowitz and Vicki Shabo, with the National Partnership for Women and Families, examine child care and family leave policies proposed by presidential nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. 

Click here for video.

Source: C-SPAN

Women in the Civil Rights Movement

This video was published on YouTube on June 17, 2013.

Source: WhitfieldIC

Trailblazers in Black History: Charles Fuller

 

Charles H. Fuller, Jr. is an African American playwright, best known for his play, A Soldier's Play, for which he received the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. 

Fuller vowed to become a writer after noticing that his high school's library had no books by African American authors. He achieved critical notice in 1969 with The Village: A Party, a drama about racial tensions between a group of mixed-race couples. 

He later wrote plays for the Henry Street Settlement theatre and the Negro Ensemble Company in New York, who have performed several of his plays. His 1975 play The Brownsville Raid is based on the Brownsville Affair, an altercation between black soldiers and white civilians in Brownsville, Texas, in 1906, which led to an entire black regiment being dishonorably discharged though later pardoned in 1976.

Additional information is available here. 

Source: Wikipedia

Hillary Clinton Regains Momentum Against Donald Trump: Poll

  Click on the graph to increase its size.

by Hannah Hartig, John Lapinski and Stephanie Psyllos

Back on the campaign trail after being diagnosed with pneumonia and a subsequent break from campaigning, Hillary Clinton plugged her leaking lead against Donald Trump, according to this week's NBC News|SurveyMonkey Weekly Election Tracking Poll.

She now enjoys 50 percent support among likely voters and Trump has 45 percent support. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: NBC News 

Ahmad Rahami Case: What's Next for Bombings Suspect? It Depends

 

by Alex Johnson and Tom Winter

Ahmad Khan Rahami, the suspect in a series of explosions in New York and New Jersey, was charged Monday evening with five counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer in his shootout with police Monday morning in New Jersey.

Rahami, 28, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Afghanistan, was held on $5.2 million bail in connection with the shootout, during which two Linden police officers sustained gunshot wounds, a third was struck by a bullet fragment and two others were injured, authorities said. 

The Union County Prosecutor's Office said Rahami was also charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. A spokesman for the prosecutor's office told NBC New York that an initial court appearance was scheduled for Sept. 28.

Rahami could face up to 20 years on each of the attempted murder counts. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: NBC News

Jessica Alba: Education Empowers Women

Dateline 25th Anniversary Season Preview

Dateline NBC celebrates its 25th anniversary season with all-new two-hour episodes every Friday through December. The landmark season begins Friday, September 23 at 9/8c.

NYS Office of Information Technology Services Among Winners of the 2016 Best of New York Awards

 

The New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) was among the winners of the 2016 Best of New York Awards. ITS received awards in three areas, Best Mobile Project, Best Data Analytics/Business Intelligence Project, and Most Innovative IT Workforce Initiative.

In its 13th year, the Best of New York Awards program recognizes public-sector professionals and local government organizations for their dedication and contributions to advance information technology in New York.

“Congratulations to the 2016 Best of New York awardees,” said Margaret Miller, New York State Chief Information Officer. “ITS is leading the way in utilizing new and innovative technologies to ensure government works smarter for citizens and businesses.  This recognition serves as a testament to the enormous talent there is in ITS and to the important work our team members do.”

“Ingenuity, collaboration and a lot of hard work on the part of New York government departments have yielded great innovations that are improving government interactions with citizens,” said Todd Sander, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Government. “We are honored to present this year’s Best of New York winners and recognize their exemplary dedication to enhancing services for New Yorkers.”

Winners are selected based on a number of criteria, including collaboration among agencies, innovative use of technology, economic benefits and improving public services and business processes. During the event, 36 ITS employees were also recognized with the Outstanding IT Service and Support Award.

2016 ITS Best of New York Awardees include:

 

Best Mobile/Wireless Project for the development of the New York State Veteran mobile application. Developed in partnership with the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs, the application provides access to easy-to-navigate information about valuable state and federal services and resources for the 900,000 Veterans and their families living in New York State.

 

Best Data Analytics/ Business Intelligence Project for AnalyzeNY. AnalyzeNY, developed in collaboration with the Division of Budget and the Department of Civil Service, is a statewide data warehouse designed to improve the State’s analytical reporting capabilities. AnalyzeNY provides a secure, centralized reporting solution for financial and human resource data across all State agencies, as well as reporting structures that are easily customized to an agency’s needs. 

 

Most Innovative IT Workforce Initiative for the Quality Management Center (QMC). The QMC is a service team utilizing and promoting standardized quality assurance tools and processes ensuring that application releases for New York State Human Services agencies are completed with the highest degree of reliability and quality. The QMC has converted the manual testing process to automation testing, allowing more complete testing at a fraction of the time and manpower. This provides quicker timelines for the delivery of application changes, while still maintaining a very high quality product.

The Best of New York Awards were presented to the awardees during the annual New York State Digital Government Summit which took place on September 15 and 16 in Albany. The Summit is hosted by the Center for Digital Government and Government Technology, in partnership with the State of New York.

The New York State Digital Government Summit is one of the largest technology conferences for state and local government held in New York. More than 750 people came together to learn from industry experts and to participate in educational opportunities on workforce development, technology, cybersecurity, and disaster preparedness.

During the Summit, Matthew Millea, Deputy Director of New York State Operations, highlighted Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s commitment to embrace technology to better engage and communicate with New York’s citizens, businesses and visitors to the State. Margaret Miller, New York State Chief Information Officer and Mahesh Nattanmai, New York State Executive Deputy Chief Information Officer presented IT accomplishments to improve the delivery of critical services to agency partners, and to the citizen and businesses who rely on State services. 

Source: Office of Information Technology Services

Manion Receives 2016 Hugh L. Carey Leadership Award

 

Nonie Manion, Executive Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, received the 2016 Hugh L. Carey Leadership Award for Outstanding Public Stewardship. Executive Deputy Commissioner Manion was honored for her expertise in using technology to advance the work of the New York State Department of Tax and Finance.

The Hugh L. Carey Leadership Award was created in memory of the late Governor Hugh L. Carey, 51st Governor of New York, to recognize and honor a New Yorker who, through their commitment to public service, has improved the future well-being of New York citizens through his/her leadership, dedication and guidance.

“Executive Deputy Commissioner Manion’s progressive leadership is helping New York State become a more responsive government in a digital economy. She recognizes the importance of leveraging innovation and technology to deliver services more efficiently and effectively to New Yorkers,” said Margaret Miller, New York State Chief Information Officer.

“I am deeply honored and grateful to receive this award. The accomplishments that have helped improve the services that the Department of Tax and Finance provides to New Yorkers has been a team effort. I would like to thank my talented team for their dedication to the work they do every day,” said Executive Deputy Commissioner Nonie Manion.

In presenting the Hugh Carey Award to Executive Deputy Commissioner Manion, Robert Plattner, New York State Deputy Commissioner for Tax Policy, said, “For well over two decades, Nonie has combined her passion for technology with her other considerable skills to become a driving force behind the Department’s ongoing technological success story. Thanks to Executive Deputy Commissioner Manion and other dedicated, talented staff, the New York State Tax Department is considered both a clear leader among state revenue agencies and a world-class tax administration organization.”

Nonie Manion was appointed as Executive Deputy Commissioner in June 2013. With nearly 30 years with the Department, she has held leadership positions in several divisions, most recently the Audit Division. One of Executive Deputy Commissioner Manion’s biggest and most visible successes was her role in the implementation of the Department’s data-driven case identification and selection system (CISS). The CISS system sifts through millions of tax returns, identifying the most suspicious as potentially fraudulent returns improperly seeking refunds. Last year, CISS prevented New York from paying out more than $500 million in fraudulent refunds.

Executive Deputy Commissioner Manion is the sixth recipient of the Hugh L. Carey Leadership Award. Previous winners include Sheila J. Poole in 2015, Thomas H. Mattox in 2014, Fran Reiter in 2013, Nirav R. Shah in 2012, and RoAnn M. Destito in 2011.

The award was presented by the Center for Digital Government and Government Technology, in partnership with the state of New York, during a special ceremony held during the 2016 New York State Digital Government Summit, which took place on September 15 and 16 in Albany.

For more information on the 2016 NYS Digital Government Summit, visit http://www.govtech.com/events/New-York-Digital-Government-Summit.html. 

Source: Office of Information Technology Services

The Will of the Voters, Loud & Clear

 

By Errol Louis

The recent party primaries for state offices held a few welcome signs that New York voters are wising up. In a city that often mechanically reelects incumbents, three were turned out of office. And in a state that too frequently elevates scoundrels, voters smartly rejected several candidates whose unfitness for public office was obvious.

Voters in Jackson Heights, Queens, narrowly blocked a comeback attempt by disgraced ex-state Sen. Hiram Monserrate, who was expelled from the Senate after an assault conviction and later served nearly all of a two-year prison term for mail fraud and conspiracy. Monserrate is best known for the security video that caught him dragging his girlfriend through his apartment hallway; the attack was so repugnant that his fellow senators voted to kick him out.

Monserrate later pleaded guilty to steering city money to a nonprofit community organization, funds that were illegally diverted to his political campaign. Despite being rejected, convicted and imprisoned, Monserrate was trying to get back in the game, running for a post as district leader, an unpaid Democratic Party position that is often the first step toward higher office. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: The New York Daily News

O'Neill Lays Out His Vision at Swearing-In Ceremony as NYPD's New Commissioner

By Azi Paybarah

Four days after officially taking over as head of the nation’s largest municipal police department, New York Police Department Commissioner James O’Neill was sworn in Monday at a ceremony at police headquarters in Manhattan.

O’Neill — a 30-year police veteran — takes over amid an ongoing probe into an explosion in Chelsea on Saturday that injured 29 people. A second explosive device was also found Saturday night nearby the explosion, and on Sunday night several explosive devices were found near a train station in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Literally as O’Neill was ceremoniously sworn-in, the NYPD’s counterterrorism unit tweeted that the bombing suspect, Ahmad Khan Rahami, was captured in Linden, N.J.

Mayor Bill de Blasio noted the timing of O’Neill’s ascent.

“His first full day began Saturday morning,” de Blasio said. By that night, the mayor said, the public saw “why Jimmy O’Neill was ready to lead us all. Because he handled the crisis on Saturday evening the way we knew he would. Calm, cool” and trusted, the mayor said. “That is what we will see in the years to come.” De Blasio, speaking to O'Neill, added, “And you showed on your very first day what you were made of.” 

Click here for the full article. 

Source: Politico (via The Empire Report)