Good Morning, New York! Adams has been denied matching funds, Mary Beth Walsh becomes minority leader pro tempore, and AOC loses out on the steering committee endorsement. This is your Tammany Times AM Briefing for Tuesday, December 17th, 2024.

WHERE’S ERIC: No public schedule yet.

WHERE’S KATHY: In Albany presiding over the proceedings of the Electoral College.

TIPS? Email me: [email protected]

Front Pages

Hall Monitors

— Following the Campaign Finance Board meeting yesterday, Eric Adams has officially been denied matching funds. They cited his indictments and allegations of fraudulent fundraising as “conduct in violation of campaign finance law,” costing his campaign over $4 million. Scott Stringer, another candidate and former comptroller, was approved for over $2 million in matching funds. (The City)

— Real estate leaders are suing to stop the City Council’s new broker fee law, blocking renters from being forced to pay broker fees that can add up to thousands of dollars. The Real Estate Board of New York filed the suit on three grounds, free commercial speech, the contracts law in the Constitution, and a state law that regulates real estate brokers. (Times)

— Former top Eric Adams aide Ingrid Lewis-Martin has claimed that she is the target of a false accusation ahead of an impending grand jury indictment convened by the Manhattan DA. She also accused the move of being politically motivated. (AMNY)

Capitol Gains

— Mary Beth Walsh has been named New York State Assembly Minority Leader pro tempore, the second highest ranking position in the assembly minority conference. The influential role controls the floor activity of the Republican conference in the Assembly. (State of Politics)

— Gov. Hochul has 109 bills passed by the state legislature to take action on, a job she only has until Christmas Eve to take care of before they automatically become law. City and State has a good recap of the remaining bills available for Gov. Hochul to sign, including controversial ones such as the Climate Superfund, AI regulations, and criminal justice reform. (City and State)

— Gov. Hochul has approved grants to support almost $1 billion in capital investment for new hydropower projects. New York Power Authority will invest the funds mostly in Western New York, where hydroelectric is prevalent, with some in Long Island and the Hudson Valley as well. (Hydro Review)

Trail Mix

— Rep. Gerry Connolly beat out AOC for the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee’s recommendation for the top post on the House Oversight Committee. The vote was close, 34 to 27. This is not the end of AOC’s hopes, the full Democratic Caucus will vote this morning and has the option (although rarely utilized) to overrule the Steering Committee. (NBC News)

— Riders Alliance is making a “robust” ad buy in support of Kathy Hochul and the congestion pricing program, according to Politico. The program has opponents on both sides of the aisle, so the support could be helpful for Hochul to ensure it goes into effect. It is currently being challenged in the courts, and top Republicans have called on the federal government to find a way to block it. (Politico)

— Antonio Delgado appears to have endorsed the message that he is looking to primary his boss. He retweeted the New York Times article we discussed yesterday that accused him of subtly looking to take the top job. It doesn’t look so subtle anymore. (X/DelgadoforNY)