Good Morning, New York! John Chell will be the new NYPD Chief, a bill to legalize psychedelic mushrooms will be reintroduced, and Tom Suozzi wants to work with Trump. This is your Tammany Times AM Briefing for Wednesday, January 1st, 2025. Happy new year!

WHERE’S ERIC: In New York City with no public schedule.

WHERE’S KATHY: In Albany with no public schedule.

TIPS? Email me: [email protected]

Front Pages

Hall Monitors

— John Chell will permanently replace Jeffrey Maddrey as NYPD Chief of Department after Maddrey’s resignation. He was formerly the Chief of Patrol, a position that will now be filled by Philip Rivera. Chell is notable for his outspoken criticisms of Democrats on social media. (NY Post)

— American Transit Insurance Co. is in a fight for its survival, as regulators try to prevent disaster caused by their insolvency. ATIC refutes the fact that they cannot pay their obligations and say they have done so properly for over 50 years. They blame widespread fraud for their losses, and are hiking premiums by over 10%. This could lead to higher fare prices in taxis and rideshare vehicles. (Bloomberg)

— The woman who burned to death on a subway this month has been identified as a 57-year-old from New Jersey named Debrina Kawam. Eric Adams said that “hearts go out to the family — a horrific incident to have to live through.” Her death continues to be a flashpoint about crime in the subway system in New York City. (AP)

Capitol Gains

— Megan Ahearn will take over the role as Executive Director of the New York Public Interest Group, with former exec. director Blair Horner moving to become their Senior Policy Advisor. (State of Politics)

— Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill that would require school district and union reps to sit on industrial development agency governing boards. The bill had previously passed on a bipartisan basis in both chambers of the legislature. Sponsors were blindsided by her veto. It was supported by unions and school districts, but opposed by large developers. (Riverhead Local)

— A bill to legalize psychedelic mushrooms in New York is set to be reintroduced by Assemblyperson Amy Paulin, the chair of the health committee. Her team believes that it will be more beneficial to the state than the legalization of medical marijuana, with applications for palliative care and public health. (WNYT)

Trail Mix

— Democratic rep Tom Suozzi wants to take a different approach to dealing with Donald Trump: work with him. He called for Democrats to work together, and find compromise in Trump’s agenda to make progress for Americans on the economy, immigration, and crime. Suozzi’s district voted for Trump, and he only managed to hang on to his seat by a margin of ~3%. (NY Times)

— New York State has filed an amicus brief in the SCOTUS case in support of Louisiana's congressional map which was recently redrawn to include a second majority African-American district. The state is being sued by voters who say the district is a racial gerrymander, and the case has been escalated all the way to the Supreme Court. (News10)

— State Senator Dan Stec is running to fill Elise Stefanik’s congressional seat, and Ken Tingley’s The Front Page assembled an interesting list of questions for Stec about where he stands on current issues. Tingley alleges that Stec has shifted from his original stances, and become a more Trump-style politician. (The Front Page)