Good Morning, New York! Kehlani’s Central Park show has been cancelled over her anti-Israel stance, NY is finally paying off its debt to the feds, and Cuomo’s campaign is under scrutiny for a controversial PAC coordination tactic. This is your Tammany Times AM Briefing for Tuesday, May 6th, 2025.

WHERE’S KATHY: In Albany, Nassau County, and New York City, announcing FY26 investments in “Distraction-Free Schools” and delivering remarks at the NYS Police Officers Memorial Remembrance Ceremony.

WHERE’s ERIC: No public schedule available.

TIPS? Email me: [email protected]

Front Pages

Hall Monitors

— The race to replace Francisco Moya in City Council District 21 just got a lot less crowded. Sandro Navarro didn't get enough valid signatures, while Hiram Monserrate was disqualified due to a law targeting candidates with felony convictions. Monserrate is fighting back in court, but for now, only four candidates remain in the running. (QNS)

— Kehlani's upcoming Central Park show is off, with the city citing security concerns after outrage over the singer's anti-Israel stance. The Adams administration reportedly threatened to pull permits for the entire SummerStage series, leading the Central Park Foundation to cancel the concert. Critics, including a city council member, applauded the decision, arguing that taxpayer dollars shouldn't promote hate speech. (NY Post)

— NYC families are about to feel the squeeze as the city halts new child care voucher enrollments. Mayor Adams and Gov. Hochul are in a financial tug-of-war over the program, with the city resisting matching state funds to keep it afloat. As the Adams administration lobbies for more money, thousands of families could soon lose access to subsidized care. (NY Daily News)

Capitol Gains

— New York is finally settling its $6 billion pandemic debt to the feds, a move that will lift a burden off employers. Because of the debt, businesses have been paying extra into the state Insurance Fund, and unemployment benefits haven't been raised. With the debt gone, the maximum weekly unemployment benefit could jump to $860 next year, and businesses can reinvest the money they were spending on the debt. (Newsday)

— Albany's about to give Hochul more power! To prepare for a potential recession, lawmakers are granting the governor authority to make mid-year budget cuts, but only if the state loses at least $2 billion in tax revenue. Unlike Cuomo's pandemic-era powers, the legislature will have the chance to reject Hochul's proposed cuts or suggest their own. (City & State NY)

— A New York highway superintendent is in deep trouble after allegedly shooting a DoorDash driver in the back. John Reilly, a Republican official in Chester, N.Y., was arrested and charged with assault and weapons crimes after the delivery driver, who was asking for directions, was shot while leaving Reilly's property. The driver is expected to survive, and local leaders are 'deeply troubled' by the incident. (NY Daily News)

Trail Mix

— Andrew Cuomo's mayoral campaign is under scrutiny for potentially coordinating with a super PAC, Fix the City. Campaign finance regulators sent a warning to all campaigns, reminding them of the rules against such coordination, which could result in penalties like losing public matching funds. A rival candidate has already filed a complaint, alleging that the super PAC's ads closely mirror messaging on Cuomo's campaign website, using a strategy called redboxing. Cuomo's campaign said they were told the warning from the Campaign Finance Board was not directed at them. (Politico)

— Speaker Adrienne Adams, along with Brad and Rosa Lander, and Gale Brewer, attended the 2025 Met Gala, showing off their takes on the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" theme. Adams, a mayoral hopeful, has attended before, while other political figures like AOC and Mayor Adams have also graced the event in past years. (NY Daily News)

— Kathy Hochul isn't backing down from a fight; she welcomes a potential 2026 gubernatorial showdown with Elise Stefanik, responding with a confident, "bring it on." This jab comes after Stefanik declared she's in the "strongest position" to flip the state red for the first time in nearly two decades. While Stefanik hasn't officially announced her candidacy, she's already slinging mud, calling Hochul "the worst governor in America," even as polls suggest the race could be surprisingly close. (NY Post)