The Weekly Watchdog

Which former official is suing the police this week? Who’s promising to undo New York’s anti-gerrymandering protections? And where did all the outside money in the primary election go to? Read below to find out.

News Worth Clicking

Money Well Spent? The Elite Ramp Up Their Fight Against Mamdani The New York Times by James Barron	Our latest report, featured in this Times story, breaks down the numbers behind the flow of outside money into New York City’s primary elections. The bad news: big money spending soared, with outside groups more than doubling their dollars in City Council races. The good news: Super PACs failed in most heavily funded competitive races. The meh news: Uncompetitive races were flooded with outside money, even though sitting officials were known to be cruising to victory. Why? Read the report to find out.
File Under: Bad Ideas Citing Texas, Gov. Hochul says NY should abandon independent redistricting Gothamist by Jimmy Vielkind	The ripple effect of Texas’ efforts to gerrymander its congressional lines ahead of next year’s midterm election continues to be felt here at home. Governor Hochul promised to return the favor in New York by dismantling redistricting protections in the state constitution, “with all due respect to the good-government groups,” as she says. Respect well-received, but we’ll focus on respecting and defending the voters of New York, who have suffered lawmaker-led gerrymandering for decades, until it was banned in a decade ago. Our recommendation: don’t repeat past mistakes.
Round #3851 NYC Mayor Adams denied $3M in matching funds as finance board calls his responses ‘misleading’ New York Daily News by Chris Sommerfeldt	Still no public matching funds for Mayor Adams, the New York City Campaign Finance Board said this week. Why? The Adams campaign failed to provide information, or gave incomplete and misleading information, in a way that impeded the CFB’s investigation. Oh, and there’s also that little issue of allegedly violating the campaign finance law. Next payment schedule – August 28. Mark your calendars.
Cloudy Anniversary 60 years later, Voting Rights Act protections for minority voters face new threats NPR by Hansi Lo Wang	This week marked six decades since the signing of the federal Voting Rights Act, one of the most important pieces of legislation in the history of U.S. democracy. But with the Supreme Court chipping away at the law’s protections against racial discrimination and voter dilution, celebrations come with concerns. The next effort to weaken the law is already underway, with attempts to prevent voting rights lawsuits by private individuals and groups – the same ones who were responsible for more than 90% of all relevant legal action since 1965.
This Time, a Deputy Commish Fired NYPD Lawyer Sues, Alleges Retaliation After Seeking Penalty for Adams Pal Who Abused Power The CITY by Yoav Gonen	We’re thinking of starting a Weekly Watchdog NYPD Lawsuit spin-off newsletter. This week, the former head of the Department Advocate’s Office – essentially the in-house attorney in charge of recommending discipline – argued in state court that she was fired in retaliation after she endorsed disciplinary charges against then-Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey. The case stems from a 2022 incident in which Maddrey intervened to get an ex-cop out of trouble after he chased kids down the street with a gun – the same one that allegedly led to the resignation of former NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell. If you’ve never seen the video investigation of that incident, now is your chance.
Our Neighbors, Taken Away Trump’s Immigrant Crackdown in New York: More Arrests, Longer Detention The New York Times by Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Ashley Cai	New York City has not seen mass raids in the first six month of Trump’s second term. Instead, a New York Times investigation reveals, federal authorities have used a different strategy to round up New Yorkers: they summon them for routine and mandated appearances in immigration offices or courts, and detain them there, without notice, largely out of public view. More than half of them do not have criminal convictions or charges.