Transcript
Okay, look, I know, I'm late, but yesterday was Christmas, and frankly, I was too busydealing with family drama to record a podcast.So welcome to a special Boxing Day edition of Stoop Politics.I'm Jessi Mercury, and while you were opening presents yesterday, City Hall was openinga can of worms.We had a historic Christmas Eve massacre at the City Council.A suspicious contract signed while Santa was in the chimney.And a New Year's surprise from the MTA that's definitely going to hurt your wallet justa little bit.If it's happening in the five bros, we're spilling it right here.Put down the leftovers, let's get into it.First up, the showdown we promised you last week actually happened.Remember how Eric Adams tried to appoint his gym buddies to the library board?Well, the City Council wasn't having it.On Christmas Eve, for the first time in decades, the Council held an emergency session.They called it the Grinch Session.Seriously.Speaker Adrian Adams dragged members back from their holiday breaks to vote on a motionof disapproval.The result?They blocked Adams' appointments by a vote of 45 to 6.It was humiliation.But here's the kicker.Adams didn't take the L. His lawyers filed a lawsuit on Christmas morning claiming theCouncil's vote was illegal because of a technicality in the city charter about holiday recesses.So now the Queens Public Library is officially in limbo.The old board is out, the new board is sued, and nobody knows who's authorized to signthe checks for the librarians next week.It's a total mess.While everyone was distracted by that library fight, the Adams administration pulled a classicholiday news dump.At 4 o'clock p.m. on Christmas Day, literally while we were all eating, the city recordupdated with a new contract.The city just signed a $40 million consulting deal with a tech firm called Urban Shield.Their job?To optimize city data for the transition.If that sounds vague, it's because it is.Urban Shield is run by a former NYPD deputy commissioner who's close ally of Adams.Mamdani's team is screaming fraud.They claim this isn't about optimizing data.It's about encrypting it so the new administration can't read the internal emails about the migrantcrisis.It's a $40 million deal that's a digital shredder.Paid for with your tax dollars, obviously.Wrapped up in a bow.And finally, if you thought 2026 was going to start fresh, check your MetroCard.Because nothing says Happy New Year like a fare hike.Again.Governor Hochul and the MTA quietly announced yesterday that effective January 1st, thesubway fare is jumping to $3.25.They're blaming it on the federal funding freeze from the Trump administration we talkedabout in episode 4.They say that without the federal grants, they have to raise prices to keep the lightson.But honestly, don't you think the timing's kind of brutal?Mamdani is going to take office on day one with angry commuters blaming him for a pricehike that he didn't even sign.It's the perfect welcome to the job gift from the governor.So, the library's being sued, the data is being held for ransom, and your commute justgot more expensive.Welcome to the future, New York.Join me next week on New Year's Day for our inauguration preview.We're going to cover Zohra and Mamdani's swearing-in ceremony and the massive protest the NYPDUnion is planning right outside the gates.I'm Jessi Mercury.Go eat a vegetable, drink some water, and watch the closing doors.Thanks for watching.See you next week.
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