Podcast: Agents of the city, friends of the governor

Political corruption certainly isn’t unique to New York, but even by Empire State standards, having both the governor and mayor of New York City under federal investigation is a new low.

But amid all of the hand wringing and speculating on whether U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara will issue indictments of either Gov. Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio or their members of their staff, the question looming in the minds of many New Yorkers is whether these investigations will lead to an overall slowdown on important policy decisions.

On this week’s Slant Podcast, Gerson Borrero, Michael Johnson and I discuss the potential realpolitik fallout from having two chief executives under the gun.

We discuss the sham debate over mayoral control – a highly consequential education policy for New York City – between state Senate Republicans and City Hall as one example of how de Blasio’s (allegedly) illicit campaign fundraising activities may be damaging his legislative goals. As far as Cuomo is concerned, will the pay-for-play allegations regarding his Buffalo Billion initiative draw increased scrutiny for other major infrastructure deals already underway or in the pipeline, such as the new Tappan Zee Bridge or the forthcoming renovations at La Guardia Airport?

You can download, review and subscribe to this week's Slant Podcast on iTunes or stream the episode via Stitcher.