NY Betrayal?

Former Top State Staffer Accused of Spying, NY Union Victories, Tacos Anyone?

Author

Jack O’Donnell
September 09, 2024

Good morning from Buffalo, New York. 

The biggest news out of Albany is the arrest of Linda Sun, a former aide to Governor Kathy Hochul and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, on charges of acting as an undisclosed foreign agent for the People’s Republic of China, among other related charges. Sun had been a state government employee for nearly 15 years and was promoted to Hochul’s Deputy Chief of Staff following Cuomo’s resignation. 

Hochul and Cuomo swap blame for hiring alleged Chinese agent to NY government.

The indictment alleges that Sun used her official position to block Taiwanese officials from having access to state government officials, removed references to Taiwan from Executive Chamber communications, and sought to block public condemnations of China’s persecution of the Uyghur’s, a Muslim ethnic group within China. Some of Sun’s more brazen actions include forging Hochul’s signature on official state proclamations for Chinese officials, as well as burying an invite for then Governor Cuomo to attend a banquet with the president of Taiwan and writing to her Chinese handlers, “I already blocked it.” 

In exchange, Chinese officials funneled money to businesses owned by Sun’s husband, Chris Hu, who was also arrested and charged in the indictment. Prosecutors allege that the laundered funds were used to buy a $3.6 million home on Long Island, a $2 million condo in Hawaii, and a 2024 Ferrari. Sun was also given tickets to sporting and cultural events, travel accommodations, and dozens of Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by a Chinese consulate official’s private chef. A spokesperson for Hochul said that Sun was fired in 2023 after “evidence of misconduct” and added, “(We) immediately reported her actions to law enforcement and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process.” 

Hochul indicated that the Chinese consular general in New York has been removed as a result of the indictment saying, “I was just on the phone at the request of Secretary of State Blinken, speaking with a high-ranking State Department official, and I conveyed my desire to have the consul general from the People’s Republic of China in the New York mission expelled. And I have been informed that the consul general is no longer in the New York mission.” The State Department later clarified, saying the diplomat in question, Huang Ping, was not expelled, but rather reached the end of a regularly scheduled rotation in August. The Chinese Consulate in New York contradicted both of those statements and added more confusion to the matter, saying through a spokesperson, “Consul General Huang Ping is performing his duties as usual. We hope the media will refrain from sensationalizing false information.” This is a developing story: stay tuned.

In New York City, a slew of high level advisors to Mayor Eric Adams had their homes raided and cellphones taken by the FBI last week in yet another legal entanglement for Adams and his administration.

It is not entirely clear what authorities are investigating, but those involved include Sheena Wright, the city’s First Deputy Mayor, and her romantic partner, Schools Chancellor David Banks, as well as Deputy Mayor for Public Safety, Philip Banks. In addition to the Banks brothers and Wright, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban also had his home searched and Tim Person, a close confidant and senior advisor to Adams, was subpoenaed for his cell phone. Adams insisted it was business as usual for his administration saying, “The goal is to follow the law. And that is what this administration always stood for, and what we’re going to continue to stand for. Whatever information that’s needed, we’re going to turn it over, and I’m going to continue to be the mayor of the City of New York, the greatest city on the globe.”

Governor Hochul signed the New York Retail Worker Safety Act into law last week. The bill will require all retail locations with ten or more employees to assess potential workplace violence hazards, adopt written workplace violence prevention policies, and undergo workplace violence prevention training effective March 1st, 2025. More significantly, employers with more than 500 retail employees nationwide will be required to provide physical panic buttons for employees to alert law enforcement during emergency situations. In a statement, Hochul offered, “Retail workers are on the front lines every day, keeping our economy moving and supporting their communities. From increasing penalties for assaulting a retail worker to signing the Retail Worker Safety Act, I’m committed to keeping our frontline workers safe.” 

Hochul also signed legislation requiring employers to submit electronic payroll on projects subject to the State’s prevailing wage requirements. Sponsored by Senator Jessica Ramos and Assembly Member Harry Bronson, the legislation will create a more efficient payroll submission process to the Department of Labor and will help expose fraud and provide a tool to prosecute unscrupulous contractors. The measure was pushed by organized labor, who have said the bill is key to increasing transparency and accountability in the industry.  

Some news for those who frequent the Capitol in Albany. A new food option will be joining the roster of restaurants in the concourse.  

In Washington, D.C., the House and Senate return from August recess this week with just thirteen scheduled session days until a potential government shutdown, and only three weeks of scheduled session until Election Day. House Republicans have all but given up on trying to advance the remaining appropriations bills through the fractured House GOP Conference and are instead pursuing a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR). Speaker Mike Johnson has adopted a temporary spending plan that was pushed for by the far-right of his caucus and presents several potential roadblocks. Johnson’s plan would punt the funding issue to March 2025 when a new Congress and new president are in power and includes a policy rider that would require individuals provide proof of citizenship in order to register to vote, known as the SAVE Act. 

Aside from the fact that the measure is dead-on-arrival in the Senate, Johnson may have trouble getting it past the House given he will need near unanimity from his notoriously unruly conference. Some moderates and members in tough reelection races do not want a stand-off over a government shutdown this close to the election. Those concerns were voiced by Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) on a call with the GOP conference, though he later clarified that he plans to vote for the six-month spending plan and policy rider. 

Why Johnson’s Funding Plan Could Fail in the House

Other Republicans are skeptical that Johnson has the leverage needed to extract concessions from the Senate. They see a clean CR running through December as the inevitable outcome. Speaking on background, one GOP lawmaker offered, “Same movie, different actors. The Speaker would have real negotiating leverage if the votes existed for that in conference. Unfortunately, the probability of that happening is roughly the same as Joe Biden being President on opening day of next year’s MLB season.” There is also a faction of Republicans who are ideologically opposed to short-term CR’s and generally vote against them in protest of what they see as a failed appropriations process—a process Johnson promised to fix when he was elevated to be speaker. While none of the usual anti-CR Republicans have publicly said they would vote against Johnson’s plan, even a handful of defections would be enough to tank the bill. 

Farewell to international music icon Sérgio Mendes, who brought bossa nova to the world. 

 

Finally, if you’re afraid to quit your job, this service will do it for you! 

NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub

OD&A is continuing our series on the Upstate NY Tech Hub that was recently awarded a $40M federal grant to fast-track the semiconductor industry across the Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse regions.

The major investment in the New York Semiconductor Manufacturing and Research Technology Innovation Corridor (NY SMART-I Corridor) consortium will create a globally competitive center of semiconductor workforce development, innovation, and manufacturing.

In last week’s Monday Morning Memo, Dottie Gallagher, President and CEO of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership joined us ‘From the Lobby’ to talk about the collaboration. This week the focus is on Rochester.

Listen as our Alec Lewis goes ‘From the Lobby’ with Dr. Joseph Stefko, President and CEO of OneRoc about the impact of the Upstate NY Tech Hub on the Rochester region and beyond.

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Client News

Paychex earns industry accolades for new technology focused on employee benefits.

Paychex Inc. has earned recognition as a Top HR Product of the Year for Paychex Flex Perks, a curated digital marketplace for employee benefits.  

OD&A in the News

Jack makes the media rounds after Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown says he is finalizing a contract to leave office and become the President/CEO of Western Regional OTB:

O’Donnell & Associates, LLC on LinkedIn: Will there soon be a changing of the guard in the city of Buffalo?

Jack joins Kelsey Anderson from News 4 Buffalo to break down Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown’s impending resignation. Mayor Brown is expected to step down after being elected to an unprecedented fifth term in office.

❓Who is Chris Scanlon, the Common Council President next in line to replace him?
❓When would there be an election?
❓Who are some potential candidates for the job?

The presidential debate between VP Kamala Harris and former President Trump is set for tomorrow, September 10, 9 p.m. on ABC.

Jack will join the WBEN team for spirited analysis before the debate from 7-9 p.m. and after the debate, starting at 10:40 p.m. Tune in!

Our Jack O’Donnell previewed the high-stakes matchup with Joe Beamer on WBEN’s Hardline at 11:10 a.m. here.

How important is Tuesday's debate between Harris and Trump to the presidential election in November?

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Results of the Last Poll

Cursive writing instruction is not required in New York schools or in many schools across the country, but some states are bringing it back. Should NY require cursive instruction in schools once again?

What’s On Your Bookshelf?

This new segment to Monday Morning Memo shares with you some good reads recommended by our OD&A team! Here’s what’s on our bookshelf:

Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim S. Grover and Winning The War In Your Mind by Craig Groeschel.

Prioritizing mental training is very important for ongoing leadership development, and I regularly turn to this combination of books to focus on building out an intentional mentality to get stronger in all areas of my life. 

Also recommends: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Winning by Tim S. Grover

This Day in History

September 9, 1947: A team of computer scientists reported the world’s first computer bug—a moth trapped in their computer at Harvard University.

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