Chirlane McCray and Gracie Mansion 279

Trump to Do Jury Duty 

Chirlane 2 Busy for Jury Duty 

Trump has been called for jury duty in Manhattan, and will report on Monday. (WPIX) Mr. Trump has been summoned to serve in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, and plans to report there on Monday morning, said Michael Cohen, an executive vice president at the Trump Organization and special counsel to Mr. Trump. “Despite the time that Mr. Trump is required to fulfill this civic obligation, the campaign will continue to go on,” Mr. Cohen said. “He is happy to comply with his civic obligation.”*NYC's first lady wants out of jury duty (for now) * A PEER MUST APPEAR: Jury duty is everyone's duty. Even for First Lady Chirlane McCray. (NYDN Ed) *Trump, Reporting for Duty (NYT) * Donald Trump spent the day waiting to see if he would bepicked as a juror. He wasn't.  * Jury Duty for Donald Trump: ‘Amazing,’ ‘Really Good’ and Done in a Day (NYT) Mr. Trump took a break from his campaign for president to fulfill a more basic civic obligation on Monday, and brought his superlatives along.

He's got jury duty as he leads in the #GOP polls #GDNY

CHIRLANE 'TOO BUSY' FOR JURY DUTY: Critics rip city's first lady for postponement, say 'powerful have their own rules' (NYDN) * A peer must appear — even Chirlane McCray (NYDN Ed) A peer must appear — even Chirlane McCray (NYDN Ed) Busier, it seems, than former Mayor Giuliani, who not only dove into the jury pool during his second term but served as the panel foreman on a weeklong personal injury trial. Busier than Chief Justice John Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court, who — in the middle of his most recent session — responded to the call to service as Juror 49 in Rockville, Md. Busier, for Pete’s sake, than Madonna, who took a break from readying her new album to put in an appearance at Manhattan’s state court. Caroline Kennedy and Silda Wall Spitzer count among New York family members of political luminaries — each public servants in her own right — who found time for this most fundamental act of American civic participation.   * The mayor and first lady failed to comprehend the greater good that shows everyone gets called for jury duty when Chirlane McCray opted not to serve, despite the participation of other prominent figures, the DailyNews writes

de Blasio's Move to the Mansion After They Stuck Oil

The Mayor’s Showroom

The de Blasios chose the wrong way to make Gracie Mansion look like a real home.Most professional decorators will tell you that you shouldn’t buy everything in a room from one store. The de Blasios’ den, with its lacquered coffee tables, mixed-print poufs and matted black-and-white photos, looks just like a West Elm showroom. If The Daily News hadn’t pointed out that those were family snaps, I wouldn’t have known. The den shot doesn’t show the TV, but you know the succulent plants that the stylist arranged on the table are soon to be replaced with remotes, snacks and feet. I admit that I winced when I saw the photo on Front + Main of Chirlane McCray with the West Elm stylist Johanna Mele. Why? Because decorating, of course, is still the province of the first lady. Despite Ms. McCray’s significant accomplishments and her policy role in the administration, it still falls to her to get the house in order.

de Blasio to Rent Out Park Slope Home  

De Blasio to rent family’s home while living in Gracie Mansion(NYP)

The de Blasio's Moving On Up to the East Side 

On the eve of their move to Gracie Mansion, the de Blasio family put out some old belongings in front of their Park Slope home for passersby to pick through, including a Christmas tree stand, a bookshelf, candles and plastic bins, DNAinfo reports:* Bill de Blasio Is Finally Moving to Gracie Mansion(NYO) * While in the process of moving from Park Slope, Brooklyn to Gracie Mansion, the de Blasio’s left some garbage at the curb. *Still Not Renting Legally De Blasio has now applied twice for a Department of Buildings document that would verify that the century-old, two-family Park Slope rowhouse that he and his wife own and rent out is being used legally, and both times the application has been rejected because it lacked the proper paperwork, DNAinfo reports: 
NY Magazine Does Long Piece on the Mayor's Wife

Update: 

Chirlane McCray Says Tabloid Coverage ‘Hurt’ and ‘Insulted’ Her(NYO)

NYC First Lady Chirlane McCray thanked her supporters today in a gushing public  letter following tabloid covers that knocked her mothering skills.
de Blasio Answers His Wife's Coverage, Demands Apology . . . Respect Chirlane 

de Blasio called on New York City’s tabloid newspapers to apologize for publishing front-page headlines that suggested First Lady Chirlane McCray admitted to being a reluctant mother to their daughter. De Blasio Slams Tabloid Coverage of His Wife as ‘Disturbing’ (NYO) Mayor Bill de Blasio lamented the NYC tabloids’ treatment of his wife’s comments on the challenges of motherhood, calling the newspapers “disturbing” and asking both to apologize.* In First Public Remarks After Firing, Jill Abramson Talks of Resilience(NYT) * Women falling off the glass cliff: When leaning in is not enough Washington Post* De Blasio Tells Tabloids to Apologize to His Wife Over Motherhood Coverage(NYT) * De Blasio says tabloids owe Chirlane an apology for ‘Bad Mom’ stories(NYP) 
No one was judging First Lady Chirlane McCray’s parenting skills based on her New York Magazine interview; she was, and if she wants an apology for the way her comments were covered, she should ask for one herself, Daily News Fashion Editor Raakhee Mirchandani writes:Daily News Features Editor Raakhee Mirchandani writes that as a first-time mom, she can sympathize with some of what McCray said in her controversial interview — but she isn't looking for 'all kinds of reasons' to avoid her baby girl. McCray should have been more clear about why she felt 'guilty' instead of blaming the media when the coverage didn't go her way.* Mayor Scolds Tabloids, Defends Wife(WSJ)

NY magazine’s Lisa Miller looks at New York City’s First Lady Chirlane McCray’s powerful role in the de Blasio administration, where she is inseparable from her husband yet wields her own distinct political brand
Chirlane McCray’s City (NY Mag)

Bill de Blasio has called her the love of his life, his partner, his No. 1 adviser. and that’s not the half of it."McCray believes in the power of political symbolism to awaken, agitate, and ennoble" Chirlane McCray is both a throwback to an earlier era and an anachronism who has found an unlikely second moment.* City's First Lady @Chirlane McCray speaks about her struggles as a mom. (NYDN) * Bill de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray bluntly states she "didn't want" to spend every day with her newborn daughter(NYP) New York magazine profiled Mayor Bill de Blasio‘s wife, Chirlane McCray, and her colossal influence on City Hall in an article running online with the title, “Chirlane McCray’s City.” On the pair’s relationship, the magazine writes, “Staffers at City Hall call McCray the mayor’s Mophie, after the iPhone case: One entirely covers the ­other; they are inseparable. She is his gut check, his sounding board.”

On their unlikely union: “In the 1970s, when Bill and Chirlane came of age, it would have been very hard to imagine that a marriage to an African-­American feminist with radical activist politics and a queer past would have been anything but politically devastating for an ambitious white politician. But what’s so remarkable about the de Blasio era is… that she is such an unambiguous asset, and with him a vision of a hopeful, hipster egalitarian future.” The New York Post  meanwhile, zeroed in on a passage in which Ms. McCray talked about her reaction to motherhood after her daughter Chiara was born: “I was 40 years old. I had a life. Especially with Chiara—will we feel guilt forever more? Of course, yes. But the truth is, I could not spend every day with her,” she said. “I didn’t want to do that. I looked for all kinds of reason not to do it. … It took a long time for me to get into ‘I’m taking care of kids,’ and what that means.”

Looking at Chiara de Blasio openly discussing her personal struggles with depression and substance abuse, New York argues that “the radical exposure of the de Blasio family does not feel at all like an accident. It also no longer feels like a cynical tactic for political gain, as was widely suggested when de Blasio made his son Dante a centerpiece of his campaign for mayor.”

 “There is something new and remarkable about the de Blasios - their choice to live as public figures nakedly, with their struggles and conflicts exposed.”

In Speech and Essay, Chiara de Blasio Details Her Depression and Addiction


Chiara de Blasio opens up about her "miserable" adolescence http://nydn.us/1io4xSy

* Although the mayor’s family has yet to move to Gracie Mansion, First Lady Chirlane McCray announced a new director for the Gracie Mansion Conservancy: Meredith Horsford, formerly of the Historic House Trust, the Daily News reports: http://goo.gl/z2js0V

* Former New York City Mayor David Dinkins advised Bill de Blasio to move into Gracie Mansion, adding “I don’t know what’s taking him so long,” the Daily News reports: http://goo.gl/018m69

The Daily News writes that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio should stay in Brooklyn for now and focus on other tasks like filling out the rest of his cabinet:*Moving pros have some advice for Mr. de Blasio, who has yet to move to Gracie Mansion nearly three months after his election: “Moving doesn’t have to be so hard.” The Daily News spoke to experts who said Mr. de Blasio should “Just call some guys and a truck” or “start thinking like the busy executive he is and leave it to the experts.” But the paper’s editorial board offered conflicting advice, arguing that the mayor should be focused on filling more than a dozen open cabinet spots instead. “Just stay in Brooklyn — at least for now,” they wrote. “So chill, Bill, and start taking care of business.”*de Blasio says He is Not Slow De Blasio Disputes That He’s Been Slow With Appointments(NYO) * NYC’s first lady hires new assistant(NYP)

Dante Gets A Reward for the Commercial

Dante, Chiara de Blasio to lead Coney Island's Mermaid Parade!(NYDN) * Dante and Chiara de Blasio Crowned ‘King Neptune’ and ‘Queen Mermaid’(NYO) * Dante and Chiara de Blasio have been named “King Neptune” and “Queen  Mermaid” at the 32nd annual Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, Brooklyn.* Mayor De Blasio’s Kids Named King And Queen Of Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade(WCBS)* Mayor's Kids Named King and Queen of Mermaid Parade(NY1) * De Blasio Children to Be Saluted at Coney Island Mermaid Parade(NYT)

 

Chiara de Blasio doesn't dress like a typical politician's daughter -- and she doesn't plan to," reports AMNY.

* New York City First Lady Chirlane McCray said she would use her influence as the mayor’s wife and the chair of the Mayor’s Fund to reduce the size of the city’s homeless population, the Daily News reports: http://goo.gl/8rir8v


Hot 97 Hosts Beg de Blasio to ‘Move Out of the Hood’(NYO)

de Blasio Family to Gracie

Movin' on up to the East Side
Mayor-Elect de Blasio Says Family Will Move Into Gracie Mansion

Even de Blasio's Move to Gracie is Late

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and his family have yet to move into Gracie Mansion, and it is unclear when they will leave their Park Slope residence, the Daily News reports: 



de Blasio Family Makes A Promotional Tape

TO G OR NOT TO G: Chirlane McCray and the de Blasio children’s appearance in a promotional video for a peculiar cause is another example of how the First Family must be careful to think through its actions now that they are being so carefully scrutinized, City & State  Chirlane McCray made her first official solo appearance as New York’s First Lady last month at an immigration forum sponsored by the Black Institute, an “action tank” run by longtime de Blasio friend and political ally Bertha Lewis. McCray’s talk was followed by the release of a Black Institute video spot featuring McCray and the ubiquitous de Blasio children, in which the three of them proudly announce themselves as “G,” a term that, according to the Black Institute’s “G Project” website, means “A Black Immigrant—an African, Caribbean, or Afro Latino person, who has immigrated to the US from another country.” The G Project “focuses entirely on Black Immigrants” and their descendants; Chirlane McCray, the second-generation granddaughter of immigrants from Barbados, identifies herself in the video as “G-2,” while Dante and Chiara de Blasio identify themselves as “G-3.” 

Upton Gracie's Kitchen Servant




WAKE-UP SCOOP: OUTLINES OF A FIRST-LADY INITIATIVE -- ‘McCray’s Mayor’s Fund goals begin to take shape’ -- Capital’s Sally Goldenberg: [First lady Chirlane McCray] and four other board members and two-person staff are sifting through the projects prioritized during the Bloomberg administration, when the Mayor's Fund was chaired by first deputy mayor Patti Harris, to assess which fit into their plans to use the organization to bolster the mayor's efforts on income inequality.
So far, they have selected four priorities: assisting parents in recruitment and enrollment for de Blasio's signature proposal of expanded pre-kindergarten; increasing summer jobs for teens and young adults; helping the surviving victims of the fatal East Harlem building explosion in March; and applying to make the city a test case for broadening eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit. http://goo.gl/bgOY5W

Former Koch chef steamed by McCray’s use of ‘servant’(NYP) A steamed former Gracie Mansion chef unloaded on First Lady Chirlane McCray Tuesday, mocking her attitude after she called him a “servant.”“Maybe Ms. de Blasio is watching too much ‘Downton Abbey,’ ” fumed Mitchel London, who once cooked for former Mayor Ed Koch. * * Though the de Blasios have yet to move into Gracie Mansion, First Lady Chirlane McCray has invited four dozen women elected officials for a dinner there Thursday night, the Daily News writes: *Lobby for Pre-K De Blasio’s wife to lobby in Albany for mayor’s pre-K plan

 

Chirlane McCray, public speaker(Capital)


First lady takes a more visible role