david-yassky

There's an Election Taking Place Tomorrow

cityfile · 09/28/09 01:33PM

Did you know that the run-off elections for comptroller and public advocate take place in NYC tomorrow? Probably not, since turnout at the polls is expected to be so low that pollsters are having a hard time coming up with accurate predictions about who's going to win when John Liu faces off against David Yassky to be NYC's next comptroller and Bill de Blasio goes up against Mark Green in the battle to be public advocate. But that means if you do plan to vote, you might actually make a difference! Just something to keep in mind! [Crain's, NY1]

The Democratic Primary Will Go On

cityfile · 09/16/09 07:07AM

Did you vote in the Democratic primary yesterday? If you didn't, you'll get another chance to make good in the next couple of weeks. A runoff election will be required to select Democratic candidates for both comptroller and public advocate since none of the candidates pulled in at least 40 percent of the vote yesterday. In the race for comptroller, the top two finishers, City Councilmen John Liu and David Yassky, will now go head to head; and Bill de Blasio and Mark Green will square off for the public advocate nomination when the special election is held on September 29.

Happy Birthday

cityfile · 03/03/09 07:27AM

Radio host (and nerdy girl pin-up) Ira Glass turns 50 today. Actress (and girlfriend of Justin Timberlake) Jessica Biel turns 27. Lucky editor-in-chief Kim France is 45. City council member David Yassky is 45. Food Network host Tyler Florence turns 38. Famed choreographer Karole Armitage turns 55. Former Rangers star Brian Leetch is 41. Actress Miranda Richardson is 51. Julie Bowen from TV shows Ed and Weeds is 39. And David Faustino of Married... with Children fame turns 35 today.

Who Wants to Meet One of the World's Worst Dictators?

cityfile · 10/16/08 09:36AM

Islam Karimov is the autocratic leader of Uzbekistan and a man routinely described as one of the worst dictators on earth by the likes of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. (The group Common Dreams once suggested he's so bad that he made Saddam "look good.") Since taking over the oil and gas-rich country in 1989, he's plundered billions, held fake elections to keep himself in power, censored the media, and tortured those who dare to challenge him, often using some of the most barbarian methods to do so, like submerging them in boiling water. And now he's coming to visit New York! Not really. But we wondered: What would happen if one of the most evil tyrants did decide to come to New York. Would he receive a warm welcome from the local political establishment? We wanted to know. So we did what you'd probably do in such a situation: We printed up some official-looking letterhead and sent out letters to various City Council members and local congressmen to see if they'd take the meeting. And guess what? Lots of influential politicos have no objection to sitting down with one of the worst men on earth. Details on the people we duped—with audio of their calls to Karimov's "office"—after the jump.

Alumni Report: Dalton Edition

cityfile · 07/08/08 12:45PM

Dalton was in the news last week when it was revealed that not a single graduating senior had landed a spot at Harvard. According to Page Six magazine, at Dalton's graduation ceremony last month, "one mom was heard muttering, 'I won't send my grandchildren here, that's for sure.'" Fret not, Dalton parents! A long list of notable people have walked the halls of the posh school, even a few people (like Arden Wohl, left) who don't seem to be famous for any other reason than for wearing unusual headgear and attending lots of parties. A list of other Dalton grads after the jump.

David Yassky

cityfile · 02/03/08 09:40PM

Yassky was the former Democratic member of the City Council representing Brooklyn's gentrification belt—Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, and Greenpoint. He's since been appointed Chairman of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.