@reinventalbany.bsky.social
Advocates for transparent, accountable, ethical New York government, voting, fair elections. (Best contacted via info at reinventalbany.org or DM)
Our report, Investing in the MTA is Investing in America: October 2025 Update, looked at MTA spending across 47 states.
Did you know that the MTA has purchased K-9s from companies in 12 states, from Alabama to Illinois to Wisconsin for the MTA Police Department? 🐕🦺 👮♀️
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Hidden in plain sight: a little-known US Dept of Energy tool shows data center electricity demands across the US. Here’s the stats for NY’s top 5 counties — crucial for understanding the state’s data center boom.
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The Sabres will stay put at Buffalo’s KeyBank Center through 2031, while waiting for NY taxpayers to forget they recently gave the Pegulas — who also own the Buffalo Bills — $1 billion for a new NFL stadium.
Check out Subsidy Sheet: buff.ly/BMfsqFr
ICYMI: Our new report shows that Investing in the MTA is Investing in America
Federal cuts to New York's transit system, which carries 40% of national ridership, not only hurts NY, but all the companies that supply the MTA from a total of 47 states.
reinventalbany.org/2025/10/watc...
Fixed on the web. Was just the image that was incorrect, not the analysis. reinventalbany.org/2025/10/watc...
02.10.2025 14:02 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0Trump admin attempts to cut transit funding for NY hurt biz in ”red” states as well
02.10.2025 13:19 — 👍 6 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0You see this particularly in the crime discussion nationally, but folks outside of New York City (and often times in New York City) do not grasp the scale and scope of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
02.10.2025 12:26 — 👍 155 🔁 38 💬 7 📌 5
NEW Report: States that voted for Trump got billions from MTA Spending
Companies in red states by U.S. Senate seats received more than $3.5 billion in MTA payments over 14 years. States that voted for Trump in 2024 received nearly $7 billion from the MTA over this period.
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ICYMI: our Legislative Director, Tom Speaker, penned an important op-ed calling on the City Council to use the time it has left this session to overhaul the city's Freedom of Information Law.
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"It would be a good election year strategy for [Hochul], from our perspective, to promote some reform and show that she is willing to change the culture and the laws in Albany to make it a more ethical place," our @rachaelfauss.bsky.social
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Stronger Ethics Commission and Laws, Stronger Public Trust. Our testimony for COELIG's annual hearing today lays out Reinvent Albany's top 5 proposals for COELIG to support, along with our comments on dozens of their other proposals (plus a nifty chart!). Read it here:
25.09.2025 13:31 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
"The speaker should not sully further the past four years by jamming through some changes...What this Council and this speaker can, and should, do is pass a worthy transparency improvement to how the city handles Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests for public records."
22.09.2025 14:17 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
The Broadway tax credit was meant as COVID relief. Now it’s a $3M-per-show subsidy draining state funds—even while Broadway thrives. ESD's deadline extension hints more giveaways may come.
Check out Subsidy Sheet: buff.ly/hATzTsG
Watchdog to NYC Conflicts of Interest Board: Yes to Stronger Travel Disclosures🛫 , No to Weakening Fundraising Transparency💰
Read our public comments here:
We're proudly joined by @1199seiu.org @afscme.bsky.social @beta.nyc @citizenactionny.org @citizensunionny.bsky.social @commoncauseny.bsky.social @cssnyorg.bsky.social @housingworksnyc.bsky.social @lwvny.bsky.social @nychange.bsky.social @nypirg.bsky.social @westforchange.bsky.social
15.09.2025 17:00 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
18 Groups and Unions to Gov Hochul: Sign Bill Defending NY’s Landmark LLC Transparency Act (LLCTA) from Trump Administration. It protects NY’s LLCTA from being undermined by the weakening of the federal Corporate Transparency Act (CTA)
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State and local officials in AZ and MI have proposed bills to reduce the epidemic of NDAs keeping residents from knowing how their tax money is being spent. NY should pass similar legislation to rein in billions in secretive deals paid by taxpayers.
Read it here: buff.ly/iaQROnk
This much-needed bill will let the public see how many FOIL requests city agencies receive and how long it’s taking them to respond
11.09.2025 16:01 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Our groups @citizensunionny.bsky.social @commoncauseny.bsky.social @freedom.press @legalaidnyc.bsky.social @lwvnyc.bsky.social @nyclu.org @nypirg.bsky.social @stopspyingny.bsky.social urge City Council to pass @galeabrewer.bsky.social landmark NYC FOIL bill
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Check out our new report with @goodjobsfirst.org: New York IDAs’ Reckless Assault on Public School Funding
More harm to NY schools from industrial development agencies’ property tax breaks multiplied by flawed tax cap law
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NEW: We joined @reinventalbany.bsky.social any & ABNY, urging BOE NYC to approve certified ballot questions. Election commissioners lack authority to reject them based on their substance—doing so would set a dangerous precedent, disrupt elections, and harm voters citizensunion.org/wp-content/u...
08.09.2025 15:28 — 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 1With Historically Devastating Federal Cuts Looming, NY Taxpayers on Pace to Shell Out Nearly a Billion to Hollywood Producers in 2025
New data reveals Q1 2025 payout of $230M; $65K in subsidies per full-time film/TV job
Our analysis:
Top National Expert on NY’s $11B in Corporate Subsidies: "Forget the Mega-Deals." Greg LeRoy of @goodjobsfirst.org says to focus on spending taxpayer 💰 only on things that provide a bigger public bang for the buck
Check it out: buff.ly/wzZoQa6
🔌 This week in Subsidy Sheet: Gov. Hochul is scaling back programs that help working class New Yorkers reduce electricity use, while increasing state-subsidized power to big data
Read it here ⤵️
We reissued this memo of support for the FOIL Timing bill, the most significant improvement to FOIL passed by the Legislature in years. It reduces the time the public must wait to appeal FOIL delays and denials.
@commoncauseny.bsky.social @nypirg.bsky.social @freedom.press @lwvny.bsky.social
We sent comments to NYC HRA calling on them to make the Fair Fares program truly fair for NYers by increasing the elibility threshold to 200% of the federal poverty level -- what most other cities are already doing, per @pcac.org
Read it here
Quote card from FPF Advocacy Director Seth Stern that reads: "All licensed attorneys — but especially top prosecutors entrusted to protect the public, not just their clients — should know better than to retaliate against newspapers for basic public-interest journalism. Sarcone has repeatedly abused his office in his brief tenure. The committee should ensure he can no longer undermine the Constitution and embarrass the legal profession."
U.S. Attorney John Sarcone III has repeatedly abused his office, including by retaliating against newspapers.
We, along with @reinventalbany.bsky.social and @demandprogress.bsky.social, filed an ethics complaint, calling on him to be investigated.
www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...
“To the rest of the world, the American campaign finance system, including New York’s, looks like legal bribery – and it is,” said John Kaehny, executive directly of @reinventalbany.bsky.social , a government watchdog group.
17.08.2025 13:49 — 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
Opportunity Zones were supposed to help rural areas, but research shows investors chase urban luxury housing instead. Because NYS hasn't decoupled from OZs, only a few years remain before we start paying for luxury housing out of state.
Read about it in this week's Subsidy Sheet: buff.ly/W5aRGcY
This week in Subsidy Sheet: Micron may get billions in NY and federal subsidies for a chip plant that hasn't been built yet. Meanwhile, per the @nycibo.bsky.social, NYC lost $2.4b to ICAP, a tax break that also likely worsens the housing crisis.
Read about it here: buff.ly/v6zW0I0
