What's the [DATA] Point?

What's the [DATA] Point? is a podcast by Citizens Budget Commission and Gotham Gazette on New York State and City policies.

 

It's hosted by Ben Max, Executive Editor of Gotham Gazette, and Andrew Rein, President of the Citizens Budget Commission, and produced by Kevin Medina and William J. Rice.

 

Stream below or download on your phone via iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.

 

Episodes

72%, with NYC Business Leaders

August 16, 2020
72% is the share of firms which have experienced challenges in the switch to remote work spurred by the pandemic. The datapoint is from a survey of business leaders representing several key NYC economic sectors. We convened a panel of five CBC Trustees representing real estate, finance, law, health, and job development to discuss the survey's finding, and how they believe their sectors--and the City as a whole--will look like in the short-term and the long-term.

$1 billion, with Adrian Pietrzak and Ana Champeny

July 02, 2020
$1 billion is the target reduction in the NYPD budget that became the focal point of recent budget negotiations. Was this cut actually made in the NYC Adopted FY2021 Budget? CBC's Adrian Pietrzak and Ana Champeny discuss the NYPD's budget and how it's going to change in the coming year in this special mini-episode.

Episode 93: $88.2 billion, with Ana Champeny

July 01, 2020
$88.2 billion is the size of the NYC budget adopted for FY 2021. After years of economic expansion, this is the first budget Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Johnson negotiated in a recession. CBC's Ana Champeny joined the podcast to discuss why this is just the first of many tough choices facing City leaders.

70 million, with Kathryn Garcia and Cas Holloway

June 19, 2020
70 million is the number of free meals distributed by the NYC since mid-March, when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. Today we talk to members of the public and private sector teams that made this success happen: Sanitation Commissioner and "Food Czar" Kathryn Garcia, and Cas Holloway of Unqork, the enterprise software company that developed an app virtually overnight.

1975, with the "Sages of the Ages"

May 29, 2020
1975 is the year NYC found itself on the verge of municipal bankruptcy. How did the City turn around its fortunes? We present CBC's special panel discussion, "Sages of the Ages." Five New York fiscal experts--Steve Berger, Stan Brezenoff, Gene Keilin, Dick Ravitch, and Alair Townsend-- describe how they helped the City navigate through the fiscal crisis and explain what they think we'll need to do to overcome the challenges of the present.overcome the challenges of the present.

$7.4 billion, with Melanie Hartzog

May 16, 2020
$7.4 billion -- the two-year tax revenue shortfall for the City of New York revealed when Mayor Bill de Blasio released the Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2021 last month. In this episode we hear from the person who will help guide NYC through one of its greatest fiscal challenges, NYC Budget Director Melanie Hartzog.

2020, with Alyssa Katz and Laura Nahmias

February 14, 2020
2020. Welcome to the new decade! It’s Andrew Cuomo’s 10th year as Governor, Bill de Blasio’s 7th year as Mayor, and it promises to be a busy year in New York politics.

Alyssa Katz of The City and Laura Nahmias of the Daily News Editorial Board discuss policy priorities as the State and City legislative sessions begin.

6 months, with Gregory Russ

January 30, 2020
6 months is the time the New York City Housing Authority has to develop a reorganization plan. In this episode NYCHA Chair & CEO Greg Russ discusses working with the federal monitor to facilitate change, working with residents to instill confidence, and what needs to happen at NYCHA to make it a high-performing agency that can ably serve its 380,000 residents.