Ravitch Fiscal Reporting

10/30/2024

Bigger Apartment Buildings on Deck for Midtown South Under Adams-Council Proposal. Plan to be unveiled tonight marks the Adams Administration to take advantage of new powers Albany approved in the spring. The story @

Taking advantage of new flexibility granted by the state, city planners and local reps unveil zoning plans that will allow new housing construction and conversions at a scale that’s been prohibited for years.

10/18/2024

What Trump and Harris mean for NYC housing and transit. Help to buy and build housing are core planks for the Democrat, while the Republican has vowed to kill driver congestion fees the MTA is counting on. Details ://www.thecity.nyc/2024/10/17/harris-trump-housing-transit

10/16/2024

Harris vs Trump and the NYC Economy: A tax hike on high earners is a priority for the Democratic nominee, while the Republican now vows to roll back a cap on state and local tax deductions he helped create. Part 1 of a two-part series @

A tax hike on high earners is a priority for the Democratic nominee, while the Republican now vows to roll back a cap on state and local tax deductions he helped create.

10/10/2024

Unlike the rest of the country, in NYC high-wage workers make the biggest pay gains. The result: Higher inequality. And is the economy as good as Mayor Adams claims. The answers @

Reluctance to speak out following the mayor’s corruption indictment stems from concerns about possible successors deemed unfriendly to private enterprise.

10/09/2024

Wall Street remains a bulwark of the NYC econonomy. But when securities firms expand they do so elsewhere, especially in Dallas. The story @

More than 198,000 people worked in city finance jobs last year, the most since 2000, the latest annual report from state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli finds.

08/08/2024

Newmark Renews the Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Program for Three More Years

The Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Program, a unique training series that for a decade has provided advanced instruction on issues related to fiscal policies at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, will continue for the next three years under a new commitment by the Ravitch Foundation.

In the 10 years since New York civic leader Richard Ravitch began the program, some 800 journalists have participated in the training at the Newmark J-School.

The program includes a twice a year, five-day deep dive into fiscal policy including budgets, bonds, incentives, housing and other timely topics; a three-day program on better local economic coverage; and other sessions on issues ranging from housing to transit to the impact of federal elections on cities and states. There is no charge to attend, and the programs cover travel, lodging, and other costs of attending.

“Dick had become very frustrated at what he saw as a lack of expertise in reporting on issues like budgets and bonds and pensions and approached Dean Emerita Sarah Bartlett about what could be done,” said Program Director Greg David, who is also the director of Newmark’s Business and Economics Reporting Program. “We at the J-School were sure we could help correct that. And when I sent Dick the stories the reporters would write after attending, he knew his money was well spent.”

Ravitch died in June 2023 just shy of his 90th birthday. He was also a driving force behind the creation of THE CITY and the initial chair of the outlet’s board.

“Richard Ravitch was a true champion of the Newmark J-School and a long-serving member of our foundation board. We thank Richard’s sons Joseph and Michael Ravitch and Peter Davis for their continued support of this transformational journalism program,” said Dean Graciela Mochkofsky.

The Ravitch program will offer the next five-day fiscal program in January 2025, followed by an advanced session on the impact of the 2024 election for alumni of the program. The plan for the next three years includes two annual fiscal sessions: one economic reporting session a year, as well as in-depth programs focused on timely issues involving state and local governments.

03/20/2024

NYC's notorious tax system is headed for an overhaul--finally. New York's highest court saves a key lawsuit. The full story @

Convoluted assessments favor wealthier, whiter neighborhoods and violate state and federal housing laws, argues the case headed back to State Supreme Court.