High hopes at City Hall for an early budget handshake

Sally Goldenberg

In what amounts to an extended stakeout, lobbyists have been filling the rotunda at City Hall this week in anticipation of a budget handshake between the mayor and City Council speaker, an annual tradition signifying formal agreement on the city's fiscal plan.

The handshake usually takes place during the last week of June, but sources on both sides of City Hall say Mayor Bill de Blasio and Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito are aiming for an earlier deal—possibly as soon as Thursday night.

That would mark one of the earliest handshakes in recent years—a full 12 days before the start of the fiscal year on July 1.

The first budget agreement between Michael Bloomberg and Christine Quinn, for instance, was announced June 27, 2006. The following year, the then mayor and speaker struck a deal that was announced on June 12.

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2014/06/8547486/high-hopes-city-hall-early-budget-handshake