The Green Party candidates for Governor and Lt. Governor today spoke out strongly against a lawsuit to be filed by a former CNN anchor seeking to overturn tenure in New YorkState.

 "The attack on teacher tenure is about scapegoating teachers for the conditions of our schools," remarked Brian Jones, a former NYC school teacher running for Lieutenant Governor. "Why aren't they filing suit against Cuomo for shortchanging local schools for funding by $9 billion? Or over the fact that New York State has the most segregated schools in the country, worse than it was 50 years ago?"

(NYC) Brian Jones, the Green Party candidate for Lieutenant Governor, took aim at the recent announcement by the Success Academy that it would seek to expand the size of its network of charter schools over the next few years. Success Academy is headed by former New York City Councilmember Eva Moskowitz.

(NYC) Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for Governor, called today for the NYC rent control board to vote in favor of a rent freeze for rent stabilized apartments.

Howie Hawkins, the Green Party nominee for Governor, will speak about his campaign in New Paltz on Monday, June 23^rd at 7 PM. The open community event is at the Village Hall. 

Howie Hawkins, the Green Party nominee for Governor, will attend two house parties on Long Island on Sunday, June 22nd.

Both events grow out of the strong opposition to Cuomo’s education agenda. Hawkins has picked up the endorsement of several education reform groups, including the New York Badass Teacher's Association and United Opt Out. Members of the Badass Teacher’s Association are hosting the events in Plainview at 12 noon (Judy Ornstein, 20 Linda Ln.) and at 2 PM in Garden City (Jen Debler, 72 Transverse Rd.).

Green gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins said today that Governor Cuomo had nothing to boast about this year's legislative accomplishments, which ended with a sputter as Cuomo repeatedly weakened the medical marijuana bill that highlighted the closing week.

Nothing was done about raising the minimum wage, not even the 25 cents speed up promoted by Speaker Silver. Lawmakers were happy to use Cuomo’s so-called deal with the WFP as an excuse to kill major items such as the Dream Act and campaign finance reform. Lawmakers largely punted on the controversy over education and the use of Common Core.

“Four consecutive austerity budgets featuring tax cuts for the rich and underfunding of schools and public services is nothing to boast about,” said Hawkins. “We can thank reforms made by former Governor Paterson for the budgets coming in on time. Cuomo may be delivering for his high-roller donors, but not for the working people of New York.”

Airstrikes, ground troops will not solve new conflicts, say Greens

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Green Party of the United States is calling for no new U.S. military action in Iraq, including on-the-ground troop deployment and airstrikes.

Statement by Howie Hawkins, June 18, 2014

The obstacles Cuomo has thrown up in recent days to obstruct the proposed medical marijuana bill goes against the vast consensus of medical and scientific opinion. Cuomo is perpetuating the pain and suffering of seriously ill patients who would benefit from medical marijuana.

The medical marijuana bill reportedly has the votes pass in both chambers of the state legislature. But Cuomo now stands in the way. Cuomo's claim to be any kind of progressive is mocked by his refusal to allow New York to join the 22 other states and District of Columbia that allow access to medical marijuana.

Statement by Howie Hawkins, June 17, 2014

Pete Seeger must have rolled over in his grave Monday when Governor Cuomo announced a half-billion dollars from a state clean water fund will be diverted to the $3.9 billion Tappan Zee Bridge project. That money was meant for drinking water, sewage, and other clean-water projects. In the 1960s, the recently deceased folk singer pioneered the movement to clean up the Hudson River. Many have urged that the reconstructed bridge be named after him.

Cuomo has no business raiding the Clean Water State Revolving Fund of the Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) to clean up the mess this construction project will make. That clean up should be financed from other sources.

Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for Governor, said today that Zephyr Teachout's entrance into the Democratic Party primary should be used to broaden rather than narrow the political debate in New York.

Hawkins' call for a series of public debates between the candidates of the ballot qualified parties has not yet been embraced by his two main opponents, Cuomo and Astorino.

Hawkins said that since Cuomo is already guaranteed a place in the general election on the Independence and WFP lines, any debate that he participates in during the primary season should be open to his November opponents as well. Hawkins will be the Green Party candidate on the November ballot.