Free Republic

“Die Kitties Die!” screamed the headline in the New York Daily News when, in 2013, former Metropolitan Transportation Authority chief Joe Lhota criticized a decision to pause trains in a Brooklyn subway station to rescue a pair of kittens lost on the tracks. These days, New York so badly needs to get the trains to run on time that Lhota, whose unfortunate anti-cat comments caused a minor scandal, has been brought back as chairman of the transit agency.

A Gainesville, Florida, resident is crying foul at the local library’s refusal to add “Clinton Cash: A Graphic Novel” to its collection. The book is an adaptation by Chuck Dixon and Brett R. Smith of Peter Schweizer’s nonfiction book of the same name, which is highly critical of Bill and Hillary Clinton. When Ann Lhota asked the Alachua County library to buy a copy of the graphic novel, officials said no. “When the book was requested, we already had 11 copies in four formats,” said spokesman Nickie Kortus, referring to the prose version. Lhota, who asked the library to purchase...

Bill de Blasio may be dominating in the polls, but a collection of the city’s labor unions is trying to run up the score by continuing to link his main rival in the mayor’s race, Joe Lhota, to the right-wing of his own party. The group, New York Progress, launched what one labor organizer today told Capital New York is a $1 million-dollar television buy that tries to work in the words “Republican” and “Tea Party” as many times as possible. “The Tea Party Republicans shut down our government but Joe Lhota told the Tea Party he shares their views,”...

The man who once hired New York City mayoral hopeful Joe Lhota as his deputy recently detailed the stakes involved in the race for Gracie Mansion. Rudolph W. Giuliani told local conservatives that “We get one chance to get it right,” by electing his Republican protégé. “And if we get it wrong,” America’s mayor added, “you know what can happen. Bill de Blasio creates a sense of fear about what can happen to this city, and the fear is real. This city very easily could become another Chicago or Detroit or a combination of Chicago or Detroit.” Giuliani observed that...

The man who once hired New York City mayoral hopeful Joe Lhota as his deputy recently detailed the stakes involved in the race for Gracie Mansion. Rudolph W. Giuliani told local conservatives that “We get one chance to get it right,” by electing his Republican protégé. “And if we get it wrong,” America’s mayor added, “you know what can happen. Bill de Blasio creates a sense of fear about what can happen to this city, and the fear is real. This city very easily could become another Chicago or Detroit or a combination of Chicago or Detroit.” Giuliani observed that...

No matter who is elected mayor next month, city kids will likely find two new vacation days on the school calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, the holiest days of the Muslim year. Both Democrat Bill de Blasio and Republican Joe Lhota say schools should close on the two holidays, just as they do for major Jewish and Christian days. It's a matter of "respect" for a religion practiced by an estimated 13 percent of city school kids, de Blasio said Wednesday at a campaign rally with Muslim groups in Brooklyn. "The origins of this nation (are) people of many...

Two of the city’s three leading mayoral candidates debated on live television last night. But the most prominent one was MIA. Bill de Blasio, the city’s public advocate and the Democratic nominee, who is leading by as many as 50 points in public polls, skipped the first major debate of the general election–despite repeated requests from NY1.So instead, Joe Lhota and Adolfo Carrión, the nominees of the Republican and Independence parties, took the stage to debate one another in the front-runner’s absence. In addition to fielding questions on stop-and-frisk, transportation policies and various controversial elements of their pasts, both candidates...

Well, that escalated quickly. The general election reached a new heated phase this morning as Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota charged that Democrat Bill de Blasio’s “tale of two cities” message was “directly out of the Marxist playbook.” Mr. Lhota had already criticized Mr. de Balsio yesterday following a New York Times report that described Mr. de Blasio’s past support for revolutionary Nicaraguan politics, as well as his desire for a “democratic socialism” vision for society–which Mr. Lhota called “unfortunate.” But Mr. Lhota doubled down today in far harsher words–calling on Mr. de Blasio to “explain himself” and equating Mr....

The New York City elections are always difficult. This year, they had to bring back the old voting machines they thought they had gotten rid of, so they would be ready in case there was a runoff on October 1st. The machines are old and ornery. At my polling place, there are four districts, each with its own registration table and voting machines. But 95% of the voters are from district 1, so one table works frantically and there is a huge line, while the other three tables and machines are almost completely idle. So the district 1 line is...

Mayor Bloomberg plans to back Joe Lhota for mayor if Bill de Blasio wins the Democratic nomination on Tuesday, sources have told The Post. City Hall insiders said Hizzoner — fearing the Democratic public advocate would dismantle his 12-year legacy if elected mayor — has warmed up to the former MTA chairman and deputy to Rudy Giuliani. The Republican Lhota said he would welcome the embrace of Bloomberg, an independent. “Mike Bloomberg and I had a discussion back in January. He’s staying out of the primary,” Lhota said yesterday morning on Fox’s “Good Day New York.” “I will talk to...

"Quinn resides in Chelsea, Manhattan, with wife, Kim Catullo, a lawyer.[27][28] The couple married on May 19, 2012,[29] and spend their summer weekends at a home that they purchased in 2004 in Bradley Beach, New Jersey.[30] Her former partner, Laura Morrison,[31] was chief of staff to former State Senator Thomas Duane"

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — CBS 2 has learned Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joe Lhota will resign his post and run for mayor of New York City in 2013. Highly placed sources in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration and the MTA board told CBS 2′s Dick Brennan that Lhota will step down Friday and is expected to join the mayoral race for the Republican nomination.