Council member Melinda Katz, a candidate for city comptroller, is having a June 19 fund-raiser that will showcase strong support from black and Latino lawmakers.

The elected officials on the host committee for the event include Yvette Clarke, Jeff Aubry, Jose Peralta, Maria del Carmen Arroyo, Maria Baez, Helen Foster and Melissa Mark Viverito.

One of her strongest opponents is Adolfo Carrion, the only Latino in the race.

It’s worth noting that Arroyo, Baez and Foster are also, like Carrion, from the Bronx.

The invitation also includes a number of big real estate people who sit on Katz’s finance committee: Douglas Durst, Peter Kalikow and Richard Ravitch. Katz recently said that her connections to the real estate industry are an asset to her.

Michael Bloomberg hosted a fund-raiser in his East Side townhouse for Peter Vallone, Jr. last night.

Attendees included noted real estate developer Jack Rudin, former MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow aspiring mayoral candidate, John Catsimatidis, and DC 37 union boss Lilian Roberts, and president Ed Malloy of Building and Construction Trades Council.

Vallone apparently took the opportunity to unofficially declare his candidacy for higher office.

According to an attendee, Vallone pointed out that the mayor was on the cover of Newsweek with a big article about how he’s not running for president, then declared jokingly that he was "raising money to not run for borough president."

According to a source close to Vallone, the event raised $200,000.

It’s now unpaid, largely ceremonial, and you’re under the thumb of the most powerful Governor in a long time. Welcome to the post-Ravitch chairmanship!  read more »

Peter Kalikow’s Monday morning announcement that he would step down after six years as chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority surprised no one, not least of whom Mr. Kalikow himself.  read more »

The departure of MTA chair Peter Kalikow got a mixed reaction from uber-advocate Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign, who noted that Kalikow "wisely invested recent surpluses in worthwhile needs, including pension liabilities, more security, painting all 468 subway stations and a holiday fare bonus program" but also that he "fueled poor labor-management relations by refusing to sign the fair contract MTA staff had negotiated with Local 100 of the Transport Workers Union."

Russianoff's full list of Kalikow highlights is after the jump.  read more »

Today is the day Governor Spitzer has been waiting for: Peter Kalikow plans to announce that he is resigning as chairman of the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, according to a state official.

It was back in June that Mr. Spitzer, at the time simply the presumptive governor, vowed to replace Mr. Kalikow, a real-estate developer and former owner of the New York Post, even though he really would not have the power to do so. Mr. Kalikow, just reappointed to a six-year term, promised to stay on—at first he said for one or two years or more, then he said until projects he wanted had gotten off the ground, and then he said sometime in the spring.  read more »

Today is the day Governor Spitzer has been waiting for: Peter Kalikow plans to announce that he is resigning as chairman of the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, according to a state official.

It was back in June when Mr. Spitzer, at the time simply the presumptive governor, vowed to replace Mr. Kalikow, a real-estate developer and former owner of the New York Post, even though he really would not have the power to do so. Mr. Kalikow, just reappointed to a six-year term, promised to stay on—at first he said for one or two years or more, then he said until projects he wanted had gotten off the ground, and then he said sometime in the spring.  read more »