James Oddo

Citizens Union has posted online its study on how City Council members spend taxpayer dollars to raise their profiles.

I’m not sure what benefit top spenders like Michael Nelson and Helen Sears got for their expenditures, but others at the top of the list are widely known to be eyeing races for other offices: Domenic Recchia is running for congress. James Gennaro is likely taking a shot at state Senator Frank Padavan’s seat. Joel Rivera may run for Bronx Borough President, and James Oddo may run for Borough President on Staten Island.

If you haven't seen it yet, here's that clip of Republican Council member James Oddo cursing at a fake news reporter. It's not Oddo's first great video moment. But it's probably his most colorful.  read more »

Here's City Council education chair Robert Jackson at a demonstration on the City Hall steps, explaining why he thinks the Council is an effective representative of parents' concerns.

During the press conference, the mayor made a Hitchcock-ian guest appearance nearby, stopping briefly to chat with Republican Councilman James Oddo.

He didn't appear to notice the demonstration.

-- Azi Paybarah

Today was a good day for both for City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Republican Minority Leader James Oddo.

Oddo's bill to ban metal bats from high school baseball games passed (with Quinn's blessing).

And Quinn scored a victory on a domestic partnership bill requiring that any benefit given to "a spouse" by the city also be given to "a domestic partner." 43 members voted in favor of the bill.

Three members voted no: Simcha Fedler, Dennis Gallagher and Vinny Ignizio. Two abstained: Darlene Mealy and... James Oddo.

-- Azi Paybarah

The City Council is once again considering a ban on aluminum baseball bats from high school baseball games. Supporters of the ban brought in the family of Brandon Patch, a Montana boy killed by a ball hit from an aluminum bat, to testify on the issue.

Opponents of the ban note that a similar proposed ban on metal bats is currently stalled in the Montana state legislature, although the Montana governor has signed a resolution expressing a preference for wooden bats.

The Montana bill, LC1473, was tabled in the business and labor committee on February 9th, and hasn't moved since. In fact, on February 28, the ban "Missed Deadline for General Bill Transmittal," which doesn't sounds like it'll be law anytime soon.

The bill's sponsor in New York, James Oddo -- who has been pushing unsuccessfully for a ban for years -- insists that the bill has a chance here because "the Speaker and the legislature here are willing to stand up to the onslaught of the metal bat cartel."

Oddo isn't changing his mind, in any case. "No editorial, no lobbying campaign, no personal attacks, will make me waiver from that," he said.

-- Azi Paybarah

Here are City Council members James Oddo, a Republican, and Michael McMahon, a Democrat, waiting in Speaker Christine Quinn's office and discussing the special election to fill the seat of late Assembly member John Lavelle.

McMahon said that after a few rounds of balloting last night, the Democrats settled on attorney Matthew Titone to be their candidate. Titone beat out Lavelle's son, John Daniel, Robert Olivari, and Kelvin Alexander.

More on that race here.

-- Azi Paybarah

When the City Council's Republicans voted against Mayor Michael Bloomberg's property-tax increase la  read more »