Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s presser on his new “grassroots campaign” for universal pre-kindergarten is in progress right now, and we’ll have more for you, but in the meantime, here’s the promo video his team just rolled on its new UPKNYC.org site.
The big-name campaign (
) includes Olivia Wilde, Cynthia Nixon, and John Legend, as well as Roger Altman, Jeffrey Sachs and the Rev. Al Sharpton.
Albany-dwellers will well remember Nixon’s many visits to the State Cap on education issues; this kind of celeb-studded push is sure to draw attention to de Blasio’s hopes of getting those lawmakers to agree to higher taxes on the rich to fund expanded pre-k and afterschool programs — even in the face of reluctance to do so in an election year…
Despite the star-spangled roster, de Blasio (at a presser which also highlighted the hunger of “regular folks” for more early childhood ed) just called this “good old-fashioned grassroots organizing…”
Update: de Blasio has yet to name a new schools chancellor; he says given the critical nature of the job, he wants to be sure he gets it “right the first time.” If that’s not a dig at outgoing Mayor Bloomberg and
short-time ex-Chancellor Cathie Black
, not sure what is…
News tips, schedules or suggestions? Email me at ckatz@nydailynews.com — and follow @DNDailyPolitics, @CelesteKatzNYC and our NYDN political team on Twitter!
