Page Six: Mark Kelly Talks Gun Control Following Gabby Giffords Testimony

Members of the nonprofit group The Common Good were given an off-the-record preview Tuesday by Mark Kelly, the astronaut hero husband of former congresswoman and gun assault survivor Gabby Giffords, of the testimony he would give before the Senate Judicary Committee on proposed gun-control legislation. He said, “Both my parents were cops. They owned guns, I’ve owned guns, Gabby’s owned guns. We are not anti-gun, but we need sensible laws to protect our families from senseless tragedies.” The crowd included Beth Rudin DeWoody, Sharon Handler Loeb, Michelle Paige Paterson, entrepreneur Peter Thomas Roth, Patricia Duff, Star Jones, lawyer Robert Pietrzak and Steve Buffone.

- New York Post Page Six Staff, READ MORE

Page Six: Bipartisan Fun in DC

One of the hottest invites in DC on Saturday night was the bipartisan inauguration party thrown by Patricia Duff’s the Common Good. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine and Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy rubbed shoulders at the posh Cosmos Club on Embassy Row. The New York congressional delegation was well-represented with Carolyn Maloney, Jerry Nadler and Joe Crowley. San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro attended with his brother and identical twin, Rep. Joaquín Castro, in matching tuxedos, and told the story of how in high school they dated two girls (not related) with the same name. Grover Norquist was huddled in a corner with former ambassador and real-estate magnate Joe Paolino and lawyer Richard Farley talking about the debt ceiling. Other New York notables in attendance included Dennis and Coralie Paul, Victor Kovner and Orin Kramer.

- New York Post Page Six Staff, READ MORE

Les Inrockuptibles: La fusillade de Newtown relance le débat sur le port d'armes aux Etats-Unis

The Common Good’s founder and CEO, Patricia Duff, has long been a respected voice on American democracy and politics. She was recently featured in the French publication Les Inrockuptibles to discuss how The Common Good can provide a solution to bridge the growing divisions in the US:

“

The solution could come from non-partisan organizations like 'The Common Good' whose objective is to provoke a constructive debate between Republicans and Democrats. For Patricia Duff, the President (of The Common Good):

"These killings are the result of the availability of firearms, especially automatic and semi-automatic weapons and their ammunition. We will all, individually and through associations, seek to reopen the reasoned debate on the subject of "gun control". This is a question that has been ignored for too long and needs to be vigorously reconsidered. And the sooner the better " […]

- Laurent David Samama [Translated by Miffy Cheng-Thomas]

Read the full article HERE.

NYC Informer: Declaring for Manhattan BP, Menin Announces 216 Endorsements

Former Community Board 1 Chair Julie Menin is a first-time candidate, but she certainly isn’t running like one.

Before even announcing her candidacy for Manhattan Borough President she maxed out on fundraising, and yesterday at City Hall when she did formally declare her intention to succeed Scott Stringer, who is running for comptroller instead of reelection, Menin simultaneously unveiled a list of no less than 216 endorsements.

The endorsements, which were broken down geographically into “East Side,” “West Side,” “Uptown” and “Lower Manhattan,” include a wide array of community activists, district leaders, state committee members, community board chairs, and prominent New Yorkers, including Tim & Nina Zagat, Geraldine Laybourne, the founder and former chair of Oxygen Media and Patricia Duff, founder and CEO of The Common Good.

Though it was not stated in the release, the list was also a tacit jab at Menin’s probable opponents as it included a host of neighborhood leaders from districts represented by Councilmembers Jessica Lappin, Robert Jackson and Gale Brewer, all of whom are also vying for the borough’s top job.

- NYC Informer staff, READ MORE