Veteran Journalist Ben Max Hosts In-Depth Policy and Politics Discussions with the Leaders Shaping New York
New York, NY (April 1, 2024) – Ben Max, the Center for New York City Law’s Executive Editor and Program Director and former Executive Editor of Gotham Gazette, has brought Max Politics, his popular and engaging podcast on New York policy and politics, to New York Law School.
Max Politics features substantive, in-depth conversations with elected and appointed government officials, candidates for office, advocates, academics, journalists, and other guests. Conversations range across many public policy topics at the city and state levels, as well as elections and voting, analysis of big speeches and plans from the Mayor and the Governor, and much more. All episodes of the show are available at Max Politics wherever you listen to podcasts, like Apple Podcasts, or via the show’s SoundCloud page.
Episodes of the podcast often feature one prominent policy-maker for an extended conversation with Max about the guest’s priorities and key issues facing New York. The show regularly takes on topics dominating the news but does so with unique depth and substance. The probing conversations with a diverse array of voices are revealing and news-making; educational for both the regular New Yorker looking to learn more about civic issues and the political insider eyeing what’s next on an area of focus. The show is seen as an important platform for reaching a civic-minded audience of those who work in and around New York government and politics.
Recent guests on the show have included State Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan, State Inspector General Lucy Lang, State Senators Zellnor Myrie and John Liu, State Assembly Housing Chair Linda Rosenthal, and City Council Finance Chair Justin Brannan.
Given the housing crisis gripping the city and state, the show has regularly focused on relevant policy debates with guests of varying perspectives. During election season, the show often features interviews and, at times, debates with candidates for office, as well as broader discussion of political trends and party performance. During the 2021 New York City election cycle, for example, Max Politics hosted every prominent candidate for Mayor, Comptroller, and Public Advocate.
As the Center for New York City Law continues to expand its programming and coverage of key city and state legal and policy matters, some live events will feature the type of one-on-one newsmaker interviews often hosted on the podcast, and audio of those and other in-person Center events, including panel discussions and policy debates, will be posted to the Max Politics podcast feed.
Max has been hosting Max Politics since mid-2021, when he was executive editor of Gotham Gazette, and co-hosted a previous version of the show (Max & Murphy) with then-City Limits executive editor Jarrett Murphy. Many episodes of the show were picked up or initially hosted on WBAI radio over the course of several years.
Since arriving at NYLS in December 2023, Max Politics has featured the following guests and topics:
- New York State Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris on congressional redistricting and several other major public policy topics;
- State Senator John Liu on mayoral control of NYC schools and more;
- State Senator Zellnor Myrie on housing policy, criminal justice reform, after-school programming, and other issues;
- State Assembly Member Catalina Cruz on state budget negotiations and support for immigrant communities;
- State Assembly Member Brian Cunningham on state budget negotiations, housing policy, and health care in Central Brooklyn;
- State Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal on housing policy negotiations;
- State Assembly Member Alex Bores on regulating artificial intelligence, judicial reform, and more;
- State Inspector General Lucy Lang on rooting out corruption and waste in New York government;
- New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan on several public health issues, including the impact of social media on youth mental health;
- New York City Council Member Justin Brannan on city budget negotiations;
- Journalists Jeff Coltin and Emma Whitford on the Council Speaker’s State of the City and state housing policy negotiations;
- Journalists Dr. Christina Greer and Harry Siegel on Mayor Adams’ State of the City;
- Strategists Shontell Smith and Liz Benjamin on Governor Hochul’s State of the State;
- Andrew Rein and Ana Champeny of Citizens Budget Commission on the city’s fiscal health and budget challenges;
- NYLS Adjunct Professor Jeff Wice, director of the Census and Redistricting Institute, on New York redistricting;
- NYLS Senior Fellow Grace Rauh, executive director of the 5BORO Institute, on child care policy.
In the coming months, Max will interview more members of the NYLS community about their public policy areas of expertise, important legal developments, and other relevant topics.
In the recent past, Max Politics has also hosted top elected officials like State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Comptrollers Tom DiNapoli and Brad Lander, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, several borough presidents and members of Congress, various City Council members and state legislators, as well as many other powerful figures including MTA Chair Janno Lieber, CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez, State Housing Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas, NYCHA CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt and Board Chair Jamie Rubin, State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs and State Republican Party Chair Ed Cox.