Legend has it that when Boss Tweed was at the height of his power, he dismissed criticism of his corrupt ways and means with a single, memorable phrase: What are you going to do about it?
The cartoonist Thomas Nast made the phrase famous—some believe he actually fabricated Tweed’s response—as a symbol of official arrogance Read More
On a steamy night on the corner of a Bedford-Stuyvesant block in late August, District Attorney Charles Hynes stood waiting for the Reverend Al Sharpton.
Though he has fought crime in the borough for decades, Mr. Hynes, who is in his sixth term as the Brooklyn district attorney, looked slightly out of place loitering on a dark patch of sidewalk in front of a dicey-looking housing project near midnight.
Well into his 70s, Mr. Hynes is grandfatherly in appearance, white-haired and slightly hunched. He wore a bright blue checkered shirt, cleanly pressed, with an open collar. He waited patiently, a sizable police detail nearby, until Rev. Sharpton arrived, 20 minutes late, in a chauffeured black Navigator. Read More
Ordinarily a Republican victory in a heavily Democratic State Senate district would be seen as a blow to a Democratic governor. It only makes sense, right?
Wrong. After all, these are not ordinary times. Read More
State Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson is going to raise money by having freshman Democratic colleagues make fun of him at an April 11 fundraiser in Albany, according to two sources.
The format, as I understand it, will be lawmakers getting on stage and acting as stand-up comedians. The theme will, of course, be political Read More
Despite objections from Bloomberg, the Democrats’ leader in the State Senate, John Sampson, sides with Cuomo:
“We need a fair and objective evaluation system that takes into account the needs of children, parents, and educators. Governor Cuomo’s legislation on teacher seniority meets that goal, and is consistent with the development of evaluation standards required Read More
State legislators from across the aisle and both ends of the statehouse are responding to Andrew Cuomo’s proposed plans for independent redistricting legislation and their reactions should surprise no one: enthusiastic cheers from those in the minority, and wait-and-see from those who have the power to redraw the lines.
Democratic Leader John L. Sampson has released Read More
State Senate Democrats unveiled a comprehensive ethics package today and called on it to pass quickly in order to reinsure voters that an election season promise is being honored.
Minority leader John Sampson said that the Democrats’ six-part bill that will cover a variety of ethically-dubious areas including client disclosure requirements, proper use of campaign Read More
New York City’s Off-Track Betting Parlors are slated to close by midnight tonight after the New York state Senate failed to approve a bailout package this afternoon.
The vote fell three short of passage after Republicans held firm in opposition and not enough Democrats showed up at the chamber to vote.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Read More
Senate Democrats stood behind Majority Leader John Sampson’s unwillingness to pledge to bring gay marriage up for a vote in 2011 in a series of interviews today.
Many State Senate Dems gathered on the steps of City Hall for a press conference on hydro-fracking and they agreed with Sampson that it may Read More
New York State Senate Democratic leader John Sampson will be brunching with the Stonewall Democratic Club at Junior’s Cheesecake on Saturday. The meeting comes as a re-energized LGBT community has grown increasingly disenchanted with the Senate majority and several anti-marriage equality state Senators are facing primaries from challengers backed by gay rights groups.
Earlier this Read More
