ALBANY—The first reactions to David Paterson’s “executive option proposal” are mostly not positive.
“What’s next, martial law?” Assemblyman Rory Lancman, a Queens Democrat, asked.
Paterson’s proposal would, temporarily, give him the power to make spending and revenue decisions to bridge a multi-billion dollar mid-year imbalance. Article VII of the State Constitution describes New Read More
ALBANY—It seems the State Senate Democrats are coalescing around a deficit reduction proposal–the question is whether it will be acceptable to everyone else.
“I said last night we’re only $200 million apart on a $3.2 billion DRP,” State Senator Liz Krueger said this morning. We’ve gone back in this morning with a number of Read More
ALBANY—David Paterson officially officially proclaimed a special session on Tuesday to consider his $3 billion plan to bridge a mid-year deficit as well as other miscellaneous legislative business, even though no budget-cutting agreements have been reached among the governor and legislative leaders.
Paterson’s formal proclamation for the session is a political wish list: Read More
ALBANY—Who will speak for Hiram Monserrate? His amigos.
There are now five Democratic state senators either publicly calling Monserrate to resign or for the chamber to take what action it can to rebuke him: Liz Krueger (who was the first to call for Monserrate to resign) David Valesky, Darrel Aubertine, Brian Foley and Neil Read More
ALBANY—State Senator Neil Breslin has made no secret of the fact that he does not think Pedro Espada Jr. should be State Senate majority leader, but he reportedly had particularly harsh words for Espada this weekend.
According to one account, at a public gathering at a church in his hometown of Delmar Albany, Breslin Read More
TROY—To get into the building where Barack Obama delivered a speech about job training, attendees had to walk past a baseball stadium named for Joe Bruno, the former State Senate majority leader, who was indicted by federal prosecutors several months after he resigned his position. But he wasn't here, and some Read More
ALBANY—State Senator Craig Johnson was milling around his chamber Thursday when I approached him to ask about David Paterson.
His eyes widened. His head shook. He refused to go on record. I asked why.
"I'm here today to address certain Senate needs, and we are going to have a lengthy debate," Johnson, a Long Island Read More
ALBANY—The residential parking permit plan for the city is officially dead today, but it may rise again.
"I think it's in the process of being pulled," State Senator Neil Breslin, the sponsor, told me before walking into conference. "I'm still looking for some Republican support because I don't understand how there could be unified Read More
ALBANY—Democrats controlling the State Senate have pared down their agenda for tomorrow's session.
Four bills were removed from the rules calendar, according to spokesman Austin Shafran, after Republicans "expressed to us that they would not be supporting them" and Democrats, without Senator Brian Foley, won't have the 32 votes needed to pass them. Read More
ALBANY—John Flateau would be a reasonable fall guy given the current state of things in State Senate's Democratic conference, whose hiring practices are now a punchline.
But Flateau, who unilaterally signed off on the hiring of Pedro G. Espada, will be transitioned full-time onto the Senate payroll. He is currently an hourly employeeRead More
