ALBANY—Some pre-same-sex marriage Senate tea leaves:
Christine Quinn, the openly gay speaker of the New York City Council, is here. I snapped this photo of her near the Senate chamber, where she told me “I’m up here hopeful there will be a vote on marriage equality and that it will move the issue forward.” 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—Tuesday's debate over same-sex marriage legislation in the State Assembly was supposed, according to the measure's advocates, to demonstrate to some fence-sitting state senators that there is safety in numbers for supporters of the measure. But is that true?
There were five Assembly members who changed their votes from 2007, when an almost-identical measure Read More
NISKAYUNA—Flanked by government officials, including David Paterson, General Electric C.E.O. Jeff Immelt announced plans to build a $100 million battery manufacturing plant in the Capital Region.
The new factory would make batteries developed using a nickel-sodium technology and could power hybrid cars, locomotives or other large equipment. A press release said that the investment Read More
ALBANY—At this rate, the State Senate might not finish today.
The chamber is hearing the third of nine bills comprising the state budget, and after two hours Deputy Majority Leader Jeff Klein moved to close debate. Senators have spent the last forty minutes debating whether to do that.
"I am deeply concerned with this Read More
SARATOGA SPRINGS—After eight weeks, millions of dollars and countless hours of lost sleep, Jim Tedisco could not, on election night, give a speech declaring victory in his Congressional bid. Instead, he did what he knows how to do: He vowed to fight on.
In his 30-year career in elected office, this is the Read More
ALBANY—State Senator David Valesky is being singled out once again.
Union 32BJ is on the air with various versions of a radio ad targeting individual senators—including Valesky—for not signing on to a bill to tighten up restrictions on industrial development authorities, a union official confirmed. The version below, which relates a fictional conversation Read More
TROY—David Paterson's proposal to allow the sale of wine in supermarkets is giving a new meaning to retail politics.
I took these pictures during an ordinary shopping trip. Unlike the dueling TV and radio ads on a number of budget issues, this battle is being fought person-to-person.
The shot on the right shows Read More
Republican State Senator Serf Maltese, whose narrow re-election in 2006 has made him a target for Democrats this year, said he’s not going anywhere.
“I’m very happy here. I’m enthusiastic,“ Maltese told me outside the State Senate chambers on the third floor of the capitol building in Albany. “I’m disappointed, very disappointed that Joe Read More
