From the moment the Democrats took control in 2008, the Four Amigos—state Senators Hiram Monserrate, Carl Kruger, Ruben Diaz and Pedro Espada—became the face of Albany corruption and dysfunction. No more. Montserrate was booted out by his colleagues after slashing his girlfriend in the face with a piece of his glass and an investigation by now attorney general-elect Eric Schneiderman, and Espada lost re-election after seemingly every political group in the city aligned against him. Still, few doubt we have heard the last of them.
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Again?!? Whispers of Bloomberg For President have heated up again, with New York running yet another cover story about the possibility. So is the nation ready finally for a short divorced Jewish billionaire? The polls and the electoral college seem aligned against the idea, but if Obama continues to falter and the Republicans nominate a right-wing ideologue, it would surprise no one to see Bloomberg jetting off to California and—dare we say it?—Iowa in the coming year.
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Mayor Bloomberg gave $1.2 million to the state Independence Party last year, which funneled $1.1 million of that to top Bloomberg campaign aide John Haggerty for poll-watching. Now, the Manhattan District Attorney says Haggerty pocketed the money and used it to buy a house in Queens. Haggerty was indicted in June, and the D.A. has said that he has since admitted to wrongdoing, but his lawyers say Haggerty may spill the beans about how things really operate behind-the-scenes in Bloomberg-land.
Things in New York state got so corrupt that for a moment it seemed like only Ed Koch could save us. How's he doing? He's leading a campaign to force elected officials to agree to nonpartisan redistricting and budget transparency, and nearly every official now in office has signed on. Whether or not Koch has the energy and the clout to hold their feet to the fire remains to be seen.
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This one is still in doubt, but it looks like two years after Democrats took control after 40 years of Republican-led state Senate, the upper house in Albany will once again be in the G.O.P's hands. Overall demographic trends may still favor Democrats, but with Republicans in charge of redistricting, we could all be old and gray before the Democrats have their way again.
Meghan Keneally
Andrew Cuomo's election may have seemed fairly certain by November, but it was no coronation. As 2010 began, it still seemed possible he would be forced into a bloody primary with the sitting governor. That didn't happen, and now Andrew Cuomo's ascension to the top spot in the state can be seen as the conclusion of a decades-long quest. Is President Cuomo next?
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Remember that Republican wave that swept the nation? It skipped New York. With a state GOP in disarray, Democrats grabbed all five statewide offices. The Republicans were unable to field top-tier candidates, despite the apparent vulnerabilities of Kirsten Gillibrand, etc., and the back-benchers who stepped up were lambs to the slaughter. Even parts of the national Republican party started to turn away from the local outfit. Figure on calls for state G.O.P chairman Ed Cox to resign growing louder.
Meghan Keneally
One bright spot for New York Republicans: The state saw the more Congressional seats flip from blue to red than any other in the country. Where once the Yankee Republican was thought to be extinct, 2010 made clear that the party had some life in it yet. New Yorkers may hate Republicans, but they apparently hate Nancy Pelosli more.
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In a move that on secrecy alone shocked the political establishment, educational lightening rod Joel Klein stepped aside and was replaced by publishing exec Cathie Black. While the whole city asked "Who?" familiar battle lines were drawn, reigniting the debate over mayoral control. The mayor has said that education will be his legacy. We will find out soon if Black has the skills to improve upon Klein's reforms.
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Charlie Rangel is the dean of the congressional delegation and a lion of Harlem, and for a brief period of time was one of the most powerful men in the country due to his post as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. But Rangel was forced to step down from the leadership earlier this year as outrage continued to grow about his ethical lapses, including failing to pay taxes on a Dominican villa and soliciting funds with Congressional stationary for a study center in his name at City College. Rangel got just over half the vote in a multi-candidate primary contest, but only after a long, rambling speech on the floor of the House of Representatives that left even some of his most ardent supporters confused. His Lear-like behavior has continued, with a walkout before his Ethics trial and an unusually personal plea to avoid a censure vote.
