Priscilla Almodovar, a Spitzer appointee who served as president and CEO of the New York State Housing Finance Agency and the State of New York Mortgage Agency, is leaving the second floor — effective today, which is fairly sudden for these announcements. From the governor’s release:
“A trusted advisor and friend, [...]
Among the highlights of tonight’s episode of “New York Now” on WMHT Ch. 17: Irene takes a look at some of the eerie similarities between this year’s Senate unrest and what Assembly Democrats faced when they took control in the 1970s, and Matt Ryan sits down with Karen DeWitt [...]
But no jail time. From Colleen Long of the Associated Press:
New York state Sen. Hiram Monserrate has been sentenced to three years probation for dragging his bleeding girlfriend through his apartment building lobby in a violent scene caught on security cameras.
The sentencing Friday also included 250 hours of community service [...]
Click here to view Eliot Spitzer’s appearance this morning on the progressive chatfest “Democracy Now!” Continuing his Punditry Rehab Tour, the former governor rips into the men at the top of the Obama administration’s fiscal policy, and goes on to cuff the White House for what he sees as [...]
Good morning. The end of a long week begins with the news:
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo extracts a guilty plea from a California investor in the widening pension fund scandal. (TU)
Former Comptroller Alan Hevesi took trips from him. (NYP)
Actress Peggy Lipton — yes, Peggy Lipton — was [...]
Gov. David Paterson’s plan to close the remaining state budget gap by withholding local aid funds could land him in court facing off against plaintiffs including the Legislature.
On Monday evening, the governor said he had directed the Division of the Budget to deny certification for local assistant payments already [...]
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo just announced a felony guilty plea from Elliot Broidy who admitted bribing four former top officials of the state Comptrollers Office under Alan Hevesi to get them to invest in his Markstone Capital fund.
This case, Cuomo stressed, was different from earlier scandals in which influential “placement [...]
This wasn’t unexpected, Gov. David Paterson earlier this year said he would allow it, given that their projections show them running out of money by next March.
Here’s the release:
NEW YORK, NY – December 3, 2009 – New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation (“NYC OTB”) announced today that its [...]
Good morning! The Legislature is gone. Gone. The news:
Gay marriage goes down to defeat 24-38, and supporters commit to seeing it brought back. (TU)
“I feel like I’ve been hit in the face with a 10-pound anvil,” says one advocate for the measure. (DN)
From our “New York Now” colleagues, here’s compelling video of Republican Sen. James Alesi, head in hand, seeming to hesitate — and receiving a your-turn prompt from Sen. Marty Golden — before voting no on same-sex marriage.
Much of the early fallout immediately after the vote has focused on the Democrats, [...]
Here are links to YouTube videos from the Senate debate on the defeated same-sex marriage bill, in three parts:
Part 1: Tom Duane opening comments, Ruben Diaz Sr., Eric Schneiderman, Eric Adams, Jeff Klein, David Valesky
Part 2: David Valesky continued, Kevin Parker, Pedro Espada Jr., Diane Savino, Liz Krueger, [...]
Come ‘n’ get ‘em. First up, Gov. David Paterson:
“It is always darkest before the dawn. The darkest day in the history of the American civil rights movement was in 1857 when the Supreme Court ruled against Dred Scott, making slavery legal north of the 36th parallel. That was the darkest [...]
Gov. David Paterson came to the Senate chamber to say he was surprised at the margin (38-24) and he admitted that “It is a setback.”
But he added that civil rights movements have long had setbacks.
“There have been historic losses in civil rights movement — but they are [...]
Patricia Lynch Associates and Steve Boggess from the Featherstonhaugh lobbying firm took it on the chin after being brought in by the Pride Agenda to deliver votes on gay marriage.
The eulogy on this bill may refer to this past election when conservative votes impacted the congressional race in the North [...]
As the gay marriage vote is proceeding (debate has ended), some of the state’s major pollsters have released or re-rereleased polls on the issue.
Marist has a poll showing that overall, registered voters favor legalizing same sex marriage 51 percent to 42 percent.
Siena is reminding us that their August poll [...]
With the vote to begin shortly, we’ll update the list below:
YES: 24
NO: 38
FULL ROLL CALL
Eric Adams (D) — YES “This is about love.” Joseph Addabbo (D) — NO James Alesi (R) — NO Darrel Aubertine (D) — NO John Bonacic (R) — NO Neil Breslin (D) — YES John DeFrancisco (R) — NO Ruben Diaz [...]After two and a half hours of debate, without a single Republican speaking, the debate is closed.
[...]Senate Democrats have just put out a notice: yes they do plan to debate the same-sex marriage bill — passed again by the Assembly last night — today.
They will vote on the DRP, Tier V pension plan, public authority reform and marriage equality.
These have all passed in the Assembly and [...]
We have a story in today’s TU about how plans to slow or hold back local aid payments will impact some cities across the state.
It’s particularly challenging from some municipalities which get the bulk of their AIM payments this month.
Here’s a handy spread sheet courtesy of the Conference of Mayors [...]
The Assembly passed Tier Five pension reform before concluding its special session early this morning, as was discussed by state leaders late last night.
According to the Assembly press release, the measure provides a new tier of pension benefits for all new employees who are members of the New York [...]
Good morning, everyone. Here are today’s stories…
A federal jury has reached verdicts in two counts against former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, but is deadlocked on six others. (TU)
“We have reached a unanimous verdict on two counts,” the note said. “We cannot reach a unanimous verdict on the [...]
The Assembly plans to stay to vote on the DRP bills tonight, according to a member.
Members adjourned from conference not too long ago with plans to reconvene at 10 p.m.
It is unclear how late they will be in — the bills are still being drafted (staff only started at 7 [...]
Senate spokesman Austin Shafran just announced that the Senate will not take up the DRP or any other legislation (read: gay marriage) tonight. Staff only began drafting the bill at around 7 p.m. tonight.
The Senate will reconvene at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Going over to the Assembly to hear their plans.
[...]Senate sources say a debate and vote on gay marriage is still likely to follow close upon the heels of passage of the $2.8 billion deficit package currently being hammered into vote-ready form. Another sign: As Liz B reports, Ruben Diaz is praying (and calling around).
The question is whether [...]
Waiting for a resolution of the legislative gridlock over the partial deficit agreement/deal/whatchamacallit? Thanks to Kyle Hughes of NYSNYS, this video from this morning’s oft-combative Q&A with Gov. David Paterson will fill 15 minutes of your life.
[...]There was a light moment during Gov. David Paterson’s Red Room press conference during an exchange about the possibility of a gay marriage vote coming up in the Senate.
When asked by New York Times reporter Jeremy Peters about whether the path is clear for a vote in the Senate, Paterson [...]
The Senate just gaveled into session and immediately stood at ease.
“So until the governor sends the bill, or tells his what his intentions are, we will stand at ease,” said Deputy Senate Majority Leader Jeff Klein.
[...]To the question of whether Gov. David Paterson will send up a bill reflecting the legislature’s “last, best offer” of a $2.8 billion DRP, the answer is, simply put: sort of.
In a Red Room press conference, Paterson said that he does not agree that the $2.8 billion package offered by [...]
With talk about a possible same-sex marriage vote awaiting resolution of the state’s deficit in the Legislature (which may become even more convoluted and protracted than it is now), the Catholic Conference has issued an open letter to lawmakers. The tone of the letter is a bit of [...]
Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos was just on Talk-1300 AM, where he told Fred Dicker that his understanding, based on conversations with Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson, that there was a three-way agreement last night which has since been broken by the governor.
Skelos poked the Democratic leaders for excluding [...]
A statement released from the governor’s office at the same time that word was going out about a budget agreement suggests that there probably won’t be one of those back-slappy Red Room events to mark its enaction. Instead, the governor continues to tweak legislative leaders for failing to go far [...]
Senate aides confirmed what several Democratic Assembly members just learned: A deal to close more than $2.8 billion of the estimated $3.2 billion deficit has been hammered out by the governor and legislative leaders, and could be voted on tomorrow.
The deal includes the “spinup” of federal stimulus aid from next [...]
Syracuse businesswoman Jessica Crawford will make an official announcement tomorrow morning concerning her plans to run for the GOP line against Democratic state Sen. David Valesky. As previously noted, Crawford faces a likely primary challenge from Grammy-nominated recording artist Andrew Russo.
[...]Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver used those words to describe the state of deficit reduction negotiations after today’s three-party session at the Governor’s Mansion, a location that saved the participants from having to run the gantlet of press as they left the governor’s suite of Capitol offices.
But: “The question is, do [...]
Here’s last week’s episode of New York Now, featuring an interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.”
[...]Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava fences with Dick Armey on the question of the former House Republican Majority Leader’s proposed GOP policy stress-test, by which candidates or incumbents would have the option of disagreeing with the party on up to two central Republican issues before earning [...]
The Senate has just gaveled in and then gone “at ease,” awaiting further budget negotiations. Meanwhile the Assembly is set to meet at 3 p.m.
Nothing new on budget negotiations, just yet.
Looks like it could be another do-nothing day.
[...]All summer, it seems that groups like MoveOn and Tea Party activists have been at each other when it comes to the health care debate.
But now, the two opposing groups, one on the left and the other on the right, have agreed to meet and have a conversation with one [...]
It’s all about the DRP today, according to Senate spokesman Austin Shafran.
Senate Democrats are scheduled to go into conference at noon. Today’s extraordinary session is scheduled for 2 pm.
The Senate has been in “constant discussions” with the Assembly and Senate GOP. There were three-way negotiations yesterday. (Senate staff were given [...]
Good morning, folks! Here’s the news from today and over the weekend…
Gov. David Paterson announces that he’ll take a $1.6 billion “hodge-podge assortment of stop-gap measures” on his own. But $450 million of the proposed $1.6 million remains in doubt. Among the cuts: anti-smoking programs. [...]
From the remarks at a press conference he had a few hours ago, it doesn’t sound like G0v. David Paterson and lawmakers have made much progress in budget negotiations.
We’ll have more on this first thing in the morning, and but here is a quick update:
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=864884
[...]
Just in time for Friday’s shopping rush, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has an advisory for people about the ever-popular gift cards. Some have expiration dates, and fees for using them after a period of time and fees to check the remaining balance.
What got my interest though, was the [...]
Doris Kearns Goodwin was a young woman in her twenties when she became an aide to President Lyndon B. Johnson. Forty years later, her interest in the Oval Office hasn’t waned. She has written on the most famous men to occupy the White House: FDR, JFK, Lincoln and–her newest subject–Teddy [...]
Good morning, folks. Here’s the news…
Gov. David Paterson introduces a deficit reduction bill, as well as a constitutionally controversial request of unilateral budget-cutting power. (TU/ Newsday/ DN)
That proposal landed with a “predictable thud.” (NYT)
“He’s Governor Paterson. He’s not king David Paterson,” Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos [...]
There may not be a three-way agreement over the DRP, but Gov. David Paterson has amended his original DRP proposal to accommodate legislative leaders’ (particularly the Senate’s) concerns about mid-year school aid cuts and cuts to health care that would endanger federal matches to Medicaid. These changes reflect weeks of [...]
Former Acting State Police Superintendent Preston Felton, one of two cases remaining from the Spitzer-Bruno battle over helicopter flights and accusations of political espionage, has settled with the state on Commission on Public Integrity.
He admits to violating public officers law in the affair, in which he gave in to [...]
Judy Enck, one of Albany’s environmentalist stalwarts, made a goodbye visit to the Capitol press rooms a few minutes ago. It’s the last day for Enck as the governor’s deputy secretary for the environment, as she departs for New York City where she will serve as President [...]
It’s been nearly six months since the Senate coup, and Gov. David Paterson has done something that no other politician has managed: He has brought the Democratic and Republican Senate together. The only problem They are lined up against the governor and his proposal to turn over [...]
The Senate Committee of Inquiry into the misdemeanor assault conviction of Hiram Monserrate held its second meeting Monday night. The two-and-a-half-hour session looked at the courtroom arguments in the case as laid out by prosecution and defense. The non-jury trial before Judge William Erlbaum culminated five weeks ago with Monserrate’s [...]
Rick Lazio, still the only declared Republican candidate for the 2010 gubernatorial race, thinks the governor’s proposal of an “Executive Option” that would grant him broad powers to make midyear cuts sounds, well, a little familiar: Lazio raised a very similar proposal in an op-ed last week in the [...]
Here are the program bills the governor will be sending to the Legislature:
Gpb #211 Governor’s Payment Reduction Memo
Gpb #211 Governor’s Payment Reduction Bill
[...]Gov. David Paterson just announced via Webcast that he’ll send his deficit-cutting proposal to the Legislature, but asked that it be given an up-or-down vote.
” … I understand that many legislators are afraid of the political consequences they will face if they approve this proposal,” Paterson said in an 11 [...]
Good morning! The question for the day, and maybe the next few days: Which comes first, the Bruno verdict or the deficit-reduction agreement?
The Bruno trial wraps up with closing arguments that the former senator was a schoolyard bully or a devoted public servant. (TU)
Analysis of some of the [...]
There were two leaders’ meeting this afternoon — a three-way meeting between Gov. David Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson at the governor’s mansion, followed by a five-way leaders’ meeting on the 2nd floor of the Capitol.
On his way into the governor’s office, Silver ruled [...]
As predicted, today’s Senate session clocked in at a coup-worthy 10 minutes, most of it taken up by an extremely comprehensive invocation from a visiting pastor from Rome.
On the floor, Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson delivered a brief report on DRP negotiations that emphasized that progress was, in fact, being [...]
Progress report on today’s “special” session: No progress. Legislators will gavel in, gavel out.
And if your in need of a laugh amid the summer coup flashbacks, above you’ll find a video tribute, in the form of Toni Tony Tone’s “Anniversary”. This one goes out to our state leaders, celebrating the [...]
Last week’s episode features a look at the damage done to the local economies around the Champlain Bridge; a newsmaker interview with Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava; and a reporters roundtable with Kyle Hughes of NYSNYS and James Madore of Newsday.
[...]Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. will be spending the day in the Bronx, and has no plans to journey to Albany either for a Democratic conference meeting or the 2 p.m. session. Instead, he’ll be taking part in a protest against gun violence in his district.
“If something happens, I can be [...]
More fallout from the “man cave” case:
Inspector General Joseph Fisch has recommended disciplinary action against three Office of General Services managers for providing poor oversight over staff and for failing to address “repeated complaints” against man cave dweller Louis Marciano, who “discriminated against African-American employees and [...]
The Schenectady School District has no documentation that former facilities supervisor Steven Raucci worked the hours for which he was paid more than $50,000 in overtime in 2007-2008, according to an audit released by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli this morning. Raucci is awaiting trial on charges that he terrorized several [...]
Former Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno never let anyone know of his potential conflicts with bidders seeking the rights to the lucrative contract to run racing in New York in 2006.
Facts emerging from Bruno’s federal corruption trial revealed Bruno had a secretive co-ownership of thoroughbred [...]
Good morning, everyone! I hope everyone had a nice weekend! Here’s the news…
Summations are scheduled to begin today in the Bruno trial. (TU)
Sen. George D. Maziarz denies that he was a “go-between” linking a corrupt labor union to former Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, as was alleged [...]
Sunday night’s all right for dueling press release/open letters between deficit-minded politicians. Here’s the latest, from Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson:
Dear Governor Paterson:
In our negotiations to date, Senate Democrats have agreed to more than $1 billion in cuts to your agencies and in local assistance reductions. We have advocated [...]
Gov. Paterson zapped this to legislators slated to return to Albany tomorrow. It reiterates points Paterson has been making throughout the week, and suggests that there’s still plenty of daylight between him and legislative leaders.
Dear Legislators:
One month ago, I presented a responsible $3.2 billion Deficit Reduction Plan that contained [...]
Here’s Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos’ response to the governor’s statements this morning:
I agree with Governor Paterson’s statement today that the Legislature should be acting on a deficit reduction plan today, instead of waiting until Monday. The only problem is he has not submitted a bill we can act on, [...]
Speaking to reporters after speaking to Americorps volunteers, Gov. David Paterson said that legislative leaders still failed to grasp the consequences of failing to address the deficit now.
Paterson said Moody’s Investors Service has released a report noting that the state is in peril of seeing its current Aa3 credit [...]
Go to it — but let’s start with a question: What realistic ideas haven’t yet been seriously floated to trim the state budget?
Be nice!
[...]Good morning. Sorry for the delay, but here’s the news:
The Legislature has left the building — although work on the deficit package continues. (TU)
Maybe things will be better on Monday.(DN)
The state has extended the deadline for the state worker buyout package. (TU)
Jared Abruzzesse, businessman and horseman, [...]
The Watertown Daily Times says so.
Doug Hoffman will have to re-concede, or un-un-concede — unless he decides to challenge the voting machines.
[...]This week’s episode of “New York Now” features a newsmaker interview with Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava that discusses the race in the 23rd Congressional District and her re-entry into the Assembly’s Republican fold. Matt Ryan visits the business and individuals affected by the closure of the Crown Point Bridge; and journalists [...]
Lawmakers are still stuck, according to the latest post-leaders meeting series of press gaggles.
“I would compromise — but right now I’m compromising against zero,” Gov. David Paterson said.
The big sticking point is school cuts, a subject on which the perspectives, or at least the statements, are as [...]
Saying “we should not be going home,” Assembly Republican Leader Brian Kolb was joined at a brief press conference in which he called on Speaker Sheldon Silver and the leadership of the Senate to call their members back to Albany to vote on a deficit reduction package, and echoed the [...]
Work will continue on the deficit reduction package, but legislators are clearing out of Albany for the weekend. Today’s scheduled 4 p.m. session is off, rescheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Monday “in anticipation of an agreement,” according to a memo to all senators from Temporary President Malcolm Smith.
Republicans took [...]
The last time we checked, fewer than a quarter of the 4,500 people targeted for state worker buyouts had been awarded the $20,000 severance package.
So this shouldn’t come as a surprise: The Paterson Administration is urging agency commissioners to look again, harder, to find more people who want to [...]
Good morning. Have an extra place at the table this Thanksgiving? Would you be interested in hosting a homesick member of the state Legislature? It might not come to that, but we should start planning now. But first the news:
It’s starting to look like a parallel universe around here — one in which lawmakers are stuck in neutral over balancing the state’s $3.2 billion deficit, and another in which they are working feverishly to pass substantive major bills.
Earlier today, Leandra’s Law was signed, marking an astonishingly rapid turnaround from [...]
Well, Malcolm Smith did say “this is Albany.” Despite his sense that Leandra’s Law would be the last thing the chamber passes before the deficit is addressed, the members will return at 6 p.m. to vote on authorities reform, which is wending its way through the Assembly this afternoon.
Gov. David [...]
Aren’t these the people who want the state to refinance Tobacco Bonds?
Not quite sure what to make of this, but this comes from the July 15 Board of Elections filing for the NYS Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. It’s a $10,000 donation from JP Morgan [...]
Deer hunters who donate their bounty to food banks could score a new tax deduction under a proposal that Sen. Charles E. Schumer began advancing Wednesday.
The legislation would allow hunters to deduct the cost of processing venison and other game as long as they donate the meat. A similar tax [...]
The state Senate passed a measure that stiffens penalties for drunk drivers who operate their vehicle with a child as a passenger, and expands the use of interlock devices for anyone convicted of a DWI.
The bill, which was passed by the Assembly last night, hit the Senate floor despite [...]
Sen. Carl Kruger, accosted by the press on his way from an interview with Susan Arbetter to a conference meeting, laid the failure to reach a deficit agreement at the feet of Senate Republicans.
Kruger said the Republican’s failure to “negotiate in good faith” was hindering the process, saying the Republicans [...]
Here’s video, courtesy Kyle Hughes of NYSNYS, from the press gaggle that followed last night’s leaders meeting, which was different from the gaggle that followed the afternoon leaders meeting in one significant way: It was dark when this meeting ended.
First up: Leaders Skelos, Kolb, Sampson and Silver suggest that things [...]
Good morning! These extraordinary sessions are starting to seem more ordinary — have we used that joke before? Sorry, it’s just that the days are starting to run together. And now the news:
The Bruno trial continues with confirmation that Capitol politicians were advised not to use the mail to [...]
The parties in five-way deficit reduction talks may be making some real headway. The reason we say this is that some lawmakers have supposedly asked to see the school runs that would come with any education cuts included in the Deficit Reduction Plan.
School runs are those lengthy spreadsheets that show [...]
Actually, he’s left the whole city: Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. is en route back to the Bronx, making good on last night’s threat not to return to the Senate floor until a budget deal has been accomplished.
Reached in his car, Diaz reiterated some of the same points he made [...]
Gov. David Paterson just held a press gaggle that suggested that a budget agreement is not immediately pending. Check out video above from Kyle Hughes of NYSNYS. The highlights:
Is progress being made? “I never know what progress is around here, but what I would say is that on some of [...]
This will likely get some pushback from groups that advocate for the blind, although it’s unclear how the Legislature could respond.
On the Gawker website, there’s a clip of media mogul and NY Post publisher Rupert Murdoch giving New York lawmakers as well as Gov. David Paterson a thorough trashing.
Speaking [...]
Sens. Charles Fuschillo, Malcolm Smith, Craig Johnson, Martin Dilan and Eric Schneiderman just paid a visit to the LCA accompanied by Lenny Rosado, the father of the 11-year-old whose death was the most recent outrage to prompt the crafting of Leandra’s Law, to announce that the measure will go [...]
The Assembly is scheduled to go into session at 1 p.m., but the Senate’s schedule is a bit more, um, fluid.
The members are “on call” as negotiations continue. Senate sources speaking on background say that while budget talks are moving forward at a good pace, it’s unlikely that anything definitive [...]
Assembly Republican Leader Brian Kolb and about two dozen members of his conference brought three charts this morning’s press conference to lay out their proposals to cut the budget deficit. In addition to slamming the 2009-201o budget, Kolb reiterated his distress at what he described as Gov. David Paterson’s snubbing [...]
Casey Seiler, Irene Jay Liu, Rick Karlin, Jennifer A. Dlouhy, James M. Odato
