Maltese: Bruno is 'Screwing' Democrats

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 stepped down.”

He said an Albany radio reporter had described him as likely to retire in the wake of Bruno’s retirement. Referring to that reporter, Maltese said, “He just made that up out of whole cloth.”

Maltese did say the timing was advantageous for Republicans. Bruno’s announcement came so late in the campaign season (nominating petitions to get on the ballot are due at the State Board of Elections soon), that Democrats won’t have time to field a strong challenger to the likely Republican candidate, Roy McDonald, the local Assemblyman.

“He’s screwing them,” Maltese told me.