Joseph Bruno

Is it too soon to start calling Eliot Spitzer “embattled?”

At the very least, he’s sporting another prominent bruise after the release of a report today by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo finding that the governor’s aides acted improperly in an attempt to damage the reputation of Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno.  read more »

In order to qualify for $500 million in federal funding, state lawmakers would have to approve of Michael Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan by July 16.

And to do that, they'd have to, you know, meet.

A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, the highest profile holdout on the plan, said it hasn‘t been decided whether his house will be called back in by then.

“As of today, no date has been seen to come back to Albany,” spokesman Dan Weiler told me earlier. Another person who is obligated to be there whenever legislators are in session told me he’s not sure where he’ll be that day.

In the midst of another bruising fight in Albany, Eliot Spitzer found time to read to children in an early learning center in Albany earlier today. Spitzer told reporters gathered there that despite what they might read in the papers, he played no role in the state police monitoring of Joe Bruno's traveling. Spitzer also said he has never used his state-funded traveling for private or political purposes.

"I don’t have anything to do with it. We respond to a FOIL request. My use of state planes, cars, is done pursuit to very strict guidelines that when I became governor, I asked the ethics office to create. To make sure that things were done properly, that there was proper respect for public-private distinctions. We have been meticulous in doing that and I will continue to be because that is the nature of the government that I believe we should have."

You can hear the Spitzer and the press in this audio clip.

Given all the recent talk of bringing change to Albany, Governor Eliot Spitzer’s humbling budg  read more »

Listed in this year's state budget that passed last week were $170 million worth of member items which, in the spirit of Everything Changing, were included as a way of bringing some measure of transparency to spending to local projects.

So far, there's no master list that actually says which members proposed which items, although Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno has released his version.

While we're waiting for the rest of the information we want, here's a sampling of some of the discretionary spending in the budget:

Money for the Long Island Maritime Museum ($22,500) and other educational projects, listed here.

Funding for the Nan Shan Senior Center of the Chinese American Planning Council ($2,000) and other senior centers, here.

Money for the Cornell University fluid milk pricing study ($60,000) and other economic development, transportation and projects, here.

-- Azi Paybarah

New York City developers are cozzying up to State Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, a Queens Democrat, Crain's reports. The developers, long friendly with Republican Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, are hedging their bets on Mr. Smith, who would control the Senate should Democrats reclaim the majority.

In March, a dozen leaders of the Real Estate Board of New York met with Senator Smith to talk about tax-exempt financing for rental buildings and the newly rejiggered 421-a tax abatement program for new developments.

"He was somewhat supportive of the issues," REBNY president Steven Spinola told Crain's.

- Tom Acitelli

This doesn't bode well for an on-time budget.

At what was supposed to be a bipartisan, bicameral meeting in Albany just now to discuss the state budget, only Republicans showed up.

Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno said that his conference would work through the weekend with Democrats to reconcile differences in Medicaid spending, school aide and other budget issues.

If only everybody would come to the table.

One senator, Thomas Libous of the Southern tier said "the law is being broken," because Democrats weren't participating in the meeting.

Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco referred to it a "strike against openness and transparency."

Ten days until deadline.

-- Azi Paybarah

This doesn't bode well for an on-time budget in Albany.

Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco has the answer:

"There's a strike going on here at the capitol," he said at a Republican-led budget hearing right now in Albany that is being boycotted by Democrats like the governor, Assembly Speaker and others.

"Speaker Silver is on strike against openness and transparency," said Tedisco.

Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, who is leading the meeting, said his conference was willing to work through the weekend to settle the budget.

In other budget news, the labor-backed Working Families Party is bucking the governor's proposals to reduce Medicaid spending.

-- Azi Paybarah

State Senator Marty Golden of Brooklyn recent interest with the idea of running for mayor in 2009 must be somewhat nerve-wracking for his Republican colleagues, given the fact that they're three seats away from losing control of the house.

A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno emailed to say, "Senator Golden has assured the Leader that his first priority is to maintain the Senate Majority. In fact, as the Regional Chair in NYC, Marty plans to redirect some of his resources to pick up a seat or two in 2008."

-- Azi Paybarah

Eliot Spitzer spoke softly.    read more »

      Eliot Spitzer spoke softly.    read more »

There's a billion extra dollars expected to come into the state coffers, according to projections from the Republican-controlled state Senate. They argue that the extra money increases the need to provide property tax relief, and decreases the need to reduce health care spending.

From the news release:

"Our constituents are making it very clear that all property taxpayers need relief from high taxes, that the State budget must provide all school districts with increased aid, and that we cannot put people's access to health care at risk," said Senator Owen H. Johnson, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. "With the revenue forecast complete, there is no reason that we cannot accomplish this goal."

Full statement after the jump.  read more »

-- Azi Paybarah

Joe Bruno's upbeat message this morning after losing a seat in Nassau:

"We still have the Majority in the Senate and our conference will go forward, strong, united and committed to ensuring accountability, providing checks and balances and delivering results for our constituents."

His full statement is after the jump.  read more »

-- Azi Paybarah

State lawmakers are leaning towards picking one of their own for the comptroller position.

Eliot Spitzer will present his $120 billion budget today.

Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno doesn't want Spitzer to cut health care spending.

Good government groups want Spitzer to tweak the ethics package he proposed.

Margarita Lopez Torres, a judge, testified against Clarence Norman, who is accused of selling judgeships in Brooklyn.

The Nassau County comptroller's audit of the Republican candidate in Nassau's special election is becoming a major campaign issue.

New York City's rickety, mechanical voting machines may still be in use for another two years.

Hillary Clinton's poll numbers in New Hampshire and Ohio look good.

And The New Republic has a piece urging Democrats to ignore Al Sharpton.

-- Azi Paybarah

Based on an excerpt of Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno's speech, he was expected to respond to Eliot Sitzer's speech and say, "not raising taxes is not enough--The Senate wants to go further by providing greater tax relief."

He's expected to go on to say, "The Senate has proposed expanding the property tax rebate program to triple the size of the checks and provide $2.6 billion in property tax relief this year," referring to the rebate program they initiated last year.

The Alliance for Quality Education released a statement applauding Spitzer for his dedication to funding, and helpfully offered a specific dolalr amount the state should steer towards schools.

"He made it crystal clear he is going to provide the level of funding that is necessary to deliver educational excellence. We anticipate that funding level will approach the $8.5 billion he articulated during his campaign."

-- Azi Paybarah

At a press conference having to do with a mental health bill, Governor Pataki addressed the Hevesi resignation. "I'm very concerned about the operations of the comptroller's office...I'm concerned about the interim [before a replacement is appointed], what will happen." The governor also said he wasn't sure who exactly will sign the next round of state paychecks.

Pataki drew a contrast between Hevesi's admitted wrongdoing and the allegations currently swirling around the man standing behind him, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno. "I've said time and again: I have confidence in Senator Bruno," the governor said. "I have confidence in the system... I expect come January 3, Senator Bruno will be the majority leader."

The vote of confidence is notable, in that the governor's initial statement about the case--"Hopefully, the senator has done everything right, and that will be what the conclusion is"--was read by some to be less-than-supportive. Obviously, everyone knows they're not horseback-riding buddies.

After the press conference was done, reporters descended on Bruno. He said of the hoopla about the FBI investigation into his business practices:

"This is more of a media event, and when I indicated we were being totally cooperative, and that there was an inquiry, and that I'm letting the Feds do their work, and they're diligent enough and I have been elected by the people, by my conference to govern. And I would appreciate the press, if they would just give me an opportunity, objectively, and fairly, to govern."

UPDATE: To be a bit more specific, the press conference had to do with Timothy's Law, which would require that insurance companies cover various serious mental illnesses, particularly in children. It's a shame that got overshadowed.

-- Azi Paybarah

For what it's worth--maybe a lot--the New York State AFL-CIO has put out a press release offering strong support to embattled Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno. Liz Benjamin, who had it first, notes that Bruno and 1199 boss Dennis Rivera like to go horseback riding together. Didn't horses get him into this mess?

New York State AFL-CIO Voices Support of Senator Bruno

ALBANY, NY -- (12/22/2006; 0930)(EIS) -- Denis Hughes, President of the 2 1/2 million member New York State AFL-CIO today issued the following statement:

"Throughout his career in public service, Joe Bruno has served the men and women of this state with great distinction. He has proven himself time and again to be a man of honor and unquestionable integrity.

"The labor movement has no better friend than Senator Bruno. He has consistently fought to protect and enhance the lives and well-being of working people, often at great political risk.

"Senator Bruno's lengthy and distinguished career speaks volumes to his character. As such, there should be no rush to judgment regarding his ability to lead.

"The New York State AFL-CIO fully supports Senator Bruno's leadership and looks forward to continuing to work with Senator Bruno, Speaker Silver, all members of the state legislature and Governor-Elect Spitzer in our efforts to further the cause of working men and women across this state."

UPDATE: Rivera's come out with his own statement of support.

-- Andrew Rice

Good scandals are like horror movie villains--you can beat them down, but they'll always come back for a sequel. A veteran of this town's political wars pointed out to me today that in 1994, while I was navigating the politics of where to sit in my middle school cafeteria, the New York Times was all over this land deal that seems to be a focus of the inquiry into Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno's ethics. In an article headlined--this is classic--"New Senate Chief Says His Mixing Business and Politics Is What Albany Needs," future Pulitzer-winner Kevin Sack wrote about how Bruno attacked the state Department of Environmental Conservation after they halted construction on the development site for various violations. The story also mentions that Bruno's son, Ken, worked for the Albany lobbyist who was his dad's partner on the deal.

It's behind the TimesSelect wall, unfortunately. Here's the money quote:

I believe business people belong in government ... And unfortunately, when you run for office, your opponents always focus on conflicts of interest. My attitude has been, you think I'm in a conflict, then you prove it and if you're right I'll pay the consequences. But I'm not going to ever back off because somebody alleges there's a conflict, because I have spent my life in business and government trying to prove that business people can be effective in government.

And also that government people can be effective in business, apparently.

-- Azi Paybarah

A new Quinnipiac poll says New Yorkers wants term limits for state lawmakers by a margin of 67 to 27 percent.

The survey didn't ask people what they thought of their own assembly member or senator, who keep getting re-elected despite the legislature's low overall approval rating.

But here's how they responded when asked about Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno.

Silver's job approval rating: 29 percent approve; 33 percent disapprove.

Bruno's : 27 percent approve; 36 percent disapprove.

For the sake of an apples-and-oranges comparison, Hillary Clinton's approval rating is 72-23 and Chuck Schumer's is 65-25.

-- Azi Paybarah

Eliot Spitzer swept into power as the next Governor of New York last night with a landslide victory,  read more »

" Well, she can't say she's focused on 2006 anymore," writes Newsday's Glenn Thrush of Hillary Clinton.

Democrats win the House but the Senate is undecided. Hello, recount.

Chuck Schumer is hailed for his efforts to take over the Senate.

Overall, last night's gains by Democrats nationwide were a loud message for the president.

And governor-elect Eliot Spitzer's job now, according to Fred Dicker, is a "war" with the Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno.

Jacob Gershman looks at some of Spitzer's likely legislative actions in his first 100 days.

Winning doesn't end the speculation about Alan Hevesi being replaced.

In fact, Bill Hammond has the script for how it should happen. Literally, a script.

Long Island Republican Peter King held off a challenge by Dave Mejias.

Vito Fossella also made it.

NY1 News has unofficial election results for the local statewide, Assembly, state Senate and other races.

A statewide look at New York's congressional races is here.

Here are national election results for all the House and Senate and gubernatorial races.

Official election results will be posted here in a couple of days.

-- Azi Paybarah

Here's something I missed when discussing possible replacement scenarios for Alan Hevesi.

A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno reminded me that the governor can call for the removal of a statewide official. If that happens, the matter is referred to the Senate where, basically, a trial is held among the 62 senators. If 2/3 of the Senate agrees, the person is removed from office. Then, both houses of the legislature come together to vote on a replacement.

The good news for Hevesi is that Republicans only have 34 seats in the Senate, well short of the 2/3 vote theoretically required to remove him. And even more importantly, Bruno's spokesperson, Lisa Black, said Hevesi has worked well with the senate, making the possibility of this hypothetical scenario that much more remote. And of course so far, neither the current governor nor the man about to replace him have shown any indication of wanting to get any more involved than they have to.

But there it is.

-- Azi Paybarah

The Post runs with Hillary's "Stay Tuned" comment about a woman's chances at becoming President.

The News reports that the political arm of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council is set to endorse Yassky in the 11th.

Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno gets testy with John Faso after the candidate claims that upstate New York is "withering on the vine." Bruno wants to ask Faso, "Why can you be so wrong?"

On the other hand, Eliot Spitzer gets adored upstate, where he campaigns in a town called Conklin and charges that Charles A. Gargano's Empire State Development Corporation chairman couldn't find Buffalo on a map.

Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, commissioner of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, comes in for a touch of criticism from Carolyn Maloney for waiting five years to distribute guides intended to help doctors identify and diagnose illnesses resulting from contact with toxic dust during the collapse of the Twin Towers. Frieden counters it took that long to gather the hard evidence to prove the connection. The guides have now started going out.

Mayor Ray Nagin (the man whose reelection forced New York's favorite retired judge, Harry "T. Stone" Anderson, to leave New Orleans) begins pitching the city's moneyed investors to help fuel something of a recovery a year after Katrina.

And Bush gets shot, kind of.

--Jason Horowitz

It was announced this morning that Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno's 20-year-old granddaughter has been found. She did not show up for work on Thursday or Friday.

The media described her as 5'10" and 110 pounds; The New York Daily News, for one, described her as "trim" on July 31st, and as "willowy" on August 1st.  read more »

Apparently, the young lady realized she was missing, and discovered herself at the intersection of anorexia and substance abuse. (In New York City, of course, having traveled here with a fellow named "John Savage.") Shortly thereafter she phoned home. The Senate press office memo, in which Mr. Bruno blames the Internet and those on it who "prey on the vulnerable" for his granddaughter's troubles, follows.

Mayor Bloomberg stood before District Attorneys from all five boroughs and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly today and demanded that the State Legislature require all convicted criminals to give DNA samples for inclusion in a State database.

The Mayor argued that by toughening up the state's current database law, one of the weakest in the nation, more criminals could be caught, more falsely accused suspects could be exonerated, and more crimes could be prevented.

All of that sounds tough for a state senator or assemblyman to argue against. So there was natural curiosity at the future site of New York City's new DNA laboratory on 26th street this afternoon as to why no such legislation had been passed.

"The fact that we didn't do it before is best left to history," said Bloomberg, who added that he had not consulted either Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver or Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno about the proposed legislation.

"Some people want a fight," said Bloomberg, "I don't want a fight. I want this legislation."

But the mayor, using unusually strong language as he was flanked by the city's top law enforcement officials and victims of violent crimes, sure seemed to be preparing for a fight.

—Jason Horowitz

No one ever lost an election by being too hard on sex offenders.  read more »

Will Bloomberg Buck the G.O.P.?    read more »

State Senator David Paterson’s bid to be Eliot Spitzer’s candidate for Lieutenant Governor and c  read more »

In a glass case by a window in Joseph Bruno’s antechamber are three handguns.  read more »

On Dec. 10, the former governor of Massachusetts, William F.  read more »

On a summer evening in 1999, Republican stalwart and then–State Assembly Minority Leader John  read more »

On a summer evening in 1999, Republican stalwart and then–State Assembly Minority Leader John Faso  read more »

This just in via the AP.... Congressman John Sweeney has joined state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, calling to postpone the Dec. 12th meeting when Republican county chairman are scheduled to endorse G.O.P. candidates for statewide office. "I think it's just too risky right now," he said.  read more »

Back in September, Mayor Bloomberg announced his plan to have the NYPD lead the city's coordinated response to a major disaster, making it official that Commissioner Ray Kelly, and not Joseph Bruno, Commissioner at the Office of Emergency Management, was the city's security and emergency management tsar.

But today, in the wake of the M&M-in-hot-air-balloon-float-smashing-lamppost-at-the-2005-Thanksgiving-Day -Parade disaster, the Mayor announced that Mr. Bruno would have his own task force to chair.  read more »

"I am appointing a task force to investigate the incident to determine if proper procedures were followed," the Mayor said in a statement. "The task force will work with Macy's and produce a report which will recommend possible changes in procedures if any are determined to be necessary. I have asked Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo and Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Bruno to co-chair the task force."

Crain’s Insider reports today that Develop--Don’t Destroy Brooklyn activists included names of 140 individuals on an anti-Atlantic Yards petition, though they never signed it. The names, DDDB told the Insider, were mistakenly added from a League of Conservation Voters mailing list that the group had planned to use to solicit contributions. The MTA, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno all received copies of the petition. -Matthew Schuerman  read more »

The Senate majority leader, Joseph L. Bruno, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver have indicated that they would not block the arena project. --The New York Times, July 5, 2005 Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver "is aware that there is support for the project from members of the Assembly, but before the speaker can make a decision he wants to see more details of the proposal," his spokesman said. --The New York Post, September 15, 2005  read more »

On a recent Tuesday morning, Raoul Daruwala glanced down at the bustle of lower Broadway through con  read more »

Well, perhaps not exactly results, yet. And they didn't credit us either.

But our coverage of the State Senate's screwing of Bronx and East Harlem residents who had the temerity to elect a Democrat has gotten the attention of the Daily News Editorial Board, whose voice, we suspect, is heard a bit more clearly in Albany than ours:  read more »

"It's bad enough when state legislators hand out pork-barrel grants to local causes while campaigning for reelection, essentially bribing voters with their own tax dollars. But to renege on those grants after an incumbent loses - as Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno appears to be doing - is nothing short of shameless... Pork-barrel politics don't get much more piggy than this."

On the morning of Sept.  read more »

It is hardly a secret that Albany is home to some of the most egregious political hacks north of the  read more »

Joseph Bruno, the majority leader of the State Senate, took the floor at a meeting of New York's mos  read more »

Whatever happened to the George Pataki who made unlikely allies, won over opponents with quiet charm  read more »

Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, who is in the midst of a bitter budget war with his fellow Repu  read more »

Just before he unveiled his new budget proposal on Jan.  read more »

Eighteen inches of snow fell in Albany in the days beforeGovernor George Pataki's State of the State  read more »

The State Senate was scheduled to "go home" on June 20.  read more »