This isn't what I expected: A Republican is defending union members.
Republican state Senate candidate, Lee Zeldin of Suffolk, is out with a statement opposing a furlough of state workers. The statement from Zeldin doesn't lay out alternatives to the furlough--which Governor David Paterson has proposed in order to help close the state's budget gap.
But this Read More
ALBANY—Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos said that he expects any vote in the chamber regarding Hiram Monserrate, the Queens Democrat who was convicted last year of recklessly injuring his girlfriend, to be for expulsion.
"I think if it came to the floor for a vote, the vote will be expulsion," Skelos told Fred Dicker Read More
ALBANY—John Sampson thinks, not unreasonably, that the State Senate needs a new look.
"We need to come out of the box in January and start to really pass some progressive and positive legislation because people have one characterization of us," Sampson, the leader of the chamber's Democratic conference, told reporters during an informal chat in Read More
It's easy being in the majority, except when you're expected to actually have to vote with them. Brian Foley is a freshman Democrat who was elected to a Long Island district that, for decades, had been represented by Republican Casear Trunzo.Normally, a Democrat from a marginal district could be forgiven (by legislative leaders, advocates, Read More
ALBANY—It seems the State Senate Democrats are coalescing around a deficit reduction proposal--the question is whether it will be acceptable to everyone else.
"I said last night we're only $200 million apart on a $3.2 billion DRP," State Senator Liz Krueger said this morning. We've gone back in this morning with a number of Read More
ALBANY—Who will speak for Hiram Monserrate? His amigos.
There are now five Democratic state senators either publicly calling Monserrate to resign or for the chamber to take what action it can to rebuke him: Liz Krueger (who was the first to call for Monserrate to resign) David Valesky, Darrel Aubertine, Brian Foley and Neil Read More
Andrew Cuomo was joined by four Senate Democrats Senators this morning on the steps of the Tweed Courthouse, where they unveiled a plan to create a 13-member board to oversee the state pension fund, a change from the current structure which is under the supervision of the state comptroller, Tom DiNapoli.
“People who want to Read More
ALBANY—There's news from Suffolk County that John J. Foley, the father of State Senator Brian Foley, has passed away. He was 90 and had been struggling with illness for several months.
Funeral arrangements have not been publicly announced. The State Senate is scheduled to return to session on Thursday; the younger Foley is one Read More
ALBANY—There are now more Democrats living in State Senator Brian Foley's district, according to an analysis by his party's campaign committee, which should be welcome news for the freshman legislator.
Shams Tarek at the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee wrote to say that, according to a mid-July update of the voter file maintained by the Read More
ALBANY—Not only have Democrats in the State Senate turned their back on Michael Bloomberg's vision of school governance legislation, they're mooning him.
Senators will act on a bill—called the "Better Schools Act"—that is stridently opposed by the mayor because it dilutes his influence over the school system by eliminating his ability to appoint Read More
ALBANY—Not only have Democrats in the State Senate turned their back on Michael Bloomberg's vision of school governance legislation, they're mooning him. Senators will act on a bill—called the "Better Schools Act"—that is stridently opposed by the mayor because it dilutes his influence over the school system by eliminating his ability to appoint a majority Read More
ALBANY—Three Democratic state senators walked out of the still-divided chamber this afternoon before their Democratic colleagues convened into a regular session. While it didn't have any effect on the session's outcome--there was no quorum, and as such, no bills were acted on--it was a very public show of disunity in a conference that looks Read More
ALBANY—One notable detail about the results of the State Senate's debate on Andrew Cuomo's government consolidation bill late yesterday was the final vote tally: the measure passed 46-16. Several Republicans--including Minority Leader Dean Skelos--voted against the legislation. It has been touted as a way to lower property taxes, particularly in suburban areas. "We obviously have Read More
ALBANY—One notable detail about the results of the State Senate's debate on Andrew Cuomo's government consolidation bill late yesterday was the final vote tally: the measure passed 46-16.
Several Republicans--including Minority Leader Dean Skelos--voted against the legislation. It has been touted as a way to lower property taxes, particularly in suburban areas.
"We Read More
ALBANY—Republicans in the State Senate will introduce amendments to Andrew Cuomo's local government consolidation bill to exempt libraries and fire districts, senators said.
The bill should be coming up in the chamber shortly. State Senator Hugh Farley, an upstate Republican, told me he was sponsoring the amendment to exclude library districts because "by and Read More
