David Paterson | The New York Observer

Ruben Diaz Sr. Will Return Monday to Vote Against Things

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:37:37 -0500

ALBANY—A good (?) harbinger: State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. says he will be coming to the Capitol for Monday's session.

"They sent me the governor's budget proposal, so we have something to negotiate, so I'll be in Albany. They just delivered it to me at my house. UPS," Diaz told me just now, enjoying some turkey with his wife. "That means that we have something to talk about. So I'll come to Albany to...

Thanksgiving Without Turkeys

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:15:43 -0500

ALBANY—Sheldon Silver's Turkey is sweet and unroasted.

"I enjoy Thanksgiving by getting a Baskin-Robbins turkey-shaped ice cream cake," the Assembly speaker said yesterday. "My children don't like turkey."

State Senator John Sampson, the leader of that chamber's Democratic conference, told reporters yesterday on the floor that "I don't eat Turkey," and said he was a vegetarian, when asked.

David Paterson, according to an aide, is expected to spend Thanksgiving in Albany at the Governor's...

Paterson Planning for Brooklyn Meeting Tuesday Night

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:27:36 -0500

ALBANY—David Paterson to Brooklyn, Take Two.

The governor will appear at a "community conversation" in the borough of Vito Lopez, not exactly a Paterson supporter, on December 1 at the First A.M.E. Zion Church on MacDonough Street. The forum is organized by Assemblywoman Annette Robinson, Representative Ed Towns, State Senator Velmanette Montgomery and City Councilman Al Vann.

"It'll be a good community conversation with a good cross-section of people," said Assemblyman ...

Paterson Softens School Cuts in New Plan

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:00:14 -0500

ALBANY—It appears there's some compromise in David Paterson's deficit reduction bill.

The 440-page document proposes to soften the proposed cut to schools by "spinning up" funds appropriated in the federal stimulus package that were set aside to reduce education cuts next year. The new cut is $295 million; Paterson originally proposed a cut of $686 million to school aid. That's a $391 million spin-up, also included in a plan offered by Republicans in the...

The Senate Unites, For Now

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:59:34 -0500

ALBANY—David Paterson has succeeded in uniting the State Senate.

"As I said, Leader Sampson and I have been working very well together, we will continue to do that," Republican Senate Leader Dean Skelos said in a joint scrum with Democratic Senate Leader John Sampson on the chamber floor. "We just need the governor to stop thinking poll-wise, and realize that our minds are there to get something done--he should be in the same room."

...

'What's Next, Martial Law?'

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:12:48 -0500

ALBANY—The first reactions to David Paterson's "executive option proposal" are mostly not positive.

"What's next, martial law?" Assemblyman Rory Lancman, a Queens Democrat, asked.

Paterson's proposal would, temporarily, give him the power to make spending and revenue decisions to bridge a multi-billion dollar mid-year imbalance. Article VII of the State Constitution describes New York's budget process. The governor has the power to submit an executive budget, but the final authority for spending rests in...

Skelos: Paterson Wants a Credit Downgrade

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:09:57 -0500

ALBANY—Dean Skelos, the Senate Republican leader, just suggested that David Paterson doesn't really want to act on something that would plug the state's budget deficit.

"We need the governor to stop the hysterics, to stop looking at his poll numbers," Skelos told Fred Dicker on WGDJ. "I think, quite frankly, he hopes that Moody's downgrades us. He's hoping we don't get an agreement."

Dicker asked Skelos about the prospect of unilateral action by Paterson--furloughs,...

Paterson: Cut My Way, Or Give Me the Power to Cut My Way

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:49:33 -0500

ALBANY—David Paterson today sent the legislature two bills to consider: his $3 billion plan to bridge the deficit, as unveiled in October and an "executive option proposal" that seems like a fiscal version of the Gulf of Tonkin resolution.

"This would grant me, as governor, a one-time authority to balance our budget, preserve our credit rating and keep New York afloat," Paterson said in a four-minute speech webcast speech. "Please note the fate...

Forget the Senate?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:50:06 -0500

ALBANY—Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver refused to rule out a two-way agreement with David Paterson to act on the state's budget deficit.

"My members would like to, and we do agree with the governor that it's a serious situation and we have to make serious cuts, and nobody likes to make serious cuts to anything but the reality is the fiscal situation is that you have to make cuts," Silver said, leaving a closed-door leaders...

Paterson: Sampson's a 'Friend'

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:44:43 -0500

ALBANY—David Paterson said he's getting along fine with John Sampson, the Democratic conference leader, with whom he is butting heads over a deficit.

"I don't think that Senator Sampson, who's the conference leader, is a lightweight," Paterson told reporters after an economic development announcement in Niagara County. "He's a friend of mine outside the process. I think he's doing the best he can trying to get the sides to come to the table."

Fred...

Senate Returns to Non-Session Sessions as Deficit Negotiations Drag

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:23:39 -0500

ALBANY—The State Senate just convened, and then adjourned, without doing anything.

Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson gave a two minute speech after a longer invocation by Fr. Anthony Mellace of St. John the Baptist in Rome, N.Y., which included pleas for bi-partisanship and a recitation of Emma Lazarus' poem from the base of the Statue of Liberty.

"I understand the anxiety everyone has that we need to get this done," Sampson said. The body...

Paterson Campaign Attacks Cuomo for 'Shadow' Operation

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:56:21 -0500

David Paterson's campaign just attacked Andrew Cuomo's campaign for "plotting" in the "shadows," after a week's worth of reports about Cuomo's favorable poll standing, his quiet construction of a statewide campaign apparatus, his discussions about shaping a ticket around himself as governor and, today, his aggressive fund-raising.

"Mr. Cuomo has a voracious appetite for vacuuming up political money and, according to recent reports, plotting his political future from the shadows," Tracy Sefl, an adviser...

Marist Pollster: Cuomo Has 'Clear Path' to Governor, Paterson Ads Not Working

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:17:27 -0500

A Marist Poll released today echoes other surveys showing Andrew Cuomo's relative impregnability, and shows that David Paterson's recent television ad blitz is not having an effect.

Fifty-six percent of the 805 registered voters surveyed said they had seen one of the two ads Paterson's campaign began airing two weeks ago, but of that subset, 65 percent still do not believe Paterson should run for governor. The overall number slice of voters surveyed who...

Professors Union Launches Newspaper Blitz

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:34:21 -0500

Late in the budget game, the NYSUT offshoot representing SUNY and CUNY faculty and staff is taking out ads in newspapers statewide aimed at parents with students returning for Thanksgiving, decrying proposed cuts which mean "she won't graudate on time."

"What? Another year of college! How are we going to afford that?" the ad, paid for by United University Professions, reads. "You're happy she's home for Thanksgiving, but what she just told you about...

Paterson Doesn't Take It Personally, If You're a Legislator

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:42:23 -0500

ALBANY—David Paterson doesn't take the legislative inaction on his proposed deficit reduction package personally.

"With the legislators I honestly don't think it's personal," Paterson told John Gambling this morning on WOR. "I think that they are just too afraid or just too chagrined to address the problems that we need to be addressing and I would tell you that I don't know...remember: I've gotten them to balance both budgets that I've been here on...

Paterson: Not Tonight, Maybe Tomorrow

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:19:06 -0500

ALBANY—David Paterson said there will be no deficit agreement passed tonight.

"I think that if there's enough hard work tonight, then tomorrow we might be able to reach an agreement. That's not a prediction that we will reach an agreement tomorrow. It's just that I feel that we're continuing to negotiate and we just have to lock this down as quickly as possible," Paterson said after a press conference to announce an agreement to...

Agreement Reached on Authorities Reform

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:14:54 -0500

ALBANY—Assemblyman Richard Brodsky just swung by to announce an agreement between legislative leaders and David Paterson to increase oversight of public authorities.

"It's an idea that is about the control of rogue institutions. I've called them Soviet-style bureaucracies. This is the end of that era," Brodsky said. "For people worried about debt reform or who are worried about secretive decision making or who ware worried about people taking political orders and about people lobbying...

Senate Dems Insist They're Getting Close

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:28:29 -0500

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 additional proposals, as the governor himself has said that he would come back with."

"I hope that we get this...

The Jay Jacobs Tour

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:49:12 -0500

ALBANY—Jay Jacobs will be in Albany today, meeting privately with party officials and lobbyists as part of an ongoing listening tour around the state.

Jacobs will have a private lunch with several lobbyists and interest groups and then meet this afternoon with the chairs of local county party organizations.

"This is all over the state, I'm trying my best to get acquainted with people who I haven't yet," Jacobs told me Tuesday night. This...

No Deal, Mixed Messages After Leaders Meet

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:20:54 -0500

ALBANY—Emerging from a thirty-minute closed-door meeting with David Paterson, legislative leaders said they are still working on a deal on the mid-year deficit and hoped it could pass soon, but Paterson insisted we're still in Armageddonous territory.

"I don't know why people are walking out of here saying they're very close to a deal. I don't know why people are leaving here happy and I don't know why it is so difficult to understand...

Paterson Softening on $3.2 Billion Figure

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:58:21 -0500

ALBANY—That $3.2 billion deficit number was just a suggestion, it looks like.

"As I see it, one deficit, one plan," David Paterson told reporters after a meeting with legislative leaders. "I mean, I can't comment on what different people are saying. I'm talking to the leaders. We have a $3.2 billion plan. I mean, I'm sure if it wasn't exactly $3.2 billion that we could work with that. But at the same time, it's...

Shelly: We Were Always Tough On Drunks

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:19:51 -0500

ALBANY—As senators attacked the Assembly for unsuccessfully trying to "water down" Leandra's Law, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver says he was at the forefront of cracking down on drunk drivers all along.

The bill--named after 11-year-old Leandra Rosado, who died at the hands of a drunk driver--was set to be considered last week, but Silver's staff advanced a bill which would have not made it a felony to drive with a child passenger if the...

Legislators Negotiating New Ethics Bill, Raising Hopes for a 'Kumbaya Moment'

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:15:53 -0500

ALBANY—There might be movement on legislation restructuring the notoriously porous ethics enforcement in Albany.

"My understanding is we're actually looking at a new bill that has elements from all of the different passages that have actually been presented and as I said before I think that is a positive development," said Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause. "Both houses have this problem, and both houses have to step forward jointly. No more...

Paterson Still Unhappy About KSM, Mentions 9/11 Air Quality

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:43:59 -0500

ALBANY—David Paterson stood by his displeasure with the Obama administration's decision to hold the trial of 9/11 terrorists in lower Manhattan, and alluded to the federal government's miscalculation about the air quality in the neighborhood.

"What I said was that if I were making the decision, it's not the decision I would have made," Paterson told Errol Louis on WWRL. "New York has been through a lot. Not only were 2,700 people killed on...

Paterson Brings on a 'New Media' Director

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:19:56 -0500

ALBANY—The governor's office has hired Melanie Hartgraves to run the state web site and do new media outreach.

Hartgraves, who was working as a producer at WRGB-TV Channel 6 in Niskayuna, will serve as director of new media, filling a position that's been vacant since Jack Downey left the executive chamber work on Eric Dinallo's bid for attorney general on July 31.

Hartgraves started today, according to Peter Kauffmann, director of communications for David...

Kruger: We're 'Very Far From Far Apart' and Heading for a 'New Frontier'

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:14:38 -0500

ALBANY—State Senator Carl Kruger, the chairman of the chamber's finance committee, just insisted that things are close on a deficit reduction package.

"As you well know, we've been working, the staff as well as the members, both in-house and on a conference call, for virtually seven days a week," he told reporters at a press conference where he urged David Paterson to start collecting taxes on cigarette taxes sold on tribal reservations. "I think...

Lazio Attacks Cuomo for Undermining Paterson

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:09:27 -0500

ALBANY—In an odd twist, David Paterson's only declared opponent is rushing to defend him against his presumptive opponent Andrew Cuomo.

"I am writing to ask that you and any associates that may be acting on your behalf stop trying to undermine the Governor," Rick Lazio, the only declared Republican gubernatorial candidate, wrote in a publicly released letter to Cuomo. "If you think you can do a better job than Governor Paterson, why don't you...

Paterson: If You Were an Incumbent, You'd Be There Too

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:51:07 -0500

ALBANY—During a round of radio interviews this morning, David Paterson responded preemptively to questions about his standing in a just-released Siena poll, which shows his support levels still in the cellar.

On WHAM, Paterson was asked if they might dissuade him from seeking election as governor.

"No. And I'm actually tired of answering the question," Paterson replied. "How are you going to have good poll numbers when you're the one who's advocating the cutting?"

...

Poll: Paterson Job Approval Increases to 21

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:30:00 -0500

ALBANY—After a concerted political blitz including a television ad campaign, a new poll finds David Paterson's approval and favorability ratings inched up this month, but he now trails Andrew Cuomo in a gubernatorial primary by nearly 60 points.

The Siena Poll found that 75 percent of registered Democrats surveyed would prefer Cuomo to Paterson, who garnered the support of just 16 percent. Among African-Americans, Paterson now trails Cuomo by a 2:1 margin. Paterson is...

Kolb Picks Cox's Replacement (on the Judicial Nominating Board)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:21:35 -0500

ALBANY—Assembly Republicans have put forward John Cirando, an attorney from Syracuse, to sit on the Commission on Judicial Nomination.

Cirando will fill the seat of Ed Cox, who resigned from the commission in September when he became chairman of the Republican State Committee. Last week, the commission put out a public call for lawmakers to fill its vacant seats. Cirando's appointment by Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb was made in a letter dated Nov....

Tedisco: License Plates Will Be the New Driver's Licenses

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:19:41 -0500

ALBANY—Assemblyman Jim Tedisco smells blood.

The Schenectady Republican--and former leader of his chamber's minority caucus--had a press conference in September to decry a proposal requiring people to buy new license plates, and may attend a rally at the Capitol Monday staged by county clerks. The issue is gaining steam, and David Paterson--who proposed the provision in last year's budget--has said he is willing to reconsider it.

"I wouldn't be surprised if next week we...

A Woman for Paterson

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:56:13 -0500

ALBANY—Ellen Malcolm, the founder of EMILY's List, will attend a fund-raiser for David Paterson next week at the home of Sally Minard.

"Governor Paterson is a friend and I'm happy to do this event for him," Malcolm said through a spokesman.

The $250-a-head fundraiser features Michelle Paige Paterson and is billed as a "Women for Paterson" event. Malcolm's name was added to the top. EMILY's list is a national organization that supports pro-choice female...

Paterson: Whatever It Takes

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:20:36 -0500

ALBANY—David Paterson just said on a conference call he would agree to basically anything that would bridge the deficit.

"I am less and less ideological about deficit reduction. We just have to do it," Paterson said on a conference call with legislative leaders. "In other words, if the four of you agreed on something, you know, that I don't right now, I'd be persuaded to go along with it because my main thrust is...

Paterson on Being Grinchy When Grinchiness Is Called For

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:15:01 -0500

ALBANY—Fiscally, New York is in a "state of emergency," David Paterson said this morning, and legislators need to accept responsibility and tell the public the hard truth.

"There is a significant representation that does care, but as much as they can, they are going to have to fight off the distraction from all of these messages," Paterson told John Gambling this morning on WOR. "The fact is that we are spending at a rate...

See Bon Jovi, Andrew Cuomo, for $1,000

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:51:52 -0500

ALBANY—Jon Bon Jovi will play Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's birthday party.

He'll headline an event on December 17 at the Sheraton Towers in Manhattan, which is also a fund-raiser for Andrew Cuomo 2010. Tickets cost $1,000 per person, and bundlers are encouraged to buy tables (and a pass to the VIP reception before the dinner) for $10,000. Donors can also become "gold" and "silver" chairs for $25,000 and $50,000, respectively.

Fund-raising is critical, with...

Van Capelle is Confident in the Senate

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:12:55 -0500

ALBANY—Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, just said he believes "we had the votes back in June, and I still believe we have the votes today" to pass the same-sex marriage bill.

Van Capelle has been pushing furiously for a vote this year, even though he is nearly alone in saying that there are enough votes in the State Senate to pass it. (Most Senate sources say the opposite.)...

Albany Fails to Pass Drunk-Driving Law

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:01:31 -0500

ALBANY—Can you think of anything more politically safe than supporting a law that cracks down on drunk drivers, especially in the wake of tragedy?

Probably not.

But somehow, the New York State government couldn't get it together to do so during yesterday's special session.

David Paterson included in his special session agenda a bill to strengthen penalties for those who drive drunk with children under 15 in their car, dubbed Leandra's Law after...

Judicial Commission Wants Lawmakers to Fill It Out

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:21:15 -0500

ALBANY—The Commission on Judicial Nomination is seeking appointees.

Two vacancies now exist on the 12-member commission, chaired by former Chief Judge Judith Kaye, which is responsible for forwarding a list of names to David Paterson when vacancies arise on the Court of Appeals. The Commission's work was criticized by Paterson last December when it submitted a list of candidates to replace Kaye that included no women; Paterson felt it was not sufficiently diverse.

At...

Paterson Says That the Senate Has Secretly Promised to Vote on Same-Sex Marriage

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:47:44 -0500

ALBANY—A vote on same-sex marriage will be held "at a date not certain between now and the end of the year," David Paterson just promised publicly.

"This is the first time the Senate leadership has indicated that it will support a vote on marriage equality," Paterson said. He also committed to putting the bill on the calendar for a special session next week.

Conspicuously absent from the Red Room press conference where Paterson spoke...

Last Try for Same-Sex Marriage?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:16:06 -0500

ALBANY—It's a Hail Mary pass for same-sex marriage.

State Senator Tom Duane, the measure's sponsor in that chamber, just walked across the back of the floor trailed by Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson and Eric Adams, his top lieutenant. Along with Senators Malcolm Smith, Eric Schneiderman and Deputy Majority Leader Jeff Klein, they walked down to meet with David Paterson. Duane's hands were clasped and he was pacing. A source familiar with the lobbying...

Paterson Will Try Again Next Week

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:53:43 -0500

ALBANY—David Paterson is softening on his proposed cuts to health care, and says that as negotiations continue on a deficit reduction package for the state, legislators can go home.

"We'll continue the dialogue. I'll probably have a leaders meeting in the interim to keep us where they are, and bring the legislature in next Monday and Tuesday to complete this deficit reduction program," Paterson said, noting he would call a special session tomorrow except...

Albany Waits

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:14:55 -0500

ALBANY—Assemblyman Peter Abbate walked out of the member's lounge in his chamber and tried to snag a seat on a bench when someone asked him what was going on.

"Nothing," he replied.

It's a classic hurry-up-and-wait situation here at the Capitol. The Assembly was scheduled to go into session at 3 p.m. I saw Abbate at 4:20. State Senators are sitting in a closed conference, with demonstrators in favor of same-sex marriage and stronger...

Lopez: 'Too Early' to Say He's With Paterson in 2010

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:07:09 -0500

ALBANY—Right after David Paterson addressed a joint session of the legislature, I asked Assemblyman Vito Lopez whether he could say he supports the governor's 2010 electoral bid.

"Too early," Lopez, who is also chairman of the Brooklyn Democratic Committee told me. "The judgment, right now, he is the Democratic governor. I don't, you know...people have not, you know, haven't--what's the best way to broach it? He's a Democratic governor, and until something changes he...

Lazio Says He Would Have Done This Months Ago

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:45:52 -0500

ALBANY—Rick Lazio said that David Paterson's message to the legislature yesterday was accurate. But late.

"I would have called them back much earlier; I would have stayed on top of them much earlier," Lazio, the only Republican who has formally declared a campaign for Paterson's job, told me by phone. "It's going to be much more painful than it needed to be if we had done it six months ago."

Lazio said that the...

Where's Andrew?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:09:11 -0500

ALBANY—Andrew Cuomo is not in this picture.

"We invited the attorney general and the attorney general thanked us for the invitation and said that he had another matter that he had to address," David Paterson told reporters after he delivered a speech sounding, again, the fiscal alarm. "We invited all the statewide leaders."

Cuomo is quietly gearing up for a statewide run which might be for Paterson's job. Cuomo says constantly his "only plan"...

Paterson's Speech: 'We're Running Out of Money'

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:51:51 -0500

ALBANY—David Paterson arrived late for his big speech, and before an Assembly chamber that featured over a dozen empty chairs, delivered a blunt message: "Frankly, we are running out of money."

"At this moment, all of us assembled in this chamber stand as the last defense between our state gong into a downward economic spiral that threatens to engulf generations of future new Yorkers," Paterson said. "We cannot, we must not risk the future...

A Senate Dem Plan, Also Brought to You by the Health Lobby

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:06:29 -0500

ALBANY—With cover, Democrats in the State Senate have introduced their own deficit reduction plan.

It comes after several hearings the conference held this week, and includes $500 million from the refinancing of tobacco bonds. It also includes other sweeps and avoids the most painful cuts to education and Medicaid reimbursements.

"Our goal all along has been to close the gap without burdening New York State residents with additional taxes or service cuts, and to...

Weiner Returns to City Hall

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:25:49 -0500

Anthony Weiner could have held his press conference about federal health care legislation anywhere he wanted on Sunday. He held it in front of City Hall.

There's been no shortage of finger-pointing among Democrats over who's really to blame for not helping Bill Thompson in his unexpectedly close loss to Michael Bloomberg. Weiner himself has come under fire for criticizing the White House's conspicuously insignificant role in the race. But Weiner himself is not in...

To Save Money, the State Is Eliminating Personal Printers

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:31:48 -0500

ALBANY—Printers must be shared.

That's the message from state cost-czars seeking to trim $500 million from the spending of state agencies without laying off workers, a chop ordered by David Paterson a month ago.

A reader who works in a state agency told me that the Office of Taxpayer Accountability, created by Paterson in June, issued a directive asking agencies to come up with ways to reduce printing costs. The response as been to...

Paterson Bristles at Soda Tax, Sees No Silver Lining in Democratic Setbacks

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:58:02 -0500

ALBANY—David Paterson was decidedly unexcited when Mika Brzezinski brought up the soda-tax idea today on MSNBC's Morning Joe, something she said he "brought to the table" in the context of a budget deficit Paterson wants legislators to address next week.

"That's actually not true," the governor replied. (He did mention the idea during a radio interview last month.) "That was something I brought to the table last year and the legislature rejected it, so...