Dean Skelos
ALBANY—David Paterson--Republican hero? "It seems to me that there's a question of conscience that's bothering him, and that's whether all of the taxes and fees that he's supported not just in last year's budget, but also when he was a senator in the minority," Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos said in a press conference after his formal response to Paterson's State of the State speech aired on TV. "I hope that this has been a... READ MORE»
ALBANY—Here's the Republican response to David Paterson's State of the State address, as delivered by Senator Dean Skelos. Skelos lauded Paterson's focus on fiscal issues, but blamed him and Democrats for "an opportunity that was squandered" to use stimulus funds for investment. Here's the text, and YouTube clip, of the... 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 on WGDJ. "They have not indicated when it will come for a vote, but the sooner the... READ MORE»
ALBANY—Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos is calling on New York to join a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the health care bill under consideration by the U.S.... READ MORE»
ALBANY—Democrats in the State Senate are acknowledging (at least temporary) rejection in their offer of three committee chairmanships to... READ MORE»
ALBANY—Dean Skelos, the Republican leader in the State Senate, is putting the brakes on a Democratic proposal to give members of his conference committee... READ MORE»
ALBANY—John Sampson and Dean Skelos, the leaders of their party's respective conferences in the State Senate, met this morning to discuss the prospect of Republicans taking over the chairmanship of several committees, a Democratic spokesman... READ MORE»
ALBANY—Forget noon--there's no bill codifying the supposed deal to bridge $2.8 billion of deficit. "We have not seen that bill," Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos just said on WGDJ. He has scheduled a conference of his members at 10:30 to review a bill he was told existed. The session was scheduled for... READ MORE»
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... READ MORE»
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... READ MORE»
ALBANY—It's official -- they're gone. The Assembly just recessed until Monday at 2 p.m. State Senators did not bother to gavel into session today; at least half a dozen of the members of the Democratic majority left last night. The Senate is expected to return to session Monday... READ MORE»
ALBANY—Is this a shift toward Senator... READ MORE»
ALBANY—State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. is "sorry" he missed a vote on Leandra's Law, which cracks down on people who drive drunk with kids in their car, but he has other business to attend... 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 additional proposals, as the governor himself has said that he would come back... READ MORE»
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... READ MORE»
