Dean Skelos | The New York Observer

Scozzafava's Labor Support, Like Scozzafava, Breaks for the Democrat

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:45:07 -0500

ALBANY—In August, Larry Bulman wasn't convinced Bill Owens would win his race to replace John McHugh in Congress.

"It's simple: boots on the ground," Bulman, the Saratoga County Democratic chairman and the political director for the plumbers and steamfitters union, told me over lunch. "Which means union support. That's how we won the Murphy race, and I'm not convinced labor will be there--she's got a lot of support in labor, and it will hurt...

Klein Outraises Everyone, Espada Tells an Untruth About Filing

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:46:00 -0400

ALBANY—State Senator Jeff Klein raised more money in the last six months than any other member of his chamber. Klein's filing shows that the deputy majority leader raised $638,564, and has $866,984 in the bank. That's more than President Pro Tempore Malcolm Smith, who raised $575,835; Republican Leader Dean Skelos, who raised $256,022; Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson, who raised $105,223; and Senator Carl Kruger, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, who raised $541,510. It's...

Reform, and Controversy

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:15:00 -0400

ALBANY—Senator Eric Schneiderman said the rules reforms adopted last night are "without peer," but they won't change anything in the Capitol immediately. Possibly the most interesting rule is the petition for consideration, under which a bill languishing in committee could be moved to the active list (and, as such, to a floor vote) if 38 of the chamber's 62 members sign a petition asking as much. But there are two preconditions: first, the bill would have...

With Espada's Re-Defection, Skelos Clings to Reform

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:49:00 -0400

ALBANY—Dean Skelos, the leader of the State Senate Republican conference, just threw in the towel. "I hope now that the leadership situation will be behind us," Skelos just told reporters. He hoped that Democrats would stick to the reformed rules of the chamber passed on June 8, which he insisted was the entire point of the coup that crippled the State Senate for an entire month. "It was about reform, it continues to be about reform,...

Republicans Leave as Dems Do Ordinary Senate Session; Medical Absence Leaves Them One Vote Short of Quorum

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:43:00 -0400

ALBANY—The same two-part dance played out on the chamber floor just now as in recent days: two parties, two procedures. After that happened, Republicans walked out of the chamber and into an immediate conference. But this time, double-flipping senator Pedro Espada Jr. remained alongside 30 other Democrats. (State Senator George Onorato has not yet checked in. Angelo Aponte, the Senate secretary, said he is absent to have an adjustment to his pacemaker.) "Despite some of the...

Why Ravitch Helps Paterson More Than a Settlement

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:12:00 -0400

ALBANY—Democrats in the State Senate just said they will use David Paterson's appointment of Dick Ravitch as lieutenant governor to start passing legislation, a move which will add new layers of controversy to a leadership struggle that, given the increasingly complicated legal picture, isn't getting any closer to a resolution. "I can tell the 19.5 million people: We are free, out of bondage. We're not going to be held hostage anymore," Senator John Sampson said...

Sources: Leadership Deal Has Smith and Skelos Splitting Top Jobs

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:17:00 -0400

ALBANY—Negotiations to resolve the State Senate leadership struggle include a deal that would make Malcolm Smith the chamber's president pro tempore and Dean Skelos the majority leader, sources familiar with the discussions said. Irene Liu at Capitol Confidential reported this earlier, and has more on the second level of leadership. I've heard that things are still fluid regarding the role of the much-maligned Senator Pedro Espada Jr., who currently claims the title of president pro tempore,...

Paterson Acts, Senators From Both Parties Complain

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:38:00 -0400

ALBANY—David Paterson publicly declared Sunday he would force the State Senate into a special session on Tuesday, barring some resolution of the leadership struggle in the chamber that is entering its third week. In doing so, Paterson had harsh words for senators, many of whom are former colleagues: "Over the last few weeks, the senators' conduct has been laughable. But what's going on around here these days is no joke, and I don't find it...

As Espada Speaks for Them, a Republican Coalition Maintains Its Posture

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:49:00 -0400

ALBANY—They're allied with him in the quest to wrest control of the State Senate leadership, but there are some lingering misgivings among Republicans in the chamber about the partnership with State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. "Several of them are in ‘Oh my God, what have we done' mode," said one Republican who is close to many of the senators. "Pedro is obviously enjoying this immensely. The image of Dean standing mute while Pedro pontificates is...

Skelos Refuses to Endorse Espada Publicly

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:37:00 -0400

ALBANY—Emerging from closed door negotiations, State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. did not get an endorsement by Republican Leader Dean Skelos. Espada proclaimed to reporters: "I just want to address the many questions you have posed to my office this morning regarding some scurrilous rumors about their being an agreement that Pedro Espada would step down. Let's be clear about where this coalition stands. The coalition is firm, it's united. We are discussing the details of...

Republicans Make an Offer That Leaves Skelos and Espada in Charge

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:41:00 -0400

ALBANY—Republicans just made a counter-proposal for bipartisan operating of the State Senate, as the deadlocked chamber moves to resolve an ongoing leadership struggle. The Republican proposal would last until 2011. It would leave Republican leader Dean Skelos in the majority leader post and State Senator Pedro Espada Jr., a Democrat, as president pro tempore. The two would jointly publish an active list of bills, but any member could move to have a bill they sponsored put...

'This Mess Is Worse Than Ever'

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:46:00 -0400

ALBANY—Apparently, the court decision that both sides in the State Senate leadership struggle were waiting for has changed nothing. Both sides claimed victory when Justice Thomas McNamara dismissed a suit filed last week by the Democrats, a suit which would have declared Malcolm Smith (still!) the majority leader and president pro tempore in the Senate. Democrats said they would not appeal the ruling, and once again reiterated their desire to work out some sort of...

Espada Jr. Implores Dems to Show For Session, Warns, Vaguely, of 'Legal Implications'

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:08:00 -0400

ALBANY—Not surprisingly, Republicans are seizing upon the dismissal of the Democratic lawsuit against the coup they hatched last week to call upon their colleagues to join them for session at 3 p.m. State Senator Pedro Espada Jr., the defecting Democrat who has joined the Republicans in a "coalition" government, asked David Paterson to clean up his mess. "As a good Democrat, I must advise the head of my party to come out forcefully and ask these...

Judge Dismisses Democratic Challenge to Senate Coup

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:36:00 -0400

ALBANY—Finally, after delaying for negotiations four times, Justice Thomas McNamara dismissed a lawsuit filed by Democrats to declare Malcolm Smith the leader of the State Senate. I'm not in court because I was covering David Paterson, who spoke with reporters, but got the news from Democratic attorney Michael Kink's Twitter feed. Republicans told me last night that they believe this means the vote they took last week electing Pedro Espada Jr. as president pro tempore and...

Bipartisanship, But How?

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:57:00 -0400

ALBANY—While both sides in the fight over state senate leadership wait to hear from a judge, the 31-31 split in the chamber means things will have to get more bipartisan. Right? "It's not in their political D.N.A. to work in a bipartisan fashion," said Blair Horner, the legislative director of NYPIRG and a longtime Capitol observer. "I don't know how long it takes to get there, but if there's any hope for the session, it's...

All the Democrats Have to Do Is Wait

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:46:00 -0400

The coup instigated last week by Republicans in the State Senate has (at least until Hiram Monserrate changes his mind yet again) landed in a bizarre, unexplored no-man’s land—one seat removed from both failure and success, a 31-31 kiss-your-sister tie in the chamber. Granted, this denouement isn’t technically final. A lawsuit, which Democrats hope will void the coup and reinstall them as the chamber’s majority party, is still pending, while Republicans, with Pedro Espada still...

The Last Thing David Paterson Wanted

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:02:00 -0400

If David Paterson seems particularly anguished by the lunacy unfolding in and around the State Senate chamber, it’s for good reason: His chance for political redemption is slipping away—and there’s not much he can do about it. The governor’s political comeback strategy, to the extent he has one, relies on using his incumbency to showcase his executive prowess and build public confidence in his leadership. This means pushing high-profile legislation through the Assembly and Senate...

Monserrate Balks, Leaving Republicans With Half a Coup

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:18:00 -0400

ALBANY—The Republican-led coalition that led a coup in the State Senate Monday was unable to deliver on its promise to hold session today, as one of the renegade Democrats moved away from their fold. State Senator Hiram Monserrate emerged from a closed-door meeting with Republican leader Dean Skelos and fellow insurgent, State Senator Pedro Espada Jr., to announce that the coalition is taking an "additional amount of time to ensure that the conversations that we...

Paterson to Democrats: Open the Chamber and Have a Vote

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:18:00 -0400

ALBANY—David Paterson wants the State Senate to vote on new leadership. Today he continued to blast Republicans and renegade Democrats who chose one of the last weeks of session to mount a coup in New York's upper chamber. Paterson also called on Democrats who still hold the keys to "open the doors" of government and vote. "They can resolve that issue by just holding another vote. If the votes are sustaining that leadership, then they would...

Smith by a Thread, Sampson Moving Toward Leadership, Duane Flirting With Republicans

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:05:00 -0400

ALBANY--Malcolm Smith is hanging on by a thread. A well-placed Democratic source told me the conference of black senators--without Smith--met yesterday and gave their blessing to John Sampson of Brooklyn to lead the Democratic caucus in the State Senate after a coup put a coalition of Republicans and renegade Democrats in charge. "It's not clear that Sampson has the votes yet to put this all together, he's a few votes short," the source said. Liz hashed out...

Coup Ends a Brief Era of Liberal Opportunity

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:23:00 -0400

ALBANY—For liberals, this was the year of great expectations. It was the first time in three-quarters of a century that Democrats controlled all three governmental levers in Albany, and the newly empowered Senate Democrats, led by Malcolm Smith, talked about legalizing same-sex marriage; passing new laws to protect tenants and mandate prevailing wages on public projects; and creating a new governmental process to make the Legislature transparent and decentralized. Of course, it all started...

After the Coup, an Anti-Coup Clause

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:37:00 -0400

ALBANY—Blair Horner, the longtime good-government advocate just stopped me in the halls to share this tidbit about the rules just enacted by the Republican "coalition" government. "They require 48-hours notice on any resolution," he said, smiling. "So their own coup wouldn't be possible under the new...

Progressive Agenda 'On Hold'

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:59:00 -0400

ALBANY—Reproductive rights? Tenant protections? Greater access to health care? Forget about it this year, and all bets are off for next year. "For the broader progressive agenda, insofar as the Democrats have lost their majority, it's on hold," said Gabriel Sayegh, a project director of the Drug Policy Alliance. His group's major legislative priority--loosening drug laws to allow more non-violent offenders to attend drug treatment programs instead of prison--already passed in this year's budget. Sayegh considers...

Paterson Won't the Leave State, Isn't Fighting for Smith

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:06:00 -0400

ALBANY—The first thing David Paterson was asked this morning, after speaking at a graduation for new state troopers, was whether he'd feel comfortable leaving the state anytime soon. Under a deal reached yesterday that has apparently toppled Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, if Paterson leaves New York (even to go to New Jersey), State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. would assume the powers of the governor, according to the state constitution. Yes, this is the same...

Anatomy of a Coup

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:50:00 -0400

ALBANY—At 3:37 p.m. Monday afternoon, State Senator Jeff Klein, a Democrat, offered a motion to adjourn the State Senate. It was an act of desperation: there was a motion on the floor that would elect the Republican leader in the chamber--Dean Skelos--majority leader, and install a turncoat Democrat, State Senator Pedro Espada Jr., as the president pro tempore. The last word was barely out of Klein's mouth before his fellow Democrat State Senator Neil...

Paterson: 'What Happened to the Handshake?'

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:19:00 -0400

ALBANY—In a five-minute tirade, David Paterson just told reporters it was an "outrage" that Senate Republicans would conduct such a "despicable" "dereliction of duty" by engaging in a coup that was an "unnecessary distraction from government dressed up in the cloak, falsely, of reform." "This is a government. Our country was founded on the basis of individualism, where people were encouraged to have beliefs, to have dialogue and flesh their problems out in public. In...

Squadron: My Form Is Already Public, Why Isn't Yours?

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:58:00 -0400

ALBANY—Daniel Squadron is practicing what he's preaching. He will unveil a bill today alongside Majority Leader Malcolm Smith which will require, among other things, that the categories describing income and asset holdings on required ethics disclosure forms be made public un-redacted; currently, the public can see who a legislator worked for, but not how much they made. (And even then, only a category would be available). Squadron gave me a copy of his undredacted 2007 form...

Senate Republicans Look Into Their Souls, Overcome Past 'Fear' of Reform

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:45:00 -0400

ALBANY—State Senate Republicans this morning held a press conference to present themselves as governmental reformers. Yes, there's the blatant hypocrisy factor in all of this: Republicans held the majority for forty years and implemented none of the things--empowering committee chairs, distributing resources more equitably, and imposing a six-year term limit for the majority leader--they are now talking about. Why not? "Fear," State Senator John Bonacic explained. If a senator tried to challenge the power of the majority...

Cuomo's Bill Cleared the Senate and Split the Republicans

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:20:00 -0400

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 supported efforts to reduce property taxes, but we had a number of concerns about this bill including that fire districts were...

Dems Backpedal Quietly on Drug-Law Change as Republicans Rage

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:05:00 -0400

ALBANY—State senators are roaring at each other as they try to postpone a provision of the state budget that gives judges the ability to seal criminal records for some drug offenders if they move to do so. Minority Leader Dean Skelos held a press conference with his members of the Senate Republican conference to unveil a bill sponsored by State Senator Frank Padavan which repeals the provision, which he said should not be excused as...

Kolb Adopts a New Tone; Skelos Doesn't

Wed, 06 May 2009 13:30:00 -0400

ALBANY—It looks like Brian Kolb, the new Assembly minority leader, is adopting a much more conciliatory tone toward the majority Democrats than that of his Senate counterpart—or his predecessor in the job. Here, for example, is what he said at an open leaders meeting this afternoon—Kolb's first—on David Paterson's proposal for a spending cap. "If you're looking for a recommendation from me, I think we need to set up a process immediately to get all of...

Still Waiting For an Actual M.T.A. Bill

Wed, 06 May 2009 12:57:00 -0400

ALBANY—Where's the bill? There was an announcement of an M.T.A. bailout deal last night, but no legislators have seen an actual bill at this point. Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos, leaving a leaders meeting a few moments ago, lamented this fact. Outside the legislative chambers, I found Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign and Neysa Pranger of the Regional Plan Association--who have advocated for a full plan and are generally pleased with this one--waiting, saying they...

Dalai Lama Prays for Senate, Sympathizes With Republicans

Wed, 06 May 2009 11:47:00 -0400

ALBANY—His Holiness the Dalai Lama is in town, and just offered the opening prayer over the State Senate chamber. "Compassion will guide more of our activities in way that they become constructive," the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso said. "Compassion will bring us in step with more confidence, and inner peace of mind. That's extremely useful for our character." Before opening the session, Gyatso met with Majority Leader Malcolm Smith and several other senators, and offered blessings...

Some Senate Dems Now Calling for Stimulus Transparency

Tue, 05 May 2009 11:57:00 -0400

ALBANY—Several Democrats in the State Senate are today sending a letter to David Paterson, calling on him to create an independent auditor to monitor the distribution of stimulus funds--and putting them on the same side as good-government groups and Senate Republicans who have already urged more tranparency in the process. "In the event additional federal stimulus funds become available, New York State must have in place a system that proves we have invested taxpayer money...

Now Paterson Wants a Spending Cap

Mon, 04 May 2009 17:07:00 -0400

ALBANY—The latest play by the suddenly offensive-minded David Paterson is not a typical proposal for a liberal Democrat: a legally mandated cap on state spending. The proposal, which Paterson said he will put before the state legislature soon, would take an average of the past three years' inflation rate, and restrict the state operating funds budget to growing within that margin. The capital budget would not be included, Paterson said. But if it were enacted...

Can Malcolm Smith, or Anyone, Make the Senate Function?

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:45:00 -0400

ALBANY—After yet another failure to hash out an agreement on how to bail out the M.T.A. this week, State Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith declared that it was no longer about the merits, but purely about "what gets us there with the votes we need to get it passed." It was probably his most explicit public admission that his narrow majority and the disparate agendas of his members are making it next to impossible to...

Paterson Says He 'Can End' M.T.A. Problem Next Week, 'Hopefully'

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:40:00 -0400

ALBANY—David Paterson said he hopes to arrive at a deal with legislative leaders next week to close M.T.A.'s deficit. He played down reports of squabbling between himself, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith. "I don't think there's been much squabbling among the leaders," Paterson said after a press conference related to Swine flu, where Health Commissioner Dr. Richard Daines said there were three more "probable" cases outside of New York City....

Marty Golden Calls on Joe Mondello to Resign Immediately

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:39:00 -0400

ALBANY—Add another voice to the list of Republicans calling for the immediate resignation of Joe Mondello as chair of the state party: State Senator Marty Golden. "He should get out. It's time for him to step aside," Golden told me by phone, after expressing similar sentiments on Fred Dicker's radio show this morning. "The biggest slap in the face in the decline of this party over the years is the losing of the Tedisco race....