ALBANY—The State Senate's four amigos will meet for lunch today, to discuss anything and everything.
"We're going to be discussing everything. Everything! The agenda for next year." Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. told me by phone this morning, after his office put out an advisory that the meal would be taking place--at the Nautilus Diner Read More
ALBANY—State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. has a message for Assemblyman Jose Peralta: "There's a saying in Puerto Rico: if you have glass windows, don't throw stones."
I called Diaz to ask him about a column this morning by Juan Gonzalez which said Peralta had steered over $500,000 to a dubious non-profit organization with ties Read More
ALBANY—What went wrong?
Despite the spin, most everyone pushing for a bill legalizing same-sex marriage privately acknowledges that the 24-38 loss in the State Senate was a whopper, and while theories abound, there's no clear explaination for how the bill was so soundly defeated.
Senator Eric Schneiderman started by blaming Republicans.
"If you look 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
ALBANY—This fund-raising invitation State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. just sent over illustrates something about the power structure of the State Senate, showing how the chamber's current Democratic leader(s?) have been in lock-step with the so-called four amigos since the end of a month-long stalemate.
Diaz Sr. lists his son--the newly elected Bronx borough president--at Read More
ALBANY—Malcolm Smith spoke first at a press conference announcing Democrats had regained control of the fractured State Senate, but the amigos spoke the longest. And the message was clear: They're in charge. "The four amigos stand here once again today, proud and tough, supporting our communities, but most importantly, in friendships that didn't even exist Read More
ALBANY—Malcolm Smith spoke first at a press conference announcing Democrats had regained control of the fractured State Senate, but the amigos spoke the longest. And the message was clear: They're in charge.
"The four amigos stand here once again today, proud and tough, supporting our communities, but most importantly, in friendships that didn't Read More
ALBANY—The four amigos walked out of the office of State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. and onto the floor of the chamber—saying little, if anything—where an extraordinary session by David Paterson has been called for 3 p.m.
Republicans were there, too, and one handed me a letter that Espada, who has apparently flipped Read More
ALBANY—The four amigos walked out of the office of State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. and onto the floor of the chamber—saying little, if anything—where an extraordinary session by David Paterson has been called for 3 p.m. Republicans were there, too, and one handed me a letter that Espada, who has apparently flipped back to the Read More
ALBANY—It's Thursday, so what will the Amigos do to blow up the State Senate stalemate?
"We said if they didn't do something, we're going to do something. They did something. So what do you want me to do now? Whether it's legal or illegal is his problem," Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., the Read More
ALBANY—It's Thursday, so what will the Amigos do to blow up the State Senate stalemate? "We said if they didn't do something, we're going to do something. They did something. So what do you want me to do now? Whether it's legal or illegal is his problem," Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., the spokes-amigo, told me. Read More
ALBANY—If nothing else, David Paterson has succeeded in dividing the four amigos.
"What on God's earth is he thinking?" Senator Pedro Espada Jr. asked reporters, saying he heard from "businesspeople in my district" that Paterson would indeed appoint a lieutenant governor this evening.
He said it would blow up ongoing negotiations. "We're on a Read More
ALBANY—If nothing else, David Paterson has succeeded in dividing the four amigos. "What on God's earth is he thinking?" Senator Pedro Espada Jr. asked reporters, saying he heard from "businesspeople in my district" that Paterson would indeed appoint a lieutenant governor this evening. He said it would blow up ongoing negotiations. "We're on a path to Read More
ALBANY—Make that a table for six.
The four amigos—who announced this morning they would be joined by State Senator Martin Malave Dilan—once again broke bread (bagels?) at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Albany. Dilan yesterday joined the amigos in walking out of a regular session called by Democrats.
Once again, State Read More
ALBANY—Over bagels and cheese grits with Frank Sinatra crooning in the background, the "four amigos" made a spectacle of their continued discussions about the leadership struggle in the State Senate.
"The only thing I can say is that my colleagues and I are here to find a solution," State Senator Hiram Monserrate, a Queens Read More
