Governor | The New York Observer

A Paterson Fund-Raising Committee Inches Away, Toward Cuomo

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:20:00 -0400

Of the 99 donors listed on David Paterson’s birthday fund-raising committee, 57 did not contribute toward the governor’s re-election this reporting cycle, eight contributed to both Paterson and his rival-in-waiting Andrew Cuomo, and nine gave only to Cuomo, a review of recent campaign filings shows. “There’s no bias. Everybody gets equal attention; I support all my top officials in the state,” said Tom Poelker, chairman of the Greene County Democratic Party. (He gave $1,000...

Paterson Vetos $5.7 Million of Spending

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:16:00 -0400

ALBANY—David Paterson announced he has vetoed 14 bills, claiming savings to the state of $5.7 million. Earlier this year, angry at legislators for not introducing his legislation to enact a spending cap, Paterson threatened to veto bills that spent money. Here's a list from the governor's office of his latest victims: A.1800/S.2210, which could have cost New York City an estimated $162 million by changing the definition of the word "income" as related to the way...

The Asset David Paterson Can't Wait to Deploy

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:19:00 -0400

ALBANY--David Paterson named Richard Ravitch his lieutenant governor to solve a leadership dispute in the State Senate. But he’s hoping for a lot more. “The lieutenant governor, like a vice president, is an extension of the governor,” Mr. Paterson told the Observer. “I would think that because of his acumen on subjects and his well-tested decision-making capacity that he might direct some policy and even some action, but it will always be understood by he...

After the Storm, a Commitment to Diverse Judges

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:29:00 -0400

ALBANY—The Commission on Judicial Nomination has posted a new set of criteria for selecting potential candidates, including a specific declaration of the benefits of diversity. These new rules come after a tiff earlier this year that the Commission's slate of potential candidates--from which the governor is legally obliged to select judges for the Court of Appeals--was not diverse because it included no women. There was talk of legislative action (hearings! task forces!) but ultimately, Paterson appointed...

Obscene Gesture: Senate Dems Take Up Anti-Mayoral Control Bill

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:14:00 -0400

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 of the Panel for Educational Policy and giving members a fixed two-year term. It also has other mechanisms for increasing...

The New New Democratic Leadership Team

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:13:00 -0400

All of the purported leaders of the Democratic conference stood together to announce their leadership team at a press conference just now. They are: Pedro Esapda Jr., the chamber’s majority leader. Malcolm Smith, the chamber’s president pro tempore. A source familiar with the deal said that Smith would hold that post only until December; when asked about this, Sampson would not say either way. John Sampson, the Democratic conference leader. Jeff Klein, the deputy majority leader. Carl Kruger, chairman...

Source: Espada Triple-Crosses, Ending Stalemate

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:54:00 -0400

ALBANY—A Democratic state senator involved in negotiations just confirmed that State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. will be returning to that conference as co-majority leader. "I think the conference will go for it," the source said. Espada is right now standing on the balcony over the Senate chamber talking to Steve Pigeon. Espada told Fred Dicker that "Dean [Skelos] rejected an opportunity" and now he's returning to the Democrats. This would end the stalemate that has hobbled Albany...

Paterson, Ravitch Explain Themselves

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:43:00 -0400

ALBANY—Speaking in the ornate Red Room, which was stocked half-full of administration officials, including the commissioners of several state agencies, David Paterson appeared publicly for the first time with newly named Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch. Paterson said Ravitch was sworn in around 8:40 p.m. last night, and his oath was filed and accepted by the Secretary of State by 11 p.m., over 90 minutes before a restraining order was issued by a Nassau County judge....

Paterson's New Lawyers

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:31:00 -0400

ALBANY—Democrats are attacking a court order restraining Richard Ravitch, the newly appointed lieutenant governor, saying it was obtained improperly. "We continue to want an expeditious court review; we want it to be in the appropriate court, not Nassau County in the middle of the night," Kathleen Sulivan, the former dean of Stanford Law School and the head of David Paterson's newly named legal team, said. "If you're going to try to enjoin action by public...

Winner: We Should Look at Impeaching Paterson

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:57:00 -0400

ALBANY—State Senator George Winner just suggested Paterson's appointment of Richard Ravitch is an impeachable offense. "I think that any time you're talking about willful violation of the constitution for political purposes, as I believe the governor is doing, I think it's a fair game to take a look at it," the Elmira Republican just told reporters. "I think the Assembly should take a look at it. This type of behavior, I think, is intolerable." Under 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...

Ravitch Restrained

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:03:00 -0400

ALBANY—Here's a court order restraining Richard Ravitch, named last night by David Paterson, from performing the duties of lieutenant governor.The order was signed by Judge Ute Wolfe Lally at 12:23 a.m. after a petition from the leaders of the Republican-dominated State Senate coalition, Pedro Espada Jr. and Dean Skelos.The order is in effect until the case can be heard in Nassau County Supreme...

Paterson Robo-Campaigns on the Ravitch Appointment

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:02:00 -0400

Here's the script of a robocall from David Paterson that went out last night: "Tonight, I announced the appointment of Richard Ravitch as Lieutenant Governor. I have used my authority and taken this step in order to get the State Senate working again. My priorities are clear: we must create good, new jobs; make health insurance affordable and secure; and provide property tax relief. But this work has been sidelined by chaos in the Senate. Together with Lt. Gov. Ravitch, I am...

Sides Agree to Produce Records, Keep Talking Out of Court

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:09:00 -0400

ALBANY—We'll have to wait until Monday, or even longer. Judge Thomas McNamara sent the dueling parties in State Senate leadership struggle back to the negotiating table—a move that has become something of a trademark for him. By my count, this is the sixth time legal action related to the case has been adjourned. After a closed, hour-long conference, the two sides also agreed to produce a transcript for the court showing the exact proceedings of June 8,...

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,...

In the Chaos, Senate Dems May See One Last Opportunity to Wrest Schools From the Mayor

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:14:00 -0400

ALBANY—As both sides of the State Senate leadership struggle inch closer to an operating agreement, Democrats are positioning themselves to take one last crack at diluting mayoral control of city schools. Speaking to reporters after an extraordinary session that lasted just over three minutes, Senators Malcolm Smith and John Sampson, the leaders of the Democratic conference, insisted that they did not want to work out the problems and convene in a regular legislative session, which...

Last Southern Candidate Standing

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:20:00 -0400

Besides Andre Bauer, the South Carolina lieutenant governor who may soon luck into his state’s top job, the biggest beneficiary of Mark Sanford’s sudden fall from grace could actually be the governor of Mississippi. That would be 61-year-old Haley Barbour, who chaired the Republican National Committee in the mid-1990s and who is plainly interested in seeking the presidency in 2012—which explains why, as news of the Sanford scandal spread yesterday, Barbour was in New Hampshire...

Paterson: No Expenses for Senators

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:35:00 -0400

ALBANY—Noting that "today is the same as yesterday, yesterday is the same as the day before," David Paterson said he has directed the state treasurer not to pay senators per diem expenses and asked Comptroller Tom DiNapoli to review whether members of the still-hobbled State Senate should be paid. Paterson said he believes he has the power to withhold the per diems because they "relate to state travel, and there we feel we do have...

In Preparation for Possible Race Against Andrew, Rudy Echoes Mario

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:05:00 -0400

Rudy Giuliani's Op-Ed in today's Times is being read as a clear indication that he still has a run for governor on his mind. So it's interesting that the substance of his argument, that New York needs a constitutional convention to fix Albany, is also the favorite topic of Mario Cuomo, who Giuliani crossed party lines to endorse in 1994 and who is the father of the man Giuliani might very well face in...

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...

Source: Paterson Will Call Special Session by Wednesday

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:32:00 -0400

ALBANY—David Paterson will call a special session to deal with "critical bills" if there is no deal reached in the battle over State Senate leadership by Wednesday, an administration official just told me. There's a list of 42 items, as the Daily News reported, which includes lots of local extenders, authorizations for bonding, the Tier V pension plan, a Power for Jobs extender and the Assembly's school control bill. It does not include legislation authorizing...

The Paterson Solution?

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:50:00 -0400

ALBANY—Thursday was a day of circular progression back to a stalemate in the battle over State Senate leadership, with a Democrat almost joining the Republicans on the floor for their daily routine of "session," but not, and Democratic lawyers almost re-filing a restraining order against State Senator Pedro Espada Jr., but balking at the bench. One thing grew clearer by day's end: a growing sense of futility and greater disconnect between the parties. As a...

Bloomberg and Silver Keep Up the Offensive Against the Port Authority Over WTC

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:33:00 -0400

Mayor Bloomberg, joining forces with frequent adversary Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, has launched a campaign against the Port Authority in an attempt to force the agency to agree to put up more money at the World Trade Center. Officials from the city and the bistate Port Authority have been engaged in intense talks as they try to back financing for two office towers at the site, which would be built and owned by private developer...

Bloomberg Versus Paterson and Corzine at WTC

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:22:00 -0400

Just after 6 p.m. on Monday, Mayor Bloomberg’s press office emailed a statement on negotiations surrounding the World Trade Center, where a private developer and the public sector have hit a major obstacle over financing. In May, the various officials involved pledged to try to have a resolution by Thursday, June 11. With no solution then, the mayor asked for a few more days, with the hope of having some sort of plan by...

'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...

Paterson Asks the Senate to Do the Easy Things

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:22:00 -0400

ALBANY—Emerging for the first time in this, the second week of the State Senate's leadership struggle, David Paterson said that resolving the dispute over who is in charge is "beyond my pay grade" and instead proposed that the sides come together to work on immediate, non-controversial actions. "I'm getting calls from leaders all around the state who are anxious that if there isn't immediate action, it actually hurts the financial stability of their government and...

State Fighting Bottle-Bill Ruling

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:06:00 -0400

ALBANY—After a federal judge threw out the state's expanded bottle law last month in response to a lawsuit by some major bottlers, government lawyers filed a motion Wednesday calling on the judge to reconsider. The motion seeks to modify a ruling by Judge Thomas Griesa, which stopped all aspects of the law until April 1, 2010. State officials agreed that a provision calling for a New York-specific UPC code needed to be looked at, but...

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...

Wilmers Exits ESDC as State Development Agency Turmoil Continues

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:01:00 -0400

The Senate has been monopolizing the chaos in Albany of late, but the Paterson administration has its own problems as well. The chairman of the state's main development arm, Bob Wilmers, is resigning after a year in the post, according to multiple people familiar with the situation. The departure from the development agency, Empire State Development Corporation, gives Governor Paterson yet another vacant slot to fill in an administration that has been marked by turnover lately. It...

'Courtesy Calls' Aside, Paterson Wants No Part of the Senate Mess

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:33:00 -0400

ALBANY—David Paterson's director of communications just swept through the LCA Room to deny a press release from State Senator Pedro Esapda Jr. which claimed the governor recognized him as the president pro tempore of the State Senate. "Absolutely not," Kauffmann said. Espada Jr. was sworn in to the post during a floor coup Monday, but the move will be litigated tomorrow by lawyers representing Democratic Leader Malcolm Smith. He said that during a 15-minute telephone call,...

Paterson's Ethics Head Says Body Should Stay

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:38:00 -0400

ALBANY—Michael Cherkasky, the man David Paterson appointed to lead the embattled Commission on Public Integrity as he seeks to dissolve it, just issued a statement "respectfully" saying the governor was wrong to call for the commissioners to resign. "After my full review, I respectfully submit, however, that the Governor's request should be withdrawn," Cherkasky wrote. "I believe the commissioners acted in an unbiased, non-partisan manner and arrived at conclusions that are supported by the facts...

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...

After the Coup: Landlords Get a 'Reprieve'

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:50:00 -0400

Mike McKee was in the State Capitol Monday afternoon, eagerly awaiting Tuesday. For the past three years, the white-haired, bearded activist had devoted his efforts almost exclusively to passing sweeping new rent regulations in the State Senate that favor the city’s one million–plus stabilized tenants. As of early afternoon Monday, the chamber’s housing committee was slated to vote the next day on a far-reaching bill he had championed, and Mr. McKee was expecting a heavy...

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...

Golisano: 'Don't Talk to Me About Ethical Background in Albany'

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:39:00 -0400

ALBANY—Tom Golisano is not concerned about whether, in his effort to build a "reform" coalition, he cut a deal with "a thief and a thug," as a Senate Democratic spokesman called Golisano's partners in yesterday's coup. "I'm not 100 percent confident, but very happy with the start," he said about the possibility of rules reforms in the chamber. I asked Golisano if there could really be rules reform, given both Pedro Espada Jr.'s and Hiram Monserrate's...

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...

Bloomberg on the Senate Flip

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:32:00 -0400

Michael Bloomberg appeared with Whoopi Goldberg at John Jay College this afternoon for a "Women for Bloomberg" campaign rally. Afterward, he had a question-and-answer session with reporters about the Senate coup in Albany: "Well, we still have the same agenda we did before." [If the city budget is delayed?] "We would be in uncharted water. I expect to have an on-time budget...have to have reasonable assurances the revenue will be there, and if this were to get...

With Friends Like These, How Long Can the Republicans Hold On to the Senate?

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:27:00 -0400

Democrats waited 40 years to win back the state Senate and now, just five months after finally securing control, it’s been snatched away from them again. So it’s only logical that they’re furious. But they should really take a breath, because—while they will have a clear and profound impact on the workings of Albany through 2010—the surprise defections of State Senators Pedro Espada and Hiram Monserrate to the Republican conference could end up, in...

A Tax Issue: Fidler Worries That the City Will Be Victimized by the Senate Coup

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:20:00 -0400

One of the innumerable questions raised by today’s (possible) flip of power in the state Senate: Will New York City be able to get a tax hike of some sort through Albany? Councilman Lew Fidler, for one, is worried. “My only concern is that the Senate is going to be totally ineffective between now and June 30, and we’ll have an $850 million revenue hole,” he told me. “They could decide to go home and fight...

Lowey 'Can't Believe' the Republican Takeover of the State Senate

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:24:00 -0400

The Republican takeover of the State Senate has taken the state's Democratic establishment completely by surprise. I mentioned the development to Representative Nita Lowey as I was interviewing her for a different story. "What?!" said Lowey, a former chairwoman of the DCCC. "Who flipped now?" "I can't believe that," she said. Asked for a reaction to the news, Lowey said that analyzing the inner workings of the Senate was above "my pay grade," but said, "I...

DAs, Golden, Push Tape Supposedly Showing Drug Offenders Love New Drug Law

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:10:00 -0400

ALBANY—District attorneys from around the state, led by Staten Island's Dan Donovan, released this tape recording (caveat: it contains explicit language) supposedly of an incarcerated inmate talking with an associate out of jail, proclaiming newly enacted restructurings of the state's drug laws are creating "the beast." "Now that I know I'm never gonna face no real time," the inmate says, "if I do catch another one, I'll be a first time offender anyway, ya know...

The End of the Terry McAuliffe Experiment

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:46:00 -0400

Terry McAuliffe, the unflappably cheery Clinton family confidante, became such a favorite of the Washington press corps last year that they took to referring to him good-naturedly by his nickname, “The Macker.” After the election, the former D.N.C. chairman took his media celebrity, if you can call it that, and set out to exchange it for the governorship of Virginia, where he’s lived for the past two decades or so. But Virginians have apparently been resistant...

Paterson's Latest Idea: A High-Tech Economy

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:25:00 -0400

ALBANY—The governor's office just released this new economic development plan, which David Paterson unveiled with much fanfare in a speech to the New York Academy of Sciences today. The plan proposes investing in emerging technology to help diversify the state's economy, providing loans to students, working toward breakthroughs in stem cell and nanotechnology research ($650 million for stem cell research over the next decade), providing a state match for some federal grants and modernizing the...

Gillibrand Consolidates, Maloney Denies That Biden Asked Her to Desist

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:52:00 -0400

As part of her continuing effort to become primary-proof, Kirsten Gillibrand announced on the steps of City Hall today the support of two more Democratic members of Congress, Ed Towns and Nydia Velazquez. "I'm extremely grateful," said Gillibrand, as she stood flanked by the two representatives in front of four reporters and one television camera. She called Towns a leader in the House and said that Velazquez introduced her to Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee Sonia...

Another Top Paterson Official Calls it Quits

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:39:00 -0400

Once again, a top Paterson aide is leaving the troubled administration. Marisa Lago, the state’s top economic development official since August 2008, is resigning from her post, according to multiple people informed of the decision. Dennis Mullen, currently her upstate deputy, will take her position, according to one person familiar with the shuffling. As CEO of the Empire State Development Corporation, her departure adds to the turmoil at an agency that has seen its fair share...

Paterson Promises Commission on Police Killing; Sharpton Looks at D.A. Candidates

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:22:00 -0400

David Paterson, emerging from a meeting of African-American leaders that included the Rev. Al Sharpton and Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, announced he will appoint a commission to examine incidents of "friendly fire" among police officers, including the events leading up to the death last week of Officer Omar Edwards in East Harlem, and that he may appoint a special prosecutor to look into the case. "I will not close the door to that, I will...

Paterson Makes a Deal With Unions, Officially

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:49:00 -0400

As reports in the last few days have said he would, David Paterson just announced a deal with public employee unions that will spare proposed layoffs by offering members buyouts, and in exchange for enacting a less-generous pension program, called Tier V, for newly-hired employees. Details from the governor's office are below. This agreement should be a big boost for Paterson: he can claim credit for pushing through Tier V, and at the same time...