Jeff Klein | The New York Observer

Collateral Inconvenience: Bruno Case Ties Up Senate Computers

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:05:10 -0500

ALBANY—There's a computer shortage in the State Senate because federal investigators seized over 100 terminals in connection with their investigation of former Majority Leader Joe Bruno, whose trial is now underway.

"Due to the allegations against former majority leader Joe Bruno, the feds confiscated a number of Senate computers, which left the senate short in the number of available computers it had for staff and office use," said Austin Shafran, a spokesman for the...

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...

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...

Who Runs the Senate? (July 17 Edition)

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:05:00 -0400

ALBANY—So now that the Senate is nominallly a functioning body, who's running it? It's not an easy question to answer. "It's not a clear, bipartisan operating agreement, but it's not as though the Democrats have established clear control over the Legislature again and are consistently moving their agenda," Justin Phillips, a political science professor at Columbia University who researches state government, just told me by phone. "The Democrats are nominally back in charge, but until we...

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...

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...

Big Senate Meeting, Ongoing

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:04:00 -0400

ALBANY--A massive meeting of Democrats, Republicans and Pedro Espada Jr. is going on on the fourth floor of the Capitol, ostensibly to work out a power-sharing agreement and some temporary resolution to the leadership struggle that has crippled the Senate for the last ten-plus days. Democrats including Malcolm Smith, John Sampson, Carl Kruger, Jeff Klein and prodigal senator Hiram Monserrate just walked out as staffers for Republicans and Espada went in. Golisano aide and coup-facilitator Steve...

Democrats Cast Stones at Republicans, Espada

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:47:00 -0400

ALBANY—State Senate Democrats are launching a counteroffensive in the leadership struggle over their chamber. The target: State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. In four separate press releases sent over the course of 20 minutes, four different Democrats are criticizing Republicans who are standing by Espada's claim that he is the president pro tempore of the chamber. "I ask him and his fellow Long Island Republican senators the following question: Do you really believe that having Pedro Espada...

'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...

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...

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...

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...

Klein: M.T.A. 'Blueprint' Coming Tuesday Morning

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:43:00 -0400

ALBANY—State Senate Democrats conferenced for less than an hour after their session today, with Deputy Majority Leader Jeff Klein said there will be a "blueprint" for bailing out the M.T.A. unveiled tomorrow morning. "They're going to lay it out," Klein said to reporters, including Kyle Hughes of nysnys.com who showed me his video of the exchange. Staffers spent the weekend working on the issue, and the blueprint was developed by Majority Leader Malcolm Smith and key...