Gun Control: "it's not clear what exactly Obama will do now, or how hard he will push for more gun-control limits." [Perry Bacon Jr.]
Gun Control: "The contours laid out in [Obama's] op-ed are similar to the plan currently being pushed by [Mayors Against Illegal Guns] and Sen. Chuck Schumer." [Sam Stein]
Senate Democrats stood behind Majority Leader John Sampson's unwillingness to pledge to bring gay marriage up for a vote in 2011 in a series of interviews today.
Many State Senate Dems gathered on the steps of City Hall for a press conference on hydro-fracking and they agreed with Sampson that it may make Read More
When Lt. Governor Dick Ravitch came out with his budget reform plan in March, it was greeted with a round of criticism from many corners of the capitol, mostly as many lawmakers attacked it for its reliance on borrowing and plans to weaken their budgetary powers.
But the criticisms were usually delivered with the disclaimer Read More
AG candidate Eric Schniderman, whose opponents include at least one female candidate, is having a fund-raiser Friday featuring his prominent female supporters.They include: State Senator Liz Krueger, Council Members Gale Brewer and Julissa Ferras, as well as former public advocate Betsy Gotbaum, former Council member Ronnie Eldridge, and major Democratic donor Susan Patricof.The only Read More
State Senate Finance Chair Carl Kruger is no fan of State Senator Liz Kreuger's suggestion that that Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch, long a straight-shooting public-finance wonk, should lead budget negotiations, instead of Governor David Paterson.
(Josh Robin of NY1 reported that State Comptroller Thomas DiNapolli also thinks Ravitch should take a bigger role Read More
This morning, on the 37th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, former state Democratic Party Chairwoman Judith Hope emailed an open letter to Harold Ford Jr., attacking the would-be senator for his record on abortion rights.
"Being pro-choice means you stand up and fight for a woman's right to her own medical decisions, Read More
ALBANY—It was midnight in the Capitol, and according to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, the bills on a deficit reduction plan were still "somewhere in the printing process."
"I mean, it's the same base bill that's been drafted and distributed for weeks. What's printing is working on another version of that," Silver said in 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 Read More
Citizens Union signaled they’re putting some muscle behind their criticisms, and focusing not just on “on criticizing government, but changing it in Albany,” according to their executive director, Dick Dadey.
In a speech last night at the Pierre Hotel right off Central Park, Dadey said, “We need to end the responsibility-ducking, ethically challenged culture, 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—One of Hiram Monserrate's Democratic colleagues in the State Senate is now calling for his resignation in the wake of an assault conviction yesterday.
Liz Krueger, who represents the Upper East Side, just issued a press release saying Monserrate "should resign immediately based on the seriousness of his violent crime." Leaders in Read More
ALBANY—State Senator Liz Krueger, the vice chair of the Senate's finance committee, said that the staffs of each legislative conference will meet with staffers from the Budget Division in a closed-door meeting tomorrow.
"My understanding is that the governor and DOB will be putting some of their proposals on the table for us to Read More
ALBANY—John Flateau would be a reasonable fall guy given the current state of things in State Senate's Democratic conference, whose hiring practices are now a punchline.
But Flateau, who unilaterally signed off on the hiring of Pedro G. Espada, will be transitioned full-time onto the Senate payroll. He is currently an hourly employeeRead More
ALBANY—State Senator Liz Krueger says she wants to examine some of the hiring practices of her Democratic conference, amid news that Pedro G. Espada will resign from his $120,000-a-year job and someone fired by the governor's office was hired by Conference Leader John Sampson at a higher salary.
"I have urged my leadership Read More
As I noted earlier, Garodnick's district mirrors a good portion of the Congressional district, and he has a base of support in the voter-rich Stuyvesant Town and Peter Read More
