Ruben Diaz Sr. | The New York Observer

Ruben Diaz Sr. Will Return Monday to Vote Against Things

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:37:37 -0500

ALBANY—A good (?) harbinger: State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. says he will be coming to the Capitol for Monday's session.

"They sent me the governor's budget proposal, so we have something to negotiate, so I'll be in Albany. They just delivered it to me at my house. UPS," Diaz told me just now, enjoying some turkey with his wife. "That means that we have something to talk about. So I'll come to Albany to...

Diaz Excuses His Absence

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:16:30 -0500

ALBANY—State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. is "sorry" he missed a vote on Leandra's Law, which cracks down on people who drive drunk with kids in their car, but he has other business to attend to.

"I am distributing turkeys to my seniors in the Bronx," Diaz told me by phone. He said he's distributing 2,000 turkeys. Last year, he was being wooed by both Republican Leader Dean Skelos and Democratic Leader Malcolm Smith in...

Diaz Backs Thompson Even If It's Not Entirely Helpful

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:53:59 -0400

Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr. said about 100 ministers met with him and Bill Thompson in the Bronx this morning, vowing to help get him elected. Afterward, they went to a senior center.

“The enthusiasm, you should have seen it,” said Diaz. “A standing ovation. Ministers chanting Bill-y! Bill-y!”

I had to rely on Diaz’s account of the event since it wasn’t on the campaign’s schedule, and Diaz’s notice about it got past me and a few...

Revealed! Bloomberg in Washington Heights, Thompson with Diaz Sr.

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:51:03 -0400

Sometimes, candidates campaign without the media.

This morning at 9 a.m., Michael Bloomberg had a breakfast in Washington Heights with seniors, which was not publicized by his campaign.

A campaign source said it wasn't publicized because they feared reporters wouldn't be able to make it on time, and that the mayor's schedule was so chock full of stuff that they couldn't guarantee when then event would start or end.

This person also said the campaign wanted to...

Espaillat Says Lack of Hispanics Is a 'Weakness' of the Monserrate Inquisition Panel

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:49:07 -0400

Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat is also calling for State Senator Hiram Monserrate to resign, but said it is a "point of weakness" that the Inquisition Panel formed last week to ponder charges against him contains no Latino members.

"Given what has happened, Senator Monserrate is no longer able to effectively serve his constituents, or the people of this state, in the Senate," Espaillat said in a statement. Monserrate was convicted of misdemeanor assault last week....

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 Amigos Don't Get Paid

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:28:00 -0400

ALBANY—Apparently, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli made good on his word to not pay still-fighting state senators, and they're taking it as a joke. A legislative staffer picking up his paycheck sent along this account from the payroll office on Wednesday afternoon: Sen. Monserrate and Sen. Diaz strolled into the payroll office joking around and asking "where is my pay check" and (Monserrate) "why don't I get one" and laughing about it. I turned to the clerk and...

Smith Is Still Democratic Leader, But Not All Dems Are Willing to Say So

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:20:00 -0400

ALBANY—State Senate Democrats just met behind closed doors, and the consensus is to keep meeting. Malcolm Smith, we're told, is still their nominal leader after a floor coup yesterday. "I don't see any reason why not. I think that we have to maintain unity within our conference. This is a real test for us, and I think this is the time that we show what we're made of," State Senator Jose M. Serrano, a consistent...

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...

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...