Same-sex Marriage
Here's an anti-Jose Peralta flier making it's way around the district, noting that he is supportive of same-sex marriage. "Jose Peralta voted 3 times for the gay marriage bill," the flier says. This is the third flier for this race I've seen today. Opposing same-sex marriage is one of Hiram Monserrate's main arguments as to why he should be back in the State Senate after he was... READ MORE»
ALBANY—The first of what was predicted as "challenges" after the Democratic Congressional victory in the North Country has materialized: a former Republican official announced he will run in a primary against Assemblywoman Janet... READ MORE»
ALBANY—Quinnipiac University just released a poll with blistering results for the state legislature: 72 percent of voters surveyed disapprove of the job its doing, 76 percent said their government is dysfunctional, 46 percent says their state senator should be voted out of office and 60 percent say the offenses for which former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno was convicted represent "business as... READ MORE»
ALBANY—Almost two thirds of voters surveyed in a poll released today say that New York's part-time legislative system needs to be changed. They just have no idea... READ MORE»
ALBANY—Cindy Adams was the only reporter to attend David Paterson's holiday fund-raiser yesterday, and she evidently made it to the VIP after-party. A sharp reader notes that her column today contains this account of a conversation with Paterson, at... READ MORE»
ALBANY—Less than a week after Hiram Monserrate voted against a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, the Empire State Pride Agenda has endorsed Jose Peralta for his Senate... READ MORE»
ALBANY—Add another one to the list of reasons a bill legalizing same-sex marriage failed in the State Senate: alphabetical coincidence. Republicans called for a rare slow roll-call vote, which meant that senators in alphabetical order were called on to say yea or nay. Here's an alphabetical list of the senators: three of the first four were key bellwether votes on the... READ MORE»
Incoming City Councilman Danny Dromm pointed out the irony that Hiram Monserrate, despite his recent legal trouble, was able to vote against the same-sex marriage bill. Dromm, whose Jackson Heights district overlaps with Monserrate's, told me: "Here's a guy who was found guilty of assaulting his girlfriend, yet he takes a vote on whether two loving people have the right to... READ MORE»
They may be on the wrong side of history, but—at least for the near future—most of the New York state senators who voted down gay marriage on Wednesday will not pay a political... READ MORE»
ALBANY—David Paterson said he was "surprised" that legislation legalizing same-sex marriage failed by such a large margin--24-38--in the State Senate, and that he isn't going to push for another vote anytime soon. "I won't reintroduce the issue unless I see substantial change in the position of the legislators," Paterson said this morning on WHAM. "If I saw some change next year I would reintroduce... 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... READ MORE»
ALBANY—State Senator Tom Duane just shared his feelings on the chamber floor after the failure of a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. "I'm angry, I'm disappointed, I'm sad, I'm let down, I'm betrayed, but I am not going away," Duane said. "It makes me angry, but it doesn't in any way make me or anyone in the LGBT community feel the need to back down, because people have been, uh, uh, betrayed. People have been... READ MORE»
ALBANY—Move another vote into the yes column on same-sex marriage. Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson said she will support the measure, having been previously counted as... READ MORE»
ALBANY—During the debate on same-sex marriage in the State Senate, Diane Savino just made a point in dramatically personal fashion against those who want to protect the "sanctity" of marriage: "What are we really... READ MORE»
You can watch the debate, live.... READ MORE»
