NY's only statewide political program
Archive for March, 2011
DeFran On The Numbers
Mar 31st - 9:00 pm
Well, they actually did it. Working deep into the night, and, in the Assembly’s case, the early morning, legislators passed the first on-time budget New York has seen in five years.
Legislative leaders were thrilled to see their optimistic predictions come true, but not nearly as pleased as Governor Andrew Cuomo, who promptly issued a Web video informing voters of the big news. Yes, he informed the electorate, it’s true. Lawmakers did their jobs.
Joining Liz Benjamin to talk more about the budget and some of the details was Sen. John DeFrancisco.
Capitol Lockup Unconstitutional?
Mar 31st - 7:50 pm
It’s been a crazy 24 hours at the capitol. Protesters filled the hallways Wednesdays as lawmakers rushed to pass the budget on time. But in that rush, the hundreds who had showed up to lobby lawmakers were locked out of several parts of the Capitol that they normally have access to.
Susan Lerner of Common Cause NY says that decision was a violation of the New York state constitution – she also is upset with what she views as a secret budget process that took place.
Extras
Mar 31st - 5:40 pm
Political heavyweights from Bill and Hillary Clinton to Walter Mondale paid their respects to the late Geraldine Ferraro today.
Ferraro “knew her stuff,” according to former Secretary of State Madeline Albright.
John McLoughlin’s retirement didn’t last long.
Save your Weiner jokes, the congressman has heard them all before.
Here’s a highlights reel of the funniest parts of Weiner’s Congressional Correspondents Dinner speech.
Rent control and a property tax cap top Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s post-budget agenda.
The Assembly released its summary of budget conference committee agreements hours after voting on the budget.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo “has advanced the cause of limited government on the Hudson far more than did his past three predecessors – the hapless David Paterson, the shirtless Eliot Spitzer, and the clueless Republican, George Pataki,” writes Deroy Murdoch.
“Mario Cuomo seems to have lost one of his own family members along the way,” says Richard Kirsch.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver insists it’s his budget, too.
Assemblywoman Jane Corwin voted against half of the 10 budget bills – or for half, depending on your outlook.
Cuomo failed to beat his father’s early budget deadline, but he’s got at least three more years to try again.
President Obama is regaining his popularity among young voters.
“Miracle on the Hudson” pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger slammed a GOP lawmaker’s attempt to gut aviation safety legislation pushed into law last year by the Families of Continental Flight 3407.
Bloomberg appointed a new board member for the NYC Housing Authority.
Bronx Zoo Director James Breheny: “I’ve heard people refer to her by various nicknames throughout the past week, but she does not have an official name. Maybe we’ll do some sort of naming contest.”
Some pork is kosher.
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli gets results.
George Demos to Randy Altschuler: Not so fast.
NJ Gov Chris Christie’s love of The Boss is not reciprocated.
Skelos Thanks Cuomo, Derides Dems
Mar 31st - 5:17 pm
Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, who is trying to link himself and his conference as closely to Gov. Andrew Cuomo as humanly (and politically) possible, followed the governor’s lead by taking a post-budget victory lap via a Web video released this afternoon.
Skelos took a shot at the Democrats right out of the gate, saying:
“For the past two years, when state government was controlled by the Democrats, New Yorkers were hit with late budgets that increased spending and taxes and drove jobs out of this state.”
“We promised to put an end to that dysfunction and restore fiscal sanity by cutting taxes, reducing spending and creating jobs. The budget we passed two days before the April 1 deadline fulfills those promises.”
“The budget spends less, taxes less and includes real reforms that will put New York back on the road to economic prosperity.”
(Two days early, eh? The majority leader is going by a different calendar than mine, apparently, although there’s been a lot of debate over what constitutes an “early” versus merely “on time” spending plan).
Skelos goes on to reiterate some of his favorite pre-budget talking points, promising to continue this trend of working in a bipartisan fashion with Cuomo to provide sane, adult leadership in Albany.
Not surprisingly, Senate Democratic spokesman Austin Shafran isn’t buying all that. He released the following response:
“The Senate chamber, which Senator Skelos blocked the public from yesterday, should be a place for bipartisan cooperation and united action, not political attacks. It is our hope the spirit of bipartisanship that gave us an on-time budget will continue and the promises we all made will be promises kept,” said Austin Shafran, spokesman for the Senate Democratic Conference.”
Common Cause Considers Suit Over Capitol Lockdown
Mar 31st - 3:45 pm
Common Cause/NY Executive Director Susan Lerner told me during a CapTon interview that her organization is “looking at” a possible legal challenge over the Legislature’s decision to restrict public access to certain parts of the Capitol during last night’s budget vote.
Common Cause is arguing that the “virtual lockdown” violated Article III, Section 10 of the state Constitution, which says:
“The doors of each house [of the Legislature] shall be kept open, except when the public welfare shall require secrecy.”
I suggested that perhaps a concern for lawmakers’ safety – recall that Assembly Majority Leader Ron Canestrari said the protesters “threatened us” – might be a sufficient cause for taking extra security measures and shutting down parts of the Capitol normally open to the public. Lerner rejected that, saying:
I don’t think anybody’s arguing the budget debates required secrecy. They were telecast. The press was there. So what justification do you have, constitutionally? Convenience is not a constitutional value. This is straightforward language.”
“…I am sure that legislators who are used to being walled off from the people find it very challenging to have people who are angry actually observing what’s going on.”
My full interview with Lerner will air this evening at 8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
The No Club
Mar 31st - 3:17 pm
By request (from the comments section), here’s a list of the senator who cast “no” votes on the budget bills.
You’ll notice Democratic Sens. Ruben Diaz Sr. (Bronx) and Tom Duane (Manhattan) were in the negative on every single bill. Sen. Bill Perkins (Harlem) was excused for the first two votes, I’m told.
David Koch Continues NY GOP Support
Mar 31st - 2:41 pm
Wisconsin wasn’t the only state engaged in a heated budget battle that saw an influx of cash from conservative billionaire David Koch.
Koch, who is best known as a Tea Party funder (and the guy impersonated by NY-26 candidate/Buffalo Beast editor Ian Murphy during his prank call to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker), helped finance the counter-protest during the Badger State’s union-backed “week of rage.”
He also ponied up another $100,000 to the state GOP’s housekeeping account here in New York, according to the majority’s off-cycle campaign finance report on file at the state Board of Elections. That was the bulk of the cash the party reported raising since January.
It took in another $50,000 from H.J.K. LLC. and now has $131,802 on hand in its housekeeping account and $104,547 in its general account (the Westchester GOP was the biggest contributor there, sending in $25,000).
Koch has given $173,500 to the GOP since 2000.
All of Koch’s contributions to the party originate from a PO Box in Witchita, Kansas, which is the home base of the family business, Koch Industries. David Koch lives with his wife, Julia, in NYC, but he’s still reportedly banking out in the heartland.
Koch has spread his campaign cash around in New York. He and his wife, Julia, contributed $87,000 to Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo as he ramped up his 2010 gubernatorial bid.
The labor-backed WFP called on Cuomo to return that cash, insisting Koch’s uber-conservative policies aren’t in line with New York’s Democrat-dominated ideology. But the governor has declined to do so (or at least it appears that way, according to Newsday’s Dan Janison, who was the last to report on the Koch-Cuomo connection).
Nadler, King, Maloney Seek 10th Anniversary 9/11 CODEL
Mar 31st - 2:05 pm
Here’s the letter from Reps. Jerry Nadler, Carolyn Maloney and Pete King to House Speaker John Boehner seeking an official CODEL – a special congressional delegation visit – that would bring all of their colleagues to NYC to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Andrew Cuomo are apparently on board with this idea, which the House members say would “send a strong message to the nation and the world that, 10 years later, we remain unified; that the spirit of New York City and the nation are strong and unshaken; that our commitment to freedom has never wavered; and that we will always honor and remember the victims, the first responders, survivors and their families.”
Stavisky Sets The Record Straight
Mar 31st - 1:04 pm
A feisty Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky put Sen. Mark Grisanti in his place last night after he claimed the Democrats had done nothing to advance UB2020 when they controlled the chamber.
Savisky, a Queens Democrat who used to chair the Higher Ed Committee during her party’s brief stint in the majority, noted that she – with an across-the-aisle assist from Republican Sen. George Maziarz and the ill-fated (now former) Sen. Bill Stachowski and others – passed a UB2020 bill in 2009.
“That bill passed this house,” Stavisky said. “You are mistaken. You are wrong. I vote aye.”
Take Capital Tonight and the State of Politics blog with you everywhere you go with our iPhone app! The mobile application features our blog posts, interviews, and a report news tool to send us your political news tips.