NY's only statewide political program
David Paterson
Sean Maloney Eyes House Run
Feb 3rd - 4:58 pm
A reader emailed a tip earlier today that Sean Patrick Maloney, a former top aide in the Spitzer and Paterson administrations, is mulling a potential House run in whatever becomes of NY-22 – the district currently held by retiring Rep. Maurice Hinchey – when LATFOR gets done drawing the congressional lines.
Maloney is a New York City resident, but he and his partner, Randy Florke, have owned property in Sullivan County since the mid-1990s and Florke’s real estate business, The Rural Connection, is based there.
I spoke briefly to Maloney earlier today, and he confirmed that he had received encouragement to consider running following Hinchey’s announcement last month that he would not seek re-election this fall. Maloney then emailed the following statement:
“Hinchey’s retirement is a big loss to all of us who love the area. I’m flattered to be encouraged. Obviously, we need to know where the lines fall – but I’m very interested.”
This would not be Maloney’s first foray into realm of electoral politics. Back in 2006, he ran in the Democratic primary for state attorney general and finished third. (The winner of that race was Andrew Cuomo).
Maloney subsequently was hired by Gov. Eliot Spitzer, serving as first deputy secretary to the governor. He ended up playing a key role in the administration’s management of the Troopergate scandal, and then held the same position in Gov. David Paterson’s cabinet when the former LG was elevated to replace Spitzer after he was forced to resign following a prostitution scandal.
Maloney left the state payroll at the end of 2008 to join Kirkland & Ellis, the law firm that hired Michael Garcia, the U.S. Attorney who brought down Spitzer.
Prior to his 2006 run, Maloney was an associate at the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher, which is also home to former Gov. Mario Cuomo. Before that, he was a senior West Wing adviser to President Bill Clinton. According to Wikipedia, Maloney was the youngest person ever to serve as the President’s White House staff secretary, and was also the highest-ranking openly gay man ever to serve on the White House staff.
Rangel: Cuomo Being ‘Unfair’ On Redistricting
Dec 23rd - 1:57 pm
There has been a lot of speculation about Cuomo 2016 after the freshman governor’s stellar performance during his first year in office, particularly when it comes to wrangling seemingly impossible bipartisan deals out of the Legislature – something that has largely eluded President Obama.
But one veteran New York Democrat says he’s reserving judgement on whether Cuomo is presidential material until after he deals with the thorny issue of redistricting.
Asked by my NY1 colleague, Juan Manuel Benitez, if he thinks Cuomo might be headed to the White House in four years, Rep. Charlie Rangel replied:
“No, no, no, no. But he’s doing a fantastic job on being a new but very, very successful govenor. And he has my complete support, and clearly, as you pointed out, he manages to go right down the middle and to get people to negotiate and finally come out successful.”
“He’s got another big problem in his hands. Every ten years the lines of public officials, geographically are changed because we are growing in population, but we don’t grow in the size of the political body. So, the New York State Assembly, their districts are gonna get larger, the New York State Senate and of course the lines of the members of the United States Congress.”
“I concentrate in the Congress of course because we lose two congressional seats, which means we are gonna have to pick up population to make up for the fact that we’ll have two less, we’ll only have 27. And the governor says that Legislative body should not do it, but an independent group should do it. So, you ask me that question after the lines are drawn and I’ll give you a better answer.”
Rangel, who has fallen from grace considerably since his ethics mess and subsequent censure, nevertheless still remains a prominent figure in New York politics. He’s also the dean of the congressional delegation, which explains why he’s acting as a spokesman for his colleagues on redistricting.
Keep in mind, too, that Rangel is one of the so-called Harlem “Gang of Four,” which included former NYC Mayor David Dinkins, former Manhattan BP Percy Sutton and former state Secretary of State Basil Paterson, who happens to be the father of former Gov. David Paterson. Rangel was a big David Paterson fan and ally, and he had some choice words for Cuomo back when the then-AG was headed toward a possible primary challenge against the state’s first black governor.
Cuomo, as you’ll recall, has threatened to veto any redistricting plan that is not drawn up by an independent commission, which doesn’t exist at this point. Rangel said he thinks it’s “not fair” to leave sitting members of Congress – not to mention anyone who might want to challenge them or run for any seats that might open up – in the dark on the process, particularly since the primary is going to be early this year (thanks to the DOJ).
New York needs to lose two House seats this year, which means four sitting members will end up having to decide between running against one other and early retirement.
“(T)he direction has to be decided so that we will know where we are running,” Rangel told Benitez.
“I mean, some people, I have a Harlem district as you know, it has Washington Heights, it has the West Side and the famous El Barrio. But some people have said that I should be in Westchester, up in The Bronx. But they don’t know, I don’t know, so we shouldn’t have that frustration.”
The full Rangel interview will air tonight on Benitez’s Spanish-language show, “Pura Politica,” on NY1 Noticias at 6 p.m. The re-air is 11 p.m.
With Friends Like These… (Updated)
Oct 27th - 3:03 pm
In a rather clever two-birds-with-one-stone move, the conservative Club for Growth just issued a statement that tweaks both Gov. Andrew Cuomo AND President Obama, urging the president to “take a page out of the tax playbook” of his fellow Democratic leader and end his call for increasing taxes on the rich.
“When even Democrats like Andrew Cuomo oppose raising taxes on millionaires, you know your class warfare rhetoric has failed to resonate,” said Club President Chris Chocola.
“Higher taxes like the ones proposed by President Obama will hurt the economy, not help it. We need to move towards a flatter, more pro-growth tax code and we need to encourage investment by cutting taxes on capital gains and dividends. I applaud Andrew Cuomo for recognizing that higher taxes are not the answer.”
Now, to be fair, Cuomo has opposed extending the so-called millionaire’s tax, which is set to expire at the end of December, or even support a “true” millionaire’s tax with a $1 million threshold, arguing that to do so would make New York less competitive with neighboring states.
He has refused to budge on this, despite widespread public support – even among Republicans – for taxing the state’s wealthiest residents at a higher rate. And he has even compared his unwillingness to do the politically popular thing to his father’s staunch opposition to reinstating the death penalty, which contributed to his loss to then-GOP Sen. George Pataki in 1994.
However, after initially waffling on Obama’s proposal to tax the rich, Cuomo endorsed the millionaire’s tax (AKA “the Buffett Rule”) at the federal level and urged Congress to pass it.
UPDATE: Club for Growth spokesman Barney Keller (who, incidentally, was the spokesman for former Rep. Rick Lazio’s unsuccessful campaign against Cuomo last fall), sent the following statement:
“What, exactly, would stop the rich or businesses to flee to different countries if a similar tax is passed on the federal level? Andrew Cuomo’s a smart guy, and he must know that if the wealthy can find their way to Connecticut, then they can find their way to Switzerland as well. A reasonable observer must conclude that Andrew Cuomo either smartly opposes raising taxes on the wealthy or he doesn’t – maybe he needs to clarify his stance.”
The Club for Growth also took the opportunity to revisit a bit of semi-ancient (in the digital age, anyway) history, calling Cuomo a “strong ally” of Obama, and offering as proof reports in 2009 that the White House had tried to clear the 2010 field for the then-AG by getting then-Gov. David Paterson to drop his plan to seek re-election.
That message was delivered to Paterson by former White House political director Patrick Gaspard, who is now at the DNC. Gaspard, a former 1199 political director, still has close ties to Cuomo and the governor reportedly would like to see him back in New York after the 2012 election.
As you’ll recall, Paterson refused to heed the Obama administration’s call for him to step aside for Cuomo, but ended up dropping out of the race less than a week after formally announcing he would run in hopes of keeping the job he inheritied from former Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
Paterson Interviews ‘Paterson’
Oct 18th - 4:31 pm
Former Gov. David Paterson’s New Jersey-hating, upstate-trash-talking doppelganger from Saturday Night Live made a guest appearance on his WOR radio show this afternoon.
SNL’s Fred Armisen started the interview in-character as Paterson, depicted as a bumbling incompetent who hates the Garden State.
Armisen’s Paterson said he was “avoiding New Jersey, staying away from upstate and sticking around Manhattan as much as I can.”
Out of character, Armisen said the appearance by the real Paterson was “one of my most favorite moments on the show.”
Paterson, who initially despised the impression for mocking his eyesight, called the appearance a big moment for him.
“I am honored to have served the state of New York, I am very, very humbled when people come up and salute me for my service,” Paterson said. “But when I was on SNL, it’s a different group of people. They stop you. You’re the guy from Saturday Night Live! It was a thrilling moment for me.”
Armisen revealed that Paterson, who cracked a joke or two while he was in Albany, wrote several of jokes in the bit, including the line, “You poked so much fun of me for being blind, I forgot I was black” — which, in retrospect, is a classic Paterson joke.
But the governor, who has delivered live television addresses and memorized lengthy speeches almost verbatim, admitted he was nervous he would mess up his lines in the 5-minute bit.
“You did a great job. You already won, just by being on — the moment you rolled out there,” Armisen said.
Armisen’s other political impressions include President Obama and, just this past weekend, Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Paterson told Armisen that the real Bloomberg didn’t receive the impression well.
Armisen responded, “Oh well. You can’t please them all.”
The Spitzer-Paterson Ticket Reunites
Sep 6th - 5:18 pm
In what is surely a surreal 6-minute interview for anyone who remembers the heady days of the 2006 election, former Gov. David Paterson this afternoon interviewed ex-boss, former Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
Today is Paterson’s first day on the job at his new WOR 710 AM gig as the station’s drive-time host.
“I thought the most appropriate first guest would be the gentleman who got me my last job,” cracked Paterson, making not the first joke about Spitzer’s immolation in the wake of a prostitution scandal.
“The insight and entertainment from you is going to be great — and you can do both,” Spitzer told the new host.
Paterson was Sptizer’s lieutenant governor during his tumultuous year-and-a-half in office, and was chosen as the bottom-half of the ticket despite calls for him to select Buffalo’s Leecia Eve.
Since resigning, Spitzer got a column in Slate and briefly was a host himself of CNN’s “In The Arena” (nee Parker-Spitzer) until the 8 p.m. program was canceled.
In today’s interview, Spitzer-Paterson kibitzed about the special election in the NY-9 and President Obama’s jobs address set for Thursday.
David From Harlem Gets His Radio Gig
Sep 1st - 1:15 pm
As the Daily News reported earlier today, ex-Gov. David Paterson will fill PM drive-time duties for WOR in New York City.
The radio station formally announced this afternoon that Paterson, who was always more comfortable in radio interviews, will get the gig starting Sept. 6.
“During his frequent stints as a fill-in host on WOR, Governor David Paterson proved to be a favorite with our listeners throughout the tri-state area,” said Jerry Crowley, Vice President and General Manager of WOR. “He was the obvious choice to be the man behind the microphone as we extend our locally-focused drive-time programming to the afternoon.”
Paterson’s preferred media outlet as governor was John Gambling’s morning show. And Paterson, who on the fly would call into the venerable sports-talk radio station WFAN (David from Harlem, usually upset about the state of the Mets). He even did an extend guest co-host stint with Mike Francesa on his FAN show last year while still in office.
Paterson Praises Cuomo For ‘Extraordinary’ Victory
Jun 24th - 11:12 pm
Former Gov. David Paterson has issued a statement praising his successor (and onetime potential primary opponent), Gov. Andrew Cuomo, for succeeding where he failed in 2009.
Paterson also couldn’t help but give himself a little pat on the back. Here’s his statement.
“What Governor Cuomo has done is nothing short of extraordinary and he deserves a tremendous amount of credit for finally providing
common-sense equality to all New Yorkers. Governor Cuomo has already brought landmark reform through the budget process, a property tax cap, and rational tuition for SUNY and CUNY. And now, he has found a way to bring marriage equality to our state and restore New York’s position as a beacon of civil rights for the nation and the world.”“I want to particularly commend my former Republican senate colleagues – Senators Stephen Saland, James Alesi, Roy McDonald and Mark Grisanti– who acted with courage tonight by voting their conscience. Tonight, I am ecstatic, I am elated, and I am proud to be a New Yorker.”
“Throughout my tenure as Governor and a public servant, I put forward and advocated for a series of reforms aimed at ending discrimination against same-sex couples in New York State. As Senate Minority Leader, I helped the landmark SONDA bill get passed. And upon taking office as Governor, I issued a memorandum directing State agencies to afford recognition to same-sex couples legally married outside of New York to the full extent permitted by law.
“I worked to enact a law that would bring marriage equality to New York. Ultimately, while we were able to get a vote in the senate, that vote failed. But as I said on the Senate floor that day, the night is darkest before the dawn. Tonight, the sun is rising.”
Paterson’s Hindsight On Gay Marriage
May 24th - 12:03 pm
Former Gov. David Paterson was honored last night by the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund for, among other things, his 2009 executive order that barred discrimination against transgender public employees after the Senate failed to pass the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, (AKA GENDA) which is still bottled up in the chamber.
Prior to the awards program at the fundraiser held at the Chelsea Art Museum, which raised some $100,000 for the TLDEF, Paterson spoke to The Advocate’s Julie Bolcer about the current battle to pass same-sex marriage and the failure of the bill to pass on his watch.
“One of the problems two years ago is too many cooks spoil the broth,” he said.
“I thought the biggest problem with the advocates two years ago was they really thought it was going to pass, until they started fighting over who was getting the credit before it passed and then they got themselves mixed up with other issues, like when the senate had a coup, and they wanted a bill put on the floor. Why would you put such a sensitive bill on the floor in the middle of a senate coup?”
“That made no sense, and I think that spelled the beginning of the end, because in the spring of 2009, I thought it was going to pass.”
Paterson said he believes the Democrats will be able to come up with 27 “yes” votes (the current tally stands at 26), and then it will all come down – again – to whether the Republicans want to play ball. The former governor insisted there are five GOP senators who “want to vote for marriage equality”.
The question is: Are they willing to risk the wrath of state Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long to do so?
Paterson said he hasn’t personally lobbied anyone on gay marriage, although he did sign on to a letter with fellow black, Latino and Asian leaders that cast this fight as on par with the civil rights struggles of the past. (The former governor has made that argument plenty of times in the past.
Paterson also spoke admiringly of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s involvement in this effort, saying:
“I think what he’s done, which is extraordinary, is he’s controlling the whole process, which is what I did when I was the minority leader and we passed SONDA, and in retrospect, probably what I should have done two years ago,” said the former state senator from Harlem.”
(On that SONDA claim, I was under the impression that was mostly due to then-Republican Gov. George Pataki’s willingness to sign the bill and put pressure on the Senate Republicans to pass it, which brought him – for the first time – ESPA’s endorsement in his re-election bid back in 2002. Perhaps I’m remembering that incorrectly).
CapTon’s New Host
May 9th - 9:59 am
…OK, it was a one-night-only affair, but Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos killed as a stand-in CapTon host in his LCA show response Saturday night.
Look for cameos from: Deputy Senate Majority Leader Tom Libous, former Gov. David Paterson (billed as a “true titan of NY politics and bitching about how Gov. Andrew Cuomo is getting all the credit for the all-of-nothing budget extender idea that he pioneered), Sen. Marty Golden (barefoot), the IDC members, a fake Ed Koch, and…yours truly.
FUN!
WFP: ‘No Fracking Way’
Apr 22nd - 3:17 pm
Just in time for Earth Day: A missive from the Working Families Party urging supporters to “tell Governor Cuomo and the leaders in Albany that you think hydrofracking should be banned before it has the chance to poison our water.”
The labor-backed party is asking backed to sign an “emergency petition” in favor of a hydrofracking ban in the wake of the well blowout Tuesday night in Bradford County, Pennsylvania that caused a massive leak of wastewater and forced the evacuation of seven families.
(For the record, the well’s operator, the Oklahoma-based Chesapeake Energy, said efforts to seal the leak have been successful. The firm nevertheless ceased all drilling operations in the Keystone State, West Virginia and Ohio following the blowout, for which a cause – other than the amorphous “equipment failure” – has not yet been determined).
“This is hardly the first time questions have been raised about fracking,” WFP spokesman TJ Helmstetter wrote in the email. ”
Still, the gas industry is working overtime to bring fracking into New York. ‘Drill first, ask questions later” is their motto.’”
“…Our allies in Albany and around the state, led by Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, are doing everything they can within the legislative process to prevent fracking before it starts.”
“We won’t sugarcoat it: It will take serious leadership to extend the moratorium, let alone get a permanent ban. That’s why we need you in the fight and spreading the word.”
Thanks to former Gov. David Paterson’s executive order, there is a temporary hydrofracking moratorium in place that has been extended by Cuomo to last until the DEC weighs in with its supplemental GEIS sometime this summer.
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.