| The big news coming out of Albany this evening is the retirement of Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno. It is obviously a hot topic tonight here at The Albany Project and the reason for that is simple: Before, we could smell the New York State Senate turning blue in November. Now, we can taste it.
The ramifications of Bruno's decision not to seek reelection can be seen far and wide and aren't limited to just the Republican senators. One example of this can be seen in my home congressional district, New York's 26th. Sen. George Maziarz was considered a top candidate for the GOP in NY-26 but passed on the opportunity to stay in the Senate. You can also look at the race in NY-13, where Andrew Lanza would make an intriguing candidate on the GOP side but had been asked by Bruno not to run in the past.
Obviously though, the primary impact is on the GOP senators. Many senators have stuck around because Bruno, a 32 year veteran of the Senate, kept going. Sen. Caesar Trunzo from the 3rd Senate District is 82 years old. His seat is being challenged, but he could very well bow out now that Bruno is leaving. There are other examples:
- Sen. Kenneth P. LaValle has served in the Senate for 32 years - same length as Bruno.
- Sen. Owen Johnson was elected to the Senate in 1972.
- Sen. Serf Maltese has been in the Senate for 20 years, which isn't as bad as others who have served longer. However, Maltese turns 76 this year.
- Sen. Hugh Farley is a 32 year veteran of the New York State Senate.
- Sen. Dale Volker was elected to the Assembly in 1972 and won a special election in 1975 to the Senate.
Those are just a few examples. The GOP senators are a loyal bunch and have remained loyal to Bruno. They should have asked Bruno one important question: "Are you running again?" Then, maybe they would have made the smart move before committing to another election effort or passing up opportunities to run for a different office. |
