Q-Poll: Major Trouble for Incumbent Legislators

by: Roatti

Wed Sep 01, 2010 at 16:50:19 PM EDT

Worst Score Ever for State Legislature

New York State voters disapprove 75 - 15 percent of the job the State Legislature is doing, matching the 76 - 16 percent disapproval from a June 23 Quinnipiac University poll for the worst overall net score ever. Voters say 55 - 31 percent that their local state senator should be voted out of office as part of an overall house-cleaning in Albany, the highest anti-incumbent score ever.

Poll after the jump
Their State Assembly member should go, too, voters say 53 - 33 percent, the highest anti- incumbent score for Assembly members as well.

"State legislators ought to be nervous. More than half of voters say that, to clean house in Albany, they'd even vote against their own senator or Assembly member. That sort of mass movement never has happened - but the Legislature overall gets terrible marks, and New Yorkers, overall, are unhappy with the state of the state," [director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute Maurice] Carroll said.

Luckily this year we have several quality challengers in both primaries general election matchups that can tap into this voter discontent.  Additionally, we have a governor's race that will increase turnout and make the electorate less susceptible to special interests and party machinery.  This year could very well be the perfect storm that sweeps the worst of the worst, Pedro and the Rev, out in the primary and several members of the GOP dead weight caucus in November.  But we in the reform community will still have to do everything right, so I urge every reader here to get involved in a race that matters to you- even if it's only a few hours a week knocking on doors, in makes a huge difference.  

Poll after the jump

Dear Mr. Assemblyman

by: davesnyd

Fri May 28, 2010 at 09:06:05 AM EDT

I'm not saying "for sure" I won't. But that's my inclination right now.

I'm frustrated with Albany and while I think you're a good guy, I also think you're part of Albany. It's hard for me to judge how much you're trying to fix things from within and how much you're part of the problem because you live in that culture.

There are some things that you can do to convince me to carry your petitions. I'll talk about them after the flip: but it really boils down to: what are you going to do to fix New York State?

"Be A Leader" or "A funny thing happened to me on the way to my Town Committee meeting last night"

by: davesnyd

Tue Dec 15, 2009 at 08:34:03 AM EST

No, I don't think I particularly want to name them. What I said to them is more or less mostly appropriate to say to pretty much every member (or at least every Upstate member) of the Legislature from both parties.

I've thought about what I said-- mostly, while I had been thinking of these issues for a while, the comments themselves were more or less impromptu.

I have a good friend who joined the Bureau a couple years ago. One of the things he says to his kids when they start misbehaving is "Be A Leader". If I had to sum up what I feel our Legislators and Governor need to do right now, that's it: Be A Leader.

County races, 2009

by: simonstl

Sat Aug 08, 2009 at 10:42:02 AM EDT

Everyone's attention seems to be on Washington and (mournfully) Albany these days, but there's a lot going on at more local levels. Most counties and municipalities in New York hold their elections on odd-numbered years, when fewer people vote. (I think Broome County holds races on even-numbered years, a trend I'd definitely like to encourage.)

So what's going on at the county level? We've had a bit of news here, with Linda Underwood announcing her run for Rensselaer County Legislature, and had some Erie County reporting, though it looks like Kathy Konst took an appointed position this week.

Here in Tompkins County, it looks like the Republicans are having a hard time getting going this year, ensuring that Democrats will continue to have the majority on the County Legislature by not running nearly enough candidates: five candidates for 15 seats. (They currently hold four seats.) Democrats aren't running in three of those districts either, though, so we will only have two contested seats in November, both for seats currently held by Republicans.

I'll be working to elect Mike Lane here in Dryden. (You may remember him from my earlier posts on redistricting, where he pushed for an independent redistricting panel.) He's facing Dryden GOP chair and local conservative newspaper publisher Jim Crawford. Just to our west, Democrat Pat Pryor will be challenging incumbent (and county GOP chair) Mike Sigler in Lansing.

We also have one primary among Democrats this September, as Ithaca Town Board member (and State Democratic Committee Reform Caucus chair) Peter Stein takes on incumbent legislative Chair Mike Koplinka-Loehr. This possibility seems to me to have opened with a trainwreck of a leadership election in January.

Independent petitions may bring in more - we'll see!

What's happening in your county, city, or anyplace else that's having elections?

Same Sex Marriage Debate Comes to New York

by: BingChester

Tue Apr 14, 2009 at 13:10:37 PM EDT

A response to Rockland County Legislator Wolfe's call to support Israel

by: cliffweathers

Tue Jan 13, 2009 at 15:23:58 PM EST

New City, NY (January 12, 2009) - Legislator Alden H. Wolfe has introduced a resolution recognizing Israel's right to defend itself against attacks from Hamas, a Palestinian Sunni Islamic organization and political party that has claimed control of the Gaza Strip and is notorious for its attacks on Israel.  Hamas has been designated by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and has refused to acknowledge Israel's right to exist.  

Since 2001, Hamas has launched thousands of rockets and mortars into Israeli population centers and has attacked Israeli forces.  Legislator Wolfe says the blame for breaking agreements and for subsequent civilian casualties in Gaza belongs to Hamas.  "During its entire existence, Israel has been forced to defend its right to exist as a sovereign nation.  Israel wishes solely to co-exist in peace with its neighbors," said Legislator Wolfe.  "As a terrorist organization that has launched countless suicide attacks against Israeli civilians, Hamas can not now claim the moral high road.  A resolution of this conflict begins and ends with Hamas."

Wolfe also calls upon his colleagues to condemn Hamas for infiltrating private homes, schools, mosques and hospitals with its paramilitary fighters and leaders, and using Palestinian civilians as human shields.  "The simple truth is that Hamas bears responsibility for much of the civilian casualties during this conflict.  Its conduct in placing its own citizens in harm's way violates not only the laws of warfare, but the moral code of civilized society."

Wolfe's resolution also expresses its support for a long-term solution that would bring peace to the region.  "Hamas' own charter expressly rejects peaceful solutions as contrary to the beliefs of the Islamic resistance movement," said Wolfe, adding, "I trust that my colleagues will join me and others around the world in rejecting Hamas' brand of violence in favor of a peaceful end to conflict in the Middle East."

The situation is not as cut and dry as Rockland County legislator Alden Wolfe makes it out to be. And I don't think it's justified for Wolfe to coerce other Rockland County legislators into an up-or-down vote on this complicated and ongoing dilemma. And I'm not even sure if it is proper or relevant that a legislative body, which has no power to influence the waging or the outcome of this war, even take sides on the issue. It's just not a germane venue.

Redistricting: how-to and how-not-to

by: simonstl

Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 11:22:24 AM EDT

Since folks are already moving on to redistricting conversations, today might be a good day to post this.

Way back in October, I posted about a forum on redistricting held by Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton and featuring Assemblyman William Parment and former Tompkins County Legislator Mike Lane.

I posted audio and some of my handouts then, but I had the audio transcribed, and then spent a fair amount of time cleaning up the transcription. I think it's accurate now, but of course, if you find something wrong, please let me know.

The transcript seemed to be too long for the extended text, so here it is.

The key piece for me is Parment's saying:

Telling tales out of school. Perhaps the press could ask us, “Well, did you consider voter enrollments?” And I say no. Or, they say, “You mustn't consider voter enrollments.” And no, we won't consider voter enrollments.

And we didn't. We considered voter performance. We don't care how people enroll. And if you ever looked in rural… New York State… you know… that everybody that's a rural Republican doesn't vote that way. And the same is true in the cities where you have heavy, heavy Democratic component, and not everyone votes that way. So the only thing we're interested in is voter performance, not voter enrollment.

Most of the rest of it is less surprising, but in case you were wondering about the criteria legislative leaders use to gerrymander districts, registration is apparently not their focus. Much of the rest of Parment's talk illustrates the other constraints that help determine how districts are drawn. I suspect Mike Lane's comments will be popular here, but the Assembly members' response to his suggestions for independent redistricting - heck, any change to the process whatsoever - was less than encouraging.

If you can manage to read to the end, it's worth the trip. If not, hopefully it'll prove useful as reference. (And I wish I could find Assemblyman Parment's handouts - sorry!)

Bloodsucking legislators?

by: simonstl

Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 07:17:16 AM EDT

I know it's the day after the primary, and everyone's excited (for better or worse) about that, but there's still some action in Albany. Governor Paterson's initial remarks:

Mr. Paterson, a former state senator, uttered the "bloodsuckers" line as he was telling a joke about what he saw as the hypocrisy in the way some of his colleagues treated advocates for groups like the disabled.

"There were legislators who I used to think practiced their own versions of being Count Dracula in that they would be very nice to the advocates when they came to Albany," Mr. Paterson said in a speech to a group of activists for the disabled at an Albany hotel. "By 5 o'clock, the sun would go down, and they'd go back to who they really are: a bunch of bloodsuckers."

And his clarification:

"I didn't say that my colleagues were bloodsuckers. I said that there were certain people who listened to advocates, and as soon as they left and, you know, it got dark, were acting in that way - like Count Dracula - because they really didn't care."

The Daily News takes the Dracula reference and runs with it. They also explore it in an editorial.

Legislators of both parties seem to be very sad that the Governor isn't kind enough to their always-to-be-highly-respected branch. First he calls legislators back into session from "vacation" to address potentially huge fiscal problems. Then he suggests that some legislators might be hypocritical, pretending good will while really just waiting for the advocacy bus to leave Albany.

I don't know, though - despite the choice of metaphor, this doesn't sound remotely Spitzerian to me. (And at least he's not suggesting that the Democrats are for sale.)

Update: And NYCO's take on it is also fun. Duels? Hmmm... Albany's had some interesting times.

Legislature to Paterson: No.

by: Roatti

Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 23:05:00 PM EDT

More than half of the governor's bills haven't even been introduced, with a total of eight working days left on the legislative calendar. So what's going on, in case you as a citizen are concerned about this lack of effort, let alone progress?

In the Assembly: "Many of these issues are still being negotiated or moving through the committee process".

In the Senate: ""The governor came in under extraordinary circumstances," [Bruno's mouthpiece John McArdle] said, adding that several of the bills were being actively negotiated."

Here's a thought: how about open hearings that citizens can take part in? Or would that be as radical as torching the Tuileries?

I wonder what fun stuff our legislators have planned for their summer recess?  

Legislature 2020? (fiction)

by: simonstl

Tue May 13, 2008 at 13:28:24 PM EDT

I don't know how well this will go over here, but it's a scenario that keeps coming up in conversation, though mostly unacknowledged. It's only one of many possibilities, but it's plausible. In Upstate 2050 style, I thought it might be worth writing up as fiction.

It's not a forecast of the future, but a possibility to contemplate as we keep discussing the relationship between Democrats and various kinds of reform.

(If there's enough interest, I'd be happy to find a home for more stories on the general Legislature 2020 subject.)

Redistricting Re-emerges (fiction)

ALBANY - As the census comes to an end, arguments about the political redistricting that follows are disrupting the usual peace in Albany.

"Our legislature has brought New York to the edge of the progressive wave," said Assembly Speaker John P. Marquez (D-Mount Vernon). "The voters clearly appreciate it, re-electing us 99% of the time over the last six years."

Senate Majority Leader Natalie Gregorio (D-Hempstead) concurred. "After decades of retrograde motion, the Democratic New York State Senate is finally helping our state's residents at full speed."

Outside of the Capitol, other signs suggest that state residents aren't happy about their government. The Assembly's approval rating fell to an all-time low of 7% in a Quinnipiac poll, while the Senate scored 12%. (56% of respondents replied "Don't Know," however.)

"It's the usual suspects complaining," said Marquez. "The Times, the Post, Gannett, Newsday, the Times-Union, the Manhattan Institute, the Brennan Center - corporate media journalists and researchers who think they can run government better than the people elected to run it. They even think they can draw districts better than the people who represent those districts."

"Marquez is one of those strange people who bought a gold medal and thinks he earned it," replied Dr. J.L. Bradley of the Manhattan Institute. "My predecessors here railed against the waste they saw in New York government back in the 90s. I can't imagine what they'd think now."

Together4NY spokeswoman Inez Ralston suggested fundamental problems in the election system. "They have no real connection to voters," she said. "They don't need to have a connection, really, when the Assembly is 127-22 Democratic and the Senate is 48-11. The 2012 redistricting really locked in Democratic super-majorities in both houses."

"We used to argue for changes in the rules," she continued, "and those might have helped, but the basic problem is that reformers, even Democratic reformers, can't break into a system stacked so heavily in favor of incumbents."

Bradley cited out-of-control member item spending as his main concern. "In 2008, they distributed around $300 million, a relatively tiny share of the budget. In 2020, they're up to $10.4 billion, a much larger share of the budget, with about half of that going to pay for services to communities that really need tax relief in some form. It makes them look good at election time, though."

Ralston noted that, while Together4NY is strictly non-partisan, the demise of the New York State Republican Party is also cause for concern. "It's not just that the districts are gerrymandered - it's that in many cases, there isn't anyone around with the strength to fight anyway."

Voter registration statistics suggest that while Democratic registration continued to climb, Republican registrations plunged over the years. The roughly 3-2 advantage Democrats held in 2010 became a 5-2 advantage in 2020, though there are now more unaffiliated voters than Republican voters.

"Some of that is demographic shift and a change in the political climate," said Ralston. "Some of it is people just giving up."

Newly-elected State Republican Chair Michael O'Rourke argued against that, blaming "Downstate machines and corruption plus the perpetual squeeze Democrats have put on Upstate New York - a lot of people have just had enough of New York State government and moved away."

O'Rourke suggested that Republicans would be seeking change through the Governor's mansion, a statewide race he believes they can win despite the party's failure to rally around a candidate in 2018.

Governor James Walton (D) couldn't be reached for this story, but in previous press conferences has argued that "I'm busy cleaning up the Executive Branch. It's up to them to clean their own houses."

[Remember, it's fiction.]

Vote 'em out

by: simonstl

Sat Apr 12, 2008 at 10:59:32 AM EDT

The Times has another angry editorial about Albany, one I think I could have written myself:

So, here is how to change Albany: find and support somebody daring and thick-skinned enough to run against the local legislator.

We are not saying it will be easy. The system is rigged against challengers. It takes money, mostly for lawyers to fight lawyers whose job it is to keep other candidates off ballots. It takes time, energy and patience to fight a system so patently anti-democratic...

At least the competition is intense on the State Senate side where Democrats are challenging the Republicans' slim majority. Switching to a Democratic majority would at least demote Senate Leader Joseph Bruno, who is under federal investigation and a grand master of Albany's business as usual. But the Assembly has 150 mostly unchallenged seats, and since this is technically a democracy, each race deserves more than one candidate.

In Manhattan, where the Democratic primary is the election, it is time to challenge even the most established members of the Legislature - like Assemblyman Richard Gottfried on the West Side or Assemblywoman Deborah Glick. And it is far past time for a serious reformer to challenge Mr. Silver in his Chinatown base....

New Yorkers deserve to be mad as hell about Albany, and their best revenge is at the ballot box. All they need now is to find decent candidates.

I'd add, for those of us working with a political party, any party - remember: contested elections make politics more important, involving the voters, who are, after all, more important than the elected officials. Contested races are not a problem to avoid, but a promise to keep.

(Hat tip - Dryden Daily KAZ.)

Legislature Passes Budget

by: Roatti

Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 21:25:45 PM EDT

*$1.8 billion in new education spending, including over $640 million in NYC

*The cigarette tax was increased by $1.25 per pack

*The budget includes an overhaul of the anachronistic limits of Wick's Law

The bad:

*No millionaire tax

*Strong doubts about the ability of the state to meet the spending obligations in the budget

The ugly:

*The process.  We'll give Paterson a pass on this year's opacity because he's been Governor for less than a month.  But we expect much better next year.

Paging Senator Adams... your raise is on the way!

by: simonstl

Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 22:53:07 PM EST

It looks like Senator Adams may get what he asked for - as calls to "show me the money" get probable results.

Not that it was Senator Adams' plea for more cash that changed things:

In the interview, Mr. Silver declined to give details of his conversations with the governor or the Assembly members, but he did say he and the governor had discussed a bill that would raise salaries for lawmakers and state commissioners as well as judges.

"The governor has his own interests, commissioners basically, and we will do a comprehensive pay bill," the speaker said. "He has trouble attracting people, and he's promised people raises. So I said I believe before too long he would send us a comprehensive bill. We've had a lot of discussions."

There is, alas, no mention of legislators accomplishing 24% more, doing 24% less outside work, or cleaning up their way of doing business by 24% in return for around a 24% raise - let's see, that's $98,580.

Not bad for a part-time job, really. (Especially in a year when it looks like the state's going to have a hard time collecting revenue, but who'll notice?)

"Leaders' Meeting": too many men in that room

by: robinia

Thu May 17, 2007 at 10:42:06 AM EDT

Check out this photo of the "Leaders' Meeting" and see if you don't agree with me that there are too many men in that room.  If not for the Lt. Gov., you could put wigs on them and it would look just like pre-suffragist days....

Info on the dearth of women representatives and appointees in NYS is included in the following report, available at this site

Women in State Policy Leadership, 1998 - 2005
An Analysis of Slow and Uneven Progress
A Report of the Center for Women in Government & Civil Society
University at Albany, State University of New York
Winter 2006

Consensus announced on budget talks...

by: robinia

Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 19:24:44 PM EDT

"Do we all wish that there had been more public articulation? You bet,'' said Spitzer. "But it took us a long time … before we could converge.''

Ummm... a convergence with Bruno and Silver was not what some of us had in mind.... especially if the Bigger Better Bottle Bill was going to be a casualty (see report)

As we grannies don't swear in public, check after the jump for my expression of EXTREME FRUSTRATION.

Hard to teach civics in NYS...

by: simonstl

Mon Mar 26, 2007 at 12:24:41 PM EDT

This morning's Ithaca Journal has a letter from someone who has the unfortunate job of teaching civics in a state where legislative theory and practice are a long ways apart:

As a high school government teacher (a shout out to my seventh period class), I am called upon to discuss the legislative branch of our state government. I applaud the efforts at reform by our new governor and the recent editorial of The Ithaca Journal, in which the Legislature was described as "dysfunctional." However, in light of the recent comptroller-selection debacle and the looming prospect of another late budget, it seems like our legislators in Albany will continue to be a source of embarrassment. I am not in a position to suggest how students should vote, but I make no secret of my own practice of voting against the incumbent state legislators every chance I get!

How exactly can you explain these things to kids? And how must it feel to be a legislator visiting a civics class? Or do they just avoid such potentially uncomfortable situations?

The Faux Comptroller War

by: ElPocho

Sat Feb 17, 2007 at 13:17:43 PM EST

Single Ethics Authority is In The Works?

by: NYBri

Fri Jan 19, 2007 at 19:45:49 PM EST

ALBANY -- High level legislative and executive branch officials are negotiating to create a single, far-reaching ethics agency that could break down jurisdictional walls that currently limit investigations, officials familiar with the talks said Thursday.

(--snip--)

The new agency would consolidate the state lobbying commission, which can only investigate lobbyists; the Ethics Commission, which can only investigate executive branch employees; and the Ethics Committee, which can only investigate lawmakers, according to the officials in the legislative and executive branches.

A Sign of Things to Come?

by: teaparty2

Sun Jan 07, 2007 at 01:32:29 AM EST

This sign hangs on a fence on the perimeter of the Sullivan County Jail. 

I've chosen to use this particular sign in recognition of Senator Bonacic's courage to publically express his concerns about Mr. Bruno's dealings.  Bonacic's District includes all of Sullivan County. Incidentally, several State prisons, and Shelley's second home, are located in Sullivan County too.

With the Feds, the new AG, and the Albany County DA all promising to further scrutinize the various discretionary slush funds, it seems to me that we'll be seeing some more lawmakers heading to the other side of the fence in 2007.

What do you think?

Reform needed before raises

by: Kelk

Tue Dec 12, 2006 at 09:32:04 AM EST

UPDATE I have been informed that the language of bills in both houses is indeed available for public review before passage therefore negating the need for demanding what we apparently already have. Shows what I know. I have updated the post in accordance with that knowledge.