Republican coup

by: simonstl

Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 16:08:36 PM EDT

Well, I guess I can stop worrying whether Hiram Monserrate's indictment will cost Democrats control of the Senate.

Here's the Times-Union and the Times on what looks like Espada and Monserrate shifting to the Republicans to give them a 32-30 majority.

In which I thank the Gang of Three

by: simonstl

Sun Jan 11, 2009 at 21:37:10 PM EST

No, I'm not thanking them for their political positions.

No, I'm not thanking them for what seems to be unalloyed ambition.

No, I'm not thanking them because I think they should be re-elected. (I don't.)

No, I'm not thanking them for potentially yet hobbling our finally Democratic Senate.

I have to thank them, though, for breaking open the conversation on leadership positions, how these things break down, and what they mean.

In the heat of that conflict, a story emerged - one that taught a lot of readers more about the State Senate than they likely ever would have bothered to learn otherwise. Vice-what? Pro-Tempwhat? Who's this Lulu girl?

As ugly as it was to watch, and as little good as it said about Democrats or the Senate, it was still a lot better than the pure silence of private meetings yielding a roster of lulus for committees whose function has been in doubt for years.

Will anything good come out of it? Not much in 2009, I'll bet. But maybe more interest in 2010, 2012, and beyond.

We need - and I know this will bother a lot of folks here - a lot more of this. A lot more openness, even - especially - when it's openness about conflict.

Stop hiding in caucus!

It'll sting in the short run, but we'll have a much healthier state in the long run.

Sen -elect Monserrate (ex-gang of 4) arrested for assaulting girlfriend

by: Albanius

Sat Dec 20, 2008 at 14:25:22 PM EST

 By  IRENE JAY LIU, Capitol bureau
First published in print: Saturday, December 20, 2008

ALBANY -- State Senator-elect Hiram Monserrate, a former member of the cadre of Democrats known as the "Gang of Four," was charged with assaulting his girlfriend Friday morning.

The Queens politician, who is scheduled to be sworn in Jan. 1, was arrested Friday, according to the New York Police Department. Monserrate, 41, arrived with his 30-year-old girlfriend, Karla Giraldo, at a Queens hospital early Friday morning, the New York Times reported. It appeared she had been punched and slashed around her left eye with a shard of glass. Officials said Giraldo told hospital staff members Monserrate assaulted her, but she did not want him to be arrested when police arrived at the hospital.

Monserrate is a former NYPD officer and founding member of the Latino Officers Association. He was elected to City Council in 2001 and to the Senate last month. He was also one of the four renegade Democrats who withheld support from Senate Democratic Majority Leader Malcolm Smith...Monserrate declared his support for Smith a few weeks after Election Day....
It is unclear whether Monserrate's arrest will affect the Senate's leadership vote on Jan. 7. Under the Public Officers Law, Monserrate would be removed from office if convicted of a felony.

In the hands of the Gang of Four

by: simonstl

Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 18:00:37 PM EST

I guess they're not so much the self-styled revolutionary vanguard as the counter-revolutionary vanguard:

The fight for control of New York's Senate that Democrats thought they won in historic fashion Tuesday stretched into Wednesday and could go on for weeks with a group of four maverick New York City lawmakers essentially holding the key to the balance of power.

The four Democratic senators met Wednesday with GOP leaders who hold the Senate majority at least until Jan. 1, according to Republicans and Democrats familiar with the meeting. The meeting was to discuss how the four might serve the GOP and what's in it for them should they defect, according to the officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because leaders wouldn't confirm the talks.

Despite the intense nausea this makes me feel, it's still kind of funny. When the Republicans said that a Democratic majority in the State Senate would put the fate of Upstate in the hands of "New York City lawmakers", I don't think this is quite what everyone thought they meant.

(And while I know this makes it tempting for Democrats to argue for strict rules that lock the membership under the thumb of the leadership, it may be a situation that better calls for rules that let members vote their minds all of the time, every day. You know, a functioning legislature with cranky back-benchers. Sometimes those seem to work just fine.)