"I expect us to act on this very quickly"

by: Bouldin

Fri Jan 15, 2010 at 09:47:22 AM EST

The political fate of State Senator Hiram Monserrate, a Queens Democrat convicted of assault in a dispute that left his companion with a gash on her face, grew uncertain on Thursday as a special committee recommended that the Senate vote soon on a motion to expel him.

The Senate Democratic leader, John L. Sampson, is expected to allow an expulsion vote to proceed, most likely within two weeks.

"I expect us to act on this very quickly," said Senator Eric T. Schneiderman, a Manhattan Democrat who led the special committee, which was created specifically to handle the Monserrate case. "There is no reason we can't move quickly. And I think it's in everyone's best interest to do so."

Mr. Monserrate is not expected to survive a Senate vote on his ouster. He would be the first member of the Legislature to be expelled since six members of the Assembly were removed in the 1920s for their affiliation with the Socialist Party of America.

But not so fast. City Hall News has the disgraced Senator on the record as wanting to take his case to the voters.

"I fully expect to be running and to put my record of accomplishment to the voters of this district and move forward," Monserrate said in the interview. "So I'm prepared to challenge, to debate intelligently, based on the facts and not hysteria, my record and my role as a public servant with anyone."

If he is expelled and does run again, he'll be challenged by Assemblyman José Peralta, Empire State Pride Agenda - Monserrate voted against the marriage equality bill, apparently believing that marriage is exclusively for an abusive man and a battered woman - and the entire Queens Democratic establishment.

That is, however, if he is indeed expelled. Given the division of seats in the Senate - 32 Ds, 30 Rs - some R votes are required to make it happen. And it's hard to see Dean Skelos and his caucus doing the Democrats the political favor of getting rid of one of the guys who joined with them in their short-lived coup.

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.

Skelos urges billionaire Golisano to turn $$$ his way

by: politics64

Tue Aug 05, 2008 at 00:28:11 AM EDT

Battling to keep and expand on the Republicans' currently razor-thin majority in the State Senate, their leader Dean Skelos today sent a letter to Rocheser billionaire Tom Golisano urging him to support GOP incumbents this fall.

Skelos of Rockville Centre pointed out that his party's policies are more closely allied with that of Golisano (in photo, posted on his charity foundation's Web site), co-founder of the state's Independence Party, whose leaders have sided with the GOP, than the Democrats'.

We need a "Use it or Lose it" Campaign for the NY State Senate

by: politics64

Sun Aug 03, 2008 at 21:13:27 PM EDT

SD 3 Brian Foley for State Senate Website is now up

by: politics64

Sun Aug 03, 2008 at 00:15:24 AM EDT

The welcome statement from Brian gives the reader some insights into his progressive agenda. His powerful environmental commitment as demonstrated by his preservation of 1100 acres of Brookhaven Town from development.

More on the flip  

It's August, Time for a new New York State Senate Cattle Call!

by: politics64

Fri Aug 01, 2008 at 06:37:28 AM EDT

01)Serf Maltese (R) versus Joseph Addabbo (SD 15)
02)Caesar Trunzo (R) versus Brian Foley (SD 03)
 

Some Really Huge News on Democratic State Senate Fundraising Advantages

by: politics64

Wed Jul 23, 2008 at 03:22:54 AM EDT

SD 56
Dollinger 157K
Robach    121K

More after the jump

My near prophetic Post on SD 48 Back in December!

by: politics64

Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 21:05:55 PM EST

I wrote about this race as soon as word broke about Wright vacating the seat.  Note when reading this that no candidate declared at the time of my post, no campaigning began and no other posts were made regarding the prospects of this race.  At the end I also posted some of the responses from TAP readers so we can see their varied levels of prophacy regarding our fortunes in tough races like these!

A case made that SD 48 can be flipped!

At first blush it would appear that the 48th State Senate District being vacated by James Wright (R-Watertown) is hopelessly Republican. The curent voter registration numbers are not pretty for a potential Democratic challenge to this Northern Tier district:
Republican   Democratic      Other  
71569           41317             38120
But voter registration numbers alone do not tell the whole story.  If it did NYC Republicans like Maltese and Padovan would not be within smelling distance of a state senate seat!  

State Sen. Alesi: Don't Pay Attention to Spitzer's Lead Toy Investigation, M'kay?

by: bythepeople

Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 21:43:33 PM EST

Under the proposed legislation, businesses that sell recalled products would be penalized. The law would also require them to properly dispose of recalled products and would require manufacturers establish a recall notification system and post it in an obvious manner.

Here's the key text:

This year, my legislation to restrict the amount of lead in children's jewlry was vetoed by the Governor.  Though Governor Spitzer refused to sign this important legislation into law, I plan on reintroducing the bill and I will work hard to protect our children from all forms of lead poisoning.

Spitzer noted that "the bill is drafted in a manner that will prevent this legislation from serving as an effective deterrent, and the bill therefore fails to provide adequate protections for New Yorkers." Spitzer questioned whether the restrictions set forth in the bill were sufficiently protective of children's health and whether a two-tier enforcement mechanism should be created for jewellery intended for children aged six years and younger and other jewellery. In addition, the governor criticised a measure in the bill that would have allowed the imposition of civil penalties only in instances of knowing or intentional violations. The California lead-containing jewellery law, on the other hand, reportedly contains no such requirement and instead allows a court to examine several factors in considering whether to assess a penalty. Spitzer has instructed his staff to work with state officials and legislators to develop alternative legislation to address this matter. Judging from the various arguments included in the governor's veto message, this legislation would likely be more restrictive that the measure currently in force in California.

A case made that SD 48 can be flipped!

by: politics64

Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 11:16:32 AM EST

D&C: Albany Dysfunction & Seeing the Light

by: bythepeople

Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 22:15:10 PM EST

Well, I was all excited. WAS. You may remember, that after frequently mentioning the need for reform & change in Albany, the D&C last fall endorsed every single state leg incumbent except Susan John. You may also remember I was incensed enough to write a rebuttal that stopped just short of using the words heck and darn.

When I saw this on the D&C editorial blog a couple days ago, about a meeting they had with Seymour Lachman, author of "3 Men In A Room" (about Albany dysfunction), I was excited:

After years of reading and writing about the dysfunction in Albany, I must admit that I've come to think that I've heard it all. But Lachman unleashed new furor in me and those who sat around the table listening to story after story of how the power-mongers operate.

Like Adam Sandler on that plane in the movie "The Wedding Singer", I wanted to say "Even Billy Idol gets it!"

Then today, I read this on their blog:

...look for a Sunday editorial that explores what it could mean if Democrats takeover the Senate. After Democrat Craig Johnson of Long Island won a seat in a special election this week, Democrats are just two seats a way from a takeover.
Frankly, we're concerned. Just look at what's happening in the Democratic controlled Assembly. It's downstate-centric. If ever there was any doubt, the results of the comptroller's vote this week should have been evidence enough.

Aaaaaaaaaaugh! (Sound of Charlie Brown repeatedly banging his head against wall.) As Exile said in the comments on a recent post:

What’s immensely disappointing is that the D&C, which constantly whines about how its readers don’t care what happens in Albany, is telling its readers to be wary of turning the Senate over to Democrats. How can they be so foolish as to not see that the only way things can change is if Spitzer can get an ally in the State Senate?

Look, individual assemblycritters or senators are NOT going to stand up to current power-brokers Bruno and Silver, and they will continue to electe them to the leadership posts. They hold the purse strings and will dole out the "allowance" to their "kids" in order to enforce loyalty. This allowance will continue to be used to buy votes and keep incumbents in office.

I'm open to other ideas on how we can change this killing inertia in Albany, but for now, the best path I've seen to desperately needed reform is to flip the senate. We need to change owners of this "Republican Institution", the place "where reform goes to die".

I'm not giving up hope on the D&C editors though! They're smart folks, and they'll come around. I can feel it. Then again, I heard Dick Cheney once described as "A really smart guy who's come to all the wrong conclusions." Uh-oh.... :-)