Step away from the Slasher

by: AnswerLady

Sun Mar 14, 2010 at 18:17:55 PM EDT

Antoine Thompson gets some excellent advice from Foghorn Leghorn

We've got to give credit where credit is due and NYS Senator Antoine Thompson's Bigger, Better Bottle Bill has really done a great job of getting a lot of pesky trash off the streets and out of the garbage stream (especially those water bottles).

But ...

Senate Coup Redux in Erie County

by: NYBri

Fri Jan 08, 2010 at 17:57:11 PM EST

Must read from the Buffalo Pundit on all the details. In a nutshell, but read Alan's entire post:

...Tim Kennedy approached Democratic HQ to ask to run against Stachowski. Lenihan reportedly told Kennedy that he was going to stick with Stachowski and let him decide when he wanted to stop going to Albany. Kennedy then turned to Steve Pigeon and asked for his help to run against Stachowski. Golisano's money was pledged, but Pigeon wanted something in exchange.

Pigeon wanted Kennedy to deliver the legislature to him. Three Democrats to flip so Collins would have his majority. Rumor has it that Pigeon is working on Collins' gubernatorial campaign behind the scenes.

Kennedy delivered Miller-Williams, who is affiliated with Grassroots, which is currently aligned with Pigeon and City Hall, as well as Christina Bove. It is also rumored that Brian Higgins is one of the people behind the scenes brokering this on Kennedy's behalf.

Tim Kennedy, the man who wants Stach's job in the Senate, seems to be the new Pigeon/Golisano/Higgins/Collins owned Pedro Espada.

Just what we need in the State Senate...another Pedro Espada...and more coups about jobs and patronage staff hires.

Time to REBOOT NY.

Golisano under investigation

by: Dan Jacoby

Fri Jul 17, 2009 at 12:00:43 PM EDT

Apparently, in two campaigns where Golisano's PAC helped they may not have stayed fully independent of the campaigns, as they are required to under law.  The article says that coordinating activities with a campaign is "a felony."

Patronage And Power Part II

by: robert.harding

Thu Jul 09, 2009 at 22:12:53 PM EDT

With the news today that Sen. Espada will rejoin the Senate Democratic caucus and as a result, will serve as Senate Majority Leader, it is hard to argue that what the Republicans (along with Espada) did on June 8 and what the Democrats have done (again, with Espada) on July 9 are any different. What the Republicans did was an obvious power grab. What the Democrats have done, along with the Republicans, is hold the state senate hostage until one of them got the result they wanted.

The losers today are the people of New York, who have been put on the back burner in favor of posturing and a disgusting lust for power that has distracted the legislature away from the people's business for a long time. The people of New York have lost out over the last month with key legislation not being addressed and a group of state senators putting their interests first and the interests of the state last. We deserve better. In fact, we deserve 62 better senators.

But the winners are clear. The winners don't include either the Senate Republicans or the Senate Democrats. Both are guilty of having a lust for power, but their lust isn't as great as Pedro Espada's. Espada might be with the Democrats, but he will receive special perks. He will get to name one of the two co-secretaries of the Senate, with the Senate Democrats picking the other. Espada ally and coup coordinator Steve Pigeon is also getting a job, according to the Times-Union. And if Pigeon is getting a job, that means inside access to the New York State Senate for Florida billionaire Tom Golisano.

So how does this help things? At least now, the Senate will be able to get to work and address key issues. But at what price? The Senate Democrats (the leadership anyway, maybe not each individual senator in the conference) have sold their souls to Espada. In doing so, they should face the same scrutiny that Espada shall face going forward. And that also means that in 2010, we should look at serious primary challenges to those individuals who think that the people's business is something that can be toyed with.

Many of us, including myself, worked very hard in our efforts to elect a Senate Democratic majority in 2008. I did not work hard to elect a Pedro Espada majority. Pedro Espada represents everything that is wrong with our legislative process and everything that is wrong with politics and governance in New York. Why the same Democratic leadership that I assisted in getting elected the majority is siding with this walking disaster is troubling and makes me feel as if all that hard work in pushing out Republicans who did nothing for 40-plus years (even though they tried to take the high road a month ago) was for nothing.

I advocated for a Democratic majority, not Pedro Espada. The Senate Democrats need to ask themselves who they work for. Because right now, it seems like Pedro Espada has them in the palm of his hand. And that is a bad thing for New York and bad for the Democratic Party.

Pigeon Breaks The Rules... Again

by: robert.harding

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 09:25:18 AM EDT

Today, Liz Benjamin reports that Pigeon may have broken Senate rules when he was photographed on the Senate floor last week.

(Photo credit: Liz Benjamin.)

This from Liz:

Pigeon said he is part of the "legal team" for Sen. Pedro Espada, one of the two turncoat Democrats whose defection to the Senate GOP led to the current 31-31 stalemate. Pigeon is an attorney, but he's also a registered lobbyist.

Senate rules bar those "interested in pending or contemplated legislation" or "employed by, or receives compensation from any public or private source for influencing legislation." In other words: no lobbyists.

Pigeon said he only registered to represent Golisano's political action committee, Responsible New York, as a "volunteer" and wasn't paid. He said he never lobbied the Legislature and has resigned his lobbying post in expectation of getting a job with Espada.

The state Public Integrity Commission Web site does not list Pigeon among lobbyists who have terminated their registration.

"I thought it was drawn up last week," Pigeon said. "I might have beat it to the floor, but I resigned as lobbyist. It's already done."

Now we need the right people to enforce these rules. Why Pigeon has been able to get away with his campaign finance dodging is beyond me. He shouldn't be able to and he should face fines for not filing, just as his partner in crime Pedro Espada Jr. has because of his own campaign finance failings.

PA-Sen: Arlen Specter's Ties To Steve Pigeon, Roger Stone

by: robert.harding

Fri Jun 19, 2009 at 10:12:51 AM EDT

The Pigeon connection alone isn't good for Specter. Pigeon, while a former Erie County Democratic Party chair who has been photographed with Democratic Party leaders like former President Bill Clinton, has done more to hurt the Democratic Party than help it. He has ties with Republicans, including Sen. George Maziarz, which were key in coming up with the coup plan to begin with.

Pigeon's destruction has been seen in Erie County, where he recently canceled a fundraiser benefiting Buffalo mayor Byron Brown, who has been a Pigeon ally, and where he is still wreaking havoc. It was announced earlier this week that Pigeon teamed up with Republican Chris Collins to force a Democratic primary with Erie County Comptroller Mark Poloncarz.

For Pigeon, it's about furthering his own political agenda, not supporting the Democratic Party. That is why his support of Specter (and Specter's presumed acceptance of that support) is questionable.

But Pigeon also had some help in the coup. He admitted last week that Roger Stone was in on the action too. Stone, of course, is a shady Republican political operative who has done a lot of his own damage in New York and also has ties to Specter.

So Arlen Specter, who switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party in late April, is siding with two characters who have been key players in the dysfunction going in the New York State Senate. Pigeon and Stone both had a hand in taking apart the Democratic majority (something both men surely got a lot of pleasure out of) and now Specter, who is trying to show just how much of a Democrat he is, is welcoming their support. Pigeon is playing a role in raising money for him and Stone has held a fundraiser in the past for Specter.

If I were the DSCC and Pennsylvania Democrats, I would be asking questions about who Specter is aligning himself with. These aren't Democrats. Roger Stone is definitely not a Democrat. Steve Pigeon might claim that he is a Democrat, but he is not. He has helped lead many fights against Democrats over the years. Specter shouldn't be aligning himself with these two individuals if he wants to be supported by Democrats, not only in Pennsylvania, but outside of Pennsylvania as well.

PA-Sen: DSCC Teams Up With Pigeon On Behalf Of Specter

by: robert.harding

Tue Jun 16, 2009 at 08:32:33 AM EDT

With the New York State Senate coup fresh on our minds, it is hard to forget the name "Steve Pigeon." Pigeon, of course, is one of the big players in the coup and why the Democrats sit here today without the majority.

Now, it seems that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (not ours here in New York, but the national one) is teaming up with Pigeon to raise money for former Republican Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race.

Here is the invite:

When I was writing about different Senate races last year, I built up sources who would give me the inside scoop on those races. A few of the sources I had hailed from Western New York and discussed Pigeon's role in the 61st Senate District race when Pigeon backed Joe Mesi. Those sources told me a little bit about Pigeon's history. It wasn't pretty.

Pigeon was once the chairman of the Erie County Democratic Party. The party suffered under Pigeon's leadership. One story I was told was that he threw every appointed member off the Executive Committee because they would not support his primary challenger for county clerk. Pigeon, as chair, also lost control of the Erie County Legislature on two different occasions. Now, the Legislature is firmly in Democratic hands. But under Pigeon, that was not the case.

Then there is the present. Pigeon has aligned himself with several Republicans. Sen. George Maziarz is one of the main members of that group and has had ties with Pigeon for some time now. Pigeon is a close friend of Pedro Espada's, which made the recent coup an easy sell for Pigeon. All he had to do was turn to a close friend who wanted power and tell him that it could be done.

Pigeon isn't a defender of the Democratic Party and he sure hasn't helped advance our party. When our party was failing to win, Pigeon was one of the reasons why. It is those tactics that we saw last week that are the main reason why Pigeon's approach isn't a successful one. As a Democrat, he is the worst thing for us. The evidence of that was his helping the Senate Republicans take back the New York State Senate.

Now, the DSCC wants his help raising money for Republican-turned Democrat Arlen Specter.

There is plenty wrong with that. I find it discouraging that the DSCC's chairman, Sen. Bob Menendez, is willing to team up with Pigeon (among others) to raise money on behalf of Specter. If Pigeon is supposed to be a poster boy for the Democratic Party, then our party must be headed in the wrong direction.

Steve Pigeon isn't a Democrat. He might be one on paper, but he doesn't act like it. He has done more to destroy our party than to help it. And now, the Senate Democrats want his help in raising money. The same guy that just helped the Republicans take back the New York State Senate (before it turned into gridlock at 31 to 31) and the same guy who has helped throw this state into chaos when important legislation was on the table. That's not a Democrat. That's not someone I would want to align myself with.

I would hope Sen. Menendez and the DSCC feels the same way.

Reform And Revolution Or Patronage And Power?

by: robert.harding

Wed Jun 10, 2009 at 12:02:26 PM EDT

Those so-called reforms were passed soon after the Republicans took over the Senate. By all accounts, the reforms are a good starting point, but don't address several other areas that needed to be changed.

But as more and more comes out, it is looking like this whole takeover was more about patronage and power than it was about reform and revolution.

The news yesterday that Sen. Pedro Espada's request for $2 million was turned down by Sen. Malcolm Smith because the two groups that Espada was seeking the money for could not be considered legitimate. Also, Espada was guilty of a previous power grab: His attempt, along with three others (including Sen. Hiram Monserrate) to get goodies for themselves in exchange for their support of Smith. Espada didn't get what he wanted out of that deal, so when the Republicans offered him something sweeter - the President Pro Tempore seat he had previously cherished - that was the only selling point Espada needed.

Then there is the Buffalo News report today that Steve Pigeon, who is Golisano's chief adviser, started constructing this coup attempt after his requests for hires in the Buffalo Senate office were turned down by Smith.

From the Buffalo News:

Steve Pigeon, the former Erie County Democratic Party chairman and political adviser to Buffalo Sabres owner B. Thomas Golisano, sought to "take over" the Buffalo office and install his confidantes, spoils for the help Golisano provided Democrats in last fall's elections, according to a Senate Democratic official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official said three people with ties in various ways to Pigeon, including David Pfaff, a longtime friend and political associate, did not keep their Senate jobs once the Democrats took over the chamber in January.

Pigeon's plan was to have Pfaff run the office, an idea Aponte also rejected.

"We weren't going to farm out the office to political operatives no matter how grateful we were for their support," the official said of the work Pigeon did and the millions Golisano spent last fall helping the Democrats take over the Senate.

There was a story reported by Liz yesterday that Pigeon was already trying to land a job with the "reform Democratic conference." One thought was that Pigeon would replace Angelo Aponte, who serves as Secretary of the Senate, but according to the report, it appears more likely that Pigeon will land a job as chief counsel to Espada, a long-time friend of Pigeon's.

Back to the question I asked in the title: What this about reform and revolution or patronage and power? Clearly, it's the latter. For the Senate Republicans, all they wanted was power. But they weren't going to do it with 30 members. So they picked two corrupt individuals - one who you can't find a campaign finance filing for and has tried to funnel money to his non-existent non-profits and the other who was just indicted for assaulting his girlfriend -  to be there 31st and 32nd votes.

For Golisano, this is all about power. Money is power for Golisano and while he is shouting reform from the rooftops, he felt that his investment in 2008 wasn't doing what he wanted. So he decided that he was going to switch alliances and make himself famous in the process.

Pigeon's involvement highlights just exactly why this whole coup was a farce to begin with. For Pigeon, he pushed all the buttons and got Espada and Monserrate aligned with the Republicans (keep in mind, Pigeon was once a county Democratic chair) and is now angling for a job. The news today also shows that there was motive for Pigeon.

All of this comes back to what Malcolm Smith didn't do. A lot of criticism has been thrown Smith's way, but let's put this in perspective:

- Smith didn't give in to Espada and give him the majority leader's post, which led to Espada saying he was "tremendously dismayed and disappointed" at Smith, adding that he would "suspend my support for Malcolm Smith as leader." That was in December. That was the right move. Espada didn't deserve such a high-profile spot right off the bat. But because it's all about power for Espada, because he didn't get what he wanted, he was already saying he was suspending his support.

Add the new revelations about Smith turning down Espada's requests for $2 million and you have a very angry Espada seeking to get what he wants.

- Golisano said that one of the things that motivated him was when Smith was playing on his Blackberry when Golisano met with him a couple of months ago. That seems petty to most right-thinking people, but for Golisano, that is how he is. He used that as motivation to target Smith because, in his mind, Smith wasn't paying attention.

- Pigeon's patronage picks didn't get in after Smith's disapproval, leading Pigeon to concoct a plan that would remove Smith from power and install a more favorable environment (who better than a good friend, Espada) so that he could still have this Buffalo office to plant his cronies and go after the local party leadership and so he could get a job of his own.

So if you thought this was about reform, guess again. This was about all of these characters - the Senate GOP, Golisano, Pigeon and Espada - getting their piece of the action: Patronage and power.

This isn't about New York State. This isn't about the 19 million New Yorkers these men are affecting. This is about a lust for power so strong that they are willing to disrupt government at a time when government should not be disrupted so they can get the power they long for.

SD-61: Iannello Files Complaint Against Mesi Regarding Ties To Responsible New York

by: robert.harding

Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 15:05:49 PM EDT

According to a press release sent out by Iannello's campaign, papers have been filed with the New York State Board of Elections, New York State Attorney General's office and the Albany County District Attorney's office.

Iannello laid out the extensive connections and coordination between Mesi and Responsible New York, focused mainly around Steve Pigeon.

Pigeon, who has been a major advisor to Mesi since his campaign began earlier this year and has been authorized to sign checks for the committee, is now the co-chair of Responsible New York. Responsible New York has indicated that it intends to spend up to $1 million dollars on Mesi's behalf. New York State Election Law prohibits the coordination by candidates and independent committees if they intend to spend more than the contribution limits. In the State Senate primary the contribution limit is $6,000.

"I'm not a lawyer, but the law is clear - you can't spend more than the $6,000 on behalf of a candidate if you are coordinating with them - period. It is clear that there has been extensive coordination between Mr. Mesi and a committee that wants to spend $1 million on his behalf," stated Iannello.

Iannello also called on Mesi to answer questions about his association with this group.

"Mr. Mesi needs to look the voters in the eye and tell them whether or not he is going to allow the law to be broken to help him try to win the election. We can't afford any more politics as usual in Albany. Politicians hiding behind "lawyer-speak" to try and justify shady actions is exactly what the voters are sick of," continued Iannello."

Iannello provided supporting documentation which shows the connection between Mesi and Pigeon. According to the committee designation form submitted to the state Board of Elections, "Friends of Mesi" authorized two people (other than the treasurer) to sign checks. One of those people is Steve Pigeon.

Here is a flow chart showing this relationship:

Iannello and her campaign have made a compelling (and strong) case against this. The evidence looks damning. Let's wait and see if this is investigated or not.