Thursday, May 10, 2007
Legislators Ask to Revise Plan for Hospitals
Tuscaloosa News
NOBODY IS WILLING TO BITE THE BULLET AND DO WHAT HAS TO GET DONE AS FAR AS CONTAINING SURGING MEDICAL COSTS IN THIS STATE...IT IS OUT OF HAND....NOW THAT THE GENERAL ELECTION IS OVER....THE LEGISLATURE WANTS TO REVERSE THE GOOD DEED IT HAS ACCOMPLISHED......DYSFUNCTIONAL FITS THIS GROUP TO A TEE.......SPITZER IS RIGHT IN STANDING FIRM AND SAYINGNO.....ANDY
ALBANY, May 9 — The Republican and Democratic leaders of the State Legislature said Wednesday that they wanted Gov. Eliot Spitzer to reconsider a plan approved last year to close, merge or shrink dozens of hospitals across the state. The comments by Joseph L. Bruno, the Senate majority leader, and Sheldon Silver, the Assembly speaker, came during and after a public meeting that Mr. Spitzer convened to identify legislation that might win approval before the end of the legislative session in six weeks. While they disagreed on some other issues, Mr. Bruno and Mr. Silver appeared to agree when it came to hospital closings, an issue so contentious and polarizing in Albany that lawmakers created a commission to handle it. Last year, that commission — formally called the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century — proposed a sweeping reorganization of the state’s hospitals through closings, mergers, downsizing, the elimination of some services, and the addition of others. The plan elicited sharp criticism from hospital executives and local elected officials, who pledged to fight it. But Mr. Spitzer, then the governor-elect, said he supported the plan, and the State Legislature, despite some grumbling, allowed it to take effect. On Wednesday, however, Mr. Bruno said the commission’s recommendations were up for reconsideration. “We have to look at the ramifications of what we did and correct it,” he said. “We’re governing here on a daily basis. You don’t govern once a year.” Mr. Silver said that his members were unhappy with some of the recommendations of the commission, and that it “should not be the end-all and the be-all.” He also said that key Assembly lawmakers were in discussions with the state Department of Health regarding modifying some of the commission’s proposals, for example, by keeping open some hospitals that would have been closed and by reconfiguring some mergers so that other hospitals could continue to offer specific kinds of care. Some of the hospitals under discussion, Mr. Silver said, are in Buffalo, Syracuse, Stony Brook and Brooklyn. Ultimately, he said, the Legislature would need to approve a new law for some of the changes. “The governor has indicated we should have these conversations with the Health Department and go forward and see what we can do,” Mr. Silver said. But at a news conference later in the day, Mr. Spitzer suggested that those discussions were fairly limited in scope. “I don’t think the Berger commission recommendations will be reversed or revised,” he said, referring to the commission by the name of its chairman, Stephen Berger. “The issue now is implementing the Berger commission recommendations in a way that shows sensitivity to the communities affected in terms of the continuity of care, in terms of the financing of institutions and job retention that is affected thereby.” Mr. Spitzer and leaders of the Legislature did find some common ground. They agreed to tackle a law on where to build power plants, legislation to overhaul state authorities, and Mr. Spitzer’s proposal to have healthier food at schools. But the meeting, though cordial, also betrayed lingering disagreements over some major issues and legislation, not limited to hospital closings. As he has often done in the past few weeks, Mr. Bruno again made clear — somewhat impatiently this time — that he did not share the governor’s top priority, stricter campaign finance laws. “I would recommend we move past that because it’s going to bog us down,” Mr. Bruno said. Later in the day, Mr. Spitzer, however, held a news conference with government watchdog groups to renew his call for campaign finance changes. One of Mr. Bruno’s own priorities, reinstating the death penalty for those who murder law enforcement officers, in turn got a lukewarm reception from Mr. Silver, who said that the state’s past experiment with capital punishment was a failure. But the areas of agreement, if overshadowed by the disagreements, were still significant. Absence of a law on the location of power plants has made it impossible to build new ones for years, despite New Yorkers’ growing appetite for electricity. And the state’s secretive public authorities have been an enduring source of scandal, waste and fraud. The leaders also spoke about the need to overhaul the Wicks Law, which requires school districts and others to hire at least four contractors for big construction jobs, a rule that many school officials say drives up building costs. Mr. Spitzer also said he would look with Mr. Bruno for ways to provide more capital investment upstate. Later in the day, the governor and the Legislature announced completion of a long-awaited economic deal under which Sematech, a major consortium of semiconductor and nanotechnology companies, is setting up a headquarters in Albany in exchange for $300 million in state assistance. But not before a few barbed lines were traded about Albany’s climate, political and otherwise. “Look at the sky today; it’s a gorgeous day out there,” Mr. Spitzer said after urging Mr. Bruno to pass a campaign finance bill. “It’s going to rain tomorrow,” Mr. Bruno replied.
NOBODY IS WILLING TO BITE THE BULLET AND DO WHAT HAS TO GET DONE AS FAR AS CONTAINING SURGING MEDICAL COSTS IN THIS STATE...IT IS OUT OF HAND....NOW THAT THE GENERAL ELECTION IS OVER....THE LEGISLATURE WANTS TO REVERSE THE GOOD DEED IT HAS ACCOMPLISHED......DYSFUNCTIONAL FITS THIS GROUP TO A TEE.......SPITZER IS RIGHT IN STANDING FIRM AND SAYINGNO.....ANDY
ALBANY, May 9 — The Republican and Democratic leaders of the State Legislature said Wednesday that they wanted Gov. Eliot Spitzer to reconsider a plan approved last year to close, merge or shrink dozens of hospitals across the state. The comments by Joseph L. Bruno, the Senate majority leader, and Sheldon Silver, the Assembly speaker, came during and after a public meeting that Mr. Spitzer convened to identify legislation that might win approval before the end of the legislative session in six weeks. While they disagreed on some other issues, Mr. Bruno and Mr. Silver appeared to agree when it came to hospital closings, an issue so contentious and polarizing in Albany that lawmakers created a commission to handle it. Last year, that commission — formally called the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century — proposed a sweeping reorganization of the state’s hospitals through closings, mergers, downsizing, the elimination of some services, and the addition of others. The plan elicited sharp criticism from hospital executives and local elected officials, who pledged to fight it. But Mr. Spitzer, then the governor-elect, said he supported the plan, and the State Legislature, despite some grumbling, allowed it to take effect. On Wednesday, however, Mr. Bruno said the commission’s recommendations were up for reconsideration. “We have to look at the ramifications of what we did and correct it,” he said. “We’re governing here on a daily basis. You don’t govern once a year.” Mr. Silver said that his members were unhappy with some of the recommendations of the commission, and that it “should not be the end-all and the be-all.” He also said that key Assembly lawmakers were in discussions with the state Department of Health regarding modifying some of the commission’s proposals, for example, by keeping open some hospitals that would have been closed and by reconfiguring some mergers so that other hospitals could continue to offer specific kinds of care. Some of the hospitals under discussion, Mr. Silver said, are in Buffalo, Syracuse, Stony Brook and Brooklyn. Ultimately, he said, the Legislature would need to approve a new law for some of the changes. “The governor has indicated we should have these conversations with the Health Department and go forward and see what we can do,” Mr. Silver said. But at a news conference later in the day, Mr. Spitzer suggested that those discussions were fairly limited in scope. “I don’t think the Berger commission recommendations will be reversed or revised,” he said, referring to the commission by the name of its chairman, Stephen Berger. “The issue now is implementing the Berger commission recommendations in a way that shows sensitivity to the communities affected in terms of the continuity of care, in terms of the financing of institutions and job retention that is affected thereby.” Mr. Spitzer and leaders of the Legislature did find some common ground. They agreed to tackle a law on where to build power plants, legislation to overhaul state authorities, and Mr. Spitzer’s proposal to have healthier food at schools. But the meeting, though cordial, also betrayed lingering disagreements over some major issues and legislation, not limited to hospital closings. As he has often done in the past few weeks, Mr. Bruno again made clear — somewhat impatiently this time — that he did not share the governor’s top priority, stricter campaign finance laws. “I would recommend we move past that because it’s going to bog us down,” Mr. Bruno said. Later in the day, Mr. Spitzer, however, held a news conference with government watchdog groups to renew his call for campaign finance changes. One of Mr. Bruno’s own priorities, reinstating the death penalty for those who murder law enforcement officers, in turn got a lukewarm reception from Mr. Silver, who said that the state’s past experiment with capital punishment was a failure. But the areas of agreement, if overshadowed by the disagreements, were still significant. Absence of a law on the location of power plants has made it impossible to build new ones for years, despite New Yorkers’ growing appetite for electricity. And the state’s secretive public authorities have been an enduring source of scandal, waste and fraud. The leaders also spoke about the need to overhaul the Wicks Law, which requires school districts and others to hire at least four contractors for big construction jobs, a rule that many school officials say drives up building costs. Mr. Spitzer also said he would look with Mr. Bruno for ways to provide more capital investment upstate. Later in the day, the governor and the Legislature announced completion of a long-awaited economic deal under which Sematech, a major consortium of semiconductor and nanotechnology companies, is setting up a headquarters in Albany in exchange for $300 million in state assistance. But not before a few barbed lines were traded about Albany’s climate, political and otherwise. “Look at the sky today; it’s a gorgeous day out there,” Mr. Spitzer said after urging Mr. Bruno to pass a campaign finance bill. “It’s going to rain tomorrow,” Mr. Bruno replied.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Five-way Leaders Meeting Wednesday
CAPITOL CONFIDENTIAL
THIS SPITZER ANNOUNCEMENT IS VERY VAGUE AND NO AGENDA IS MENTIONED...BUT READ THE COMMENTS POSTED BY THIS BLOG'S READERS......CYNICAL YOU SAY??? :-) ANDY
Gov. Eliot Spitzer plans to host a five-way leaders meeting Wednesday to discuss what could and should be on the agenda during the final six weeks of the legislative session.
The get-together is supposed to be open to the press, planners say.
Expect Senate Republicans to bring up the death penalty, which they will likely pass next week. Expect Spitzer to refer to Wicks Law reform and campaign finance reform.
Posted in General
4 Comments »
RAISES. Yippee. We all get raises. Screw the little people. Give them a nice steaming warm loaf of raisin bread. Raisin Bread as in raise. The legislature works so hard. Raises. Grateful citizens all over the state want to say “thank you” for everything and especially that Tommy the Comptroller guy covering up the Wild Accountants … or maybe uncovering them if you catch my drift. Raises.
Comment by likety.split — May 8, 2007 @ 3:53 pm
“The Million Dollar Steamroller Sweepstakes”
Comment by gary condit — May 8, 2007 @ 4:04 pm
Expect Senate Minority Leader Smith to nod his head like a Joe Bruno bobblehead in affirmation of anything Spitzer says.
Comment by RienziRide — May 8, 2007 @ 4:11 pm
“Expect Senate Republicans to bring up the death penalty, which they will likely pass next week. Expect Spitzer to refer to Wicks Law reform and campaign finance reform.”
…and expect the Assembly Democrats to….
Bueller….Bueller…
I find it amazing how the Assembly Majority continues to always fail to come to the table with something. You’d think with a $100k+/yr salary request hanging out there they’d at least pretend. It’d be nice if that was noted in a story or two.
Comment by Topsy Krett — May 8, 2007 @ 4:35 pm
THIS SPITZER ANNOUNCEMENT IS VERY VAGUE AND NO AGENDA IS MENTIONED...BUT READ THE COMMENTS POSTED BY THIS BLOG'S READERS......CYNICAL YOU SAY??? :-) ANDY
Gov. Eliot Spitzer plans to host a five-way leaders meeting Wednesday to discuss what could and should be on the agenda during the final six weeks of the legislative session.
The get-together is supposed to be open to the press, planners say.
Expect Senate Republicans to bring up the death penalty, which they will likely pass next week. Expect Spitzer to refer to Wicks Law reform and campaign finance reform.
Posted in General
4 Comments »
RAISES. Yippee. We all get raises. Screw the little people. Give them a nice steaming warm loaf of raisin bread. Raisin Bread as in raise. The legislature works so hard. Raises. Grateful citizens all over the state want to say “thank you” for everything and especially that Tommy the Comptroller guy covering up the Wild Accountants … or maybe uncovering them if you catch my drift. Raises.
Comment by likety.split — May 8, 2007 @ 3:53 pm
“The Million Dollar Steamroller Sweepstakes”
Comment by gary condit — May 8, 2007 @ 4:04 pm
Expect Senate Minority Leader Smith to nod his head like a Joe Bruno bobblehead in affirmation of anything Spitzer says.
Comment by RienziRide — May 8, 2007 @ 4:11 pm
“Expect Senate Republicans to bring up the death penalty, which they will likely pass next week. Expect Spitzer to refer to Wicks Law reform and campaign finance reform.”
…and expect the Assembly Democrats to….
Bueller….Bueller…
I find it amazing how the Assembly Majority continues to always fail to come to the table with something. You’d think with a $100k+/yr salary request hanging out there they’d at least pretend. It’d be nice if that was noted in a story or two.
Comment by Topsy Krett — May 8, 2007 @ 4:35 pm
Guv run? No way, mayor says
NEWSDAY
BEING A MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY HAS BEEN A POLITICAL CURSE..NO NYC MAYOR HAS EVER BEEN ELECTED TO HIGHER OFFICE...EVER.AND BLOOMBERG IS "MR COMPROMISE"???? TALK ABOUT ARROGANCE AND MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY....BLOOMIE IS NO BARGAIN.......ANDY
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said yesterday he has "no interest" in running for governor and "never had a discussion" about opposing the re-election of Gov. Eliot Spitzer in 2010.The Republican mayor's comments came in response to a New York Post story that claimed he had recently expressed an interest in the state's top job to party officials, according to a senior GOP leader who requested anonymity. The newspaper also quoted the leader as saying Bloomberg was frustrated by Spitzer's domineering style and resistance to some city initiatives."Categorically I've never had a conversation about it," Bloomberg said at the Rockaway Beach boardwalk."I think the closest I've ever come - maybe two years ago when they were looking for candidates somebody said, 'Would you run?' and I said, 'No, thank you, I've no interest whatsoever,'" the mayor recalled.Bloomberg also phoned Spitzer yesterday to deny the Post story, which he told reporters "was totally made up."Post editor Col Allan replied, "We stand by our reporting."Spitzer, a Democrat, took in stride the hubbub in Albany caused by the story. "Frankly neither of us is thinking about 2010 right now," the freshman governor said. "He [Bloomberg] has been a wonderful partner."Bloomberg added, "I think the governor is doing a great job."Still, the duo have clashed over school aid, rebuilding lower Manhattan and congestion pricing, among other issues. And traditionally, governors and New York City mayors have had strained relations."They are bound to be on a collision course," said veteran journalist and pollster Maurice Carroll of Quinnipiac University, adding that Albany holds tremendous power over New York City, where about half the state's population lives.Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Brunswick), who tried unsuccessfully to persuade Bloomberg to make a gubernatorial bid last year, said yesterday he would make a better governor than Spitzer."He [Bloomberg] doesn't look to steamroller over anybody," Bruno said, referring to Spitzer's self-characterization. "He looks to compromise, to negotiate, and that's just a better style
BEING A MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY HAS BEEN A POLITICAL CURSE..NO NYC MAYOR HAS EVER BEEN ELECTED TO HIGHER OFFICE...EVER.AND BLOOMBERG IS "MR COMPROMISE"???? TALK ABOUT ARROGANCE AND MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY....BLOOMIE IS NO BARGAIN.......ANDY
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said yesterday he has "no interest" in running for governor and "never had a discussion" about opposing the re-election of Gov. Eliot Spitzer in 2010.The Republican mayor's comments came in response to a New York Post story that claimed he had recently expressed an interest in the state's top job to party officials, according to a senior GOP leader who requested anonymity. The newspaper also quoted the leader as saying Bloomberg was frustrated by Spitzer's domineering style and resistance to some city initiatives."Categorically I've never had a conversation about it," Bloomberg said at the Rockaway Beach boardwalk."I think the closest I've ever come - maybe two years ago when they were looking for candidates somebody said, 'Would you run?' and I said, 'No, thank you, I've no interest whatsoever,'" the mayor recalled.Bloomberg also phoned Spitzer yesterday to deny the Post story, which he told reporters "was totally made up."Post editor Col Allan replied, "We stand by our reporting."Spitzer, a Democrat, took in stride the hubbub in Albany caused by the story. "Frankly neither of us is thinking about 2010 right now," the freshman governor said. "He [Bloomberg] has been a wonderful partner."Bloomberg added, "I think the governor is doing a great job."Still, the duo have clashed over school aid, rebuilding lower Manhattan and congestion pricing, among other issues. And traditionally, governors and New York City mayors have had strained relations."They are bound to be on a collision course," said veteran journalist and pollster Maurice Carroll of Quinnipiac University, adding that Albany holds tremendous power over New York City, where about half the state's population lives.Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Brunswick), who tried unsuccessfully to persuade Bloomberg to make a gubernatorial bid last year, said yesterday he would make a better governor than Spitzer."He [Bloomberg] doesn't look to steamroller over anybody," Bruno said, referring to Spitzer's self-characterization. "He looks to compromise, to negotiate, and that's just a better style
Mansion neighbors asked to stop by
ALBANY TIMES UNION
COME ON...WHAT IS AN OUTDOOR PARTY WITHOUT THE BOOZE...EVERYBODY IS WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE..SO NO THREAT OF DWI......OH WELL.......I WOULD STILL GO....THAT WAS A VERY NICE GESTURE OF SPITZER TO INVITE THE NEIGHBORS..........ANDY
ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Silda Wall Spitzer are inviting 800 of their closest neighbors to the Executive Mansion for a taxpayer-funded bash. Burgers and blues, but no booze.
"We thought it would be the neighborly, right thing to do," Spitzer said Tuesday.
Invitations to the Tuesday, May 22, event began showing up in the mailboxes of residents near the governor's Eagle Street dwelling this week.
"Enjoy food, music and fun on the grounds," the invites read, noting that the first floor of the mansion will be open for tours.
Spitzer said he and his wife got the idea after they held an open house in January as part of the inaugural weekend events.
"A number of people came through the front door and said: 'I've never been here before and I live two blocks away,' " the governor said. "We said: 'That's not terribly neighborly . . . this is the governor's house, the people's house -- let's invite people over for a cook-out or something.' "
The event is being paid for out of the mansion's annual events budget.
Christine Anderson, a spokeswoman for Spitzer, said the cost should be "minimal" to hire Albany blues band Ernie Williams and the Wildcats and offer hamburgers and hot dogs to guests.
Alcoholic beverages will not be served.
COME ON...WHAT IS AN OUTDOOR PARTY WITHOUT THE BOOZE...EVERYBODY IS WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE..SO NO THREAT OF DWI......OH WELL.......I WOULD STILL GO....THAT WAS A VERY NICE GESTURE OF SPITZER TO INVITE THE NEIGHBORS..........ANDY
ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Silda Wall Spitzer are inviting 800 of their closest neighbors to the Executive Mansion for a taxpayer-funded bash. Burgers and blues, but no booze.
"We thought it would be the neighborly, right thing to do," Spitzer said Tuesday.
Invitations to the Tuesday, May 22, event began showing up in the mailboxes of residents near the governor's Eagle Street dwelling this week.
"Enjoy food, music and fun on the grounds," the invites read, noting that the first floor of the mansion will be open for tours.
Spitzer said he and his wife got the idea after they held an open house in January as part of the inaugural weekend events.
"A number of people came through the front door and said: 'I've never been here before and I live two blocks away,' " the governor said. "We said: 'That's not terribly neighborly . . . this is the governor's house, the people's house -- let's invite people over for a cook-out or something.' "
The event is being paid for out of the mansion's annual events budget.
Christine Anderson, a spokeswoman for Spitzer, said the cost should be "minimal" to hire Albany blues band Ernie Williams and the Wildcats and offer hamburgers and hot dogs to guests.
Alcoholic beverages will not be served.
Spitzer, O'Malley to Endorse Clinton
AP STORY
EXTRA!!! EXTRA!!! READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!!!!!! WORST KEPT SECRET IN THE WORLD REVEALED!!!! ANDY
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton has secured endorsements from two governors - New York's Eliot Spitzer and Maryland's Martin O'Malley.
O'Malley is slated to endorse the New York senator Wednesday at an event in Annapolis, Md., two officials said Tuesday. They spoke on condition on anonymity in advance of the formal announcement.
Spitzer plans to make his endorsement Monday in Albany, N.Y. The event is expected to draw a host of other New York Democrats, including state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Lt. Gov. David Paterson.
For months, Spitzer has hedged about an endorsement of Clinton, who leads national polls for the Democratic nomination. But the governor had dropped enough hints that the endorsement really came down to a guessing game about when - not if - it would happen.
``New Yorkers know first hand how effective Hillary is as a leader, which is why her support runs deep in this state,'' Spitzer said Tuesday.
The praise from O'Malley in recent weeks was similar .
``I think she'd make a great president of the United States,'' O'Malley said in an interview on Washington Post radio in March.
Several governors have endorsed candidates in the 2008 race. Clinton also has the backing of New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine. Her rival, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has the support of Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
EXTRA!!! EXTRA!!! READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!!!!!! WORST KEPT SECRET IN THE WORLD REVEALED!!!! ANDY
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton has secured endorsements from two governors - New York's Eliot Spitzer and Maryland's Martin O'Malley.
O'Malley is slated to endorse the New York senator Wednesday at an event in Annapolis, Md., two officials said Tuesday. They spoke on condition on anonymity in advance of the formal announcement.
Spitzer plans to make his endorsement Monday in Albany, N.Y. The event is expected to draw a host of other New York Democrats, including state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Lt. Gov. David Paterson.
For months, Spitzer has hedged about an endorsement of Clinton, who leads national polls for the Democratic nomination. But the governor had dropped enough hints that the endorsement really came down to a guessing game about when - not if - it would happen.
``New Yorkers know first hand how effective Hillary is as a leader, which is why her support runs deep in this state,'' Spitzer said Tuesday.
The praise from O'Malley in recent weeks was similar .
``I think she'd make a great president of the United States,'' O'Malley said in an interview on Washington Post radio in March.
Several governors have endorsed candidates in the 2008 race. Clinton also has the backing of New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine. Her rival, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has the support of Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
A LITTLE BIT OF THIS..AND ALOT OF THAT
M.T.A. Chairman Is Resigning Peter S. Kalikow, the chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority since 2001, announced this morning that he would resign when Gov. Eliot Spitzer names his replacement, after six eventful years at the helm of the nation’s biggest and busiest mass transit system. ........THIS IS THE GUY SPITZER SAID WOULD HAVE TO GO....DON'T LET THE DOOR SLAM YOU IN THE BUTT ON THE WAY OUT........AND NOW FOR THE IDIOT STATE LEGISLATOR OF THE MONTH AWARD..GOES TO.........Not Reading the Fine Print.........."State Senator Antoine M. Thompson of Buffalo, a freshman Democrat".........State Senator Antoine M. Thompson of Buffalo, a freshman Democrat, made a fiery speech on the Senate floor last week, denouncing a bill to increase legislators’ salaries when it came up for a vote in his chamber. He cited the lack of raises for Buffalo city workers, police officers, teachers and sanitation workers, and said, “I can’t in good conscience vote for myself, or anyone else, a raise.”
That led Senator Frank Padavan, a Queens Republican, to pose a question:
“Why did your conscience allow you to be a sponsor of this bill?”
Indeed, all 29 Senate Democrats, including Mr. Thompson, had co-sponsored the bill days earlier, but, in a speedy turnabout, almost all of them ultimately voted against the measure, as the governor urged.
“Sir, as you may know, we get information on a regular basis, and when I found out the exact content of the bill I was in complete opposition,” Mr. Thompson explained, a deer-in-the-headlights expression passing over his face.
He resumed his speech, raising his voice even louder in outrage at the bill, before Senator John A. DeFrancisco, a Syracuse Republican, rose to speak.
“Is it true that you’re saying that before giving your name as a sponsor to this bill you didn’t read it?” he asked.
Mr. Thompson asked for the question to be repeated.
Mr. DeFrancisco: “Are you saying — very simple question — that before you agreed to co-sponsor this bill you did not read it?”
Mr. Thompson: “I did not receive the information.”
Mr. DeFrancisco: “You did not read it.”
Mr. Thompson: “I did not receive the information.”
[There’s more in today’s Empire .....................ENOUGH SAID............AND HERE ARE A FEW MORE SPITZER Appointments
May 7, 2007 at 3:30 pm by Jay Jochnowitz, State Editor
A couple of appointments from the governor today:
Carl H. Loewenson, Jr., nominated for chairman and member of the New York City Convention Center Operating Corporation, which operates and maintains the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. A partner in Morrison & Foerster, he’s also on the State Ethics Comission, and is chair and member of the New York Convention Center Development Corporation, which oversees the Javits centers’ planned expansion. The post is unpaid.
Edward Reinfurt, nominated for Executive Director of the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation, set up to encourage and expand high-tech academic research and economic development. He’s been vice president of the Business Council and helped create the standards for the state’s Centers of Excellence program. He used to be director of government affairs for the Carrier Group and the Associated Industries of New York State, Inc. Salary: $136,000. ....................AND YOU HAVE TO CHECK THIS SHORT VIDEO OUT....IT IS SOOOOOOOOO FUNNY.....WATCH HOW SPITZER IS A KINDER GENTLER SOUL.........COURTESY OF THE POLITICKER " Rich Baum dreams of a kinder Eliot Spitzer, courtesy of Jimmy Siegel [added]." AND Bruno Moves To Delay '07 Primary "Saying it would be "unfitting" to hold the 2007 primary elections on Sept. 11, Majority Leader Joseph Bruno announced the Senate will later today pass legislation he is sponsoring to bump them to Sept. 18. "...........TYPICAL REPUBLICAN WAVE THE FLAG HYPE...........WHAT BETTER WAY TO HONOR THOSE LOST ON 9/11 THEN TO GO OUT AND VOTE AND EXCERCISE YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT......SOMETIMES I WONDER ABOUT BRUNO........AND FINALLY DiNapoli Seeks To Dispel Hevesi 'Cloud' .............As reported in this morning's Daily News, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli is cooperating with Albany County DA David Soares investigation into a potential pay-to-play scam involving the $150 billion state pension fund, and is also taking additional steps to (as his press release puts it) "clean up remnants of a scandal." (That would, of course, be Chauffeurgate).
DiNapoli said he has hired the Manhattan firm of Mintz Levin (et al) to audit and review all activities of Jack Chartier, ex-Comptroller Alan Hevesi's former chief of staff, while he was at OSC. That effort will be headed up by Bridget Rohde, former chief of the criminal division of the United States Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York, who will share her findings with Soares........TOM IS DOING EXACTLY WHAT HE HAS PROMISED TO DO..CLEAN UP THE HEVESI MESS...........THAT'S IT FOR NOW........ANDY
That led Senator Frank Padavan, a Queens Republican, to pose a question:
“Why did your conscience allow you to be a sponsor of this bill?”
Indeed, all 29 Senate Democrats, including Mr. Thompson, had co-sponsored the bill days earlier, but, in a speedy turnabout, almost all of them ultimately voted against the measure, as the governor urged.
“Sir, as you may know, we get information on a regular basis, and when I found out the exact content of the bill I was in complete opposition,” Mr. Thompson explained, a deer-in-the-headlights expression passing over his face.
He resumed his speech, raising his voice even louder in outrage at the bill, before Senator John A. DeFrancisco, a Syracuse Republican, rose to speak.
“Is it true that you’re saying that before giving your name as a sponsor to this bill you didn’t read it?” he asked.
Mr. Thompson asked for the question to be repeated.
Mr. DeFrancisco: “Are you saying — very simple question — that before you agreed to co-sponsor this bill you did not read it?”
Mr. Thompson: “I did not receive the information.”
Mr. DeFrancisco: “You did not read it.”
Mr. Thompson: “I did not receive the information.”
[There’s more in today’s Empire .....................ENOUGH SAID............AND HERE ARE A FEW MORE SPITZER Appointments
May 7, 2007 at 3:30 pm by Jay Jochnowitz, State Editor
A couple of appointments from the governor today:
Carl H. Loewenson, Jr., nominated for chairman and member of the New York City Convention Center Operating Corporation, which operates and maintains the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. A partner in Morrison & Foerster, he’s also on the State Ethics Comission, and is chair and member of the New York Convention Center Development Corporation, which oversees the Javits centers’ planned expansion. The post is unpaid.
Edward Reinfurt, nominated for Executive Director of the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation, set up to encourage and expand high-tech academic research and economic development. He’s been vice president of the Business Council and helped create the standards for the state’s Centers of Excellence program. He used to be director of government affairs for the Carrier Group and the Associated Industries of New York State, Inc. Salary: $136,000. ....................AND YOU HAVE TO CHECK THIS SHORT VIDEO OUT....IT IS SOOOOOOOOO FUNNY.....WATCH HOW SPITZER IS A KINDER GENTLER SOUL.........COURTESY OF THE POLITICKER " Rich Baum dreams of a kinder Eliot Spitzer, courtesy of Jimmy Siegel [added]." AND Bruno Moves To Delay '07 Primary "Saying it would be "unfitting" to hold the 2007 primary elections on Sept. 11, Majority Leader Joseph Bruno announced the Senate will later today pass legislation he is sponsoring to bump them to Sept. 18. "...........TYPICAL REPUBLICAN WAVE THE FLAG HYPE...........WHAT BETTER WAY TO HONOR THOSE LOST ON 9/11 THEN TO GO OUT AND VOTE AND EXCERCISE YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT......SOMETIMES I WONDER ABOUT BRUNO........AND FINALLY DiNapoli Seeks To Dispel Hevesi 'Cloud' .............As reported in this morning's Daily News, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli is cooperating with Albany County DA David Soares investigation into a potential pay-to-play scam involving the $150 billion state pension fund, and is also taking additional steps to (as his press release puts it) "clean up remnants of a scandal." (That would, of course, be Chauffeurgate).
DiNapoli said he has hired the Manhattan firm of Mintz Levin (et al) to audit and review all activities of Jack Chartier, ex-Comptroller Alan Hevesi's former chief of staff, while he was at OSC. That effort will be headed up by Bridget Rohde, former chief of the criminal division of the United States Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York, who will share her findings with Soares........TOM IS DOING EXACTLY WHAT HE HAS PROMISED TO DO..CLEAN UP THE HEVESI MESS...........THAT'S IT FOR NOW........ANDY
Springtime for Spitzer. For Real?
THE EMPIRE ZONE
POLITICS IS THE NAME OF THE GAME HERE.......DEMOCRATS ARE SUPPOSED TO GET DEMOCRATS ELECTED...THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A GOOD LOSS..........YES WORK TOGETHER AND GET THINGS DONE FOR THE GOOD OF NEW YORK...THAT'S WHAT THEY WERE ALL ELECTED TO DO..BUT NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF THE FACT...COME ELECTION TIME...YOU HAVE TO GET REELECTED..............ANDY
Relations between Gov. Eliot Spitzer and members of the Legislature have been notably more sour during the last few weeks, as the governor butted heads with lawmakers over campaign reform, school districts, and other issues.
But last weekend, in his performance at the Legislative Correspondents Association dinner in Albany, Gov. Eliot Spitzer aired a video skit of himself hugging members of the Legislature with whom he has had particularly public disputes — Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, and Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli of Syracuse, among others. Missing from the video, as we noted earlier today, was Senator Joseph L. Bruno, the Senate majority leader. Mr. Spitzer hopes to make him the Senate minority leader in the not too distant future.
But Mr. Spitzer struck a somewhat conciliatory note today following an appearance at the annual convention of the Newspaper Association of America.
“I deal with Joe, speak to him all the time and always have a wonderful, cordial relationship with him,” said Mr. Spitzer, when asked if he could effect change in Albany with Mr. Bruno still in power.
“We will respect that duality of our relationship,” the governor said. “We have a responsibility, which I’ve talked about since the very first moment I’ve been governor, to govern: to run the state, to reach agreements, to move the policy debate forward, get a budget, health care improvements, all the other things we’re trying to do. On the other hand, there’s a political arena where he’s trying to elect his members and I as the leader of the Democratic party of the state, am trying to elect Democratic senators. So, we respect that duality, we live by it and somehow work it through and get along all the same.”
A reporter pressed him, according to our correspondent on the scene. Mr. Spitzer said:
We are accomplishing a great deal already in the context of health care and property taxes and education. We are getting the changes we need, both in the budget and the other bills we’ve passed, the administrative determinations we’ve made. So, sure we can do it. It doesn’t mean that I will work less assiduously to elect those whom I agree with ideologically, but it also means that we will forge common ground and find those areas where we can agree to move the state forward. That’s our job and we’ll do it.
It’s a start.
POLITICS IS THE NAME OF THE GAME HERE.......DEMOCRATS ARE SUPPOSED TO GET DEMOCRATS ELECTED...THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A GOOD LOSS..........YES WORK TOGETHER AND GET THINGS DONE FOR THE GOOD OF NEW YORK...THAT'S WHAT THEY WERE ALL ELECTED TO DO..BUT NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF THE FACT...COME ELECTION TIME...YOU HAVE TO GET REELECTED..............ANDY
Relations between Gov. Eliot Spitzer and members of the Legislature have been notably more sour during the last few weeks, as the governor butted heads with lawmakers over campaign reform, school districts, and other issues.
But last weekend, in his performance at the Legislative Correspondents Association dinner in Albany, Gov. Eliot Spitzer aired a video skit of himself hugging members of the Legislature with whom he has had particularly public disputes — Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, and Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli of Syracuse, among others. Missing from the video, as we noted earlier today, was Senator Joseph L. Bruno, the Senate majority leader. Mr. Spitzer hopes to make him the Senate minority leader in the not too distant future.
But Mr. Spitzer struck a somewhat conciliatory note today following an appearance at the annual convention of the Newspaper Association of America.
“I deal with Joe, speak to him all the time and always have a wonderful, cordial relationship with him,” said Mr. Spitzer, when asked if he could effect change in Albany with Mr. Bruno still in power.
“We will respect that duality of our relationship,” the governor said. “We have a responsibility, which I’ve talked about since the very first moment I’ve been governor, to govern: to run the state, to reach agreements, to move the policy debate forward, get a budget, health care improvements, all the other things we’re trying to do. On the other hand, there’s a political arena where he’s trying to elect his members and I as the leader of the Democratic party of the state, am trying to elect Democratic senators. So, we respect that duality, we live by it and somehow work it through and get along all the same.”
A reporter pressed him, according to our correspondent on the scene. Mr. Spitzer said:
We are accomplishing a great deal already in the context of health care and property taxes and education. We are getting the changes we need, both in the budget and the other bills we’ve passed, the administrative determinations we’ve made. So, sure we can do it. It doesn’t mean that I will work less assiduously to elect those whom I agree with ideologically, but it also means that we will forge common ground and find those areas where we can agree to move the state forward. That’s our job and we’ll do it.
It’s a start.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Our Albany Observer: Spitzer names names, lawmakers gasp
TIMES HEARLD RECORD Brendan Scott
I FOUND THIS ARTICLE IN MY GOOGLE SEARCH....INTERESTING UPSTATE PERSPECTIVE ON "3 MEN IN A ROOM" CONCEPT...ANDY
Times Herald-Record May 07, 2007
Psst, want to know the big secret about the three men in a room who run state government?
The three men in a room, as the governor, Assembly speaker and Senate majority leader get called whenever they go behind closed doors to cut deals, don't actually run state government.
Sure, the governor and the twin legislative leaders, who, for the last decade, have been personified by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, each hold enormous power in New York. With the flourish of a pen, they can make or break legislation, spend or save billions and reward or punish subordinates.
The legislative leaders in particular hold far more power than their counterparts in Washington. Whether Silver, D-Manhattan, and Bruno, R-Brunswick, personally like a policy weighs heavily on that policy's chances of becoming reality.
But the "three men in a room" slogan has helped us forget that these guys aren't hereditary peers. They serve at the pleasure of scores of majority-party legislators, who serve at the pleasure of us.
So, when "Sheldon Silver" steamrolled Spitzer's comptroller pick and elevated an assemblyman to the job in February, Assembly members Kevin Cahill, D-Kingston, and Aileen Gunther, D-Forestburgh, were in on the decision.
And, when "Joe Bruno" derailed Spitzer's campaign finance reform plan two weeks ago, Sens. John Bonacic, R-Mount Hope; Bill Larkin, R-Cornwall-on-Hudson; and Tom Morahan, R-New City, were helping him pull up the tracks.
In fact, the governor's aides say Spitzer thought he had a deal with Bruno until the Senate leader returned from a closed-door powwow with his members.
This is what makes Spitzer's decision to blast majority-party legislators in their own backyards so interesting — and controversial.
As much as lawmakers say they resent the perception that "three men in a room" run state government, it works in their favor whenever the Legislature must do battle with a popular governor.
In this way, Silver and Bruno, who have few worries of losing re-election themselves, act as heat shields for less secure members. The press compounds this by focusing on the big three for the sake of simplicity or drama.
But Spitzer tears down the time-honored defense when he — as he did during both the comptroller and campaign finance fights — travels the state to name rank-and-file opponents. When the governor shows up, the local media turns out to carry his critical quotes to the unlucky legislator's hometown voters.
"Bill Magnarelli is one of those unfortunate Assembly members who just raises his hand when he's told to do so," Spitzer told the Syracuse Post-Standard after the Central New York Democrat opposed his comptroller pick. The Legislature gasped.
Now, there are reasons why governors usually shy away from this kind of blood sport. For one, it burns bridges with the very legislators the governor needs to make his agenda state law. Public opinion could also swing against Spitzer if he picks the wrong issue or appears to bully a beloved lawmaker.
How would you feel if the governor swung through town to challenge Cahill's independence or accuse Larkin of maintaining the status quo? We might find out soon enough.
I FOUND THIS ARTICLE IN MY GOOGLE SEARCH....INTERESTING UPSTATE PERSPECTIVE ON "3 MEN IN A ROOM" CONCEPT...ANDY
Times Herald-Record May 07, 2007
Psst, want to know the big secret about the three men in a room who run state government?
The three men in a room, as the governor, Assembly speaker and Senate majority leader get called whenever they go behind closed doors to cut deals, don't actually run state government.
Sure, the governor and the twin legislative leaders, who, for the last decade, have been personified by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, each hold enormous power in New York. With the flourish of a pen, they can make or break legislation, spend or save billions and reward or punish subordinates.
The legislative leaders in particular hold far more power than their counterparts in Washington. Whether Silver, D-Manhattan, and Bruno, R-Brunswick, personally like a policy weighs heavily on that policy's chances of becoming reality.
But the "three men in a room" slogan has helped us forget that these guys aren't hereditary peers. They serve at the pleasure of scores of majority-party legislators, who serve at the pleasure of us.
So, when "Sheldon Silver" steamrolled Spitzer's comptroller pick and elevated an assemblyman to the job in February, Assembly members Kevin Cahill, D-Kingston, and Aileen Gunther, D-Forestburgh, were in on the decision.
And, when "Joe Bruno" derailed Spitzer's campaign finance reform plan two weeks ago, Sens. John Bonacic, R-Mount Hope; Bill Larkin, R-Cornwall-on-Hudson; and Tom Morahan, R-New City, were helping him pull up the tracks.
In fact, the governor's aides say Spitzer thought he had a deal with Bruno until the Senate leader returned from a closed-door powwow with his members.
This is what makes Spitzer's decision to blast majority-party legislators in their own backyards so interesting — and controversial.
As much as lawmakers say they resent the perception that "three men in a room" run state government, it works in their favor whenever the Legislature must do battle with a popular governor.
In this way, Silver and Bruno, who have few worries of losing re-election themselves, act as heat shields for less secure members. The press compounds this by focusing on the big three for the sake of simplicity or drama.
But Spitzer tears down the time-honored defense when he — as he did during both the comptroller and campaign finance fights — travels the state to name rank-and-file opponents. When the governor shows up, the local media turns out to carry his critical quotes to the unlucky legislator's hometown voters.
"Bill Magnarelli is one of those unfortunate Assembly members who just raises his hand when he's told to do so," Spitzer told the Syracuse Post-Standard after the Central New York Democrat opposed his comptroller pick. The Legislature gasped.
Now, there are reasons why governors usually shy away from this kind of blood sport. For one, it burns bridges with the very legislators the governor needs to make his agenda state law. Public opinion could also swing against Spitzer if he picks the wrong issue or appears to bully a beloved lawmaker.
How would you feel if the governor swung through town to challenge Cahill's independence or accuse Larkin of maintaining the status quo? We might find out soon enough.
Jonathan’s Law signed
EMPIRESTATENEWS.NET
AS I COMMENTED EARLIER...ELIOT WOULD SIGN THIS BILL.....THE TOUGHEST THING A PARENT OF A DISABLED CHILD HAS TO DO ...IS LET THEIR CHILD LIVE IN A GROUP HOME....ALWAYS WONDERING IF THEY ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING.........THIS LAW WILL ALLOW FOR BETTER PARENTAL SUPERVISION AND NOTIFICATION.........ANDY
Governor Eliot Spitzer Sunday signed “Jonathan’s Law,” which will provide parents and guardians better access to records and reports of incidents and abuse allegations involving their children in residential mental hygiene facilities.
Jonathan’s Law is named in honor of Jonathan Carey, a 13-year-old autistic boy who recently died while in the care of a state-run residential facility. Jonathan’s family has long championed this legislation after being refused full access to records and information related to his care and treatment.
Jonathan’s Law makes several important changes to state law. In particular, the new law will:
Require residential hygiene facilities to provide parents andguardians with telephone notification within 24 hours of incidentsaffecting the health and safety of their children;
Require such facilities to provide parents and guardians with aredacted incident report upon request;
Require facility directors to meet with parents and guardians todiscuss reported incidents;
Require facility directors to provide parents and guardians withwritten reports of actions taken in response to the incidents;
Grant parents and guardians full access to records and documentspertaining to allegations and investigations into patient abuse ormistreatment, with redaction of patient and staff names.
In addition, a Task Force on Mental Hygiene Records will be established to examine existing laws regarding records access concerning individuals receiving care in facilities licensed or operated by the Office of Mental Health and the Office of Mental Retardation and Development Disabilities. The task force will be comprised of representatives from state agencies, private providers, parents, advocates and others.
The bill will also increase penalties to $1,000 per day or a maximum of $15,000 per violation for facilities licensed by OMRDD that fail to comply with applicable rules and regulations.
AS I COMMENTED EARLIER...ELIOT WOULD SIGN THIS BILL.....THE TOUGHEST THING A PARENT OF A DISABLED CHILD HAS TO DO ...IS LET THEIR CHILD LIVE IN A GROUP HOME....ALWAYS WONDERING IF THEY ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING.........THIS LAW WILL ALLOW FOR BETTER PARENTAL SUPERVISION AND NOTIFICATION.........ANDY
Governor Eliot Spitzer Sunday signed “Jonathan’s Law,” which will provide parents and guardians better access to records and reports of incidents and abuse allegations involving their children in residential mental hygiene facilities.
Jonathan’s Law is named in honor of Jonathan Carey, a 13-year-old autistic boy who recently died while in the care of a state-run residential facility. Jonathan’s family has long championed this legislation after being refused full access to records and information related to his care and treatment.
Jonathan’s Law makes several important changes to state law. In particular, the new law will:
Require residential hygiene facilities to provide parents andguardians with telephone notification within 24 hours of incidentsaffecting the health and safety of their children;
Require such facilities to provide parents and guardians with aredacted incident report upon request;
Require facility directors to meet with parents and guardians todiscuss reported incidents;
Require facility directors to provide parents and guardians withwritten reports of actions taken in response to the incidents;
Grant parents and guardians full access to records and documentspertaining to allegations and investigations into patient abuse ormistreatment, with redaction of patient and staff names.
In addition, a Task Force on Mental Hygiene Records will be established to examine existing laws regarding records access concerning individuals receiving care in facilities licensed or operated by the Office of Mental Health and the Office of Mental Retardation and Development Disabilities. The task force will be comprised of representatives from state agencies, private providers, parents, advocates and others.
The bill will also increase penalties to $1,000 per day or a maximum of $15,000 per violation for facilities licensed by OMRDD that fail to comply with applicable rules and regulations.
Jokes are on Capitol figures
ALBANY TIMES UNION AP STORY
SOUNDS LIKE EVERYONE HAD A GOOD TIME......SORRY I MISSED THIS..ANDY
ALBANY -- In Saturday's installment of the nation's longest-running annual political satire by journalists, powerful lawmakers in Albany plot to attack Gov. Eliot Spitzer in his only vulnerable area: his hairline.
But Agent 007 Spitzer, with a license to reform, prevails against Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, portrayed as Dr. Evil from the "Austin Powers" movies, and against Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, dressed in a white dinner jacket stroking a cat like a Bond super villain. Their attempt to zap the Democrat with a laser hair-removal system via satellite is foiled.
"So now it's springtime for Spitzer, in Albany-y-y," sang Kyle Hughes of NY Capitolwire. He played Spitzer, the hard-charging former attorney general, and sang to the tune of "Springtime for Hitler" from Mel Brooks' "The Producers."
"I'll ride to town, and smack them down, just like I was A.G.
"So now it's springtime for Spitzer, in Albany.
"Everything's changed since Day One!"
The skewering drew a comic rebuttal from Spitzer, who produced a video and presented a monologue.
In another song, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo was spoofed for his kinder, gentler side these days after a career of hard-edged politics as a one-time candidate for governor, as housing secretary in the Clinton White House and as a political operative for his father, former Gov. Mario M. Cuomo.
To the tune of "This Magic Moment" by the Drifters, three members of the Legislative Correspondents Association sang:
"A brand-new Cuomo, so different and so new, no longer so pushy, no longer scares you."
LCA President Michael Cooper of The New York Times also presented reporting awards for Albany coverage at the event. The LCA Award went to Jim Odato of the Times Union, while the Alumni Award went to Marc Humbert of the Associated Press
SOUNDS LIKE EVERYONE HAD A GOOD TIME......SORRY I MISSED THIS..ANDY
ALBANY -- In Saturday's installment of the nation's longest-running annual political satire by journalists, powerful lawmakers in Albany plot to attack Gov. Eliot Spitzer in his only vulnerable area: his hairline.
But Agent 007 Spitzer, with a license to reform, prevails against Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, portrayed as Dr. Evil from the "Austin Powers" movies, and against Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, dressed in a white dinner jacket stroking a cat like a Bond super villain. Their attempt to zap the Democrat with a laser hair-removal system via satellite is foiled.
"So now it's springtime for Spitzer, in Albany-y-y," sang Kyle Hughes of NY Capitolwire. He played Spitzer, the hard-charging former attorney general, and sang to the tune of "Springtime for Hitler" from Mel Brooks' "The Producers."
"I'll ride to town, and smack them down, just like I was A.G.
"So now it's springtime for Spitzer, in Albany.
"Everything's changed since Day One!"
The skewering drew a comic rebuttal from Spitzer, who produced a video and presented a monologue.
In another song, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo was spoofed for his kinder, gentler side these days after a career of hard-edged politics as a one-time candidate for governor, as housing secretary in the Clinton White House and as a political operative for his father, former Gov. Mario M. Cuomo.
To the tune of "This Magic Moment" by the Drifters, three members of the Legislative Correspondents Association sang:
"A brand-new Cuomo, so different and so new, no longer so pushy, no longer scares you."
LCA President Michael Cooper of The New York Times also presented reporting awards for Albany coverage at the event. The LCA Award went to Jim Odato of the Times Union, while the Alumni Award went to Marc Humbert of the Associated Press
Saturday, May 05, 2007
WEEKEND EDITION!!!!
THE BUFFALO NEWS DOESN'T LIKE SPITZER DOING SOME CALIFORNIA DREAMING AND RAISING SOME CAMPAIGN LOOT Spitzer sends wrong signal .......AND IN AN IDEAL WORLD THEY COULD GIVE THEIR NEWSPAPERS AWAY TOO......COME ON.....THE ITHICA JOURNAL REPORTS Report may help case for mergers of governments ....
"ALBANY — Members of a panel studying how to shrink the number of local governments in the state said Friday they hope a new report that found government costs far higher on Long Island than in a similar area of Northern Virginia will help them make their case.
“I think it's a compelling case when you compare counties that are very similar and find one has fewer units of municipal government and fewer school districts and also has lower property taxes,” said former Lt. Gov. Stan Lundine. He is the chairman of a commission appointed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer in April to study how to consolidate local governments. The panel is slated to make recommendations next year." IF THINGS DON'T CHANGE QUICKLY ON THE ISLAND HERE.....PEOPLE WILL BE MOVING OUT IN DROVES...THE ONLY THING SLOWLY THINGS DOWN NOW..IS THE CURRENT REALESTATE SLUMP....TOO MANY HOUSES ARE ON THE MARKET..PEOPLE WANT OUT...THIS IS A WARNING SIGN..THINGS HAVE TO CHANGE.......AND SPEAKING OF CHANGE...MAYOR BLOOMBERG...MR RICH GUY..SOMETIMES LOSES SIGHT OF HOW THE MIDDLE CLASS AND POOR LIVE.....NEWSDAY GIVES US $8 ride in high gear "Mayor Michael Bloomberg challenged the governor and state Legislature on Friday to approve his controversial congestion pricing plan this year, and warned that the city and its deep-pocketed power brokers have the political and financial muscle to make it happen.Drivers pay $8 per day; trucks $21 at entries and other points in the congestion zone. Motorists paying a toll, then driving in the congestion zone would not be charged twice. Exemptions would exist for taxis, livery cabs, emergency vehicles and those with handicapped plates." SO THE FAT CATS IN THEIR STRETCH LIMOS CAN GET AROUND MIDTOWN QUICKER NOW...I WOULD BET THE HOUSE THAT FRAUDULENT HANDICAPPED PLATE USAGE GOES UP A THOUSAND PERCENT......KILL THIS BILL....IT IS A RICH MAN'S DELIGHT...........AND.......SOMETHING THAT IS STILL FREE TO THE PUBLIC ...THE TROY RECORD LETS US KNOW It's smooth sailing for opening day of canal season......."The Canal System is one of New York's greatest recreational and historic assets, welcoming visitors from all over the U.S. and the world each year," Governor Eliot Spitzer released a statement encouraging all New Yorkers to consider visiting the Canal System in 2007."Whether you are a history buff, boater, hiker or picnicker, there's plenty to enjoy at this remarkable waterway," he said." AND FINALLY Lawmakers will weigh plans to ease jail crunch ..........HOW LONG HAS THIS PROBLEM BEEN AROUND???? ANDY
"ALBANY — Members of a panel studying how to shrink the number of local governments in the state said Friday they hope a new report that found government costs far higher on Long Island than in a similar area of Northern Virginia will help them make their case.
“I think it's a compelling case when you compare counties that are very similar and find one has fewer units of municipal government and fewer school districts and also has lower property taxes,” said former Lt. Gov. Stan Lundine. He is the chairman of a commission appointed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer in April to study how to consolidate local governments. The panel is slated to make recommendations next year." IF THINGS DON'T CHANGE QUICKLY ON THE ISLAND HERE.....PEOPLE WILL BE MOVING OUT IN DROVES...THE ONLY THING SLOWLY THINGS DOWN NOW..IS THE CURRENT REALESTATE SLUMP....TOO MANY HOUSES ARE ON THE MARKET..PEOPLE WANT OUT...THIS IS A WARNING SIGN..THINGS HAVE TO CHANGE.......AND SPEAKING OF CHANGE...MAYOR BLOOMBERG...MR RICH GUY..SOMETIMES LOSES SIGHT OF HOW THE MIDDLE CLASS AND POOR LIVE.....NEWSDAY GIVES US $8 ride in high gear "Mayor Michael Bloomberg challenged the governor and state Legislature on Friday to approve his controversial congestion pricing plan this year, and warned that the city and its deep-pocketed power brokers have the political and financial muscle to make it happen.Drivers pay $8 per day; trucks $21 at entries and other points in the congestion zone. Motorists paying a toll, then driving in the congestion zone would not be charged twice. Exemptions would exist for taxis, livery cabs, emergency vehicles and those with handicapped plates." SO THE FAT CATS IN THEIR STRETCH LIMOS CAN GET AROUND MIDTOWN QUICKER NOW...I WOULD BET THE HOUSE THAT FRAUDULENT HANDICAPPED PLATE USAGE GOES UP A THOUSAND PERCENT......KILL THIS BILL....IT IS A RICH MAN'S DELIGHT...........AND.......SOMETHING THAT IS STILL FREE TO THE PUBLIC ...THE TROY RECORD LETS US KNOW It's smooth sailing for opening day of canal season......."The Canal System is one of New York's greatest recreational and historic assets, welcoming visitors from all over the U.S. and the world each year," Governor Eliot Spitzer released a statement encouraging all New Yorkers to consider visiting the Canal System in 2007."Whether you are a history buff, boater, hiker or picnicker, there's plenty to enjoy at this remarkable waterway," he said." AND FINALLY Lawmakers will weigh plans to ease jail crunch ..........HOW LONG HAS THIS PROBLEM BEEN AROUND???? ANDY
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Dear Lord, Let Us Snipe (updated)
Capitol Confidential
What a bunch of hypocrites......they have no problem with Bush and all the Iraq killings......and yet they give Spitzer a hard time because he wasn't fast enough for them in declaring a national day of prayer...like God needs the government to make prayer official.........Eliot has a beautiful family......what the hell are they talking about when they say he is anti family???? Maybe because he is not part of the Far Right Christian Republican Movement in this Country??? Bush is their shining leader......doesn't that tell you something about this group??? Enough said...........andy
Gov. Eliot Spitzer officially marked today with a proclamation declaring May 3 a “Day of Prayer and Reflection in the Empire State,” in following with the National Day of Prayer created under President Reagan in 1988.
But a Christian Web site says Spitzer was the last governor in the country this year to sign such a proclamation, and suggests he did so at the last minute only under pressure.
The administration says otherwise.
Christian Post quotes James Dobson, chairman of Focus on the Family, as complaining on Monday that Spitzer had been dodging requests for months to officially recognize the Day of Prayer:
“Gov. Spitzer was asked in January to issue such a declaration by April 1st if possible. No response was received as of Friday, April 27. Phone calls from the governor’s office were not returned, and pastors and volunteers who inquired were treated rudely and given no indication that a proclamation was forthcoming.”
Dobson in his group’s daily broadcast Monday told listeners of the “slap in the face that the governor of New York has delivered to people of faith all across the country,” according to Christian Post.
Spitzer spokesman Paul Larabee, however, said he’d been working on the the proclamation matter for weeks. He also said he personally tried to contact Focus on the Family. “I was put on hold indefinitely,” he said.
Spitzer signed the proclamation last Wednesday, Larabee said (the proclamation also lists that as the day he signed it), and it was posted on the governor’s Web site earlier this week. As for whether Spitzer was, as Christian Post contends, the last governor in the country to sign such a proclamation, Larabee said he couldn’t affirm or dispute it without checking on every other state, which he clearly was not inclined to do.
Focus on the Family has more issues with the Democratic, Jewish governor than the prayer day or his move this year not to keep Republican predecessor George Pataki’s tradition of an annual prayer breakfast (although Spitzer’s office says ”an event providing an opportunity for prayer and reflection is being developed.'’) In the Christian Post article, Gary Schneeberger, Focus on the Family’s senior media director of government and public policy, is quoted as saying “Governor Spitzer has never been a friend to pro-family causes. He’s introduced a bill to legalize gay marriage and has worked to shore up abortion rights. He has not earned the benefit of the doubt from the pro-family community.”
What a bunch of hypocrites......they have no problem with Bush and all the Iraq killings......and yet they give Spitzer a hard time because he wasn't fast enough for them in declaring a national day of prayer...like God needs the government to make prayer official.........Eliot has a beautiful family......what the hell are they talking about when they say he is anti family???? Maybe because he is not part of the Far Right Christian Republican Movement in this Country??? Bush is their shining leader......doesn't that tell you something about this group??? Enough said...........andy
Gov. Eliot Spitzer officially marked today with a proclamation declaring May 3 a “Day of Prayer and Reflection in the Empire State,” in following with the National Day of Prayer created under President Reagan in 1988.
But a Christian Web site says Spitzer was the last governor in the country this year to sign such a proclamation, and suggests he did so at the last minute only under pressure.
The administration says otherwise.
Christian Post quotes James Dobson, chairman of Focus on the Family, as complaining on Monday that Spitzer had been dodging requests for months to officially recognize the Day of Prayer:
“Gov. Spitzer was asked in January to issue such a declaration by April 1st if possible. No response was received as of Friday, April 27. Phone calls from the governor’s office were not returned, and pastors and volunteers who inquired were treated rudely and given no indication that a proclamation was forthcoming.”
Dobson in his group’s daily broadcast Monday told listeners of the “slap in the face that the governor of New York has delivered to people of faith all across the country,” according to Christian Post.
Spitzer spokesman Paul Larabee, however, said he’d been working on the the proclamation matter for weeks. He also said he personally tried to contact Focus on the Family. “I was put on hold indefinitely,” he said.
Spitzer signed the proclamation last Wednesday, Larabee said (the proclamation also lists that as the day he signed it), and it was posted on the governor’s Web site earlier this week. As for whether Spitzer was, as Christian Post contends, the last governor in the country to sign such a proclamation, Larabee said he couldn’t affirm or dispute it without checking on every other state, which he clearly was not inclined to do.
Focus on the Family has more issues with the Democratic, Jewish governor than the prayer day or his move this year not to keep Republican predecessor George Pataki’s tradition of an annual prayer breakfast (although Spitzer’s office says ”an event providing an opportunity for prayer and reflection is being developed.'’) In the Christian Post article, Gary Schneeberger, Focus on the Family’s senior media director of government and public policy, is quoted as saying “Governor Spitzer has never been a friend to pro-family causes. He’s introduced a bill to legalize gay marriage and has worked to shore up abortion rights. He has not earned the benefit of the doubt from the pro-family community.”
Loophole used to ship tax-free cigarettes closed
The Buffalo News
Untaxed internet tobacco sales went up in smoke........maybe the upstate tribes will start making up Anti Cuomo signs like they did for Spitzer...........andy
New York’s attorney general has closed another loophole that local Indian tobacco merchants have been using to ship tax-free cigarettes over the Internet.
Andrew M. Cuomo, continuing an investigation that predecessor Eliot L. Spitzer began last year, announced an agreement Wednesday with a Long Island firm that had been processing checks and electronic payments for at least 10 Indian tobacco merchants.
Nine of the 10 Indian smoke shops that had been using the service were from Western New York.
Creative Cash Flow Solutions, of Amityville, announced it will no longer provide services to those who sell tax-free cigarettes over the Internet.
Cuomo said the company agreed to immediately stop processing payments once its executives were told the payments violated state law.
Spitzer, when he was state attorney general, had reached agreements with credit card companies, getting them to stop allowing customers across the country to use credit cards to buy tax-free cigarettes.
Cuomo said that Creative Cash Flow Solutions had filled the credit card void for Indian tobacco sellers.
A check of Indian tobacco Web sites Wednesday showed that some of the retailers who once used credit cards had switched to electronic payments.
A Cuomo spokesman identified the 10 retail cigarette sellers using the Long Island firm’s processing as:
My Choice Tobacco, Williamsville; Phat Smokes, Salamanca; Drive Through Smokeshop, Lewiston; All American Tobacco, Salamanca; Peace Pipe Cigarettes, Mastic; Seneca Stars Cigs, Salamanca; Highlander Discount Cigs, Salamanca; Smoke Signals, Salamanca; Buy Cheap Cigarettes, Brant; and OT Direct, Salamanca.
Untaxed internet tobacco sales went up in smoke........maybe the upstate tribes will start making up Anti Cuomo signs like they did for Spitzer...........andy
New York’s attorney general has closed another loophole that local Indian tobacco merchants have been using to ship tax-free cigarettes over the Internet.
Andrew M. Cuomo, continuing an investigation that predecessor Eliot L. Spitzer began last year, announced an agreement Wednesday with a Long Island firm that had been processing checks and electronic payments for at least 10 Indian tobacco merchants.
Nine of the 10 Indian smoke shops that had been using the service were from Western New York.
Creative Cash Flow Solutions, of Amityville, announced it will no longer provide services to those who sell tax-free cigarettes over the Internet.
Cuomo said the company agreed to immediately stop processing payments once its executives were told the payments violated state law.
Spitzer, when he was state attorney general, had reached agreements with credit card companies, getting them to stop allowing customers across the country to use credit cards to buy tax-free cigarettes.
Cuomo said that Creative Cash Flow Solutions had filled the credit card void for Indian tobacco sellers.
A check of Indian tobacco Web sites Wednesday showed that some of the retailers who once used credit cards had switched to electronic payments.
A Cuomo spokesman identified the 10 retail cigarette sellers using the Long Island firm’s processing as:
My Choice Tobacco, Williamsville; Phat Smokes, Salamanca; Drive Through Smokeshop, Lewiston; All American Tobacco, Salamanca; Peace Pipe Cigarettes, Mastic; Seneca Stars Cigs, Salamanca; Highlander Discount Cigs, Salamanca; Smoke Signals, Salamanca; Buy Cheap Cigarettes, Brant; and OT Direct, Salamanca.
Resort Hotel Eyed For Aqueduct
Very interesting article on some of the proposals for taking over NYRA and what to do with the racetracks.......a must read if you are following this whole process.........andy
Sky-high hotels and gaming resorts may be in the cards for Aqueduct and Belmont, if the firms vying for control of the two racetracks get their way. Last month, representatives from each of the four bidders — Capital Play, Empire Racing, Excelsior Racing and the New York Racing Association — outlined their plans to the members of a state racing panel in Albany. In addition to controlling Aqueduct Race Track in South Ozone Park, and Belmont Park Race Track on the Queens-Nassau border, the winning bidder would run Saratoga Race Course, located upstate. The three tracks constitute the state’s racing franchise, which the New York Racing Association has run since 1955. Each bidder hopes to woo state officials with promises of millions of dollars in tax revenue and renderings of gaming resorts that would draw droves of affluent leisure-seekers who now head to Atlantic City and Connecticut. Empire Racing’s $2 billion proposal centers on the construction of a 325-room hotel and entertainment complex on Aqueduct’s 200 acres. It would include the development of Aqueduct Live! — modeled after Woodbine Live! at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. Aqueduct Live! would have high-end bars, restaurants, shops and a live music venue, according to Empire Racing spokesman Dave Vermillion. Both Aqueduct and Belmont would get new backstretch areas and Belmont would also see the construction of a row of new corporate suites overlooking the racing area. Capital Play, a group of Australian investors, pitched their plan for the development of a similar hotel and entertainment complex that would be geared toward 21- to 35-year-olds. The three sub-options within their proposal, each of which includes the creation of a multistory hotel tower, range in price from $730 million to $1.8 billion. Through aggressive subway and billboard ad campaigns, Capital would target women, many of whom don’t regularly visit the tracks. “Our goal is to reinvent New York state horse racing,” Capital Play CEO Karl O’Farrell told panel members. Excelsior Racing would make grandstand, clubhouse and racetrack improvements at Aqueduct, but the lion’s share of its investment would be put toward the construction of a 500-room hotel at Belmont. Excelsior, whose advisory board members include famed jockey Jerry Baily and the Rev. Floyd Flake, the pastor of Jamaica’s Greater Allen Cathedral, won the endorsement of a nine-member recommendation committee last November. The committee, formed by former Gov. George Pataki, placed Empire second in its preference ranking. The New York Racing Association fared poorly in November because of what many committee members viewed as a checkered history of fiscal irresponsibility. It declared bankruptcy last November. As it petitions the state to renew its contract, NYRA’s proposal does not center on large development projects. It would instead change its status as a nonprofit corporation to a not-for-profit one, and make changes to its simulcasting pricing model. All the interested firms proposed installing video lottery terminals at Belmont and Aqueduct. The panel evaluating the proposals includes three of Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s appointees, two members of the Assembly and two members of the state Senate, including John Sabini (D-Jackson Heights). They will deliver a decision to Spitzer by the end of May. If NYRA is not selected by Spitzer and the Legislature, a new firm will assume control of the franchise on Jan. 1, 2008. Although many in South Ozone Park have expressed concern about Aqueduct’s future, Vermillion said: “Anything that we do will be in full cooperation with the community. We’re not just going to drop a hotel in here without talking to people.” Citing the concerns of some of her constituents, Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer (D-Ozone Park) said that a hotel built too close to homes and businesses may be detrimental. But she added that South Queens would benefit from the tax revenue the facility would generate. Merchants on Crossbay Boulevard and other commercial strips may also enjoy increased business, Pheffer said. Sabini said that because so many hotels already exist around Kennedy Airport, the Aqueduct resort might be an “easy sell.” But he said that he would not endorse or oppose any plan until he had a better sense of the scope of the development.
10,000TH VISITOR TO BLOG
THANK YOU ALL FOR VISITING MY BLOG!!!! IT IS HARD TO MAINTAIN A 1 MAN BLOG....WITH MY BUSY SCHEDULE........BUT MAKING A VALIANT ATTEMPT TO KEEP IT GOING :-) THANKS FOR YOUR TIME SPENT HERE...APPRECIATE IT........ANDY
AM RUSH HOUR SPECIAL
State Has First Black Governor -- for a Day ................"AP -- New York had its first black governor - for a day, anyway. Under the state constitution, Lieutenant Governor David Paterson, a Harlem Democrat, was in charge on Monday. That's because Governor Eliot Spitzer was out of state, attending a California campaign fund-raiser. It was actually the third time Paterson, under the constitution drafted in 1777, had the powers of the governor this year. The other two times Spitzer was in Washington, D.C. on state business".......TODAY MUST BE COLOR THEME DAY FOR STORIES........Governor's mansion going green..............."ALBANY -- Solar panels should start showing up at the Executive Mansion this summer under an effort to make it the nation's first "green" residence for a governor.
The goal is to meet about 40 percent of the mansion's electrical needs from the sun by next year, First Lady Silda Wall Spitzer said Tuesday.
"Starting today, the mansion will also function as a sustainable building," she said. As she addressed reporters off a side porch, workers inside were preparing the first step of a project that's expected to cost about $650,000 -- replacing an 11-year-old washing machine with a new, energy-efficient model.
That's part of an effort to cut the 20,000 square-foot, 151-year-old mansion's demand for electricity by 15 percent." OK.......HOW ABOUT A FEW STATE JUDGE'S FACES TURNING RED..............Senate approves commission to study state salaries................"Albany — Few things draw the ire of taxpayers like lawmakers conspiring to raise their own salaries, especially in a state that already has the nation's third- highest paid Legislature.
That could be why legislators seized on the idea of creating a bipartisan commission to review and impose pay hikes for elected officials. The commission would do the dirty work.
The commission concept was put forth by Chief Judge Judith Kaye, who hoped to finally break the political game of chicken that has forced the state's 1,200 judges to go eight years without a raise.
Kaye says lagging salaries are forcing talented lawyers from the bench. But each year, lawmakers have refused to give the judges a raise without getting their own." AND ON A VERY SAD NOTE.............Slain Trooper laid to rest with full honors................"Delmar -- New York State Trooper David Brinkerhoff was laid to rest Wednesday, and his family and close friends remembered him as someone who was always there to enlighten and bring a positive outlook to a situation, and someone who just lived his life to the fullest." AND STATE COMPTROLLER IS PUTTING Money's where his mouth is ............"ALBANY - Wading into the heated debate over changes to campaign finance, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli yesterday proposed turning his re-election bid in 2010 into an experiment with spending limits, contribution caps, mandatory debates and public financing.DiNapoli, a former assemblyman from Great Neck, said the "pilot project" would provide an opportunity to test the alternatives pushed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Assembly Democrats and good-government groups. The results could be used to institute changes affecting the races for governor and other statewide offices in 2014, he said.
Under the initiative, DiNapoli and other candidates for state comptroller would restrict contributions from individuals to $10,000, and cap campaign spending at $5 million per candidate for a primary and $7.5 million for the general election.".........WAY TO GO TOM!!!!!!!!!!!! ..................ANDY
The goal is to meet about 40 percent of the mansion's electrical needs from the sun by next year, First Lady Silda Wall Spitzer said Tuesday.
"Starting today, the mansion will also function as a sustainable building," she said. As she addressed reporters off a side porch, workers inside were preparing the first step of a project that's expected to cost about $650,000 -- replacing an 11-year-old washing machine with a new, energy-efficient model.
That's part of an effort to cut the 20,000 square-foot, 151-year-old mansion's demand for electricity by 15 percent." OK.......HOW ABOUT A FEW STATE JUDGE'S FACES TURNING RED..............Senate approves commission to study state salaries................"Albany — Few things draw the ire of taxpayers like lawmakers conspiring to raise their own salaries, especially in a state that already has the nation's third- highest paid Legislature.
That could be why legislators seized on the idea of creating a bipartisan commission to review and impose pay hikes for elected officials. The commission would do the dirty work.
The commission concept was put forth by Chief Judge Judith Kaye, who hoped to finally break the political game of chicken that has forced the state's 1,200 judges to go eight years without a raise.
Kaye says lagging salaries are forcing talented lawyers from the bench. But each year, lawmakers have refused to give the judges a raise without getting their own." AND ON A VERY SAD NOTE.............Slain Trooper laid to rest with full honors................"Delmar -- New York State Trooper David Brinkerhoff was laid to rest Wednesday, and his family and close friends remembered him as someone who was always there to enlighten and bring a positive outlook to a situation, and someone who just lived his life to the fullest." AND STATE COMPTROLLER IS PUTTING Money's where his mouth is ............"ALBANY - Wading into the heated debate over changes to campaign finance, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli yesterday proposed turning his re-election bid in 2010 into an experiment with spending limits, contribution caps, mandatory debates and public financing.DiNapoli, a former assemblyman from Great Neck, said the "pilot project" would provide an opportunity to test the alternatives pushed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Assembly Democrats and good-government groups. The results could be used to institute changes affecting the races for governor and other statewide offices in 2014, he said.
Under the initiative, DiNapoli and other candidates for state comptroller would restrict contributions from individuals to $10,000, and cap campaign spending at $5 million per candidate for a primary and $7.5 million for the general election.".........WAY TO GO TOM!!!!!!!!!!!! ..................ANDY
A QUICK REPLY TO COMMENT POSTED
North Country Gazette has not tried to contact me to remove one of their articles I posted in here.........and......they got full credit for the article......and were identified as the author of such.......believe me...free publicity is never turned away by the media......get a life...will ya!!!!!!!! andy
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
OUT-REFORMING ELIOT
New York Post Editorial
This post editorial is pure republican bs........they don't want campaign contribution limits.....yet they support this phony republican revenge bill......fundraising is a political reality......nobody likes to do it........but you need money to run.....this is another excuse for the Republicans to avoid real campaign reform.................where was the post's indignation when pataki was governor??? andy
May 2, 2007 -- Assembly GOP leader James Tedisco has fired a shot across the campaign-finance bow at Gov. Spitzer, announcing he'll introduce a bill to limit the practice of "bundling" - campaign cash put together by individual fund-raisers.
You know the concept - it's the one Spitzer himself is using in his own re-election bid in 2010, promising bundlers who raise $25,000 to $1 million a rolling scale of special inside-access inducements.
Which is why Tedisco's bill is certainly far more in line with the governor's campaign promise to fix the way business is done in Albany than is Spitzer himself.
After all, as Spitzer noted the other day, "Special interests give millions to lawmakers each year and, in return, lawmakers are expected to do their bidding."
Precisely.
And nowhere is this attitude more blatant than in the practice of bundling.
It allows lobbyists, power-brokers and influence-peddlers to enhance their power by delivering a pile of checks far above the individual campaign limits to appreciative lawmakers.
Tedisco proposes to limit bundling in state races to a maximum of $100,000 per individual. "If anything defines pay-to-play, this is it," he says.
In fact, his bill would go even further: It would require campaigns to publicly disclose those who bundle for them and how much they raise; list the name, occupation, employer and spouse's employer of all contributors and list any specific access awarded by contribution level.
The governor had no immediate comment yesterday. He was off in California - on a political fund-raising trip.
But state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, who would dearly love to stick one to the governor, said he's open to placing limits on bundling.
As are we.
We've been leery of past efforts at campaign-finance reform - most of which have amounted to little more than an attack on the First Amendment rights of individuals and groups to support the candidate of their choice.
But no such limits are proposed here.
All that's at stake is the ability of would-be political players to boost their clout by playing campaign Santa Claus, delivering bundles of cash and checks to money-hungry legislators.
We hope that Spitzer agrees - when he returns with his California cash.
This post editorial is pure republican bs........they don't want campaign contribution limits.....yet they support this phony republican revenge bill......fundraising is a political reality......nobody likes to do it........but you need money to run.....this is another excuse for the Republicans to avoid real campaign reform.................where was the post's indignation when pataki was governor??? andy
May 2, 2007 -- Assembly GOP leader James Tedisco has fired a shot across the campaign-finance bow at Gov. Spitzer, announcing he'll introduce a bill to limit the practice of "bundling" - campaign cash put together by individual fund-raisers.
You know the concept - it's the one Spitzer himself is using in his own re-election bid in 2010, promising bundlers who raise $25,000 to $1 million a rolling scale of special inside-access inducements.
Which is why Tedisco's bill is certainly far more in line with the governor's campaign promise to fix the way business is done in Albany than is Spitzer himself.
After all, as Spitzer noted the other day, "Special interests give millions to lawmakers each year and, in return, lawmakers are expected to do their bidding."
Precisely.
And nowhere is this attitude more blatant than in the practice of bundling.
It allows lobbyists, power-brokers and influence-peddlers to enhance their power by delivering a pile of checks far above the individual campaign limits to appreciative lawmakers.
Tedisco proposes to limit bundling in state races to a maximum of $100,000 per individual. "If anything defines pay-to-play, this is it," he says.
In fact, his bill would go even further: It would require campaigns to publicly disclose those who bundle for them and how much they raise; list the name, occupation, employer and spouse's employer of all contributors and list any specific access awarded by contribution level.
The governor had no immediate comment yesterday. He was off in California - on a political fund-raising trip.
But state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, who would dearly love to stick one to the governor, said he's open to placing limits on bundling.
As are we.
We've been leery of past efforts at campaign-finance reform - most of which have amounted to little more than an attack on the First Amendment rights of individuals and groups to support the candidate of their choice.
But no such limits are proposed here.
All that's at stake is the ability of would-be political players to boost their clout by playing campaign Santa Claus, delivering bundles of cash and checks to money-hungry legislators.
We hope that Spitzer agrees - when he returns with his California cash.
State judges deserve better
Newsday Editorial
The state's judges got the short end of the stick again this week, when a plan for a long overdue pay raise hit the skids. The problem for judges - who've had only one raise in 19 years - is that legislators linked judicial pay hikes to increases for themselves, unconscionably holding judges hostage in an effort to fatten their own paychecks. The linkage almost paid off for legislators this week. A proposal combining a raise for judges with the creation of a compensation commission to consider future pay hikes - for judges and lawmakers - appeared to have the votes to pass. But it was derailed when Senate Democrats, nudged by Gov. Eliot Spitzer, pulled their support for the plan and Assembly Democrats put it on hold. Chief Judge Judith Kaye had proposed the commission in a pragmatic bid, borne of frustration, to move the issue of judges' pay out of the statehouse. That's the right thing to do. The state's judges were given pay parity with federal judges nine years ago but have seen their compensation stagnate since then. New York's Supreme Court justices are paid $136,700 a year; federal district court judges, $165,200. But raises for legislators shouldn't be outside the political arena. Lawmakers are paid $79,000 a year, a $152 per diem while in session and additional pay for leadership positions. That's a good deal for a part-time job that allows outside earnings. Spitzer, who agrees judges should get a raise, said the legislature should reform its notoriously ineffective ways before even considering its own pay hike. The legislature should decouple judicial and legislative raises, give judges an immediate increase, and provide a mechanism for regular cost-of-living increases. Then, if there's a case to be made for legislative raises, legislators are welcome to make it.
Our judges deserve a raise........let's cut the political crap out...and give them one...........andy
The state's judges got the short end of the stick again this week, when a plan for a long overdue pay raise hit the skids. The problem for judges - who've had only one raise in 19 years - is that legislators linked judicial pay hikes to increases for themselves, unconscionably holding judges hostage in an effort to fatten their own paychecks. The linkage almost paid off for legislators this week. A proposal combining a raise for judges with the creation of a compensation commission to consider future pay hikes - for judges and lawmakers - appeared to have the votes to pass. But it was derailed when Senate Democrats, nudged by Gov. Eliot Spitzer, pulled their support for the plan and Assembly Democrats put it on hold. Chief Judge Judith Kaye had proposed the commission in a pragmatic bid, borne of frustration, to move the issue of judges' pay out of the statehouse. That's the right thing to do. The state's judges were given pay parity with federal judges nine years ago but have seen their compensation stagnate since then. New York's Supreme Court justices are paid $136,700 a year; federal district court judges, $165,200. But raises for legislators shouldn't be outside the political arena. Lawmakers are paid $79,000 a year, a $152 per diem while in session and additional pay for leadership positions. That's a good deal for a part-time job that allows outside earnings. Spitzer, who agrees judges should get a raise, said the legislature should reform its notoriously ineffective ways before even considering its own pay hike. The legislature should decouple judicial and legislative raises, give judges an immediate increase, and provide a mechanism for regular cost-of-living increases. Then, if there's a case to be made for legislative raises, legislators are welcome to make it.
Our judges deserve a raise........let's cut the political crap out...and give them one...........andy
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Wicks Law, Other Mandates Would Be Eased Under Spitzer Plan
North Country Gazette
Found this while doing the ususal google thing.....good read.........andy
ALBANY—Unnecessary mandates on local governments would be eliminated under a legislative proposal advanced by Gov. Eliot Spitzer. This legislation will make amendments to the Wicks Law, ease local government procurement procedures, provide equal treatment for localities with respect to collateral source payments, reform the laws governing interest rates, and streamline the enforcement of local housing code violations.
“This legislation enacts necessary measures to reduce the heavy financial burden, ease the cumbersome workload, and roll back the excessive mandates that for too long have handcuffed New York State’s local governments,” said Governor Spitzer. “By encouraging structural reforms and reducing operational costs, this bill will promote fiscal savings for our taxpayers, increase flexibility for our municipalities, and ensure the long-term economic stability of our state.”
The mandate relief package will include the following provisions:
The Wicks Law is an antiquated statute that requires multiple contracts for all municipal construction projects costing over $50,000 - a monetary threshold that has not been increased since the early 1960s. This legislation will:
–Increase the threshold to $1,000,000 for Upstate projects and $2,000,000 for projects in New York City, and annually index these new thresholds to adjust for inflation;
–Strengthen subcontractor protections to ensure that subcontractors are treated fairly in non-Wicks projects; and
–Authorize the use of project labor agreements, which standardize the terms and conditions for labor on public works contracts, in lieu of Wicks separate specifications in certain circumstances.
This legislation will facilitate local government procurement processes by:
–Increasing the competitive bidding thresholds for public works contracts from $20,000 to $50,000 and for commodities purchases from $10,000 to $20,000;
–Allowing local governments to consider “best value” when awarding contracts for services, and;
–Allowing local governments to “piggy-back” on federal information technology procurement contracts.
The State’s collateral source laws provide for the deduction of certain third-party payments from jury awards in personal injury and wrongful death actions, to ensure that injured plaintiffs do not get paid twice for the same injury. While most past and future collateral source payments are deducted from jury awards, future payments are not offset in actions against public employers. As a result, local governments end up making future payments to plaintiffs who are already scheduled to receive such payments from other sources. This legislation eliminates that inequity.
Local governments currently must pay interest on outstanding judgments at a fixed rate of 9% — which is significantly higher than current market interest rates. This unnecessarily increases the interest costs of local governments, and provides a windfall to third parties. This legislation will reduce those expenses by setting a market-based method of calculating interest rates - similar to the method used for judgments involving the federal government - and by capping interest rates at the current statutory rate of 9%.
Local governments can currently enforce local housing maintenance codes only through court action, a cumbersome and costly process that has led to significant violation backlogs in some municipalities. This legislation gives local governments the option to use administrative proceedings to streamline the enforcement of local housing code violations. 4-30-07
Found this while doing the ususal google thing.....good read.........andy
ALBANY—Unnecessary mandates on local governments would be eliminated under a legislative proposal advanced by Gov. Eliot Spitzer. This legislation will make amendments to the Wicks Law, ease local government procurement procedures, provide equal treatment for localities with respect to collateral source payments, reform the laws governing interest rates, and streamline the enforcement of local housing code violations.
“This legislation enacts necessary measures to reduce the heavy financial burden, ease the cumbersome workload, and roll back the excessive mandates that for too long have handcuffed New York State’s local governments,” said Governor Spitzer. “By encouraging structural reforms and reducing operational costs, this bill will promote fiscal savings for our taxpayers, increase flexibility for our municipalities, and ensure the long-term economic stability of our state.”
The mandate relief package will include the following provisions:
The Wicks Law is an antiquated statute that requires multiple contracts for all municipal construction projects costing over $50,000 - a monetary threshold that has not been increased since the early 1960s. This legislation will:
–Increase the threshold to $1,000,000 for Upstate projects and $2,000,000 for projects in New York City, and annually index these new thresholds to adjust for inflation;
–Strengthen subcontractor protections to ensure that subcontractors are treated fairly in non-Wicks projects; and
–Authorize the use of project labor agreements, which standardize the terms and conditions for labor on public works contracts, in lieu of Wicks separate specifications in certain circumstances.
This legislation will facilitate local government procurement processes by:
–Increasing the competitive bidding thresholds for public works contracts from $20,000 to $50,000 and for commodities purchases from $10,000 to $20,000;
–Allowing local governments to consider “best value” when awarding contracts for services, and;
–Allowing local governments to “piggy-back” on federal information technology procurement contracts.
The State’s collateral source laws provide for the deduction of certain third-party payments from jury awards in personal injury and wrongful death actions, to ensure that injured plaintiffs do not get paid twice for the same injury. While most past and future collateral source payments are deducted from jury awards, future payments are not offset in actions against public employers. As a result, local governments end up making future payments to plaintiffs who are already scheduled to receive such payments from other sources. This legislation eliminates that inequity.
Local governments currently must pay interest on outstanding judgments at a fixed rate of 9% — which is significantly higher than current market interest rates. This unnecessarily increases the interest costs of local governments, and provides a windfall to third parties. This legislation will reduce those expenses by setting a market-based method of calculating interest rates - similar to the method used for judgments involving the federal government - and by capping interest rates at the current statutory rate of 9%.
Local governments can currently enforce local housing maintenance codes only through court action, a cumbersome and costly process that has led to significant violation backlogs in some municipalities. This legislation gives local governments the option to use administrative proceedings to streamline the enforcement of local housing code violations. 4-30-07
