Sitting in the back of the Assembly chamber, Assembly Member Daniel
O'Donnell (D-Manhattan) said that despite the turmoil which erupted in
the State Senate this afternoon, he feels there is still hope for his
gay marriage legislation to be passed.
"You still have to try to get to 32 votes. I've always taken the
position that the bill should be put to the floor," he said. "So ...
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Republicans seized control of the State Senate, installing
Pedro Espada (D-Bronx) as temporary president and Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Nassau)
as majority and vice-chair in a move that, among other things, throws the
reauthorization of mayoral control of schools in serious jeopardy.
The current law is set to sunset on June 30—in a deal
already facing trouble—and the ...
Read more »The gap in the Republican conference left by Joe Bruno’s resignation
has led some Democrats to jokingly refer to the GOP lead as the “Senate Plurality”
rather than the “Senate Majority.”But, according to some who have consulted the rules, the consequences
of Bruno’s resignation may be much more than a joke as the Senate prepares to
head back ...
Read more »According to several Assembly Republicans, the usually bombastic Assembly Member Greg Ball (R-Putnam) has toned down his anti-Albany and anti-immigrant rhetoric as he tries to cope with a competitive primary, the wrath of a local state senator, the dislike of most of his colleagues in the Legislature and rumors that he is already planning a 2010 race for Congress.Ball made his ...
Read more »Tom Golisano is using donations to Responsible New York to
shake up politics around the state. But he is making personal contributions,
too, and those could have far-reaching implications in his home area of Western
New York.
The maverick billionaire and former gubernatorial candidate has
donated $3,800 Paula Banks-Dahlke, a Republican challenging Assembly Member
Francine ...
Read more »Tom Golisano has already made a personal
contribution of $3,800, the maximum allowed in a primary, to former Buffalo
Council Member Barbra Kavanaugh (D) in her challenge to Sam Hoyt. A source close to the billionaire hinted that this is a sign that Golisano will use his Responsible New York
committee to back Kavanaugh.
Hoyt, who has long harbored ambitions to be ...
Read more »Tom Golisano will be using
his fortune to influence this year’s battle over the State Senate.
The maverick billionaire and
three-time gubernatorial candidate will next week travel to Albany to announce a plan to form a 527 political action
committee to support candidates in State Senate races across New York.
A source familiar with
Golisano’s thinking said the ...
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Speculation in Albany
has grown that Rep. John McHugh (R-Watertown) will leave his congressional seat
this year and instead challenge State Sen. Darrel Aubertine (D-Watertown).
Bipartisan sources have confirmed that the eight term congressman’s
name is rising to the top of the list to challenge Aubertine, who won the
Senate seat in a special election last month. ...
Read more »A three-hour meeting the day before Easter set into motion a dramatic change in Western New York politics which took a popular state senator out of a congressional race and establishes the new Erie County Executive as the region’s leading Republican powerbroker.Sources have confirmed that Rick Lewis, a Buffalo businessman who runs the Talking Phone Book, will be entering ...
Read more »Sen. Charles Schumer has tried to change
how auxiliary officers are viewed under federal law. Now he is looking
to push the Legislature in New York to make a change as well.On
the same day that NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly testified to a closed
hearing in support of federal death benefits being awarded to the
families of two auxiliary police officers killed last year in ...
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Golisano to Pour Millions Into Senate Shake-Up PAC
McHugh Courted for Senate Race Against Aubertine
Republicans and Democrats Fields to Succeed Reynolds Both Face Potential Upheavals
