Results tagged “albany”

As Attorney General Andrew Cuomo slowly moves toward announcing his candidacy for governor—sources swear he'll come out with it no later than April 25—is he scared of new Republican candidate Steve Levy, who's reportedly "a little crazy" and "something of a nut"? That's what the Post's Fred Dicker says, even after Rick Lazio won an important endorsement Saturday. According to the columnist, Cuomo's camp thinks the "Suffolk County executive is a far more dangerous GOP opponent than former Rep. Rick Lazio, the undistinguished current Conservative favorite." more ›

"I'm going to be the Conservative and the Republican candidate," said gubernatorial hopeful Rick Lazio, who yesterday received the endorsement of the state Conservative Party. When asked what he thinks of Long Island executive Steve Levy’s recent announcement that he’ll defect from the Democratic party to vie for the Republican nomination, he said “I am not worried about him,” but there’s reason to think he should be. For Lazio—who’s short on funds and quiet on the issues—the endorsement could give a boost to a campaign without much oomph. Just as easily it could be taken away. more ›

With a $9.2 billion state deficit on his hands, Gov Paterson says he's "not optimistic at all" about getting a budget out by April 1st. The governor said recently that in order to avoid raising taxes (a proposed tax on sugary beverages like soda doesn't seem like it will succeed) he'll most likely make massive cuts to the school system, health care and government agencies. But some lawmakers say the delay should be attributed not to the tough economy or a ten day break for Passover and Easter, but to Paterson's infamous "laziness." more ›

The latest proposal to levy a penny-per-ounce tax on non-diet sodas and other sugary drinks appears to have fizzled out. New York Governor David Paterson and his health commissioner poured their hearts out to politicians in Albany in support of the tax, which would have generated an estimated $1 billion annually and reduced consumption of the drinks by 15 percent. But Senate lawmakers appear poised to pop Paterson's plan, because a number of Democratic senators are opposed, along with the entire Republican conference. The AP reports that the bill does not have the minimum 32 votes needed for passage, and will most likely fall flat. more ›

After an initial deal fell apart amidst controversy and allegations of political favoritism, state officials will soon start searching for a new company to operate video slot machines at the Aqueduct Racetrack. Unlike the previous round of bidding that ended with Gov. Paterson's selection of the Aqueduct Entertainment Group, this time the Governor's office will actually establish a set criteria that will be used to judge applicants. "We want to limit the leaders' involvement," a Paterson official told the Daily News. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg loves ladling out diet tips, but he's not about to give up his salty hot sausages. The Post reports that on his weekly radio show he called a recent proposal to ban salt in restaurants “ridiculous.” "You have to have salt when you cook," observed the mayor. "I do. I use too much salt already myself. But also it makes a lot of foods, the way you cook them and bake them—salt is a real ingredient. So I don't think that's the right thing to do." more ›

State officials refused to grant a gaming license to the politically-connected consortium selected by Gov.Paterson to open a casino at the Aqueduct Racetrack—meaning the company will not install slot machines at the Queens facility or receive the lucrative contract. "The Division of the Lottery has concluded that it cannot issue a gaming license to Aqueduct Entertainment Group. Therefore, the State has officially withdrawn its support for AEG," the governor's office wrote in a statement. more ›

Back in January, health crusader Mayor Bloomberg launched a "voluntary" initiative encouraging fast food joints like Subway and supermarket chains like Food Emporium to cut the salt in hundreds of store brand products. The Salt Institute was outraged, Curtis Sliwa drank salt in protest, and panicked New Yorkers began hoarding salt in earnest (not really). But the initiative was voluntary, and lacked a certain, shall we say, despotism. Well, according to Reason's blog, NY Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (D-Brooklyn) is kicking it up a notch by proposing a law fully banning "the use of salt by restaurants in the preparation of food." Now that's some hardcore legislating, or should we say legisalting? (Sorry.) more ›

NY’s Regent exams have been administered since 1865, but this year, in light of penny pinching measures throughout the Department of Education, some of the tests may be eliminated or drastically scaled back. Next week the board of Regents may decide to trash many subject tests that measure achievement among the state’s high schoolers, including ones for foreign languages, math, science, global history, government and geography. According to the Times Union, the board may also choose to stop translating the tests, keeping Spanish, but getting rid of Chinese, Korean, Russian and Haitian Creole versions. Sources estimate the cutbacks could save $13.7 million in preparation costs. more ›

If you start cackling maniacally just reading the tabloid headlines from Albany (“Paterson's aides tell of gov's laziness, tantrums and deceits”; “‘Paranoid' gov going ballistic”), just imagine the jokes going around inside the place. A well timed NY Times profile ventured inside the State Capitol which, with Gov. Paterson spinning down the drain, increasingly resembles the set for Shutter Island. “Man, I like crazy; I would love crazy,” responded Keith L.T. Wright, a Democratic assemblyman from Manhattan, when asked if things had ever been this crazy before. “Our forefathers in their infinite wisdom planned for crazy. But this week we moved to insane.” more ›

With Albany crippled by ethics scandals and general political inaction, former Mayor Ed Koch told the Times it's his duty to shake things up. "Everybody I talked to over the past year has been saying, 'Ugh, it's so awful,'" said Koch. "I finally said to myself, somebody's got to do something ... And if no one else does anything, notwithstanding the fact I'm 85 years old, I'm going to throw myself into it." more ›

A federal judge rejected former state Sen. Hiram Monserrate's attempt to block his expulsion, clearing the way for a March 16 special election to decide who will hold his now-vacant seat. In a 24-page ruling, Judge William Pauley III wrote: "The question of who should represent the 13th Senatorial District is one for the voters, not this court." more ›

In an attempt to navigate the state through a budget crunch at the end of the fiscal year, Gov. Paterson might delay $500 million in state tax returns. The state had set aside $1.75 billion to pay tax returns, but Paterson is hoping to use half a billion of that money to ease cash flow problems—meaning some taxpayers might receive their checks weeks or months late. more ›

Forget the British and American versions of The Office, the Wildlife Conservation Society wants to show what an animal-run office is like. As a follow-up to their viral hit last year, featuring a porcupine getting laid off after budget cuts, they present: "A Beaver Took My Job." more ›

The tenacious Gov. Paterson says he's charging ahead with his electoral campaign, but with so many officials failing to RSVP, he may have to cancel his kick-off event on Saturday. The governor—who is as short on funds as he is on official and voter support—planned to launch his run at his alma mater Hofstra University, where his campaign manager said he would take "his case directly to the people." But some prominent Democrats don't want to show their faces. more ›

Other than the fact it might have been illegal, was the expulsion of disgraced state Sen. Hiram Monserrate a bad idea? Voting to kick out Monserrate following his misdemeanor conviction for domestic assault leaves Democrats with a precarious 31-30 majority in Albany, where a 32-vote quorum is needed to pass any legislation. more ›

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli thinks he's found a hidden pocket of funds that may help solve city schools' financial woes—problem is the money's locked away tight where no one can get to it. An audit revealed $615 million reserved for school employees to get accrued sick and leave time when they leave their jobs that, through some sort of mix-up, can't be accessed. more ›

A judge turned down a request by former state Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) to halt his expulsion from the legislative body, but the disgraced politician isn't giving up his fight. Though the federal judge declined Monserrate's bid for an immediate stay on his senate expulsion and on Gov. David Paterson's call for a special election, Monserrate will continue the legal battle in which he has cast himself as a victim whose civil rights have been trampled. more ›

As the state Senate tries to decide whether to expel Senator Hiram Monserrate, a Queens Democrat who was convicted of misdemeanor assault for slashing his girlfriend with a broken glass, one lawmaker has proposed legislation that would require the automatic expulsion of senators in such cases. The measure would not be retroactive and wouldn't affect Monserrate if it's passed, but still, isn't the Senate painting itself into a corner by raising the legal bar just a tad too high? What if they create a situation where they can't find anybody law-abiding enough to fill the Senate, and then they can't get anything done in Albany?! We jest, but the real punchline here is that the person proposing the new purity law is none other than infamous Senate scofflaw Pedro Espada, Jr., who's currently under investigation by the Attorney General. more ›

A former Queens Assemblyman who resigned after being indicted for accepting bribes in the form of "consulting" fees was sentenced to six years in prison. Anthony Seminerio, 74, pleaded guilty to one charge of fraud after investigators alleged that he had taken up to $2 million in bribes, established a shell company to handle the "consulting" money, and was caught on tape accepting $25,000 from an FBI agent posing as a real estate developer. more ›

Sources are divulging that at a private Saturday night meeting, a majority of upstate Democratic leaders voiced support for Attorney General Andrew Cuomo as the party’s nominee for governor, and some even called for Gov. Paterson to drop out of the race. According to one report, 15 of the 17 Dems present said they either supported Cuomo outright, or will support him when he officially declares his candidacy. "It's not working. Paterson's a decent man, but there's a question as to whether the leadership qualities are there," one attendee, Vincent Monte, chairman of the Rockland County Democratic Committee, told the Times Union. "With Cuomo, there's no question. I'm very supportive of his candidacy." more ›

Following New Jersey's decision to legalize medical marijuana, New York cannabis activists say now is the time to push for similar legislation in the Empire State. Though New York City might be the marijuana arrest capital of the world, the state has "relatively liberal possession laws and actually passed a medical-marijuana law in 1980 but never put it to use," according to the Times. And considering the fact that 14 other states have already given medical marijuana the greenlight, Assemblyman Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan) says there's no reason why it shouldn't be New York's turn. more ›

Here are some things that Albany lawmakers might cut under Governor Paterson's proposed budget: free student MetroCards, the W train, 18,500 New York City jobs, $101 billion in school funding, and $1 billion in health care funding. Here's one thing that's not at risk: a $5.2 million renovation of hearing rooms for Albany lawmakers. According to an Associated Press report, the renovations include new 3- by 5-foot television screens, better lighting and technology for TV coverage, new carpets, refurbished seats, and "more prominent name plates for lawmakers." According to a spokesman, this is the first major renovation of the hearing rooms in 35 years and it will improve "the openness of the Legislature's work and make the rooms more accessible for the disabled." more ›

For hundreds of transgender people trying to establish new identities, Manhattan courts have played a crucial role. Nearly 400 transgender people have sought and been granted name changes either from male to female, female to male or ambiguous, making New York a name change capital of the country. They've enlisted the help of city advocates who specialize in the emerging field of transgender law—now the network is almost 200 lawyers strong. more ›

The Daily News reports that the city and the state used to cover the cost of providing free transit to students, but former Mayor Giuliani and former Gov. Pataki cut contributions to $45 million each, covering about two-thirds of the cost of the program. As the service grew more expensive, neither the city and the state increased the funding, and the state reduced its contribution to $25 million, then again to $6 million. Even though Paterson's proposed $25 million contribution isn't nearly enough to preserve student MetroCards, his budget "characterizes the student funding as an increase over last year — but that's only because the program was slashed nearly to extinction last year," according to the tabloid. more ›

Albany lawmakers missed the 4:30 deadline today to agree on a plan that would allow more charter schools in New York, hurting the state's chances to win up to $700 million in federal education funds, the Post reports. "It's dead in the state Assembly," said pro-charter Assemblyman Michael Benjamin (D-Bronx). more ›

After Gov. Paterson announced his plan to implement far-reaching ethics reforms in Albany, the state Senate released its own pared down ethics reform proposal yesterday. The lawmakers' plan would create a new office for investigating ethics violations in legislature and would require elected officials to disclose how much money they earn from outside jobs, according to NY1. But the proposal wouldn't institute statewide campaign finance reform or initiate term limits, like Paterson had suggested. more ›

Remember State Sen. Pedro Espada — the embattled Bronx Democrat who put Republicans in power when he shifted party affiliation? Remember "Napoleon Dynamite" — the movie that wasn't nearly as funny as people thought it was? Well now you can have a tee-shirt that will forever link the two. more ›

A special Senate panel has recommended that NY Senator Hiram Monserrate be expelled or censured after being convicted of a misdemeanor assault in October. Monserrate, who was acquitted of a felony but found guilty of causing physical injury to his companion, Karla Giraldo, by dragging her though his lobby with a cut face, has said that he'll not leave his post. But with the panel's suggestions moving on to the Senate, will he have a choice? more ›

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is bailing water after remarks he made about then-Senator Barack Obama surfaced in the new book Game Change. Reid reportedly said that Obama's prospects as a presidential candidate were good, because America was ready for a black president who was "light-skinned" with no "Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." Today Governor Paterson chimed in, telling reporters, "I thought the comments not only were reprehensible, but it's amazing to think to print a whole book, that so many people saw, and nobody noticed that this ill-chosen remark was in the book? Didn't anybody read the book before they put it out? I find it kind of shocking." Yeah, how could publishers let that controversial, headline-grabbing quote slip through?! Paterson stopped short of calling for Reid's head, maintaining that "when people properly apologize for these types of mistakes that it doesn't merit destroying their careers." more ›