As the deadlock continues in Albany, more than 25 critical bills waiting to be voted on in the New York State Senate are in jeopardy, according to Gov. David Paterson and State Sen.,Bill Perkins.
Paterson, who before he became governor had the power as lieutenant governor to break the current 31 to 31 deadlock, urged both parties to at least return to the Senate and discuss the dozens of mostly non-controversial bills, including the important local taxation bills.
“I come…to ask the members of the Senate to recognize that their duties as senators are more important than their duties as politicians,” Paterson pled.”As a leader in this state, I’m crying out for the other leaders to hear me.I want them to come in the chamber and resolve their differences, in my opinion, the way the judge would expect them to do.”
On Tuesday, New York Supreme Court Justice Thomas McNamara refused to favor the position taken by Democrats that last week’s coup, led by Pedro Espada Jr. and Hiram Monserrate, was illegal. In effect, he told the two governing parties to settle this matter themselves. Meanwhile, Monserrate has reversed his vote and returned to the Democratic fold.
Sen. Perkins agreed that a number of significant bills are in jeopardy. “School governance, including mayoral control of schools, and sales tax the city needs unless they experience a serious shortfall that will lead to layoffs are among the bills awaiting action,” Perkins said. “But you have to understand that a lot of what we do here in Albany happens outside the chamber.” “Nevertheless,” Perkins continued, “we have to be in the chamber in order to make these bills law, and at the moment, we are still outside waiting for the Republicans to accede to our wishes for a bipartisan government.”
The Republicans, led by, as they see it, Dean Skelos and Espada, have refused to recognize the demand, insisting that the 32 to 30 vote taken last week was legal and thereby gives them the right to control the Senate.
“That vote was not legal; it was unofficial,” Perkins charged. “At the moment, it’s a 31 to 31 standoff, which means no party has the 32 votes required to assume control. Sen. John Sampson is our new leader, and we are happy to be working with him.”
When asked about the previous Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith of Queens, Perkins said: “He was elected to serve for two terms, and those terms are not over. So he remains the majority leader, no matter what the Republicans say.”
Constituents in the communities represented by Espada and Monserrate–if unofficial surveys have any validity– suggest they are not satisfied with the chaos and the behavior of their representatives in Albany.
“They both will feel our anger at the next election,” one resident, who requested that his name not be used, told the Amsterdam News. “What they did was not what we sent them to Albany to do.”
Both Espada and Monserrate have had their share of problems. Espada is under investigation for possible wrongdoing in the distribution of earmarks, and Monserrate is facing domestic violence charges. There is also some question about Espada’s actual residence, which, too, is under investigation.
Moreover, it was revealed that Espada, as chair of the Senate Housing Committee, was scheduled to oversee the vote on rent regulation and tenant rights, legislation that could have severely hurt the pocketbooks and bank accounts of landlords who own more than one million rent-stabilized apartments in the city and suburbs.
Espada had promised to take up the bill, already passed by the Assembly, but has repeatedly stalled, claiming there were scheduling problems and technical reasons for the delay. Like so much of Espada’s actions, there is speculation that he may have found some way to curry the favor of lobbyists in the real estate industry.
Yes, Perkins is right, much of what happens in Albany doesn’t happen in the chamber, but at this critical stage, as the city and residents endure a seemingly unending economic crisis, what is done in the chamber on vital bills is where the rubber meets the road.