Citizen Action of New York News

R News

Rochester, NY

http://www.rnews.com/content/latest_headlines/474222/metro-justice-heads-to-albany/?RegionCookie=2004

Members of Rochester social activism group ‘Metro Justice’ boarded a bus to voice their displeasure about what’s happening in Albany.

The original mission of their trip to the State Capitol was to urge the Senate Elections Committee to pass legislation enabling public funding of elections.

Metro Justice members now say the power shift raises a further challenge.

“Tom Golisano talks about reform,” said Metro Justice’s Phil Schaefer. “Well, one person’s reform is another person’s power grab. And we think the power should be in the hands of ordinary people like us, and not in the monied interests like Tom Golisano. He’s a good guy, but he’s buying government.”

Metro Justice wants to see reforms like public campaign funding to put all candidates on a level playing field.

Rochester Turning

Rochester, NY

http://rochesterturning.com/2009/06/09/metro-justice-goes-to-albany-with-citizen-action-no-mas-senators-espada-and-montserrate-no-mas/

You may have seen coverage on Rnews earlier, but Metro Justice was one of many organizations to head to Albany and protest the coup d’etat.  Originally, they were heading to Albany to  lobby for Clean Money, Clean Elections.   As Florida resident Tom Golisano’s role in this becomes clearer, I pulled this quote from the Rnews report.

“Tom Golisano talks about reform,” said Metro Justice’s Phil Schaefer. “Well, one person’s reform is another person’s power grab. And we think the power should be in the hands of ordinary people like us, and not in the monied interests like Tom Golisano.

Well, when Metro Justice got there, they were part of this protest sit-in.  I think the best part starts at the 2:10 minute mark.

Syracuse Post-Standard

Albany, NY

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/how_tom_golisano_flipped_contr.html

Billionaire Tom Golisano created a political group to bring transparency to Albany. But for more than a month, he conducted closed-door meetings to plot a Republican takeover of the state Senate.

He has been a strident advocate for campaign finance reform. Yet the three-time gubernatorial candidate courted a Democratic senator accused of failing to file campaign finance reports as part of his plan.

Golisano moved out of New York last month to save on income taxes. But the newly minted Florida resident is still interested in New York politics to the extent that he masterminded Monday’s coup to wrest control of the Senate from Democrats.

Golisano says it was all about reforming a broken government. Others say it was payback punishment doled out to Democratic senators that Golisano helped elect only to see them cave on the issues he cared most about.

Whatever his reasons, the very reformers Golisano said inspired him to lead the revolt say his actions are anything but democratic.

“That’s absolutely not how a democracy should work,” said Laura Seago, of New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice, a leading voice for government reform. “Rich citizens should not be able to shape public policy or legislative happenings by throwing money around,” she added.

Golisano is unapologetic, and hinted that he may just be getting started.

“I’m proud of the part that Responsible New York and I played in this change,” Golisano said Tuesday, referring to his political group, which has poured millions of dollars into New York state races. “Who’s next? Hopefully there are some members of the state Assembly who are willing to put reform above party.”

After a reported meeting about six weeks ago with top GOP brass, Golisano sent aides into the Capitol to see which Democrats they could flip to vote with the Republicans.

When the coup succeeded, Golisano was center stage for the victory lap. Monday, he stood smiling next to Sen. Dean Skelos as Skelos staked his claim as new majority leader.

Tuesday, more than 100 voters and advocates convened at the Capitol to protest the Republican takeover.

At one point, Golisano peeked his head out of the office of Sen. Pedro Espada Jr., one of the Democratic defectors, only to be met with protesters chanting, “Golisano pays and Espada plays.”

“He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” said Austin Shafran, spokesman for Senate Democratic leader Malcolm Smith. “He should be ashamed of himself. . . . I want to know how much did it cost to buy the government, to buy the state Senate, to buy the Senate Republicans? That’s what I want to know from Tom Golisano.”

Golisano’s political group, Responsible New York, spent about $5 million last year on campaigns for state legislators who supported his reform platform. The group far exceeded the legal limits that political action committees are allowed to spend on campaigns. For state Senate races, the limit is $15,000 a year. In at least one race in the Buffalo area, Responsible New York spent more than $900,000 on one candidate.

Mike Groll / The Associated Press, 2008Tom Golisano announces the formation of Responsible New York last July.

About Tom Golisano

Golisano, 67, founded Paychex in 1971 with $3,000 and a credit card. The company became the second-largest paycheck-issuing company in the country.

Last year, Golisano was 281st on Forbes list of the 400 richest people in the U.S. That magazine listed his net worth at $1.7 billion, which was down from the previous year.

In 2003, Golisano bought the bankrupt Buffalo Sabres professional hockey team. He retired as CEO of Paychex in 2004, but continues to be chairman of the company’s board. Golisano is considered self-made. He grew up in Irondequoit, a suburb of Rochester, and graduated with an associate’s degree from SUNY Alfred.

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Golisano gets around the limit by claiming the group is not a PAC but an “independent unauthorized committee.” State law has no spending limits on such groups, but they must act completely independently of a candidate’s committee.

The purpose of the law is to allow people to exercise their free-speech rights by spending as much money as they want on a candidate they agree with.

Erie County’s two elections commissioners filed a complaint with the state Board of Elections this year contending Responsible New York was not acting independently and therefore was exceeding legal limits on spending. The state has not reached a decision.

Golisano used a “very large loophole” in the campaign finance law to spend unlimited amounts on his candidates of choice, said Blair Horner, legislative director of the New York Public Interest Research Group. The law draws a line that’s supposed to prevent contributors from coordinating in any way with the candidates, he said.

Golisano appeared to be “right on the line if he wasn’t over,” Horner said. “But he’s certainly in the gray area.”

Horner said he knew of no one using the loophole to the degree Responsible New York did.

“My guess is it opens the spigot for everyone else,” Horner said.

Golisano defended the practice on his Web site.

“New York state and federal election laws allow us to make unlimited expenditures on behalf of or in opposition to candidates so long as we do not coordinate those expenditures,” he wrote. “We will not coordinate any such expenditures.”

Last month, Golisano moved his primary residence to his vacation home in Naples, Fla., during a staged media event aimed at calling attention to New York’s high taxes. He said the move would save him $14,000 a day in taxes. At the time, Golisano already had been plotting his attempt to overthrow the Senate.

Though he railed against Albany’s backroom dealings in his 2002 campaign for governor, that was his vehicle for reform this time.

His plan was perhaps hinted at in a letter to the editor of the Albany Times Union last month, when Golisano said the 2009 state budget was the last straw. He said the leaders of the state Legislature looked to satisfy special interests and unions instead of the people. The budget included a “millionaire’s tax.”

More recently, Golisano chastised Democratic leaders for failing to put into place promised reforms. Monday’s revolt was payback.

“If the Democrats had passed broader reform earlier this year, if they had held the budget process in the open, he couldn’t make the arguments he’s making,” said Seago, of the Brennan Center.

Golisano helped install many of the people he publicly reprimanded by donating to their campaigns. His group supported 25 Democrats in their run for Senate, including North Country Sen. Darrel Aubertine. Several were incumbents. Many of those Democrats were left literally in the dark Monday when the Republicans overtook the Senate. At one point, the lights were turned out on the Senate floor in an attempt to stop the power struggle.

Golisano ran for governor three times on the Independence line, in 1994, 1995 and 2002. He never received more than 14 percent of the vote. Some have estimated he spent more than $75 million on advertising on his 2002 campaign.

He has been as large a force is the philanthropic world as he has been in the political. In 2005, Golisano donated $6 million to help create the Golisano Children’s Hospital at Upstate Medical University. His foundation has given an estimated $80 million to schools, universities and hospitals.

At least one political scientist sided with Golisano and his approach to reform state government.

“To me, it’s pure old-fashioned political muscle,” said Robert Spitzer, of the State University College at Cortland. “Is it illegal? No. Unethical? No. It’s hardball politics. As a New Yorker, I’m uncomfortable with a private citizen having a lot of money and throwing around his weight. But in the rough-and-tumble world of politics, it’s hard to criticize.”

Elmira Star-Gazette

Albany, NY

http://www.stargazette.com/article/20090610/NEWS01/906100385

ALBANY – Business in the state Senate ground to a halt Tuesday after a leadership coup this week by Senate Republicans and dissident Democrats, putting political factions at a standoff and leaving uncertain who controls the chamber.

A day after Senate Republicans and two Democrats voted to dump the Democratic leadership, little was resolved as ousted Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, vowed that his conference is still in charge and threatened legal action.

But Senate Republicans and Sens. Pedro Espada, D-Bronx and Hiram Monserrate, D-Queens, insisted that the coup was successful, saying they have the 32 votes necessary to rule in the 62-seat chamber.

They plan to hold session 3 p.m. today, pledging that they would even go to a park to do it if Smith shuts them out of the chamber. Smith has refused to turn over the keys to the Senate meeting room.

“We’re clearly in charge,” said Espada, who was elected as the Senate’s temporary president. “Thirty-two senators voted for a new leadership, a bipartisan coalition government.”

The Senate chamber was dark Tuesday and the doors were locked as Senate Democrats huddled to figure out a legal strategy to prevent Monday’s leadership vote from taking effect.

Smith met privately with members to keep his fragile conference from further splintering amid speculation that other Democratic senators may join the new faction. Espada is holding out coveted committee chairmanships to Democratic senators who join with him.

“The Senate majority, the real, the only Senate majority, is committed to getting back to governing,” said Smith spokesman Austin Shafran.

But Republicans planned to forge ahead with their new agenda.

“We’re going to be able to govern,” said Sen. Thomas Libous, R-Binghamton, who helped lead the coup on the Senate floor Monday. “We’re going to be able to do more reform.”

Said Vincent Leibell, R-Patterson, Putnam County: “This is genuine reform. The Senate will be administered in a non-partisan fashion.”

A majority of Senate Democrats still appeared to be supporting Smith as leader. They claim they ended the session before Monday’s vote was taken.

In January, Democrats took control for the first time since 1965 and elected Smith as leader. But with just a 32-30 seat majority, Democrats held a tenuous hold of the chamber.

On Monday night, Gov. David Paterson called the leadership change “despicable,” but said Tuesday that he would not interfere.

“That’s the legislative branch. This is the executive branch. That’s something that they have to work out,” the Democratic governor said.

The uncertainty over Senate leadership was so great, however, that Paterson indicated he will not leave the state to avoid questions about who would succeed him as governor. According to the state constitution, Espada as Senate president would assume the powers of governor in Paterson’s absence because the lieutenant governor’s post is vacant.

In his concluding remarks at an economic-development roundtable in Albany, Paterson said that it normally was the “point in the discussion where I say, ‘It’s the last two weeks of session. I have to go back to talk to the leaders.’ But today, I really don’t know who they are.”

Espada came under fire from Senate Democrats, who accused him of flipping sides after Smith questioned his applications for member-item money for his district.

Shafran contended Smith raised concerns that several of Espada’s applications for funding for health-care groups in his district had wrong addresses or addresses connected to people close to Espada.

Espada is under investigation by the state Attorney General’s office for use of member-item money, which are pots of state aid controlled by lawmakers. The Bronx District Attorney’s Office is also probing whether Espada lives outside his district and instead lives in Mamaroneck, Westchester County. He also owes fines to the state Board of Elections for not disclosing his campaign contributors.

In interviews, Espada has denied wrongdoing. He said Smith used the earmarks “as a sledgehammer over senators to assure compliance with votes.”

Rochester-area billionaire Tom Golisano helped orchestrate the leadership change. Golisano denied he has offered financial help to Espada and Monserrate, who is under indictment for allegedly slashing his girlfriend. Golisano said his Responsible New York political action committee will back candidates who support reform.

“I’ve been making it aware to everybody since Responsible New York was founded that we are going to support candidates financially and their election in races if they support the reform structure of Responsible New York,” he said.

Golisano initially backed Senate Democrats’ bid to win control of the Senate, but soured on them in recent months after they approved a state budget that increased spending and income taxes on the wealthy.

Golisano, who last month changed his residency to Florida to save about $5 million a year in state income taxes, said he was miffed when he met recently with Smith and Smith spent most of the time “playing with his Blackberry.”

But critics knocked Golisano, who ran unsuccessfully three times for governor, for using his money to influence the Senate switch. Golisano pumped more than $4 million into Senate races last year.

The group Citizen Action held a rally outside Espada’s office to protest the coup and led chants of “Golisano Pays and Espada Plays” while Golisano met with him.

Shafran said that Golisano “belongs in Florida. That’s the last place an election was stolen from the Democrats. I have two questions: when and how much?”

Politics on the Hudson

http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2009/06/09/golisano-denies-ties-to-espada-monserrate/

Rochester-area billionaire Tom Golisano is taking both heat and credit today for the Republican coup yesterday.

Senate Democrats are saying he used money to influence Sens. Pedro Espada and Hiram Monserrate to join Senate Republicans, even suggesting that he may be helping the senators with their legal woes.

But Golisano said that’s not true.

“Absolutely not. I know even know anything about his legal problems,” Golisano said, when asked about Monserrate, who is accused of slashing his girlfriend.

Golisano said the only thing that he’s pledged is to help candidates who support the reforms put forth by his group, Responsible New York.

“I’m been making it aware to everybody since Responsible New York was founded that we are going to support candidates financially and their election in races if they support the reform structure of Responsible New York,” he said.

Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, tried to connect the dots, saying Republicans were able to “take two people with serious legal and ethical problems and get them to jump over.”

As for Golisano, she said, “Did Mr. Golisano play a role? Apparently he said he did. Does Mr. Golisano have large sums of money? Apparently he does.”

Austin Shafran, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, was more blunt about Golisano, who recently changed his residency to Florida to save $5 million a year in income taxes.

“I think he belongs in Florida, that’s the last place an election was stolen from the Democrats. I have two questions: When and how much?,” Shafran said.

He went on to say that while the Paychex Inc. founder should be applauded for the jobs he created in New York, “As admirable as that is, I think that any good qualities he has have been completely overrun by political opportunism. This is a billionaire that needs to have his hand in anything. He’s found something that he could buy: the Senate Republicans.”

Citizen Action, meanwhile, held a rally outside Espada’s office today to protest the coup. And Golisano happened to walk out of Espada’s office while the rally was going on, leading to chants of “Golisano Pays and Espada Plays.”

Espada, though, said he never met with Golisano during discussions about the coup, only talking with Golisano’s aide Steve Pigeon, who has had a long friendship with. He said there is no “quid pro quo.”

“I barely know the man,” Espada said. “We met twice, and we did not meet at all during this situation.”

Newsday

Long Island, NY

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/state/ny-stgoli1012861099jun09,0,3152684.story

ALBANY – In the end, it was Malcolm Smith’s BlackBerry that did him in.

Businessman Thomas Golisano, upset over tax and spending increases in the state budget, had journeyed to the Capitol in April to share with the Senate majority leader what he says were $1 billion worth of ideas for trimming costs. But Smith’s attention quickly strayed to his e-mail, where it stayed for the rest of the meeting, Golisano said.

“We felt we were talking to the wall,” the Paychex Inc. chairman and three-time Independence Party gubernatorial candidate said yesterday.

Photos: Chaos in Albany

That’s when Golisano, the billionaire vagabond of New York politics who helped the Democrats take the Senate last fall, decided to help the Republicans take it back.

Within weeks, he would invite the GOP’s former majority leader, state Sen. Dean Skelos (R- Rockville Centre), to Rochester for a meeting with state Sens. George Maziarz (R-North Tonawanda) and Thomas Libous (R-Binghamton) that set the wheels in motion for Monday’s coup, Skelos said Tuesday.

Golisano, who moved from Rochester to Florida this year after Democrats temporarily raised the state income tax on high earners, has promised campaign money for those who carry out his reform agenda. That includes the two Democratic senators who broke ranks to join the Republicans, Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx – elected temporary president of the Senate Monday – and Hiram Monserrate of Queens.

Given the primary challenge the two Democrats can expect, that counts for a lot. But Golisano stressed that his political action committee, Responsible New York, “will be watching very carefully” to see if the new coalition keeps its promises.

He added his PAC will not bankroll legal bills for Espada, whose campaign finances are under investigation, or Monserrate, who has been indicted on felony assault charges. But he laughed off criticism of his building a takeover of the Senate on their support.

“The governor used drugs – what do you want from me?” Golisano asked, referring to Gov. David A. Paterson’s acknowledgment last year that he had tried cocaine and marijuana in his youth. “Half of Albany is under indictment.”

Outside the locked Senate chamber Tuesday, Golisano was as full of smiles as a proud new papa handing out cigars.

“Isn’t that wonderful?” he gushed, about the new rule giving all senators an equal share of member-item grant money. He is “especially delighted,” he said, by the new term limits for majority leaders.

Less delighted was Judith Simon, a Citizen Action member who bored into the crowd around Golisano Tuesday.

“You bought our democracy! How dare you do that? Go back to Florida and screw up their state!” she shouted. “You are a disgusting human being!”

If Golisano takes credit for working to foster the new coalition, Skelos made it clear he had already developed a quiet alliance with Espada as the contentious budget process unfolded.

“Every so often Pedro and I would look at each other and would either cross the aisle [to talk], roll our eyes or just shake our heads,” he said.

Gotham Gazette

New York, NY

http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2009/06/09/albany-out-of-order/

“Voters, not donors!” chanted a swarm of activists who gathered at the fourth-floor capitol office of Sen. Pedro Espada, Jr. The sound echoed throughout the grand capitol staircase as activists grew louder and more agitated.

The man who helped orchestrate Espada’s and Sen. Hiram Monserrate’s defection from the Democratic majority, Tom Golisano, had just exited Espada’s office.  The group said the “coup d’etat” orchestrated by Golisano has resulted in the delay of progressive legislation that voters wanted, legislation affecting affordable housing, clean elections, gay marriage, and reproductive rights, all issues that were pending before the legislature.

Just five months ago the same activists were celebrating the Democratic takeover of the Senate knowing that they had played an instrumental role in putting the Senate in Democratic hands. But today they were back to being the rowdy outsiders.

They don’t buy the pitch that the architects of the new majority want to work in a bipartisan fashion and were spurred on by concerns about ethics and rules reform.

Citizen Action’s Bob Cohen said the idea that the new bi-partisan coalition between the two rogue Dems and the Republican conference was “based on reform” is absurd. “I’ll say he has never been regarded as a reformer,” said Cohen of Espada, before quickly noting, “In fact, he has the reputation of the opposite of a reformer. But more importantly, what they are doing isn’t reform.”

Later the group took their anger to Monserrate’s office where Monseratte  met with them. “He met with us and in vague terms told us he supported our issues,” said Cohen, noting he found Monserrate’s assertion hard to swallow. “We told him his role in this coup d’etat was unconscionable to us.”

Democratic supporters, including unions and the Working Families Party, are reportedly working on flipping the Senator back to the Democrats.

Gay marriage activists, however, were a bit encouraged, as Espada said earlier in the day on Talk 1300 AM that he would like to have a vote on gay marriage. Republican Sen. Dean Skelos, who was elected as majority leader for a second time in his career yesterday,  said he would bring the bill to a vote if there was interest among his members.

That information came as anti-gay marriage forces celebrated the Republicans’ coup. Opponents of gay marriage  spent the day lobbying Senators, touring the building and making sure their signs were held up behind politicians as they were interviewed by the many television reporters who have descended on the capitol.

When not in meetings deciding how to dole out committee posts, Senate Republicans took the time to regale reporters with the story of how they pulled off their coup. What legislation they might actually work towards now that they are seemingly in control was more elusive.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats still seemed less outraged than shocked and unsure of the next move.

Just outside the Senate chamber Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr., told a group of reporters that he could not follow his fellow amigos to the new majority because he stands against Golisano. He said he could call Golisano an “opportunist.” He said he was still with the Democrats but was hesitant to say he supports  Sen. Malcolm Smith. I asked Diaz what the “coup” might mean to his constituents. He said it was “too early to tell,” and threw his hands in the air. But he noted that he is against mayoral control of the New York City schools and said that “the new situation might hurt that. They might just extend it.”

A few moments later he met with students from Elizabeth Barret Browning Middle School 399 in the Bronx. The school is slated to be closed, and students and school officials had come to Albany to ask legislators to help alter mayoral control to allow more community input. Vincent Wojsnis, a teacher at the school and a United Federation of Teachers chapter leader, said they were encouraged that Espada, whose district the school is in now, has so much influence in Albany. He said he hoped legislators will weigh in to try to save the school. At the same time he said he shared Diaz’s fear that Republicans will back keeping mayoral control intact.

Sen. Liz Krueger, who had just finished huddling with fellow Democratic senators, was extremely even-keeled compared to some of her more devastated colleagues. Krueger said of concerns about the situation in Albany delaying the city budget, “This is not new or a news story. Everything is always delayed in Albany longer than its supposed to be, and it will always play out at the last minute.”

She went on to note that the state budget had been passed late for many years, meaning the city budget had to wait as well. “It’s not like they were up here early with it,” she said.

Krueger was frank when asked about reports that Espada’s defection may have been triggered because Smith denied his member item requests for $2 million dollars to Bronx groups that he has ties to.  “He does have a history of having done that before, and he was irritated,” she said pausing. “I  won’t speak for him, but my understanding is that he was irritated by the Democrats not allowing him to do this .”  She said she supported the decision not to give Espada the member items, “if that is in fact what happened.”

Krueger said that the “whole story” behind the deal and the motives behind it has yet to be told. “Do I have a crystal ball? ” she asked. “No.  Do I know that this is not about reform and ethics? Yes.”

New York Public Interst Research Group’s Blair Horner walked the halls chatting with reporters. He was still in awe of what took place yesterday. But he said when it comes to reform, “legislation talks.” He said the Senate Democrats had a number of pieces of legislation that would have dealt with ethics and rules reform. As for the rules reform passed by Republicans on Monday, Horner was still reviewing it. Later he told Jimmy Vielkind of The Observer that the new rules ensure 48 hour notice of resolutions, therefore making it impossible for a similar kind of “coup” to take place in the future

Activists including Horner say that takeover could backfire on Republicans if  the legislative gears grind to a halt for took long. Right now Republicans have scheduled session to start tomorrow at 3 p.m. but the Senate chamber is still locked and the Democrats have the key.  Republicans insist they can hold session anywhere. Espada suggested tomorrow’s session could happen in the park.

FOX23 News – WXXA

Albany, NY

http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story/Blocking-Action/WPPdXNqy7UW5gGafgbdRNQ.cspx

With just two weeks left in the legislative session, many issues were still waiting to be resolved. Some of those issues include healthcare, housing reform and same sex marriage, just to name a few. But now, with all these changes, some New Yorkers and the Governor are afraid nothing will get done.

“Our vote, we’re taking it back,” chanted hundreds of protestors camped outside Senator Pedro Espada Jr.’s office today. Their chants said that yesterdays actions were a game to block any legislative progress during the last two weeks of this years session.

“We are outraged that these guys think they have the right to play politics with our futures,” said Karen Scharff, the Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York.

Some of the issues on the table include education reform, the Rockefeller drug laws and healthcare reform.

On the other side of the Capitol, some protestors expressed joy. They see yesterdays Coup as an end to the same sex marriage bill.

“With all this turmoil, right now, there’s no way this bill could come to the floor,” said Rev. Jason McGuire, the Legislative Director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms.

Now the question is, what will and can get done. Governor David Paterson said today that he’s afraid the answer is nothing.

“There are issues that are important to other people and we’re not doing it right now and we’re not doing it because of this intervention,” said Governor Paterson.

But New York State Senators Espada and Hiram Monserrate said this isn’t the end. They said they are committed to turning this reform into action.

“I’m calling on all the senators to be to prepared to be here longer than we expected because we should not being looking at the 22nd for the end of the session, we should be looking at dealing with the issues,” said Senator Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens).

“I don’t think anything has been killed, I think that we have been reborn, I think that we have been revitalized and like nature itself we are in full bloom now,” said Senator Pedro Espada Jr. (D-Bronx).

We also spoke with Senator Malcolm Smith’s Press Secretary. He said that no matter what happens, Senator Smith and the other Democrats are also committed to getting back to work.

WNYT NBC 13

Albany, NY

http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S970539.shtml?cat=300

ALBANY – A slew of legislative bills will not be acted on now in the state Senate, especially if the leadership change is taken up by the courts.

So people who were counting on the Legislature to act may be disappointed.

No one knows for sure how all of this will play out, but critics agree the Senate implosion will create gridlock and many issues will remain unresolved.

Outraged protesters from across the state gathered Tuesday outside Sen. Pedro Espada’s office at the state Capitol.

The group Citizen Action of New York blames Espada for the apparent Republican takeover of the Senate. They’re frustrated and worried their agenda will be ignored with Republicans in charge of the upper house.

“There were historic reforms that have never been passed in the history of the state that were going to be passed in the next few days and they came in and usurped the authority of the voters of New York,” said Maurice Mitchelle of Citizen Action of New York.

The group was pushing campaign finance reform to make elections more equitable in New York. They fear the issue is dead for this year with the power struggle.

“We’re not even sure if the Senate will be able to convene in their chamber tomorrow because the doors are locked,” said Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group.

Horner says the list of unfinished business at the Capitol is pretty long. He’s not sure how much will get done if this takeover stands.

“It’s more likely that the governor’s more fiscal conservative proposals, a cap on property taxes a cap on spending, are going to be more likely to move through the Senate,” Horner observed.

They’ll be more likely than same sex marriage, although Elissa Kane and Lynne Lekakis are holding out hope. They got married in Albany five years ago. Their marriage is not recognized by New York State. They’ve been fighting ever since to get the attention of lawmakers. While they’re disappointed at the Senate takeover, they don’t view it as a setback.

“There are folks on both sides, Democrats and Republicans, who support having a dialogue on the Senate floor bringing it to a vote,” Kane said.

Other important issues that remain unfinished include Rockefeller drug law reform and the STAR tax rebate program.

The regular session ends in two weeks.

Legislative Gazette

Albany, NY

http://www.legislativegazette.com/day_item.php?item=972

Approximately one hundred protesters affiliated with Citizens Action New York gathered outside the office of Democratic Sen. Pedro Espada Jr., who decided yesterday, along with Sen. Hiram Monserrate, to vote and caucus with Republican senators, taking control away, at least temporarily, from Democrats.

“We will not let our agenda be silenced by a power grab by Pedro Espada, Hiram Monserrate, billionaire Tom Golisano and the Republican minority in the Senate,” said Karen Scharff, executive director of Citizen Action of New York. “Yesterday’s coup d’etat was not about reform, but the blocking of the people’s agenda in the last two weeks of the legislative session … We need the Legislature to get back to the business of addressing the most urgent needs of the state.”

The group, carrying signs stating “Pass Public Financing of Elections” and “I need a living wage job,” were demanding the Legislature move to act on priorities such as public financing of elections, reigning in health insurance rates and high drug prices and providing affordable housing.

The quiet protest quickly erupted into bedlam when Tom Golisano walked up to Espada’s office and was quickly ushered in as protesters yelled, “Our vote, we’re taking it back” and “Voters, not donors” at the former gubernatorial candidate and New York billionaire who played a part in organizing yesterday’s Senate turnover.

The events were co-sponsored by Citizen Action of New York, Housing Here and Now, the Metropolitan Council on Housing, the Real Rent Reform Campaign and the Tenants Political Action Committee. The groups plan on meeting with legislators today to discuss goals for the rest of the session.