The scandal around emails that Assemblyman Sam Hoyt (D-Buffalo) reportedly sent a colleague's teen intern is currently out of Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver's hands, as the Ethics Committee looks it over. However, the NY Times notes that accusations of sexual misconduct by lawmakers or staffers is "especially sensitive for Mr. Silver, who has faced criticism that he mishandled a 2001 complaint that his former chief of staff sexually assaulted an Assembly employee." As for Hoyt......

Governor David Paterson and the Legislature met yesterday for an emergency session to deal with the state budget. Paterson had requested a billion in cuts, but it appears the slashing will result in $411-500 million in cuts. Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos tried to find the silver lining, "What we're going to do today will translate into a billion dollars or more off of next year's deficit, so I think that's a significant start." Of......

Yesterday, PoliticsNY posted emails that Assemblyman Sam Hoyt (D-Buffalo) sent to a colleague's then-19-year-old intern, prompting the married father of two to apologize for a "painful and private matter." The emails are from 2003 and 2004 (including one where Hoyt writes, "I could be your human lollipop") and many were sent before the Legislature's anti-fraternization policy was enacted in May 2004, though Hoyt did try to meet up with the young woman in June 2004.......

Governor Paterson's warnings about the dire state of NY's budget (the deficit grew $1.4 billion since March) means the Legislature is coming back to Albany for an emergency session (during this time, lawmakers are usually in their district offices). The AP says with Paterson's desire for deep cuts and opposition from both unions and Assembly Democrats, the pols--Democrats and Republicans alike--could be making "some of the hardest decisions of their political lives, together. Or, nothing......

After leaving the State Senate, claiming he wanted to spend time with family and then taking a job with a company with many state contracts, former Senate majority leader Joseph Bruno has officially registered as a lobbyist. Bruno, now CEO of CMA Consulting, said that his registration with the NY State Commission on Public Integrity was to "guarantee maximum transparency." He's unable to lobby lawmakers for two years, but NYPIRG's Blair Horner says Governor Paterson......

Sure, former Governor George Pataki's portrait is still being completed, but what about one of 18th century governor John Jay? The AP reports that 15 ex-governors' portraits are not in the Capitol's Hall of Governors. Besides Pataki and Jay, the missing include Enos Throop, Williams Marcy, John Dix (the one who served in 1873-1874, not the one who served 1911-1912), William Sulzer, Mario Cuomo (who never provided a portrait) and our most recent former governor,......

Governor Paterson got an assist from State Senate Republicans yesterday, when they approved his 4% cap on school taxes. The cap places, per the NY Times, "a mandatory limit on school property tax increases," which critics claims will hurt poor districts with their funding. The Times adds it's unlikely the bill will be passed by Assembly Democrats; State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R) said of the Dems, "I just think they’re out of touch......

State Senator Martin Connor, a Democrat who represents parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn, recently introduced a bill to give a $52,000 bonus to those lawmakers who stick to being lawmakers. In other words, the many lawmakers who have outside jobs wouldn't get them. Daniel Squadron, who is running against Connor this fall, told the Post, "While Marty Connor clearly believes he should get an additional $52,000 bonus just for doing the job he was elected......

Even though everyone knows Albany is full of people doing terrible things, even politicians and lobbyists are shocked at the events of the past year, from Comptroller Alan Hevesi stepping down from Comptroller to former Senate Majority leader Joseph Bruno retiring, with nadir/peak being Eliot Spitzer's fall from grace. Various parties share their amazement with the times--lobbyists don't want to look at their Blackberries, Governor Paterson acknowledges the "consistent number of weird situations that just......

Long before Kristen and Hookergate, former Governor Eliot Spitzer was embroiled in Troopergate, a spectacularly misguided attempt to smear his rival, State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, with state police records. Now, the Spitzer aide most identified with the scandal is trying to set the record straight, but the state ethics panel apparently isn't having any of that. The NY Times speaks with Darren Dopp, former communications director under Spitzer. Dopp, who was suspended and......

Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver is up for re-election this fall, and while he's likely to win it, one woman is making sure one of his challengers has her help: The Daily News reports former Assembly staffer is helping challenger Paul Newell with his campaign because Silver "ignored her accusations of rape against one of his top aides" back in 2001. Elizabeth Crothers told the News, "I see it as the only opportunity to bring real......

What's a Mayor to do? When he's not trying to quiet rumors that he has a bad relationship with Albany, Mayor Bloomberg is still getting shafted by Albany. The NY Times describes the latest indignity: How a city proposal for bus-only traffic lane enforcement was shot down. The bill, which would have put cameras on the new rapid transit buses (the whole bus rapid transit system will be complete by 2011) to catch cars the......

It seemed like Gov. Paterson had managed to cobble together a deal for the State to take over NYC OTB yesterday afternoon and prevent its closing. A state takeover would require a vote by the legislature Monday, but Sheldon Silver and Joseph Bruno both seemed amenable to the idea. Mayor Bloomber, however, is holding fast on his insistence that he is going to close all of the city's OTB parlors tomorrow. Gov. Paterson said......

According to various sources, Governor Paterson has reached a deal to take over Off Track Betting (OTB) parlors from New York City, in order to prevent its total shutdown Despite handling more than $1 billion in wagers annually, the company lost $13 million last year. When asked if about the possibility of an arrangement to could keep OTB open, Mayor Bloomberg was very brusque in his dismissal of the idea earlier this week. He answered,......

Last month, the NY Times found that an actuarial consultant who reviewed legislation pending in the State Legislature also had financial ties to labor unions. The consultant, whose expertise was used to examine the financial impact of bills (like retirement, pension benefit bills), even admitted he skewed his analysis to support unions. Now, the city has found the consultant's work underestimated costs by $500 million. The Times reports the independent actuary and Mayor Bloomberg's office......

Governor David Paterson explained possible rumormongering by the state police was why he admitted his extramarital affairs and drug use shortly after taking office. Yes--Paterson was essentially afraid of the NY State Police! When being interviewed on WFAN-AM and questioned about Spitzer administration's monitoring of State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno's aircraft activity, Paterson said, "I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I will say this: That was also on my mind......

Congratulations, State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo: You seem to be the "wealthiest statewide elected official," according to the NY Times and your tax returns. While Cuomo makes $151,000 as AG, his total reported income was $545,000, thanks to investments. Governor David Paterson's 2007 income, combined with his wife's, was $269,815. Most notably, the Patersons only made one charitable donation: $150 in clothing to the Salvation Army. That works out to be 0.06% of their income,......

State judges want a raise in salaries after years of paycheck stagnation. They got close during last year's budget negotiations as the former Governor Spitzer lobbied on their behalf, but the proposal was dropped in closed-door negotiations. The primary stumbling block: state legislators are tying any raise in judges' salaries to a pay raise for themselves. Once again this year, the judges were stonewalled on a pay increase and the state's top Honor, Judge Judith......

Bigger isn't always better, warned Governor David Paterson. Yesterday, Albany lawmakers passed a $121.7 billion budget, which is 6% bigger than last year. The Times Union calls it a "Budget built on borrowing, fees." Paterson says the slowing economy will require a "change in culture and a change in course of where this state's priorities are...We're running out of time thinking we can tax our way into the future." But State Senate Majority Leader Joseph......

Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver announced the State Assembly is rejecting congestion pricing. The controversial plan, a pet project of Mayor Bloomberg's, was approved by the City Council last week and had support from Governor David Paterson and State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, making the Assembly's support the final, critical step to ensure $354 million in federal funds (which would have been directed towards the MTA's projects). Bloomberg had been very vocal about wanting the......

The fate of the controversial plan to charge drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street lies with Albany, as state legislators must decide whether to approve the plan by midnight tonight. But Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said last night, "There isn't a groundswell of support for it" among other Assembly members. But most papers are saying the plan is effectively dead. If Albany can approve congestion pricing today, then the city is eligible for $354 million......

State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has kept a relatively low profile over the past several months, as Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno battled with Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who would go on to self-destruct in a highly public style. With Mayor Bloomberg's beloved congestion pricing plan past the City Council hurdle and with the support of our new Gov. Paterson, it now lays stalled in the Assembly, where whatever Silver says pretty much goes. A profile......

Democratic lawmakers in Albany seem poised to block Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan, which attempts to reduce traffic by charging drivers $8 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street during peak hours. Though the plan was approved by the City Council on Monday, a “lively, sometimes emotional” meeting between state lawmakers yesterday ran over three and a half hours, and approximately 30 of them expressed opposition to the plan, with only four or five in favor.......

Mayor Bloomberg appears to have the necessary votes to get congestion pricing passed in the City Council, because the Council scheduled a vote on the matter for this afternoon. The fact a vote has been suddenly scheduled is interpreted as a sign that fellow supporter Council Speaker Christine Quinn has enough votes for approval. The Mayor must have spent his weekend bending ears and twisting arms! A critical amendment was made to the statewide version......

Just as news settles that former Governor Eliot Spitzer was personally involved in trying to bring down rival State Senator Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, the Albany DA's office probably won't prosecute anyone in the Troopergate mess. Not only will former Spitzer spokesman Darren Dopp, who leaked information about Bruno to the Times Union back in July, not face perjury charges, it also looks like Attorney General Andrew Cuomo knew about Spitzer's plan to use the......

Former Governor Eliot Spitzer was deeply involved with the plot to smear rival State Senator Joseph Bruno to the point of being so mad he would spit his coffee, according to NY Times sources. Troopergate investigation insiders described testimony Spitzer's former communications director Darren Dopp gave, indicating the former governor's extreme interest in taking Bruno down, by way of leaking state police records on Bruno to Albany newspaper The Times Union. (The Times Union wrote......

Screen grab of employee web tracking software A Manhattan court upheld the firing of city employee Toquir Choudhri for doing too much Web browsing on the City's time. Choudri, who was an education analyst for the Department of Education's Human Resources department, was fired in 2006 for spending far too much time online. He had been formally warned to knock of his Web-wandering ways, but an internal audit showed that despite the warning, Choudri......

Lieutenant Governor David Paterson spent the weekend working on the speech he will give after his swearing-in as Governor. According to the NY Times, he had been "rehearsing it and committing it to memory," and since he is blind and cannot rely on a teleprompter, "his remarks will be partly memorized and partly improvised." The speech is also be "conciliatory," versus his predecessor's aggressive approach (Spitzer implied Governor Pataki turned NY State into Rip Van......

The abrupt elevation of Lieutenant Governor David Paterson to the top seat in NY State government should mix things up a bit in Albany and NYC. First up is the state budget, and with a grim economic outlook and behind-the-scenes transitions, he said yesterday, “We cannot afford to waste another second. We have a budget that is due and a deadline to meet.” Paterson added he would attempt to govern by consensus, rather than take......

Parades are generally times when politicians come out to march with and wave to constituents. (At last year's Gay Pride Parade, City Council Speaker Quinn and Senator Clinton marched, and Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Spitzer, and Senator Schumer were at the Puerto Rican Day Parade.) But Monday's St. Patrick's Day Parade may have few politicians, because Lieutenant Governor David Paterson is being sworn in that day, too. The Staten Island Advance points out the swearing-in is......