Results tagged “johnsampson”

How much do our elected officials in Albany get by on their salaries as legislators and how much of their regular expenditures come from campaign money raised for nonexistent election battles? The Daily News has an extensive piece today investigating just what state senators and assemblymen are using their campaign funds for—all within the scope of the law.

Governor Paterson may have spent his summer struggling through a legislative mess brought on by the Senate coup and continually sagging poll numbers that threaten the possibility of his 2010 bid, but he wants to make it clear that he hasn't forgotten his pledge to bring gay marriage to New York. Paterson told that he intends to put his same sex marriage bill on the floor when senators convene for a special session he expects to call later this month. Lawmakers are not required to vote on legislation brought up by the governor, but there may be more of a chance for that now that John Sampson is Democratic Conference Leader. Former Majority Leader Malcolm Smith had a deal with the Three Amigos not to bring same sex legislation to the floor. But the most vocal opponent of gay marriage, Senator Ruben Diaz Jr., told the News, "I tell you - as a man, before God - if that issue comes to the floor, there's going to be chaos in the Democratic conference. You can take that to the bank." However Diaz also said, "(But) I'm not going to join the Republicans. Never. Never."

Sigh, of course, the State Senate Democrats' and Republicans' power-sharing deal talks totally collapsed yesterday, leaving the fate of the State Senate—and important state legislation—in the hands of Judge Thomas McNamara who had all but begged the Senators to get their acts together and work it out themselves. State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. (D-Bronx), who helped create this morass after last week's coup, said, "We need judicial intervention."

After being told by a judge to work out their own mess, Senate Democrats claimed to be working on a power-sharing deal with Republicans (here's a letter they sent to the GOP). The Republicans were, after last Monday's coup, in power, but then dissident Democrat Hiram Monserrate decided to side back with the Democrats, splitting the Senate into a 31-31 tie, with no majority.

To bookend a week that began with a coup in Albany which stripped the Senate Democrats of their majority, Senate Dems met to discuss their leadership and future. And while former Senate majority leader Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) refused to answer reporters' questions about whether he still headed the Democratic conference, the Democrats apparently told Smith that he's out and that Senator John Sampson (D-Brooklyn) will be the "conference's de facto boss."