Just as Andrew Cuomo was getting ready to take the stage at today's State of the State speech, word came out of more confusion in the State Senate. We aren't in the midst of another coup, but four state senators have decided to leave the Democratic conference. The change won't be as dramatic as last time—the Republicans control ain't going anywhere—but it does give the troubled state party another headache to worry over. more ›

So that deal to share power between State Senate minority leader Malcolm Smith and the "Gang of Three" Senators is dead. Smith said this morning, "When we first started out, the discussion was about reform and changing the government," but now negotiations were suspended "effective immediately." City Room reports that someone asked Smith, "You really thought this was about reform?" Ha! more ›

After weeks of hold outs preventing the fate of the State Senate leadership to be announced, the parties have agreed to a Solomonic deal: The NY Times explains that Malcolm Smith, the former Senate minority leader, "would be elected president pro tempore, a constitutional office that makes him the chamber’s leader," while Senator-elect Ruben Espada Jr. "would be elected to what would be the subordinate post of majority leader and appointed vice chairman of the Rules Committee, which must approve all legislation that goes through the Senate." This is based on a handshake deal from Smith, Espada, Senator Ruben Diaz, and Senator Carl Kruger (the latter two also get big roles)--and it still needs to be approved. And rumor has it that the deal was reached partly because Smith agreed he wouldn't bring up same-sex marriage during the next session. more ›

Principal Tyona Washington of Canarsie High School opened up a piece of mail that contained a noose made out of string as well as a 2-page letter containing, per Newsday, "a common racial slur and words suggesting that a black person should not be running the school." The letter also referred to "white power" and had the signature of a white administrator, but police do not believe the letter was from that individual. more ›

A number of politicians offered their support (though not 100%) of Mayor Bloomberg's Voldemort, aka congestion pricing, today. U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters appeared with Governor Eliot Spitzer and Bloomberg at a press conference today, with Peters saying, "This plan will keep the city that never sleeps from becoming the city that never moves." She also put some pressure on the state Legislature to approve the just submitted S. 6068, the NY State Senate's congestion pricing legislation, by saying that in order for the city to continue to qualify for federal transportation grants, it needs to pass congestion pricing. more ›

In the latest battle between Governor Eliot Spitzer and Assembly leader Sheldon Silver, the governor has said that legislators should disclose their outside income, something they are currently not required to do. The state Constitution classifies legislators as part-time representatives, allowing them to work outside their elective office. Silver has worked "of counsel" to the law firm of Weitz and Luxenberg for the past five years. The New York Post reports that Albany insiders believe Silver pulls in $300,000 a year from his law firm job in addition to his $121,000 salary as Assembly speaker. more ›

We couldn't even get through Governor Spitzer's first month before a "showdown with Assembly Speaker Silver." State Democrats have been saying they feel betrayed - or, in the words of Manhattan Assemblyman Keith Wright to NY1, "totally, totally disrespected" - because the panel formed by Spitzer to select State Comptroller candidates didn't select any of their choices. State Democrats claim the panel was supposed to pick five candidates, including a Democratic Assemblyman interested in the job, but when the panel recommended three non-lawmaker candidates, all hell has broken loose. Spitzer claims the panel would choose up to five candidates, but now it looks like the Democrats will reject those Spitzer-approved candidates. We bet Alan Hevesi is smiling somewhere over this. more ›

Yesterday, Joseph Bruno, the NY State Senate's majority leader, revealed that the FBI was investigating him for his "outside business interests." Wow, is being investigated by the feds the new black for Republicans? Or is being investigation something most politicians need to go through (we're talking to you, Alan Hevesi!)? Republican Bruno called a press conference and told reporters, "I have nothing to hide. They are going into background over the past five or six years." more ›

The NY State Senate has scheduled a hearing with the State Liquor Authority this September. While the Senate would have had a hearing anyway, since a new commissioner, Daniel Boyle, was appointed, the hearing will be weighted towards recent New York City bar and club incidents that have resulted in patrons' deaths. The Post reports that representatives from the Bloomberg administration will testify - we wonder if they'll come with their "quality of life" agenda (no smoking! no noise!) - as well as the NYPD. The head of the state's restaurant and tavern association, Scott Wexler, gives an very telling quote: "We share [State Senator Tom Spano's] concern with the growing incidents and believe it cries out for greater enforcement - perhaps even the tightening of restrictions on the granting of liquor licenses, which are too easy to get and too hard to lose...If licensees were more fearful of losing their licenses or weren't able to get a license in the first place, then these incidents would be less likely to happen." more ›

Among our favorites stories about this city are ones about our billionaire mayor's reluctant Republicanism. Or conveinent Republicanism - take your pick. Sure, the Mayor may have switched to be a Republican to win the mayoral nomination, and he may have made the city host the 2004 Republican National Convention, but he really hates the NY State Republicans, especially after the little support they show the city year after year. So, reading that Mayor Bloomberg might help a Democratic Queens city councilman win a NY State Senate seat is very intriguing. The NY Times reported that City Councilman Joseph Addabbo Jr. has been talking to mayoral aides about possibly challenging Queens incumbent Senator Serphin Maltese. The NY State Republicans are upset and freaked out by this possibility, because Bloomberg controls a lot of money - and might be able to influence his highrolling Democratic friends to help out an Addabbo campaign. This is but one of the Mayor's many ways of showing he's no Republican stooge, though he acts like it sometimes: He donated $100 million to his alma mater - and some of it will go towards programs that have stem cell research - and he hates the NRA so much that he has his flacks defending his girlfriend's honor. more ›

With the urgent need to renovate their asbestos-filled and cramped headquarters on the East River, the United Nations is considering a move to Brooklyn. Seriously. Over a year ago, the U.N. selected Fumihiko Maki to design their new temporary space on First Avenue, a "glassy, white and sheer but elegant building," but the NY State Senate rejected the plan, so the U.N. had to hunt again for space starting in 2007. There are reports that the U.N. was offered space at 7 World Trade Center, but Secretary General Kofi Annan said that various real estate analyses showed that the only available building space, in the range of 700,000 square feet, was in downtown Brooklyn. If this goes through, the implications will be wild, with more diplomatic car accidents (diplomats will need to be shuttled around). more ›

Pooh-poohing the idea that being in a blue state meant their votes wouldn't count, New Yorkers were determined to vote yesterday, overwhelming voting centers and frustrating many. Our readers reported both frustrating and easy voting experiences yesterday, which makes us realize a couple things: 1) Voting on the way to work may make you late to work; 2) Voting at the crack of dawn is ideal, except at 45 Wall Street where election officials arrived an hour late; 3) There are varying rules about taking pictures of your ballot; 4) NYC children enjoy voting, so much so that they'll ask any ol' stranger if they can vote with 'em, making us believe the children really are the future. And the City's Board of Elections website had been inaccessible since Monday, due to the public's demand to find out more about where they needed to vote, which makes Gothamist wonder why the City didn't anticipate the need for more bandwidth - it's only the biggest city in the U.S., with a very high number of people Internet enabled. Department of Information and Telecommunications Technology, wake up! Gothamist has learned that the DoITT has nothing to do with the Board of Elections site or phonelines, so we're sorry we assumed you did; but maybe you need to help the BoE revamp their systems! more ›

Here's a PDF of the entire Brennan Center report. And the NY State tax average is $4,600, while local taxes average out to $2,300 (85% higher than the national average). more ›