1 Seat Closer

Craig Johnson Won Tuesday's Special election putting the Democrats 2 seats away from taking power in State Senate for the first time since 1965. I suspect that Spitzer and State Senate Minority leader are not going to push too hard to persuade GOP senators that hard because having a boogieman Republican Majority around is helpful. 2008 will be the election that the Democrats take the majority, Serph Maltese will certainly be an out going Senator,

Balboni Appointed To Spitzer Adminstration

The special election that will need to occur fill State Senator Balboni (R) is an opportunity for the Democrats to pick up another seat in the Republican controlled Senate.

Election results-- Ballot Access

Spitzer
Dem 2.6 million votes (New Row A)
Independence 146K votes (Maintain Row C)
Working Families Party ~127k votes (Maintian Row E)

Faso
Rep 1.1 Million votes (New Row B)
Conservative ~128k votes (Maintain Row D)

Malachy McCourt
Green Party 41k votes (does not receive ballot access)

Election day

I had a very boring ballot this morning. Spitzer, Clinton, Cuomo, Ackerman(no opposition), Sabini(no opposition), Peralta(no opposition).

Comptroller was the only interesting position I could have voted for and being aware of the Saratoga County Government there was not a snowball chance in hell would I vote Chris Callahan. The question was Hevesi or Green party candidate as a protest vote.

I guess the judges were also necessary votes, but still voting without any real excitement. Remember to go out and vote.

P.S.
The listing of my representatives produces a very unique overlap and one could probably figure out exactly where I live from it.

NY's Son of Sam Law

Last week it became clear that under President Bush's knowledge and authority the NSA not just listened to some international phone conversations but has invaded the privacy of nearly every American by purchainsg the phone records from most telecom corporations. It is an illegal search and invasion of privacy doing so. Under New York State Law It is illegal to profit off a crime you were part of (the NSA paid a secret sum to the phone companies for such illegal info).

Eliot Spitzer, as NYS Attorney General, should start the prosecutions of the phone companies under uniquely New York law. This would give even more national prominence to the next Governor of New York, and frame the debate in the best light for Dems. Painting the Bush adminstration, Michael Hayden, the NSA, big Telecom companies, and anyone else who pushes to sell out American Liberties as what they are petty criminals. Every person that states they don't mind if the government tramples on their constitutional rights are spitting on the graves of the people who fought and died for those rights and are cowards that are refusing to stand up for the freedoms endowed to us by our creator.

Back To the Blog

Spitzer picks Patterson over Eve for Lt. Gov

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press Writer Mon Jan 23, 7:38 PM ET

ALBANY, N.Y. - Democrat Eliot Spitzer, the leading candidate for governor, has chosen New York's top black legislator as his running mate, a person familiar with the decision said Monday.
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State Senate Democratic leader David Paterson, who is legally blind, is credited with narrowing his party's deficit in the Senate, controlled by Republicans since 1965.

Paterson has agreed to run as lieutenant governor with Spitzer, according to the source, who would speak only on condition of anonymity because no official announcement is expected for a few days. Spitzer, the state's attorney general, is known for his crackdown on Wall Street abuses.

A spokesman for Paterson, 51, had no immediate comment. A spokesman for the state Republican chairman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

"He is a legitimate, intelligent and so far effective reformer," former Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo said of Paterson.

Paterson was elected in 1985 at age 31, representing a Manhattan district. He was elected minority leader in 2002 and addressed the Democratic National Convention in 2004.

He has sought to open the budget process and change the workings of the Senate, which provides little power to the minority party.

He lives in Harlem with his wife and two children. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Hofstra University Law School.

His father, Basil Paterson, ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 1970 and later became New York secretary of state.

In October, Basil Paterson endorsed another Democrat running for lieutenant governor, Leecia Eve, according to Eve's Web site.

Letter to the Times Union Editor

Proposition 1 is a losing proposition


First published: Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Proposition 1, on the ballot this November, is a proposal to amend the New York Constitution to change the budget process.

Any change to a broken process may sound like a good idea at first to those of us who watch our state Legislature daily from the up-close environs of the Capital Region, but Proposition 1 would actually make things worse.

It would give the 212 members of the Legislature more authority over the budget when the state fiscal year begins without a new budget in place. In other words, if our senators and Assembly members don't pass the budget on time, we'd reward them with more power to draft the budget than they already have, weakening the role of our governor (whomever it may be at the time). Obviously, the Legislature will delay the budget vote just to increase its bargaining power.

A reform law passed some years ago provided that legislators wouldn't get paid once the fiscal year begins until they get the budget done. That's only fair. The rest of us don't get paid unless we perform our job duties.

But Proposition 1 would insulate politicians from that sort of discipline. It would allow them to be paid regardless of how late the budget is.

Weighing in against Proposition 1 are former Gov. Hugh Carey and Gov. Pataki, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, Citizens' Union, the small-business members of the National Federation of Independent Business, the Business Council of New York State and the Citizens Budget Commission.

All of us are urging New Yorkers to vote no on Proposition 1 on Election Day. We need real reform in Albany. Proposition 1 would only make the state's fiscal problems worse.

ROGER A. HANNAY

President

Hannay Reels Inc.

Westerlo