Will they or won’t they?
News Update: After being turned down yesterday morning by NYS Supreme Court (which is the trial level court in NY, don’t be fooled by the name) Justice George Ceresia, lawyers for Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith turned to the NYS Appellate Division, where they fared better. This TRO was issued yesterday afternoon.
It blocks Pedro Espada from "exercising any of the powers accorded to the President Pro Tem of the New York State Senate" pending a further order of this court. The motion underlying the TRO is "returnable" today with opposition papers due by 2 PM. There will not be any oral argument.
With the opposition papers due so late in the day, it would be pretty tough to write up a well researched and thoughtful opinion by close of business today. So, I’m guessing Monday at the earliest. An interesting thought though, what if the Appellate Division does not rocket docket this motion? What if it sits on it to give it really careful consideration — ’cause you KNOW the losing side is going to appeal to the Court of Appeal (NY State’s highest court)?
The injunction only prevents Espada from being President Pro Tem, not anybody else. THAT could get interesting, as if this situation wasn’t already off the page.
Did he or didn’t he?
Espada is claiming that Governor David Paterson has "duly recognized him" as President Pro Tem of the Senate.
But Paterson spokesman Peter Kauffmann just told [Newsday] that Paterson did no such thing and still considers Malcolm Smith the Senate majority leader, while acknowledging that the post is still in dispute.
Since Paterson has been pretty consistently opposed to the notion of the GOP reasserting control over the Senate ever since the coup happened, I tend to think there was some wishful thinking going on in Senator Espada’s case.
Will he or won’t he?
Will Hiram Monserrate double cross the double crossers?
The Albany Times Union is intimating that Monserrate may jump ship from the GOP coalition and…..what? rejoin the Dems? Start his own country? I’m not sure.
If you need further confirmation that Democratic Sen. Hiram Monserrate isn’t fully in the camp of the current coalition, look to the video above of the Q&A after he made his statement on the Senate chamber floor about why he wasn’t going to stay for the GOP-led session
referring to the video above.
And in other news:
Oh, and here’s a little tidbit from the Buffalo News (read this–it’s a doozy) alleging that, contrary to the contentions made by Tom Golisano that his role in this coup is related to a combination of feeling dissed by Smith and being disappointed that Smith was not enacting enough "reforms," Golisano’s role in the coup was fueled by Smith transition chief of staff and Secretary of the Senate Angelo Aponte’s refusal to be extorted for patronage jobs.
This comes on the heels of allegations that Espada’s participation was payback for Aponte refusing to allow Espada to direct $2 million in "member items" funding to a pair of newly formed not-for-profits that are run by members of his staff and that operate out of the same address as a not-for-profit that he is connected to.
So in the up is down/ wrong is right/ drama all the time/ krazy world that is NY politics, we know that at least two of the coup participants, Golisano and Espada, may have engaged in this as retaliation for Angelo Aponte trying to ACTUALLY DO THE VERY REFORMS that the Democrats promised to do during the campaign. I heard a rumor that a key sticking point for the Republicans in the negotiations is that they want Aponte GONE. The Daily News may have heard that same rumor.
Could it be that all this agita is just for the purpose of putting a political hit on one guy, who was guilty of trying to do the right thing and fulfill the promises that Democrats made to voters?
Related posts:
- The Mess in Albany: Monserrate’s Three Dimensional Chess?
- Two New York Dems Vote to Give Republicans Majority in State Senate: So, Who Will Primary Defector Hiram Monserrate?
- Is Joe Bruno the New York State Majority Leader in Exile? (And What Does That Mean for Gay Marriage?)
- CBO Scores Senate Bill, Would Reduce Deficit $127 Billion in 10 Years
- Lieberman-Graham Threaten to Shut Down Senate, Add Detainee Photo Suppresion Amendment to FDA Tobacco Regulation Bill
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Could it be that all this agida is just for the purpose of putting a political hit on one guy, who was guilty of trying to do the right thing and fulfill the promises that Democrats made to voters?
Nah. Couldn’t happen. The Party of Bruno is far too classy for that kind of behavior.
Look further into the role of Golisano’s chief henchman Steve Pidgeon in all this. And look into his history.
Thats what the Bufffalo News link as all about. Pidgeon.
Cynthia, as always, thanks very much.
Is he and not Skelos the guy behind all this, then?
I lived in B-lo for years (not anymore), and am very familiar with the Golisano and Pidgeon shenanigans. Everything that PAC touches has a shady tint to it (as recently as this past election), and Pidgeon does indeed have a long history…
When this first went down and I saw Golisano’s name attached I said that it was probably a political hit job because Pidgeon didn’t get something he wanted.
allycat is right. Pidgeon’s history cannot withstand scrutiny. It’ll probably have to be a journalist that puts a spike in him, though, he’ll dirty pool a fellow Democrat in a heartbeat.