Senate President Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, on Wednesday defended the Senate’s regional offices and said his conference was not getting enough credit for legislation it had passed.

The Senate operates an office on East Avenue and has offices in Buffalo, Syracuse and Long Island. They have been criticized for duplicating the work of each senator’s office. The Rochester office rent is about $1,200 per month, and the combined yearly salaries of its four-person staff is $164,000, according to contract and payment information on the Senate Web site.

In a meeting with the Democrat and Chronicle Editorial Board, Smith said he decreased the total Senate budget by $8 million and that the offices are meant to beat back criticism that the Senate leadership is centered on downstate.

He also put blame for the attempted coup in June on Republicans, who he said couldn’t accept that Democrats won the majority for the first time in 40 years.

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