Dozens of Assembly Democrats have sent a letter to Sheldon Silver, the Assembly speaker, criticizing Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s proposed cuts to state education aid and calling on Mr. Silver to push for the extension of a temporary income tax surcharge on high-earning New Yorkers. In the letter, the Democrats said that Mr. Cuomo’s proposed [...]
Medical marijuana is a “good idea,” New York State voters say 71 – 25 percent, with support among all political, racial and regional groups, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Even Republicans say 55 – 41 percent that adults should be allowed to use marijuana if their doctor prescribes it, the independent Quinnipiac [...]
State Senate Democrats lit a fire under Gov. Paterson Thursday to collect taxes from cigarettes sold on Indian reservations. The group argued that bootleg cigarettes bought at Indian reservations and sold on the street at a steep discount cost city bodegas, grocery stores and newstands $250 million a year in lost business – and $30 [...]
Facing growing opposition to its plans to hold the Sept. 11 terrorist trial in New York City, the Obama administration is considering moving the proceedings elsewhere. Two administration officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Friday the Justice department is drawing up plans for possible alternate locations to try professed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh [...]
As she tries to shore up support for her election bid, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has reportedly received the backing of one of the country’s most powerful Democrats. Former President Bill Clinton is supporting Gillibrand’s election, according to the Daily News. The paper cites a Clinton aide, who says the former president thinks Gillibrand is doing [...]
A Long Island politician is taking some flak for getting himself and two colleagues pay raises averaging 42 percent. Fellow Republicans in the Nassau County Legislature carried the pay-hike vote that was proposed by Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt. One of the raises was for Democratic Minority Leader Diane Yatauro. She calls the action “shameless.” Yatauro [...]
They were composed together at a Haiti vigil in Midtown Wednesday evening. But otherwise, it’s grown increasingly contentious between Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Harold Ford Junior, the former Tennessee Congressman who, so far, is only eyeing her seat. Mostly, the rumbling is done by surrogates and allies. For Gillibrand, a Los Angeles film company that [...]
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. [...]
Four members of the Assembly minority announced earlier today they signed a “tax-free” pledge, promising to vote down any increases in state taxes contained in the 2010 budget. Gov. David Paterson will release his 2010-11 budget proposal on Tuesday and lawmakers have to adopt a spending plan by April 1. The pledge, open to both [...]
A day after polls showed him holding a double-digit lead, Mayor Michael Bloomberg edged outgoing Comptroller William Thompson to win a third term as mayor Tuesday night in a race that turned out to be closer than many had expected. With 100 percent of New York City precincts reporting, Bloomberg finished with a 51 percent [...]
