“Gang of Three” is no more.
Morning everyone
Well, The gang of three nonsense is over - Malcolm Smith will be the new majority leader. I suppose they worked it out over Thanksgiving Dinner.
Dean Skelos congratulated Smith well - here is his statement (via Liz Benjamin).
I congratulate Senator Malcolm Smith on winning the support needed to become the next leader of the State Senate and I pledge my full cooperation for an orderly transition.
Our state is facing significant challenges and it is critically important that we work together with the Governor and the Assembly to address the challenges facing the people of New York.Our conference will continue to stand up to protect taxpayers across the state and when we have differences of opinion with others in state government, we will express them strongly and propose alternatives.
But in the end, the most important thing is the results we must achieve together to improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers.
Benjamin also details the makings of a deal. Looks like
Senator-elect Pedro Espada Jr. will be the majority leader while Smith is president pro tempore. (stlo7 here - the power lies with Smith)
[snip]”
Espada said he will have a “meaningful role” (Nick Confessore reports it’s vice chairman) with the Senate Rules Committee, arguably one of the more powerful committees in the chamber and the last stop for all the bills before they go to the floor for a vote. He’ll also have a part to play in the next big fight coming down the pike: Redistricting.
- Sen. Carl Kruger will not get the Housing Committee, as some activists like ACORN’s Bertha Lewis, had feared, but he will chair a pumped-up Senate Finance Committee. Recall that this was something the Republicans proposed in an effort to woo the Gang of Three to their side. The committee will have an enhanced staff and a fair degree of independence.
- Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. will chair the Aging Committee.
So a couple of committee chairmanships, probably extra staff. The Big rumor is that the PRIDE agenda got tossed under the bus with no action for a year. That would be too bad but I suppose we will wait and see.
Meanwhile, the Empire State Pride Agenda is not happy with the idea that Senate Democrats agreed, as part of their deal to secure the last three votes, not to bring a gay marriage bill to the floor this year.
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