Gov. Andrew Cuomo will have the final say over whether hydraulic fracturing is allowed in New York—but some hydrofracking opponents are shifting their focus to lawmakers to pass a two-year moratorium on the controversial method of drilling for natural gas. Drilling foes see a potential for a breakthrough in the state Senate, which has traditionally been more supportive of hydrofracking but where state Sen. Jeff Klein and his breakaway Independent Democratic Conference could be in a position to play a… [More]

Legislators returned to Albany on Monday  and booted state Sen. Malcolm Smith from the Independent Democratic Conference two weeks after federal agents arrested him on bribery charges. “If [the Democrats] are willing to take him on, if they want to make him a part of their conference, they’re free to do so,” IDC spokesman Eric Soufer said. But the Democrats didn’t seem to want him either. “I don’t foresee that happening,” Senate Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said at a… [More]

  It’s not ABSCAM, but the bad old days are back. Albany was shaken up by a slew of shakedowns, filling up our losers list faster than Malcolm Smith making a deposit into his checking account. We couldn’t include everyone this week, but it sounds like more indictments could be coming thanks to Preet Bharara’s perspicacious prosecutions. The real loser in all of this is the public, but hey, you at least get to vote for our Winners and Losers:… [More]

State Sen. Malcolm Smith woke up to FBI agents pounding on his door in Queens on Tuesday morning—and his colleagues in the Independent Democratic Conference woke up to a pounding headache. Federal prosecutors charged Smith with bribing New York City political officials in a quixotic bid to run for mayor on the Republican ballot, the latest in a steady stream of corruption cases flowing out of Albany. The elaborate alleged conspiracy and extortion plot also ensnared Queens Councilman Dan Halloran, two… [More]

When I asked Malcolm Smith nine months ago whether, despite the years of accusations against him, he could say unequivocally that he had never done anything dishonest as an elected official, he replied without hesitation: “Absolutely. 100 percent. Never.” At the time I wrote in response, “So there you have it. Either Malcolm Smith is one of the most misunderstood and unfairly maligned politicians in New York State or he’s a bald-faced liar.” The sensational developments of late appear to… [More]

By Gerald Benjamin   The brief dustup in the Judiciary Committee regarding the nomination of Jenny Rivera for the Court of Appeals is just the latest piece of evidence that Republicans, with their Independent Democrat coalition partners, are presiding in the Senate but not governing through it. The Committee is comprised of 12 Republicans, 9 Democrats and 2 Independent Democrats; unlike the Senate as a whole, it has a Republican majority. The committee chair, John Bonacic, and some GOP members… [More]

You wouldn’t expect such a hopeful smile from state Sen. Tony Avella, but there it is. The Democrat from Queens is animated as he discusses hydrofracking in his office next to the state Capitol. Avella is one of 33 Senate Democrats in a house with 63 members. But because of a deal worked out between five Democrats known as the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) and the Republicans, his fellow “traditional” Democrats remain in the minority, without the perks of their… [More]

For the past two years Gov. Andrew Cuomo has done a fantastic job of threading the legislative needle. To date, his success is based on having a strong partnership with Sen. Dean Skelos, the Republican leader, and the political astuteness to make sure his base never felt left behind—a complete inverse of what we have seen down in Washington, D.C. The governor’s strong favorability numbers, sometimes topping 70 per-cent, are not just due to progressive legislative successes like the recent… [More]

Updated with more information Manhattan Young Democrats are grumbling over the new power sharing agreement between Senate Republicans and the Independent Democratic Conference, whose members they supported in the past. But several members said the group would never cross state Sen. David Carlucci, whom they helped win election victories the past two cycles. “Carlucci is one of us,” said one member during the group’s holiday party on Wednesday night, adding that the group may consider directing resources to upending Senators… [More]

  Gov. Andrew Cuomo celebrated his 55th birthday this week, and what he did get? Only a divided State Senate, which could give him more power but could also bring dysfunction back to Albany. Cuomo approved of the power-sharing agreement as long as its leaders take up his policies, but he might want to re-gift the whole thing if it doesn’t work out after a few months. For now, here are this week’s winners, and their unfortunate counterparts, the losers.… [More]