“Being powerful is like being a lady,” mused the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. “If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” In Albany, as in every political arena, bluster is often mistaken for true power. Of course, even the perception that one has influence can yield genuine authority, but more often that not, those with true power in government are not the grandstanders but those who work dutifully, quietly and shrewdly behind the scenes to achieve their… [More]

The State University of New York voted again this week for the controversial closure of Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, but lawmakers are making a last ditch effort to keep the money-losing hospital open. Assemblyman Karim Camara said yesterday evening that negotiations were ongoing to secure funding in the state budget, even though the broad outlines have already been agreed upon. “Right now the hospital, its very existence is in jeopardy, and we need the state to assist it,” said Camara,… [More]

State Sen. Jose Peralta’s campaign for Queens Borough President has already picked up endorsements from Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and his colleague in the Senate, Adriano Espaillat. Today, Assemblyman Karim Camara, the Chair of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus, added his name to the list. “I’m proud to be joining Jose Peralta’s campaign because Queens needs a leader who will fight for every neighborhood and every community across the borough,” Camara… [More]

Assemblyman Karim Camara joined community advocates and organizations yesterday afternoon at City Hall to rally for a progressive agenda in the next legislative session. Camara did not mince his words in going after the few state Senate Democrats who are considering caucusing with the Republicans, calling it “unconscionable” that they would run as Democrats only to turn their back on the party, especially considering the potential for passing several vital pieces of progressive legislation. But in the event that the… [More]

With additional reporting by Aaron Short New York state Democratic insiders are pushing for Assemblyman Karim Camara to replace Vito Lopez as chairman of the Brooklyn Democratic Party. The push for Camara came quickly on the heels of Lopez’s announcement yesterday that he would not stand for re-election as the powerful head of the Brooklyn Democratic party  amid allegations Lopez sexually harassed two of his former employees. Camara, a 41-year-old pastor and the head of the Assembly’s Black, Puerto Rican,… [More]

By Laura Nahmias and Andrew J. Hawkins In our new issue’s cover story, Laura Nahmias considers whether the Legislature is finally pushing back against Gov. Andrew Cuomo in this year’s budget: It was a Senate Rules Committee meeting like most others: about a dozen Republican senators well past middle age, sitting around a conference table in suits and ties, ready to bring a bill to the Senate floor. But it was 3 a.m., Wednesday had bled into Thursday, and they… [More]

With additional reporting by Andrew J. Hawkins   It was a Senate Rules Committee meeting like most others: about a dozen Republican senators well past middle age, sitting around a conference table in suits and ties, ready to bring a bill to the Senate floor. But it was 3 a.m., Wednesday had bled into Thursday, and they were working because Gov. Andrew Cuomo had put their continued survival in the majority on the line. If they stayed awake long enough… [More]

The last piece of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “big ugly” — a massive package of bills including constitutional amendments to create an independent redistricting commission and legalize gambling, a plan for Senate and Assembly district lines, a statute to force lawmakers to pass a redistricting amendment, an expansion of the state’s DNA Databank for most of the state’s convicted felon, a pension reform proposal, and a plan for teacher evaluations — passed after 5 a.m. this morning. The deal was hastened… [More]

55th Assembly District hopefuls start campaigning in a downtrodden district Throw out all the usual rules for campaigns when you talk about this fall’s race in Brooklyn’s 55th Assembly District. There are four challengers to the seat, now home to incumbent William Boyland Jr., facing his second federal indictment rap inside of a year. The assemblyman’s trial on honest-services fraud charges is scheduled to begin in May, and if he is convicted, the race is anyone’s to take. If he… [More]

Brooklyn’s aging black leadership faces new challengers Annette Robinson rose slowly. The Brooklyn assemblywoman walked to the center of her political clubhouse in Bedford-Stuyvesant, home of the Vanguard Independent Democratic Association (VIDA), its walls covered with posters from her past successful campaigns dating back to 1991. As she neared the center aisle, standing among 50 people gathered for a Saturday morning meeting, the grandmother of 10 held the fate of several political futures on the tip of her tongue. The… [More]