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]

Manufacturing Dissent For manufacturers in New York, a complex and expensive climate By Andrew J. Hawkins Earlier this year, Jay McHarg, president of the Rochester-based company American Aerogel, received a letter from the Department of Environmental Conservation that made his head spin. The agency was asking McHarg to pay thousands of dollars in fees on hazardous wastewater disposal, a by-product of his company’s production of custom-made packing material. But the fees were not from this year, or even the year… [More]

Medical marijuana, mixed martial arts, wine in grocery stories, hydrofracking. Call them the perennials—the issues that seem to bloom every year, before withering on the vine in the final legislative weeks. This year, despite passing an on-time budget, lobbyists are still running around the Capitol hoping their issues will get an airing before the session ends June 20. But this year a bill’s best chances are measured by whether its name has passed the lips of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. If… [More]

Greg Ball Date of birth: Sept. 16, 1977 Birthplace: Pawling, N.Y. Residence: Carmel, N.Y. Occupation: Assembly member Education: U.S. Air Force Academy Previous office held: N.Y. State Assembly, 2006-2010 Family: dog, Hannah Greg Ball, 33, won a resounding victory against Democratic Westchester County Legislator Mike Kaplowitz for the Senate seat—vacated by the subsequently indicted State Sen. Vincent Leibell—as an outsider and a fiscal conservative. Ball said the vote was a bellwether on social issues, including illegal immigration, an issue that… [More]