Senate Dems Finally Agree On Something For The M.T.A.

With less than four weeks before the M.T.A. introduces the doomsday fares and service cuts, the Senate Democrats have finally agreed on something, even if it doesn't address the systemic problems embedded within the transit authority. Last night Majority Leader Malcolm Smith was able to announce his "victory" within his caucus.

From The Daily Politics:

The tolls are still out. The 34-cent/$100 payroll tax, graduated so Dutchess, Putnam and Orange counties pay less (25 cents/$100), is in. The $1 taxi drop-off fee is back to 50 cents, with 25 percent of the revenue generated going to pay for debt service on MTA capital projects through 2011, but not for upstate and Long Island roads and bridges.

One sticking point: The Senate Democrats want school districts in the 12-county MTA service area to be "held harmless" from the payroll tax, and it's unclear whether that means relief would come on the front end (by not charging the districts at all) or the back (by reimbursing them after the fact).

They also want an assurance that districts will be held harlmess in perpetuity - regardless of how the state's economic circumstances change.

Protecting the schools sounds good, preventing a drastic fare hike at the end of the month is definitely good but looking ahead, this short-range plan is nothing but a cheap political fix. And of course the Majority Leader takes the first "hit" of victory by chiding his fellow Democrats for not going along with his plan back in March:

"Basically, I won't say all of you, but a number of people, basically indicated they thought that was the wrong thing to do," Smith said. "In recent stories I think there's been some discussion about some merit to that."

"...Obviously, if you had adopted my plan back in March, we wouldn't be here," the majority leader said later. We tried to tell everybody back then, but we all...were told we were wrong. Things have come full circle."

Nothing has come full circle Mr. Smith. All you have is this moment and if anything, is a pyrrhic victory for the M.T.A. This deal, and the deal back in March was done for the sake of political expediency, not for the long-term health of New York's mass transit system. This is still the wrong thing to do, but sadly, it seems this is the best you can do.

Lets Turn NY Completely Blue Tomorrow!

I just got done canvassing a nice chunk of District 15 for Jim Gennaro out here in Queens. The response has been extremely positive, but the race is too close to call. After nearly seventy years of Republican dominance, it is well past the time to make a change up in Albany but it can't come soon enough. We are down to just a two-seat differential and it could happen right here in this Borough. It is looking good here for Gennaro and Addabbo, but things are going great for Brian Foley out on Long Island as well. As the Daily News reports, it is within the Democrats grasp. So what does it all mean?

From New York Magazine:

ROCKEFELLER DRUG LAWS
They’d like to scale back the state’s mandatory sentencing for drug crimes, arguing that they’re unfair and target minorities. They’d reduce sentences for nonviolent, low-level offenders and expand judges’ discretion to order treatment instead of jail.[...]

ABORTION
They’d establish the fundamental right of a woman to terminate her pregnancy prior to fetal viability and in later stages if the woman’s health is at risk.[...]

CAMPAIGN FINANCE
They want to substantially lower political-contribution limits and close loopholes that allow donors to funnel money through limited-liability companies. Last year, Spitzer failed to cut a deal with Republicans that would have lowered the contribution limit for statewide candidates to $15,000 from $55,800. They’d revive Spitzer’s plan.[...]

PAID FAMILY LEAVE
They want paid leave for employees tending to a sick family member or caring for a newborn. A leading proposal would provide about three months of $170-a-week leave and would be paid for with a small payroll deduction.

And that is just the beginning. There is so much we can do to change the way our state responds to its citizens and it starts with the election tomorrow. So if you have some spare time, come out to Queens or Long Island and volunteer your time. Hell, take a day off work and come canvassing and make phone calls. I promise you'll feel great at the end of the day knowing you helped affect change for New York, not to mention knowing that it helps increase the turn out for the overall vote, from the Presidential race on down.

Trunzo Threatens Long Island Voters With Gibberish

H/T to the Albany Project for this doozy. Caesar Trunzo tries to make the case why voters should give him another term but instead he proves why he's way past his expiration date:

SD-3: The Debate On Long Island

Millions watched Barack Obama and John McCain go at it Tuesday night in Tennessee and millions more will tune in for the final debate at Hofstra out on Long Island. In between the two main events, Long Island hosted a debate for the lesser known race yet still important contest for State Senate District three. On one side is the thirty-seven year incumbent and octogenarian Caesar Trunzo with the GOP shorts. On the other side of the ring, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian Foley wore the Democratic seal in his quest to change Albany.

From Newsday:

"God forbid he should win the Senate seat and the Democrats take over," said Trunzo, the most senior of GOP senators. "He'll run into a situation where he'll be a junior member [and] ... rather than getting any of the funding that's necessary he'll be at the bottom of the list. I know the system - it's been there a long time and seniority has a lot to do with what you get."

Foley, 50, countered that Trunzo is part of a "system that everyone knows is broken" and promised to "repair that system," nationally known for its "dysfunctional" ways.

"Contrary to the doom and gloom Caesar is describing, I will be able to deliver for Long Island as [freshman] Democratic Senator Craig Johnson will be able to deliver for Nassau County," Foley said. "We'll be the new Long Island voices in Albany, and we are going to make a difference."

It may not have been a performance worthy of Hofstra (the article notes the syntax-challenged Trunzo and the stiff-sounding Foley) but in a way resembles the Presidential contest. Like Trunzo, McCain has been a part of a broken system for decades. Brian Foley represents a new way of doing things and changing Albany for the better. If Foley and just one other Senate Democratic challenger can earn the confidence of the electorate, then Albany and New York as a whole can begin to see that change in their daily lives.

Jimmy Dahroug Drops Out, Leaves Foley To Face Trunzo

The Edwards news is disheartening to say the least, but the local news also has me quite sad on this Friday afternoon. Jimmy Dahroug has decided to bow out of his primary race against Brian Foley, a race engineered by the Democratic establishment looking to place a candidate in a district that became vulnerable to Republicans and in particular, Senator Trunzo.

Trunzo is definitely someone that needs to be beaten and Dahroug or Foley would be a million times better than Joe Bruno's old compadre. We are two seats away from taking back the majority in the State Senate and now I will be fully on board to defeat Trunzo and support Foley, despite past grievances.

With a month to go, it is still odd that Jimmy would drop out in the face of Foley's petition challenge having been withdrawn. He had the signatures and he was good to go. He was the progressive candidate running against a party plant who just got his website up (to some degree anyway) this past weekend.

Sigh. There is more to this story without a doubt. Perhaps Jimmy was pressured by the DSCC, perhaps it was the fund-raising discrepancy or that maybe in Long Island being Town Supervisor makes you superior when running for State Senate. Whatever the reason, it may or may not come out in the next three months or a few weeks after November 4th once the political scene cools off after election day.

What is important now is that progressives, moderates and everyone in between get behind Brian Foley, so that we get that much closer to a Democratic majority.

The Case Against Brian Foley...Or For Jimmy Dahroug

Note: I've volunteered for Jimmy Dahroug's campaign

On the state level here in New York, there is one large, unifying goal that the Democratic Party has. That would be winning back the majority in the State Senate and resting the power out of Joe Bruno's hands. There are many ways of going at this since we are two seats away right now. One excellent pick-up opportunity is out on Long Island in District 3. Craig Johnson turned nearby District 7 blue last year in a special election and is looking to easily hold onto the seat.

Now we must focus on races like SD-7 and to help progressive candidates like Jimmy Dahroug. Jimmy has widespread recognition since he has already challenged incumbent Caesar Trunzo without much support in the past. Unfortunately the powers that be in the party would rather go with someone more established in line with the establishment who happens to be Brian Foley. Right now Foley is the Town Supervisor out in Brookhaven and he now wants to run for Senate. Foley got himself in with the local party and he is flush with cash even before running. Some love Foley's jump in while still "liking" Jimmy Dahroug because Foley looks more "electable." Forget that for a second though, what does Brookhaven think about all of this?

From The Times Beacon Record:

Political pressures are mounting. Rival factions have gained the upper hand. Town operations are running with the silky smoothness of pebbles in a blender. Things are tough these days for Brookhaven's head honcho, and so what does Supervisor Brian Foley do? Announce a run for higher office, of course.

Foley, punching bag of the right and hardly the left's favorite son, can espouse all he wants about the "exciting opportunity" of gunning for Caesar Trunzo's state Senate seat. He can rattle off his credentials like ingredients in a half-baked pie, cook up sound bites about his county and municipal experiences and how they've prepared him for the challenges of Albany.

Hogwash. This attempted exit (stage left, of course) from Brookhaven politics is both hollow and shallow, as graceless and inglorious as the supervisor's rocky tenure.

It's hard not to see Foley's announcement as an unmitigated, tail-tucking retreat, coming as it did less than a day after his Town Board rivals plundered his office and sucked away his authority the way mosquitoes suck blood. Yes, board meetings happen when they happen and yes, Suffolk Democrats plan their nominating conventions eons in advance, but the symbolism is undeniable: Foley took a spanking, and the next day announced his desire to get out of Dodge.

The rest of the editorial doesn't give Foley much breathing room. They see this as his opportunity to get out of Brookhaven and onto Albany. Foley may be able to raise money (from prior races that is) but what kind of Senator would Long Island be sending upstate to represent them. Sure, he'd be better than Trunzo, but we should aspire for better leaders than those getting out of Dodge.

Dahroug To Get Competition For Trunzo's Seat?

Jimmy Dahroug has been committed for some time now to oust Caesar Trunzo from New York's 3rd State Senate District. Taking back that Long Island seat from the Republicans gets us one of the two seats needed to kick Joe Bruno from his Majority Leader post so that we can start to set Albany straight once and for all. However that race might become a little more complicated if Brian Foley jumps in to challenge Dahroug in a Democratic primary.

From Newsday:

State Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, escalating efforts to oust Republican Sen. Caesar Trunzo of Brentwood, showed up in Suffolk County last week to personally enlist Brookhaven Supervisor Brian Foley to run against the veteran 36-year lawmaker.

Smith met with Foley and Suffolk Democratic chairman Richard Schaffer Friday at party headquarters in Bohemia for more than hour after Senate Democrats did a pollthat party sources say showed Foley would make a strong contender against Trunzo.

"If Brian chooses to run he would be the strongest candidate Caesar Trunzo ever faced and Caesar would be hard-pressed to hold the seat against someone of Brian's caliber," said Doug Forand, strategist for Senate Democrats.

The article is an interesting one because it forgets to mention the candidate that is already in the race. This makes it appear that the Foley is the Democrats' best shot at taking the seat but Newsday seems to forget their endorsement of Dahroug from 2006. I know two years is a lifetime in politics, but if the are going to sculpt articles like the one above, at the very least they should mention that Jimmy is already running despite what the Democratic leadership in Albany is saying.