Cleaning Up The M.T.A. In Order To Fund It Is Harder Than It Looks

We still do not have a bailout plan ready to go for the M.T.A. and we mainly have the State Senate to thank for that. I already remarked (perhaps a lil' harshly) a couple days ago about the Gang of Three's role in stalling the bill but I must admit that there are ways we can clean up the Authority in the process of funding it so that we don't have to pay $103 for monthly cards. Some ideas coming from the Senate are listed below.

From The Gothamist:

Word is that a bailout plan for the MTA could begin making its way through state legislatures in the week ahead. This past week was one that only seemed to present stalling for any potential alternatives to the looming threat of a $100 monthly Metrocard. Despite a push from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, any serious talk of bringing tolls to the East River crossings has hit a snag with the Democratic bloc in the State Senate known as the Three Amigos demanding the MTA "go back to the drawing board" and calling for an audit for the agency. The new bailout plan would come with some potential reorganization for the MTA, a full-time chief executive position replacing the two part-time voluntary roles filled by Elliot Sander (pictured) and Dale Hemmerdinger. The legislature could also see a revenue driven proposal from Governor Paterson that would substantially raise DMV registration fees.

Paying a CEO sounds more costly than the $0 perks given to Sander and Hemmerdinger. There are already enough exorbitant salaries paid out to the executives within the transit authority. As for Paterson's idea, raising DMV fees can only a partial solution, since if we raise them too high they'll be another punitive tax on the working class who aren't close to mass transit.

In an ideal world we'd dissolve the Authority and make the apparatus more accountable to the people that ride their buses and trains, but that isn't going to happen anytime soon. "Radical change" and "Albany" mix as well as oil and water. For now we'll just have to scream and shout at Albany and hope they'll listen to the needs of straphangers and not intrasigent State Senators who think their South Bronx constituents rely more on taxis than the subway.

Gang Of Three Back Together Again To Scuttle MTA Bailout Bill

It is crunch time in Albany for the budget and in regard to mass transit in New York City, that is very serious business. The M.T.A. has already approved massive fare increases and tremendous service cuts if they do not get capital from the Legislature. The Assembly is ready to help, but the State Senate is unfortunately a partisan battleground. With the divide between Dems and Repubs so slim, who else would get in the way of legislation to help straphangers than the infamous Gang of Three (Kruger, Espada and Diaz). Screwing their party over for individual gain is nothing new but these men represent the very New Yorkers that depend on mass transit.

As the Gotham Gazette points out, it hardly makes any sense:

Most of Krueger’s constituents do have a car but do not use it for a daily drive to Manhattan’s central business district. Of the 32 percent of his constituents who commute to that part of Manhttan, about 84 percent take mass transit.

In Diaz’s Bronx district more than five times as many people take mass transit to the business district as drive. Two thirds of his constituents do not even own a car. In Espada’s adjacent Bronx district, more than 70 percent of residents do not have a car and less than 4 percent drive to the central business district as compared with 29 percent who take mass transit.

“Taxi drivers have to pay, too, and they will have to increase their fares. Who is gonna pay for that? The people,” Diaz told Gotham Gazette. Or at least all those residents of the South Bronx who take cabs to work every day.

I know that gentrification has been an issue in the city for a while now, but it hasn't reached the South Bronx. Up there the 4/5/6, the 2 and the B/D trains along with myriad bus routes are what moves people around, not Yellow Cabs that start at $2.50 just to get in the door. What this action means for Malcolm Smith is that it will be up to Republicans to make the deal go through. If Golden, Lanza and Padavan are responsible for the bill's passage, they can tout "hero" status for their re-election campaigns while leaving Malcolm Smith looking like a Leader who can't get his herd in order.

If Smith were smart, he should be working very quietly to rid Manhattan and the Bronx of their 'Gang problem.' That way we can add three more solid, progressive Democrats to the caucus two months before the November election.

The Gang Of Three Adopts New Moniker

Thinking perhaps that the "Gang of Three" sounded a little too sinister, Sens. Kruger, Espada and Diaz are lightening things up a bit with something more latin....the Three Amigos! Of course in the movie, they were all white comedians but that's besides the point. The three deviant Senators, still rich from success by threatening the new Democratic majority, want to keep the good times going. In Albany, that means raising cash...and lots of it.

From The Daily Politics:

The three met today at the Montezuma Mexican Restaurant on Knightsbridge Road in the Bronx. There were two main topics of conversation: The budget and a new political action committee called - what else! - the Three Amigos PAC - that is the brainchild of the group's ringleader, Sen. Carl Kruger.

Kruger, who is a prodigious fundraiser, said he plans to seed the PAC himself and then hopes that from this seed a "forest of trees will grow."

The money will be used to support likeminded candidates, he said. When pressed on whether he and his fellow amigos are looking to grow their swing vote club, given the fact that they are painfully aware that as soon as Smith manages to elect some more Democrats, their clout will disappear.

Finding slimy politicians such as themselves should not be too hard. When those three "Democratic" Senators managed to strike a deal with Smith, they proved that the stench of Albany is still alive and well, and anyone that wants a piece of the financial action within can try and sit at the table, as long as they play by the "Amigos'" rules. You can count on Diaz, Espada and Kruger to be searching for them to hold onto that clout.

Majority Leader Smith

Well now it's official, Malcolm Smith has come out on top and is our newest State Senate Majority Leader. He announced the news with the Gang of Three in tow last night up in Albany, after hammering out a deal. The infamous three each got their cut of power and lent Smith their vote for him.

From PolitickerNY:

Smith said he would be "conclusively" elected tomorrow, in a session presided over by State Senator Neil Breslin before David Paterson delivers the State of the State address.He was joined in conference by the gang of three, who then emerged by his side to announce details of the deal.

The agreement gives leadership posts to the gang of three -- Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. will chair the Aging Committee, Senator Carl Kruger will chair the Finance Committee and Senator-elect Pedro Espada Jr. will be vice president of the Senate for urban policy, as well as vice chair of the rules committee and chairman of the Committee on Housing Construction and Community Development.[...]

Smith also pledged several rules reforms, including measures that would record votes to discharge bills from committees and that pertain to amendments on the floor will be recorded (they are not currently under a rule known as 'canvass of agreement'). More rules reforms were promised, and will be announced in two months after a commission studying the chamber makes recommendations, Smith spokesman Austin Shafran said.

The people of New York have certainly been treated to a roller coaster ride from these pols and finally this part of the ride is over. Of course, we have plenty of twists, turns, drops and jolts to come. One thing that is still up in the air is the issue of gay marriage and no one is sure where those chips may fall. The budget though will come first and seeing this new Democratic group deal with the Governor's proposal promises many fireworks when programs are actually strapped down on the chopping block for a waiting axe.

So Smith got away with his deal and has the ultimate power (and the highest lu-lu) but at what cost. Each of the three in the Gang got their own sweet deals though this time it was acceptable enough to the rest of the Democratic caucus. If I were one of those other 28, watching this drama unfold teaches one terrible lesson, that if you want power in New York, do your best to steal, connive or trick your way into it.

Time For Malcolm Smith To Stick To One Of His Remarks

The United States Congress starts up tomorrow, nearly all set to go. Here in New York however, State Senators have until Wednesday and no one knows how things will turn out by the opening gavel. One thing is for certain is that the Gang of Three is still in business and is looking for the best deal possible for themselves, regardless of their constituents, their party or their state. The power they seek though, will either come from one of two men, Democrat Malcolm Smith or Republican Dean Skelos.

From The NY Daily News:

Senate Democratic leader Malcolm Smith - heir apparent to the leadership spot - met face-to-face with the so-called Gang of Three on Sunday night in the Bronx.

It was his first meeting with the renegade Democratic trio since a power-sharing deal brokered by Gov. Paterson imploded and imperiled Smith's standing with his fellow Dems.

The highly public death of the deal created a significant "trust issue" between Smith and the three senators - Ruben Diaz Sr., Pedro Espada Jr. and Carl Kruger - that Smith has yet to resolve, a Gang of Three source said.

"No one has a great deal of faith in [Smith] until this check clears," said the source.

"They've been down this road before. The old Clint Eastwood line comes to mind about your mouth writing checks your body can't cash. They're prepared to bury him if that's the case."

What "bury" means exactly here is still unclear. Skelos would love it if he could hold onto the reigns by having Espada, Kruger and Diaz caucus with him, but people who elected them are mostly Democrats and with the right messaging, will have nothing to do with those turncoats in two years time.

Smith clearly wants to be the Majority Leader but it won't happen the way he wants it with these three schmucks. If he were smart and could look further than right in front of him, he'd stick to a line he uttered when the first deal went kaput. That is, he should stick himself in the minority for another two years and do it right with a stronger and more principled Democratic party in 2010. With the Gang of Three viciously pursued out of office, it'll teach any other potential miscreants to be good Democrats instead of the selfish brats that make up the Gang.

So Malcolm, please, no deals, be a man and wait it out. Giving in to the gang's demands will sour Albany even more than it is now...and that is no short order.

Ruben "I'm A Dem" Diaz Tries To Defend His Selfishness

Former/current Gang of Three member Senator Ruben Diaz must be feeling the heat from his district. For nearly two months he has subverted the new Democratic majority to achieve his own ends. Preventing gays from getting married and enjoying equal civil rights are among his priorities and in the means, he had threatened the power of his own party in the State Senate. Once the blogs, unions and his own constituents started going after him, he has decided to fight back.

From NY Politicker:

State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. sent out this open letter in response to a campaign by labor groups to try to bring him in line behind State Senator Malcolm Smith.[...]

"I have always been a Democrat. I am still a Democrat. And I will always be a Democrat," Diaz wrote in the two-page letter to constituents.

He said it was being released "in response to the negative campaign some special interests have begun in my community."

If he didn't think the efforts by NY Democrats, WFP and others was serious, Diaz wouldn't have put out this "I'm still a Democrat" response. He knows that his actions with Kruger and Espada have been detrimental to the party and the Senate. If the voters in the district fully realized what a threat he was, they would have kicked him to the curb in the primaries. Now he's doing damage control while still holding on to his anti-civil rights stance for the GLBT community.

We'll see if it works.

The Deal With The Three Devils Falls Apart, Hooray!

The news out of Albany last night was sour for Malcolm Smith and the greedy Gang of Three, but really, is anyone else truly upset? Smith promised Kruger, Espada and Diaz the moon and the stars but outside of that backroom where the deal was made, it was never going to be accepted by the rest of the Democratic caucus. Now this week (and it's only Wednesday) everything is falling to pieces and we are expecting some sort of announcement today from the Gang that will probably denounce Smith and throw their support to Skel....nah, not yet at least. Though according to Diaz, we should be afraid, very, very afraid. Oh and he's mad, can you guess who his ire is directed at?

Teh gays!

The bulk of his displeasure was directed at the gay community ("They're jamming my phones"), the editorial pages that have panned the deal ("What else could they say about us that they haven't said at this point?") and, oddly, former Mayor Ed Koch.

Evidently, Diaz had just caught Koch's weekly appearance on NY1's "Wise Guys" segment during which he, according to Diaz, referred to the Gang of Three as "rats."

"The only rat is Ed Koch," Diaz exclaimed. "When he was mayor, nobody in our community wanted him. The only rat he had was this rate. Rev. Diaz. Now this rate is no good anymore."

"The gays are calling my office. They're jamming my phones. They're going to see what we can do. They've going to see exactly what we can do. Ed Koch is going to see what we can do. They're just going to see. That is what I'm telling you."

Oh noes! Not the gays! How dare they demand equal rights under the law! Oh and Ed Koch, and the newspapers, and the bloggers, and, and, and....oh, cry me a polluted East River. Diaz really needs to get a hold of a mirror, along with one for his friends Kruger and Espada. Too bad their greed is clouding their vision for that to work. But hey, if they want to go and back Skelos, that's fine, because in two years, the heavily Democratic districts they come from will be able to see what happened with crystal clear clarity.

Deal With The Gang Of Three Devils May Fall Apart

While Malcolm Smith names various Senators to be Committee Chairs, there is no guarantee that any of that will be set in stone come the time the chamber convenes in January. Plenty of Senate Democrats are fuming that Smith made a deal with the Gang of Three and were not consulted about it.

City Hall News has the details:

Though State Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm Smith has issued statements asserting full support from among his fellow Democrats and is poised to announce three committee chairs and one leadership position Monday morning, members of the conference are far from sold on a deal he brokered to gain the support of the so-called Gang of Three. And they are warning that any agreements he makes, even those which are publicly announced, may not hold until Jan. 7, when the Senate is set to reconvene.

The frustration is the result not just of a deal many Democratic members believe went too far—“a deal made with the devil, or three of them,” one said—but of the way in which Smith presented the deal to the conference. Smith agreed to making State Sen. Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn) chair of the Finance Committee and incoming State Sen. Pedro Espada (D-Bronx) majority leader without first notifying any of his members of the details, and has since left members of the conference with the feeling that he has been less than straightforward.

“Malcolm has lied to the conference,” said one.

It seems Malcolm is saying one thing to his conference and another to the Gang, but all of it gets aired out in public and he has a lot to lose from behavior like that. If Smith pulls out of the deal to appease the majority of the caucus, his power may be ceded to the Republicans. Then again, no one is sure if the Gang really want to take the risk of heading fully over to the dark side, possibly endangering their re-election bids in heavily Democratic districts. If Smith keeps the deal, the caucus may drop their support of Smith, whom many are peeved that he would cave so easily to the renegades. Either way, high drama will ensue and there is no guarantee that what makes up the political landscape today will be the same tomorrow.

NY Senate Dems Reward Bad Behavior

Senate Democrats in Albany are still a month out from officially assuming power and yet they have seemed to screw it all up already. Kruger, Diaz and Espada "fell in line" but the deals that got them to do that could have incredible consequences. It seems that those in attendance at yesterday's meeting, particularly Malcolm Smith and Governor Paterson went for the short term gain of solving the inter-party leadership kerfuffle at the expense of what happens inside our own party across the state.

From The Cityroom:

Two people involved in the talks said that Mr. Espada will get the title of majority leader under the deal, though Mr. Smith would be the real leader of the Democratic caucus, with the title of president pro tempore. Still, the deal would make Mr. Espada arguably the most powerful Latino elected official in New York State.

Mr. Kruger would be named chairman of the Senate Finance Committee — a major post with the power to approve gubernatorial nominees and a lead role in negotiating state budgets — and the committee would become more autonomous.

And the senators will sit in alphabetical order in the chamber, rather than divided by party, along with other changes to the Senate’s rules that will make it more democratic — something Mr. Smith has long advocated.

I could care less if they say according to height, weight or shoe size. Where the Senators seats are in the chamber doesn't amount to a hill of beans. What does count here is that Kruger got the Finance Committee, screwing over Western New York and the presumed chair Bill Stachowski. Upstate is not going to like that at all. All of the power rests from the Bronx on down.

Diaz is getting what he wants as well. Gay marriage is issue non-grata in the State Senate for at least two years now. Marriage advocates will continue to fight the good fight, but real progress can easily be stymied by the egomaniac of the Gang, Senator-Elect Espada.

Espada is getting a fantastic deal out of this. While being called "Majority Leader" is simply a title and doesn't carry the oomph that President Pro Tem does for Smith, the position isn't to be taken lightly, especially as a brand new Senator. He also gets a prime spot on the Rules Committee, which is an excellent "gatekeeper" seat in terms of bringing legislation to the floor.

Ultimately, this is about rewarding bad behavior. The three of them cut their deals and the biggest loser from this of course, is the average New Yorker. For all of Espada's talk about Latino empowerment, the only Latino he cares about is himself. He has certainly made that clear before. The whole thing reminds me of what happened in the U.S. Senate just last month, when Lieberman fought like hell to beatup Democrats and when his GOP friends lost, he came back to eat at the leadership's trough and was given a slap on the wrist in front of the cameras and accepted with open arms immediately after.

Like the leadership in Washington, Albany has shown that they simply want the masses to vote for them, a few to lick envelopes and when the ballots have been counted, to be shooed away for two years until it is time for re-election. Well, that simply is not going to happen. The people, especially those in Diaz, Kruger and Espada's districts will come to know their Senators quite well for the conniving traitors that they are. Then, if all goes well, there will be actual Democrats who care about the principles of their party and kick them out of office during the primary election of 2010. Espada lost his primary race before, it can certainly happen again.

Gang Of Three Officially Disbands, Dems Will Control The Senate

What was beginning to seem like an on-going soap opera drama, quickly came to an end today. Hiram Monserrate dropped out of a group opposed to Malcolm Smith becoming Majority Leader, but Espada, Kruger and Diaz held out for an entire month. Today it is being reported that the three sat down with Smith and everything is copasetic. Hmmm....

From The Daily Politics:

The leadership battle that has frozen the Senate since Election Day is over, and the three renegade senators known as the Gang of Three have all pledged to support Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith for majority leader in exchange for an agreement that will result in what Sen. Carl Kruger called "significant and historic reform" of how the chamber operates.

He refused to provide any additional information, saying that a press release will be forthcoming from Smith's office.

I called Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr., and he confirmed: "It's over. It's a done deal. We agreed."

But what about gay marriage - Diaz's signature issue and the one thing he said he absolutely wouldn't abide coming to the floor?

The senator refused to tell me anything about what kind of deal Smith struck on that (recall that Diaz said he wanted a written pledge that whoever he supported for leader would not bring a bill legalizing same-sex marriage). The only thing he would say was: "I'm comfortable that everything's going to be OK."

Everything's going to be OK for whom exactly? It's great that the Democrats have control of the Senate, but at what price? Both sides are saying that we're going to have reform and things are wonderful but no one wants to talk specifics. Inquiring minds want to know what Kruger, Diaz and Espada are getting out of this. Something just does not smell right.

Espada Shows His Greediness To El Diario

As the State Legislature plays politics with our budget deficit up in Albany, certain Senators within the Democratic caucus are still playing games within the party. The Gang of Four became Three earlier when Monserrate endorsed Smith for Majority Leader, but Espada, Kruger and Diaz are hanging on to the "independence" gambit with all their might. Senator-Elect Espada gave an interview to El Diario published today that showed his ego in full effect.

From El Diario (Google-translated):

"I would vote for a Democrat as a Hispanic leader of the Senate," Espada said yesterday, elected senator last November, in an Editorial Board with EL DIARIO / LA PRENSA.

"Nobody has been postulated, so I said I would do," said Espada, who along with Senators Carl Kruger and Mr Ruben Diaz has mounted an unprecedented challenge against the recent Democratic leadership of the state and wants to see a Hispanic in that position for the first time in history.

Well isn't that great that he wants to choose one minority over another specifically because of being labeled as such. And of course, who else would be better for that job than Espada himself. Does Espada really think anyone thinks this is anything other than a pure power grab regardless of who it affects. So how will he win out over Smith?

Espada said he would have the necessary votes to become leader of the Senate if it supported a Republican, says that it has the votes of the two senators rebels.

Espada added that their struggle should not be seen as a matter of enmity with Smith or as an attempt to erode the African American leadership, but as a way to achieve fair representation for Hispanics.

This isn't about Hispanics or African Americans, it is about the greed of Mr. Espada and his recklessness of the Democratic agenda in the Senate. He could care less about relief for renters, a progressive agenda for dealing with the budget crisis, the repeal of the Rockefeller drug laws or any other issue that Malcolm Smith wants to address in the next session. No one buys Espada's crap about Hispanics, because he only cares about one Hispanic, himself.

The Gang Of Three Do Not Understand NY Referendum

I'm grateful that Hiram Monserrate came to his senses and broke from the independent gang of Democrats in order to get behind Malcolm Smith. The other three however, Kruger, Diaz and Espada are wandering further into the woods and in dangerous territory if they want to win re-election in 2010. Yesterday's meeting accomplished absolutely nothing but more uncertainty for the Senate. The three are desperately trying to remain relevant and delaying their decision about whether to support Smith has now been delayed until January. Oh and they added something new to the mix about their bigotry the debate over gay marriage in New York.

From The Daily Politics:

The biggest news to come out of the get-together, which took place at an Italian restaurant on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, is that the three Democrats - Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr., Sen. Carl Kruger and Senator-elect Pedro Espada Jr. - are calling for a referendum, rather than legislative action, on gay marriage.

"Basically, they said if Malcolm thinks term limits changes should be decided by referendum, then why not gay marriage?" said a source close to the three.

(Smith recently said he would not move to block a bill sponsored by Sen. Kevin Parker that would require any changes to local term limits laws to be put to the public for a vote).

This is, of course, a way to keep Diaz Sr. in the fold, since he has made it very clear that he won't support anyone for leader unless that person pledges not to bring a gay marriage bill to the floor for a vote.

The new Senate under Smith, according to Smith will not require him to bring the bill to the floor because he will not hoard power like Bruno had for all those years. Tom Duane or any other Senator should be able to bring bills out of committee all on their own.

As for the question on a referenda on gay marriage, this topic is nothing like the debate over term limits. In that area, the Mayor and Council of NYC abused their authority and violated the spirit of the city charter for personal gain. The people of NYC had already instituted term limits by referendum and it is only fair that to rescind it would require the same method.

Now for gay marriage, this is a question of expanding equal rights to an oppressed minority in our country that is treated unfairly due to sexual orientation. It shouldn't even have to be considered by the legislature but since we restrict their rights as a state, then Albany must give them their rights. Those that vote against it, as Keith Olbermann put it so forcefully Monday night have a problem with other people's love and need to take a second look at their conscience before going forth.

Frankly, this matter has to be taken care of from above and the legislature has to show true leadership in giving all New Yorkers equal rights regardless of whether they want to marry someone of the same sex or not. Obviously it didn't and couldn't happen under Joe Bruno or the brief period with Dean Skelos, but it can with Malcolm Smith as Majority Leader, no matter if he introduces it himself or not.