Jeremiah Frei-Pearson Fundraiser Tonight (July 9th)!

The most talked about item this morning is that LeBron James will be leaving his Cleveland fans in the dust in the pursuit a championship run down in Miami. While this Laker fan shrugs his shoulders and wishes him all the best (LeBron actually being able to play Kobe in the finals so we can put the comparisons to rest finally would be nice) but that is not why I am typing sentences on the keyboard this morning.

My motivation is Jeremiah Frei-Pearson, a good friend and dedicated progressive activist that is running for State Assembly in Western Queens. The campaign finance reporting deadline is fast approaching and tonight is a great opportunity to make sure Jeremiah has a strong showing and a great chance to compete in the upcoming election.

Here are the details:

RSVP to Marti Cummings by July 8th to
cummings@kurlandassociates.com

Suggested Contribution of
$25, $50, $75, $150, $500, $1,000 or $3,800

Frei-Pearson lives in Astoria with his wife, Karal Mosley Frei-Pearson, and their two cats: Scooby and Scrappy. Jeremiah has lived in Astoria since graduating from law school–drawn to a community he loved from child- hood visits with his father, who has lived in Queens for more than a decade. Jeremiah’s commitment to serving Western Queens grows from his roots and his experiences as an active participant in the life and politics of our community.
Queens is the most diverse county in the US, and our strength as a
community is based on respect for everyone who lives here. How-
ever, the state legislature has failed to lead on the most basic
issue of civil rights and equality for all. In its failure to pass mar-
riage equality, New York’s leadership has betrayed the progres-
sive values that out state has represented for so long.

For more information
on Jeremiah Frei-Pearson: www.jeremiahfp.org

And of course, here's the facebook link.

Oh and I almost forgot, the event is on the rooftop at 4 Lexington Avenue just across from Gramercy Park. So come out not only to support a great candidate, but for the amazing views as well!

Fundraiser For Steve Behar Tonight!

If you happen to be in New York, believe that we need more honest and progressive public servants in government and are looking for a place to kick back after work tonight, then come on over to my friend Steve Behar's fundraiser. Steve Behar is running in the 26th Assembly District out in Bayside, but the event is being held at the Turtle Bay Bar in Manhattan. Turtle Bay Bar is located at 987 2nd Avenue (at 52nd Street). The party begins at 6:00pm and lasts until 9:00pm.

In case you need to be convinced, Steve is a long-time member of the Howard Dean inspired Democracy for New York City and has hosted their Bayside linkup location. Steve also led a challenge last year to serve as City Council Member in the 19th District, with an agenda and biography that reads like a good pragmatic progressive's dream.

While the media has shown his race to be an uphill challenge, local races such as this are decided in small numbers. A dedicated cadre of supporters can overcome the worst aspects of old school politics and this is no exception. Come find out more tonight at the Turtle Bay Bar!

Paterson And The Assembly At It Again....

We are now in the middle of May and the Legislature continues to disappoint New York in failing to produce a budget that will actually balance. While legislators are mandated to go without pay, some are going the extra mile in that regard and are furloughing their own staff. Over at the Governor's office, the antics are being turned up higher and higher.

From The Daily Politics:

At least a dozen members of the state Assembly marched out of conference and
are, as you read this, in the Red Room outside the governor's office in the
state Capitol.

They say want to talk budget -- now.

"We are now
waiting in his conference room area... They allege that he’s here somewhere, and
so we are waiting an opportunity to talk about the about the budget impasse,"
Assemblywoman Deborah Glick told me by cell phone.

And of course right after that, the Governor went right back to the press to claim that he was in the right and that it's the Assembly that is stalling. What it all means basically is that the politicians get to talk, the press gets copy and New Yorkers get.....absolutely nothing, unless of course you count frustration as a tangible item.

Jeremiah Frei-Pearson Gets Stood Up In Queens

I went up to Queens tonight to see Jeremiah Frei-Pearson debate Aravella Simotas (no candidate website that I could locate) for the 36th Assembly District seat. The event was held in order to inform Democracy for New York City members about their choice concerning whether or not to endorse in the race. Ms. Simotas didn't show up though, leaving Jeremiah to own the stage:



From what I saw, Jeremiah would make an excellent addition to the State Assembly (which is in dire need of good progressives). It would have been nice to see what Simotas had to say, but obviously she couldn't be bothered, as she gave DFNYC the run around when trying to organize the event.

Newsday Supports Campaign Finance Bill In Assembly

I was pleased to see Newsday's quick post about the public finance bill that had passed the Assembly last week. With all of the bills being pushed onto the senate by Governor Paterson, this has to be at the top of the list. Our system of electing people to represent us is fundamentally broken and the power of money has far too much influence on how things work (just ask Pedro Espada). However, the bill...and Newsday's backing of it, hardly goes far enough.

From Newsday:

Last week, the Assembly - that half of the State Legislature that is still at work - passed a bill that would create public financing for state elections. The bill is modeled on the New York City system, which has succeeded in opening city elections to many new faces. Participating candidates would receive a 4-to-1 match for individual donations up to $250, and donors could give just $2,000.

The bill would phase in public financing beginning with the 2010 race for state comptroller. A widening pay-to-play probe of the Alan Hevesi years demonstrates the high stakes; the $154-billion pension fund should be far better insulated.

A phase-in is best, too, when state coffers are this empty. Full public funding would cost $100 million to $125 million over a four-year election cycle. Of course, the potential savings in reduced public corruption are incalculable.

Yes, those benefits are incalculable. I'm 100% with you that we need to get money out of politics, but if Newsday wants to see that as much as I do, then we need to push for real reform. Now I understand that Albany isn't going to do this willingly but proponents must talk about the benefits to get more people on our side and the political will power to not only limit the size of donations, but to make large contributors irrelevant. It already works in Arizona and Maine, it can work here too, but only if we fight for it.

NY Special Congressional Election Too Close To Call

With all the ballots counted tonight, Scott Murphy has come out on top by a mere 65 votes out of more than 159,000 cast. However, this thing is far from over as nearly 6,000 absentee ballots have yet to be counted and are under lock and key until at least early next week. So while we'll have to wait to see who the winner is, one thing is for sure, Tedisco blew his overwhelming lead in the beginning and is caught in a dead heat. Now Jimmy realized this thing would be close, so he's already got his legal challenges ready to go.

From FireDogLake:

Republican Jim Tedisco may be running for the House in a district where Republicans outnumber Democratic voters by some 70,000, but with the polls closing in a matter of hours, Tedisco’s campaign is prepping for a loss.

An electoral loss, anyway.

The Dutchess County Clerk’s Office has confirmed to FDL that Tedisco’s people have filed an ex parte motion in order, the effect of which would be to investigate and overturn today’s election results, should the outcome not be to Republicans’ liking.

FDL is trying to obtain a copy of the motion and will post when available. We now have a sloppy copy (PDF), and are poring over it.

Yeah, so even with the choices of several thousand of Tedisco's potential constituents still up in the air, he chose to go the legal route if this thing doesn't go his way. It is almost if he ripped a page right out of Norm Coleman's handbook. Unfortunately for Jimmy, his fellow Republicans in Albany are none too happy about this, and everything that has happened in the campaign to date. They're so pissed that they just might go and strip him of his Minority Leader status.

So if he ends up losing this election (which is quite probable) then he'll have his hat in hand going back to Albany and will become just another ordinary Assembly member in the minority. That means as for power, he'll have absolutely none.

Camara Makes His Stand To Fix Albany

Assemblyman Karim Camara knows the degree to which our state government is dysfunctional. Everyone there knows it, but the question is what do you do about it? Most go along with the all-powerful leadership. Do as they say...and you get rewarded for it. However if you call attention to the problem and worse, propose to reform it, watch out for the wrath of Shelly Silver and his captains. Camara, for one (at least at the moment) is ready to take on what the leadership will throw at him.

From The Capitol:

An upcoming “white paper” Camara is set to release—suggesting a number of radical Assembly rule changes that fly in the face of Democratic leadership—may test his faith.

While the report is not yet fully fleshed out, an outline Camara shared with The Capitol tentatively titled “How to Fix Albany”, offers seven suggestions that would increase the power of the Assembly’s minority Republicans and all of its rank-and-file members.[...]

Perhaps his most controversial proposal would place term limits on all legislative leadership positions, including 15-year Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan). That is a step even further than a recent Brennan Center for Justice report—which nonetheless proposed enough changes to have Silver call it “nonsense”—dared to go.

Modeled after the operations of Congress, Camara’s plan also calls for equal distribution of resources among all members regardless of party, leadership position to be voted on by the whole body, for committee chairs to hire and fire their own staffs and for the open sponsorship of bills.

Good government groups are loving this, and as the article notes, in some areas Camara's proposal even goes above and beyond what the Brennan Center advocates for. Now this will be a tough battle, and one that is highly unlikely to succeed. There are just too many Assemblymembers that want to keep the system in shambles because it is so personally rewarding to do so. A few others who do want reform are scared of being rebuked by Shelly Silver. So to stick your neck out like Camara is is a big deal. What'll happen to him? Who knows, but he is doing the right thing, and that is a breath of fresh air in Albany.

Term Limit Bill Clears It's First State Assembly Hurdle

Albany is a dysfunctional place, but when there is widespread public support for something, the process has an ability to work from time to time. This week the Elections Committee considered and affirmed Hakeem Jeffries' bill to usurp the Mayor and Council's decision to extend term limits and make them put the issue to a vote. The legislation has a long way to go, but nevertheless it is going.

From PolitickerNY:

"While some of us, including myself, are against term limits, the City of New York spoke twice," said Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr., the committee chair.

The bill will now advance to the Ways and Means Committee. It would require a citywide referendum in New York by May 1.

Assemblyman Rob Walker, of Long Island raised concerns about whether the city Board of Elections would be prepared in time. A Diaz staffer assured him the BOE could be ready, especially if the bill is passed soon.

There is no indication it will come to the floor expediently, and still has not been approved by the relevant committees in the State Senate. A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Ah yes, the State Senate. Hopefully they'll be as diligent as the Assembly is thus far. A May 1st election date is not that far away and everything must be in order quickly. I still feel that the chances of actually blocking the Mayor's re-election bid are slim, but for now, at least they aren't non-existent.

Brennan Center Re-Checks Sheldon Silver

Earlier this week the Brennan Center put out a report showing how broken our state's government is. Speaker Sheldon Silver, being one of the key players in keeping things the way they are, responded to their findings. Unfortunately, the truth is too much for Shelly's attempt at spinning and the Brennan Center comes right back to put him in his place.

From ReformNY:

In response to yesterday’s release of the Brennan Center’s report Still Broken: New York State Legislative Reform 2008 Update, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver issued a statement suggesting that our report misrepresents the legislative process in the Assembly. We thought we’d set the record straight. Our responses to excerpts from Silver’s statement (in italics) are below.

In analyzing the work of the legislature, the Brennan Center report completely omits the state budget, as well as countless bills that pass either house every year.

This is incorrect. The analysis that forms the basis of the report included all of the budget bills listed on the New York Legislative Session Information page for 2006 and 2007 except the Legislature and Judiciary Budget Bill and the State Debt Budget Bill in each year. The statistics regarding substantive floor debate, meaningful dissent, and committee deliberation regarding these bills generally conform to the poor performance of both houses in considering the rest of the major legislation analyzed in this report.

The fact of the matter is that while the budget process in New York has become somewhat more transparent in the last few years, it is still far too opaque. Budget deals are still cut behind closed doors – once the budget bills are drafted, most details of budget reductions, tax increases, and member items are briefed and debated outside of public view.

The response to the response goes on, picking apart all of what Silver has to say for himself and defusing his nonsense. The modus operandi for people like Silver for the longest time has been to pretend things are transparent while working extremely hard to make important documents exceedingly difficult to decipher.

Good government groups try hard to unwind the mess, but because there is so much to entangle, by the time we can see what is going on the damage has already been done. It is important though that things do get untangled and places like the Brennan Center document the opacity of our state government so that people are more aware of the problems created in Albany. Hopefully because of it, the public gets motivated to actually do something about it.

Could New York City Lose A Borough?

It would be pretty hard to misplace a landmass full of buildings and people, especially here in New York. Yet Assemblymember Andrew Lanza wants his own Staten Island to disappear from the city government of NYC. The borough to the south has tried to part ways with NYC in the past, but Speaker Silver killed it in 1994. Now Lanza wants to get it done next year and has written an epic novel to explain how it can be done.

From The Staten Island Advance:

Lanza said a financial study included in his secession bill shows that the Island could raise enough of its own revenue from property, business and payroll taxes in order to be self-sufficient.

While secession critics had said local taxes would skyrocket if the Island were its own city, Lanza said, "Our taxes have been raised over the years anyway.[...]

Lanza said other "unexploited" economic-development opportunities also could be pursued if the Island were no longer part of New York City.

"Being the second-largest city in the state would give us a lot of clout," Lanza said. "We'd have the second-biggest seat at the table."

Well he's right about them being the second-largest city, but as far as clout goes....I'm not so sure. Staten Island will still be "downstate." Staten Island will still have the same political demographics. Staten Island will still have one Congressmember, two State Senators and four Assemblymembers.

The only things that will change is that they will not be a part of New York City. NYC is a global powerhouse and has a tremendous amount of clout. Staten Island may feel that they aren't treated as well as the others, but they receive what they put in. The island may gain some independence, but it'll probably end up as a costly adventure that the half-million residents may soon regret.

Oh and lest we forget, this is New York and if one of the three men in the room (the one representing the Assembly district in Lower Manhattan) doesn't approve then the 2,114 page piece of legislation, it probably won't even see the light of day.

Assemblyman Seminerio Will Go To Trial

Like the indicted Manhattan Surrogate Court Judge-Elect Nora Anderson, Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio's day of reckoning was long in coming. Authorities were trailing him for a while and he was arrested a couple months earlier on corruption charges. Only this time, there were a couple of differences from the first time this broke in the news.

From The Daily Politics:

Federal prosecutors have obtained a corruption indictment against Queens Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio, formalizing a criminal complaint lodged in September.

The indictment accuses the veteran lawmaker of using his clout in Albany in exchange for payoffs from a hospital and other organizations. The money was funneled through a Marc Consultants, a firm set up by Seminerio in 2000. The brief filing by acting U.S. Attorney Lev Dassin covers a lot of the same territory as the original criminal complaint, offering few additional details.

It does, however, say that Seminerio pocketed "approximately $1 million" in ill-gotten gains -- double the amount cited three months ago.

Last month, the Daily News reported that Seminerio was trying to negotiate a plea bargain that would spare him jail time.

I guess that plea deal didn't go to well for the Assemblyman, eh? Blagojevich is looking at up to thirty years for merely attempting to extort money in pay to play politics. I wonder what Seminerio is looking at for actually engaging in it over here in New York City?

One Assemblyman Wants To Go Over Council's Term-Limited Head

Almost as soon as the rush to extend term limits began, opponents of the decree by legislative fiat asked the New York Assembly to come in and make the Mayor and Council behave. Some of those in the City Council have come out against the oligarchic move but many are either undecided or truly believe that they can change the law that the people voted in favor of. Well one day after the resolution was introduced in the Council, an Assemblyman by the name of Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) is determined to put an end to the Mayor's political power play.

From Crain's New York:

Hakeem Jeffries, a Brooklyn assemblyman, announced Wednesday that he will introduce a bill requiring any municipality's changes to a term limits restriction be approved by public referendum. The referendum would have to be held no later than the first Tuesday in May preceding the next general election.

Mr. Jeffries said his bill is a response to the move by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City Council to pass legislation allowing city elected officials to serve a third consecutive four-year term.

“We’re concerned that the fix is in and the deal has already been cut to change term limits without a public referendum,” the assemblyman said before a press conference on the steps of City Hall.

Jeffries knows exactly what is going on here. It isn't hard for anyone to see what the Mayor is up to here. In this case, it is a great thing that the State trumps the City when it comes to the power of the government. Cities are under the care and protection of the state, even New York and when certain people within the city act out of line in accordance with democratic priniciples, something must be done. Of course, there is just one slight problem that needs to be taken care of first.

Mr. Jeffries acknowledges that his bill, to be introduced in January, will not become law if the state Senate remains in Republican control, because Mr. Bloomberg is closely allied with Senate Republicans. The assemblyman is banking on Democrats picking up two of the Senate’s 62 seats in the November election.

That's right, we need to take back the State Senate to ensure voters make the decision on city term limits, not the fifty-two politicians that make up "Mayor and Council." This is just one more reason for us to work hard and turn the Senate blue. I'll probably be canvassing for Jim Gennaro out in Queens this weekend. What will you be doing?

Figures, Seminerio Wasn't Alone

Having politicians on the payroll of large corporations is nothing new when it comes to greasing the wheels of government. That is especially true in Albany, where pay to play is practically the only game in town if you want something done. Politicians are all too well endeared to these fiscal overtures, whether or not they are legit. Anthony Seminerio showed his love for the all mighty buck over the pledge he took to put his constituents first. Now it seems that Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. has his hand in the same cookie jar that got Seminerio in trouble with the Feds.

From The NY Sun:

A hospital system that may figure in the federal corruption case against a Democratic state assemblyman, Anthony Seminerio, has for years been paying another assemblyman as a consultant, according to state financial disclosure records.

Since 2003, a Democratic state assemblyman of central Brooklyn, William Boyland, Jr., has received an unspecified amount of outside income from Brookdale University Hospital in Brownsville.[...]

The MediSys network also includes the Flushing Hospital Medical Center and Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, which is in Mr. Seminerio's district.

Financial disclosure forms have listed Mr. Boyland as a director of marketing and as a consultant to the hospital, describing his job as giving "advice on community outreach." The public version of the forms conceals the extent of the lawmaker's outside earnings.

The lawmaker described his role as a "patient recruiter," saying he brought to Brookdale "patients and folks." He declined to say how much he is paid by Brookdale and cut off the conversation abruptly when asked to explain his responsibilities at the hospital with more detail.

Boyland may not be charged with anything by the authorities, but that doesn't mean there isn't smoke billowing from this room. He may not have been caught doing anything malicious like Seminerio but it still strikes me as odd that Boyland is a "patient recruiter." Being associated with Seminerio in any fashion is a bad sign and one of many such marks for Albany in general. While Boyland might not be guilty of anything specifically, it is still indicative of the need to change the way business....and especially outside business of lawmakers is handled.

NY Assembly Investigates Ethics In The Dark

Even with the indictment and arrest of Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio, the legislative body is up to their old tricks while considering what to do about their tarnished ethical image. The take down of Seminerio is significant because the Assembly realizes that they can be infiltrated by law enforcement for their shady ways. Recently re-elected captain of the ship Sheldon Silver must have been worried about the situation, because he held a secret meeting specifically concerning ethics in the Assembly.

From The Gothamist:

After longtime Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio's arrest on bribery charges, the State Assembly apparently held a secret meeting to discuss, per the AP, "tougher rules over disclosure of outside income by lawmakers."

In the criminal complaint against Seminerio, there were also references to "Assemblyman No 1," Assemblyman No 2" and "Senator No 2"--prompting lawmakers to wonder who's who. Seminerio's $500,000+ in bribes were apparently accrued after he set up a shell company to accept payments; current rules do not require lawmakers to disclose who their clients are.

While Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver wants an overhaul of the rules, it's unclear how far he will go. As the Post reports, Silver "earns an undisclosed income from powerhouse Manhattan law firm Weitz & Luxenberg." And for reference, the Post adds the current rules allow them to "earn unlimited amounts of outside income" while their "official salaries can exceed $120,000 a year and are the third highest in the nation."

Of course no one but the women and men in the room know what went on since it was held in secret, away from New Yorkers that pay their third-highest-salaries in the nation. We also do not know how many other Assemblymembers take bribes because the state house would never investigate itself or else it would probably be nearly empty after a full reivew.

Their leader would also never go far enough to root out the corruption, because he doesn't want anyone to know what exactly he does at the law firm that pays him x (anothe unknown) amount of dollars a year on top of his legislative salary. I'm not holding my breath on any reform from Silver, other than a cheap gimmick to make people think he cares about the Seminerio fallout.

One Day After The Primary, Corrupt Queens Assemblyman To Lose His Job

Yesterday's primary election decided the fates of many politicians, but uncontested Queens Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio (D-Ozone Park) had his fate sealed by the FBI. Seminerio was being tracked by the Bureau for being well, another 'bloodsucker' in Albany and they executed warrants this past weekend. While Paterson might not have had Seminerio specificly in mind, the Feds had their silver bullet ready for him. The slayer happened to be an acquaintenace of his that wore a wire, recording some choice conversation.

From The Times-Union:

``I was doing favors for these sons of b---- there, you know, they were, they were making thousands,'' the FBI quoted Seminerio telling a cooperating witness on tape. ``Screw you, from now on, you know, I'm a consultant.''

Seminerio turned himself into authorities in Manhattan this morning after the execution of search warrants in New York City and the Capital Region over the weekend.

The federal complaint from the FBI showed the probe also involved an undercover agent, hospital administrators who paid Seminerio to represent their interests in Albany and a lot of salty language by the crusty Seminerio, a former New York City correction officer.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District Michael Garcia said the case focuses on Seminerio's creation of Marc Consultants, which received more than $500,000 in fees from parties with business before the state. Seminerio hid the business, even though state lawmakers must disclose income of more than $1,000, according to the corruption probe.

We may not have been able to take the down the ultimate prize (named Shelly Silver) but rooting out a corrupt politician is always a good thing. Now we just need to keep working to cut the figurative head off down the line so we can create a different culture in Albany, one that serves the people and not the politicians.

NY Daily News Jumps In On The Anti-Silver Fray

Damn, it's here already! Tomorrow is election day here in New York. Starting at 6 am and going until 9 at night, voters from across the state will have the chance to send a message to Albany. Of course not every single New Yorker has this shot, since not every incumbent is being challenged from within their party. Though where there are challengers, chances are there is a need for reform. Certainly this is necessary in the Senate with many long-time, do nothing Democrats that have been waiting for the Senate to turn blue so that they can engage in the same pork-barreled politics that the Republicans have been doing for decades. This is also a necessary endeavor in the Assembly, particularly in AD-64, where 15,000 people can decide to cut the metaphorical head off the snake and cast Sheldon Silver aside. The Times feels this way and now so does the NY Daily News (the Post too, but for other 'conservative' reasons).

From the NY Daily News:

The time has come for the voters of lower Manhattan to turn Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver out of office.

After 32 years in his seat, including 14 years as the Assembly's maximum leader, Silver embodies the insider's game that has captured the state Legislature, to the detriment of 19 million New Yorkers.

Silver's constituents would serve the cause of open, responsive government - and rock Albany to its foundations - by pulling the lever in Tuesday's Democratic primary for challenger Paul Newell.

Across America in this election year, people are demanding change. Let's have it in Albany, too.

Such a vote could mark the start of a revolution. For dumping Silver would send the unmistakable message that the people of this state want a responsible, deliberative Legislature rather than a boss-run fiefdom.

That is exactly what we want. No more fiefdoms, this is supposed to be a democracy dammit. I don't know if this will start any revolution, but getting rid of Sheldon Silver is good news for any reform-minded movement. The key is to keep it up and throw the bums out as soon as we catch wind of their foul odor and not wait decades like New York has down in Lower Manhattan (among many other districts across the state).

So remember to vote tomorrow, and if you know people that live in Lower Manhattan, make sure they vote too!

Shelly Silver's Other Contributions To Lower Manhattan

One positive thing Silver claims to do for his district is that he keeps the pork rolling in. As Speaker of the Assembly he certainly has the power to do it and more so. Though there is more to Silver than meets the eye, even when Sheldon hires a web developer to make neat little Google maps. As Streetsblog laments, the technology used on Silver's website doesn't allow community participation, so they made one of their own.

From Streetsblog:

With New York City's mostly uncontested primary elections less than a week away, attention turns to the 64th State Assembly district in Lower Manhattan, where New York Times-endorsed insurgent Paul Newell is running a long-shot campaign against Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Facing his first Democratic challenge since the coining of the word "cyberspace," the decidedly analog Speaker has joined us here in the Information Age with a fancy new campaign web site, ShellySilver.org. It features an eye-catching Google map illustrating "What Shelly's Doing Near You" with some of the $3 to $7 million in member items he distributes annually.

Apparently, Silver hasn't caught on to the whole web 2.0 user-generated content thing because there's no way to drop your own pins on his Google map. If, for example, you wanted to stick a pin on Canal Street to make note of Silver's complicity in maintaining that street's never-ending traffic jam and Chinatown's third world-level childhood asthma rates, you'd be unable to do that. If you wanted to point out that Lower Manhattan enjoys some of the city's slowest buses and most dangerous streets, thanks, in part, to Silver allowing Rochester Assemblyman David Gantt to deny New York City the use of red light and bus lane enforcement cameras, you wouldn't be able to do that either. And given that the Speaker is known more for the projects and policies that he's stalled and killed (the commuter tax, New York City's Olympic bid, congestion pricing...) than the projects he's made happen, it seems like there ought to be a map showing all the things that don't exist in New York City thanks to Sheldon Silver's handiwork.

So, here it is. To help create a more complete picture of Shelly Silver's citywide footprint, Streetsblog went ahead and built a more interactive "What Shelly's Doing Near You" map. If you've got a contribution, go ahead and add it to the comments section here on Streetsblog. Pin it on Shelly.

Go over to Streetsblog and play pin it on Shelly. If you live or work in the district, it is likely you know of a problem that all residents should be aware of. Silver hasn't done much to correct what is on the map. In fact, he has done a lot of nothing to make sure that nothing happens, such as the Olympics in NYC, congestion-pricing and much, much more.

Millionaire's Tax Added Into NYS Budget Mix

Governor Paterson is looking to make major spending cuts in order to close a significant budget gap (except for those that make generous donations to his campaign). However, Assembly Democrats are laughing at the former legislature and will do as much in the budget they are set to pass today. One of the biggest items in there that will make waves is the re-introduction of the millionaire's tax. That progressive measure will in turn help to fund another bright idea, a circuit breaker (no, not the electrical kind).

From Press Connects:

Assembly leaders submitted a bill Monday to increase income taxes on those making more than $1 million a year and bump up taxes higher for those making more than $5 million a year.

The extra money would pay for tax breaks for middle-class homeowners by linking their property taxes to a percentage of their household incomes.

The measures have been pushed by a teachers' union as an alternative to a school-property-tax cap backed by Gov. David A. Paterson and the Republican-controlled Senate. The Senate remains opposed to the Assembly's plan, making it unlikely to pass today.

"The Assembly will pass a circuit breaker and a millionaires' tax," said Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, D-Greenburgh, Westchester County. "It's a step in the right direction. What we should be doing is reducing property taxes, not capping them."

The Assembly is doing the right thing here, though who knows if it is merely a political calculation and not a moral one. The Senate and the once-progressive Governor are opposed to such measures. Taking from the rich to give to the poor is a scary thing to Paterson and the slim Republican majority in the Senate, likely because that is how their campaigns are funded by and large.

For a while the Governor made decisions that looked like compromises and a way of currying favor with the Republicans after a stormy Spitzer reign. Now that we are a few months in to his term, it is way past the time that Paterson get on board for things that make sense for his supporters....unless he is looking to lose the favor of people that got him into the Senate (not counting his family name of course).

Well, at least the Assembly is protecting the majority of New Yorkers from him for now.

Luke Henry Wants A Debate With Shelly

From Luke Henry's website:

New York, New York (July 15, 2008)—Assembly candidate Luke Henry today calls upon his opponents to join him in three debates between now and election day on the issues facing Lower Manhattan.

"For 22 years, Sheldon Silver has been able to coast to re-election without a primary challenge," said Luke Henry. "This year, his constituents have the opportunity to hold him accountable and force him to make a case for his re-election. Over his lengthy tenure, Silver has presided over the erosion of affordable housing in his district, blocked efforts to address the public health crisis created by traffic congestion, and failed to secure essential reform in order to combat legislative dysfunction in Albany. I challenge him to defend his record in open debate."

Speaker Silver elected not to attend a May 18 forum hosted by the progressive organization Democracy for New York City. Henry had written to the incumbent in April encouraging him to attend that forum. "Downtown New Yorkers have a right to know where the candidates stand on the issues most important to them. I sincerely hope that Speaker Silver will accept my invitation to debate in order to give the voters all the information they need to decide who will best represent them in Albany," Henry said today. The May DFNYC debate did give the public an opportunity to compare Luke Henry's message with that of Paul Newell, who is also challenging Sheldon Silver. After evaluating the two challengers, DFNYC endorsed Luke Henry by a two-to-one margin.

Henry filed over 3,000 petition signatures last week—over six times the required number of 500—and his campaign is confident it can easily withstand any challenges and will appear on the primary ballot on Sept. 9.

For more information, please contact Kate Tomassi at (646) 408-4452, press@lukehenry.org.

Hmm, well it is a powerful statement, especially with the backing of his 3,000+ signature count and Newell's count also speaks volumes about how the two challengers are charged up and have active grassroots support that show Silver better do something to hold on to his seat.

However, this is Sheldon Silver we are talking about. He has thrown many bones to his constituents in AD-64 and they can be pretty meaty, especially since he is Speaker of the House and one of "three men in a room" up there in Albany.

My take on this? One of Sheldon's aides will show the press release to him, he'll chuckle and then take comfort in the fact that there are two challengers that will split the anti-Silver vote. As long as Newell and Henry are both fighting him, there is a slim to none chance that Shelly will lose his seat this year. It may hurt him down the road, but as for 2008, he is good to go.

One Hypocrite From Rochester Has Tremendous Pull Over NYC

Our state legislature is one screwed up piece of work. While a few things good things are enacted (like the solar energy bill mentioned earlier this morning) many more items are bottled up and the process stinks to high hell. Take David Gantt for example, a Democrat from Rochester. Mr. Gantt recently approved of red light cameras in his town, allowing the city to collect fines without the time wasted by a cop to pull the traffic violator over. Yet when New York City wants to reduce congestion and get cars out of bus lanes by using cameras on the buses as a method of enforcement, he isn't having it. Even though most members in his committee wanted the legislation, to him that is just too bad. What do you think our legislature is, a democracy or something?

From The NY Times:

ALBANY — Once again, Michael R. Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City, has been frustrated by the mysterious ways of the capital.

The latest indignity came on Tuesday, when Assembly Democrats refused to advance a city proposal to prevent cars from using special lanes that will be reserved for a new class of city buses. If that was not frustrating enough, six Democratic co-sponsors of the bill were among those who voted not to move it out of the Assembly’s Transportation Committee because the panel’s chairman, Assemblyman David F. Gantt, also a Democrat, opposed the measure.[...]

The rejection of the city’s bus bill was also disappointing for environmental advocates. This month, the city will introduce new rapid transit buses, which will operate on 50 miles of lanes throughout the city by 2011. The city had hoped to use cameras mounted on the buses to catch cars that encroach in the special lanes.

“It has the potential to revolutionize the way people move around town,” said Gene Russianoff, an advocate for mass transit and a lawyer for the New York Public Interest Research Group. He added that it would be “impossible to enforce lanes now with the police — you’d need a battalion.”

Mr. Gantt, who is from Rochester, has long opposed the use of cameras for law enforcement, but recently he reversed course by introducing a bill that would allow for red light cameras in Buffalo. The bill was drafted to favor a type of traffic-monitoring technology made by a company run by his former counsel.

He brushed off a question about whether he had sought to influence the votes of other committee members on the bus bill.

“What do you think, I go around breaking people’s arms?” he said.

Literally breaking arms? No, but I certainly think that if you want to play with Mr. Gantt, there has to be some sort of pay to get that bill going. Though perhaps we should check the limbs of Michelle Schimel, Harvey Weisenberg, Sam Hoyt, Janele Hyer-Spencer, Matthew Titone and George Latimer, all Democrats who were co-sponsors of the bill before voting against their own legislation. Though the problem isn't their arms really, it is their lack of a spine when not standing up to the leadership.