Leader Sampson on Capital Tonight
By Mike Connery on 11/19/2010 @ 10:50 AM
Momentum Swinging Towards Dems in Three Races
By Mike Connery on 11/16/2010 @ 03:50 PM
Two weeks after New Yorkers went to the polls, three State Senate races remain too close to call, and the outcome of those races will determine which party controls the State Senate. Here are the latest updates from the field on these crucial races:- In Nassau County, Senator Craig Johnson has cut into Jack Martin's lead by well over 50%. As of last night, just 211 votes separate Johnson and Martins. Approximately 4,000 absentee and affidavit ballots remain to be counted, and an audit of the voting machines is set to begin on Wednesday. This remains an incredibly competitive race and the momentum is swinging our way.
- In Westchester, Senator Oppenheimer continues to lead her opponent by 504 votes with over 5,000 absentee and emergency ballots yet to be counted. Republicans are artificially slowing down the process, but we're confident that when all the votes are counted, Senator Oppenheimer will retain her seat by a comfortable margin.
- In Buffalo, major problems were reported today in Erie County during a recanvass of voting machines. Memory sticks proved to be unreadable when examined by technicians. We are far from an accurate accounting of votes in Erie County. Additionally, over 4,000 absentee and affidavit ballots remain to be counted. We expect these ballots will break in Senator Thompson's favor.
We're committed to ensuring a full and fair accounting of very vote. But make no mistake, Republicans are going to use every trick in the book to rush the process and prevent an honest account of the votes.
The New York Times reported yesterday that national committees like the NRCC, and independent conservative groups like the anti-choice Susan B. Anthony List are already pouring money into New York to help Republican candidates in these legal battles.
We've responded by mounting the largest election protection effort in the history of the state of New York, and we won't give up until the voices of all New Yorkers are heard. When all the votes are in, Senate Democrats will retain the majority.
Senator-Elect Gianaris on the Vote Counting
By Mike Connery on 11/09/2010 @ 03:50 PM
Every Vote Must Be Counted
By Mike Connery on 11/08/2010 @ 03:50 PM
On Tuesday, New York voters spoke loud and clear in favor of change, electing reform-minded candidates like Tony Avella, Gustavo Rivera, Tim Kennedy, and David Carlucci to the state senate. These were great victories, but the fight is not yet done. Three State Senate races remain too close to call.
- In Westchester, Suzi Oppenheimer appears to have won and is leading Bob Cohen by 466 votes.
- In Long Island, Craig Johnson trails by a few hundred votes with thousands of absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted.
- In Buffalo, Antoine Thompson also trails by a few hundred votes with thousands absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted.
Election Day saw the use of new voting machines in New York, and there were reports of significant problems at polling sites across the state. In Suffolk County alone, initial returns have shown varying outcomes, underscoring the need for full and fair recounts. What's more, thousands of legitimate votes cast on Election Day - absentee and provisional ballots - have yet to be counted.
These votes will determine which party controls the state senate and sets the agenda next year, and it is imperative that we ensure a full and fair process that results in an honest accounting of all votes cast. But the GOP is already rushing to judgment, proclaiming victory in an attempt to sway the results before all the votes are counted. They're lawyering-up and will do everything in their power to pull their candidates over the finish line - deservedly or not.
We can't let New York in 2010 become Florida in 2000. Every vote must be counted.
Can you contribute $10, $25 or $50 today to help protect the votes of all New Yorkers?
Your contribution will help us put in place a strong legal team to beat back the GOP's dirty tricks and ensure a fair process that protects every vote.
If you can’t donate, I hope you’ll consider helping in other ways. If you are a resident of the Buffalo Metro area, Nassau County, or Westchester County, sign up to join a Volunteer Corps to help protect the vote in your district.
As a reminder of what is at stake, watch this video and remember the the months-long recount that ultimately led to the election of Senator Al Franken in 2008:
Leader Sampson Congratulates Our Winners, But It's Not Over Yet
By Mike Connery on 11/03/2010 @ 04:50 PM
Polls are closed, but the State Senate is still at stake.
We picked up a few big wins, but at least three races are too close to call.
We'll post updates as they come in. Below find Majority Conference Leader Sampson's statements on the victories of Democrats David Carlucci, Tony Avella and Tim Kennedy.
Your New Senators:
“Senator-Elect Tony Avella has a long record of reform and political independence – the perfect antidote to 38 years of status quo Albany dysfunction. Senator-Elect Avella ran a tireless campaign. He went door-to-door in Queens to make his case and I am particularly proud he made women’s rights and healthcare a centerpiece of his campaign. I look forward to working with Senator-Elect Avella to regain New York’s trust in government, and to make sure the Senate continues to advocate for those most in need.”
"I want to congratulate Senator-Elect Carlucci for running a shoe-leather, door-to-door campaign, and welcome him to our Conference. Rockland and Orange County residents deserve a reformer, a non-partisan Senator in the tradition of Tom Morahan. David Carlucci will make those who trusted him with their vote proud. He comes to Albany with great promise, and working together, we will continue to reform Albany and work with our next Governor to renew our economy and lower taxes."
"Tim Kennedy is the reformer Albany needs. For more than a year, he has run against the status quo, and it’s that kind of attitude that will change Albany. We need jobs, and I will do everything I can to make sure Senator-Elect Kennedy is successful in renewing and revitalizing Western New York’s regional economy."
Campaign Roundup: Hear Women Roar
By Mike Connery on 11/01/2010 @ 04:50 PM
DAILY CAMPAIGN ROUNDUP … Our daily roundup of campaign news.- On Tuesday, Hear Women Roar - Errol Louis of the Daily News sees the potential for women voters to play a pivotal role in NY's elections.
- Growing Signs that Latinos Will Jam Polls for Midterms - Louis's DN colleague Albor Ruiz sees a similar situation happening with Latino voters.
- Calling for Change in the 44th - YNN profiles the stark contrast between Democratic candidate Susan Savage and long time Albany incumbent Hugh Farley.
- 23 Reasons Frank Padavan is Bad for Women - Tony Avella has been on the stump all week, hammering Padavan for his atrocious record on women's issues. NY1 has the video.
- Journal News Endorses Oppenheimer - The Journal News endorsed the reelection of Senator Suzi Oppenheimer over the weekend.
- Fair Campaign Group Sides with Oppenheimer - Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee ruled against Republican Bob Cohen, saying that his mailers were inaccurate and misleading.
- Locals Seek Senate, Hoping Anger Will Help Them - The Post Star profiles the campaigns of challengers Joanne Yepsen and Susan Savage.
- Cuomo Endorses Susan Savage - Andrew Cuomo has endorsed another Democratic Senate challenger.
Campaign Roundup: Slumlord Cohen Caught Doctoring Video
By Mike Connery on 10/05/2010 @ 04:45 PM
DAILY CAMPAIGN ROUNDUP … Our daily campaign roundup of campaign news.- Oppenheimer Sticks it to Slumlord Bob Cohen - Celeste Katz reports that Suzi Oppenheimer's campaign is up on the air with an ad pointing out that Bob Cohen's real estate businesses have been hit with numerous violations, including dangerous conditions and turning a blind eye to drug dealing on the premises.
- Cohen Caught Selectively Editing Oppenheimer Video - Celeste Katz at Daily Politics also points out that the Bob Cohen campaign has been caught selectively editing video footage of Oppenheimer for dishonest political purposes.
- 5 Candidates Endorsed by Emily's List - Emily's List released endorsements for 5 Senate Democratic Candidates today: Susan Savage, Mary Wilmot, Didi Barrett, Joanne Yepsen and Pam Mackesey.
- Duffy Endorses Mary Wilmot for Senate - Rochester Mayor and Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate Robert Duffy endorsed Mary Wilmot for state senate.
- Carlucci Supporters Come Out in Rain and Cold - in a demonstration of strong support and organizing, supporters of David Carlucci turned out in full force - despite rain and cold - for a speech about the fiscal irresponsibility of Carlucci's opponent.
- A Dozen Tax Liens in Three Years for Jack Martins - City Hall News discovers that Jack Martins' businesses have a history of not paying their taxes on time.
- SD-3 Race Goes National - 16% and Rising notes that radical Republican Senator Jim DeMint is raising money for Lee Zeldin.
- Close Race in Senate District - The Times Union reports that Joanne Yepsen is giving Roy McDonald a run for his money in SD-43. On why she's running, Yepsen says: "Right now, nothing is getting done in this district," she said. "I fully believe that I can do a better job."
- NYPRIG: State Dems Winning Legislative Cash Contest - At the Daily News, NYPIRG confirms that Dems have a cash-on-hand advantage over Republicans in the race to control the legislature.
- Farley Gets Nasty - Sen. Hugh Farley goes negative - and gets caught lying - as Susan Savage presents a real challenge to his reelection.
- Domagalski Withdraws from 59th State Senate District Race - Citing fear of a Democratic victory by Cindy Appleton, Jim Domagalski has withdrawn from the 59th State Senate District race.
- New York's Year of Democratic Women - 16% and Rising reminds us that there are an unprecedented amount of women candidates on the Democratic Senate ticket this year.
- Environmental Advocates Release Scorecard, Gives George Winner "Oil Slick" Award - A hearty congratulations for Senator George Winner, for his "oil slick" award - granted for his service to the energy industry in opposing a moratorium on hydrofracking.
New York Receives $700 Million In Race To The Top Funding
By Mike Connery on 08/25/2010 @ 12:24 PM
New York has placed second among 16 states in the federal Race To The Top funding competition, awarding the state with $700 million over four years to help build a statewide system for tracking student progress and implementing a new statewide curriculum.
The hard work of the Democratic Senate Majority is largely responsible for New York attaining these funds. After placing 15th among 16 finalists in the first round, The New York Senate Dems passed legislation that lifted the cap on charter schools to 460 from 200, links teacher evaluations to student performance, and brings more local school districts and unions on board.
Senator Suzi Oppenheimer who chairs the Senate Education Committee, sponsored the landmark reforms that paved the way for the victory."I was confident that if we all came together, we could transform our state’s educational policies to enrich the learning experience for all students, while bolstering our application for this extremely competitive grant program. Achieving consensus on the necessary reforms was not easy," Sen. Oppenheimer said.The announcement that New York State will receive funds means public school districts throughout the entire state will see increased funding. New York City's public schools are set to receive hundreds of millions of dollars, while schools upstate will receive much needed cash as well.
“This funding could not come at a better time considering the difficult decisions made to close a $9 billion budget gap. Add that to the $600 million from the federal government’s jobs bill and we are looking at significant restorations for our schools,” said Sen. Darrel Aubertine.
Daily Campaign Roundup: Wilmot On a Roll; Kaplowitz and Oppenheimer Deepen Commitment To Reform
By Mike Connery on 07/13/2010 @ 12:46 PM
TODAY'S CAMPAIGN ROUND-UP.... Today's installment of campaign-related news. Mary Wilmot profiled favorably by local press, pressing Jim Alesi on mayoral control of schools. Democratic Candidate Mike Kaplowitz signs five different reform pledges. Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer signs onto New York Uprising reform pledge.
- Democratic Candidate Mary Wilmot receiving praise and pushing for education reform - Wilmot is posing a strong challenge to Republican incumbent James Alesi. She was profiled by the Rochester City Newspaper's City Blog, where she was compared favorably to Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate and current Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy. The article deemed Wilmot "business-friendly" and identified the key elements of Wilmot's platform -namely cutting taxes, controlling state spending, and cutting soaring pension costs. It also mentioned her support for mayoral control of schools - which Wilmot again called on Alesi to publicly support yesterday. “I feel like the opportunity is now,” said Wilmot during a news conference yesterday. “There has been enough conversation.”
- Democratic Candidate Mike Kaplowitz signs five pledge reforms - Kaplowitz signed all five of the major reform packages meant to clean up Albany yesterday, in an effort to fix state government and help New York's economy. He signed all of them - the Pledge for Change, Call to Action, Enough Already NY, New NY Agenda and NY Uprising — at a news conference in Bailey Park in Somers. "I'm calling it a plan for reform. The stakes are high but the time is now," said Kaplowitz.
- Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer signs New York Uprising Pledge - Sen. Oppenheimer became the latest Democratic candidate to sign on to New York Uprising's reform pledge yesterday. "New York Uprising has brought together the critical reforms needed in New York State, which I have long supported and sponsored. By securing commitments from candidates now, it is my hope that we will have the momentum to make these reforms a reality in 2011," said Sen. Oppenheimer.
Daily Campaign Roundup: Democrats Fighting For New Yorkers
By Mike Connery on 06/21/2010 @ 03:22 PM
TODAY'S CAMPAIGN ROUND-UP.... Today's installment of campaign-related news. Democrat Mary Wilmot announces she is running against James Alesi in Monroe County; Democratic efforts to help seniors and preserve libraries recognized
- Democrat Mary Wilmot declares candidacy - Mary Wilmot will be running in Monroe County, against 14-year Republican incumbent James Alesi, in SD-55. Her announcment was met with widespread enthusiasm and has received a lot of media attention.
- Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer stands up to save libraries - Leadership from 13 district libraries stood with Sen. Oppenheimer at the White Plains Public Library in an effort to save libraries whose funding is potentially at risk.
- Republicans continue to get slammed on microstamping - The Senate GOP are still getting flak for their refusel to support microstamping legislation . A Daily News Op-Ed, described the GOP vote being about "pleasing gunmakers, not protecting children." Sen. Eric Schneiderman has signaled his intention to bring the bill back to the Senate floor for another vote.
- Senate Democrats praised for helping seniors- The Senate Democratic Majority is getting kudos for last week's passage of a comprehensive package of legislation expanding and increasing access to services for senior citizens.
Oppenheimer, Valesky and Klein Bring Sunshine to Albany
By Mike Connery on 04/19/2010 @ 01:26 PM
The Siena Poll I blogged earlier today had some interesting findings on what New Yorker's think about the possibility of reforming Albany. According to the findings, 83% of New Yorkers believe that Albany can be fixed if the right legislators are in office. Along those lines, I want to highlight some recent work by sitting Democrats that will deliver more transparency and efficiency to our capital.
The first items are pieces of legislation, sponsored by Suzi Oppenheimer and Dave Valesky, during March's "Sunshine Week:"
It may not be the dawning of the age of Aquarius, but state government has taken welcome action recently to let the sun shine in.
During Sunshine Week last month, a time set aside to promote open government, the state Legislature passed a bill strengthening the Open Meeting Law, sponsored by Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito, D-Rome, and Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer, D-Mamaroneck.
Another bill, sponsored by Destito and Sen. David Valesky, D-Oneida, would set guidelines for audio or video recording of all public meetings. A third measure, sponsored by Valesky and J. Gary Pretlow, D-Mount Vernon, directs local government bodies to make sure their meeting rooms are large enough to accommodate the public.
This week, Gov. David Paterson signed all three bills into law. “As a responsible government, we have the duty to inform the public of the state’s business, and these new laws will help to do just that,” Paterson said.
The second is a new website created by Jeff Klein and the Senate Task Force on Government Efficiency to aid whistleblowers in calling out government waste, and crowdsource ideas on how to make government more efficient:
NEW YORK, NY –State Senator and Deputy Majority Leader Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) announced Monday that the Senate Task Force on Government Efficiency has launched a new webpage where New Yorkers can anonymously submit their ideas, suggestions and feedback on how the state can conserve resources in this tough fiscal time, as well as to report any suspected wasteful government spending or abuse of tax dollars.
http://www.nysenate.gov/committee/task-force-government-efficiency
These are just a few more small steps that Democrats are taking on a long road towards reforming Albany's dysfunctional culture. By replacing some of the old-guard Republicans that have been in office for decades, we can do even more in the months and years to come.
