The Capitol's empty parking spaces

(Rick Karlin/Times Union)

This happens every two years: the underground parking lot typically used by Senate and Assembly staffers becomes eerily empty in the weeks and days before an election.

This shot, taken earlier on Monday, was typical. The staffers, using their hard-earned comp time born of late night budget sessions, are out in their boss’s districts, hitting the streets with Get Out the Vote efforts.

  1. Common Sense says:

    The Comptroller Office parking lot is also empty with DiNapoli’s flunky assistants trying to save him.

  2. Phil says:

    and you wonder why this state is screwed up. Let’s reduce the number of staffers by half!

  3. floydianslip says:

    Why is Common Sense prowling around parking lots?

  4. RJ Billcott says:

    That is not the employee parking lot. The employee lot is P-2 which has brown posts. This shot shows the blue parking lot which is reserved for Senate and Assemblymembers.

  5. LHM says:

    What chance do you think there is of the Legislators voting that in.

    I know where it is and used to park there when they were not in session. But now it has a gate and you need a pass card to get in.

  6. Capitol Observer says:

    Why no mention of the two Albany area Senate staffers who were hospitalized after being struck by a car in Oswego while campaigning for Senator Aubertine. The women were Republican holdovers who were shipped to Aubertine’s district to help the SDCC efforts. They, like many of the holdovers are out there campaigning for the Dem majority members for fear of losing their jobs if they don’t

  7. AssistU says:

    What ever happened to the rule that legislative employees performing campaign duties was illegal. . .you can’t tell me that legislative employees are allowed to accrue “comp time”! Fire them all. They are all NYC residents anyway!

  8. Sophia Walker says:

    There is no such “rule” that legislative employees cannot perform campaign duties. This is America and you can volunteer to work on any political campaign you want.

    And yes, I can tell you that legislative employees can accure comp time, which is HALF TIME by the way, and is not paid in cash but in HALF TIME off from work.

    What legislative employees DO NOT get is overtime. Which by rights should be illegal for an employer to do.

    I love it when people who have NO clue what they’re talking about post on a blog that is read by just about everyone in state government.

  9. Olaf Fubb says:

    Check out those who have written checks to both sides to hold on to meaningless positions/titles.

  10. You clearly need an assist says:

    That’s just an idiotic statement. Assist, why don’t you tell everyone the last time you averaged 95 hrs a week for 7 months? Most of those staffers work their asses off and then volunteer their vacation time.

  11. EZ says:

    Congratulations for taking a picture of an empty parking lot. You could get this same picture every evening at 7PM. Or Saturday.

  12. Poor Staffers says:

    Yea, poor staffers. They are required to work a meager 35 hours per week – anything over that is accrued comp time, used to be shipped off for months at a time to work on political campaigns. As long as the total hours for the year match up at the end of the year -it’s all gravy! Not to mention they can use this time in place of personal and vacation time, which is paid out to them upon their departure. State’s a joke an needs a massive overhaul.

  13. MissManagement says:

    Oh boo hoo for them. And what have they accomplished in their 95 hrs a week for 7 months? Nothing!!!!!!

  14. Joe says:

    What a bunch of angry people. Dont be mad at the staffers, be mad at the system .. The legslative process needs an overhaul , yes.. but the staffers do work hard. And let me tell you ..volunteering to work on campanigins are no vacation .
    I am not a staffer by the way , but I know what these people do day in and day out

  15. Getting Fridays Off says:

    Wow, sure wish I got comp time at my job. But I just work late nights and weekends without comp or overtime. Lucky legislative staffers!

  16. Sophia Walker says:

    Ah, the sweet, sweet sound of jealousy.

  17. SayWhatYouWill says:

    I’m sorry – Say what you will about Legislators themselves, but staff is most of the reason anything ever gets accomplished!!

    It appears easy for people on this blog to make blanket statements about something which they clearly know little to nothing about.

    Miss Management & Poor Staffers – I am sure that you don’t live in a glass house making these comments – no – you probably work 80hr. weeks all year long with no overtime. You probably have to walk uphill in the snow 2 miles to get to your job. Let’s take a moment to appreciate those who cast stones, for clearly they believe they are better than others and deserve to sit in judgment!

  18. grossed out says:

    you want to be sick? look at what the counsels to the senate committees make. $60k-80k and they pretty much have a 1/2 year job (never mind how often they call in they’ll be “working” from home, where they are probably sleeping a hangover off until noon and then watching porn for the better half of the day before attending political fundraisers)and then the second 1/2 of the year they run around playing with whatever campaign the committee chair tells them to. they are grossly over compensated for what they do. i bust my butt in the private sector for 50+ hours a week.

  19. Poor Staffers says:

    Actually, I worked as a staffer for years, and when I left intelligently, I ran straight to the bank with my big fat vacation time check and bought myself something nice. Trust me, it’s not difficult to put in 35 hours a week and many of them do put in 50 – 60 hours, especially during budget time. But that’s your job and you knew that when you signed up for it. When summer time comes and they spend hours playing spider solitaire, it all evens out.

    I’m not blaming any staffers, they should yuck it up so long as the system allows them to. No real private sector job allows people to accrue any time they spend working as “comp time” and then allows them to use that whenever they want. Overtime pay is one part of the big reason our state is in such a mess and its appalling. Having a county or state job used to be about creating security for your family – it’s now so far removed from any of that and it needs to change or we won’t have a state to argue about.

  20. Poppy says:

    Having worked as a legislative staffer at one time, I can tell you that many staffers work far above and beyond an average work schedule. Especially during Session and particularly budget season. With budget season stretching beyond April 1 and into the summer, family vacations are cancelled, work hours in a day can vary from 8-9 hours to 16-18 hours. You serve at the pleasure of the elected officials. They each set their own rules–some are more decent to their staff than others.

    When Legislators go home for vacation (even when a budget is not completed) it is the staff which keeps the process moving.

    Yes, they choose the work and should know what they are getting into–but it does not mean it is easy. And no, not every legislative staffer makes $100k+.

    The Legislature, as an employer/employee environment, is more akin to the “Old West.” Standard HR rules do not apply, and you serve at the whim of egomaniacs.

  21. Sicilian roots says:

    The parking spots are for the politically and union connected just like everything else in this current administration. Try to call your union or AG office today on unrelated matters. No one is in. Where are they?

  22. grossed out says:

    so they have to work 50-60 hours a week for a few months out of the year….how does it even out when the spend the summer playing solitare for 35 hours a week? over compensated.

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