A.M. Roundup: In the budget, LATFOR lives

Good morning! The spring weather is getting warmer. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is flying west, stopping in Buffalo and Syracuse. Legislators are still scattered. Here are this morning’s headlines…

The Cuomo administration detailed $1.2 billion in road and bridge rehabilitation projects around the state, including major work on the Patroon Island Bridge and Twin Bridges. (TU)

LATFOR, which was blown up by a law passed earlier this year, still lives on in the state budget. (TU)

Will there be a legislative pay raise? Lawmakers have had the same salary since 1999. (TU)

It’s a problem for the Cuomo administration as it tries to attract new agency heads. In some instances, deputies are being hired in place of, and at a higher salary than, commissioners. (GNS)

The company New York has hired to set up its health exchange, Computer Sciences Corp., has a spotty history elsewhere. (WSJ)

Micah Lasher, New York City’s point lobbyist in Albany, is leaving the government payroll to lead a group seeking to counter the influence of the United Federation of Teachers in the coming mayoral race. (NYT)

The state’s Energy Star appliance rebate program has exhausted its cash. (Post-Star)

David Storobin and Lew Fidler are still within a few votes. (DP)

Rep. Louise Slaughter, an octogenarian facing a tough re-election campaign, broke her leg. (BN)

Sen. Daniel Squadron is among those eying the office of Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio. (WSJ)

They’re switching the trees in West Capitol Park. (TU)

Kathy Marchione will formally kick off her campaign today. (Saratogian)

The Times Union: The more we learn about New York’s new, allegedly improved ethics commission, the more troubling it is. Or perhaps we should say we grow more troubled the less we learn about it, considering how secretive it is proving to be.//When the public can’t even know how members of a commission voted on a matter like the hiring of an executive director, there is clearly a problem with transparency. (TU)

The Court of Appeals refused to undo a divorce settlement that being unequal when the husband’s investments with Bernie Madoff evaporated. (AP)

An Upper East Side caterer needs a specific loophole in state law to get a liquor license. (NYT)

Another challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act has arisen from immigrant couples. (AP)

Albor Ruiz argues that state lawmakers should raise the minimum wage. (DN)

Andrew Coates, a top PEF official, argues Gov. Andrew Cuomo has a “progressive problem.” (TU)

Wayne Barrett and Tom Robbins discuss how they’ve uncovered New York’s secrets. (NY Mag)

A Democratic patronage job is available in the North Country. (WDT)

And here are some national headlines…

Mitt Romney won primaries in Wisconsin, Maryland and the District of Columbia. (AP)

Rick Santorum is betting big on Pennsylvania. He says it’s now half-time. (WP)

Maggie Haberman’s takeaways. (Politico)

With Romney’s wins and Obama’s attacks on him, the general election has effectively begun. (Politico)

Levi Johnston is once again heading for fatherhood. (DN)

  1. RJ says:

    How about a pay raise for non-political appointee (non-patronage) MCs? There are many of us who do not even know or have have even met a politican. We’ve missed several STEP increases and/or pay raises (COLAS). Plus we’ve seen our healthcare contribution percentages increase and we have been doing more and more with less and less resources. Throw us a freaking bone.

  2. jdunphy says:


    this is as good fun as good fun gets.

    So lets take a step back and look at what has transpired. New York’s governor has forced nearly the entire work force to take pay cuts for two consecutive years AND no salary increases for three years, a 60% increase in health care expenses, future state employees to receive considerably less in retirement benefits and now, after Cuomo gave his entire staff huge bonuses last year he is now supporting legislator pay increases and here find today the woe is me story of how they cant find agency commissioners because the 127k salary isnt enough to attract them. Guess what folks. IT salaries arent high enough for the state to continually attract quality candidates and Im sure they arent the only field. State compensation is low. The commissioners can deal with it like the rest of us. Of course the Governor hand picks commissioners and rewards them with appointments. Im sure he wants to also pay them as much as he can get away with.

  3. jdunphy says:


    as long as you allow the bully Governor to promote himself and his agenda through the funds provided by his own Committee To Enslave New York public opinion will continue to be swayed by the misinformation/disinformation advertisements used to create public support. How people dont see this as borderline to outright criminal is beyond me.

  4. cityboy137 says:

    Rank and file State employees take zeros and decreased health insurance benefits and the Legislature is going to get a raise? Are we living in the Bizarro world?

  5. benedictmcdonald says:

    BRAVO…I say pay the legistature and commissioners what they are worth…..or less…….what is the lowest paid csea job…..there you go, in fact the lowest paid csea employee works harder and deserves to paid more than bozos

  6. floydianslip says:

    “Service in the Assembly and Senate remains, technically, a part-time job.”

    Yes “technically”. For the legislators that really do care about their job, it’s a full-time job.

    While some legislators are in Florida right now, others are working hard in their districts, trying to solve problems and help their constituents. I would say that in some instances, legislators and their staff put in more hours than any private sector employee…

    However, Skelos is right when he says that now is not the time for a pay raise. The Legislature is a on a roll right now and do not need any bad publicity. If anything they should create a sliding scale based upon a legislator’s cost of living and also factor in if they have an outside job. If legislators without outside jobs got paid more, it may be an incentive to not take an outside job with potential conflicts of interest.

  7. jdunphy says:

    floydianslip. I dont agree with much of what you are claiming re legislators. Legislators work part time and are paid a sum of money most in the state would love to receive. Staff of legislators do put in enormous hours and in some cases the legislators themselves also put in extra hours but make no mistake that many are earning income in other ways and spend large portions of the year off or earning other income. These people are all fairly wealthy in the eyes of their constituents and often remain disconnected from the realities of those constituents. Like everything else related to politics, if you attempt to limit the politicians and the wealthy elite who drive them… they will just find a legal, or not so legal way around it.

  8. elmer says:

    I would have more sympathy for the Legislators if not for the fact that for the last 15 years there have been no increases in the rate paid by the State to many social service entities for disability rehabilitation services.

    Now that’s something people could get exercised about. Except they don’t care, becasue the work gets done and the workers aren’t CSEA.

  9. gecannonphd says:

    The Wis.,Maryland, and dc primaries were winnner-take-all, essentially.
    Mitt won over 80 delegates last night.
    The delegate tally now shows:
    Total – 2,286
    652 (Mitt)
    269 (Rick)
    67 (Paul)

    Newt will likely fold within the next 48 hours.
    Rick will remain in the race thru Pa. and the other primaries at the end of this month.
    Paul will remain in the race.

    I still will put odds on a Mitt/Rick ticket this Summer.
    It would be political realpolitik to combine these two.
    Rick would accept the nod; and Mitt would acknowledge that it would be the most realistic, and potentially viable. combination.

    Paul? Convention speech (Yawn)!! VP slot-no.
    Mitt would be too uncomfortable and Mitt’s neocon foreign policy team will not allow it.
    Ron bargaining to have his son get the VP nod? Rand Paul is not qualified for the position; and would not bring many chits to the table.
    Newt? A Fox analyst gig.

  10. Tired State Worker says:

    I can’t believe these idiots are actually considering a pay raise after you took 9 days pay away from the PEF and CSEA members, to help the state balance the budget. Now you want to put us further in debt by giving part-time legislators a pay raise. I don’t suppose their cars are up for auction at the state campus. Zero raises for 3 years, 9 days pay given back, still does not add up to the kind of raise the legislators want. The last one was 38% increase. Just don’t forget that the union people you stepped on also VOTE !!!!

  11. gecannonphd says:

    State Senator Roy McDonald will face a primary.
    There may be some other local issues that have created some problems for McDonald, most believe it was his vote in favor of same sex marriage that is the big issue.

    McDonald may lose a primary, as the conservative GOP base comes out to vote.

    Same sex marriage is now the law in NY, and the issue should be settled.

    Voters should get on with it, and deal with more important issues like the economy, jobs, and health care insurance.

  12. gecannonphd says:

    Liberal NYT columnist , and delicate flower, Maureen Dowd calls the Supreme Court rightwingers what they are:


    Spot on, Maureen Dowd.

    And satirist Andy Borowitz is also spot on in his blog entry yesterday.



  13. Barbara says:

    I do not believe that agency heads need to be “attracted” to these positions. It’s more like these positions don’t pay enough to be seen as a reward befitting some unqualified political hack with a fat ego and sense of entitlement.

  14. Vicky says:

    I think if the Legislators receive a pay raise, then the M/C’s receive a pay raise, since they haven’t had one in 4 years.

  15. gecannonphd says:

    To all the political cognoscenti , which would include most here at this site, Newsweek editor Evan Thomas has a good column on this historical first week in April in the tumultuous political 1968.
    RFK had entered the POTUS race in mid-March; LBJ decided to not run again on March 31; and MLK was murdered on April 4th.

    Thomas’ narrative keeps your attention, but he only floats above the deep politics of the these historical events.
    The deep politics of this historical week would include more detail on LBJ’s mental collapse.
    The Viet war was not going well, even with the sustained bombing of North Nam.
    LBJ gave the military-industrial complex the elongated war it wanted, but he was riding a tiger and couldn’t get off, even if he wanted.
    His mental meltdown forced him to put the blame on the students, RFK and the press His manic-depressive illness included hugh elements of paranoia.

    He was wading in the deep muddy, and the fool kept pushing on (from Pete Seeger).
    He asked CBS Pres. to fire the Smothers Brothers, but he kept pushing on in Nam.
    During this period, he was once asked why are we in Nam. The report is that he unzipped his pants and took out his large joy stick, put it on the table, and said “This is why”. I believe this story. That was ol’ Lyndon.

    Thomas’ narrative fails to mention George Wallace who was running, and getting strong support in the South and white working class areas in the North. Ol’ George promised to end the Nam war quickly, and when he ran as the Independent, he had Curtis LeMay as VP. Ol’ Curtis would have advocated nukes to end the Nam war early.

    Thomas’ spends much time on the murder of MLK, but he concludes, or accepts, that Ray was the sole killer.
    In reality, MLK died as the result of a large conspiracy.

    But Thomas’ article is a good read.


  16. elmer says:

    “In reality, MLK died as the result of a large conspiracy.”


  17. jesschmoe says:


    The people are moving on with SSM. They are just getting rid of the cause.. Roy like most politicans forgot his purpose. They are not there to vote there feelings or concious, they are there to do OUR bidding. Saratoga and Washington counties told Roy to vote NO to SSM, but monney from Mike Bloomberg bought Roy’s (and Jim Alesi’s) vote. The people are moving on … just with out Roy

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