Politics on the Hudson

A decision on high-volume hydrofracking in New York is “a couple of months” away, Gov. Andrew Cuomo told The Post-Standard’s editorial board today.

Cuomo met with the newspaper for about an hour today after he delivered his budget address in Syracuse. He offered his most extensive comments to date on the technique used with gas drilling, saying a decision on whether to move forward with hydrofracking will be “months” away.

(His hydrofracking comments start around the 30 minute mark of the audio clip at the link above.)

“We’re going to have a decision in a couple of months,” Cuomo said. “The debate has been going on for years, by the way, so it’s not like a few weeks this way or the other is going to make a significant difference.”

The governor’s remarks aren’t inconsistent with those made yesterday by Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens, who told a panel of lawmakers a decision was “months, not years” away.

The DEC is in the process of reviewing some 60,000 comments it received on its proposed permitting guidelines for hydrofracking, a technique used in tandem with gas drilling in which a mix of water, sand and chemicals is blasted deep underground to unlock gas from shale formations.

Cuomo said he consciously slowed down the DEC’s review process of the much-debated technique to allow the agency to collect facts and sift through the “emotion” and “fear.” Those in favor of hydrofracking say it would create an economic boom for the deprived Southern Tier; those against say it could have a considerable negative impact on the environment.

“What I have said consistently is there is a lot of emotion on this topic. A lot of emotion, a phenomenal amount of emotion everywhere,” Cuomo said. “Not a lot of facts, but a lot of emotion on both sides—pro or con.

“I purposely said, let’s slow it down and let’s get some information and science and facts, and let’s make the decision on the facts rather than the emotion.

Cuomo said he’s not concerned that gas drillers will shun the state if the delay in issuing permits stretches on. High-volume hydrofracking has been on hold in New York since the DEC’s review was launched in 2008.

“Oh no, they will come. They will come,” Cuomo said. “I’m not going to apologize for an intelligent decision-making process.”

Leslie Danks Burke, a former New York City lawyer who lives in Ithaca, announced today she will seek the Democratic nomination to run for the seat being vacated by Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, Ulster County.

That’s, of course, if there is a 22nd District. But Danks Burke said in a statement that she plans to run for Congress regardless of what the district looks like and would run against a Republican incumbent.

“I am fortunate to live, work and raise my children in this beautiful region where the Catskills meet the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier stretches into Western New York,” Danks Burke said. “I’m committed to seeing upstate New York rebound into an economically vibrant place for everyone who lives here. I work hard for my community, my clients and my family, and I will bring that same determination and passion to representing the people of New York.”

She is currently chairwoman of the town of Ithaca Democratic Party. She moved to Ithaca in 2004. She said he has already raised more than $100,000 for a run.

Danks Burke is the latest to jump into the race to succeed Hinchey, who is retiring at year’s end.

Gannett’s Albany Bureau reported yesterday that Tompkins County Legislator Nathan Shinagawa may run. Already, Julian Schreibman recently resigned as head of the Ulster County Democratic Committee to run for Hinchey’s seat. Other Democrats mentioned include a few of Hinchey’s current and former aides: Dan Lamb and Dan Ahouse.

A staple of the past two state Senate election cycles said today he’s not going to be getting involved in 2012, instead choosing to focus on his new group’s push to reform the state constitution.

Bill Samuels, who was finance chair of the Senate Democrats’ successful 2008 push to take over the majority and helped lead an effort to oust embattled Democratic Sen. Pedro Espada in 2010, told Gannett’s Joe Spector today he would not be getting involved in 2012, blasting both parties for failing to act on an independent redistricting process.

Samuels heads the reform-minded New Roosevelt Initiative, and is part of the Citizens Committee for an Effective Constitution, a bipartisan group dedicated to reforming the state’s constitution. He appeared on our Live from Albany series today. (You can watch the full interview here.)

“I was finance chair in 2008 when the Democrats won the state Senate. They blew it. They had control, they didn’t pass independent redistricting, and both parties therefore have to blame. So I do not plan to be active in the legislative races this year,” Samuels said. “New Roosevelt and effectiveny.org, we’re going to focus on constitutional change because frankly neither party has done it, and we need to go to the people and get them interested in it.”

Samuels was also plenty critical of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has vowed to veto any district lines that aren’t drawn by an independent commission, but hasn’t taken his message on the road like he has with other top issues.

He floated the idea of a constitutional amendment—which Senate Republicans say is necessary to implement an independent redistricting process—that would allow an independent panel to redraw district lines in 2014, and then again each time a new Census is released. All state legislators and congressional representatives face re-election every two years.

“The question is does Cuomo really want to change this permanently,” Samuels said. “I have my doubts, whether they’re all winking at each other. A veto is a wink.”

“We should be going for constitutional amendment taking effect in 2014,” he added. “Right now, that’s what Cuomo should do, and that should be the compromise in the Legislature.”

Here’s a pair of videos of Samuels; the first discusses the 2012 election cycle, the second is on Cuomo’s strategy regarding redistricting.

The folks at New York Now captured a great video of a very testy exchange between a pair of state senators on opposite sides of ongoing redistricting debate, with Queens Democrat Tony Avella going head to head with Republican Michael Nozzolio during a public hearing yesterday.

Shortly after the clip starts, Avella grows frustrated with Nozzolio and asks for his undivided attention. Nozzolio—a Fayette, Seneca County, Republican who co-chairs the Legislature’s redistricting task force—was conversing with an aide.

“Senator Nozzolio, can I have your attention?” Avella asked. “Senator? Can I have your attention while I’m speaking?”

“Continue,” Nozzolio said. “You’re time is running.”

Later, when Avella charged that Senate Republicans “have done something absolutely disgraceful” in gerrymandering district lines to protect their majority, Nozzolio fired back.

“You made a charge, senator,” Nozzolio said. “Where is your documentation? Are you submitting documentation of this charge for the record?”

“Look at my testimony, senator,” Avella said.

Here’s the video, courtesy of NY Now:

Bill Samuels, the chairman of the New Roosevelt Foundation, will be our guest in the Gannett Albany Bureau studio today at 1 p.m. to discuss a new initiative, the Citizens’ Committee for an Effective Constitution, that will push for reforms to the state Constitution.

Samuels led an effort in 2010 to elect reform-minded Democrats to the state Senate. The group helped defeat scandal-plagued Sen. Pedro Espada, D-Bronx, in the Democratic primary that year.

Now Samuels, son of the late businessman Howard Samuels, who lost the Democratic primary in 1974 to Hugh Carey, is turning his sights on changing the state Constitution. He has started a new group, Citizens’ Committee for an Effective Constitution, to push for constitutional changes.

Samuels has teamed up with Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, R-Canandaigua, and SUNY New Paltz professor Gerald Benjamin to push the effort.

The new website lets people review changes that could be made to the state constitution—such as legalizing gambling and reforming campaign finance laws—and shows how parts of the constitution are outdated.

The last constitutional convention was in 1967, and subsequent attempts to hold one have failed. The last time the state Constitution was changed through a convention was in 1938.

You can watch the interview live at 1 p.m. here.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top aide is getting the band together and hitting the road, but its schedule still needs some tweaking.

Cuomo’s mandate relief council—led by Secretary to the Governor Larry Schwartz, pictured—will hit all corners of the state to hold hearings on ways to ease state mandated costs on local governments, a point of contention among local officials.

But while Cuomo’s office released a framework itinerary today, it’s far from final or specific. The schedule lists broad regions—such as the Hudson Valley and Western New York—but doesn’t have specific times or locations.

Here’s the basic schedule, with specifics to be “announced announced closer to the date of the actual meeting,” according to a news release. The hearings will be streamed live here.

Feb. 10 – Long Island
Feb. 23 – Central NY
Feb. 24 – Mohawk Valley
Feb. 27 – Hudson Valley
Feb. 28 – Capital Region
Mar. 2 – North Country East
Mar. 8 – North Country West
Mar. 9 – Southern Tier
Mar. 16 – Western NY
Mar. 16 – Finger Lakes

(AP Photo)

Tompkins County Legislator Nathan Shinagawa said he’s interested in a potential run for Congress, depending on how Ithaca and Tompkins County fit into new congressional lines.

Shinagawa, a Democrat, told Gannett’s Albany Bureau that he’s been talking with local leaders about a run to succeed retiring Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, Ulster County.

“The Ithaca and Tompkins County area, we’re surrounded by freshman Republicans – except for Maurice Hinchey, who is retiring – so no matter what, we’ll need a strong Democratic representative, and I think I might be that guy,” Shinagawa said.

Shinagawa, a California native and hospital administrator, was first elected six years ago at age 22 to the county Legislature.

He is among potential candidates considering a run for Hinchey’s seat, which runs from Ithaca through the Hudson Valley. But as Gannett’s Albany Bureau reported, many candidates have been staying on the sidelines for that seat and others because the state hasn’t released new district lines for its 27 House seats.

Julian Schreibman recently resigned as head of the Ulster County Democratic Committee to run for Hinchey’s seat. Other Democrats mentioned include a few of Hinchey’s current and former aides: Dan Lamb and Dan Ahouse.

Capital Tonight reported that Sean Patrick Maloney, who was embroiled in scandal during his time in the Spitzer administration, may run for whatever becomes of Hinchey’s seat. Republican George Philips is talking about running on the Republican side; he challenged Hinchey in 2008 and 2010.

Former Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, D-Greenburgh, Westchester County, cautioned today against letting public authorities transfer funds among them, saying it “essentially creates chaos.”

Brodsky is the long-time critic of the state’s scandal-scarred public authorities and authored the law in 2009 that reformed them and put them under the Public Authorities Budget Office. His favorite line is that they are “Soviet-style bureaucracies.”

“Each board member has a legal obligation to protect the statutory mission of the authority and any attempt to undermine that essentially creates chaos,” Brodsky said today. “If the MTA is there to be a transit agency, it’s not there to be, if you will, a road-building entity or a hospital-building entity.”

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli today warned that Gov. Andrew Cuomo may be looking to undo some of the oversight on public authorities, proposing in his budget to let the roughly 700 authorities transfer money among them.

“This new, broad transfer authorization raises the possibility that an authority may use revenue generated for one program or purpose, such as tolls intended to be used for highway or bridge maintenance, for an entirely unrelated purpose,” DiNapoli’s report states.

Brodsky said that each authority board member, part of the 2009 law, has a “fiduciary responsibility” to act on the behalf of the authority they represent.

Brodsky said such a move by Cuomo could be highly problematic and could put the authorities—which are supposed to be independent of state government—under undue political pressure.

“It’s fraught with dangers that we return to the old system where the governor’s office calls up an authority and tells them what to do with their money,” Brodsky said. “That’s not what the law is. Remember, authorities are not part of the executive branch. They are set up to be independent.”

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos couldn’t resist taking a good-natured shot at the Super Bowl’s runner up, telling Tom Brady and the New England Patriots they are “never going to beat a New York team when it comes to a Super Bowl.”

The Senate approved a resolution congratulating the New York Giants on winning Super Bowl XLVI, beating the Patriots by a 21-17 score in Indianapolis on Sunday.

“From all of us to the New England Patriots and Tom Brady—who would dare say anything negative about a New York team such as the Buffalo Bills—we say, ‘Nice try,’” Skelos said on the Senate floor. “Not quite good enough.”

Skelos said the game brought New York’s football fans together. (Though this bitter Bills fan is glad to point out there’s only one team that plays its home games in New York state.)

“Whether you’re a Jets fan or a Buffalo Bills fan, we were all … Giants fans because we wanted to see the Lombardi Trophy returned to a New York team,” he said.

“If anybody wishes not to sponsor (the resolution), I will then know that you’re probably a Jets fan. But get over it, move on, New York Giants won the Super Bowl.”

Skelos’ comments can be watched below. The resolution can be found here.

Advocacy groups today called on the state’s Legislature to put $53 million in the state budget for pre-kindergarten programs around the state, Gannett Albany Bureau’s Aaron Scholder reports.

Education advocates made their case for the funding increases based on a report released Tuesday that detailed reductions in funding over the past four years.

The report, called “Early Childhood Education: Frozen Funding Leads to Cracks in the Foundation,” highlights the decrease of $67 million in funding for universal pre-kindergarten programs since 2009.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2012-2013 budget provides $384.2 million in funding for pre-k, down from $451.2 in the 2008-2009 budget.

The advocacy groups also called on the Legislature to pass $93 million included in the budget for child care. The $53 million re-purposing would come out of $250 million in competitive grants that Cuomo has included in the budget.

“We came together today because we all believe investing in early childhood education, including pre-k, is one of the most cost-effective investments a state can make to improve school success and close the achievement gap,” said Kate Breslin, the president of the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy.

Breslin pointed to the report’s claim that children who attend pre-k programs are more likely to attend college as a reason for the funding increase.

Increases in pre-k tuition have forced families to reconsider having their children attend, putting them behind their classmates when they enter kindergarten, advocates said.

“I can’t implore the legislators enough to make this funding a priority,” said Kelly Chiarella, the president of the Westchester-East Putnam Region Parent-Teacher Association.

The $384.2 million proposed by Cuomo is the same as last year, as well as the maximum number of students capable of being served by the money, 104,800. The number of school districts eligible to receive money went down from 444 to 441.

“There’s a lot of talk about competition in education right now,” said Billy Easton, the executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education. “But if we were to hold a competition for the most effective programming possible, early childhood education and pre-k would get to the finish line first.”

Here’s some of Easton’s pitch at the press conference.