Senate Comes In, Leaves Together
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- June
- 30
A state judge ordered the warring senators into joint session this morning, but it ende
d the way the others sessions have: with no resolution.
The 62 senators simply gaveled in and out and adjourned without solving their three-week leadership fight or passing any legislation.
Republicans initially planned to boycott the session, which was ordered by state Supreme Court Judge Joseph Teresi late Monday. But an appeals court judge this morning rejected their attempt at an immediate stay, so the Republicans joined Democrats in the chamber at about 10:10—10 minutes after Democrats convened the session.
But who controls the chamber is still in dispute with the chamber gridlocked at 31-31.
With Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, standing at the Senate podium as presiding officer, Sen. Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, refused to recognize her as overseeing the session.
“We do not acknowledge you as the presiding officer,” he said to Stewart-Cousins, then adding “nothing personal.”
Democrats are seeking a power-sharing agreement that would end the gridlock temporarily and allow the Senate to pass time-sensitive legislation. They plan to return to session at noon today.
But Republicans and dissident Democrat Pedro Espada, D-Bronx, insist that a June 8 leadership vote to overthrow the Democratic majority is law.
With no clear leader of the Senate, the sides have been holding separate sessions each day since June 23 as ordered under the state constitution by Gov. David Paterson.
Paterson sued the Senate on Friday, saying the separate sessions are not complying with his order because the sessions are being held without a majority of members.
Teresi agreed, ordering the sides into a joint session this morning. Republicans are appealing the judge’s decision and will be before a state appeals court this afternoon.
But neither Teresi nor Paterson can order the Senate to take action once they get into session. And it was apparent again this morning, as the sides said they can’t vote on bills without resolving the leadership dispute.
“We’re right back to where they have been all along,” Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson, D-Mount Vernon, said of Republicans.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 at 11:17 am by Joseph Spector.
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Problem: You can’t vote them out. Their districts (Assembly as well as the Senate,) have been gerrymandered so that, for instance, the Democratic candidate who complains the most and hollers the loudest about racism and brings back the pork to their streets wins. The voters there have no interest in centrism, fairness, good government or anything else, for that matter, that doesn’t conform to THEIR local and personal interests, and none of this is going to change by one, or ten-thousand, reporters calling for sanity. Districts have to be re-drawn so that a candidate has to appeal to a variety of people of differing viewpoints, creating more centrist leadership. Obama, on a national level, had to make sense to a wide range of voters, not just radicals, or he would never have been elected. And he must keep doing it, and find a fair middle, or he will be toast in 3 years, the way it should be.
to bad the paper doesn’t print that cousins sat on the podium statrting at 6am, what a joke. Thought she was going to Albany to straighten everthing out, what a joke she is and has been, People may not have liked Nick Spano but at least he did his job, more then I can say for her, why doesn’t the paper question her on what is going on and why she sits up there like the Queen of Shebia hiding from her constituents. Nobody in the district will remember all this in 2yrs which is unfortunate!
Let’s face it – they stick her behind the podium so that any Republican who questions her standing can be easily accused of racism and misogyny. Ever playing to the vulgar crowd. Sick bunch.