“We were trying to figure out what we could write for Senator Chuck Schumer,” he said. “He’s a fan of the show and said at one point that he would do a guest spot if we asked him. So we have that in the back of our heads.”

It wouldn’t surprise me if Schumer ends up doing the show. Family Guy already has Karl Rove and Rush Limbaugh appearing next season, so Schumer isn’t much of a stretch.

Under the state’s current laws, DWI that causes death is usually tried in court as vehicular manslaughter, with a maximum prison time of 15 years.

Spano wants to toughen the laws bumping up the charges to second degree murder and a minimum prison sentence of 15 years.

“District attorneys should not have to be creative to charge a person with murder in the instance they kill someone in a drunk driving accident,” Spano said in a statement. “This creates an unequal distribution of justice in New York State which could be rectified with a clear and distinct penalty written into state law.”

What do you guys think about his idea?

“Should the Mets make it to the playoffs, during the City Council meeting in October I will rip off my shirt and demand that the Council get things done,” he jokingly said.

Hmm, not sure if I want to hold him accountable for that statement :)

Actually, not a single New York municipality made the top 100 either.

How do you guys feel about that?

City Manager Charles Strome III today said he’ll name Shapiro’s deputy Kathleen Gill as her temporary replacement. Gill has been with the city since 1995.

“She’s been here a long time and she’s experienced,” Strome said.

Strome was asked what are the city’s plans to fill the position.

“I’m not sure the summertime is the best time to do a recruitment,” he said. “But certainly by the fall we’ll have some plans together.”

Strome said he anticipates finding Shapiro’s permanent replacement by the mid-fall. When asked if Gill is in the running for the spot, Strome said “Certainly, I suspect she’ll apply.”

Why Bernis Shapiro retired raised a lot of questions when it happened on June 26. There was no known public announcement of it in advance and city officials declined to comment – each citing personel privacy.

Strome again today declined.

“I’ve already said what I’ve wanted to say about it,” he said.

What Strome said on June 26, was a one-sentence e-mail statement saying “The Corporation Counsel for the City of New Rochelle has retired effective the end of business day on June 26 after 12 years of distinguished service.”

Squiggy’s Dugout, located at 237 Main Street, said they’ll have at least 200 issues of the comic available beginning on Wednesday for about $4 each.

The “Female Force” series of Michelle Obama chronicles the First Lady’s life from growing up in Chicago to her rise to national fame during the 2008 presidential campaign.

The “Female Force” series is published by Bluewater Productions, who have also done comics on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The company said in a release that a Caroline Kennedy one is scheduled to come out as well.

(Photo courtesy of Bluewater Productions)

Here’s what Feld had to say about the budget, speaking on behalf of the group New Yorkers for Growth:

“Please tell us this is an April Fool’s Joke. The proposed state budget is breathtakingly irresponsible. It will cost New Yorkers thousands of jobs and guarantee tough days ahead.

Wall-Street tax revenues are shrinking precipitously—perhaps permanently—and small businesses are closing around the state. Adding more taxes to the mix could be catastrophic to long-term job development here.

This budget is beyond irresponsible. It should serve as a rallying cry to every New Yorker who has had enough. We hope this budget is a bottom for New York State, but fear it is not. The Legislature and Governor could not have done a worse job.”

I analyzed the text of his speech (using the site Wordle.net) to figure out which words he used the most. The size of the words below indicate the frequency he mentioned them. Make your own conclusions:

The exhibition includes intricate Lego models of Barack and Michele Obama, both George Bush presidents and their wives, and even Aretha Franklin and Oprah. But my fave part of the gallery is the Lego Secret Service motorcades or the Lego citizens using the Lego portable toilets.

Yes, $155.

The city is following other municipalities like Westchester and Rockland County that have used online auctions to get rid of unwanted items for cheap.

Bidding on the vehicles closes on Dec. 15 and you can check out the auctions here.

He’s the son of Christopher Edley, the former head of the United Negro College Fund. His father lived in New Rochelle before passing away in 2003. His mother Zaida Edley still lives in New Rochelle.

Edley is serving as an advisory member to the Obama transition team and served a similar role preparing then Gov. Bill Clinton’s transition to the White House.

He’ll be working with Obama’s chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who got his undergrad degree studying dance (Yes, dance.) at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville. Read Noreen O’Donnell’s column detailing Emanuel’s time at the college here.

Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., has been tapped to be president-elect Barack Obama’s chief of staff. To most, Emanuel is known for his fierce mouth, with countless stories about shouting down several fellow politicians.

But to Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, Emanuel is known as the 1981 alum who studied dance there.

Yep, dance.

Emanuel was a ballet dancer as a child and turned down an invitation to join the Joffrey Ballet to study dance at Sarah Lawrence.

“It was a great liberal-arts school, and there were four women for every guy,” Emanuel told the Rolling Stone in 2005. “I was eighteen, so I’m allowed to think like that.”

“I think an Election Day first this time around is the impact of the Internet,” Kelly said. “Citizen journalists and the blogosphere have helped information travel so quickly.”

Kelly added the speed at which information is available on the Internet has helped shape the election cycle. One of the reasons John Kerry lost in 2004, Kelly said, was his delayed responses to attacks against him such as the Swift Boat ads questioning his Vietnam service.

“Both campaigns this year were really good about grabbing something quickly and responding to it,” Kelly said.

What Kelly said she’s looking forward to seeing in the next few days will be voter turnout statistics.

“There has never been so much excitement among voters in decades,” Kelly said. “There used to be a lot of fun and spirit at rallies in the 1800s because candidates held political barbecues, but that spirit was more from being a participant at the event. There wasn’t that feeling of “I can make a difference,” that’s causing the excitement now.”

If you haven’t had a chance to take Kelly’s Election quiz, you can here. See if you can beat my score of 10/12.

Olbermann fired back to Time magazine saying “Honestly, everybody deserves a laugh but if on the weekend before the presidential election they spent more than seven seconds bothering with ME, the campaign staff has even less of a clue than I thought.”

Olbermann then went on to tease this tidbit on his Countdown show on MSNBC tonight:

“One last SNL thing: I’ll be reporting the details on this tonight. ask them why Governor Palin didn’t say her first line as scripted three shows ago. As they pulled back from the monitor shot of Tina doing the impression she was supposed to compliment Tina. Could’ve been a real rehab to her image – why’d she refuse?”

If you’ve never watched Olbermann’s show before, he’s known for his ranting commentaries, often comparing politicians to dictators and demanding their resignations. Check out actor Ben Affleck impersonating him on SNL below:

Oppenheimer is running against Larchmont Republican mayor Liz Feld in the state’s 37th district and Stewart Cousins is running against Yonkers Republican councilman John Murtagh in the 35th district.

The anti-gun groups issued a joint statement about the two democratic candidates saying “For almost a decade, the leadership in the State Senate has blocked passage of common sense gun legislation. The success of these two re-election campaigns are a critical component to ensuring the Senate acts to pass important bills in the near future, including, micro-stamping and improved regulations on gun dealers.”

UPDATE: On an unrelated note, Liz Feld’s campaign today announced they have picked up the endorsement of Joseph Delfino, the Republican mayor of White Plains. Delfino is expected to give the endorsement at White Plains City Hall at noon on Thursday.

The longtime New Rochelle resident was nominated for an Academy Award last year for her role in the film American Gangster and is a legend for her civil rights activism.

New Rochelle mayor Noam Bramson will also speak. Following the rally, the crowd will march down North Avenue in support for Obama for what organizers have dubbed as a “Parade for Change.”

On Sept. 26, Gov. David Paterson signed the bill which requires the state departments of Health and Environmental Conservation to identify population clusters where cancer is prevalent and to keep a data base of the info for future study.

State assemblyman Richard Brodsky, D-Greenburgh, sponsored the bill on his side.

In her election race against Larchmont mayor Liz Feld, Oppenheimer today also announced the endorsement of Sen. Hillary Clinton. The state’s other U.S. Senator, Chuck Schumer, endorsed Oppenheimer earlier this month.

UPDATE: Oppenheimer today also announced the endorsement from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

The story was picked up by news outlets all over the country and even a mention on Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC.

I asked the mayor, jokingly, if she was shopping around for a book deal now that she’s gotten national attention.

She e-mailed me saying the coverage was “hysterical,” and added “Next stop – Vice President.  I do have the glasses.”

She was joking, but who knows? Sarah Palin was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska — a city with around 10,000 people. Savolt is mayor of a village with  almost 20,000 people.

Don’t know where your designated polling location is this election season? Let Google help.

All you have to do type in your address and BAM! Google tells you where your polling center is. Entering your address will also give you other important info like absentee ballot deadlines, registration information, etc.

Granted, your local county board of elections is going to be the most reliable authority on this topic.

And if you’re as big of a dork as I am, you’ll play around with Google’s electoral map, that allows you to make predictions as to what state each candidate needs to win in the race to the White House.

Sigh. Google maps and politics, the two loves of my life.

“The voters of Westchester are not fooled by Liz Feld’s negative campaign,” Oppenheimer spokesman Austin Shafran said. “The recent Sienna poll showed that voters are clearly rejecting Feld’s inaccurate, negative attack advertisements and mailings. Suzi’s strong standing of record and service has not been undercut by the expensive media campaign being waged by the Republicans.”

Feld is the Republican challenger against Oppenheimer in a strongly Democratic district. The poll Shafran is referring to was released earlier this month and has Oppenheimer ahead 61-24 percent.

The mailer calls Martin Oppenheimer out for using the parking pass, when Sen. Oppenheimer, in a recent letter to constituents, said don’t “park in a spot reserved for the disabled when you aren’t eligible to use it — not even for a minute.”

Larchmont mayor Liz Feld is the Republican challenger to Oppenheimer this season. Democrats need to gain two seats in order to capture control of the state senate and the GOP has responded by pumping over $291,000 into Feld’s campaign.
You can take a look at the mailer by clicking here.

Both campaigns today announced recent endorsements they’ve racked up. Feld’s team has picked up the backing of the state Police Benevolent Association and Oppenheimer has picked up a nod from Sen. Chuck Schumer and a $9,500 grant from the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee, a group that funds democratic female candidates.

The oil paintings, almost 6 feet tall, were done by Paolo Corvino, a Larchmont resident who said he has artwork on display in the White House for every president since Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Corvino, 75, said he was taken back by the amount of elementary-aged children that have taken interest in the paintings.

“I’m surprised by how they’re already excited about politics already,” Corvino said.

“The young kids seem to like the Obama painting more,” he added. “He’s like their superstar. The older people seem to not let you know who they like more.”

You can see the paintings and Corvino’s other work at his gallery at 1887 Palmer Ave. in Larchmont.

(Photos by Aman Ali / The Journal News)

The NFIB describes itself as the nation’s largest small business association. Mike Elmendorf, New York’s NFIB director, said in a release the group is backing Feld because “her support for broad-based tax relief, a real property tax cap and limits on the growth of state spending and debt will help turn New York into a better place to start and run a business.”

If you haven’t already, check out Feld and Oppenheimer go at it in front the Journal News editorial board here. The last 4-5 minutes of the interview are filled with some entertaining exchanges.

Liz Feld’s campaign filmed her stump through the 37th senate district talking to residents about local issues, primarily property taxes. The video is set to air on local public access channels and you can watch the video in its entirety here.

You can also watch Feld and incumbent Suzi Oppenheimer, D-Mamaroneck, square off during their interview with the Journal News editorial board here.

I wrote up a few debate party suggestions on 25 Sense, Lohud.com’s blog for hipster dorks young professionals.

“It’s not normally a view point that a lot of people expect from Republican candidates but we are trying to go green and we’re trying to provide leadership here in Mamaroneck,” Trucchio said.

Trucchio is running alongside Mary Lou Greco to challenge incumbent Democrats Tom Murphy, Toni Ryan and John Hofstetter. Currently the village board has a 5-0 Democratic majority.

Now, some of those former firefighters have launched a Web site opposing Feld’s state senate run. The group says Feld was “wreckless” with the paid chief decision and did so against the village’s interest.

(To be fair, it should be noted that the village has won two lawsuits over its decision to hire a paid chief).

The show will allow viewers to go behind the scenes of courtroom happenings and each episode ends with “Pirro’s  Principles,” a segment where Pirro offers insight into the legal system and discusses cases in the news.

You can check out a few clips of the show on its official site.

(Photo by Ricky Flores /The Journal News )

Ever wonder why Election Day is on a tuesday? Kelly said officials in the 1800s didn’t want to hold elections on the weekend because of church and voters needed at least a day to travel to the towns where they could vote. So Tuesday seemed like a feasible day.

“It’s just one of those things that ended up sticking,” Kelly said.

Do you know why municipalities like Larchmont and Rye Brook hold their elections in the spring? According to Kelly, officials back then determined spring was the best time to hold elections because it didn’t interfere with the summer planting season and fall harvesting season.

But don’t expect when elections are held to be changed anytime soon, she said.

“There are so many entities and people involved now that would have to be considered,” Kelly said.

She added Election Day used to be treated as a holiday in every sense of the word. Crowds as large as 40-50 thousand people would gather outside of newspaper offices as the voting totals came in.

“You’d see these huge crowds of people in Times Square waiting for results of the election,” she said. “They didn’t have the access to news and information like we had today.”

These days, the only time I’ll probably see crowds like that outside of the Journal News office is to protest a Phil Reisman column :)

Kelly said this year’s election is “fascinating” because of how entities like YouTube have changed the news cycle. Just about any quote from the candidates, such as Obama’s “lipstick on a pig” fiasco from a few weeks ago, can end up on the news within minutes.

You can read more info about Kate Kelly and her book by visiting her Web site.

(Photo courtesy of Kate Kelly)

“When we really needed her, Suzi wasn’t there,” the ad titled “Vacation” said.

Expect this to be a recurring issue during this senate race.