Politics on the Hudson

Republican state Sen. Greg Ball picks up swaths of Westchester County and another hotly anticipated race along the Sound shore gains GOP enclaves while shedding neighborhoods that historically have backed Democrats.

And in Rockland, Sen. David Carlucci’s district loses Haverstraw, Stony Point and part of Orange County but crosses the Hudson River by picking up Ossining under proposed districts released yesterday.

A state task force released proposed district maps for the state Legislature that were quickly criticized by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Senate Democrats and good-government groups as being gerrymandered to benefit the parties in power.

Read the full story here and check out our maps:

http://data.lohud.com/dist_web/address_stateredist.php

 

Sean Coffey,  Democrat from Bronxville who broke onto the political scene during a run for state attorney general in 2010, is being mentioned as a possible candidate for Westchester County executive.

Coffey has reportedly been approached by Democrats in the county party for a run and his name has been mentioned in recent weeks. Party Chairman Reginald LaFayette, in a recent conversation with POH, would only say (after a pretty long pause) that they are talking to many candidates.

“There are a few people interested, some in government, some out of government,” LaFayette said. “We have several people interested.”

Coffey, a Bronx native, graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and former federal prosecutor who now works in the private sector, comes to mind in that he funded his run for attorney general.

LaFayette said that he was going to “let the process play out” and that ultimately it was up to candidates and district leaders.

But others in the party don’t think Coffey will run. Coffey, in an interview with Capital Tonight, also said he was not interested in running at “the present time.”

Other potential challengers for Republican County Executive Rob Astorino are Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, Board of Legislators Chairman Ken Jenkins and County Clerk Tim Idoni, though Idoni may not want to run because he’d have to give up his position.

Former Assemblyman Richard Brodsky of Greenburgh and Assemblyman George Latimer’s names have also come up as possible candidates, though Latimer will likely opt to run for the seat being vacated by Suzi Oppenheimer in Mamaroneck.

Here’s Coffey’s 2010 camapaign video for attorney general:

 

 

Legislator Sheila Marcotte, a Republican from Tuckahoe, was appointed as the vice chair of the Westchester County Board of Legislator’s Budget and Appropriations Committee.

The committee, which includes nine legislators, made its selection Wednesday. Legislator Judy Myers, D-Mamaroneck, is the chair.

“I am gratified that Legislator Myers has appointed me to be her Vice-Chair,” Marcotte said in a statement. “ Following our recent bipartisan budget negotiations, I am glad to see that Legislator Myers is ‘walking the walk’ regarding a new spirit of bipartisan cooperation.” 

The budget committee oversees the county’s money by reviewing contracts, audits and expenditures and it routinely modifies expenses in the county’s $1.69 billion budget.

Word comes after Chairman Ken Jenkins, D-Yonkers, came under fire for appointing all Democrats to lead the counties committees.

 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo kicked off the next leg of his government reform and economic revival tour in Westchester’s largest city and touted over 75 road, bridge, park and flood projects aimed at growing the economy.

The visit came a day after the Democrat from New Castle released his $132.5 billion budget proposal in Albany and the governor on Wednesday repeated his goals of growing the economy, repairing a broken government and creating a new state that is the nation’s envy.

In announcing $426 million in infrastructure projects across the Hudson Valley—including $24.2 million for a bridge along the Sprain Brook Parkway, nearly $8 million for wastewater treatment plants in Yonkers, Scarsdale, North Salem and Southeast and dozens of other parks and flood control projects in the region, Cuomo said it about fixing New York’s ailing infrastructure and putting thousands of people to work.

 “We need jobs,” the governor said before an auditorium at Yonkers’ Riverfront Library filled with public officials, civic leaders, union members and Yonkers public school students. “We need to do the work. Let’s do it now.”

Here’s a link to the local projects.

These projects are part of a broader $25 billion economic development agenda throughout the state that include a new convention center in Queens,  a billion to rebuild Buffalo and a power system that delivers energy all across the state. These projects will leverage private dollars and won’t cost the taxpayers, he said.

Though Cuomo set aside $5 billion for a new Tappan Zee bridge, he did not mention it in his remarks, instead focusing on other projects in the region that include:

• $148 million for Stewart Airport runways.


• $5 million to improve sewer systems at Bear Mountain State Park.


• $2.6 million to fix failing bridges at the Old Croton Aqueduct trail


• $1.15 million for FDR State Park in Yorktown


• $106 million to rehabilitate the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge


• Millions for various road repairs along Routes 9, 22, 119 and 172.


• Millions for dam repairs and flood control in Ardsley, Chappaqua, Mount Pleasant and Yonkers.

The stop was a mix of his budget message and State of the State address earlier this month and included talk of pension, mandate and campaign finance reforms; improving education and implementing better teacher evaluation systems; betting on casino gambling and getting the state’s finances in order.

Although County Executive Rob Astorino said Gov. Andrew Cuomo “acknowledged the problems” facing counties like Westchester with exploding mandates, the Republican said it simply comes down to numbers—and Westchester will pay more.

“It’s pretty simple math,” Astorino told The Journal News earlier today. “It’s going to cost the county more. … Albany math is going to cost us an additional $26 million.”

Astorino was referring to Gov. Cuomo’s budget proposal that would ease up on some madates, notably Medicaid, which gobbles up so much of county tax dollars. The governor, a Democrat who lives in New Castle, proposed a new pension tier and paying for the growth in the medical program for poor people but not a complete take over of the program.

But that still leaves Westchester with an enormous Medicaid tab at $216 million, Astorino said. A state takeover of all counties 25 percent share and other Medicaid reforms are key to Albany getting its financial house in order, he said.

“We are the only state in the nation to pick up that tab,” he said.

Business leaders from across the lower Hudson Valley today praised Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal, hailing it as a bold plan that puts New York on a new trajectory.

The Westchester County Association, whose president, William Mooney, was on Cuomo’s Mandate Relief Team, said it was pleased with the governor’s proposal because “it continues along the fiscally responsible path initiated last year.”

“We are hopeful that the policies put in place will launch major job creating projects here in Westchester and across the state,” according to a statement released by the business group. “We agree with Governor Cuomo that it takes a strong private sector to ensure a secure future for New York State.”

The group also liked the plans for pension and mandate relief, which they said will help local governments “control costs and balance budgets.”

“This is the right relief at the right time for the people of Westchester.”

The Business Council of Westchester also liked what they heard, particularly points on mandate relief and pension reform.

“The entire tone of Governor Cuomo’s budget presentation today was indicative of a major shift in priorities,” the council wrote in an emailed statement. “Instead of a reactive government focused on financial crisis management, we see a responsible government delivering an on-time budget that closes a $3.5 billion gap without any gimmicks, and without any new fees or taxes. Finally, we have pro-active, business-friendly leadership focused on reform, economic development, and progress.”

 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo kept aid to cities and municipalities in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties flat at $137.5 million with 80 percent, or $108.2 million, going to Yonkers.

Cuomo, a Democrat from New Castle, today released his $132.5 billion budget proposal in Albany that included $5 billion for a new Tappan Zee Bridge, among many other reforms aimed at curbing the growth of government while growing a troubled economy with new infrastructure projects that leverage private dollars.

“It’s nice to see the governor has recognized the need, particularly aid to cities,” said Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, a Democrat who spent years in the state Assembly. “As a former legislator, it’s always nice to go to Albany and start ahead, or at least even, than behind.”

Find out what communities will receive here.

After a push to raise more cash, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino has just under a million on hand.

The Republican is expected to report to the state elections board that he raised roughly $545,000 during the last six months and that he has $974,000 in the bank.

He reported having $712,000 at his July filing and was active during the latest races for the Board of Legislature, which picked up two Republican seats in November.

“I am very pleased with our fund raising success this quarter,” Astorino wrote in an email to Politics on the Hudson. “Driving through tax and government reform can be an expensive proposition, especially when well-funded special interests are working day-and-night to block those reform efforts. These contributions will help ensure that I can speak directly with Westchester families, who have ultimate say on the direction in which this county will move.”

In the days leading up to the filing deadline, Astorino’s campaign asked its donors to contribute to help him “fight to save New York from the highest taxes and worst business climate in America.”

 

We reported that Westchester County Board of Legislators Chairman Ken Jenkins appointed  all Democrats to committee leadership posts , a move that angered many Republicans.

Phil Reisman, a columnist for The Journal News, called it politics as usual and recalled a few other examples, notably a decision by a former chairman to move former county legislator Paul Feiner’s office (now Greenburgh’s supervisor) into the photo copy room. Read Reisman’s take on the matter.

In a jab to the GOP, Westchester County Board of Legislators Chairman Ken Jenkins appointed Democrats to committee leadership posts and eliminated another group led by a Republican.

The move shows that the Yonkers Democrat has no interest in bi-partisan cooperation and is merely supporting those who backed his chairmanship, Republicans say, though Jenkins maintains they got exactly what they asked for—seats on every committee.

“This is the most partisan assignment of committees in the last 20 years,” said Minority Leader James Maisano, R-New Rochelle, who has been on the board since 1997. “He made sure every Democrat got a stipend. It’s very clear that the chairman made sure that all the Democrats that voted for him got a stipend.”

Jenkins recently won another two-year term as chairman of the county board by a 10-7 vote, a partisan split, with Republicans unsuccessfully putting up their own slate in Maisano and Legislator Gordon Burrows of Yonkers.

The vote for chairman came after a much-heralded budget season where both parties, including Republican County Executive Rob Astorino, lauded each other for working together.

“No one is being penalized,” Jenkins said earlier today. “Republicans got whatever committees they asked for. Republicans are well represented on every committee.”

Republicans were assigned to sit on all of the board’s nine committees, including the likes of budget, legislation, public safety and others, though only the chairs of those groups receive additional money.

Committee leadership posts, which generally come with stipends between $3,000 to $9,000, hold a lot of sway in controlling laws and policy and affect how the county board manages operations, policy and, to some extent, politics.

The chairman of the board earns a $40,000 stipend, while the vice chairman, majority leader, minority leader and heads of the budget and legislation committees each earn $9,000 a piece. The majority and minority whip each get $3,000. That’s on top of the $49,500 they make as lawmakers.

Legislators who receive a stipend for their leadership jobs won’t receive another one, Jenkins said.

In his streamlining efforts, Jenkins eliminated two committees – one for housing and another for generational diversity—and wrapped them under others in the interest of consolidation. He appointed two new legislators—Virginia Perez, D-Yonkers and Catherine Borgia, D-Ossining – to lead committees.

Maisano said it was remarkable that “two rookies” gained such important appointments while Legislator Bernice Spreckman, a Yonkers Republican who has built a career focusing on seniors, lost hers.

Spreckman was “shocked” to learn that she lost her position, particularly after she’s dedicated so much time to those issues.

“This is partisan politics at its worst,” Spreckman said. “I can’t remember the last time that a chairman has handed out committee assignments to only his party, completely excluding the other side. If this is what the chairman meant when he said we would be working under a new spirit of bipartisanship, then I think someone needs to explain to him what the word bipartisan means.”