Politics on the Hudson

OK, this is admittedly a sidetrack into a personal interest, the politics of my home state. But I’ll post the link here with the idea that even political junkies in NY will get a kick out of what’s making headlines in Louisiana today. Enjoy.

Gov. Spitzer met with the four legislative leaders Wednesday to outline their priorities for the final six weeks of the 2007 legislative session. Here’s a look at some of the ideas:

 SPITZER:

 —Campaign-finance reform.

 —Overhaul and shrink public authorities.

 —Streamlined guidelines for siting and building power plants.

 —Wicks Law reform (public construction contracts).

 —Restrictions on violent video games.

  (more…)

Abortion-rights groups just held a news conference with Senate Democrats and you might think: what’s the big deal?

But it is very significant. And it means the intense targeting of GOP incumbents on Long Island and in Rochester in the next round of elections.

For years, the National Abortion Rights Action League and other groups have been on friendly-if-not-cozy terms with Senate Republicans because some of its more liberal members (especially Nick Spano of Yonkers) had the clout in the GOP-controlled chamber to get some bills through.

But Spano lost last fall. And Democrats won a special election to fill a Long Island vacny in February, cutting the GOP’s edge in the Senate to 33-29—putting the majority in question for the 2008 elections. Further, from NARAL’s view, no Republican has picked up the reins from Spano.

So now, NARAL and other abortion-rights groups are flocking to the Senate Democrats—and will target Republicans in Democratic-leaning districts. The immediate list: Kemp Hannon, Carl Marcellino and Cesar Trunzo of Long Island and Joe Robach whose districts covers the bulk of Rochester and some of its suburbs.

“We intend to have their offices flooded with phone calls, asking where does the senator stand?’’ said Kelli Conlin, director of NARAL’s N.Y. chapter.

 Asked when was the last time NARAL stood up with Senate Democrats at a news conference, Conlin said “um’’ a couple of times, searched around with her eyes and replied: “I can’t recall.’‘

The state is likely to move this year’s politically primaries back one week—so that the elections don’t fall on Sept. 11.

The state Senate will pass a bill today to reschedule the contests to the third Tuesday of September, rather than the customary second Tuesday, for this year only, making primary day Sept. 18. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has already introduced a similar measure in his house, making its approval appear certain. Here is what Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno had to say:

  “The New York State primaries are an important symbol of the democratic process which was attacked on that horrible day. However it would be unfitting to hold any event which would distract from the mourning process we undergo each year in honor of those who gave their
lives on 9/11.’‘

Apparently, the state Senate will hold off on voting on a bill to reinstate the death penalty for cop killers. Rather than today, the vote will probably be held later this week.

Jeffrey Deskovic, who served 16 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, was among a coalition of activists on hand at the Capitol Monday to urge lawmakers to block a move to reinstate the death penalty, even for cop killers.

The Republican-led state Senate is scheduled to vote on such a bill sometime this week—maybe later today. A group that included the brother of the Unabomber, the son of a 9/11 victim, the mother of a murder victim and a Catholic bishop led a press conference against the bill.

Deskovic, as you recall, was a 16-year-old Peekskill High student when he was convicted for a 1989 rape and murder of a classmate. His DNA didn’t match that found on the victim, but he wasn’t released until 2006. Just last Wednesday, the real killer was sentenced for the crime.

Deskovic spent his time at the mic talking about the consequences of wrongful convictions and the lack of protections.

“What kind of message is it sending to say don’t care if innocent people are executed,’’ said the 34-year-old who now lives in Dobbs Ferry. 

A handful of Democrats today introduced a series of bills to make it easier for convicted criminals to use DNA evidence to try to prove their innocence.

Among the measures, one would force the state to test DNA evidence even if the defendant pleaded guilty in the case (as opposed to being convicted by a jury). Some judges have interpreted the law to deny access to DNA in plea-bargained cases, activists say.

Others would increase standards for evidence preservation. Joining the legislators was Barry Scheck, co-director of the Innoncence Project. The news conference was held at a NYPD storage facility in Queens, which has come under scrutiny.

The state’s highest court today gave another victory to a criminal defendant and strictly limited a couple’s ability to sue an adoption agency for hiding an adoptee’s family history of schizophrenia and other mental illness.

In the first case, (more…)

As per requests, here is how LoHud Assembly members voted on the resolution urging President Bush not to veto a bill passed by Congress to put a timeline on bringing American troops back from Iraq:

Greg Ball, R-Carmel: No.

Adam Bradley, D-White Plains: (absent, excused).

Richard Brodsky, D-Greenburgh: yes.

Nancy Calhoun, R-Blooming Grove: no.

Sandra Galef, D-Ossining: yes.

Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern: yes.

George Latimer, D-Rye: yes.

Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale: (absent, excused).

James Gary Pretlow, D-Mt. Vernon: yes.

Annie Rabbitt, R-Greenwood Lake: no.

Mike Spano, R-Yonkers: yes.

The resolution passed, 94-34.

New York’s highest court gave defendants a victory today on the issue of dismissing jurors.

The case, People v. Alfonso Dukes, centered on the Schenectady resident’s appeal of reckless endangerment charges for allegedly firing two shots at a man romantically involved with his girlfriend. But the legal issue for the Court of Appeals hinged on whether a local court properly dismissed a juror who said she may have worked with the other man, Marcel Davis, at a nursing center for a time and might have heard that Davis in an incident “involving a gun.’’ The juror told the Schenectady judge, however, she was “100 percent sure’’ she could be impartial.

The high court said the dismissal of the juror was improper—a serious enough error to order Dukes a new trial. In a 7-0 decision, the court said: “The (Schenectady) court failed to determine that juror number three was grossly unqualified—or indeed, unqualified at all.”