NYC Magazine » State Senate

Senate May Expel Convicted Monserrate

Igor Derysh — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:00:45 +0000

Monserrate Being Arrested For Assault

Perhaps justice of some kind will come of the Hiram Monserrate debacle as a special New York Senate committee has recommended that the Senate either censure or expel the “man” who was found guilty on assault charges after a fight with his girlfriend ended with the “Senator” cutting the woman’s face and dragging her through the lobby of his building (a scene brilliantly caught on security cameras).

Sources say that the Senate is likely leaning towards expelling Monserrate although knowing the Senate, anything is possible when there’s that many liars and crooks in the same room at the same time.

The people of New York certainly want to rid themselves of the guy who said he didn’t mean to cut his girlfriend, he was simply bringing her a glass of water and tripped. Right. And then she got a black eye walking into a door and those bruises by slipping down some stairs.

In any case, Monserrate got off seriously light considering the violent nature of his crime but sort of leeway comes easy when you’re a senator. Receiving just probation and a mandatory restraining order that prohibits him from seeing his girlfriend (who wants to get back together with him…seriously).

In any case, if he is expelled, he would be the first member to be expelled in 90 years. Pretty amazing when you consider the people who work there. If he is expelled, he will also challenge the expulsion in court. The irony.

Paterson Preaches Ethics In State Of The State Address

Igor Derysh — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:18:38 +0000

Gov. David Paterson

Despite the fact that David Paterson is a widely unpopular governor on his way out and despite the fact that the New York State legislature is a bevy of corruption, the governor used his State of the State address to legislators to discuss ethics and vowed to bring reform to Albany.

On the heels of former State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno being found guilty on several felony counts and current State Senator (though likely not for long) Hiram Monserrate being found guilty of assaulting his girlfriend, a push to bring some sort of ethics into a chamber otherwise filled with crooks might seem like a good idea. Not so to the legislators.

According to the Daily News, “Lawmakers in both houses, who are negotiating a different version of an ethics bill, and advocates say the plan has virtually no chance of passing.”

Paterson was particularly after special interest groups who have derailed most of Paterson’s plans, including necessary budget cuts and other legislative ventures. “They have routinely demanded special treatment without any regard for others,” Paterson said.”The reality is that there is no moral high ground … trampling on others to get there and there is nothing lower than engaging in the currency of influence to the detriment of other New Yorkers.”

No special interest influence in Albany? Cute.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who will challenge Paterson in the primaries later this year, stated what all of us were thinking after the speech when he said that Paterson hit all the right themes but it is not likely that we will see all of this talk be put into action.

Especially with a State Senate that has been nothing but a thorn in the side of justice for decades.

Can Senate Scum Monserrate Keep His Job?

Igor Derysh — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:00:16 +0000

Monserrate Being Arrested For Assault

It is a shame that one has to even ask whether or not a convicted criminal who was found guilty of cutting his girlfriend’s face will keep his cushy New York Senate gig but so is the world that Albany exists in.

After being found guilty of assaulting his girlfriend (while receiving a very light penalty), Monserrate must now has his Senate fate decided by the a special Senate committee who will decide whether being a convicted criminal actually warrants a person being kicked out of the most powerful legislative body in the state.

Still, according to the New York Times that special committee will likely dole out a harsh punishment against the dishonorable state senator and might actually do their duty an expel one of the chambers many criminals from its halls.

Just a few weeks ago, Monserrate received three years of probation, 250 hours of community service and will have to enter into a 52-week counseling program after he was found not guilty of cutting his girlfriend’s face (another story for another day) but being found guilty of dragging her through the lobby, an act that was caught on camera and is the only reason that he even received a sentence. Monserrate was also prohibited from seeing his girlfriend.

Monserrate has been nothing if not unhelpful in the committee’s progress. After promising to discuss the matter with the nine-member panel, he has refused to talk to them and continues to appeal his extremely light sentence EVEN THOUGH THE CRIME WAS CAUGHT ON TAPE!

If the committee makes its decisions based on how Monserrate’s behavior matches up with the rest of the Senate’s, he might just get off easy yet again. If the Senate believes that it is time to make some sort of message to the public that there is some morality and values left in the upper chamber of the state legislature then it could very well be take out the trash day.

Paterson Withholds Aid After Senate Plays Politics With Budget

Igor Derysh — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:13:44 +0000

David Paterson

After consistently pleading with the state legislature, particularly the state senate, to cut the New York State budget by $3.2 billion to prevent an economic collapse, Governor David Paterson has taken matters into his own hands and is now withholding 10% of the aid due to government agencies and schools.

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s been going on:

Seeing the state’s deficit rise to well over $3 billion, Governor David Paterson asked the state legislature to cut the budget by $3.2 billion to prevent the same type of economic collapse that happened in California from happening in New York.

After a lot of stalling and back-room politics, the state legislature came back with a deal that would only cut the state budget by $2.7 billion. Did I mention that the state deficit is at least $500 million more than that?

Governor Paterson vowed to take action into his own hands and it appears that he is doing just that; putting his political career on the line to make tough but seemingly necessary cuts to the state budget.

To begin with, Paterson is withholding 10% of the nearly $2 billion due to schools and government agencies tomorrow.

Paterson clarified that by “withholding” the funds, he is not impounding them but delaying their release until it is financially feasible for the state to release those funds.

While education groups are preparing to sue Paterson for release of the funds, it appears that the governor has full power to do so.

Paterson continued to blame the State Senate for dragging their feet and being more concerned about their own jobs than the financial future of the state.

Say what you will about Paterson but at least the guy takes responsibility and puts his money where his mouth is.

Former Senate Leader Joseph Bruno Guilty on 2 Counts

Igor Derysh — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:36:05 +0000

Convicted Felon Joseph Bruno

The New York Senate is one of the most corrupt political bodies in the country and two major court decisions this week have begun what will hopefully become a trend in putting corrupt politicians in their place.

After finding State Senator Hiram Monserrate guilty on assault charges stemming from a fight with his girlfriend that ended in him slashing her face (although he got off far too easy), a jury has found former Senate Majority Leader of 13 years Joseph Bruno guilty on two counts of corruption.

The former top state Republican faces 40 years in jail and $500,000 in fines when he is sentenced in March.

In a trial that was seen as a trial of the entire Albany system, Bruno was accused of mixing his private sector job with his political career. Bruno was found not guilty on five charges while the jury could not reach a verdict on an eighth and final charge which means that Bruno could be re-tried by the Feds.

The two charges that he was found guilty on were mail and wire fraud. One of the charges were in relation to his consulting business, the other in connection to a horse breeding partnership that he had.

In the first case, Bruno had received 11 payments from businessman Jared Abbruzzese which the jury confirmed were nothing but bribes. The second charge was a matter of Bruno not disclosing that he was a partner with Abbruzzese in breeding race horses.

Bruno will be sentenced this coming March.

Gay Activists Plan Major Marriage Campaign

Igor Derysh — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:00:56 +0000

Perhaps surprised by the New York Senate voting down a bill that would have legalized same-sex marriage in the state, gay activists have awakened with a fury and are planning the same kind of pro-gay marriage campaign that opponents have used against them.

After gay marriage was shockingly overturned in California after it was already legalized, New York state senators rebuffed Governor David Paterson who had introduced the bill. The New York State Assembly had overwhelmingly passed the bill before the it was put to a vote in the Senate.

As the dust of the debate settled, gay marriage activists realized that they had lost the gay marriage battle in two states that one would assume would allow it because they hadn’t run a real campaign to counter the well funded anti-gay marriage campaigns.

In California, out-of-state Evangelical and Mormon groups spent millions to ban gay marriage in 2008. Millions were also spent here in New York, including $1.5 million for one anti-gay marriage ad that also aired in several other states including New Jersey.

While the movement to legalize gay marriage has been gaining a lot of steam, it has been kept down largely by Evangelical Christian groups like James Dobson’s Focus on the Family and Mormom groups.

Gay marriage is currently legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Iowa. New Jersey will soon vote on whether or not to legalize gay marriage before anti-gay marriage governor Chris Christie takes office.

Scum State Senator Gets Only Probation For Assaulting Girlfriend

Igor Derysh — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:00:48 +0000

Monserrate Being Arrested For Assault

Proving yet again that the legal system works differently for those in power than those without it, State Senator Hiram Monserrate has been given three years of probation, 250 hours of community service, and a year of abuse counseling for assaulting and “accidently” slashing the face of his girlfriend.

While Monserrate’s lawyers are appealing the decision, the State Senate is considering taking their own disciplinary action against him. Knowing the state senate, however, it is questionable if they would even take disciplinary actions despite the fact that he is guilty of assaulting a woman because, like the mafia, they take care of their own.

While his girlfriend, Karla Giraldo, has a court mandated order of protection against the man who assaulted her on camera around a year ago, she has said that she still loves him and wants to get back together with him. Monserrate has said that he wants to marry her.

The true irony of all this is the fact that Monserrate and Giraldo can one day get married. That is more than can be said for any loving gay couple in New York who do not assault their significant others thanks to guys like him who voted against the gay marriage bill in the senate this week.

Despite the fact that he is a violent offender, Monserrate will likely get to keep his cushy senate gig, his life, and maybe even his girlfriend whose face has hopefully healed by now. But hey, it’s not like he would be the only felon in government.

Legislature OK’s Partial Deficit Reduction, Refuses to go All The Way

Igor Derysh — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:00:45 +0000

David Paterson

While the media focused largely on the New York state senate officially denying more than a million gay New Yorkers (according to most estimates) the right to one day marry the person they love like any convicted felon, murderer, adulterer, or terrorist can, legislators also spent the special session cutting the state deficit by $2.8 billion.

Although nothing is concrete, it appears that the state legislature will cut most but not all of the New York State deficit leaving the state with a large debt and financial difficulties after this year.

Governor David Paterson has been asking legislators to cut the state budget by $3.2 billion in order to eliminate the state deficit (which the State Comptroller’s office estimates to be even larger than the Governor has stated.

While most legislators saw the plan that the State Assembly and the counterproductive State Senate had come up with (though only under dire circumstances) as a breakthrough since the governor’s plan was unlikely to gain traction in the Senate, Paterson was none too happy with the compromise and neither should you.

While some legislators claimed that Paterson was attacking the legislature to help himself politically, the legislature is the party truly guilty of this.

The Democrats agreed to a compromised plan only to avoid looking like they were leading the state into an economic collapse similar to California’s.

In truth, the whole point of Paterson’s cuts were not only to prevent financial ruin but, as we reported earlier, to prevent a large state debt that would greatly damage the state’s credit score (yes, states borrow money too) and increase the state’s interest payments meaning that we would be even more in debt.

Paterson has promised that he will get the budget cuts done, with or without the legislature’s blessing.

Budget Battle Continues in Albany

Igor Derysh — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:58:19 +0000

NY Gov. David Paterson

While Governor David Paterson has been pushing the legislature to cut the state budget by $3.2 billion, top Democrats have been reluctant to make the tough cuts to education and hospitals, opting to push for bigger debt in order to keep their jobs.

While the State Assembly is on board, the State Senate, particularly the Carl Krueger-led finance committee, has been reluctant to make tough, unpopular, but seemingly necessary decisions.

In response to the stalling by the Senate, Paterson has proposed an emergency bill that would allow him to make the necessary cuts, and thus taking the blame for the unpopular move. A pretty gutsy thing to do for an unpopular governor running for re-election.

Paterson has continually warned that further delays will hurt the state, damage its credit rating, and make the interest payments on our debt much higher and thus putting New York into an even bigger financial hole.

The Governor has also promised to keep the Senate in Albany over Thanksgiving if they do not get something done by then.

Although no budget cuts are popular, Paterson is actually coming off as the good guy in all of this because he has shown that he is willing to consistently stick his neck on the line and make the decisions that he believes to be the right ones, even if it hurts his popularity and chances of re-election.

We’ll keep you updated on the state’s budget moves as the Senate continues to debate actually doing something to keep the state from entering a California-type collapse.

Paterson, Senate Debate Budget Cuts

Igor Derysh — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:00:30 +0000

State Senator Carl Krueger

Despite New York State’s growing $3 billion deficit, state senate leaders did not respond to Governor David Paterson’s speech to a joint session of the legislature as he would have liked.

As New York faces an economic collapse similar to the one in California, state legislators are doing what they have always done, avoiding any unpopular yet necessary actions that could threaten their jobs, while the Governor avoids pushing too much and is all too willing to compromise.

New Yorkers have come to expect the state legislature to avoid any unpopular actions but many are starting to worry that this inaction will result in a California-like financial mess.

The biggest problem that Senate Democrats see with the $3.2 billion in budget cuts is that around $1 billion of that will come out of the education and hospital budget. Senators like Carl Krueger have responded with alternatives to the plan but the one-time fixes that he has proposed will only lead the state into more debt.

Legislators are expected to continue to debate the issue on Monday but few are optimistic about the tough but necessary cuts being made. The New York Times has reported that David Paterson has already shown signs of backing down.

Carl Krueger, who also serves as the Chairman of the Finance Committee in the state senate, will likely win this battle. A win for him would simply mean that New York will continue to have financial problems even after the current economic crisis is over.