Young Gets It Done: Our Generation is “Opening Minds”
While Albany attempts to solve its problems (and thus far, fails), we are still fighting for LGBT rights through our New Yorkers for Marriage Equality campaign.
Earlier today, on the New Yorkers for Marriage Equality Facebook Page, we received some heartwarming support and encouragement after posting this wonderful story from The Advocate: And the Crown Goes to…
Check out this great comment from Lynn Ribar, a fan on our page: Read more
The Saga Continues…
So, quick update on where things stand in what I’m now referring to on Twitter as #NYsenatefail (though I’m sure that’s not original):
The Republicans did get their Temporary Restraining Order barring Lt. Gov.-designate Richard Ravitch from taking the oath of office today, pending further litigation to find out if Gov. Paterson’s bold move yesterday was, in fact, illegally and unconstitutionally bold. Apparently the Republicans went judge shopping to do this, filing their lawsuit in senate GOP leader Dean Skelos’ home county, Nassau, rather than in Albany. And the product of their shopping expedition is… State Supreme Court Justice Wolff Ute Lally (great name!). Liz Benjamin reports:
There’s a good reason why attorneys for the Senate GOP/Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. coalition went all the way to Nassau County – Sen. Dean Skelos’ home turf – in search of a judge to sign a TRO seeking to block the swearing-in of purported LG Richard Ravitch.
State Supreme Court Justice Wolff Ute Lally, described to me by one Nassau County political veteran as a “Republican judge,” has a long pro-GOP history – as does her son, Grant Lally.
Justice Lally, for example, decided a case in 2008 that threw Democratic Sen. Craig Johnson – a top Skelos target – off the Independence Party line.
The attorney in that case? John Ciampoli, the same Senate GOP attorney who traveled down the Thruway last night to file the TRO.
Bonus (boldface added):
Grant Lally is a Long Island attorney, former head of the state Republican Lawyers Association, and former Bush I White House counsel who was a member of the so-called “Brooks Brothers Mafia” that protested the 2000 presidential recount in Florida.
Grant Lally also ran for Congress in 1994 and 1996 on the GOP and Conservative lines against Democratic Rep. Gary Ackerman.
Grant Lally and his parents agreed to pay a $280,000 fine in 1998 for accepting illegal campaign contributions from his family and then lying about it. It was among the largest penalties ever imposed by the FEC at the time.
Double bonus:
The Democrats say Grant Lally and Ciampoli have served as co-counsels in past cases (I have yet to be able to confirm this), and insist it was a conflict of interest for Justice Lally to sign the GOP’s TRO.
[insert snark about justice being blind here]
Now, hilariously, it appears that the TRO was in vain since the oath of office was already administered last night. BUT LO! Pedro Espada agreed to come back to the Democratic fold today if he could have the majority leader’s slot (or co-majority leader — I’m not really sure). So the Senate Democrats were all ready to solve this themselves, except…
The Senate Democrats had hoped to gavel into extraordinary session at 3 p.m., gavel out immediately and then gavel back in to regular session to codify the leadership deal they have struck with Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. to end the Senate stalemate.
There was only one problem: Sen. George Onorato was missing.
Turns out he had a doctor’s appointment. In Queens. Seriously.
So now he’s driving back up to Albany and the Senate is “standing at ease” until 6:30pm.
Only in New York.
NYT: Paterson to Announce LG Appointment
That theoretical idea Citizens Union put out there the other day on breaking the senate deadlock? According to the Times‘ Jeremy Peters, not so theoretical anymore:
Gov. David A. Paterson will name Richard Ravitch, a former chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, as lieutenant governor in a televised speech he has scheduled for late Wednesday afternoon, according to an administration official.
This is certain to end up in court, as there’s disagreement on whether the law actually allows Governor Paterson to do this. Anyway you slice it though, it’s definitely a big move, and it shows that the governor, like the Senate Dems, really does want to end this insane drama.
Reactions:
“It would guarantee a line of succession should something happen to the governor, and it would give the Senate a presiding officer to help get it out of the quagmire it’s been in for the last month,” [Assemblyman Michael] Gianaris said.
But State Senator Diane J. Savino, a Democrat from Staten Island, said a lieutenant governor could only resolve part of the gridlock the Senate is now trying to overcome.
“It won’t change the fact that we won’t have a quorum to do business, and we’ll still be split in half on everything,” she said.
We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it…?
Listen: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Conference Call
Yesterday Senator Kirsten Gillibrand hosted a conference call with the NYSYD to update everyone on what she’s up to as our Senator, and then answer some questions.
Take a listen!
Come On By – Thompson
NYC Comptroller and Democratic Mayoral Candidate Bill Thompson wants you to stop by his office. Really. You. TONIGHT. You free?
In what he’s billing as “the biggest grassroots movement this City has ever seen,” Thompson has been struggling these past few months to get the spotlight away from the Bloomberg campaign. Though, polls clearly show Bloomberg in the lead, they also show that 3/4 of New Yorkers don’t know enough about the presumptive Democratic nominee. That might not paint the most ideal picture for Thompson, especially considering that Bloomberg has opted out of public financing and pledged to spend over $80 million of his own money in the general election, but those familiar with polling data will tell you that it also means that Thompson has nowhere to go but up.
So, if you’re one of those 3 out of 4 NYers who don’t know much about Bill Thompson, come on by his campaign office TONIGHT, Wednesday July 8th, anytime after 5pm @ 99 Madison Ave (29th St) on the 7th Floor.
PS – Note the blatant Obamaesque logo animation at the end.
DA FORUM – July 16th
Next week, MYD is hosting a forum for the Democratic candidates for DA – the first time we’ve had a real race for DA in several decades! All three candidates will be there and it’s at 6:30 pm on Thursday July 16th at Pace University. If you would like to submit a question to be asked, please do so at the bottom of this post. See you there!
DA FORUM DETAILS:
Who:
Candidates for Manhattan DA (Vance, Crocker Snyder, and Aborn)
What:
Question and Answer forum moderated by MYD (questions from MYD and audience)
When:
Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 6:30pm
Where:
Pace University’s Multipurpose Room
1 Pace Plaza, NY, NY 10038
(Across from City Hall ~ Enter at the Schimmel Theater on Spruce Street)
cforms contact form by delicious:days
60 is the Magic Number
While our own state’s Senate continues to devolve into chaos, some very good news comes out of the U.S. Senate. Today, finally, Al Franken was sworn in as a junior Senator from Minnesota.
Al takes the oath (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
We’d like to offer our congratulations to one-time Manhattanite (and MN native) Al Franken on becoming the 60th Democrat in the U.S. Senate!
Maybe one day our very own Al will be sworn in as an elected official.
Fred Dicker Gave Up. Have You?
Fred Dicker, State News Editor for The New York Post, wrote an op-ed that everyone is talking about.
I’ve covered Govs. Hugh Carey, Mario Cuomo, George Pataki, Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson and for New York to wind up like this after 35 years of modern leadership, it’s clear to me that my real job has been to chronicle the devolution — the decay and decline — of New York state.
We’re going backwards, not forwards, and of late we’ve even been falling apart.
The Empire State — once a beacon of progressive state government to the nation — is on the brink of ruin. And it doesn’t look like anything can be done to stop it.
In two words: We’re doomed.
Read Dicker’s full op-ed here.
Dicker is right, in some respects. But it isn’t necessarily all of our elected officials who are at fault, but the structure of the state government itself. Read more
Join us at facebook.com/gomyd
Last week we told you about our new Facebook page. This week, we’ve got our own Facebook URL alias:
Even of you are already a member of our facebook group, please “Become a Fan” of the page. We will be closing the group in the near future.
Citizens Union: Gov Can Appoint New Lt Gov and Solve Senate Crisis
I just saw this news release (pdf) from Citizens Union, an interesting take on how the state senate deadlock might be broken. From their blurb:
Citizens Union, in a joint letter with Assemblymember Gianaris and its good government colleague Common Cause/NY, outlined a process under current law that would allow Governor Paterson to appoint a Lieutenant Governor and help bring an end to the ongoing deadlock in the State Senate.
CU is arguing that under the Public Officers Law, Paterson can in fact appoint a new Lt. Gov to break the deadlock. I’m not a lawyer…comments on this?
Gannett’s Joseph Spector reports that GOP Sen. George Winner responded to suggestion by citing a 1943 finding by the then-attorney general that this was not legal, to which Assemblyman Gianaris responded that the Court of Appeals later ruled that it could be done, contrary to the AG’s finding.
Meanwhile, according to this from Gannett’s Cara Matthews, the framework Citizens Union is promoting looks pretty reasonable (frighteningly so, after the last month’s insanity):
Dick Dadey, executive director of Citizens Union, said the preference would be for the governor to recommend someone and have the person ratified in separate votes by the Assembly and Senate.
The Daily News’ Liz Benjamin also has interesting comments.
Fingers crossed? Maybe?
