…Governor David Paterson’s approval rating is at a dreadful 20% among registered voters in New York State…
…Just 16% of voters statewide believe the State Senate is doing either an excellent or good job in office, and nearly a majority — 48% — thinks the legislative body is performing poorly…
(editor’s note: we’d like to meet that 16% and ask them how much their making off our tax dollars)
…Only 13% of New York State voters approve of the job the Assembly is doing while 47% give the chamber poor marks…
Check out the results of their poll released on 11/23/2009 here or by visiting http://maristpoll.marist.edu/1123-voters-want-change-in-albany/.
One way to create some change is to vote
You can register to vote by clicking here or here. You can also do the slower routes (via phone, mail or in person) by checking out the details offered here from the new york state board of elections.
]]>To hear the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee tell it, two-term Staten Island Democrat Janele Hyer-Spencer is responsible for all the dysfunction [...]]]>
To hear the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee tell it, two-term Staten Island Democrat Janele Hyer-Spencer is responsible for all the dysfunction in New York, from joblessness to soaring energy costs to the state’s overwhelming tax burden…
Unsatisfied with their position as a permanent minority, Assembly Republicans, down to a new membership low, are determined to capitalize on what they believe is an anti-incumbency mood among voters by winning as many seats back from the Democrats next year as they can.
Hyer-Spencer’s response?
Hyer-Spencer said that she will always be a target for Republicans as long as her district represents such a narrow margin between Democratic and Republican voters.
“It could be me or Mother Teresa holding the seat,” she said. “It’s not the person they give a shit about, it’s the seat they want back.”
A rather candid analysis.
Check out the rest of the details, including just how close the last two races for her seat have been, by clicking here or visiting http://www.nycapitolnews.com/news/126/ARTICLE/1596/2009-11-17.html
Perhaps this is the dawn of a grittier Janele Hyer-Spencer–JHS: the Brooklyn Brawla.
We welcome the candor.
]]>From Civ Source, this happy news this morning.
The New York State Senate launched a new website this month, designed to allow citizens to find, share and comment on all legislation being considered by the Senate. The robust search engine behind Open Legislation, its comment capabilities, and its open-source framework is part of a broader effort to make government more open, transparent and accessible government, officials said.
“The launch of the Open Legislation site will move the Senate a step closer to the more inclusive and transparent government New Yorkers deserve,” Senate Majority Conference Leader John L. Sampson said in a statement.
The web tool allows users to search by keywords, and then organize the results by sponsor, committee, recent actions, and recent votes (Although for some reason there seem to be absolutely NO recent votes. Strange considering how they just passed Leandra’s law. Hm...). Users can also leave comments, recommend articles to social networking sites and debate details (where they can be found). Give it a try by visiting http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/ or clicking here.
]]>New York State today enacted some of the toughest drunk driving laws in the country. The crackdown comes after a pair of horrifying crashes involving mothers and children, as CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor reports.
It’s a nationwide problem, with nearly 12,000 people killed in drunk driving crashes last year – one fatality every 45 minutes.
The New York bill is named after Leandra Rosado, an 11-year-old New York City girl killed in a crash last month after a friend’s mother allegedly drove drunk.
The bill passed through the Assembly, but Malcom Smith threatened to slow it down at the State Senate. In the end, Senate leadership decided Leandra’s Law is a little bigger than politics. The Times Union explains.
The bill, which was passed by the Assembly last night, hit the Senate floor despite yesterday’s suggestion from Temporary President Malcolm Smith that the measure would have to wait until after the deficit package had been hammered out.
“We talked about it with members on both sides of the aisle,” Smith said after the Senate stood at ease. ” … We didn’t want to get this mixed up in the politics of the DRP, and I agreed with that as well. Our intention was to try and do it all at once, but clearly this represents something totally different.”
State Senator Diane Sevino (D- Brooklyn, Staten Isle) spoke in emotional terms about the bill… more from the times union.
Sen. Diane Savino, D-Staten Island/Brooklyn, spoke with a quaver in her voice as she described spending her childhood with two alcoholic parents. “We have an obligation not to turn a blind eye to our family members who are alcoholics or drug addicts,” Savino said.
The father of Leandra Rosado, Lenny Rosado, was in attendance for the emotional 58-0 vote. After it passed, Mr. Rosado received a warm ovation from members of the State Senate. A rare day in Albany to say the least.
UPDATE: Our own State Senator Marty Golden missed the vote for Leandra’s Law. T/h to the Observer.
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