Tag Archive

Wasn’t it just 1998? Weren’t we just discussing the definition of “is”?

I asked the TU’s Casey Seiler, Cuyler News Service’s Betty Flood and the NY Daily News’ Ken Lovett which stories would make their lists of the Top 10 NYS Stories of the Decade. You would think that with three lists, there would be some overlap, right? Surprisingly, there was very little duplication. Here are their lists: (What would you include on yours?)

Casey —

Fall of Joe Bruno

Evolution of Sheldon Silver

The “Bluing’ of New York State

The “Shrinking” of Rudy Giuliani

The Coup

Betty —

Richard Ravitch wins the LG court fight

The Coup

Stock Plunge

The 4 Amigos

Marty Markowitz buys a house in Brooklyn

Gay Marriage vote

Kenny –

9/11

Spitzer’s resignation &  how the ”promise” of reform devolved into hookers and scandal

Fiscal Crisis

Hevesi & Bruno conviction and the deteriorating ethical climate in Albany.

Pension Fund scandal

1st Lady becomes US Senator

The Coup

Senate flips to Democrats

New York’s first Black & blind Governor (also first Black Majority Leader/Senate President & Hispanic Majority leader)

Hillary & Rudy run for President

US Senate Appointment (first time since 1965 that a NY Governor has gotten to chose)

Paterson’s fall, and Schumer & Silver’s rise

Best line of the day:

”He negotiated with terrorists”.

  – Ken Lovett, referring to Malcolm Smith, in response to a question about why the State Senate this year de-evolved into chaos.

Coming up on Wednesday’s edition of The Capitol Pressroom:

Mike Gormley of the Associated Press and Jimmy Vielkind of the NY Observer join me with the political headlines. Kelly Cheezum of Clarkson University discusses the challenges of bringing broadband to the Adirondack Park. And Mitch Abolafia, an expert on the Federal Reserve, will be here to discuss how the Fed’s response to the financial crisis affected both New York State and New York City — and how we may be feeling the effects of the response in 2010.

For more information on The Capitol Pressroom, visit www.thecapitolpressroom.org

Pow.

A black-eye for Albany.

The significance of Joe Bruno’s conviction on 2 counts of corruption of power will be known next year after the legislature does, or does not, pass ethics reform.

The charismatic former Senate Majority Leader was done in by what boils down to this:

Accepting money from several companies run by his friend and Loudonville (fancy Albany bedroom community) businessman Jared Abbruzzese in exchange for really doing… nothing.

Again, this from the Albany Times Union’s Rob Gavin:

Abbruzzese noted the senator appeared at swanky dinners in New York City as a consultant and introduced Abbruzzese to celebrities — including Donald Trump — to help him with possible development of golf courses in Florida.

Prosecutors had another view: that Bruno’s employment with Abbruzzese was nothing but an influence-peddling scheme, and that the senator was effectively being paid gifts.

They noted Abbruzzeze had helped found the Troy-based Evident Technologies, which was earlier approved for $500,000 in state grants through Bruno.

Just how easy is it in Albany to mix business & political influence?   Today we will speak with Glenn Blain of the New York Daily News about the trial, the verdict, the March 2010 conviction and the great question of Albany’s future. 

Dean David Rubin of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School joins me to discuss how the media are covering issues in Albany.  What letter grade to we deserve?

And our series on gas drilling continues, this time we hear from the drillers’ perspective with Brad Gill, the head of the  Oil & Gas Association of NYS.

It’s all coming up on The Capitol Pressroom.   Listen on-line or on-the-air.