 
We”™re not so sure if the recent rearrangement of political hierarchy in the state Senate was a lasting coup d”™etat or a short-lived beer hall putsch. Only time will tell.
But one thing we are sure of is that it was another embarrassing display of a fractious, myopic, power-hungry, finger-pointing ”¦ oh, what”™s the word ”“ dysfunctional ”“ Legislature that has failed to represent the best interests of the people of the state.
In short, what happened was that two Democratic senators ”“ Pedro Espada Jr. and Hiram Monserrate ”“ sided with their new GOP brethren and sisters in a swiftly invoked parliamentary procedure to wrest control of the Senate from Democrats. The move ”“ allegedly engineered in part by perennial gubernatorial candidate Thomas Golisano ”“ was sweet for Espada. His new role as Senate president, along with the fact that that no one is sitting in the lieutenant governor”™s chair, would make Espada the acting governor if anything should befall David Paterson or even if he were to go on a trip outside the state.
That would be a major turn of events for Espada who has been under investigation for campaign finance infractions.
And in being fair to Espada, his fellow Democratic renegade, Monserrate, is also no stranger to investigations. He was indicted earlier this year on charges of slashing his girlfriend.
Depending on how their respective legal issues are resolved, their political futures could be in jeopardy and once again plunge the Senate into disarray. Perhaps former/new Majority Leader Dean Skelos should recruit more disgruntled Democrats in case he loses these two rebels to the judicial system.
What led to this latest chapter of dysfunctionality is how the Democrats treated their Republican counterparts. The newly minted Democratic majority showed no bipartisanship. Perhaps it was a way of showing the Republicans how they did the same during four decades of ruling the house.
During their short-lived time of ruling the roost, the Democrats did little to help business in the state, such as capping property taxes. Instead, they reverted to the traditional backroom politics of hashing out a deplorable $131 billion state budget laden with 52 new fees and taxes.
Ask any business owner, when you hire a new employee you expect him to work. The Democrats did not grasp that concept and instead were apparently still gloating over their takeover of the Senate, failing to realize that they had to do some governing.
And the governing they did do was more hurtful to business in the Hudson Valley than what had been done before. Witness the MTA bailout that is costing businesses in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess and Orange counties 34 cents in new taxes per $100 of payroll. Ulster County, which is not one of the scapegoats in the bailout, could leverage the payroll tax as an incentive to lure new businesses.
The Democrats spoke of more transparency in government, even ballyhooing a brand new Web site (nysenate.gov) that would offer taxpayers a window into the workings of the Senate. But try looking up on that site how much it cost to create or how many people were hired to operate it and their respective salaries. It seems the shade was pulled down over that window.
Instead, the Democratic majority eliminated the STAR rebate program, invoked a “temporary” ”“ ha-ha good one ”“ three-year personal income tax increase on high-income taxpayers, eliminated all itemized personal income tax deductions except for charitable deductions for high-income taxpayers, imposed a sales tax on limousine companies, increased tax rates on beer and wine, and, well you get the picture.
Will this shakeup in the Senate be a return of the GOP of old or will it be, as Skelos promises, one of more accountability and fairness?
Republican lawmakers, the ball is now back in your court and there are a lot more people in the stands watching. Stand by your word and create a coalition that will return the luster to the once Empire State.
As we continue our series Taxed Out, we invite you to join the discussion.
Do so by sending us e-mails ”“ bobr@westfairinc.com and cmcbride@westfairinc.com ”“ or by adding your comments below.
Don”™t hold back. Tell us exactly what you think. Offer ways to help fix the problems facing business. We want to help get your voice heard in Albany.
