It’s like a Broadway play. The Albany hit, “3 Men In A Room” is back for another season, though there’s been a cast change. The plot’s the same familiar one you’ve come to know and love, though — there’s a crisis and we’ll only know at the finale whether all three men have overcome their conflicts to create a happy ending.
The role of Majority Leader of the Senate will now be played by Republican Dean Skelos, with the retirement of Joe Bruno.
The curtain rises on a rare Sunday matinee edition of “3 Men In A Room”. They’ve been called together by the
Governor, who sees a financial crisis coming. At the same time each leader said the state may run short of money, two of them also pushed for a plan that will limit the amount of money the state can get its hands on. Skelos said the Senate will come back into session and approve a cap on school property taxes that voters support. Democratic leader of the Assembly Shelly Silver won’t support the cap unless school aid is preserved. (And on a related note, the owner of Oswego County’s Fiztpatrick nuclear plant is trying to spin off its plants to a new subsidiary, one which would end a $400 million revenue deal with the state.)
In other words, though the cast changes, the drama remains the same.
Dysfunction Junction:
- Joe Bruno’s last day in office saw him take a farewell bus tour. And, it appears, turning down an offer to be a “special advisor” to holiday barbecue buddy Gov. Paterson.
- Will this be the year incumbents lose at the ballot box because of the dysfunction (see the top item) of Albany?
- Speaking of dysfunction: The liberal blog The Albany Report says it’s analysis shows that Assembly Democratic leader Sheldon Silver has given money to exactly one Democratic campaign for State Senate, leading to speculation that he wants Republicans to keep the Senate so he can keep his veto power.
- Speaking of dysfunction, II: Senate Democrats may not be getting along with their Governor.
Elsewhere:
- Gov. Paterson will back an idea to create a low-cost student loan program today.
- Counties are nervous about changing an elections system that’s been working for decades.
- Home health care workers are hit hard by the rise in gas prices.
Apropos Of Not Much:
- On the menu: Enough calories to choke a horse.
- “Green menace” may kill ash trees Upstate.
- Voting rights lawyer arrested, charged with promoting a different kind of transparency.
- When these lifeguards speak, you listen.
- The guitar playing is an illusion, but the amputation is real.
And Finally:
- The newest new trend: Pedicure by fish (just don’t use the Piranha tank by mistake).
Thoughts? Throw ’em in the comments.
[The Daily Briefing is neither hard news nor commentary, but a skewed look at notable stuff around the state. And it’s free, providing great value for your money.]
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