Parents and Educators Say To State Legislators "No Cuts to Education!" at 18 Events across NYS

by: AQE

Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 14:08:46 PM EST

For students in the classrooms these cuts would be more than personal: losing a teacher or being stuffed into overcrowded classes, giving up after-school programs and extra supports would challenge their educational opportunities permanently.  Today we came together to say no - each child deserves their full learning opportunities. Our press release is HERE.

Pictures are HERE from the event in Albany where participants included: the Alliance for Quality Education, Campaign for Fiscal Equity, the New York State Council of School Superintendents, the New York State School Boards Association, the New York State United Teachers, the New York State Parent Teacher Association, the School Administrators Association of New York State, Bishop Orlando Findlayter of Churches United to Save and Heal (A Coalition of 140 Brooklyn Congregations), Parents and Local School Officials.

Here's A Full list of the Events:

Albany - Legislative Office Building LCA press room, 11:00 A.M.
Jamestown - Jefferson Middle School library, 195 Martin Road,  1:30 P.M.
Peru - Peru Central School District High School community room, 17 School Street, 12:00 P.M.
Troy - Troy High School, 1950 Burdett Avenue, 11:00 A.M.
Schenectady - Mount Pleasant Middle School, 121 Forest Road, 11:00 A.M.
Yonkers - Lincoln High School library, 375 Kneeland Avenue, 11:30 A.M.
Longwood - Longwood CSD, Longwood High School library, 100 Longwood Road, 12:00 P.M.
Syracuse - Edward Smith Middle School cafeteria, 1106 Lancaster Avenue, 6:00 P.M.
Peekskill- Peekskill High School library, 1072 Elm Street, 11:00 A.M.
Manhattan-Murry Bergtraum High School, 411 Pearl Street, 12:30P.M.
Manhattan -MS 54 Booker T. Washington School, 103 West 107th Street, 3:00 P.M.
Bronx-PS 11 -Town Hall Meeting,1257 Ogden Avenue, 5:00 P.M.
Brooklyn-IS 318 Eugenio Maria De Hostos 101 Walton Street, 3:00 P.M.
Brooklyn-PS 13 Roberto Clemente Press Conference, 557 Pennsylvania Avenue, 12:00 P.M.
Brooklyn-IS 171 Abraham Lincoln - Town Hall Meeting, 528 Ridgewood Avenue, 6:00-8:00 P.M.
Queens-IS 125 Thomas J McCann, 46-02 47th Avenue, Woodside, 3:00 P.M.
Queens-Make the Road, 92-10 Roosevelt Avenue, Elmhurst, 11:00 A.M.
Staten Island - PS 45R, 58 Lawrence Avenue, 2:30 P.M.

This is Getting Ridiculous

by: urizon

Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 17:58:48 PM EST

Gov. David A. Paterson violated state ethics laws when he secured free tickets to the opening game of the World Series from the Yankees last fall for himself and others, the New York State Commission on Public Integrity charged on Wednesday. The accusation came as the governor, already mired in scandal, met with his cabinet and insisted he would stay in office.

In addition to violating the state's ban on gifts to public officials, Mr. Paterson falsely testified under oath that he had intended to pay for the tickets for his son and his son's friend, according to the commission. Mr. Paterson had never intended to pay for the tickets, the commission determined, and did so only after inquiries from the news media, after which he submitted a backdated check as payment. (emphasis mine)

What the hell did we do to deserve this?  

"Tell her the governor wants her to make this go away"

by: phillip anderson

Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 22:52:09 PM EST

A key figure in the domestic abuse scandal bedeviling Gov. David A. Paterson told investigators that the governor phoned to enlist her help in quieting the accuser, according to a person with knowledge of her account.

"Tell her the governor wants her to make this go away," Deneane Brown said Mr. Paterson told her, according to the person. Ms. Brown, a state worker, was friends with both the governor and the woman who says that a senior aide to Mr. Paterson roughed her up in a violent Halloween altercation.

It's certainly not going away now, is it?

Unbelievable.

NYT: Paterson Personally Directed Staff To Contact Violence Victim

by: phillip anderson

Mon Mar 01, 2010 at 23:28:34 PM EST

Paterson Is Said to Have Ordered Calls in Abuse Case

Gov. David A. Paterson personally directed two state employees to contact the woman who had accused his close aide of assaulting her, according to two people with direct knowledge of the governor's actions.

Mr. Paterson instructed his press secretary, Marissa Shorenstein, to ask the woman to publicly describe the episode as nonviolent, according to a third person, who was briefed on the matter. That description would contradict the woman's accounts to the police and in court.

Mr. Paterson also enlisted another state employee, Deneane Brown, a friend of both the governor and the accuser, to make contact with the woman before she was due in court to finalize an order of protection against the aide, David W. Johnson, the two people with direct knowledge said. Ms. Brown, an employee of the Division of Housing and Community Renewal, reached out to the woman on more than one occasion over a period of several days and arranged a phone call between the governor and the woman, Mr. Johnson's companion.

After the calls from Ms. Brown and the conversation with the governor, the woman failed to appear for the court hearing on Feb. 8, and the case was dropped.

These accounts provide the first evidence that Mr. Paterson helped direct an effort to influence the accuser.

Just when you thought this whole sordid tale couldn't get worse, it does. Can anyone tell me that what the governor and his staff engaged in here isn't de facto witness tampering? Don't people go to jail for that?

Say what you want to about Spitzer, but when the Times had him dead to rights, he manned up, admitted it and walked away.

The Paterson Presser Live

by: phillip anderson

Fri Feb 26, 2010 at 14:55:14 PM EST

Does he go the Full Monty and resign? Take the poll.

UPDATE: And he's out....of the race. Paterson says "I have never abused my office, not now, not ever." and vows to serve out the rest of the term.

Actual NYT 'Bombshell' Drops Straight On Paterson's Head

by: phillip anderson

Wed Feb 24, 2010 at 21:47:49 PM EST

Last fall, a woman went to court in the Bronx to testify that she had been violently assaulted by a top aide to Gov. David A. Paterson, and to seek a protective order against the man.

In the ensuing months, she returned to court twice to press her case, complaining that the State Police had been harassing her to drop it. The State Police, which had no jurisdiction in the matter, confirmed that the woman was visited by a member of the governor's personal security detail.

Then early this month, days before she was due to return to court to seek a final protective order, the woman got a phone call from the governor, according to her lawyer. She failed to appear for her next hearing on Feb. 8, and as a result her case was dismissed.

...

On Wednesday night, in response to inquiries from The New York Times, a senior administration official said Mr. Paterson would request that Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo investigate his administration's handling of the matter. The official also said the governor would suspend Mr. Johnson without pay. He declined to answer any specific questions about the governor's role in the matter.

It's worse than you already think. You should really go read the whole thing.

UPDATE: Just got this statement via email from the Governor's office:

"Serious questions have been raised about contact the State Police may have had with a private citizen who filed a complaint against a member of my staff. Any allegation of improper influence must be investigated thoroughly and completely.

"Superintendent Harry Corbitt has directed the State Police to conduct an internal investigation into this matter. I have full faith and trust in the integrity and ability of the State Police to conduct a thorough investigation.

"Because of the seriousness of these allegations, and the sensitive role of this staff member in my Administration, I am asking the Attorney General to investigate the matter to ensure in the public's mind that a comprehensive and independent inquiry has been conducted. Pending the outcome of the investigation, I am suspending David Johnson without pay."

NYT Drops 'Bombshell' Story About David.....Johnson?

by: phillip anderson

Wed Feb 17, 2010 at 08:21:36 AM EST

David W. Johnson has worked for Gov. David A. Paterson for much of his adult life. He began as a young, ambitious intern from Harlem when Mr. Paterson was a state legislator. He rose to be Mr. Paterson's driver, serving as a kind of protector and scheduler.

In recent months, however, Mr. Johnson's ascent has been striking: he is now one of the most senior people in the governor's administration, paid $132,000. He is described as Mr. Paterson's closest confidant, a man with a designated room for his overnight stays in the Executive Mansion, and a broadening role in areas like campaign strategy, government initiatives and the management of the governor's staff.

A review of Mr. Johnson's rise and his history, undertaken after he emerged as perhaps the man closest to the state's chief executive, shows that he was twice arrested on felony drug charges as a teenager, including a charge of selling cocaine to an undercover officer in Harlem.

The examination of his background, based on interviews and records, shows he has at least one other arrest, for misdemeanor assault in the 1990s, although there is very little publicly available about that case.

New York Times: Nope, not us

by: simonstl

Mon Feb 15, 2010 at 08:24:20 AM EST

As the rumors of a bombshell story move beyond their shelf-life, the New York Times Public Editor writes a bit on the supposed Paterson story and last weekend's wildfire:

The furor erupted as Paterson, a Democrat, is preparing for a difficult election fight and facing calls from within his own party to step aside for fear he cannot win. It is a normal time for a paper like The Times to prepare an in-depth examination of his nearly two-year tenure, and Times reporters have been interviewing sources about him...

I think The Times and Paterson were caught in a terrible spot, but I think the paper is right to maintain its silence until ready to speak with an article on its own pages. It could have denied the Paterson rumors. But what if the next time it really was looking into a scandal involving a public figure? Silence then would speak volumes. The demands for comment on work in progress could be limitless.

I'll be slower to jump next time, I hope.

Paterson To Resign?

by: phillip anderson

Sun Feb 07, 2010 at 20:22:25 PM EST

People keep asking me if I have heard anything more than what everyone else has. I haven't.

You?

Again?

by: simonstl

Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 17:10:33 PM EST

I've been holding off on writing about this, because it seems to come drip by drip. There are more of them appearing lately, though - Liz Benjamin, NGD, and now Capitol Confidential. The New York Times seems to be the journalistic epicenter of the story - we'll see what happens, I guess.

Destiny may not always be what it seems. If this turns out to be real, I fear for New York State going forward.

Is Steve Levy really considering a switch to the GOP?

by: cliffweathers

Tue Jan 19, 2010 at 16:28:00 PM EST

They're now just short of predicting that Democratic Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy will be switching parties in his run for the Governor's seat come November.  

Headline Of The Day

by: phillip anderson

Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 10:20:18 AM EST

Siena poll: Cuomo's 60-point lead not within margin of error.

Ouch.

This guy wants to be the Governor???

by: Amherst Guy

Mon Oct 26, 2009 at 13:57:02 PM EDT

Napoleon?
The Anti-Christ?
Hitler?

How about all three in one quick "joke".

As first reported by Liz Benjamin in the New York Daily News this morning, Erie County Executive and Gubernatorial candidate-in-waiting Chris Collins tried to make a funny last night

Collins referenced famed French seer Nostradamus' prediction that there would be three anti-Christs before the Apocalypse.

He said it's generally accepted the first was Napoleon and the second Hitler.

He said he was "pretty sure" the third is [Assembly Speaker Sheldon] Silver, a Manhattan Democrat

Apparently Collins was speaking to a room full of decent people, because the response was, well, muted:

"No one clapped. No one cheered. No one laughed," said a Western New York Republican who was at the event. "I know I didn't. I thought it was a little harsh to be calling someone an anti-Christ." (New York Daily News)

One of those attending Saturday's dinner called the statement "unbelievable."

"It was staggering," said the Republican, who asked not to be identified. "It took my breath away. You just don't say something like that." (The Buffalo News)

Note: that was the response from a room full of Republicans.

Collins is State Republican Chairman Edward Cox's handpicked candidate for Governor next year, meaning that if Paterson runs, he will probably be the governor in 15 months.

I personally have a lot of trouble relating to or coming to the defense of Sheldon Silver, but no one deserves to be called the Anti-Christ, and it is especially inappropriate to compare a Jewish man to the single most offensive anti-semite in history. Collins has been apologizing profusely all day, calling the joke "a mistake", but it rings hollow - if the joke is so clearly a mistake, why tell it in the first place? Did he think it was okay because he was among friends?

Obama to Paterson: Don't

by: simonstl

Sat Sep 19, 2009 at 23:39:24 PM EDT

I agree with the President that it would probably be better for all concerned if Governor Paterson didn't run again. However, I really have to wonder if Obama's regular involvement in New York politics is a good thing:

The decision to ask Mr. Paterson to step aside was proposed by political advisers to Mr. Obama, but approved by the president himself, one of the administration officials said....

The move against a sitting Democratic governor represents an extraordinary intervention into a state political race by the president, and is a delicate one, given that Mr. Paterson is one of only two African-American governors in the nation....

"The message the White House wanted to send - that it wants Paterson to step aside - was delivered," said the Democratic operative, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were intended to be confidential. "He is resistant."

I think we'd better build a much more thriving democratic political culture in New York State, one that doesn't invite such tinkering.

Paterson vetoes open government, again

by: simonstl

Wed May 13, 2009 at 12:15:26 PM EDT

Sorry, Governor - you've now lost my sympathy completely. First there was this veto of a bill that would have helped people understand meetings, and now he vetoed this:

Strengthens the open meetings law by providing two alternatives to court invalidation of an action taken when any aspect of a meeting is closed in violation of the law: first, a court may stay the implementation of an action taken at such a meeting and remand the action to the public body for reconsideration and second, a court may, upon finding a violation of law, impose a fine of up to five hundred dollars on the public body.

Maybe he didn't think the $500 fine large enough? Somehow I don't think that's the problem.

I remember Paterson speaking on the need to open government to citizens and voters, and how the Republican State Senate was such a barrier. He didn't mention that he was planning to take over as barrier.

We lost a lot more with Spitzer than I realized at the time.

Update: More here. I'm still not impressed. Of course the $500 would come out of taxpayer dollars. That might, you know, lead taxpayers to think about their government's operation a bit more. Geez...

Siena Poll: Gov Continues Slide, Marriage Equality Gaining Steam

by: phillip anderson

Mon Apr 20, 2009 at 10:45:56 AM EDT

The numbers for Paterson are pretty much universally bad, but the one that really sticks out is this one. Only 12 percent of New Yorkers are prepared to vote for Paterson next year. A whopping 71 percent are looking to vote for an unnamed "someone else." The Governor even loses out to his immediate predecessors as New Yorkers would prefer to see Mario Cuomo, George Pataki, or even Eliot Spitzer back in office over Paterson.

"Voters are pining for the days of Mario Cuomo (39 percent) and George Pataki (33 percent) as Governor," Greenberg said. "A plurality of Democrats and independent voters would choose Mario and a majority of Republicans chose George. While 14 percent of all voters want to see Spitzer back in the Capitol, only eight percent would opt to have Paterson as Governor if choosing among the last four to hold that office."

That's gotta hurt.

In other news, a majority of the state now supports Marriage Equality for all New Yorkers, support that is strongest in New York City, but is strong in all regions of the state.

Interesting times, these.

Q-Poll: 53% Of New Yorkers Say Paterson Shouldn't Run

by: phillip anderson

Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 09:51:38 AM EDT

Voters Say 3-1 Paterson Does Not Deserve Election, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Most Say He Should Announce Now He Won't Run

New York State voters disapprove 60 - 28 percent of the job Gov. David Paterson is doing, the lowest approval ever for a New York Governor, and say 63 - 22 percent that he does not deserve to be elected to a full four-year term, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Gov. Paterson's approval is so low that he should announce now that he won't run for election to a four-year term next year, 53 percent of voters tell the independent Quinnipiac University poll, while 39 percent say he can restore his reputation and should run next year. Even Democrats say 49 - 45 percent that he should drop out of the race now.

New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, with a near-record high 75 - 14 percent approval rating, tops Paterson in a Democratic primary 61 - 18 percent.

In a general election, Republican Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, tops Paterson 53 - 32 percent.

Cuomo tops Giuliani 53 - 36 percent in a head-to-head matchup.

Voters disapprove 70 - 19 percent of the way Paterson is handling the New York State budget. Democrats disapprove 63 - 25 percent.

"So long, David, voters tell Gov. Paterson. His job approval tanks at 28 percent. The slide started with the Caroline Kennedy flap and deepened with the humongous state budget passed last week. The budget was an opportunity for Paterson to reverse his slide, but voters disapprove almost 4-1 of the way he handled it," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

"Don't wait for 2010, Governor, New Yorkers say. Announce now that you won't run. Voters say almost 3-1 Paterson doesn't deserve a full 4-year term."

Voters aren't the only ones sending Paterson a message either. Liz reports that top Dem donors are telling the Governor privately that he'd better turn his numbers around quick, November at the latest, or he should forget about a 2010 run for a full term.

Top New York Democrats have privately set a deadline of early November for Gov. Paterson to turn his poll numbers around or they'll urge him not to run next year.

"The idea is to let him get through the budget and get through the summer," said a prominent Democratic donor who sees the fall elections as the cutoff for Paterson's improvement.

"Nobody really wants to go to a sitting Democratic governor who's African-American and say, 'Hey. You're a disgrace. Get out.'"

Paterson allies hold out hope he'll be able to mount a timely comeback, but admit his historically low job approval rating - a March Siena poll pegged it at 19% - presents a significant challenge.

"Even if he went up 100%, it wouldn't be much," the donor said. "The goal is to be close to 50, but I think if he could climb over 40%, he can begin to show real momentum."

I'm sure that Rudy Giuliani hopes that the Governor is able to make something of a comeback, at least enough of one to make a credible run and scare off any potential Dem primary challengers. Smelling blood in the water, Giuliani is once again hitting the GOP fundraising circuit and making noises about a run for Governor. (He could use a new gig as his firm, Giuliani Partners, is tanking) Giuliani would be crushed in a general election against Cuomo, but could most likely beat soundly a mortally wounded Paterson. Rudy's only real shot at the Governor's mansion is keeping Paterson on the ballot.

Given this, it shouldn't surprise anyone that a majority of New Yorkers seem to want Paterson to hang it up.

VIDEO: Malcolm Smith On Rock Law Reform

by: phillip anderson

Fri Mar 27, 2009 at 13:14:33 PM EDT

It's Official: Rockefeller Drug Law Reform Deal Reached

by: phillip anderson

Fri Mar 27, 2009 at 12:48:22 PM EDT

New York Gov. David Paterson and legislative leaders have agreed to ease drug laws that were once among the harshest in the nation and led a movement more than 30 years ago toward mandatory prison terms.

The agreement rolls back some of the tougher sentencing provisions pushed through the Legislature in 1973 by then-Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, a Republican who said they were needed to fight a drug-related "reign of terror."

Critics have long claimed the laws were draconian and crowded prisons with people who would be better served with treatment.

Paterson says Friday that judges will now be able to use techniques like treatment and counseling that have proven more effective than prison for low-level offenders. At the same time, penalties will be toughened for drug kingpins.

It's long overdue and I'm very curious to see the reactions to the details from those who have been following this decades long tragedy closest.

The full press release from the Three Men is in the extended entry.

UPDATE: Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) just released this statement:

"I am very proud to be a part of history today and finally see the Rockefeller Drug Laws reformed.  The reforms announced today will restore judicial sentencing discretion and substantially expand alternatives to incarceration for non-violent drug offenders.

It has been a long hard fight to reform these archaic drug laws and today is the culmination of decades of hard work and advocacy from countless people, all of whom deserve praise for helping to achieve these needed reforms."

Finally: Rockefeller Drug Law Deal Reached

by: phillip anderson

Thu Mar 26, 2009 at 02:49:27 AM EDT

Albany Reaches Deal to Repeal '70s-Era Drug Laws

Gov. David A. Paterson and New York legislative leaders have reached an agreement to dismantle much of what remains of the state's strict 1970s-era drug laws, once among the toughest in the nation.

The deal would repeal many of the mandatory minimum prison sentences now in place for lower-level drug felons, giving judges the authority to send first-time nonviolent offenders to treatment instead of prison.

The plan would also expand drug treatment programs and widen the reach of drug courts at a cost of at least $50 million.

New York's drug sentencing laws, imposed during a heroin epidemic that was devastating urban areas nearly four decades ago, helped spur a nationwide trend toward mandatory sentences in drug crimes. But as many other states moved to roll back the mandatory minimum sentences in recent years, New York kept its laws on the books, leaving prosecutors with the sole discretion of whether offenders could be sent to treatment.

...

Passing drug law revisions would give Senate Democrats a significant legislative victory at a time when Republicans are hammering them, saying they are disorganized and ineffective.

Senator Eric T. Schneiderman, a Manhattan Democrat who has led the effort in the Senate to overhaul the drug statutes, said he was confident he had support in the Senate to pass the plan.

"It's no secret the Senate's old majority was the primary barrier to reforming our drug laws," he said. "But this is one of the reasons we fought so hard to take the majority. This is what our supporters have expected us to do."

This four decade long experiment proved to be an utter disaster that destroyed families, especially those of people of color, denied judges the discretion to serve justice and led to the distortion of the state's political system by taking poor urban drug offenders from their communities and placing them in rural upstate prisons where they were counted as residents for purposes of apportionment, funding and redistricting.

It's profoundly disappointing that it has taken so long to finally repeal much of this sad abomination, but I guess it's better late than never. And let's face it, those folks in Albany needed this pretty bad as well, particularly Paterson and Smith.