Post by Anja Nieser on Sept 17, 2006 23:43:37 GMT -5
Spitzer's Goals May Test Uneasy Alliance With Speaker
From the moment he announced that he was running for governor, Eliot
Spitzer has described New York's government as being in "crisis," and he
made it clear he believes that part of the problem lies with the State
Legislature.
He complained that lawmakers deferred most of the difficult issues
confronting the state in their most recent budgets. He helped defeat a
constitutional amendment that would have given lawmakers more budgetary
powers. And he has vowed to end one of the Legislature's most closely
guarded prerogatives: its practice of drawing district lines to protect
incumbents.
In taking these positions, Mr. Spitzer, who is the Democratic attorney
general, has found himself on a collision course with the Assembly
speaker, Sheldon Silver, who has been the most powerful Democrat in state
government for nearly 12 years. One of the more intriguing parlor games in
a Capitol with no shortage of intrigue has been trying to guess whether a
Governor Spitzer would try to replace Mr. Silver to realize his vision of
a reformed Albany.
Underlying the speculation are the memories of 1994, when George E. Pataki
used his newfound clout to install friendlier leadership at the helm of
the Republican-led State Senate over the Thanksgiving weekend between the
election and his inauguration.
"Somebody recently asked me what I am doing this Thanksgiving," Mr.
Spitzer said in an interview, hastening to add that his plans include
eating plenty of turkey with his family, not plotting coups in the
Assembly. "I look forward to working with Shelly."
Mr. Spitzer and Mr. Silver said they have established a good working
relationship - a relationship that they expect to continue after the
election.
The legislative leader that Mr. Pataki helped remove, Senator Ralph J.
Marino, had sparred for years with Mr. Pataki and had initially opposed
his candidacy. Mr. Silver, by contrast, was an early, ardent supporter of
Mr. Spitzer. Several Democrats noted that Mr. Silver endorsed Mr. Spitzer
for governor when it counted most: when Senator Charles E. Schumer was
still considering running for the office.
Mr. Silver, who has a reputation here as a canny and tough negotiator,
said that he is excited at the prospect of working with a Democratic
governor after 12 years of serving as the lone Democrat among the 3 men
who run Albany: the governor and the leaders of both houses of the
Legislature. But he also suggested that he would seek to leave his imprint
on a Spitzer agenda.
"Hopefully it will be a partnership that will enable us to go forward and
put forth an agenda that is consistent with Eliot Spitzer's vision, as I
say, modified by what is acceptable to the Democratic conference of the
Assembly," Mr. Silver said.
In recent months, Mr. Silver has gone out of his way to defer to Mr.
Spitzer, who has a commanding lead in opinion polls.
Although Mr. Spitzer is more conservative on criminal justice issues than
most Assembly Democrats, the Assembly passed a law this year that he
supported - but that they had previously resisted - requiring all people
convicted of felonies to provide DNA samples. More recently, Mr. Silver
delayed a vote on the plan to build a new train station in Manhattan after
Mr. Spitzer raised questions about it. This week Mr. Silver even scheduled
hearings to look at the issue of nonpartisan redistricting.
But there have been bumps along the road, too.
There was some ill will between the two camps at the Democratic convention
in Buffalo. Aides to Mr. Spitzer decided that they did not want Mr. Silver
to introduce Mr. Spitzer directly; in his speech, Mr. Spitzer said that
"on Day 1, everything changes" and went on to say that there would be "no
more lifetime appointments to the State Legislature."
In the end a compromise was reached, and Mr. Silver delivered a red-meat
speech to the delegates, but another speaker introduced Mr. Spitzer.
More recently Mr. Spitzer said that he opposes any effort to raise the
salary of lawmakers this year - a raise that Mr. Silver has said is
merited, but not currently planned.
Mr. Spitzer's opponent in the Democratic primary, Thomas R. Suozzi, the
Nassau County executive, repeatedly tried to use Mr. Spitzer's
relationship with Mr. Silver to question whether Mr. Spitzer would deliver
on his promises to reform Albany. At one point, the Suozzi campaign was
calling the two men "the no-can-do duo."
Speaking before the primary, Mr. Silver laughed off the charge. "I like to
joke with people that Suozzi is running for governor against me, and even
against me, he's losing," he said.
At one point, speculation making the rounds at Democratic fund-raisers in
the Hamptons had Mr. Silver being removed for an interim speaker,
eventually to be replaced by a new speaker entirely. Names of successors
were bandied about.
But Democrats close to both men said that they do not expect any such
thing to happen.
"It's natural speculation when you have a change in administration, and I
would expect that there would be some tension between them, but I think
that at this point each of them is willing to give the relationship a
try," said a Democratic assemblyman who is close to Mr. Spitzer and Mr.
Silver. Of the Spitzer camp, he said, "They're not deluding themselves:
they expect there will be conflicts and problems, but they're not plotting
anything."
Assemblyman Richard L. Brodsky of Westchester County called the
relationship "the $64 question."
"Lots of people are telling Eliot that he has to find a way to make the
Legislature a political target, and I think there's been this tension
there about that," he said. "But one of the real advantages in being such
a clear front-runner is that Eliot has very properly been conducting this
campaign in ways that will allow him to govern once he is elected."
For years Mr. Silver, as the only Democrat among the 3 men who run the
state, has had to play the part of the opposition with the tools he had,
employing a sort of rope-a-dope strategy in which he refused to pass
measures the Republicans wanted until they passed some measures that he
wanted. Although the strategy was often effective, it left him shouldering
much of the public blame for gridlock and late budgets.
Mr. Spitzer said in an interview that Mr. Silver seemed excited at the
prospect of no longer being the odd man out. "I think he is looking
forward to a more affirmative partnership with a Democratic governor," he
said, adding that he hoped to win support for his agenda from the
Republican-led Senate as well.
But there are sure to be areas of tension. Mr. Spitzer supports the death
penalty, which the Democratic Assembly does not. And he will be under
pressure to restrain spending, something that is never popular among
lawmakers.
Mario M. Cuomo, a Democrat, said in an interview that he often had to
contend with opposition from the Democratic Assembly when he was governor.
"In the end, what happens here, on many of the important subjects, it's
the governor on one side and the Legislature on the other," he recalled.
"Both houses of the legislature. And that's the most difficult thing to
deal with for a governor with a split legislature."
(source: New York Times)
From the moment he announced that he was running for governor, Eliot
Spitzer has described New York's government as being in "crisis," and he
made it clear he believes that part of the problem lies with the State
Legislature.
He complained that lawmakers deferred most of the difficult issues
confronting the state in their most recent budgets. He helped defeat a
constitutional amendment that would have given lawmakers more budgetary
powers. And he has vowed to end one of the Legislature's most closely
guarded prerogatives: its practice of drawing district lines to protect
incumbents.
In taking these positions, Mr. Spitzer, who is the Democratic attorney
general, has found himself on a collision course with the Assembly
speaker, Sheldon Silver, who has been the most powerful Democrat in state
government for nearly 12 years. One of the more intriguing parlor games in
a Capitol with no shortage of intrigue has been trying to guess whether a
Governor Spitzer would try to replace Mr. Silver to realize his vision of
a reformed Albany.
Underlying the speculation are the memories of 1994, when George E. Pataki
used his newfound clout to install friendlier leadership at the helm of
the Republican-led State Senate over the Thanksgiving weekend between the
election and his inauguration.
"Somebody recently asked me what I am doing this Thanksgiving," Mr.
Spitzer said in an interview, hastening to add that his plans include
eating plenty of turkey with his family, not plotting coups in the
Assembly. "I look forward to working with Shelly."
Mr. Spitzer and Mr. Silver said they have established a good working
relationship - a relationship that they expect to continue after the
election.
The legislative leader that Mr. Pataki helped remove, Senator Ralph J.
Marino, had sparred for years with Mr. Pataki and had initially opposed
his candidacy. Mr. Silver, by contrast, was an early, ardent supporter of
Mr. Spitzer. Several Democrats noted that Mr. Silver endorsed Mr. Spitzer
for governor when it counted most: when Senator Charles E. Schumer was
still considering running for the office.
Mr. Silver, who has a reputation here as a canny and tough negotiator,
said that he is excited at the prospect of working with a Democratic
governor after 12 years of serving as the lone Democrat among the 3 men
who run Albany: the governor and the leaders of both houses of the
Legislature. But he also suggested that he would seek to leave his imprint
on a Spitzer agenda.
"Hopefully it will be a partnership that will enable us to go forward and
put forth an agenda that is consistent with Eliot Spitzer's vision, as I
say, modified by what is acceptable to the Democratic conference of the
Assembly," Mr. Silver said.
In recent months, Mr. Silver has gone out of his way to defer to Mr.
Spitzer, who has a commanding lead in opinion polls.
Although Mr. Spitzer is more conservative on criminal justice issues than
most Assembly Democrats, the Assembly passed a law this year that he
supported - but that they had previously resisted - requiring all people
convicted of felonies to provide DNA samples. More recently, Mr. Silver
delayed a vote on the plan to build a new train station in Manhattan after
Mr. Spitzer raised questions about it. This week Mr. Silver even scheduled
hearings to look at the issue of nonpartisan redistricting.
But there have been bumps along the road, too.
There was some ill will between the two camps at the Democratic convention
in Buffalo. Aides to Mr. Spitzer decided that they did not want Mr. Silver
to introduce Mr. Spitzer directly; in his speech, Mr. Spitzer said that
"on Day 1, everything changes" and went on to say that there would be "no
more lifetime appointments to the State Legislature."
In the end a compromise was reached, and Mr. Silver delivered a red-meat
speech to the delegates, but another speaker introduced Mr. Spitzer.
More recently Mr. Spitzer said that he opposes any effort to raise the
salary of lawmakers this year - a raise that Mr. Silver has said is
merited, but not currently planned.
Mr. Spitzer's opponent in the Democratic primary, Thomas R. Suozzi, the
Nassau County executive, repeatedly tried to use Mr. Spitzer's
relationship with Mr. Silver to question whether Mr. Spitzer would deliver
on his promises to reform Albany. At one point, the Suozzi campaign was
calling the two men "the no-can-do duo."
Speaking before the primary, Mr. Silver laughed off the charge. "I like to
joke with people that Suozzi is running for governor against me, and even
against me, he's losing," he said.
At one point, speculation making the rounds at Democratic fund-raisers in
the Hamptons had Mr. Silver being removed for an interim speaker,
eventually to be replaced by a new speaker entirely. Names of successors
were bandied about.
But Democrats close to both men said that they do not expect any such
thing to happen.
"It's natural speculation when you have a change in administration, and I
would expect that there would be some tension between them, but I think
that at this point each of them is willing to give the relationship a
try," said a Democratic assemblyman who is close to Mr. Spitzer and Mr.
Silver. Of the Spitzer camp, he said, "They're not deluding themselves:
they expect there will be conflicts and problems, but they're not plotting
anything."
Assemblyman Richard L. Brodsky of Westchester County called the
relationship "the $64 question."
"Lots of people are telling Eliot that he has to find a way to make the
Legislature a political target, and I think there's been this tension
there about that," he said. "But one of the real advantages in being such
a clear front-runner is that Eliot has very properly been conducting this
campaign in ways that will allow him to govern once he is elected."
For years Mr. Silver, as the only Democrat among the 3 men who run the
state, has had to play the part of the opposition with the tools he had,
employing a sort of rope-a-dope strategy in which he refused to pass
measures the Republicans wanted until they passed some measures that he
wanted. Although the strategy was often effective, it left him shouldering
much of the public blame for gridlock and late budgets.
Mr. Spitzer said in an interview that Mr. Silver seemed excited at the
prospect of no longer being the odd man out. "I think he is looking
forward to a more affirmative partnership with a Democratic governor," he
said, adding that he hoped to win support for his agenda from the
Republican-led Senate as well.
But there are sure to be areas of tension. Mr. Spitzer supports the death
penalty, which the Democratic Assembly does not. And he will be under
pressure to restrain spending, something that is never popular among
lawmakers.
Mario M. Cuomo, a Democrat, said in an interview that he often had to
contend with opposition from the Democratic Assembly when he was governor.
"In the end, what happens here, on many of the important subjects, it's
the governor on one side and the Legislature on the other," he recalled.
"Both houses of the legislature. And that's the most difficult thing to
deal with for a governor with a split legislature."
(source: New York Times)