As the Long Island victims of Hurricane Sandy continue on the long road to recovery, this is a particularly bad time for the leadership in Albany to be fighting.
Earlier this month Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, in effect told state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, a Republican from Rockville Center, don’t mess with me.
A coalition of Democrats and Republicans put together to run the state Senate, while a recount continues in two close races, now appears to be falling apart.
Meanwhile New York voters made it clear that they prefer to see the Senate run by a coalition rather than either party. Safeguarding that power-sharing agreement is a test of the leadership skills of both Cuomo and Skelos.
Only two weeks ago it appeared that the state’s Republicans and Democrats had agreed on a political agenda for the coming year. For two years both parties worked in relative harmony with the governor.
Skelos said the agenda created as a result of the power sharing is on shaky ground. Cuomo responded during a radio interview, “If that’s true, then we’re going to have a problem, and we’re going to have a problem sooner rather than later.”
Skelos, speaking for the GOP, reportedly now objects to key elements agreed on by the “independent” coalition including: raising the minimum wage, enacting campaign-finance reform and decriminalizing minor pot possession during NYPD stop-and-frisks.
The current minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Democrats want to raise it to $8.50 an hour. People working at the new rate would still be living below the poverty level. Considering the cost of living in Nassau County, the raise in the minimum wage is long overdue.
The Democrats also want campaign finance reform and an end to laws that allow the NYPD to charge people with drug possession when they are found with small amounts of marijuana during a stop and frisk operation.
Although there is no stop and frisk here – yet – we saw this year in Nassau County how dummy corporations can be easily and legally created to get around campaign finance laws.
“They are wrong to oppose campaign-finance reform, they are wrong to oppose raising the minimum wage, they are wrong to oppose reforming the stop and frisk policies of this state,” said Cuomo. “And I will do everything in my power to get that agenda passed.”
No matter which party wins leadership of the Senate, it would be a shame to see the power sharing came to an end. The eastern portion of the state needs Albany to speak to Washington with one unified voice as it seeks federal support in the rebuilding effort.
Cuomo and Skelos need to get past the political game playing “sooner rather than later.”
