It took a perfect storm – a unique, unpredictable convergence of independent events that create a scenario never experienced before – to precipitate the unprecedented chaos raging in Albany.
Our ancestors never imagined an instance in which a group of senators could stage a surprise coup and seize control of the state legislature.
What went wrong? How did this happen? Is it legal? Question after question, but it all boils down to one answer – No Lieutenant Governor!
Nobody foresaw the fall of Eliot Spitzer as governor in a sex scandal. The state constitution provides for the lieutenant governor, David A. Paterson, to assume the office of the governor. However, Paterson’s position as lieutenant governor was left vacant. No special election. Instead, the constitution provides for the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to cast the deciding vote in case of ties on legislation. The perfect storm.
So since Monday, June 8, when Democratic Senators Pedro Espada Jr. and Hiram Monserrate jumped to the Republican side of the chamber and quickly voting Espada as the new President of the Senate, the Senate has been in a virtual stalemate.
Newspaper editorials scream “Don’t Pay the Bums.”
Not so fast. Early on June 9, the warring Democrats and Republicans managed to agree to sign off on continuation of their own and their staff’s payrolls despite the dispute.
The Assembly has been passing and stacking up bills to be voted on by the Senate. Many of these bills are important and extremely timely to the New York City schools, and overall budget.
We call on both sides of the aisle, all the Democrats and Republicans, to get back to work. They are tied 31-31 right now, but they should be able to pass or table any legislation they desire without ever approaching the need for a tiebreaker vote.
Then the “perfect storm” loophole of having no lieutenant governor to cast tie- breaking votes must be fixed by an amendment to the state constitution as quickly as possible. Remember, we can all express our displeasure with our state senators at the polls.
