State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky and her Democratic colleagues should practice what they preach. Stavisky as part of the majority in 2009-2010 had no concerns about the equitability of staffing, office budgets and other resources when Republican State Senators were in the minority.
Democratic State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and his predecessors – Stanley Steingut, Stanley Fink, Mel Miller and Saul Weprin along with past Republican State Senate majority leaders Warren Anderson, Ralph Marino and Joseph Bruno all practiced – to the victor belongs the spoils – in their respective chambers.
Each year the Senate majority leader and Assembly Speaker give out several hundred million dollars worth of member items (state pork) to their loyal followers, who vote as directed. The Democratic Senators and Republican Assembly members (who are the minority in their respective chambers) are lucky to get table scraps.
The majority leaders routinely prevent any bills proposed by members of the minority party in their respective chambers from ever coming out of committee for a full vote. Minority members get the short end of the stick when it comes to office budgets, space, staffing and mailings versus those members in the majority.
When will "to the majority goes the spoils" philosophy finally end? Real bipartisan legislative reforms would include minority party members of either chamber being allowed to propose legislation out of committee, permitting a full vote on any proposed legislation along with comparable office budgets, space, staffing and mailings as members of the majority.
Larry Penner
Great Neck
