By Madina Toure
Queens lawmakers commended state Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Nassau) for his decision to step down as the Senate majority leader.
Skelos was stripped of his majority leader and temporary president positions but will keep his Senate seat. Sen. John Flanagan (R-Suffolk County) will take over as majority leader and temporary president of the Senate.
State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) praised Skelos’ decision and congratulated Flanagan on his appointment. He, along with other members of the Independent Democratic Conference, a breakaway group of Democrats, stayed on the Senate floor.
“Senator Skelos did the right thing by stepping down, and I am glad that the Senate can now move forward and continue to focus on the work before us this session,” Avella said in a statement. “I have had the pleasure of working with Senator Flanagan for years, and I congratulate him on his new role as the majority leader and temporary president of the Senate.”
State Sen. James Sanders (D-South Ozone Park), who was among the Senate Democrats who walked off the floor last week to protest the Republicans’ refusal to hold a vote on Skelos’ status, said Skelos should have stepped down last week.
“Yes, he should keep his seat but he should not be the Senate majority leader,” he said.
Flanagan said he plans to “lead and listen” and “rebuild the public’s trust.”
“With less than six weeks remaining in this year’s session, I look forward to working with all of the members of this chamber — Democrats and Republicans, upstate and downstate — to do the serious and important work we were all elected to do,” Flanagan said in a statement.
In a statement, Skelos said he would step down so that he would not distract from the work that the Senate Republicans have done, noting the “tremendous toll” the affair has taken on his family. “I believe very strongly that the Senate Republican Conference is well-positioned to grow for the future,” Skelos said. “While I will no longer be its leader, I am confident that this conference will be guided by capable and steady hands, and that we will continue to build on all that has been accomplished for the people of this great state.”
Skelos, 67, was charged with using his position to pressure two companies into giving nearly $200,000 in commissions to his son Adam, 32, according to a criminal complaint filed by the office of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.
Last week, the Senate Democratic Conference introduced a motion from state Sen. Daniel Squadron (D-Lower Manhattan) to have the full Senate vote on whether to take away the two roles, along with the salaries, from Skelos.
But the Republicans refused to call the vote, leading Democrats to walk off the Senate floor.
If convicted, Skelos and his son face up to 20 years on the extortion and honest services fraud charges and 10 years for soliciting bribes, Bharara and the FBI said.
City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito congratulated Flanagan.
“With so many important legislative issues in Albany — from affordable housing to education to paid family leave — it’s essential that the legislature be able to continue its critical work and I look forward to working with Senator Flanagan to make New York a better place,” Mark-Viverito said.
Senate Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins also congratulated Flanagan, but said a lot of work remains to be done during the remainder of the 2015 legislative session.
“Unfortunately, today is not a day for celebrations, it is simply another reminder of the culture of corruption that has plagued Albany for too long and must be addressed,” Stewart-Cousins said in a statement. “I urge the Senate Republican Majority to join with the Senate Democrats to clean up Albany and truly reform how state government operates.”
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtour
