Roske/AP
Hiram Monserrate vows to fight his expulsion from the state Senate.
Posted on 02/09/2010 8:28:16 PM PST by neverdem
Roske/AP
Hiram Monserrate vows to fight his expulsion from the state Senate.
ALBANY - The state Senate voted to boot embattled Sen. Hiram Monserrate on Tuesday night, citing the lawmaker's conviction in the assault on his girlfriend.
The vote was 53 to 8 with one abstention.
The dramatic vote came after hours of impassioned closed-door debate - the only question seemed to be just when Monserrate would be expelled.
Senate Democratic leader John Sampson, wanted to make the ouster effective on June 30, giving Monserrate time to appeal his conviction of misdemeanor assault against his girlfriend.
But with Republican support, there were enough votes for an immediate expulsion.
"We need to move on from this, we don't need this lingering," said Sen. Diane Savino (D-Staten Island), who wanted immediate expulsion. "This is bad for the Senate."
"You've got to get rid of him," Senate GOP Deputy Minority Leader Thomas Libous, of Binghamton, said.
It was only the fourth time a sitting state lawmaker has been expelled from the Legislature - and the first since 1861.
Monserrate vowed an immediate legal challenge, saying it's up to the voters to judge him, not his colleagues.
"This is a much bigger issue than Hiram Monserrate," the Queens Dem said. "It's about due process and the law. And ultimately, the power of the voters to decide."
Monserrate's civil rights lawyer, Norman Siegel, is expected to file legal papers Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan.
The decision to kick out Monserrate will have political implications for the already chaotic Senate. Democrats maintain a slim 31-30 majority, but lack the 32 votes to pass anything without Republican help.
Gov. Paterson has promised to immediately call a special election to take place between 30 and 45 days from Monserrate's ouster, sources said.
Monserrate supporters expressed concern about the precedent of making him the first senator ever booted because of a misdemeanor conviction. They claim his expulsion is payback for his brief role in a GOP-leadership coup that shut down the Senate for a month last year. A former city cop and city councilman, Monserrate was elected to the Senate in 2007. Between his election and swearing in to office, he was charged with slashing his girlfriend's face with a broken glass and then forcibly pulling her down a hall on the way to the hospital.
Monserrate was acquitted of the more serious felony charge tied to the cutting of his girlfriend. A felony conviction would have resulted in his automatic ouster from the Senate. Women's groups had argued that anything short of expulsion would be a slap in the face to domestic violence victims and all women.
klovett@nydailynews.com
Even the GOP doesn’t want him. He’s toast.
I can’t tell... is he a Dem or Rep?
Democrat. He never abandoned his affiliation.
The story never said.
Rule of thumb in most media stories, if they don’t mention the affiliation of a crooked pol, it’s a Democrat. If they mention it in every sentence, it’s a Republican.
A Dem from Queens
That tells you it's a rat by default. Pubbies are identified multiple times as a rule of thumb.
Montesano wins special election in NY's 15th AD
Murray Leads 3rd Assembly District Race NY
FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list.
They finally broke down and did something. This is a good example of why NY’s state legislature was ranked 49th rather than 50th.
I want to see the roll call on votes, I was told a couple hours ago my senator voted against it.
Thanks for the ping!
It must be bad if they kicked out a dim.....
I’d have figured him for a Republican for sure.
Dems hold Republicans to standards of behavior that the Pope himself couldn’t reach.
I keep forgetting that.
I’d like to see the roll call as well; if you find it, please ping me. Thanks.
If they’d voted to keep him, public outrage would have boiled over.
Who were the 8 who love spousal abuse and the one abstainer who is a willing eabler?
I am looking and making calls.
Here are the No votes:
Senator Kevin Parker
Senator Rubin Diez
Senator Martin Dilan
Senator Pedro Espada
Senator Carl Kruger
Senator Eric Adams
Senator John Sampson
Senator Hiram Monseratte
No votes above.
Thank you.
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