State Senate to pressure Sheldon Silver

NY Daily News ^ | December 10th 2007 | Elizabeth Benjamin

[neverdem]

State lawmakers are headed for an end-of-year showdown over pay raises.

The Republican-led Senate plans this week to pressure Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, whose downstate-dominated members are squeezed the hardest by the lack of a salary hike.

"We're going to increase the heat in his kitchen," crowed one Republican senator, adding, "This will drive his members cuckoo right before Christmas!"

The Senate's plan: to pass a bill when senators return to Albany on Thursday that would provide immediate raises for judges but no one else, breaking the long-held tradition of coupling judicial and legislative pay hikes.

The $79,500 base pay for legislators hasn't changed since 1999.

State judges, who also haven't had a raise since 1999, earn $136,700. The Senate bill would boost them to $165,200, bringing them in line with their federal counterparts, and include a retroactive salary increase.

The Senate GOP hopes to embarrass Silver and squeeze him between the judges, several of whom have sued over their lack of a raise, and his members, who are unlikely to back a measure that doesn't increase their own bottom line.

Silver Sunday rejected the move as "pure political posturing" by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, adding, "I don't think he's real on that. Joe Bruno's members want a pay raise as much as any other member. To save themselves politically, they don't want to vote for it."

Bruno's plan would also potentially drive a wedge between Silver and his fellow Democrat, Gov. Spitzer.

Spitzer unsuccessfully advocated for the decoupling of legislative and judicial raises during the 2007-08 budget battle.

However, he pledged his support for a pay hike for lawmakers while seeking to woo Assembly Democrats at a recent closed-door meeting in Brooklyn.

Silver, who hasn't yet committed to bringing his members back to Albany, said there's a 50-50 chance the Assembly won't return before the end of the year.

Silver also added some fuel to the smoldering fire between himself and Bruno, who has repeatedly referred to the speaker as a "wimp" in public and has so far refused to apologize.

"He's wrong on the facts. He can only call me names because he can't debate issues with me," Silver said of Bruno. "You learn this in law school: When you're wrong on the facts, all you can do is dazzle them with your baloney."

Bruno spokesman John McArdle retorted, "Why should [Bruno] apologize? It's true. This is about the speaker doing what he is elected to do, which is to represent the Legislature, and he hasn't done that in the last year."

ebenjamin@nydailynews.com

[Clemenza]

Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy! Shelly Silver is an anachronism, particularly when you consider the current demographic makeup of his district.

[jmyrlefuller]

I was wondering when Shelly the Union Shill would factor into this...

[reefdiver]

Its unbelievable that they would go for a pay raise when taxes are all ready the highest in the Nation, The thruway is bucking for a increase to take effect in January, and the state is Billions in the Red. These clowns knew the pay rate when they took or re ran for office, to claim that they need a raise, when they all ready have the best benefit package and privileges available is a real smack down to the citizens trying to make their dollars stretch. No wonder so many people leave.

[Shady]

And I am next, as soon as I can.......

[The Mayor]

I have been working on something else that will drive the dems crazy with the tolls.

2 weeks ago I testified to the Assembly Republicans and we were supposed to be at the Senate subcommittee meeting on tolls this morning, I was invited to testify at that too. It got canceled due to the storm.

I have the Assembly Republican support and also the Senate Republicans support on legislation to start making the thruway authority smaller.

Take the canal system away first. Second is to turn the Niagara section of the thruway from the authority including our tolled bridges and return it to the NYState DOT.

You want to get sick view some of the information I have about the thruway authority in my website. http://nogitolls.com/

Fleischer make 165,000 a year + benefits, retirement and a personal car. His benes are worth 37% of his pay. It’s enough to make you sick. I will be on the radio Saturday for 2 hours talking about the corrupt authority. Time for a Convoy to decend down on top of Albany.

[neverdem]

Thanks for the link.

[The Mayor]

My pleasure, there is months and months of research in those pages.