World

Republicans Take Control of Senate in New York

by cyn.khoo | June 9, 2009 at 11:26 am

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The Republican Party has gained control of the New York Senate, the result of a 32-30 vote in which two Democrats voted with the GOP.

A raucous leadership fight erupted on the floor of the Senate around 3 p.m., with two Democrats, Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx and Hiram Monserrate of Queens, joining the 30 Senate Republicans in a motion that would displace Democrats as the party in control.

The Democratic Party had been in control of the Senate for approximately five months, the first time in decades. Though Democrats still run the Senate federally, it appears that the Senate in New York has come under bipartisan if not Republican rule.

Senator Malcom A. Smith, Democrat majority leader in the Senate, maintains that the Republican's attempt at a coup was illegal and invalid, and that nothing has changed.

“It’s sad that the Republicans would chose to disrupt the business of this house,” he said. “We have many crucial issue that are important to us that has to get done, some of which are expiring, and obviously for them it was all about politics and not about the 19.5 million people in the state of New York. And I would hope that the public is outraged. I hope that the public will call their senators, the Republican senators, and say, ‘How dare you?’”

There has been speculation that gay marriage was an issue that led to Espada and Monserrate's defection; however, the conflict in this case had been between Smith and Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., who did not defect.

Both Espada and Monserrate are under investigation by authorities, and had supported Smith's bid for power only after negotiations mediated by political businessman Tom Golisano, who donated funds to the Senate Democrats in order to help them win control last year.

Mr. Golisano played a role in negotiating original deal under which Mr. Espada and Mr. Monserrate — along with Mr. Díaz and Senator Carl Kruger of Brooklyn — gave their support to Mr. Smith. Steve Pigeon, his aide de camp, has been a frequent presence in Albany in recent weeks, and said Monday that Mr. Golisano felt betrayed by Mr. Smith because the Democratic leader had not delivered the overhaul of Senate rules he had promised upon taking power.

The state of various government affairs has been thrown into upheaval by the possible transfer of power.

The chaos threatened to throw a range of pending bills into disarray, including pension reform, New York City's mayoral control of the schools, and gay marriage.