Spin Cycle
News, views and commentary on Long Island, state and national politics
Public financing of campaigns not gaining traction
Photo credit: Office of the Governor
Senate co-leader Dean Skelos appeared to strengthen his opposition to public financing of political campaigns Monday. Meanwhile, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who supports public financing, didn’t exactly say it was a “must do” for lawmakers.
Skelos penned an op-ed for the Albany Times Union essentially restating his long-held opposition to public financing. In the piece, he said it has been a recipe...
Read more »While Rep. King sops up coverage, ally demands 'media' apology
At the House Homeland Security Committee on the Boston Marathon bombing, Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) said: “I believe that the former chairman of the committee, Peter King, needs an apology from mainstream media. He was vilified and demonized for holding radicalization hearings, and we just saw radicalization of Muslim youth happen with regard to Boston.”
Yet since the April 15 bombings three...
Read more »Nassau official seeks Queens Council seat
The Queens Republican Party is backing a top lawyer in the Nassau County Attorney’s Office as its candidate to replace scandal-tarred City Councilman Dan Halloran.
Dennis Saffran, chief of the Appeals Bureau, is running as a Republican for the Council seat in District 19, which spans northeast Queens. Halloran opted against running for re-election after he was indicted on charges of seeking...
Read more »No Coliseum-bidder role for Park Strategies
Long Island’s largest lobbying firm is taking a seat on the sidelines in the competition to renovate the Nassau Coliseum and its surrounding property.
Former Sen. Alfonse D’Amato’s firm, Park Strategies, has told the two largest bidders — Madison Square Garden and Forest City Ratner — that they will not represent either firm, said company spokeswoman Dana Sanneman.
Park Strategies, with...
Read more »For Mangano, incumbency could mean minor-party edge
In the last Nassau County executive race four years ago, incumbent Thomas Suozzi appeared on two minor-party lines in addition to the Democratic column. And the Conservative candidate was a staffer in his administration.
But this year -- whether the Democratic contender is Suozzi or businessman Adam Haber -- the rest of the ballot promises to be better tilted toward GOP incumbent Edward Mangano.
For...
Read more »Maybe the feds have just gotten good at doing Albany
This much is clear from recent events: By a cold and intensive focus, wire-wielding FBI agents and federal prosecutors have figured out their way around the halls and habits of the New York State Legislature.
The feds stunned Albany by revealing that, using elected moles, they recorded incriminating conversations among members of both the Assembly and Senate. By one count, 32 lawmakers have...
Read more »Suffolk park police to change unions -- again
Suffolk’s park police, like a wandering band of Gypsies, is on the move.
The 37-member bargaining unit, once part of the Association of Municipal Employees, joined the 260-member deputy sheriffs union in 2006, and is about to switch again — this time to the Suffolk PBA.
Anthony Prudenti, president of the deputies union, said there was no opposition from his union to the park police move....
Read more »B'khaven GOP targeting two legislative seats
Brookhaven Republicans have picked legislative candidates in what officials say will be two key targeted races aimed at taking out freshman Democrats Legis. Sarah Anker of Mt. Sinai and Rob Calarco of Patchogue.
The party will run attorney Jennifer Jungst of Shoreham, active in civic matters, to take on Anker, who last year won an upset victory in the heavily Republican north shore district....
Read more »Bellone put in a pitch for a legislative budget office appointment
Before last week’s naming of Robert Lipp as head of the legislature’s Office of Budget Review, the Bellone administration made a behind the scenes effort to wrangle a high level post for one of its budget aides, according to sources close to the selection process.
Kim Brandeau, Suffok County Executive Steve Bellone’s $113,600-a-year chief budget examiner, was not initially included among the...
Read more »Conservatives to interview for Huntington supervisor candidate
Huntington Conservatives will get to take an up-close and personal look at Democratic Huntington Supervisor Frank Petrone and his GOP foe, town board member Gene Cook, on Monday night.
They will screen separately before the minor party’s 15-member executive committee at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall in Huntington Station.
Frank Tinari, Huntington Conservative chairman, said the party...
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