Spin Cycle
News, views and commentary on Long Island, state and national politics
Top court upholds murder conviction of Uniondale man
New York’s top court unanimously has upheld the conviction of a Uniondale man who murdered a rival in 2007.
Grady Hampton, 27, convicted of gunning down a man who had an affair with his girlfriend, had asked the state Court of Appeals to overturn his case. His lawyers claimed that a fatal error occurred during the trail.
Judge Jerald Carter presided over the 2009 trial, during which...
Read more »Cilmi backs off tax cap rollback
Suffolk Legis. Tom Cilmi says he will table his proposal to roll back the county’s tax cap laws because he was unaware that his measure would eliminate the county’s three-decade old curbs on non-mandated spending.
Cilmi put forward the proposal, which got out of committee last week, because he thought the county’s 4 percent property tax cap had become obsolete in the wake of the state’s 2...
Read more »Carolyn McCarthy's statement on her lung cancer diagnosis
Photo credit: Howard Schnapp, 2011
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy announced Monday that she will undergo treatment for lung cancer. Following is her statement:
“My recent annual health physical revealed that I, like so many millions of Americans, have a treatable form of cancer.
“Several diagnostic tests have led to a diagnosis of lung cancer. A treatment plan will begin soon and I look forward to its successful completion.
“My...
Read more »NY GOP: Chairman had to play offense and defense at Cruz fete
Photo credit: Getty Images
It sounded like a sneak preview of GOP talking points for next year’s governor’s race when state Republican chairman Edward Cox last week bashed Democratic Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on ethics and the economy.
Cox was addressing more than 500 state-committee dinner guests at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan. He called Cuomo the “chief defender” of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan)...
Read more »NYC's reach for old voting machines recalls friction with Nassau
If New York City needs extra lever voting machines to conduct its primary and probable runoff balloting in September, Nassau County has 1,100 machines in storage and ready to go.
However, William Biamonte, Nassau’s Democratic commissioner, said he has no interest in renting or selling any of their machines because city officials sat on the sidelines when Nassau and Suffolk waged a legal fight...
Read more »Suffolk Republicans set nominations for judgeships
Suffolk Republicans have named former Brookhaven town attorney Karen Wilutis as a candidate for first district court judge to take on incumbent Democrat Richard Horwitz who was appointed to the post earlier this year and now has to in the five western towns to retain it.
Wilutis of Miller Place ran a losing race against freshman Legis. Sarah Anker (D-Mt. Sinai) in 2012. In that close...
Read more »Suffolk's longtime spending and tax caps on the chopping block
Suffolk’s landmark property tax and spending cap laws, first passed three decades ago, are on the verge of biting the dust.
Legis. Thomas Cilmi has filed a measure to repeal the caps which limited property tax and spending increases to 4 percent for non-mandated expenses because the statewide property tax cap now limits the property tax hikes to two percent. The spending cap was approved in...
Read more »Democrats choose McManmon for open Suffolk Assembly seat
Attorney James McManmon emerged as the Democratic Party's designated candidate last week for the the 2nd Assembly District by winning a seven-way floor fight at three town party conventions.
McManmon, son of Jeanne O’Rourke, Suffolk deputy elections commissioner, won over his closest competitor attorney, Jennifer Maertz, 6,589 to 2633.5 in a weighted vote based on Democratic results from each...
Read more »Suffolk Leg.: Three incumbent Democrats get Conservative line
Photo credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
Conservatives will give their ballot line to three Democratic Suffolk legislators for reelection, including one they balked at backing two years ago.
The minor party endorsed Legis. Wayne Horsley, deputy presiding officer, Al Krupski, a freshman who won a special election in January, and Louis D’Amaro, whom Conseratives refused to cross-endorse in 2011.
Conservatives did not support...
Read more »Pollsters ask 1st C.D. voters about a Bishop-Zeldin race
An automated telephone poll was done in the first congressional district last week pitting Republican State Sen. Lee Zeldin against Rep. Tim Bishop.
But Zeldin and GOP party officials say they had nothing to do with the poll and say it was the Democrats who did the survey. Richard Schaffer, Suffolk Democratic chairman and a Bishop spokesman had no knowledge of the phone poll. House seats come...
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