Jul 10, 2009 6:58 pm US/Eastern
Senate Back To Work, But Damage Has Been Done
Month-Long Albany Debacle Could Cost Lawmakers Their Reputations, Re-Elections
ALBANY (CBS) ―
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Sen. Pedro Espada addresses the media after rejoining Senate Democrats on July 9, 2009 -- one month and one day after defecting to the Republican side of the chamber.
CBS
There will be a big price to pay for the Albany chaos. It cost taxpayers over $5 million for the state's 62 senators to twiddle their thumbs in Albany for the last month and do absolutely nothing.
But the cost to the senators themselves may be even greater – their good names, reputations, and electability could be in serious jeopardy after the senate debacle.
"People probably didn't feel good about their elected officials in the first place, and now they feel a whole lot worse," political pundit Hank Sheinkoph says.
What do New Yorkers want to do to their elected officials?
"They outlawed public hanging, which used to occur in New York City at the Toombs, a long time ago," Sheinkoph says. "But if that weren't the case, some people want to hang these guys."
"They shouldn't run a government like this," Upper West Side resident Peter Steinberg says. "If any of those guys worked for me, they'd be fired."
Voters are definitely in a "throw the bums out" mood. One Canarsie resident is furious with his representative, John Sampson, the Brooklyn senator who became Democratic conference leader during the senate circus.
"I think I'm going to vote him out," John Holmes says.
Re-defecting Senator Pedro Espada, who caused the entire month of chaos, is Scharine Veazy's representative.
"Oh, I'm very upset with him because he misled the people," Veazy says. "He's wishy-washy – you don't know whether he's going Republican, or you don't know if he's going to stay Democrat."
Newly appointed Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch says the anger will be felt at the ballot box.
"I am sure that everybody who challenges an incumbent member of the legislature will certainly raise the question," Ravitch says. "It will be a campaign issue, and could be an effective one."
The next state elections aren't for 16 months, so only time will tell just how long the voter outrage will last.
The good news out of Albany is that the senate finally passed New York City's tax bills, so Mayor Michael Bloomberg lifted the hiring freeze and is reinstating the new police class. 250 cops will be sworn in next week. Firefighters, 9-1-1 operators, and other emergency personnel can now also be signed up.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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