Jun 30, 2009 12:06 am US/Eastern
Now Albany Lawmakers Have Bloomberg Seeing Red
Mayoral Control Of NYC School System Now Off The Table
ALBANY (CBS) ―
-
-
Stay with CBS 2 and WCBSTV.com for the latest in the political power shift in Albany.
CBS
In a dramatic slap in the face to Mayor Michael Bloomberg Senate Democrats said Monday that they are unwilling to allow a vote on mayoral control of the city school system before it expires at midnight Tuesday.
"La situation in Albany esta un disaster," Bloomberg said.
He said it in Spanish but the meaning was clear and ironically when he uttered the words at a Brooklyn press conference Mayor Bloomberg said he didn't know how prophetic the words would turn out to be.
"We said we are dealing with non controversial bills. In our conference mayoral control is a controversial issue and we would like some input," said Sen. John Sampson, D-Brooklyn.
A few hours after the mayor spoke Democratic conference chairman Sampson dealt Mayor Bloomberg a body blow. He said he has no plans to allow a vote on City Hall control of the school system before it expires. The mayor said that would destroy education here and create chaos if the old board of education had to be brought back.
"For example there are community boards, school boards that have to be elected. There's no provision for a primary until May of 2010. We've taken $350 million out of bureaucracy and put it into the classroom. We'd have to take that money back out of the classroom," Bloomberg said.
Republicans in the Senate support mayoral control. They said if it isn't on the calendar they will not go into session -- period. Stalemate continued.
So Tuesday is "D" day in Albany and it's anybody's guess what happens.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
2009 Celebrity Deaths
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments