November 28, 2006
Gannet Albany Bureau Chief Jay Gallagher visited the RBA on November 9 to give a wrap-up analysis of the mid-term elections at the association's monthly membership luncheon.
Gallagher told the crowd, assembled at Opus Entertainment in the Palisades Center Mall, he was most intrigued to see how things unfolded in New York, where an ambitious and reform-minded Governor-Elect, Eliot Spitzer, would be greeted with the "epitome of the status quo," embodied in the persons of Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver and Senate Leader Joseph Bruno.
Spitzer's plan is to galvanize public opinion on the issues he wants addressed. As Attorney General, Gallagher noted that Spitzer had the club of indictment hanging over people's heads. As a Governor seeking to reform things in Albany, he will have to turn to the public for their support.
While the famous comedian "Gallagher" is best known for smashing watermelons on stage, Jay Gallagher may himself become famous for his ability to tell a story with numbers. At the luncheon he gave the story of the 2006 in an allegory of numbers.
Gallagher's Numbers
The national elections
could be summed up thus for New York -
New York's congressional delegation had gone from 20 Democrats and 9 Republicans, to 23 Democrats and 6 Republicans. With the Democrats in power and Senator Charles Schumer and Assemblyman Charles Rangel chairing major committees, New Yorkers should expect to see some additional kickback from the federal government.
The gubernatorial race was won by the largest margin in the state's recorded history, 69% to 29%. Previously Mario Cuomo's 1986 victory of 65% to 35% had been the most.
The 2006 elections was the first time two gubernatorial candidates debated one on one in many years. Gallagher said he was very impressed with the quality of both candidates, calling them the most competent candidates he'd encountered in his 20+ years reporting from Albany. He suggested it would be a good idea for Spitzer to bring Faso into his cabinet as a replacement for Comptroller Alan Hevesi, who most expect to be impeached shortly.
The most telling number in the state's attorney general race was 32. That was the number of seconds Westchester County DA Jeanine Pirro stood behind the podium when announcing her defunct candidacy for senator; ultimately she ran for attorney general instead. The number 10, was the first word she uttered after the 32 second silence, as in "where is page 10?" This left people wondering if she could not improvise her speech, how could she be a senator?
Gallagher quipped that the new attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, was known in Albany as "Mario without the humility." Gallagher said zero was also an important number in the attorney general's race, because that was the number of friends Andrew has in Albany.
The comptroller's race was won by Alan Hevesi, despite his own ethics problems. Gallagher said $86,622 was a telling number in that race; that was the size of the check Hevesi wrote the government for his use of a state vehicle to transport his ailing wife. Then Attorney General Eliot Spitzer asked that Hevesi add $85,000 to that number just in case. In the end an ethics investigation concluded that Hevesi was guilty of serious violations.
Hevesi's opponent Chris Callaghan had ironically used Hevesi's own ethics tipline to report that he heard of Hevesi's wrongdoing. Callaghan's entire campaign war chest had only been only $43,000, but following the publicity regarding Hevesi's scandal that increased to $500,000. In the end, despite some polls showing Callaghan within 4%, he lost by the comfortable margin of 59%-38%.
Gallagher said that 1913 was the last time a state official had been impeached in Albany, when politician Irwin Salzar had the nerve to buck Tammany Hall. Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver did not want to proceed with impeachment hearings against Hevesi because four of his own inner circle had recently been sent to prison. In the end Gallagher expects that the Senate will oust Hevesi and Spitzer will pick a new comptroller.
Gallagher said that Governor Pataki was basing his "specious" run for president on his being "Mr. 9/11," having supposedly cut taxes over 800 times and being a Republican vote-getter in a Blue state.
In the State Senate, Republicans were still in charge, having only lost the Nick Spano seat in Westchester. Their margin was slightly slimmer now going from 35 to 27 to 34 to 28. Republicans are able to control the Senate primarily because of their advantage in fundraising over the Democrats of $7 million to $2 million.
In the State Assembly, Sheldon Silver's Democratic majority had increased from 105 to 45, to 108 to 42. This combined with a Democrat in the governor's seat should mean that Assembly Republicans "have a nice, relaxing couple of years," Gallagher said. |
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