Malcolm Smith Looks to Stuff His Wallet This Thanksgiving
Capitol Confidential posted some highlights from State Senator Malcolm Smith's first address to Senate Democrats, who formally elected him to be Senate Minority Leader when the new term begins on January 1st. Aside from stating that neither he nor Senate Democrats will comment on whether the Senate should put Comptroller Alan Hevesi on trial, Smith did note that he thought the 25% pay raise the New York City Council voted for itself was a top notch idea and should be imported to the state level as soon as possible.
The reasons Smith gave for his support for such a measure were that state lawmakers were hardworking and that there has not been an increase in eight years.
The $79,500 yearly salary for all members of the state legislature, both Assemblymen and Senators, has been in place for quite a while, thus, Smith's assessment on that matter is correct. It's a fact but that alone does not mean that these lawmakers deserve a raise.
However, Senator Smith's claim that members of the Senate are by and large hardworking falls flat on its face. New York's legislature is notoriously known as a body that has been driven to the ground. An army of lobbyists have found fertile ground in Albany, thanks to the Legislature. The Democrats and the Republicans have agreed to master the art of gerrymandering (via computer programs that perfectly slice and dice New York into Assembly and Senate districts) so that state lawmakers essentially have guaranteed employment for life. A state lawmaker is more likely to retire, die, or be indicted than be voted out of office. The Democratic wave that swept across the statewide offices and ushered in a Democratic Congress dislodged a grand total of one Republican State Senator. Government watchdog groups call for the legislature to pull itself into some sort of working order and transparency.
Certainly some measure of the dysfunction in Albany falls under the domain of outgoing Governor and wannabe President George Pataki, who forms one-third of the infamous "Three Men in a Room" system that handles much of policy and pork of the state government. However, the other two men in that room, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D) and Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno (R), have been directly responsible for the mess in the Legislature. And a majority of the lawmakers in both chambers have been happily letting the Legislature throw itself down the drain. As long as they maintain their jobs-for-life with the least strenuous work schedule possible.
The question for Senator Smith is "Working hard or hardly working?"
As thin as the case for the City Council was, the act that Smith is trying to pull is ridiculous. The case that each member of the Senate or the Legislature is a hardworking servant of the people of the State of New York doesn't even have a leg to stand on. Smith, instead of outlining a vision to fix Albany, used his first words as the incoming Senate Minority Leader to call for a larger paycheck.
This is not to say that every member of the Legislature is a sack of crap or that all members do not care about New Yorkers. There are exceptions, perhaps quite a few. Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer should provide cover for these lawmakers as part of the campaign to change everything starting on "Day One." Hopefully, such plans are in the works.
Malcolm Smith, for his part, should use the prospect of a pay raise to rally Senate Democrats to work and work hard. He should back up his words with action. His next words should call for a more efficient and more transparent state government. Whatever he has said already about fixing state government must now be repeated, especially to members of the Senate Democrats. After letting his hopes for a raise be known, he should be prepared to work for it.
Of course, since all it would take to get a pay raise is an agreement with Senate Republicans over lunch and a conversation about the joys of incumbent-friendly districts, hoping that Smith (or the rest of the Legislature for that matter) will back up his claims with true action is more than likely a futile exercise, no matter what is said about reform.
It is now up to Malcolm Smith to prove that sentiment wrong.
The reasons Smith gave for his support for such a measure were that state lawmakers were hardworking and that there has not been an increase in eight years.
The $79,500 yearly salary for all members of the state legislature, both Assemblymen and Senators, has been in place for quite a while, thus, Smith's assessment on that matter is correct. It's a fact but that alone does not mean that these lawmakers deserve a raise.
However, Senator Smith's claim that members of the Senate are by and large hardworking falls flat on its face. New York's legislature is notoriously known as a body that has been driven to the ground. An army of lobbyists have found fertile ground in Albany, thanks to the Legislature. The Democrats and the Republicans have agreed to master the art of gerrymandering (via computer programs that perfectly slice and dice New York into Assembly and Senate districts) so that state lawmakers essentially have guaranteed employment for life. A state lawmaker is more likely to retire, die, or be indicted than be voted out of office. The Democratic wave that swept across the statewide offices and ushered in a Democratic Congress dislodged a grand total of one Republican State Senator. Government watchdog groups call for the legislature to pull itself into some sort of working order and transparency.
Certainly some measure of the dysfunction in Albany falls under the domain of outgoing Governor and wannabe President George Pataki, who forms one-third of the infamous "Three Men in a Room" system that handles much of policy and pork of the state government. However, the other two men in that room, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D) and Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno (R), have been directly responsible for the mess in the Legislature. And a majority of the lawmakers in both chambers have been happily letting the Legislature throw itself down the drain. As long as they maintain their jobs-for-life with the least strenuous work schedule possible.
The question for Senator Smith is "Working hard or hardly working?"
As thin as the case for the City Council was, the act that Smith is trying to pull is ridiculous. The case that each member of the Senate or the Legislature is a hardworking servant of the people of the State of New York doesn't even have a leg to stand on. Smith, instead of outlining a vision to fix Albany, used his first words as the incoming Senate Minority Leader to call for a larger paycheck.
This is not to say that every member of the Legislature is a sack of crap or that all members do not care about New Yorkers. There are exceptions, perhaps quite a few. Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer should provide cover for these lawmakers as part of the campaign to change everything starting on "Day One." Hopefully, such plans are in the works.
Malcolm Smith, for his part, should use the prospect of a pay raise to rally Senate Democrats to work and work hard. He should back up his words with action. His next words should call for a more efficient and more transparent state government. Whatever he has said already about fixing state government must now be repeated, especially to members of the Senate Democrats. After letting his hopes for a raise be known, he should be prepared to work for it.
Of course, since all it would take to get a pay raise is an agreement with Senate Republicans over lunch and a conversation about the joys of incumbent-friendly districts, hoping that Smith (or the rest of the Legislature for that matter) will back up his claims with true action is more than likely a futile exercise, no matter what is said about reform.
It is now up to Malcolm Smith to prove that sentiment wrong.
Labels: New York State Reform, State Legislature
posted by Will at 4:16 PM
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