Covering the politics, policies and people of New York State government.
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz is warning the DEC about a potential violation of state law following the agency’s latest plan to reduce the population and range of mute swans — an invasive species — in New York. Cymbrowitz, D- Brooklyn, fired off an angry letter to the DEC on Nov. 14 […]
I have made up some letters that reflect the kind of mail and comments I have been getting lately. Here goes: Dear Doctor Chartock: I keep hearing that Andrew Cuomo is gearing up to run for president. He can’t win, can he? Sign me, Kate in Kingston Dear Kate: Of course […]
With voter turnout on Tuesday hovering around 30 percent for major races across the state, a leading public watchdog group is hoping to begin discussions on how to increase participation in future elections. Looking at the voter participation rate on ballot Proposal One — by far the most publicized and […]
New York’s powerful labor unions are celebrating today after voters emphatically defeated a constitutional convention. Every county in the state voted the measure down, handing proponents of holding a convention a defeat by a nearly 4-to-1 margin, sinking the measure 83.2 percent to 16.8 percent with 98 percent of precincts […]
Two-term Republican Rob Astorino is vowing to help with a smooth transition as he conceded Tuesday night to Democrat George Latimer for the office of Westchester County executive. Latimer, a senator and former assemblyman from the city of Rye, won a total of 57 percent of the votes Tuesday compared […]
Following Sunday’s mass shooting in a Texas church, Sen. Brad Hoylman is urging colleagues to take action on his legislation that would take guns away from domestic abusers. Hoylman, D-Manhattan, is calling on fellow senators to revisit and pass his Safe Homes Act (S.67) which would allow law enforcement […]
Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, a former challenger to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is defeated by Sen. George Latimer The State Board of Elections is reporting unofficial results from yesterday’s elections, showing that New Yorkers — by wide margins — voted against holding a Constitutional Convention. Voters did approve two changes […]
New legislation announced Monday would help close loopholes that allow party insiders to hand select candidates, skirting the constituents of a district, in New York state elections. Sen. Tony Avella, D-Queens, has introduced two bills, S.6868 and S.2040, that aim to stop incumbents who choose to decline a nomination, or […]