Assembly Leader Wields Power by Keeping Albany Guessing (front page, June 20) gets it right about Sheldon Silver, speaker of the New York State Assembly, where so many habitually get it wrong.
This complex and largely inscrutable man has a keen understanding of the nature of political power and uses it with consummate skill.
As many have learned and some are still learning, to underestimate him is a very serious mistake.
Gov. Eliot Spitzer said yesterday that he was seeking federal disaster assistance after last weeks severe flooding in Sullivan and Delaware Counties. Mr. Spitzer toured the areas yesterday and said he would urge President Bush to make the disaster declaration, which would provide immediate aid for residents in the area, about 100 miles northwest of New York City. Two people died last week when their home was swept away, and as of yesterday, two people were still missing.
HAUPPAUGE, N.Y., June 25 The game of chicken between the State Legislatures black and Hispanic caucus and the Suffolk County executive, Steve Levy, who has crusaded against illegal immigration, intensified on Monday when he warned of mass layoffs, tax increases and cuts in county programs unless they can resolve an impasse over immigration and sales taxes.
But by the end of the day, it appeared that one or perhaps both sides had blinked, or winked, in the standoff.
Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat of Upper Manhattan, a leader of the caucus, said in a telephone interview that he objected to Mr. Levys my way or the highway approach when it came to immigration policy, specifically his opposition to hiring halls for day laborers. But when told that Mr. Levy, a fellow Democrat, said he could not stop the operation of state-financed hiring halls, Mr. Espaillat said, If thats the case, there should not be a problem, so maybe the stalemate could be resolved.
Federal transportation officials studying New York City?s plan to charge drivers who enter the most congested parts of Manhattan on weekdays heard new financial details about the proposal during a meeting yesterday in Washington.
The officials also raised questions about whether the State Legislature would sign off on the proposal, which is supported by Governor Eliot Spitzer and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. If it doesn?t, the federal officials warned, the program of ?congested pricing? might not be eligible for millions of dollars in federal funds, state and federal officials said.
State and city transportation officials said they ?came out feeling good? after making the formal presentation to officials from the United States Department of Transportation.
New York Pitches Congestion Pricing to Federal Officials (original) - 6/26/2007
NEWS BRIEFS (original) - 6/26/2007
Omaha: Sales, prices appear stable (original) - 6/26/2007
One by one (original) - 6/26/2007
PUBLIC SAFETY (original) - 6/26/2007
Sign up to help local victims of crime cope (original) - 6/26/2007
Some mental patient deaths caused by poor post-discharge care, newspaper finds (original) - 6/26/2007
Staten Island: New President for S.I. College (original) - 6/26/2007
Tifton gag order to be modified (original) - 6/26/2007
Towns Briefly (original) - 6/26/2007
Blogs related to Albany:
Top Stories, Georgia, Oregon State, Syracuse, Albany State, Columbus, Louisville, Oregon, Hartford, Lebanon, Columbia, Richmond, Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Missouri
