Honeymoon Ends for Albany's Democratic Party Leaders -- WSJ
February 11 2019 - 3:02AM
Dow Jones News
By Jimmy Vielkind
This article is being republished as part of our daily
reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S.
print edition of The Wall Street Journal (February 11, 2019).
After 39 days, the Pax Democratica at the Capitol is over.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a Friday speech on Long Island that
his party-mates in the state Senate were going to raise their taxes
and scuttle a deal to lure Amazon.com Inc. to Queens -- along with
25,000 jobs and $27 billion in projected new revenue.
"Bring sanity to the Senate," the governor declared.
The speech was a frontal assault on the Senate Democrats,
delivered to a room of business leaders who were the backbone of
support for Republicans who once dominated the island's nine-seat
delegation.
In October, Mr. Cuomo traveled to Long Island to rally for
Democratic candidates he hoped would surf a blue wave and take over
the Senate. They did, bringing a cadre of suburban legislators who
Mr. Cuomo hoped would back up his own moderate fiscal policies and
balance more liberal legislators from New York City.
Things were easy during the first five weeks as lawmakers took
up social policies like strengthening abortion rights and making it
easier to vote. But as the focus shifts to the state budget -- and
as state revenue estimates are revised down -- the governor is
pushing back on calls to increase taxes and spending on social
programs.
The focus of the governor's ire seems to be Sen. Mike Gianaris,
a Democrat from Queens and a leading opponent of the Amazon deal.
Mr. Gianaris introduced a bill last week to raise income taxes in
New York City to fund subway upgrades.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins has said she
doesn't support raising taxes, and her spokesman called Mr. Cuomo's
tax accusation "fake news."
"It is unfortunate that the governor is trying to divide the
Democratic Party at this crucial and historic time," said Mike
Murphy, a spokesman for Ms. Stewart-Cousins.
TALKING SEXUAL HARASSMENT: After 264 days of calls by women who
were sexually harassed while working in the Legislature, lawmakers
will hold their first hearing Wednesday on the state's laws and
procedures regarding harassment complaints.
The women, who founded the Sexual Harassment Working Group last
year, are happy to take a turn in the spotlight.
"We've told our stories, and now we want to put that in the
context of framing policy," said Erica Vladimer, a co-founder of
the working group. "It sends a message to the public from their
elected officials that they want to hear from them. That they don't
want victims to continue to carry the shame in darkness."
Ms. Vladimer said she would stand with allies, including Cynthia
Nixon, the actor who challenged Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a Democratic
primary, at a news conference on Tuesday in lower Manhattan. Ms.
Vladimer accused former Sen. Jeff Klein of forcibly kissing her in
2015, an allegation he denies. Her complaint is pending before the
state's Joint Commission on Public Ethics.
Ms. Vladimer said she, along with working group co-founders Rita
Pasarell, Leah Hebert and Elizabeth Crothers, will testify on
Wednesday. They are hoping Mr. Cuomo will listen, and faulted him
-- as did Ms. Nixon -- for not seeking more input last year as he
pushed laws to restrict the use of nondisclosure agreements in
sexual-harassment settlements and to require employers to adopt
sexual-harassment policies that meet a minimum standard set by the
state.
A spokesman for Mr. Cuomo said he was open to ideas on how to
strengthen state laws.
THE QUESTION: After the Amazon offer, what was the largest
amount of incentives dedicated to a single economic development
project in New York state?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWER: David Malpass, President Trump's nominee to
lead the World Bank, in 2010 vied with ex-Rep. Joe DioGuardi and
former Nassau County legislator Bruce Blakeman for the Republican
nomination for U.S. Senate. Mr. DioGuardi won the GOP primary, but
was defeated by U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
-- Know the answer? Have another question, or a tip? Write to
jimmy.vielkind@wsj.com
Write to Jimmy Vielkind at Jimmy.Vielkind@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 11, 2019 02:47 ET (07:47 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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