January All About Hochul Vs. Republicans; Democrats Mostly Silent
January began with the swearing in of new members. There are 21 new members of the Assembly, six Republicans and 15 Democrats. Two Democrats, both from Brooklyn, were cross-endorsed by the Republican party – freshman member Kalman Yeger (D – Midwood) and four-term Assemblywoman Jaime Williams (D – Canarsie) – while four-term Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein (D – Borough Park) was cross-endorsed by the Conservative party.
Party leaders maintain they do these cross-endorsements so they can have opposition intel when Democrats gather behind closed doors for the daily party caucus. Yeger, Williams, and Eichenstein all sit on the Democratic side of the aisle and caucus with the Democrats.
Among the new members are four Jewish lawmakers: Daniel Norber (R – Great Neck, Nassau County); Yeger; Micah Lasher (D – Upper West Side, Manhattan); and Aron Wieder (D – Spring Valley, Rockland County).
A real brouhaha erupted in January when Governor Kathy Hochul wanted to change the date of special elections this year to coincide with primary day in June. The two special elections are for a congressional seat and a New York City Council seat.
Two assemblymen and one state senator, all Republicans, are vying for the North Country congressional seat currently held by Elise Stefanik (R – Schuylerville, Saratoga County), who has been tapped as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Although Stefanik is likely to secure Senate confirmation without difficulty, Senate Republicans in Washington are delaying the process due to concerns about the slim Republican majority in the House of Representatives.
The 15-county congressional district covers most of the North Country, the Adirondack Mountains, some of the outer suburbs of Utica, and the Capital District. The district is larger than some states in area and is a safe Republican district. There are others in the crowded field, but these three are the only state lawmakers seeking to leave their current post: Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R – Johnstown, Fulton County), Assemblyman Chris Tague (R – Schoharie, Schoharie County), and Senator Dan Stec (R – Queensbury, Warren County). Democratic and Republican party leaders will choose who will run for this seat once Stefanik officially moves on and the seat becomes vacant.
Meanwhile, Democratic leaders from the district chose a political newcomer, farmer Blake Gendebien (D – Lisbon, St. Lawrence County), to run for this soon-to-be open seat. The way this process works is there is no primary; the candidates, chosen by party leaders, are the ones who square off in the election date set by Hochul. The Buffalo Democrat is seeking to hold the election in June, when voters go to the polls on primary day. Republicans object to this method because they claim it favors Democrats even though it might save money.
In Rockland County, Congressman Michael Lawler (R – Spring Valley) made it known that he is deciding whether to run against Hochul, which would mean he would have to vacate his hard-fought congressional seat. Lawler, who touts a no-hate agenda, called Hochul a “feckless governor.”
A New York City council seat in Brooklyn left vacant when Yeger won his assembly seat has Senator Simcha Felder (D – Borough Park) seeking to bolt from the upper house for an easier post in the City Council where he would not have to travel as much to attend council meetings as opposed to being in Albany 62 days a year. The Republicans have a better than average chance to pick up Felder’s seat once it is vacated.
Hochul also held her State of the State message and gave her plans for the state budget in January. The theme she chose for the State of the State message was affordability. However, she implemented a congestion pricing program for areas below 60th Street down to the Battery in Lower Manhattan. The formerly free-of-charge East River crossings are now all toll bridges. From the 59th Street Bridge to the Brooklyn Bridge, motorists will be charged $9 until 9 p.m. and $2.25 after 9 p.m. until 5 a.m.
Hochul’s proposed $252 billion budget for 2025 is $15 billion over the amount the legislature passed and $19 billion more than what she proposed last year. Hochul increased the state budget by 8.1 percent from her proposed plan last year. The legislature increased her proposal by $4 billion when the process ended. It is likely state lawmakers will once again increase Hochul’s budget. The budget is due by April 1.
Hochul also had a lot of other issues on her plate. She pondered whether or not to remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office, housing migrants, and keeping congestion pricing in place despite President Donald Trump’s efforts to halt federal aid if congestion pricing is not stopped. Trump maintains that the $9 toll detracts from tourism and is a hardship on middle-class New Yorkers.
Another issue that began to percolate in January was the poor conditions at state prisons which eventually led to an uprising at a couple of state prisons and a wildcat strike by corrections officers. The corrections union leadership did not outwardly endorse the labor unrest.
Union leaders saw a well-heeled budget and wanted a larger piece of the pie. Protests from advocacy groups also began in January. Standing outside the balcony of the Senate Chamber, poised with signs reading Share our Wealth, CWA (Communications Workers of America) Strong, The Ultra-Wealthy Should Pay Their Fair Share, Corporations Pay Up, and Tax the Rich, Senator Andrew Gounardes (D – Bay Ridge, Brooklyn) along with clergy and AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento made the argument that the middle-class is not being treated fairly in the budget. Meanwhile, Hochul has been telling anyone who would listen that her proposed budget has more of something for everyone than they received last year.
February will be a more tumultuous month in politics and government than January. Stay tuned.
