Senate Democrats Offering Leadership Posts To Republicans

Posted by: Joseph Spector - Posted in Uncategorized on Dec 14, 2009

With its slim 32-30 seat majority and shakeups in its staff, Senate Democrats are in discussions with Senate Republicans about offering two to four committee chairmanships to Republicans.

Confirming today’s Daily News report, Senate Democratic conference spokesman Travis Proulx said Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson, D-Brooklyn, met this morning with Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, to discuss a bi-partisan approach in the Senate next year.

“The idea here is we really need to restore the integrity of this chamber,” Proulx said, adding “Senator Sampson is committed to Republicans chairing committees this next session.”

Republican senators being mentioned as potential committee chairmen include Sens. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, Niagara County; Thomas Morahan, R-New City, Rockland County; and Joseph Robach, R-Greece, Monroe County.

Robach said he’s been receiving calls all day from people saying he’s in line to become a committee chairman, but he hasn’t received any official word. He said there was “loose talk” about a month ago that Democrats would be offering some chairmanships to Republicans.

“I have heard it myself, but no official offer has been made to me at this point to chair a committee,” Robach said.

But Robach, a former Democratic assemblyman who switched to the GOP to run for Senate in 2002, said, “I think I’ve been someone who has proved in Albany that I work well with others, put my constituents first and work in a bi-partisan fashion.”

John McArdle, spokesman for Senate Republicans, said the GOP has offered reforms that go further than simply naming some Republicans as committee chairmen, saying that doing so “doesn’t in itself guarantee reform or bi-partisanship.”

“There are many things that we have looked at and have proposed that could do that,” McArdle continued.

“We would prefer to see those kind of things enacted to benefit the 62 members of the body and all committee members as opposed to them offering a committee chair or two, which in and of itself doesn’t bring about the kind of bi-partisanship that’s needed.”