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Albany Watch

Insights and tidbits from the state Capitol

Cara Matthews

Cara MatthewsCara Matthews has been a statehouse correspondent in the Albany Bureau since August 2005. Prior to that, she covered Putnam County government and politics at The Journal News for nearly five years. Before that, she worked at newspapers in Connecticut and covered the state Legislature for one of them.

E-mail Cara Matthews at clmatthe@gannett.com

Entries written by Cara Matthews

Gov. voices continued frustration with lawmakers over budget deficit

November
21

   Gov. David Paterson continued to chide lawmakers today about not coming up with a solution to New York’s $3.2 billion deficit. If the state doesn’t cut costs, it won’t be able to pay all its bills next month, including aid to schools, he said during a news conference this afternoon. He said lawmakers have [...]

Posted by Cara Matthews on November 21st, 2009 | Post a Comment »

NY wants more takers on $20,000 severance package

November
20

   After a total of 1,089 state employees received authorization by mid-November to retire with a $20,000 severance payment, Gov. David Paterson’s Division of the Budget is extending the program until Jan. 20 to see if the state can get more participation.

   Paterson ordered a total of $500 million in mid-year budget cuts at state agencies, part [...]

Posted by Cara Matthews on November 20th, 2009 | Post a Comment »

Poll finds Cuomo is still popular and Paterson isn’t

November
20

   Attorney General Andrew Cuomo would get the support of 72 percent of registered voters in the state in a primary against Gov. David Paterson, according to a Marist College poll released today. Twenty-one percent of voters would select Paterson, who plans to run for election next year.

   “Right now, Andrew Cuomo has a clear path [...]

Posted by Cara Matthews on November 20th, 2009 | Post a Comment »

Poll: Giuliani could defeat Gillibrand for U.S. Senate

November
19

   A new Marist College poll that coincides with news today that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has decided not to run for governor found that he would easily win over Democratic Gov. David Paterson but would have his work cut out for him if Attorney General Andrew Cuomo ran instead of Paterson. 

   Among registered voters, Giuliani would [...]

Posted by Cara Matthews on November 19th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Lawmakers not due back until Monday

November
19

   As negotiations to close a $3.2 billion state budget shortfall continue, the Senate and Assembly have left town until Monday. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, has scheduled session Monday afternoon, although members are on alert that they could be called back earlier with 12 hours notice.

   Senate Majority Leader John Sampson, D-Brooklyn, set the next [...]

Posted by Cara Matthews on November 19th, 2009 | Post a Comment »

County clerks urge gov. to stop production of plates

November
18

   County clerks who protested the state’s plans to issue new license plates and charge drivers $25 each to get them said tonight they are not happy that the state is moving forward with production of the new plates.

   Faced with pressure from county clerks and residents, Gov. David Paterson and legislative leaders agreed over [...]

Posted by Cara Matthews on November 18th, 2009 | Post a Comment »

Lawmakers, gov. reach agreement on public-authority reform

November
18

   Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, D-Greenburgh, said the Asssembly, Senate and Gov. David Paterson have reached an agreement to pass legislation that will reform the state’s public-authority system. Brodsky said that bill, plus one passed earlier this year that the governor has said he will sign, will change the culture of what has been called New York’s [...]

Posted by Cara Matthews on November 18th, 2009 | Post a Comment »

Senate unanimously passes “Leandra’s Law”

November
18

   The Senate just passed legislation that would strengthen drunken-driving laws in New York by making it a felony for someone to be driving while impaired and have a child passenger. The vote was 58-0.

   Another provision of the bill would require anyone convicted of drunken driving to install an ignition-interlock system on their car, which [...]

Posted by Cara Matthews on November 18th, 2009 | Post a Comment »

Poll: Voters worried about deficit, lawmakers’ handling of it

November
18

   Nearly 70 percent of registered voters in New York fear the state will run out of money in December, according to a Marist Poll released this afternoon. Twenty-one percent of voters said they are not very worried about that and 10 percent are not worried at all, the poll found.

   When asked if New York’s $3.2 [...]

Posted by Cara Matthews on November 18th, 2009 | Post a Comment »

After stimulus $$, states still have $357 billion total shortfall

November
18

   The federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed in February provided $106 billion in aid to states, about 25 percent of the $437 billion total state and local budget shortfalls, a report from the Washington-based Economic Policy Institute says.

   Since state and local governments cannot run a deficit, as the federal government can, they [...]

Posted by Cara Matthews on November 18th, 2009 | Post a Comment »

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A behind-the-scenes look at state government and politics from the Capitol bureau of Gannett News Service.
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About the authors
Jay GallagherJay Gallagher has covered Albany for Gannett News Service since 1984 and has been Albany Bureau chief since 1989. He`s a native of the Boston area and likes to point out that in this millennium, the score is Red Sox 1 championship, the Yankees 0.
Cara MatthewsCara Matthews has been a statehouse correspondent in the Albany Bureau since August 2005. Prior to that, she covered Putnam County government and politics at The Journal News for nearly five years. Before that, she worked at newspapers in Connecticut and covered the state Legislature for one of them.

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