Plugged In @ Hinman Straub – April 22, 2016

Coverage of Albany and New York State government – April 22, 2016

What’s Inside 

  • Special Election Results
  • Presidential Primary Results
  • Attorney General to Investigate Primary Election Voting Problems
  • Governor Appoints State Senator to Housing Position
  • Governor Announces Funding for Large-Scale Renewable Energy Projects
  • Governor Announces ‘Climate Smart Community’ Grants
  • Profiles of Newly-Elected State Legislators
  • Political Update
  • Coming Up

 

Special Election Results

On Tuesday, New York State held four special elections to fill legislative vacancies – one in the State Senate and three in the Assembly.

In Nassau County, Democrat Todd Kaminsky appears to have defeated Republican Christopher McGrath face off in the 9th Senate District race to fill the vacancy that was created when former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos was convicted of corruption charges.  Kaminsky leads by 780 votes, with about 2,700 absentee ballots that must be counted.  Kaminsky has declared victory in the race, but McGrath has not conceded.

But even if Kaminsky is declared the winner of the race – he would be the 32nd Democrat elected to serve in the 63-member State Senate — nothing is expected to change in terms of control the State Senate for the remainder of the 2016 legislative session.  The Senate’s Democratic members are split into three groups – 26 regular Democrats, led by Andrea Stewart-Cousins of Westchester; 5, Independent Democrats, led by Jeff Klein of the Bronx; and Brooklyn Democrat Simcha Felder, who caucuses with Republicans.

In Brooklyn’s 59th Assembly District, Democrat Jaime Williams easily defeated Republican Jeffrey Ferretti in the race to replace Roxanne Persaud, who was elected to the State Senate.

In Staten Island’s 62nd Assembly District, Republican Ron Castorina won without any opposition. He replaces fellow Republican Joe Borelli, who was elected to the New York City Council.

In Manhattan’s 65th Assembly District, Democrat Alice Cancel narrowly defeated Working Families Party (WFP) candidate Yuh-Line Niou in the race to replace former Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver, who was convicted of corruption charges.

 

Presidential Primary Results

As expected, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton easily won New York’s presidential primary races.  Donald Trump won 60.4% of the vote, with John Kasich winning 25.1% and Ted Cruz winning 14.5%.  Trump appears to have won at least 89 of the state’s 95 delegates. He appears to have won at least a plurality in every county in the state, except for Manhattan.

Hillary Clinton prevailed over Bernie Sanders, 58% – 42%.  Her strongest support was in New York City, on Long Island, and upstate cities.

See the election results here.

 

Attorney General to Investigate Primary Election Voting Problems

On Wednesday, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced that his office will investigate potential voting irregularities in New York City during Tuesday’s presidential primary.

The Attorney General said that his office received more than 1,000 complaints from people who tried to cast their ballots. Other problems reported Tuesday were that 125,000 people were removed from the voter rolls and 60,000 people received notices that omitted the primary’s date. He also said that his investigation could be extended to other parts of the state where complaints were also made.

New York’s first competitive presidential primary in years also brought complaints about New York’s restrictive election laws.  New York is one of a minority of states that have a “closed primary,” which permits only persons enrolled in a political party to vote in that primary election.  New York also has the nation’s earliest registration deadline for party registration. An eligible voter who was not an enrolled Democrat or Republican would have had to switch their registration to a particular party by Oct. 9, 2015 – long before anyone knew who the primary candidates would be.

Tuesday’s voting problems have led to calls for reforms.  NYPIRG issued a statement on Wednesday calling for automatic voter registration and same-day voter registration and eliminating patronage at county Boards of Elections.

 

Governor Appoints State Senator to Housing Position

Earlier today, Gov. Cuomo announced the appointment of State Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson (D-Bronx/Westchester) to serve as Special Advisor for Policy and Community Affairs of New York State Homes and Community Renewal, effective in July.

Gov. Cuomo said:

“As a nurse, an advocate and a member of the New York State Legislature, Senator Hassell-Thompson has spent her entire career fighting to improve lives and build communities.  I am proud to have her continue this work as a member of my administration and look forward to working with her to build a stronger, fairer and more prosperous New York for all.”

Senator Hassell-Thompson was first elected to represent the 36th Senate District in 2000. The district includes the Bronx neighborhoods of Norwood, Bedford Park, Williamsbridge, Co-op City, Wakefield and Baychester, and the Westchester city of Mount Vernon. The Senate vacancy will be filled in November’s general election. The district is considered a safe Democratic seat.

 

Governor Announces Funding for Large-Scale Renewable Energy Projects

On Thursday, Gov. Cuomo announced that the state will provide $150 million to support large-scale renewable energy projects across the state. This funding is intended to “facilitate public-private partnerships to advance the Governor’s Reforming the Energy Vision strategy” and move the state toward meeting its goal of generating 50% of its electricity from carbon-free renewable energy projects by 2030.

Gov. Cuomo said:

“This state is a national leader in combatting climate change and with this investment, we are taking our unprecedented efforts one more step toward a cleaner and greener New York.  This funding will advance large-scale energy projects, continue build a clean energy economy, and generate opportunity for New Yorkers for generations to come.”

 

Governor Announces ‘Climate Smart Community’ Grants

On Monday, Gov. Cuomo announced that $11 million in Climate Smart Community grants is being made available to local governments so that they can become more resilient to the effects of climate change, including sea level rise and extreme weather. The Governor made the announcement as part the state’s Earth Week celebration, which Governor Cuomo proclaimed from April 17-23 “to highlight the state’s commitment to protecting the environment, implementing clean energy initiatives and preparing for the effects of climate change.”

Gov. Cuomo said:

“New York has a long history as a national leader in protecting the environment and promoting clean energy use. With this funding, we are continuing to take a proactive role in creating greener and more resilient communities while growing our economy and improving the quality of life statewide.”

Climate Smart Community Implementation grants range from $100,000 to $2 million; funds can be used to support mitigation and adaptation projects.  Climate Smart Community Certification grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 are intended to enable local governments to become certified Climate Smart Communities by funding activities such as right-sizing of vehicle fleets and climate change adaptation planning. Local governments can apply for both grants beginning next month through the state’s Consolidated Funding Application.

 

Political Update

Winners & Losers

Each week, City & State New York publishes a list of the week’s political “winners” and “losers.”  Read this week’s list here.

 

Coming Up

Plugged In will be taking a break next week.  Our next issue will go out on May 6th.

The Senate and Assembly are not scheduled to return to Albany until Tuesday, May 3rd.

The Gaming Commission holds its next meeting on April 25.

The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) holds its next meeting on Tuesday, April 26.

On April 27, the Assembly Labor Committee, the Assembly Subcommittee on Workplace Safety and the Assembly Commission on Skills Development and Career Education is holding a public hearing on Worker Safety Programs in Albany.

The Board of Regents holds its next meeting on May 16 and 17.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) holds its next meeting on May 19.