Photo courtesy of Legislative Gazette
State Senator Marty Golden gathered with a handful of Senate Republicans to blast the governor on the state’s parole policies, and to introduce reforms that would make it more difficult for cop-killers to walk the streets.
From Legislative Gazette:
“There are over 2,500 parolees in the city of New York right now, and they are wondering why crime is going up,” said Senate Crimes and Corrections Committee Ranking Member Martin Golden, R-Brooklyn, at a June 8 press conference in the Capitol.
“There are no jobs so these parolees are going back to what they know best. What is that?” he asked.
“It’s raping, murdering and killing — and that’s what’s happening,” said Golden, answering his own question.
Following a Parole Board decision to release a convicted cop killer and in advance of another cop killer up for parole, the senator, a retired police officer, lambasted Governor Paterson for giving violent offenders a “second chance.”
Find out about Golden’s parole reform plan, and the governors response.
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz has fired off a statement criticizing Governor Paterson’s proposal to sell wine permits to grocery stores, bodegas, and gas stations. Statewide it would introduce 19,000 new outlets for wine shoppers and bring in millions of dollars in permit sales, but the assemblyman said the increase in underage drinking and drunk driving makes it a bad deal.
What do you think? And how will it contribute to Sheepshead Bay’s problems, which we’ve noted suffers from a ridiculous number of wine and spirit shops and has unusually high drunk driving statistics?
From Assemblyman Cymbrowitz’s office (as usual with press releases, just imagine a big, fat [sic] next to the entire thing):
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Brooklyn) has termed Governor Paterson’s proposal, part of today’s budget message to the Legislature, “a dangerous scheme to raise money at the expense of the wellbeing of New Yorkers. While the initial sale of new wine merchant licenses will realize millions of dollars for the State, it is a onetime revenue raiser that puts our state’s residents at peril for decades to come.
Cymbrowitz was referring to the Governor, once again including a plan to allow grocery stores, gas stations, bodegas, mini-marts and corner delis to sell wine, as part of his budget balancing strategy. “By proposing a plan to legalize wine sales in 19,0000 new outlets, Governor Paterson has once again made a terrible mistake that will only increase underage drinking, lead to more drunk driving, and hurt small businesses across New York State. There is no question that New Yorkers will be put in danger with this misguided attempt to bring in more revenue. Currently the State Liquor Authority has only 38 inspectors regulating 70,000 license holders. Increasing the inspection team’s workload by almost one-third is a recipe for disaster.”
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Angered by Governor Paterson’s moves to slash spending in education and healthcare, State Senator Carl Kruger proposed an alternative budget and blasted the governor for wantonly depicting a “doomsday scenario.”
From the New York Times:
Despite a deficit of more than $3 billion, Mr. Kruger has threatened to block any significant cuts to health care and education, the biggest spending areas in the budget. He has presented his own budget plan, which has startled even Albany veterans for its reliance on one-time maneuvers and financial gimmickry.
…
Where the governor would cut spending, Mr. Kruger and the Senate prefer one-time measures like restructuring the state’s tobacco bonds, a move that would increase New York’s debt burden. Mr. Kruger would also draw from the treasuries of public authorities to a greater degree than the governor and wants to increase gambling hours at gaming facilities.
And Mr. Kruger believes the state should set up a commission to study ways to make government more efficient, a step that could take years to show gains.
Kruger represents parts of Sheepshead Bay, Homecrest, Gravesend, Midwood, Mill Basin, Flatlands, Manhattan Beach, and Bergen Beach. In a power play over the summer, Kruger joined three other Democratic lawmakers and threatened to caucus with the Republicans, putting the Dems at risk of forfeiting their majority. He came out of the play as the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and has raised more than $2.1 million for his 2010 reelection bid – far more than any other state legislator.
