State Senator and a City Councilman Said to Face Charges for Rigging Mayor’s Race

[UnrepentantLiberal]

Source: New York Times

State Senator Malcolm A. Smith, a contractor and real estate developer who rose to become the first black president of the State Senate, and City Councilman Daniel J. Halloran were arrested early Tuesday on charges of trying to fix this year’s mayoral race in New York City, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Mr. Smith, a 56-year-old Democrat, and Mr. Halloran, a Queens Republican, were among about a half-dozen people facing charges in the federal corruption case, the people with knowledge of the matter said. Others included the mayor of the Rockland County village of Spring Valley, Noramie F. Jasmin, and her deputy, the people said.

Mr. Smith was taken from his Queens home in handcuffs before sunrise and Mr. Halloran was arrested at about the same time, the people said.

Mr. Smith has said he was considering running for mayor of New York as a Republican, and the charges contend that he made payments to Mr. Halloran in exchange for the councilman’s assistance in setting up meetings with Republican leaders as part of an effort to get on the ballot, one of the people said.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/nyregion/state-senator-and-city-councilman-accused-of-trying-to-rig-mayors-race.html

[Smarmie Doofus]

1. This one's going to get interesting.

>>>Late last year, Mr. Smith, who was elected Senate President in 2008 and ousted in 2010, joined a group of insurgent Democrats – the Independent Democratic Conference -- and said around the samet time that he was considering running for mayor of New York City as a Republican.

He was seen as a key recruit for the conference, a five-member faction that formed a leadership coalition with Republicans in the Senate. Before Mr. Smith joined the caucus, there was criticism that a faction of white Democrats was joining with the all-white Republican conference; the presence of Mr. Smith, an African-American and a last minute recruit to the Independent Democratic Conference, helped blunt those concerns.>>>>

In other words... due to Smith's ( and others') machinations, the Republicans control the state senate ... its committees, perks, what bills get voted on, etc..... despite that the voters elected a Democratic majority.


The group of 5 or so "insurgent Democrats" is actually an amalgam of RW Dems and ethical reprobates. In another state this would be "news" ( i.e. the people vote for a Dem state senate but they get a Republican pseudo-majority with ACTUAL Republican control.)

Here the corporate media ( Bloomberg, Murdoch, GE, etc. ) has decided that that's not important so basically people don't what happened but we know all about Alex Rodriguez and about the quarterback for the NY Jets. ( Tevo? Tuvo? Something like that.)

Bread. And Circuses. Lots of circuses.

[starroute]

2. Something like that happened in the Washington State senate

I guess it's the latest GOP tactic -- if after all the voter disenfranchisement you still can't get a majority, just bribe a few Democrats to sell out.

http://www.americavotes.org/node/1814

15 January 2013 - 1:51pm

Republican state Senators in Washington managed to grab the mantle of power from Democrats by convincing two Democratic Senators to cross party lines and caucus with them.

State Senators Rodney Tom and Tim Sheldon have entered into an unholy alliance with the GOP on promises of power in this new 25-24 majority. Tom is the new majority leader and Sheldon has become president pro tempore. This new majority is calling themselves the Majority Coalition Caucus and says they are doing this in order to create “bipartisan solutions” for the state.

Democratic Senate leaders are calling this farce for what it is: BINO; “Bipartisan In Name Only.” The new 2013 legislation session has already begun divisively because this is not a move about creating actual solutions, but rather a power grab by Republicans to keep Democrats and progressives from moving forward with the agenda that they were elected on.

Democratic leaders have already moved forward with purging Tom and Sheldon from their websites and databases and pledging zero percent support for their re-election.