Commentary: With war raging up north, avoid Albany

Long Island Business News, Oct 19, 2007 by Jerry Kremer

If you happen to be upstate and wander into the state capital in Albany in the next 15 months, don't bother to stop by the state legislative chambers. The chambers may be open, but there will not be any meaningful business going on.

Come Jan. 9, there will be the usual opening-day festivities, but after that it will be mostly routine business. This prediction is based on the relationship between Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer and the state Senate's Republican majority leader, Joseph Bruno, which has deteriorated to the point that nothing is likely to be accomplished until after the 2008 state elections.

It all started with the so-called Troopergate affair, in which key members of the governor's staff ordered the state police to spy on Bruno's use of the state helicopter. Even though the state attorney general and the Albany County district attorney have both found no criminal conduct, the Senate has ratcheted up the fight with hearings and subpoenas.

This week, the war of words got even nastier. Bruno accused the governor of "acting in a dictatorial way" and Spitzer lumped in Bruno with the "rabid right." With a legislative session planned for Monday to discuss the year's unfinished business, there's a good chance the trek to Albany by senators and Assembly members will be a total waste of time.

The events of the last few months and the bitterness between the Senate and the governor are not good omens. And there's a strong chance that between now and the 2008 general election, things will get worse.

With control of the state Senate at stake, Republicans must seize on any partisan issue they can, and they will not be coming to the bargaining table on any matter of importance. There will be a new state budget sometime next year, but with a possible $4 billion deficit, the state government will probably descend into gridlock.

It wasn't that long ago in Washington when the leader of the House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, decided to shut down the federal government because he was miffed at being assigned a bad seat in the back of Air Force One. Gingrich refused to pass any spending bills and the federal government essentially closed for business.

The effect of that famous gridlock was staggering. Parks were closed or restricted to limited hours, choking off tourism. Health- care agencies went into limbo and other vital services were dramatically curtailed. By all recollections, Washington turned into the Long Island Expressway at rush hour.

It won't be one person who closes down the state government. But you don't have to be a political genie to see that the ugly rhetoric and continuing skirmishes point to a disaster very similar to the Gingrich fiasco.

The third player in this Albany soap opera is Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who has tried mightily to be the peacemaker between the parties. But his efforts have been wasted; the relationship between Spitzer and Bruno is simply too frayed. With an election coming in 2008, the only thing that can happen to an intermediary like Silver is that he gets shot by a stray bullet.

Where does this bitter tale leave the general public? Not in a very good position. Hospitals will remain open, mass transit will operate and services will be delivered, but there will be collateral damage. A lot of innocent taxpayers will be hurt.

There's always the faint possibility that something will rattle the foundations of the state capital enough to bring the combatants to the table and force a truce. But at this moment, Albany is a place is avoid on your next trip north.

Jerry Kremer, who served for 23 years in the state Assembly, is a partner in the Uniondale law firm of Ruskin Moscou Faltischek. You can reach him by e-mail at ajkremer@rmfpc.com.