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New Legislators, Great Expectations
Exactly how much everything will change in Albany on day one in 2007 remains an open question. One thing that has already changed is the makeup of the Legislature. With 15 new Assembly members and seven new state senators set to take office, the respective turnover rates of 10 and 11 percent in each house are much higher than usual.
Joseph Zimmerman, professor of political science at SUNY-Albany, said, “For the last few decades the rate has been about five percent.”
According to Zimmerman, even though few of the seats changed party hands, that turnover rate makes 2006 one of the most significant elections in state politics in 40 years. He puts it just behind 1964, when Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater’s presidential candidacy hurt the Republicans, and 1974, when the post-Watergate election gave Democrats the advantage again.
With four senators and six new Assembly members, many of the new members will be trekking to Albany from the city. They will be flush from campaign victories and eager to push the agenda that got them elected, but veteran legislators and political observers said the strong caucus system in Albany could quickly blunt their enthusiasm.
State Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan), who was first elected in a 2002 special election, did not benefit from the new member orientation. She has some advice for the newcomers.
“As a legislator, it’s good to know a little bit about everything, but it’s impossible to become an expert on all the issues,” Krueger said. “You can burn yourself out.”
She advises her new colleagues to work hard on all the issues, but then choose one or two that are most interesting or important to the district and “dig in on those issues.”
Hakeem Jeffries (D), who won election to the Assembly from Brooklyn on his third try, says digging in will not be a problem.
The “affordable housing crisis” will be the most significant issue for him and the state in 2007, Jeffries said. He wants to rewrite the 421-a tax subsidy to require that any developer receiving it make 30 percent of the housing affordable to the residents of the surrounding community.
Zimmerman says that the political concerns of party leaders will play an important role in the new legislators’ first term. To maintain his majority, “the leader will pay special attention” to any member in the party caucus elected by a slim margin, he said.
According to Krueger, these new legislators – known in Albany as “marginals” – do receive special treatment, even extending to how member items are distributed.
That bodes well for at least one new member of the city’s Albany delegation. Janele Hyer-Spencer (D-Staten Island) won her seat by just 747 votes in this year’s closest general election contest in the city.
Hyer-Spencer, a self-described “policy wonk,” is gearing up for Medicaid reform that goes beyond simply addressing fraud.
“I would like us to take a look at Medicaid reimbursement across the board,” she said.
Brian Kavanagh, a former chief of staff to fellow Manhattan Democrat City Council Member Gale Brewer, echoed a common theme in calling for “Albany reform.” He is particularly energized about releasing the data on member items.
“It’s a great deal of money,” Kavanagh said. “When it’s not disclosed, people feel it’s going for purposes that may be shrouded.”
Kavanagh, like many other new legislators, also highlighted the importance of resolving the Campaign for Fiscal Equity suit, which promises to deliver billions in additional educational aid to New York City public schools.
Even longtime Albany veterans may want to consult with Senator-elect Shirley Hunter on the CFE issue. As a school board member, Hunter signed onto the suit at its inception.
Although she is confident the money will soon make it out of Albany, Hunter plans to “earmark” the funds for delivery right into the classrooms.
She hopes that the lion’s share of the cash funding will go towards reducing class sizes, and not get lost within the Department of Education (DoE) bureaucracy.
“I don’t want to see the DoE hire 10,000 more consultants,” Hunter said.
Senator-elect Bill Perkins (D-Manhattan), who became known as “the rat man” for his efforts on health and environmental issues while serving on the City Council, agreed that reforming the way Albany works will be a primary goal in his first term.
Most important, he agreed, was passing an on-time budget and changing procedures for more transparency. That, he said, would get Albany “greater credibility and respect.”