The New York State Democratic Party and its two factions in the state Senate may have announced this week they have reached a deal to join forces in one conference, but critics are saying the deal doesn’t mean much.
Meanwhile, State Sen. Simcha Felder (D-Midwood, Flatbush, Borough Park, Kensington, Sunset Park, Madison and Bensonhurst), who has caucused with the current Republican majority ever since he was first elected to the senate in 2012, continues with a go-it-alone type of philosophy in which constituent needs trump part affiliation.
Under the pact, which Gov. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and State Democratic Party Chair/Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown brokered, the mainstream Democrats and the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) would work together to gain a Democratic majority in two upcoming special elections and next year’s general Senate elections.
If that comes to pass and the Democrats gain a majority in the Senate, Current mainstream Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins will co-chair the Democratic caucus with IDC Chair Sen. Jeff Klein.
The 8-member IDC currently is in a majority coalition with the Republicans. The IDC includes two Brooklyn senators, Diane Savino (Coney Island, Sunset Park, Staten Island) and Jesse Hamilton ( Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, South Slope, Sunset Park); and two Queens Senators, Tony Avella (College Point, Whitestone, Bayside, Little Neck, Douglaston, Floral Park, Beechhurst, Malba, Auburndale) and Jose Peralta (Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Woodside).
Among the fiercest critics of both the deal and the IDC is the Working Families Party (WFP), which although not technically part of the Democratic Party is very aligned with and often regarded as its’ progressive arm.
“This proposed deal leaves Trump Republicans in control of the State Senate for the most important budget in our state’s recent history. With Trump and his allies proposing massive tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy that will devastate New York’s economy, Democrats must present the strongest possible unified front in New York from the first day of the 2018 legislative session,” said WFP New York State Director Bill Lipton.
“New York’s working families heard similar promises in 2014 and were betrayed. Enough is enough. We call on Governor Cuomo to bring the IDC back to the Democrats in the Senate by the beginning of the 2018 legislative session. Furthermore, he should call special elections to fill open Senate seats on the earliest date possible and do everything within his power to ensure progressives win both contests,” he added.
But Savino dismissed both Lipton’s remarks and the WFP so-called progressive agenda, saying the reason the IDC accepted the unity agreement is that Stewart-Cousins and her members all agreed to be supportive of the IDC progressive policy agenda.
“We [IDC] have always clearly worked to elect Democrats, No one contributed more than money [than the IDC] to elect Democrats, and we’ve always campaigned and worked for electing Democrats. For those like the WFP, who want to participate in perennial game of politics should remember when we [Democrats] did get control of the majority in the senate, they handed us John Sampson,” said Savino.
Former Senators Sampson and Malcolm Smith were both tabbed as leaders of the senate when in 2008, the Democrats gained a majority in the State Senate for the first time in 40 years and both were convicted on felony corruption charges and are currently serving prison sentences. It was when Democrats first voted the two to lead the conference that the IDC was formed.
Savino, additionally said in order for the Democrats to regain a majority in the Senate, they must support more centrist Democrats in suburban and rural areas of the State or they risk losing those seats.
Meanwhile, Felder said of the unity deal that Klein, the IDC and the Democratic members have spent the last six years talking about making a deal, but so far nothing has happened and nothing has changed, and he won’t speculate on speculations.
“As I’ve always said, I only do whatever is in the best interests of my constituents. That’s what I’m focused on, not all this inside political baseball. My constituents have many concerns, among them are my legislative priorities this coming session such as the “state and local tax” tax credit, armed NYPD in front of every school building, and numerous other bills that will benefit my constituents and improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers,” said Felder.
