Tagged: Capitol Bureau

Governor Cuomo says he’s not getting involved in any fights for party control of the State Senate, after Tuesday’s elections  created uncertainty over who might be in charge of the chamber.

Governor Cuomo says damage from Superstorm Sandy will cost New York $33 billion dollars in property damage and economic losses. The governor , at a briefing, said the storm revealed “severe” vulnerabilities in the state’s gasoline distribution system, as Long Island and New York City  announced gasoline rationing would begin on Friday .

Governor Cuomo says  Sandy’s total costs for New York are  now $33 billion dollars.

“That is a staggering number,” Cuomo said. “Especially with the financial situation that we’ve been in.”

The New York State Thruway Authority has scheduled a board meeting for Friday afternoon.  There’s no public agenda yet, but it’s believed that the board will consider a 45% increase in truck tolls.

Control of the State Senate is still up in the air, and could be for weeks. Democrats are claiming victory but  Republicans are not conceding,  they say they’re waiting until  the absentee ballots are counted.

Democrats say they have taken over the State Senate, by a narrow margin.

“Last night voters across New York made it clear they want their State Senate to be led by the Democratic Conference,” said Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson, in a statement.

The vast majority of incumbent state legislators were re-elected Tuesday night, upholding a decades- long Albany tradition.   

Bill Mahoney, with the New York Public Interest Research Group, says only three to six faces will change out of 213 Senators and Assemblymembers come January. He says the system favors sitting lawmakers, who are able to design their own districts through party based control of redistricting. They also typically receive far more campaign donations than their challengers.