Bloomberg Defends Support of State Senate G.O.P.
Earlier today, Michael Bloomberg defended the pledge he reportedly made to help Dean Skelos keep the narrow majority Republicans hold in the State Senate.
“Because I have said repeatedly I will help those who help this city,” Bloomberg said when he was asked why he made the promise during a Q&A with reporters in Lower Manhattan after unveiling the Waterfalls. “The Republicans in the State Senate were willing to vote for congestion pricing, and the Democrats were not. And there’s been a whole bunch of things where they have been there to help us," he added. "If the Democrats help us, I’ll support them as well.”
For the record, Skelos was one of the State Senate Republicans who voted against the bill that created the commission that studied the idea of congestion pricing. The actual congestion pricing bill never went to a vote in the state legislature.
Skelos said recently that his priorities may change now that he’s gone statewide.
"The Republicans in the State Senate were willing to vote for congestion pricing, and the Democrats were not."
SO WHY DIDN'T THEY VOTE? By definition, the majority can pass whatever they want with or without the minority. Bloomberg's statement makes no sense. No vote was taken.
In defense of Bloomberg's comment (and I almost never defend Mayor Bloomberg), the Senate could not vote until and unless the Assembly passed the resolution -- and the Assembly never voted. That's why Skelos and other Senate Republicans never voted.
Bloomberg's statement, however, makes little sense when one considers that Albany Republicans fought against funding NYC schools, fought against Bloomberg's attempts to balance the budget in 2002 without an 18.5% property tax increase, fought against campaign finance reform that would keep tens of millions of dollars here in NYC, fought against expanding healthcare coverage that would enable hundreds of thousands of uninsured NYC residents to get the medical services they need, fought against ...
In short, Albany Republicans -- especially George Pataki and Joe Bruno, but Dean Skelos as well -- have fought against the interests of NYC for a long, long time. That's why Michael Bloomberg's statement makes no sense.
I told you I almost never defend him.
The Senate didn't have wait for the Assembly to vote. They could have voted first. They didn't because Bruno did not want to admit to Mike that the money Mike paid to Bruno did not buy enough votes to pass the bill.