Peeved Dems lose appetite for gov’s fete
Albany — The cold war between Gov. Cuomo and state Senate Democrats has gotten even chillier after a “significant” number of them boycotted a lunch at the governor’s mansion last week.
More than one-quarter of the 25 Senate Dems were AWOL for the Thursday reception held in celebration of the legislative successes that culminated in the budget deal. Republicans and four breakaway independent Democrats were in attendance.
Team Cuomo was apparently so concerned over the snubs that it is said to have put calls out to the no-show senators to ask why they didn’t attend.
“It was very childish,” state Sen. Tony Avella (D-queens) said of the call he received. “I told them, ‘Why should I go? The governor’s people have been arrogant, they’re not helpful, and they don’t return people’s calls.’ There was silence.”
“It’s a shame because there should be better relations between the Senate Democratic conference and a governor from their own party,” Avella added.
State Sen. Ruben Diaz of the Bronx, who has derisively called Cuomo “emperor,” said he would have felt like a hypocrite had he gone because he opposes so many of the governor’s recent moves.
Other Dems offered a variety of reasons for their absence.
State Sen. Eric Adams of Brooklyn said he had returned home to his district the night before and couldn’t make it back in time for the noon event.
State Sen. Joe Addabbo of Queens opted to make calls to constituents instead.
And state Sen. Jose Serrano of the Bronx was at the Capitol, where he expected to meet with fellow Dems — even though his leadership team was at the mansion. But several sources said those were just excuses, and anger at Cuomo was the real motivation.
Many Democrats in the Legislature, public worker unions, black and Latino constituents, and liberals both in New York and in the national blogosphere say they feel betrayed by Cuomo over his breaking of a promise for independent redistricting — and his “rightward tilt” on issues, like pension reform.
Some Senate Dems now say they don’t expect Cuomo’s help this fall as they try to reclaim the chamber’s majority. They say they’ll instead rely heavily on the backing of powerful labor unions and progressive groups.
Cuomo wouldn’t say on Friday whether he would campaign for the Senate Dems, but those close to him made it clear he has little respect for them.
“There is no (unified) conference; there are factions,” a Cuomo insider said. “Most voted for the budget (last week) and some are supportive. Some are corrupt or incompetent and have no business in elected office.”
Caught between an angry conference and a governor he needs to work with, Senate Democratic Minority Leader John Sampson of Brooklyn tried to downplay the tension. In a statement, he said an “overwhelming number” of his members attended Cuomo’s reception and voted for the budget.
A new mystery surrounds disgraced former Sen. Carl Kruger: What happened to all his stateowned office furniture and equipment?
When the Senate GOP majority did an inventory of the crooked pol’s old Brooklyn district office, they found that several swivel chairs, a couch, two air conditioners and desk lamps were among 30 missing items, sources said.
“The desks were all there, but no chairs,” one astounded source said. “We don’t know where the things are.”
Kruger is facing federal prison time after pleading guilty to corruption charges.
Before joining the “Jersey Shore” cast, Vinny Guadagnino worked at another party operation — the state Legislature.
Guadagnino was an unpaid college intern for Staten Island Assemblyman Michael Cusick for six months in 2008.
The lawmaker said he never saw any of the drinking/dancing/partying image that was soon to make the intern a reality TV star.
“Vinny was a very intelligent and hardworking intern for us,” Cusick said. “He’s a good kid.”