Talk Bronx New York

Embattled Gov. Paterson speaks to reporters on Thursday.

ALBANY - It’s another black eye for the state police.

A Bronx woman’s claim that state troopers pressed her to abandon a domestic violence complaint against a top aide to Gov. Paterson is just the latest allegation the department is doing political dirty work.

“This is just despicable,” said state Sen. Eric Schneiderman (D-Manhattan), one of several lawmakers to express outrage over the new allegation.

“I am unaware of any law or policy in the state of New York that authorizes this sort of conduct by the state police,” Schneiderman said.

It’s not the first time the state police has been accused of flexing its muscles inappropriately.

Back in the summer 2007, in a scandal that would come to be known as Troopergate, then-Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno accused former Gov. Eliot Spitzer of using troopers to spy on him.

The ensuing investigation got so heated that a former state police inspector who once headed the governor’s personal security detail, Gary Berwick, committed suicide at his home in Orange County in May 2008.

Around that time, Paterson nominated Harry Corbitt, 62, to run the state police and clean up the department.

Now Corbitt admits that one of his troopers directly confronted Sherr-una Booker, who had filed abuse charges against Paterson aide David Johnson, even though the agency had no legal authority over the case. Read more..

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Gov. Paterson Thursday joined a growing chorus saying the upcoming trial of alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed should be moved.

 As protests grow louder over holding the 9/11 trial in lower Manhattan, a Long Island congressman introduced a bill Thursday that would keep the prosecution out of civilian courts.

Republican Peter King’s bill would prohibit the use of Justice Department funds to try Guantanamo detainees in civilian courts.

“On top of having to provide security for three or four years, we’re talking about an area that is already congested and will have to be closed off,” King said. “It’s bad for traffic and business.”

The Obama administration announced last month that alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others would be tried in Manhattan Federal Court.

The move angered many business leaders, who argue it would cripple real estate and commerce in the area, and frightened downtown residents.

King called the plan “one of the worst decisions ever made by any president” and insisted Mohammed should be tried by the military.

Mayor Bloomberg, who first supported the plan, reversed himself Wednesday and said it would be glad to see it moved somewhere else.

Gov. Paterson said Thursday there needs to be “some suitable alternatives that would fall within the court’s jurisdiction but for the public at large would be a better place to hold the actual trial.” Read more..

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Gov. David Paterson insisted the $750 million in scheduled payments to schools and local governments that will be withheld tomorrow are not a “cut” or an “impoundment.”

“The state has run out of money,” Paterson declared. “…We think we are well within the bounds of legal authority.”

NYSUT is reviewing its legal options.

Paterson defended his actions in a Plattsburgh Press-Republican OpEd.

One in five legislators have staffers who do double-duty as their campaign treasurers - an arrangement good government advocates warn could present a conflict of interest.

“Albany’s entrenched pay-to-play culture doesn’t get much more naked than this,” the DN says.

The relationship between the governor and the Legislature is so bad that Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson is refusing to attend formal events with Paterson.

Tired of living on the 32-30 knife’s edge, Senate Democrats are negotiating to make Republicans committee chairs in hopes of improving relations with the minority.

The MTA unveils its new austerity budget this morning, and drastic service cuts are expected.

Paterson said his “hands are tied” when it comes to the MTA because the state has no money.

Andrea Peyser thinks Eliot Spitzer, “whose cast-iron ego will outlast the cockroaches in a nuclear war,” has a good shot at success if he tried for a 2010 comeback.

Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum was once so close to ex-state Comptroller Alan Hevesi that she hired three people close to him, including one of his sons.

Chris Smith marvels at the “indomitability” of New York’s elected officials, writing: “They refuse to go away, even when the law, the voters, or sanity says they should.

The state’s system of juvenile prisons is so riddled with problems the agency overseeing them wants all but the most dangerous of youthful offenders to stay out of them.

The Post likes the idea of letting AG Andrew Cuomo have subpoena power to go after corrupt state lawmakers.

Cindy Adams is standing by her story about Paterson saying he wanted to piss “on” the Legislature.

It’s D-Day for the Kingsbridge Armory project, and so far things are not looking good.

Jordan Moss says Bronx officials can “proudly cross the finish line or meekly toss the keys back to Mayor Bloomberg.” Read more..

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Hundreds of Soundview residents demanded change at P.S. 47 on Tuesday, November 3 and mayoral candidate Bill Thompson won the Bronx in a landslide but incumbent Michael Bloomberg eked out a third term.

The independent mayor, listed as a Republican on the ballot, beat Thompson, a Democrat and the city’s comptroller, 51 percent to 46 percent. Bloomberg spent more than $100 million on his campaign. Thompson spent less than $10 million.

Turnout at P.S. 47 on Beach Avenue was down compared to 2005, when Bloomberg defeated Democrat Freddy Ferrer, a poll worker reported. Turnout also decreased citywide: 200,000 less votes were cast in 2009. Bloomberg won only two Assembly Districts: the 80th District (Morris Park, Pelham Parkway, Allerton, Norwood) and the 81st District (Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Woodlawn).

Soundview belongs to the 18th Council District and was supposed to be a battleground between incumbent Democrat Annabel Palma, a former 1199 SEIU healthcare worker, and Green Party candidate Walter Nestler, a parks expert from Clason Point who raised an unexpected $14,389 and $38,700 in public funds.

But Palma crushed Nestler and 88 percent to three percent. Republican candidate Leopold Paul took eight percent and Conservative Party candidate Arqui Sanders took one percent.

Soundview resident Hector Lopez voted for the first time since 2006 and chose Thompson. Lopez is no fan of politics; he concentrates on his own work, he said.

“Somewhere down the line, all the elected officials screw us, Republican or Democrat,” Lopez sighed.

Noberto Perez voted for “the Democrat” because he wanted to property and utility tax increases curbed. The self-described “blue dog” Democrat thought the mayoral campaign was all “anger and spin.” Perez voted for Sanders. He hopes Palma will Soundview curb street crime and graffiti but won’t hold his breath.

“The City Council candidates don’t even need to campaign,” he said. “Nobody challenges them.” Read more..

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We’re almost glad West Bronx Councilwoman Maria Baez ducked out of that debate last week on Gary Axel bank’s Bronx Talk, to save it from being a complete embarrassment.

As it was, a lotta folks said The Rev. Fernando Cabrera and Yudelka Tapia reminded them of the dull edge of a butter knife.

Though Gary and Alex Kratz, and James Fergusson of the Bronx News Network tried, Cabrera also ducked explaining how the light shined down upon him to switch from voting Republican in 2008 to register as a Democrat in time to qualify for Tuesday’s primary.

The first post debate comment on the BNN’s blog: “You should have had 3 empty chairs.”

Even if Maria should pull it off, there’s still a potential win for Bronx Dem Party Boss Carl Heastie - “Maria won’t be head of the Bronx delegation anymore,” said a party insider.

With control of the delegation, that would put Carl up a notch when he sits down with the city’s other county leaders to talk turkey about Council largess and jobs.

Meanwhile … Read more..

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