James Tedisco

On the agenda for David Paterson today…a lot of smiling.

From his schedule, which the governor's office just sent out:  read more »

Welcome Republican operative Robert Hornak officially to the 2009 race for City Council.

Hornak, who has been raising money to run for the Astoria seat that Peter Vallone Jr. will be term-limited out of, is having a kick-off event on February 2 featuring: Niger Innis, Herb London, Queens G.O.P. leader Phil Ragusa, and the unmistakable Curtis Sliwa.  read more »

Republican Presidential candidate Tom Tancredo was a bit of an unwelcome guest at a hearing here organized by members of his own party.

Earlier this week, Assembly Republicans held a hearing on Eliot Spitzer’s driver’s license plan, which they say rewards illegal immigrants with the chance to obtain a state driver‘s license. Tancredo has been running a presidential campaign based on hostility to illegal immigration.

According to a story in El Diario, Tancredo was invited by Assemblyman Greg Ball, but Assembly Republican leader James Tedisco quickly sought to distance himself from the candidate's appearance. Tedisco's office put out a statement--in Spanish--saying that he supports legal immigration and that his ideas are different from Tancredo's.

Will he be making similar clarifications for the English-language press?

UPDATE: A reader called to remind me that meeting was, technically, a "public hearing" and not an official Assembly hearing since only Committee Chairman (all of whom are Democrats) can hold hearings. 

So here's a lively exchange from earlier today between Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco from a budget hearing in Albany.

Silver: "So, you support adding for education, you supporting adding for health, you support adding for tax cuts and you're complaining about how much we are [adding] -- I just don't understand the logic."

Tedisco: "Well, you had the same logic last week. Did your logic change this week? The governor made a call to you?"

Which is kind of funny, considering the infamous call Tedisco once got from the governor.

-- Azi Paybarah

This doesn't bode well for an on-time budget in Albany.

Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco has the answer:

"There's a strike going on here at the capitol," he said at a Republican-led budget hearing right now in Albany that is being boycotted by Democrats like the governor, Assembly Speaker and others.

"Speaker Silver is on strike against openness and transparency," said Tedisco.

Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, who is leading the meeting, said his conference was willing to work through the weekend to settle the budget.

In other budget news, the labor-backed Working Families Party is bucking the governor's proposals to reduce Medicaid spending.

-- Azi Paybarah

Who's that guy behind Eliot Spitzer at this morning's press conference about the extended confinement of sex offenders?

It's James Tedisco, who appears to have hammered out a working relationship with the governer despite a rough introduction.

-- Azi Paybarah