By JUDY RATTNER
Just as Rockville Centre residents settled in for a final week of campaigning before Tuesday's village elections, a dramatic coup in Albany on Monday, which apparently returned Republicans to the majority in the state Senate - and native son Sen. Dean Skelos to the role of majority leader - threatened to take center stage.
Skelos, who was the majority leader from last June until the Republicans lost control of the Senate in the November election, appeared to take back the leadership position when two Democratic senators, Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx and Hiram Monserrate of Queens, unexpectedly switched sides. The two Democrats joined the 30-member Republican caucus in the 62-member body.
It was still unclear on Tuesday why the revolt occurred, or what the nature and consequences of what some were calling a "new coalition" of power would be. Within an hour of the coup, which followed a raucous leadership fight on the Senate floor Monday afternoon, it was reported that Skelos had been named majority leader and vice president of the Senate. Espada was named temporary president.
A host of hot-button issues -- from same-sex marriage to budget revisions, from increased cigarette taxes to Belmont Park area redevelopment, from the MTA payroll tax to property tax rebates for seniors -- were thrown into even greater confusion as a five-month-old Democratic majority came to a surprising and chaotic end.
"A new bipartisan coalition elected today has delivered on the promises for reform that the Senate Democratic leadership failed to keep," Skelos said in a statement. "The new rules adopted today will create a more open, bipartisan, transparent and member-driven body that will take dramatic new steps to end Albany dysfunction."
Skelos accused Democrats of sowing more of the seeds of discord that, he said, have become so familiar to those in the statehouse in Albany.
"Under new Senate rules adopted today," his statement continued, "more power is given to individual members, the committee process has been strengthened, greater debate and consideration of legislation will be allowed and resources among the members of both majority and minority parties will be equalized.
"By adopting new rules, we will guarantee more accountability, transparency, efficiencies, balance and fairness in the Senate. We believe the result will be better representation for the constituents we represent and better results for taxpayers, businesses and families in this state."
One of the new rules Skelos announced was six-year term limits in leadership positions, which he and Espada had agreed to.
"Last week, at a news conference," Skelos added, "I said that it would be a tremendous legacy for a lot of us to say we really reformed the system, to look back and say that 'I was part of that.' Today will be remembered in state history as a day when real change and real reform began and dysfunction ended."
Democrats maintained that the action taken on the Senate floor was in no way binding. "This was an illegal and unlawful attempt to gain control of the Senate and reverse the will of the people who voted for a Democratic majority," said Austin Shafran, an aide to Sen. Malcolm Smith, in an e-mail message Monday. "Nothing has changed, Senator Malcolm A. Smith remains the duly elected Temporary President and Majority Leader. The real Senate Majority is anxious to get back to governing, and will take immediate steps to get us back to work."
"New York is a Democratic state, and no amount of legal acrobatics by a desperate GOP is going to overturn the will of the people here," Democratic Senate Campaign Committee spokesman Shams Tarek said on Monday. "Majority Leader Smith and the Senate Democrats look forward to both the resolution of today's theatrics and upcoming elections, when New Yorkers continue to vote more Democrats into office. In the meantime, Dean Skelos and the Senate Republicans talking about reform is like the shark in 'Jaws' talking about vegetarianism."
But local Republican Assemblyman Tom Alfano had a different view. "Dean Skelos taking the reins as majority leader means only one thing: Long Island wins! We're back!" Alfano said Tuesday. "The impact of Dean becoming the majority leader means that we have a seat at the table. It means Belmont is back. It means school aid is back. It means health care is back. It means higher education and colleges are back. It means quality of life with programs like STAR and public transit is back! It means Nassau County is back!"
John O'Connell contributed to this story. Comments about it? RVCeditor@ liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
