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Hochul never found an emergency she couldn't embrace

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                                                                               Gov. Kathy Hochul after winning Democratic primary for governor in June Cynics were wondering what Gov. Kathy Hochul was going to do next. Her Covid-19 emergency order expires in three days -- on Sept. 12. Could the governor extend that order yet again even though the covid pandemic is pretty much over? Hochul has declared an ongoing state of emergency in New York because of the Covid pandemic ever since she became governor a year ago, inheriting the office after Andrew Cuomo resigned. Under her declared Covid emergency, Hochul suspended state purchasing rules along with comptroller oversight of new purchasing contracts -- to the benefit of her campaign contributors. The Albany Times Union has run a series of s...

Everything old is new again at the Nassau County jail

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                                                                            Michael Sposato Nassau Sheriff James Dzurenda, hired by former Democratic County Executive Laura Curran, is out. Michael Sposato, former Nassau Sheriff under Republican County Executive Ed Mangano, is back, this time with the title of Commissioner of Corrections. It all happened today under Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman. Nobody is saying it, but the changes in jail administration must have something to do with the Corrections Officers union a week ago voting down a new contract proposed by Blakeman and Brian Sullivan, president of the Corrections Officers Benevolent Association. Union members didn't like Sposato, a former jail cook who was named acting sheriff in 2008 by then-Nassau County Executive Tom Su...

Is Hochul dropping; Zeldin gaining? Or are poll respondents lying?

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Trafalgar Group poll The latest polls are all over the place when it comes to Democrat Kathy Hochul's race against Republican Lee Zeldin for governor this November. A month ago, on Aug. 2, the Siena College Research Institute poll found Hochul, the state's former lieutenant governor who automatically assumed the top job when Andrew Cuomo resigned a year ago, had a 14 point lead over Zeldin, a U.S. Congressman from Shirley who is giving up his First District seat to run for governor. Siena surveyed 806 likely voters from July 24-28. The poll found 53 percent favored Hochul while 39 percent sided with Zeldin. A month later,  the Trafalgar Group surveyed 1,011 likely voters between Aug. 3 and Sept. 1. Reported yesterday, Trafalgar found a big drop for Hochul support and gain for Zeldin; 47.8 percent said they would vote for Democrat Hochul while 43.4 percent said they would vote for Zeldin. It would seem the blue wave is faltering while the red wave is gaining momenmtn. But each p...

Congressional #3 back in Democratic territory; Lafazan finally back in his office

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                                                                                 The election metrics have changed in Congressional District 3 a little more than a week after  Robert Zimmerman, National Democratic Committeeman and public relations executive, won a five-way race in the Democratic primary. Since the primary, the Cook Political Report, an online political newsletter that bills itself as independent and non partisan, has changed its election ratings for District 3 from a "toss-up" to "lean Democrat;" Zimmerman was endorsed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and appeared with her in Queens; ...

Lawyers get five minutes to argue against jailing Linda Mangano next Friday

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                                                                                   A federal appeals court this week turned down Linda Mangano's request to delay her scheduled surrender to prison next week, but is giving her lawyers five minutes to argue that she is entitled to remain free on bail while they appeal her conviction on federal corruption charges. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday denied Mangano's request to stay her ordered surrender on Sept. 9 to begin serving a 15-month sentence in federal prison for lying to the FBI. Instead, the court gave her lawyers five minutes on Sept. 6 to argue for bail. Federal prosecutors also have five minutes to oppose their request. Linda Mangano and her husband, former Republican County Executive Ed Mangano, were convicted...

Nassau Corrections Officers vote down proposed contract

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                                                                                                       Nassau's Corrections Officers Benevolent Association, which has been working without a contract since Dec.31, 2017,  defeated a proposed new memorandum of understanding yesterday by a 3 to 2 vote. According to a post on the union website, 358 members voted "No" while 251 voted in favor of the new deal that would have run from Jan. 2018 through June 30, 2026. The union had 731 members as of the end of June. The defeat is not surprising. Corrections officers were being asked to accept raises of 2 to 3 percent through 2025 when inflation is currently running 8.5 percent nationwide. The memorandum of understanding also called for...

D'Esposito at southern border; Where is Gillen?

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The race for the Congressional Fourth District seat is off and running, at least on the Republican side. Republican candidate Anthony D'Esposito, who was able to sit on the sidelines over the past six months and watch Democrats battle each other for their party's nomination, was at the southern border in Texas two days after Democrat Laura Gillen won last week's party primary. The border is a top issue among Republicans who object to the hundreds of thousands of migrants crossing illegally into the United States. Democrats outside of border states didn't pay much attention to the issue until Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbot began busing migrants that entered his state into New York City. D'Esposito, a Hempstead Town Councilman and retired NYC police detective, put out a photo and press release today to show he's in it to win it. Anthony D'Esposito at a portion of the border wall in Texas “The United States is on the wrong track thanks to President Biden’...