It's been a almost a year now since a newly crowned Governor Paterson -- speaking to a handful of reporters tailing him after a Sunday speaking engagement -- casually mentioned that he would reorganize the state's main development agency, the Empire State Development Corporation, abolishing the controversial upstate-downstate split among its leaders.

Now, half a year after new CEO Marisa Lago was installed, she is announcing a reorganization, and a brief look at the memo and organizational chart that went out suggests power is shifting upstate. The upstate president, Dennis Mullen, will take over management of key programs and initiatives that dole out millions in incentives: Tourism and the I Love New York campaign, the Empire Zones program that aims to give businesses money in exchange for job creation, and the Governors Office of Motion Picture & Television.

This might just be a coincidence, but today’s Google ad from Michael Bloomberg seeks campaign volunteers under the headline "Stronger Together."

If you Google that phrase, the first link that pops up is for the Service Employees International Union, which also uses it as a slogan.

SEIU gave a huge boost to Barack Obama when they endorsed him during the Democratic presidential primary.

Tony Bucco at his pasta dinner event in the Zeris Inn on Thursday evening.

MOUNTAIN LAKES – They’ve seen other candidates in neighboring districts arrive at the brink of running and then back down with the awful idea of a bad economy turning even worse. For if there’s nobility in serving the public, there is also the catastrophic fear of accepting that service to the detriment of the more foundational forces of job and family.

What’s the good of circulating a glossy mailer advertising first-rate business credentials and a great looking family, when in fact the family sits at home with no food on the table because dad is out pouring the contents of their nest egg into his campaign, and a once thriving but now unmanned business simultaneously goes belly up?

Yet as hard as it is to run, to pick up the phone and beg for money in a flat-lined economy, the four 25th District Republican primary candidates in pursuit of two seats – all attorneys who fulfill at least some government contract work, some more than others - are going anyway, lousy economy be damned.

“We’re in the early stages of this campaign, and I’m in whether I raise $10 or $100,000,” said Randolph Councilman Gary Algeier, who intends to rely on writing columns and door-to-door campaigning probably more than fundraising.

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ALBANY—As of today, 22 state senators have signed on to a bill that would enact a tax on New Yorkers earning over $250,000.

State Senators Pedro Espada Jr. and Diane Savino signed onto the bill after a long conference meeting Wednesday night. It measure was first introduced last week by State Senator Eric Schneiderman, but has not yet been endorsed by Majority Leader Malcolm Smith.

"There's a strong sentiment that we go on the principles of shared sacrifice," Schneiderman told me yesterday outside the Senate chamber. I asked him about a similar bill from State Senator Jeff Klein that also includes tax rebates for those earning less than $250,000.

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City Councilman Bill de Blasio wants to create a web site to track how New York City will spend the billions of dollars in stimulus funding coming here from Washington.

"The future of our city depends on making sure this federal aid is spent wisely and fairly. SunlightNYC will allow the public to see exactly how their money is being used, providing much needed accountability and transparency to the process," de Blasio said in a public statement.

De Blasio's site is intended to account for how each federal dollar is spent locally--sort of an other-end version of the White House site, Recovery.gov, according a de Blasio aide.

ALBANY—It's been a few weeks since Senate Democrats launched this site (and allowed them people to text message ideas to 41411) for New Yorkers to share ideas to balance the state budget.

Austin Shafran, a spokesman for Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, said the staff has received over 2,000 ideas from 1,500 different individuals. Here are some of the highlights :

• "Cut stupid waste."
• "Separate NYC from the rest of the state."
• "Hire a welfare mother to go over the budget with you. Seriously. I used to be one myself before I was able to get an education and job skills so I could get a job.

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Chuck Schumer just sent out a statement confirming that District Attorney Robert Morgenthau will not seek reelection.

"Every so often a giant in their field comes along and in the world of criminal justice," says Schumer. "Robert Morgenthau was just that man.

"As both a federal prosecutor and district attorney, his integrity and excellence is shown not just in his longevity and dedication, but in the results he delivered generations of New Yorkers. From safer streets to more efficient and fairly applied justice in the most complicated city in the world, to a cadre of acolytes who will carry on his work, Bob Morgenthau is pure class.

provided by the campaign

Melinda Katz and Ernest Logan

City comptroller candidate and Councilwoman Melinda Katz was endorsed by two more unions at a breakfast (not a fund-raiser!) she hosted for organized labor yesterday morning.

Dennis Quirk of the Court Officers union and Ernest Logan of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators both announced their endorsement of Katz at the event, according to Katz’s campaign.

Katz made an early play for union support, which could prove pivotal in a race that's competitive, but may not get as much attention as the mayor’s race, or the more crowded public advocate’s race. Also running are City Council members David Yassky and David Weprin.