State Sen. Malcolm Smith's office. (Photo: Bill Hammond)

That was fast.

Independent Democratic Conference leader Jeffrey Klein effectively booted Senator Malcolm Smith from his breakaway Democratic caucus this afternoon, stripping him of his leadership position and all committee assignments in the wake of charges that he took part in an alleged bribery scheme.

"These are very serious allegations that, if true, constitute a clear betrayal of the public trust," Mr. Klein said in a statement. "As a result of these charges, I have made the decision to strip Senator Smith of his committee assignments and of his conference leadership position. By participating in the alleged scheme, Senator Smith breached the trust of the Independent Democratic Conference."

Mr. Smith, a Democrat charged with trying to bribe Republican county leaders to secure a place in the Republican mayoral primary, was one of five Democrats that formed their own conference to govern the State Senate with Republican State Sen. Dean Skelos. He was the co-chairman of the Senate Task Force on Sandy Recovery, vice chairman of the Finance Committee and chairman of the Social Services Committee. Along with Mr. Smith, Republican Councilman Dan Halloran, Queens County Republican Executive Vice President Vince Tabone and Bronx County Republican leader Jay Savino were charged with participating in the alleged bribery scheme as well.

"I trust that the U.S. attorney's office will act expeditiously to resolve this matter and to ensure that justice is served," Mr. Klein continued. "Finally, given the level of criminality alleged, I believe that Senator Smith should seriously consider whether or not he can continue to effectively serve his constituents."

Update: (2:37 PM):  Mr. Skelos concurred with Mr. Klein's decision to strip Mr. Smith of his leadership and committee assignments.

"The allegations outlined today involving Malcolm Smith are extremely troubling," Mr. Skelos said in a statement. " I concur with the swift decision made by Independent Democratic Leader Jeff Klein to strip him of his committee assignments and his conference leadership position."

Malcolm Smith (Photo: Getty)

Hell hath no fury like a county organization scorned.

Multiple Democratic insiders confirmed to Politicker that Queens State Senator Malcolm Smith, the fifth member of the breakaway Independent Democratic Conference, could face a primary challenger in 2014. Mr. Smith, it should be noted, has flirted with running for mayor as a Republican and is not going out of his way to strengthen his Democratic bonafides.

“It’s clear that Malcolm Smith is on his last term in the Senate,” said one source. “Caucusing with Republicans is not a viable tactic."

One strong challenger for Mr. Smith, the Democrat explained, would be Councilman Leroy Comrie, a loyal party stalwart who's been exploring a bid for Queens Borough President but has yet to post a formidable fundraising haul to indicate he's fully in the race. Both Mr. Smith and Mr. Comrie hail from overwhelmingly Democratic neighborhoods in southeastern Queens where the electorate is unlikely to be sympathetic to the Republican cause. Adding fuel to the partisan fire for Mr. Smith, the Senate Democrats have much of their campaign operations based in the borough and targeting him is sure to be high on their minds come 2014.

Another Queens Democrat confirmed a Comrie challenge has been talked about, though he was unsure if the Democratic Party would want to inject Mr. Comrie into a potentially nasty primary. Spokespeople for the hypothetical rivals did not immediately return requests for comment.

“[Comrie challenging Smith] is certainly an option,” the second insider said. “I don’t know if county will want to subject Comrie to that sort of race. For all of Comrie’s options, it’s going to be the question: can he put the money together?”

But it might not just be Queens where the Democratic Party is pondering campaigns against the breakaway IDC's members. For example, newly-minted Kings County Democratic Chairman Frank Seddio has harshly criticized Democratic Senator-elect Simcha Felder's decision to directly caucus with the GOP and even explored ways to expel him from the party. Staten Island Senator Diane Savino is an IDC member who also represents parts of Brooklyn and we reached out to Mr. Seddio's spokesman, George Arzt, and asked if the Brooklyn organization might be mulling a primary challenge against Ms. Savino as well.

Mr. Arzt replied to Politicker's email with a simple "YES."

Of course, some things are easier said than done, and Ms. Savino enjoys the support of Staten Island's Democratic Party and would not appear anywhere near as vulnerable as Mr. Smith. Not campaigning for mayor as a Republican could also work in  her favor.

Update (11:30 a.m.): Mr. Smith's spokesman, Hank Sheinkopf, responded by pointing to the still-devastated parts of the district in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. 

"Senator Smith is busy helping victims of Sandy recover, spending time making homes habitable and putting food on the table," Mr. Sheinkopf explained. "This is a moment of concern for victims of a serious disaster. It's not a time for politics."

Update (1:20 p.m.): Scott Levenson, a consultant for Ms. Savino, added, "Senator Savino is confident that the voters care more about issues like campaign finance reform and minimum wage then party bosses and their labels."

Additional reporting by Colin Campbell

Diane Savino (Photo: NYSenate.gov)

Governor Andrew Cuomo has made it absolutely clear that the new Senate leadership coalition between the breakaway Independent Democratic Conference and and the Republicans will draw his ire if they do not support certain items on his agenda. Yesterday, we noted that it seemed the IDC and the governor might not be seeing eye-to-eye on one of the item on the governor's "litmus test" for the coalition, campaign finance reform. Last night, we received a call from one of the five IDC members, State Senator Diane Savino, seeking to clarify the conference's position on the issue. She also discussed the IDC's goal, the racial controversies that have dogged the group and revealed the one person she's not sure she'd allow to join the conference.

When he laid out his agenda for this year, he defined campaign finance reform as including both limits on contributions and a statewide system for public matching funds like we have in New York City. However Ms. Savino and the leader of the IDC, State Senator Jeff Klein, have both recently suggested the Senate could just adopt one of these initiative and enact limits wihout establishing public financing. In her conversation with Politicker last night, Ms. Savino said she absolutely supports both aspects of campaign finance reform, but thinks there may be obstacles along the way.

"I'm going to fight for a campaign finance program that has public matching money, but I only have one vote and if people don't want me to explain or discuss the realities of trying to enact that piece of legislation, then they obviously don't know who I am," Ms. Savino said. "That's part of what being a legislator is, you've got to figure out what your opposition is and try and address it."

Ms. Savino said she sees objections to public financing coming both from conservative Upstate legislators and New York City members who have experienced the matching funds system firsthand.

"The biggest obstacle to getting a campaign finance reform program like the New York City program for the State of New York is not the Upstate members who are opposed to it because they don't want to use tax money," said Ms. Savino. "There's a lot of people who have a concern about that, you know were cutting budgets everywhere, how does it look for us to spend the taxpayers' money on our own campaigns?...It's a valid criticism, but the biggest obstacle is current legislators who are former New York City Council members who participated in the program. Democrats and Republicans, they hate it."

To make progress on the issue, Ms. Savino said lawmakers will need to "figure out...what goes wrong on the city level and not replicate it on the state level." She also said she expects numerous solutions will be put forward.

"There's going to be more than one proposal on campaign finance reform and there have been for a long time," Ms. Savino explained. "There's more than one way to get to it, but let's have that discussion. We really haven't explored campaign finance reform, I think the last time we attempted to was when Eliot Spitzer was governor."

Though the governor has identified campaign finance reform as one of the key elements of his agenda that he will judge the coalition on, Ms. Savino said the IDC has not decided as a group what type of campaign finance proposal they would support.

"We haven't actually conferenced it, I think we all feel that there should be some reforming of this process," she said.

She added that it also is unclear what type of campaign finance reform the governor wants to see.  Though he outlined the two-pronged approach including contribution limits and public matching funds when he unsuccessfully pushed for reform last year, this time around, Governor Cuomo has simply said he wants to see campaign finance reform without going into more specific detail.

"He really hasn't put forward a comprehensive proposal. Now, look, he's going to come out in January and lay out in the State of the State what his agenda items are for this year. I'm assuming he's going...to flesh out what he believes is a camp finance program," said Ms. Savino. "I don't know what that is yet. It could be the whole ball of wax, it could be pieces of it....The governor's proposal is obviously going to be the starting point, or the end point depending on how you look at it."

In general, Ms. Savino said the goal of the IDC would be to find common ground between the two parties in Albany.

"In the era of Joe Bruno's Albany...we became almost like enemy combatants...you're not allowed to have even a conversation with a member of the other party otherwise you're a traitor. Well, that's absurd, that's really an absurd way of doing business," Ms. Savino said. "So, that's, to me, that's the main motivating factor for the coalition. It's time to stop pointing at the problem and start looking for solutions."

Along with discussing campaign finance reform, Ms. Savino responded to the criticism some elected officials and activists have made that the IDC is not sufficiently diverse. There are no African American or Latino members of the conference apart from IDC State Senator Malcolm Smith. Ms. Savino countered that anyone is welcome to join the conference and they are eager to work with Democrats.

"We are not an exclusive club. We welcome anybody who wants to work with us," said Ms. Savino. "We welcome the leadership of that conference once they can figure out who it is....We want to make sure that there's access. We want to make sure that they're able to move a progressive agenda that they determine from their conference. We are not looking to deprive anybody of anything."

We asked Ms. Savino whether a few specific Democrats who have been especially critical of the IDC would be allowed into the fold if they wanted to join. Ms. Savino said any Democrats would be welcomed into the IDC--except perhaps for one.

"Anybody is welcome to join. Anybody except for maybe Ruben Diaz," she said with a a laugh. "I'm not sure if I like him."

(Photo: Getty)

Governor Andrew Cuomo threw down the gauntlet on the new State Senate leadership coalition between the Republicans and the breakaway Independent Democratic Conference with a stern warning for them to support all of his agenda items that he has declared his "litmus test" for the group on Fred Dicker's radio show this morning. Mr. Cuomo drew his line in the sand when the host asked about indications the new coalition might be hesitant to back all of the agenda items on the governor's list. Mr. Cuomo, who has taken some heat from progressives for not doing more to oppose the coalition and back Democratic control of the Senate chamber, made it clear his tolerance for the group will cease if they don't pass his test.

"If that's true, then we're going to have a problem Fred and we're going to have a problem sooner rather than later," said the governor.

Governor Cuomo reiterated the position he has already states several times when asked about the coalition--that it is not his job to decide the "internal" matters of who takes leadership positions in the senate.

"All of these internal, intramural games," Mr. Cuomo said, before adopting a mocking tone to mimic squabbling lawmakers. "'I think I should be the leader!' 'I think I should be the leader!'...That's their business."

What the governor said was his "business" is the passage of his legislative agenda. In no uncertain terms, he made it clear Republican Senate leader Dean Skelos will face his wrath if the coalition stands in the way of his agenda, which he said the people elected him to execute.

"I am their instrumentality in getting it done," Mr. Cuomo said of his relationship to New Yorkers. "If Senator Skelos is opposed to the agenda of the people of this state, then I will oppose him."

Asked to elaborate on what form his opposition might take, the governor showed that, while he may view himself as the people's "instrumentality," the people are also his instrumentality.

"I will go to the people of the state," said Mr. Cuomo. "I will generate information, education and political will to get the agenda passed."

Scary stuff!

In his State of the State address last January, Mr. Cuomo called for a two-pronged approach to campaign finance reform; limiting contributions and establishing a system for publicly-financed campaigns. Progressive good government groups have echoed the need for these two elements of campaign finance reform.

In the new IDC/GOP coalition, leadership duties in the Senate are shared between State Senator Jef Klein, the IDC’s head, and the Senate’s Republican leader Dean Skelos. Though his breakaway group’s alliance with the Republicans blocked Democrats from controlling the Senate chamber, Mr. Klein has vowed the IDC will be committed to advancing key components of the Democratic agenda, such as a minimum wage hike and reform of stop-and-frisk. He also told the Associated Press the IDC will be committed to “serious campaign finance reform,” though he has not detailed what exactly that might entail.

With their conservative upstate constituency, New York’s Republicans have never been enthusiastic about overhauling campaign finance laws. In an interview with Capital Tonight’s Liz Benjamin last week, Mr. Klein expressed his own skepticism New Yorkers would back public financing and suggested the issue be left  to voters.

“This is an important issue, if you’re gonna ask some people, you know, in upstate New York or other areas of upstate that we’re actually gonna use tax dollars to fund our elections, let’s see how they feel about that,” Mr. Klein said.

Mr. Skelos is not likely to accept all of the policy priorities of more liberal senators like Mr. Klein. Based on Mr. Klein’s comments, it seems public financing of campaigns could be an area where the IDC and their new Republican partners find some room for compromise. In the same Capital Tonight interview, Mr. Klein’s fellow IDC member, State Senator Diane Savino, said she supports public matching money for campaigns, but she suggested lawmakers can “start with” bringing down contribution limits first.

“There are some people who like myself believe that it can't be real campaign finance reform if it doesn't have public matching money. You know, There are other people who think that we can take baby steps, we can start with reducing the contribution limits, that they’re too high in New York State, that the amount of money that can be contributed to a state party is ridiculously high,” Ms. Savino said. “There’s a lot of room and I think what we should do is, let’s put it all out there, let’s find out what the people of the state want.”

Update (12/12 5:38 p.m.): Ms. Savino reached out to Politicker to elaborate on her position on campaign finance reform and where the conference stands on the issue with respect to the governor. 

Mr. Cuomo has taken substantial heat from progressives over the perception he could have done more to block the new coalition and establish a Democratic State Senate majority. In an appearance on Fred Dicker’s radio show yesterday, the governor disputed this criticism by saying it is his job to “pass progressive legislation” rather than involving himself in the “internal dynamics of the Legislature.” Though he defended not doing more to block the coalition, Mr. Cuomo promised to “make my voice heard” if the Senate does not pass the items on his agenda. Thus far, in the early days of the new coalition Mr. Cuomo said he was encouraged by what he described as “an increased decibel level around the progressive elements of the agenda” he was unable to pass last year;  stop and frisk reform, a minimum wage increase and campaign finance reform.

“Now, if anything, you hear more energy, more discussion and more commitment. Everybody now, everyone is fighting for the same agenda items I was trying to pass last year...Minimum wage, stop-and-frisk, campaign finance, everyone is saying that they’re going to support that,” Mr. Cuomo told Mr. Dicker.

With the IDC members seemingly leaning toward enacting contribution limits without establishing public financing, it remains to be seen whether this will be enough to placate Mr. Cuomo.

(Photo: Wikimedia)

Yesterday afternoon, the course of the New York State Senate was altered when a faction of the on-paper Democratic majority announced they would instead form a power-sharing agreement with the Republicans, equally splitting control of the chamber in an "unprecedented" fashion. Although labor has been wary of the situation thus far, seemingly preferring Democratic rule, Transport Workers Union Local 100 called the new coalition-style government "the best possible option" for the state.

“In the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy, and the devastation suffered by the working families of New York, we must get down to the business of governing," said the union's president, John Samuelsen, in a statement late last night. "The Independent Democratic Conference— led by serious, effective senators such as Jeff Klein, Diane Savino, and Malcolm Smith — has shown great commitment in fighting for public union employees and their families. It is obvious that at this point their decision to create a bipartisan coalition was the best possible option to ensure a functioning government for all New Yorkers and NYC Transit Workers and our families.”

For what it's worth, TWU Local  100's endorsements sometimes cut against the political grain, and the union, which has been without a contract since January, likely has a particularly vested interest in the state government in the coming months.

In contrast, several other unions have responded more coolly. RWDSU, for example, ominously warned the smaller Democratic conference to deliver on the minimum wage legislation they support.

“We are pleased that Senator Klein has made passage of a minimum wage increase in New York a priority," RWDSU president Stuart Appelbaum said in a press release yesterday. “The bill that he introduced last year, to increase New York’s minimum wage to $8.50 an hour and then index it to inflation, should not be weakened by his new coalition partners. We would expect that this will be the same bill he will pass for with his new Republican colleagues."

While the labor-backed Working Families Party sounded aggressive on the topic, with their executive director, Dan Cantor, declaring the new coalition "puts the progressive agenda in jeopardy" and suggested a potential electoral face-off could occur next time these senators face the voters.

"On Election Day, New Yorkers made their voices heard for a Democratic-Working Families majority because of the issues that hang in the balance in Albany," Mr. Cantor  said. Public financing of elections. Women's health. Reforming stop and frisk. Raising the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation. A real DREAM Act. These are not trivial issues. Senator Klein has voiced support for them in the past, but his Republican partners stand against us on each one. The burden therefore rests on the shoulders of Senator Klein and the IDC to prove that they can deliver. If they can, then this coalition may yet be validated. But if they cannot, then we will hold them to account."

Dean Skelos. (Photo: Facebook)

It's a particularly wild week in Albany, and in a surprise announcement, five members of of the "Independent Democratic Conference" have joined their Republican counterparts to form a "historic bipartisan partnership," even as the Democrats protest the situation by pointing to their on-paper majority in the chamber. The IDC, whose numbers expanded today with Democratic Senator Malcolm Smith joining their ranks, had hinted at a bipartisan coalition of some kind, but only now have the details of this arrangement emerged.

According to the joint declaration, the breakaway Democratic conference and the GOP will split as many duties as possible, with the actual title of Temporary President alternating back and forth between the two:

Under the unprecedented agreement, the Independent Democratic Conference will be formally recognized as a third, permanent Senate conference. Senator Klein and Senator Skelos will assume the roles of Conference Leader for their respective conferences and will administer joint and equal authority over (1) the daily senate agenda (a/k/a the “Active List,” which lays out which bills will be voted on each day), (2) the state budget, (3) appointments to state and local boards, and (4) leadership and committee assignments for their respective conferences. Under the agreement, coalition leaders will need to work together to lead the Senate forward. The new agreement will also provide for a process by which the title of Temporary President will alternate between the two conference leaders every two weeks. Therefore, the role of the temporary president will be constitutionally fulfilled at all times.

How effective this delicate balance of power is remains to be seen. The IDC's leader, Senator Jeff Klein, has presented a progressive set of priorities that includes scholarship aid for illegal immigrants, an increase in the minimum wage and campaign finance reform. At least some of these ideas have been steadfastly opposed by the Republican conference. How Governor Andrew Cuomo, who's managed to push his agenda through Albany thus far, manages the situation will likely have a big impact on the ultimate legislative outcome.

A sixth Democrat, Senator Simcha Felder, elected last month in a conservative Brooklyn district, previously announced his intention to caucus directly with the Republican conference, placing the Democratic conference at a significant numerical disadvantage even if they win two outstanding races that appear favorable to them.

Update (2:30 p.m.): A statement from the Senate Democratic minority: 

“This is not a coalition but a coup against all New Yorkers who voted for Democratic control of the Senate and a progressive state government. Sadly, the real victims of today's announcement are the people of our State, whose clearly expressed desire for progress on a host of issues will now be scuttled. Senate Democrats will remain fierce advocates for them and the issues New Yorkers want to see implemented like standing up for women’s health, passing real campaign finance reform, raising the minimum wage and enacting common sense gun laws.”

View the full press release, which was provided by the current Republican majority:

Senator Dean G. Skelos, leader of the Senate Republican Conference, and Senator Jeffrey D. Klein, leader of the Independent Democratic Conference, today joined together to announce an historic bipartisan partnership to continue the tremendous progress that has been achieved over the past two years in New York State. This new bipartisan governing coalition guarantees a fiscally responsible, fully functional Senate that will continue to produce positive results for all New Yorkers.

Two years ago, Independent Democrats and Senate Republicans put partisan differences aside to end the dysfunction, gridlock and reckless fiscal policies of the previous Senate leadership. This partnership returned function and order to the Senate Chamber, restored fiscal integrity, and produced remarkable accomplishments that have benefited all New Yorkers. Today’s agreement marks a bold new chapter in this partnership, that will allow the Senate to continue pushing New York State forward, while ensuring that there will be no returning to the failed leadership of the past.

Of tremendous importance is the bipartisan coalition government’s commitment to working with Governor Cuomo on progressive policy issues that benefit all New Yorkers in the next legislative session.

Senator Skelos said, “The Senate Republican Conference has worked closely with the Independent Democratic Conference and Governor Cuomo to bring historic progress to New York. We’ve brought spending under control, ended Albany dysfunction, and consistently delivered the bipartisan results New Yorkers need and deserve -- even on many of the most difficult issues. Senator Klein has proven to be a thoughtful and effective leader, and I look forward to partnering with him to move this state forward.”

Senator Klein said, “Over the past two years, members of the IDC and Senate Republicans have shown that the best way to overcome New York’s biggest challenges is by working in a constructive, bipartisan way. Legislating is a deliberative, cooperative process—not a spectator sport. Having dedicated the past two years to a serious, policy-driven agenda, this agreement delivers on the IDC’s pledge to become a permanent third conference within the State Senate and to have a major voice in all policy decisions moving forward. Having worked together over the past two years, I know that Senator Skelos is not only an effective leader, but is as committed as I am to delivering major bipartisan results for all New Yorkers.”

Under the unprecedented agreement, the Independent Democratic Conference will be formally recognized as a third, permanent Senate conference. Senator Klein and Senator Skelos will assume the roles of Conference Leader for their respective conferences and will administer joint and equal authority over (1) the daily senate agenda (a/k/a the “Active List,” which lays out which bills will be voted on each day), (2) the state budget, (3) appointments to state and local boards, and (4) leadership and committee assignments for their respective conferences. Under the agreement, coalition leaders will need to work together to lead the Senate forward. The new agreement will also provide for a process by which the title of Temporary President will alternate between the two conference leaders every two weeks. Therefore, the role of the temporary president will be constitutionally fulfilled at all times.

This partnership will be memorialized in the Senate’s rules for the upcoming legislative session. The two conferences, which will form the governing coalition, will be recognized in the 2013-2014 Senate Rules as the Senate Majority Coalition.

Senator Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) also announced that he has joined the Independent Democratic Conference as its fifth member.

Senator Smith said, “I’m thrilled that today I’m not only joining the IDC, but I’m becoming an immediate part of this historic and bipartisan governing coalition. Our state’s biggest issues are too important to address on a narrowly focused, partisan basis. Over the past two years, Senator Klein and his colleagues in the IDC have shown that they’re driven by policy, not politics. They have delivered on an impressive bipartisan agenda, have stayed true to their Democratic principles, and have laid the groundwork for an historic bipartisan model of governing. I would like to thank Senator Klein and all of my new IDC colleagues for welcoming me into the conference and for committing to move New York forward in an exciting, bi-partisan, and common-sense way. We have made tremendous strides over the past two years, but as we all recognize, there’s plenty of work still to be done. I’m very confident that the new governing model we’re announcing today is the best way to get the results that New York’s families and businesses need.”

Senator Tom Libous (R-C-I, Binghamton) said, “Today, we are taking steps to formalize our existing partnership through a new Senate Majority Coalition, which we believe is the best, most effective way to ensure that true bipartisanship and meaningful progress will continue in Albany. My constituents want Democrats and Republicans to work together to achieve real results that improve their lives, and that's what we are going to do in cooperation with the IDC.”

Senator Diane Savino (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn) said, “Two years ago, we realized that in order to serve our constituents effectively, we needed to take the politics out of policymaking. That’s what we’ve done since forming the IDC and that’s what we’ll continue to do as part of the new coalition government. Our constituents, particularly mine, cannot afford the type of political gamesmanship that has, in the past, overrun a healthy and functioning legislature. We’re here to accomplish the people’s business and that’s why we’ve formed this historic bipartisan coalition.”

Senator George D. Maziarz (R-Newfane) said, “Today is a great day for all New Yorkers as we move forward and announce the new Senate Majority Coalition. I can work with anyone to get things done for the people of my district and am excited to continue on the path to move New York forward -- and doing so in a bi-partisan fashion.”

Senator David Valesky (D-Oneida) “Today is a great day for government in New York State. By building a bipartisan coalition of Senators from across the state, we will remake the New York State Senate with a bold new model, where partnership is valued over partisanship, and a focus on important issues will be at the forefront. This coalition will enable stability, functionality and a wide-ranging legislative agenda that will benefit the people of New York. I look forward to working with my colleagues in a productive legislative session that will hopefully serve as an example for governance.”

Senator John A. DeFrancisco (R-C-I, Syracuse) said, “My constituents are looking for a bipartisan government to get things done. We’ve had great success working with the Independent Democrat Conference over the past two years to pass on-time budgets that reduced state spending, lowered taxes and helped create new private sector jobs. The new coalition will allow this team that has worked so well together to continue the progress we’ve made for the benefit of all the people of this state.”

Senator David Carlucci (D-Rockland) said, “In order to bring meaningful results to New York families and businesses, we need to break down party barriers and work across the aisle. This bipartisan agreement will help us do exactly that. By taking the politics out of policymaking, I know that we’ll achieve big things for all New Yorkers.”

Senator Martin Golden (R-C, Brooklyn) said, “The new bipartisan coalition will be an effective way to ensure that we continue to move New York forward. The people of this state want their representatives to work together to address the issues that impact their lives and, particularly important to the people of my district, work with other state and federal leaders to help us recover and rebuild from the devastation of hurricane Sandy.”

Senator John Bonacic (R,C,I-Mount Hope) said, “The recently formed coalition between the Senate Republican Conference and the Independent Democrat Conference is good news for the hardworking people of our great state. The coalition, which has been working together for the past two years with Governor Cuomo, will ensure a functional and productive Senate working in a bipartisan way to provide solutions to the great challenges we all face in the coming year.”

Senator Ruben Diaz (Photo: RubenDiaz.com)

State Senator Ruben Diaz sent out another one of his "What You Should Know" releases this morning with his version of the origin of State Senator Jeff Klein's breakaway Independent Democratic Conference.

Mr. Diaz described the IDC as having descended from the Senate's infamous "four amigos," which consisted of himself, and former State Senators Carl Kruger, Pedro Espada and Hiram Monserrate. Mr. Diaz is the last remaining amigo after Mr. Kruger was forced to resign from the Senate after pleading guilty to corruption charges, Mr. Espada lost his re-election bid amid his own corruption case and Mr. Monserrate was expelled from the Senate after pleading guilty to slashing his girlfriend. According to Mr. Diaz, Mr. Klein and the IDC have learned from the mistakes of the "four amigos" and "perfected" their ideas.

"You should know that the idea of creating a balanced, independent, powerful, decision making four-amigo group was born in the minds of Senators Carl Kruger and Pedro Espada," Mr. Diaz said. "Personal demands, problems and ambitions derailed what was supposed to be an innovation never seen in New York State politics. You should also know that Senator Jeff Klein took the idea and studied the amigos’ mistakes and personal problems. He then perfected Carl’s and Pedro’s ideas to the fullest."

Mr. Klein started the IDC after he left his leadership position with the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee following the Democrats' loss of two seats in the 2010 elections. Senator Mike Gianaris was subsequently tapped to lead the committee. Mr. Diaz said Mr. Klein was pushed out because the leadership of the Democratic Conference felt threatened by him.

"When the leadership of the Democratic Conference noticed that Jeff was becoming a threat to them, they immediately dropped him for Senator Mike Gianaris," Mr. Diaz said. "After seeing himself humiliated and dumped for Gianaris, Jeff took his marbles and saw the opportunity of recreating the Four Amigos; But knowing that the word “Amigos” was taboo in Albany, he created the Independent Democratic Conference, or the 'Indies.'"

In order to give the IDC fundraising muscle, Mr. Diaz claims Mr. Klein convinced Senate Republicans to gerrymander his district to include the Hunts Point Market.

"They gerrymandered a district that comes from Riverdale and White Plains, New York all the way to the other side of the Bronx, called the South Bronx. You should see the way they gerrymandered this district!" Mr. Diaz said. "Now Jeff not only has the power of being the leader of the new Four Amigos, oops, I mean the Independent Democratic Conference, while at the same time claiming to be a Democrat and voting with the Republicans, but also has the fundraising ability to work the Hunts Point Market and create a campaign war chest as big or even bigger than what Mike Gianaris may be able to raise for the DSCC."

Mr. Diaz, who is currently facing his own fundraising scandal after one of his aides was indicted for embezzling from a charity he founded, finished his missive by saying he presented his origin story of the IDC as part of "my responsibility and my commitment to educate our communities about all the shenanigans that go on here." His column was titled "Here Comes Jeff Klein … Mike Gianaris, Watch Out."

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