A decision by Queens State Senator Tony Avella to defect from the chamber's traditional Democratic faction to its Republican-allied Independent Democratic Conference is a coup for the I.D.C., boosting its ranks on the eve of major legislative negotiations and cementing its existence (and some type of Republican control) going into the November election cycle.
It is, first and foremost, a matter of numbers. After two retirements, the chamber is governed by a coalition of 29 Republicans, the now-five-member I.D.C., and Simcha Felder, a Brooklyn Democrat who sits with the Republicans. There are 24 members of the mainstream Democratic conference, as well as two Democrats under federal indictment—John Sampson of Brooklyn and Malcolm Smith of Queens—who remain senators but are not invited into private confabs.
It takes 32 votes to pass a bill.
35 comments:
Like him or hate him, Tony was always honest.
Watching him speak on TV, he looked like Jeff Klein handed him talking points and Tony was bought and paid for.
It's the only time in 20 years I have ever seen Tony look like HE thought he was lying.
Sad end to a distinguished career. Now he is just another hack.
I don't blame him, when he was running for BP I heard so many democrats say bad things about him. None of it related to his actions all of "personal".
They were horrible.
The only thing I can say about Tony is that he is always helping communities. When no other official has come to help, Tony always has!
Now he will have greater power to help more.
He was always just another hack
No, Tony was never a hack.
Maybe he was crazy, maybe he was camera hungry, call him what you want, but Tony ALWAYS was a true Democrat and an HONEST politician.
Now, he gave his vote to Jeff Klein who is in the newspapers every day with one scandal after another?
The guy who had the secret million dollar contract to his law firm ?
When Tony ran against Padavan his main campaign theme was that Padavan lied to voters and made believe he was a moderate, but voted with the Republicans.
Now, Tony who ran as a Democrat, will be voting with the upstate Republicans ???
He ran on the issue of choice on abortion for women and right now the Republicans refuse to vote for an amendment on the issue.
Tony ran on immigrant rights and right now the Republicans are holding up a vote on that issue.
And the rationale is that someone bad mouthed him and now he will have more "power" ?
That is not the Tony Avella I have watched and admired and supported for the last twenty years, warts and all.
Tony Avella selling out to the Republicans for a committee chair ? He was the last guy I thought would ever do that.
The only thing I can say about Tony is that he is always helping communities. When no other official has come to help, Tony always has!
Then why did he drop out of the BP race? Because he was behind? His own damn fault - he did virtually zero outreach outside of NE Queens. Though he had my support, both Katz and Vallone definitely put in far more hard work. I can only conclude he entered it in order to get something promised in return from the frontrunners.
Avella is up for re-election this November. His district is one of the more conservative in the city and with our new mayor turning out to be a socialist disaster Tony is shuffling to the right.
It's a smart political move.
"No, Tony was never a hack.
etc etc etc.
Everything after the above,describes a hack and a PROFESSIONAL hack...
"Avella is up for re-election this November. His district is one of the more conservative in the city and with our new mayor turning out to be a socialist disaster Tony is shuffling to the right.
It's a smart political move."
This guy "Gets it" Tony is and will in all likelihood remain a hack.
Tony is one of the few honest and caring politicians who stick up for people when no one else does. He knows the true meaning of pubic service.
He is still a democrat (not that it means anything anymore with our two bipolar parties).
I feel he is doing the right thing where he can be of even more use than most of the Democratic hacks.
He dropped out of the QB race because he could not compete money wise with Vallone and Katz and in this day and age unfortunately money talks.
I don't see why people are on his case about this move. Hell look at most of the hacks of the Democratic party we have locally: Katz, Comrie, Malcolm Smith, Meeks, Wills, Vivian Cook, Vallone, etc.
The district is not conservative. In the council district which is overwhelmingly the most conservative part of the district (Douglaston bayside, etc), Paul Vallone, a flawed candidate, got almost 60 percent of the vote. The rest of the senate district is 90 percent democratic with a huge and growing immigrant population. That's why Avella got 70 percent of the vote and spent $5000 on his campaign. The primary vote is Jewish and liberal. Avella knows this and is using this false notion of a "conservative" district to explain him acting out and compmety destroying a reputation he has developed for 20 years.
Couldn't be bought and couldn't be bossed. Now he is Jeff Kleins bullet vote and Klein and Savino tricked him. Oh my god, what did Avella just do to himself. Watching him on TV last night he looked like he thought he was guilty of something. What a shame.
No doubt, County (i.e., Joe Crowley) would try to punish him by running a primary challenger. We should open our wallet and support him when the time comes for his re-election.
When was the last time any bill proposed or introduced by Tony Avella actually got passed or signed into law? NEVER! We should have kept Frank Padavan. Tony Avella is just another selfish politician. It's time for him to go
Excellent news. I hope more Democrats will begin to detach themselves from the far-left leadership of the Democratic (Communist) party.
When was the last time any bill proposed or introduced by Tony Avella actually got passed or signed into law? NEVER! We should have kept Frank Padavan. Tony Avella is just another selfish politician. It's time for him to go
Why? Think it is because the clubhouse lock on politics NY rather than the stupid excuse you made.
Tony has actually hurt his constituents, as a freshman senator he had little access to discretionary funding (Not that it mattered because of Cuomo's budget cutbacks) But by joining the IDC, he's further alienated himself and his district for Any funding that Albany decides to release. He's a bought and sold political hack who'll do anything to keep his job. Re-election is all that matters to them...
Tony's district IS one of the most conservative districts, meaning conservative Democrats, not necessarily Republican .
The only reason Vallone won the election for that district is because of the despicable campaign he ran against Saffran and Graziano, with help from the REBNY......AND because many registered Democrats drink the Kool-Aid and will not vote outside their party. Wake up......thed Democratic Party in NYC today is NOT the party of the middle and working class. It's been hijacked by the likes of DeBlasio and his ilk.
Tony is one of a kind; for sure!
Tony has always done right by my community you can call him hack all you want but he is GREAT for us.
Go TONY!!!!!
It was just announced Tony got paid off with a committee.
Shameful and disgraceful.
After all these years, he is just another sell-out hack.
I really have to wonder what Avella can do to appease you folks. If he stays with county, he's a hack. if he breaks ranks, he's a hack. The Dems weren't giving him a committee chairmanship. Would you rather he stay with them and remain in the shadows? Or would you like your part of Queens to have more representation? I mean, what good is it at this point to stick with the likes of Toby and Joe Crowley?
I'm glad Tony had to guts to do what he did. The democrats behavior in Queens politics has been shameful.
TONY HAS GUTS and best of all does what he wants not what the democratic machine tell him to.
He doesn't need to be with County. He could just be independent. Being independent isn't getting in bed with Jeff Klein. Just google Klein and you see dozens of pay to play stories.
So Tony ran aggressively against Padavan and the Republicans on issues like choice and immigrant rights and now he took some pieces of silver to be them. After he ran against them.
Disgusting. Completely shameful and disgusting.
Chair of Social Services Committee, Vice Chair of Environmental Committee. Not bad.
Yes, he could have. But he chose the lesser of two evils that would get his constituents a seat at the table. Choice is not going anywhere anytime soon and immigrant rights are going to pass regardless.
Yes, it was much worse for Avella to leave County than for Paul Vallone to join them. (That was sarcasm, dear Whitestone mouth-breathers.)
What a bunch of fortune tellers you all are. Why don't you just wait and see what he can get done to benefit his constituents.
At the end of the day anything he does to benefit us will benefit us.
Anonymous said...
"What a bunch of fortune tellers you all are. Why don't you just wait and see what he can get done to benefit his constituents.
At the end of the day anything he does to benefit us will benefit us."
^^
Exactly! The guy has the balls to make a move like this, which surely was not an easy decision to make. Just because you naysayers don't have that kind of vision is not an excuse to be an idiot. He made a tough move in order to get more done. Respect the move and give him a chance to see if it pays off.
Vallone will make sure Malcolm and TOny share a cell
Vallone will make sure.....
Adam why don't you just post that on your useless blog and go make love to Vallone.
He isn't going to get anything done. You can repeat that all you like but what is going to get done ? the committees are all a majority republican. its all made up. he got bought off for a gavel and a title.
It's funny how Tony has never heard from DeBlasio, but now that this happened, he wants to meet with him.
Look out, Albany....here comes Crazy Tony!
There are good republicans out there just like good democrats. The ones who have the balls to work together are the ones who will get things done.
Stop acting like rep and dems hate each other so much and start acting like an American.
Vallone helps! Vote your death! Resistance is futile. Snatch!
Vallone will never accomplish an iota of what Tony has done for northeast queens. The polar opposite in integrity, honesty, and actual service, is Vallone. He is a sham.
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