News Wrap for Friday, July 24, 2009 (final post 4:30 p.m.)

From the Blogs:

Capitol Confidential:

-Casey Seiler reports Mayor Bloomberg and Senate Dems reach a deal on mayoral control.

-Gov. Paterson appoints Valerie Grey as Director of State Operations, effective Monday.

-Rick Karlin writes the “much larger and hugely more influential” New York State United Teachers union will now lobby for the state Library Association.

PolitickerNY: 

-Jimmy Vielkind and Azi Paybarah report Senate Dems are meeting to discuss the “framework” of deal on school governance conference leaders and the Bloomberg administration have agreed on.

-Vielkind writes the GOP takes credit for driving state Senator Darrel Aubertine out of the race for Rep. John McHugh’s seat. 

-Potential Republican gubenatorial candidate Chris Collins is “still moving around New York and will make the keynote address at two dinners next month.”

-Now it’s Republicans accusing Democrats of “judge shopping” in the Richard Ravitch-lieutenant governor case.

-Vielkind offers “a quick review of the other potential Democratic candidates to replace John McHugh in Congress.”

-Paybarah shares his “attempt to document the making of an anti-Bloomberg press conference.”

-Eliza Shapiro reports “of the 99 donors listed on David Paterson’s birthday fund-raising committee, 56 did not contribute toward the governor’s reelection this reporting cycle, nine contributed to both Paterson and his rival-in-waiting Andrew Cuomo, and eight gave only to Cuomo.”

-Steve Kornacki writes Sen. Chuck Schumer’s “compromise vision for an optional government-run insurance package” could pose “a potential long-term political risk for Barack Obama and the Democrats.”

The Daily Politics:

-Elizabeth Benjamin writes “Gov. David Paterson is free at last… at least for the next few days.”

-Gov. Paterson is “elevating First Deputy Secretary Valerie Grey to the director of State Operations position that from which Dennis Whalen is retiring.”

-NYC public advocate candidate Bill de Blasio’s opponents back his having a ballot position with Republican foe Alex Zablocki saying “election laws must be changed in New York State.”

-Manhattan DA candidate Cy Vance Jr. plays a Gotham City DA on the Web.

-State Independence Party officials “have thrown their support behind the Republican nominee” for NY-23, Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava.

-State Senate Democrats and Mayor Bloomberg may have a deal on mayoral control of City schools.

-Whether he wants it now or not, Mayor Bloomberg gets New Jersey Senate President and former Gov. Richard Codey’s endorsement.

-Mayor Bloomberg apologizes for “for the failure of his official SUVs to obey the city’s three-minute idling law” but spokesman Stu Loeser points out the vehicles are part of the NYPD fleet which are exempt from the law.
 

Room Eight:

-NGD questions the Brennan Center for Justices’ praise for the state Senate reform.

Albany Watch:

-Cara Matthews reports Gov. Paterson heads to Washington on his first trip out of the state since the Senate coup began on June 8, saying it ok to go today while Richard Ravitch is still lieutenant governor.

NY Fiscal Watch:

-Nicole Gelinas writes “a federal pot for (transit) operating costs would allow some states and cities, including New York,to continue to punt on reforming out-of-control union labor costs.”

-E.J. McMahon reports “New York scores a mediocre number 36 on CNBC’s new ranking of “America’s Top States for Business ‘09.”

-McMahon shares spending growth and operations charts.

PlanetAlbany:

-Sen. Neil Breslin tells Bob Conner he’s not planning to make an endorsement in the Albany mayoral election before the Dem. primary in September.

Polit Bureau:

-David Reich-Hale reports Sen. Charles Schumer defends the delay on federal health care reform saying time is needed to draft the legislation.

-Reich-Hale shares a Capital Tonight video interview with former three-term Gov. George Pataki.

The Wonkster:

-David King writes according to Gotham Schools, Senate Democrats are announcing a deal has been reached on mayoral control of schools but the “language is not finalized.”

Meetings/Press Conferences:

-Two hundred youth members of the Civil Air Patrol will graduate from a week of training at Stratton Air National Guard Base at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow at the Stratton Air National Guard Base, Scotia.

Press Releases:

-NYS Public Service Commission: The PSC approves a wide-range of advanced smart grid initiatives as proposed by six major electric utilities in New York making the eligible for federal stimulus funding.

-NYSPSC: The PSC sets aside $72.1 million to invest in a series of electric and natural gas energy-efficiency programs targeting multifamily buildings throughout NYS.

-NYS Department of Environmental Conservation: NYS is implementing a quarantine to prevent the spread of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer, a tree-killing beetle.

-NYSDEC: The DEC temporarily closes shellfish harvesting areas in Southampton and East Hampton in response to the extraordinary volume of stormwater runoff.

-NYSDEC: The DEC will investigate the former Friedrichsohn Cooperage in Waterford, Saratoga County for contamination in soil, soil vapor and groundwater.

-NYS Department of Labor:  The Division of Labor Standards has recovered $10,560,000 in wages owed to 10,395 workers statewide due to minimum wage and other labor law violations.

-Governor David A. Paterson: Gov. Paterson, GLOBALFOUNDRIES U.S. Inc., Advanced Micro Devices and senior state officials broke ground today for “Fab 2,” GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ 1.3-million-square-foot semiconductor wafer fabrication facility at Luther Forest Technology Park in Saratoga County.