The Weekend's Best Editorials, Columns & News Stories

If you don’t subscribe to the Empire Page, here are some of the stories you probably missed this weekend:

* Coverage of the impact of State Senator Darrel Aubertine’s decision not to run for John McHugh’s seat representing New York’s 23rd Congressional District. Aubertine’s decision was undoubedtly motivated by the fear that his State Senate seat could be re-captured by the Republicans if he ran for Congress.

On Saturday the Plattsburgh Press Republican reported on the national Republican Committee’s TV ad campaign against Aubertine which was still on the air after Aubertine withdrew his name while the Watertown Times reviewed the names of Democrats who have tossed their hats into the ring, which includes Stuart Brody, a columnist/blogger for the Empire Page.

More interesting news stories from the states smaller newspapers:

* The Herkimer Telegram was the only paper in the state to report on the fact that the third stage of the Federal Minimum Wage increase passed in 2007 went into effect on Friday. Their reporter did not settle for an “isn’t that wonderful” approach to the story, uncovering the fact that the county’s teen employment program had to cut 65 jobs from due to the rate increase. How many other papers in the state will have the courage to report on the double-edged sword that the Federal minimum wage law represents?

* The Watertown Times also reported a story that no one else covered — the failure of the Senate to vote on a bill that would have repealed a surcharge that wholesalers, retailers and distributors were required to pay last week on their beer and wine stock.  Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa reported this surcharge skimmed $1m from the pockets of small business owners into state coffers.

Best columns of the weekend:

* Mark Hare, normally mild-mannered as Clark Kent, devoted his column Sunday in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle to the question: “Are New Yorkers finally ready for change?”  Hare is refering to the fact that it is now easier than before June 25 for the public to pressure local governments to consider consolidation as a result of a bill signed by Governor Paterson but written by (the staff of) Attorney General Andrew Cuomo — Paterson’s probable 2010 Democratic primary opponent.  Hare states that governmental districts “must find ways to consolidate or die,” but wonders whether New Yorkers are willing to “face reality”.

* A Long Island attorney and former member of the Lindsay administration writes in the New York Daily News that more people should consider running for the State Senate.  Taking his own medicine Stephen Salup says he will challenge incumbent Craig Johnson (D).  Salup states that the recent Senate fiasco is “an example of party loyalty demanding too much and going too far.”

* A piece that was presented in the Binghamton Press Republican as a guest viewpoint, but which was probably just a letter-to-the-editor, is nevertheless worthy of mention.  Kevin Morrissey, background not provided, comments on the failure of the Paterson administration to release a completed study concerning the safety of drilling for natural gas in the Marshellus Shale region.  Interestingly Broome County Executive Barbara Fiala submitted a guest editorial to The Empire Page (click here to read it as well as several comments) making the same point.

Best editorials of the weekend:

* The Schenectady Gazette urges Gov. Paterson to sign a law that would introduce needed reforms to the state’s shadow government — i.e., to the public authorities that have often served as a means of paying off campaign contributors with no-bid contracts as well as providing no-show jobs for party insiders.

* The Buffalo News writes about three local supervisors who decided against seeking re-election. All three were “reformers” who butted heads against powerful entrenched business groups and public sector labor unions.  The News suggests their stories can be object lessons for future reformers, but how many capable people are willing to sacrifice so much to gain so little?

All the above stories and more — more than 400 national and NYS news items in fact — are available in the news links pages of The Empire Page.  The cost for an individual is less than a quarter a day.  Click here to subscribe.