"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have"
Thomas Jefferson

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

What Does Not Add Up

According to Senator Aubertine's press release (see here) he states:
"The offer to Sen. Aubertine would have more than doubled his current compensation as a lawmaker."
According to the Watertown Daily Times Mr Aubertine confirms this morning his salary:
"A move to NYPA would have boosted Mr. Aubertine's salary. NYPA's chairmanship, the job Mr. Aubertine said he was offered, pays $90,800 annually, while the president/chief executive officer position pays $259,000, according to NYPA spokesman Michael Saltzman.
$90,800 from NYPA is not double his $79,000 legislative salary.

Governor Paterson offering Senator Aubertine a job at NYPA would imply that the Governor prefers to keep the Senate in the hands of the Republicans. The top State Democrat preferring the GOP company bodes well for the Republicans during an election season.

New York Times
Republicans are fighting fiercely to hold their one-seat majority in the Senate, which is their last statewide power base. Wooing Mr. Aubertine from the Senate would be one more sign of the burgeoning political truce between Mr. Paterson and Joseph L. Bruno, the State Senate majority leader.
This is a no win situation for the Aubertine and the Democrats.

He either was offered the job (and not for double the salary, which means the Senator can't do math) and the Governor prefers to keep the Senate in the hands of the Republicans

OR

He was not offered the job and Senator Aubertine made a serious serious error in putting out a press release and announcing the Governor offered the job and then later chose to publicly dispute the Governor's claim about the whether or not the job was offered, which means he does not understand, a Governor trumps a Senator every time.

12 comments:

ConcernedCitizen said...

And, the real problem here is that since Northern NY is one the last bastions of Republicanism in the State, the Gov probably tried to make Darrel the joker of the pack and throw our district to the wolves since it is one of the only seats in the state that has a chance to elect a republican. As Bruno leaves, other older republicans will follow. So, Bruno set him up at the expense of our district.
With the election of Mr. Renzi, we will get another freshman in a minority position and will have virtually no representation as the Senate turns democratic.

Anonymous said...

rwiley laments representation by a freshman in the minority caucus. Isn't that what Darrel brings us? Yet rwiley is his biggest defender.

Consistency ... and small minds!

ConcernedCitizen said...

Yes, but it takes a bigger mind to realize that a freshman in a majority party next year is more valuable to us than a freshman in a minority party.

Anonymous said...

Duh! Brilliant, Scott.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Aubertine spokesman Drew Mangione was the one who made the mistake...

It wouldn't be the first time.


Go Larry, Darrel and Darrel!

Anonymous said...

It doesn't take a huge leap of faith to imagine Gov. Paterson and Sen. Bruno brokering some sort of deal whereby Aubertine was offered the NYPA post.

What is most telling is just how quickly Gov. Paterson was willing to throw Aubertine under the bus!

Anonymous said...

Darrel's self-agrandizing release put Paterson in the box: confirm the job offer and every Dem in the state is pissed. Deny it and Darrel's a liar.

NCPR reports on Aubertine job-gate

Anonymous said...

Every single Albany insider knows full well that Charles O'byrne Cheif of Staff for Paterson on behalf of the Governer offered the Senator the position. Clearly IV doesnt want to make clear the whole story and neither do the majority of the posters on this blog.
If they did it would show Aubertine being a man of his word and not jumping ship to a better job. Unfortunately we are not used to having someone in that position for unselfish reasons. We are used to Jim Wright.
The funny part is that whatever you post it just doesnt ever seem to translate on that first tuesday in November. Time and time again the voters don't buy your crap.

Anonymous said...

Every single Albany insider knows full well that Charles O'byrne Cheif of Staff for Paterson on behalf of the Governer offered the Senator the position. Clearly IV doesnt want to make clear the whole story and neither do the majority of the posters on this blog.
If they did it would show Aubertine being a man of his word and not jumping ship to a better job. Unfortunately we are not used to having someone in that position for unselfish reasons. We are used to Jim Wright.
The funny part is that whatever you post it just doesnt ever seem to translate on that first tuesday in November. Time and time again the voters don't buy your crap.

Anonymous said...

This fall's election is going to be a repeat of 2004 when Darrel took 65% of the vote from Scott Gray.
I hope Renzi doesn't knock on too many of those doors.

Anonymous said...

Or send Scott knocking for him. Beware of the dog!

Anonymous said...

Give it up everyone. It wasn't Darrel who was offered the job- it was his other brother Darrel.

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