LoHud.com
http://lohud.com/article/20090611/NEWS05/906110426
Senate Republicans met with Tom Golisano in Rochester in early May with hopes of luring him to run for governor again next year. Instead, they walked away with a framework to win back control of the state Senate.
Golisano and senators involved in the discussions say they first talked about whether Golisano would be interested in making a fourth run for governor – on the GOP line.
But when Golisano said he planned to move to Florida, which would rule out a statewide run, the focus turned to how to rebuild upstate New York. He also talked about his dissatisfaction with Senate Democrats, whom he backed financially last year in their bid to win control of the chamber.
“We were interested in seeing him run for governor,” recalled Sen. Thomas Libous, R-Binghamton, who met with Golisano along with Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, and Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane. “He got talking about reform and kept talking about upstate New York. He said, ‘Tom, upstate New York is getting nothing now. This group of three and this Senate, they don’t care about upstate.’ “
On Monday, five weeks later, Golisano stood in the Senate chambers watching Senate Republicans and two Democrats wrestle control from Democrats.
The Paychex Inc. founder ran for governor three times on the Independence Party line, spending about $100 million.
But Golisano’s influence on state politics may have been greatest this week, when he helped guide the coup that overthrew the Senate majority.
“It’s ironic that he turns out to be far more effective as a political insider than he did as a candidate,” said Roger Stone, who has advised Golisano on his political campaigns.
Golisano gained headlines this week, when he said he met with Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, in Albany in late March and Smith spent the session “playing on his BlackBerry.”
A few weeks later, Golisano came to Albany again to complain about the state budget, which increased spending and raised income taxes on the wealthy. But Smith didn’t meet with him, instead sending Secretary of the Senate Angelo Aponte.
“I saw a level of incompetence that I was uncomfortable with,” Golisano said.
Golisano said the meetings were only part of what drove him to push for a new Senate majority.
He said he thinks Senate Democrats didn’t show fiscal discipline and enact the reforms they said they would when they were elected.
But Golisano’s influence has drawn criticism from good-government groups and Democrats, who said the billionaire owner of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team is using his money to control government.
His aide, Steve Pigeon, former Erie County Democratic chairman, is being assailed for his role in the coup, with questions about whether Pigeon now will go to work for Democratic dissident Sen. Pedro Espada of the Bronx.
Phil Schaefer, a retired pastor in Monroe County, saw Golisano in the Capitol this week and said he yelled to him: “If you’re going to move out of New York state, you shouldn’t be trying to run our politics.”
During a rally Tuesday, the group Citizen Action led the chant: “Golisano Pays and Espada Plays.”
Gov. David Paterson took a swipe at Golisano yesterday, questioning whether the BlackBerry incident with Smith was reason to overthrow the Senate majority.
“If that’s true, that’s certainly rude, but that’s a reason to change the Senate? Give me a break,” Paterson said.
Senate Democrats have asked Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to look into any possible wrongdoing between Golisano and Espada in getting Espada to flip his support.
But Golisano reiterated that he offered nothing to Espada and fellow Democratic Sen. Hiram Monserrate of Queens, who also joined with the Senate Republicans. Golisano’s political action committee, Responsible New York, pumped more than $4 million into races last year to help Democrats win the majority.
“The senators that will go for the reform issues and the fiscal conservatism are going to get Responsible New York’s support,” Golisano said.
Golisano said he’s not out for a power grab, but he’s about enacting reforms to state government.
The new Senate majority passed a number of reforms Monday, such as having term limits on the majority leader post and creating a C-SPAN-type legislative network.
“I’ve been involved in New York politics for 16 years,” he said. “Do I have a personal agenda? I’d like to know what it is, other than the fact of trying to get this state on a better track than it’s on.”
The reforms are positive, but they are not as significant as Golisano portrays them, said Blair Horner, New York Public Interest Research Group’s legislative director.
For example, Republicans say the reforms will require equal distribution of pork-barrel money, but Horner said there is nothing in the legislation that would require that.
“It’s a step forward,” Horner said. “It’s not a pole vault forward.”
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