WNYC

Reporter Karen DeWitt reports that it was a near riot in the State Senate chamber in Albany today when Senators Pedro Espada and Dean Skelos finally reconvened under the new Senate leadership. Dewitt says protesters with Citizen Action and other groups showed up, and they were pushing and shoving each other and some senators as people clamored to get into the chamber.

“Finally, all of the senators and some of the press, including me, got into the Senate chamber and they found they couldn’t actually act on the list of bills that they had prepared for session, because they need these covers called the bill jackets, in order to formally act on the bills. The bill jackets were locked up in a cabinet and they did not have the key to that cabinet.”

“So Hiram Monserrate then got up to speak and appeared to be on the fence. He came in with them, so they had 32 members, two Democrats and 30 Republicans, but he seemed to say that he wants more Democrats to join and seems to be a little uncomfortable with the present set up. He said he wasn’t going to vote on any bills and he left.”

Monserrate left without saying if he supported Senator Skelos as Republican majority leader. In his comments, Skelos said the takeover will mean a more effective legislature.

“We’re going to have open debate in committees. We’re going to have public debates right here on the Senate floor and bills are going to pass or fail based on what 62 members want to do and how they vote.”

Meanwhile, a judge rejected Democratic leader Senator Malcolm Smith’s request to block the session, although another hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.

Speaking on the Brian Lehrer Show this morning, Governor Paterson did not sound certain that his party would prevail.

“Power has been changed in legislative bodies for centuries. As a matter of fact, just a few years ago the U.S. Senate changed leadership in the middle of a session.”

But Paterson also says that as more people voted for the Democratic party last November, it would be misleading and disloyal for lawmakers to switch party allegiance after they’re voted into office.