Take Hiram Monserrate . . . please.

Seriously, in an hour-long phone conversation last week, the man who was for a brief moment the lynch pin in the Republican coup and now probably deserves credit for the Dem Majority, speaks as if much of the past month’s Albany fiasco was by design — planned by him and an amigo.

In the past, I‘ve referred to Hiram as a “bomb thrower,” crediting him with utilizing a tactic that disrupts, explodes, but usually causes change. Bomb throwers are not too popular with the elected status quo.

Hiram told me last week that he had no choice; Dem Leader Malcolm Smith was double talking him on the vacancy decontrol vote, the most important pending legislation to his district. Smith, he claimed, was dictatorial in the conference and the Senate needed to change. Hiram also insisted that the resources funded by the state – member items, district mailings, staff, etc. – must be more fairly distributed. No longer denying the minority party their fair share was an integral part of his reform.

Although he recognizes his alliance with Pedro Espada, a Senator with more ethical and potential criminal charges against him than Monserrate, raises eyebrows, “irrespective of all other things, he is innocent until proven guilty,” Hiram reminded us about Espada and himself. “There was no other way to change the leadership of the Senate,” Hiram insisted.

But to him, more important than leadership is empowering the individual senators: “The majority leaders should not have the power to block the will of the members of the Senate.”

And while I listened to Hiram, charming, quick, seemingly brighter each time we talk, and always street smart, I searched for other motives. Does this guy just like to throw bombs? Did Hiram get an unseen payoff? Is there something I’m missing? Or should I accept the word of Hiram, distrusted by many of his former Council colleagues, now certainly distrusted by most of his Senate colleagues – both parties – and under indictment for cutting his girlfriend?

Tomorrow may tell.

In the not too distant tomorrows, the Democratic Conference in which Hiram Monserrate is a pivotal vote must pass reform. The leadership must not be allowed to punish members for their votes of conscience; leadership must not be allowed to prevent member supported bills from getting to the floor, member items must be allocated fairly and evenly – considering the district’s needs not the juice of the member. Public resources must be made equally available to senators from both parties.

If that change does not happen and Hiram is sitting in his seat as part of the Democratic caucus and not throwing bombs, we’ll be back, in his face, telling it like it is.

On the other hand, is a Democratic Conference not too willing to share anything with the Republican Conference who tried to steal it all away? And, maybe you can’t blame the Dems. For the past four decades, the Republican Senators treated the Democratic Senators like second class citizens, denying them equality of just about everything. For Dems, smaller staffs, smaller offices, fewer mailings, a microscopic portion of member items was the GOP formula of doling out State resources.

So don’t let Republican Leader Dean Skelos fool you. He and his conference had their chance at reform and failed to act. For four decades they suppressed the minority Dems. And now that the demographic shift indicates the Dems will have future control, Skelos tries to take the high road after dwelling in the gutter of unfairness. These guys were willing to do business with the devil to steal back control.

And what have the Dems done? And what should they do?

Is fairness and even distribution of resources to the people more important that payback?

Are the Dems the better party? Will they do the right thing?

Will Hiram and his amigos force them to change for the better?

Or are they all just self serving, dishonorable elected officials fighting change?

Stay tuned, we’ll be watching.

Carrozza’s Shell game
And, then there’s the Assemblywoman with more houses than days she spends in Albany. It is amazing that Ann Margaret Carrozza is able to move the houses around, changing stories and addresses so quickly that you can’t see her lips move.

We know she hasn’t been living in her district office because she’s never there when we call.

We know she hasn’t been living in Albany; a fellow Assembly member tells us she’s up there perhaps one day a week when they are in session – as little time as any member. Somehow the old boys’ network covers up for members who spend more time on their law practice than their Assembly obligations.

And we know she hasn’t been living in her home where she is registered; it is rented to someone else.

So since February, Ann Margaret Carrozza, Assemblywoman from eastern Queens, has been living in her Glen Head home with her doctor husband and their children.

And get this, she won’t discuss her children. So we don’t have a right to know if they are going to a New York City public school, a Glen Cove upscale North Shore School school or private school.

So now after acknowledging at least five months out of the district, Carrozza gets a new address in the District. And we are supposed to beleive the shell game.

Oh, don’t expect the Assembly – who judges their members qualifications to even investigate. The Assembly is part of the same legislative body as the NYS Senate and plays by many of the same rules.

MSchenkler@QueensTribune.com

Michael Schenkler can be reached via this contact form.