It was a week of news.

The Terry Schiavo debate and the absurdity of the U.S. Congress entering such a private and personal arena took over the water cooler buzz as the week began.
The Super Bowl being awarded to New York City in 2010 if the Jets Stadium is ready provided some upbeat relief to the head-banging Schiavo debate. Then the MTA selected the Jets proposal to construct the stadium above the west side train yards, bringing the likelihood of football returning to our City into the red zone – it also moved the Olympic 2012 Dream a small step closer to reality.

The tone of the news changed as the world watched as Pope John Paul II quietly faded from life with the Vatican providing the appropriate inspiration and ritual for Catholics and all people of goodwill around the world to share.

But none of those were the most newsworthy for this news junkie.

The New York State Legislature, for the first time in 21 years, passed an on-time budget. With respect for the passing of the leader of the Catholic Church, I won’t invoke any supreme force in reacting or describing this miracle.

Actually, it was no miracle. The fact that the worst Legislature in the entire nation finally partially recognized its obligation to the people, was due to the outcry of the people and the press. We are very proud to have played a small part in condemning the Legislature, thus forcing it to evaluate and change its abysmal track record.

It was not only our cries with those of our colleagues in print, and the good government groups that reached the crescendo causing this first step towards legislative responsibility in over two decades.

There was Nassau County Exec Tom Suozzi’s “Fix Albany” movement, which demonstrated that a longtime, incumbent legislator could be beaten on the issue of Albany incompetence. But even more significant were the number of soccer moms who walked over to the soccer dad Assemblymember and criticized his and his colleagues’ performance. It was the civic leader who raised his hand at the normally boring meeting and shouted, “Why don’t you do your job?”

What really caused this first, small, positive step by the State Legislature is the most basic of all instincts: the instinct of survival.

Yes, for the first time in their awfully long impenetrable incumbencies, sitting legislators are worried that their cushy jobs could become unpleasant or be lost. The jobs which previously were easy, with no accountability, and with a set of fundraising and election rules that made them impervious to defeat, were changing. The people and press were complaining and perhaps they were no longer above the people or above defeat.

And so, it was fear that caused the members to react, which caused the “three men in a room” to react . . . and pass an on-time budget.

Not much else has changed. The “three men”-Governor Pataki, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno—are still the only ones that matter in Albany. The reform we heard talked about has just been talk. And this on-time budget disregards the court-mandated Campaign for Fiscal Equity funding for New York City schools. There is oh, so much more work to do and so many miles more before our pathetic Legislature lifts itself out of the 20-year-long morass of failure.
But there has been a start. And we, dear reader, you and I, can take credit for it. But we must keep the pressure on. The members of this Legislature have only responded to threats against their survival.

Go to your civic groups, speak your minds, and find candidates to run.

Incumbents must be challenged. Queens Democrats must have Primaries. And as Nassau Exec Suozzi has shown, let’s find one member who continues to sing the Legislature’s praises but is truly part of the problem, and let’s together, throw the bum out.

Got the candidate?

Let me know.

Michael Schenkler can be reached via this contact form.