Panel Backs Racino for Belmont by James O. Odato -- Times Union - Albany NY

I can't help but wonder...Is the Aqueduct deal for video lottery terminals with Delaware North about to go sour, in favor of Belmont Park..? I sure hope not for the community's sake...

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Project Could Be Hindered by Competing Aqueduct Development

A state panel is recommending a racino and hotel be built at Belmont Park race track to generate jobs and revenue for the state.

Gov. David Paterson embraced the recommendations from Racing & Wagering Board Chairman John Sabini and Empire State Development Corp. President Marisa Lago weeks ago, but kept it under wraps until their report was released Monday.

Sabini and Lago led a group charged with identifying uses for the Nassau County track, which the state acquired from the New York Racing Association. The hotel and racino would be built on 8 acres near the grandstand.

"These would create jobs and enable a sustainable, pedestrian-friendly environment," the report says.

Development plans for another 20 acres should include retail, a smaller hotel, senior housing and some recreational opportunities. "These uses maximize economic benefits and create a lively urban center," the report says.

Paterson spokesman Morgan Hook cautioned that while the governor had accepted the report, he hasn't yet endorsed a specific development plan for Belmont.

The plan is far from a done deal. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and many members of his conference are not enthused about having Belmont compete with nearby Aqueduct for video lottery terminal customers.

Also, the operators of the proposed Aqueduct VLT racino in Queens must be granted a greater share of VLT revenues if Belmont gets a racino.

Under the deal in which Delaware North agreed to build the racino at Aqueduct, the Buffalo-based gaming company was assured a greater fee if Belmont gets a racino, too.

Legislation would have to be passed to alter the VLT rates to benefit Delaware North — and the company isn't planning to give the state its $370 million up-front payment for rights to operate at Aqueduct until such legislation is in place, according to company officials.

Because Paterson is planning to receive that $370 million by March 31, the legislation is critical in the next few weeks, Delaware North says.

James M. Odato can be reached at 454-5083 or by e-mail at jodato@timesunion.com

Read the full report on Belmont development at http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol

More Trouble For Monserrate, Funds For Ferreras by Elizabeth Benjamin - The Daily Politics - NY Daily News

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Sen. Hiram Monserrate, whose felony assault case is still wending its way through the legal system, was slapped today with an $30,102 fine by the Campaign Finance Board in connection with his 2005 City Council campaign.

According to the CFB, the former Councilman, who won an uncontested race for the state Senate last fall, exceeded the expenditure limit by $15,051 during his last re-election bid almost four years ago.

Monserrate received $82,500 worth of public funds that year and was among the top four Council candidate spenders ($222,308), despite the fact that he had no serious opposition.

(He was speculated to be eyeing a potential congressional challenge to Rep. Joe Crowley at the time. That never materialized and he opted to seek re-election instead, but the threat to Crowley was widely speculated to figure heavily in the Queens Democratic Party's decision to dump former Sen. John Sabini and back Monserrate for Senate in 2008).

This isn't the first time Monserrate has had campaign finance trouble. He missed the state Board of Election's Jan. 15 filing deadline (his first financial report since his swearing-in, which took place under the cloud of his alleged assault of his girlfriend. Karla Giraldo).

When Monserrate's filing arrived at the board, it revealed he had spent $15,000 worth of campaign cash on media advice by DolceGoldin, the consulting firm of former NY1 reporter, Davidson Goldin.

The CFB also distrbuted $75,742 worth of public matching funds to Julissa Ferreras, a former Monserrate staffer who is running in the upcoming Feb. 24 special election for his old Council seat in the 21st CD. (She was left out of the first round of CFB special election payouts).

The board dismissed a complaint made against Frank Gulluscio, who was a candidate in the 49th CD special election until the Board of Elections voted to oust him from the ballot.

One of Gulluscio's opponents, Eric Ulrich, alleged an unreported expenditure by the Gulluscio campaign for an ad in the Queens Chronicle. But the CFB determined this was merely a reporting error and dismissed the complaint once the mistake was rectified.

Queens Councilman Is Charged With Assault by Ray Rivera and Sewell Chan- City Room Blog - NYTimes.com

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City Councilman Hiram Monserrate, a Queens Democrat who was elected to the State Senate last month, was arrested and charged with assault early Friday morning in connection with an injury to his girlfriend, law enforcement officials said.

Hiram Monserrate was elected to the City Council in 2001 and to the State Senate last month. (Photo: Uli Seit for The New York Times)

Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s top spokesman, said that Mr. Monserrate had been arrested and charged with assault in the first degree.

Officials said that Mr. Monserrate, 41, had taken his girlfriend, Karla Giraldo, 30, to Long Island Jewish Medical Center with what appeared to be a serious injury in or around her left eye.

Ms. Giraldo told hospital staff members that it was Mr. Monserrate who had assaulted her, officials said. It appeared that she had been punched and slashed in or around her left eye with a shard of glass, and officials said it took 20 to 40 stitches to close the wound. A doctor at the hospital, which straddles the border between Queens and Nassau County, called the police at 4:50 a.m.

New York City police detectives arrived at the hospital, arrested Mr. Monserrate and took him to a Queens precinct house for questioning. The episode occurred in Mr. Monserrate’s apartment, at 37-20 83rd Street in Jackson Heights, officials said.

Officials said that when the police arrived at the hospital, Ms. Giraldo said that she did not want Mr. Monserrate to be arrested. But under New York law, such arrests are mandatory in domestic violence cases, even if the victim does not want the case to be pursued.

Michael Nieves, a spokesman for Mr. Monserrate, declined to comment on the case, saying he needed to learn more about the situation.

Another spokesman, Wayne Mahlke, said: “We’re not making any statement right now. We will be doing one shortly.”

Mr. Monserrate — a former marine and a former police officer, who served 12 years with the New York City Police Department — was less than two weeks away from resigning his seat on the City Council, where he has served since 2002, to join the State Senate.

Indeed, Thursday was a big day for the councilman. Mr. Monserrate gave a departing speech on the floor of the City Council, where his colleagues praised his service. And on Thursday evening, he attended a holiday party held by the Queens County Democrats.

The arrest startled officials on the Council. “Yesterday was a happy day for Hiram and people were happy for him, so this would be really weird,” Councilman John C. Liu, a fellow Democrat from Queens, said on Friday morning.

The City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, said in a news conference on Friday:

I have heard of the allegations against Councilman Monserrate. You can imagagine they are deeply, deeply troubling allegations. Of course, they’re allegations. Councilmember Monserrate, just like any individual in the city or anywhere else, is innocent until proven guilty, and I’m glad that the N.Y.P.D. is taking up these charges and is going to pursue them quickly and thoroughly.

That said, the charges which relate to domestic violence speak to the problem of domestic violence in our city. And domestic violence is really a cancer in our city and it is just outrageous and unacceptable. When that crime is perpetrated the individual who commits it needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law regardless of any position that individual might hold.

Mr. Monserrate became the first Latino to be elected from Queens when he won his Council seat in 2001. In 2003, days after a Brooklyn councilman was assassinated at City Hall, a campaign volunteer for a rival candidate running against Mr. Monserrate was charged with threatening to shoot Mr. Monserrate and two of his aides because he thought they were engaged in dirty campaign tricks. The volunteer, Julio Abreu, had accused the aides of pulling down posters for the rival candidate, Luis Jimenez, and harassing his workers.

In 2006, Mr. Monserrate unsuccessfully challenged an incumbent state senator, John D. Sabini, in a hard-fought Democratic primary. In 2007, Mr. Sabini was arrested in Albany for driving while intoxicated. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and paid a $300 fine. But the arrest helped to cost him the support of party leaders in Queens, who shifted their support to Mr. Monserrate.

In May, The Times reported that the authorities were investigating whether a Queens social service agency that received city money through Mr. Monserrate’s efforts also helped politically with his campaign for the State Senate. The Queens district attorney’s office and the city’s Department of Investigation are looking into allegations that more than two dozen workers for the nonprofit agency, Libre, collected signatures to help Mr. Monserrate get on the ballot in 2006.

Mr. Monserrate has directed more than $2.7 million in Council discretionary and capital funds to the group. He said that he was unaware of any investigation and knew nothing about any efforts by Libre to collect signatures for his nominating petitions. (In October, The Times reported that Libre could not produce paperwork to show how it spent nearly $250,000 in city money that the councilman had directed to it in recent years.)

In June, Gov. David A. Paterson announced that he would nominate Mr. Sabini to be chairman of the State Racing and Wagering Board, sparing the party from another bitter primary. Mr. Monserrate won the Democratic nomination for Mr. Sabini’s Senate seat in an uncontested primary in September, and sailed to election in November.

After the election, in which Democrats won control of the chamber for the first time in decades, Mr. Monserrate was part of a so-called Gang of Four that balked at electing Malcolm A. Smith, the Senate Democratic leader, as majority leader. Mr. Monserrate eventually backed down and threw his support to Mr. Smith, who is also from Queens, but the future leadership of the Senate remains in turmoil.

Al Baker, Michael Barbaro and William K. Rashbaum contributed reporting.

Queens City Councilman Hiram Monserrate Arrested on Domestic Assault Charge by Elizabeth Benjamin, Alison Gendar and Adam Lisberg - NY Daily News

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Outgoing City Councilman Hiram Monserrate was arrested early Friday after allegedly whacking his girlfriend over the head with a beer bottle, a police source said.

Monserrate and the unidentified victim arrived at Long Island Jewish Hospital about 4:30 a.m. Sources told the Daily News the woman had severe cuts to her face that required several stitches to close.

Cops later questioned the Queens lawmaker and charged him with assault.

Monserrate was lauded by colleagues just yesterday - his last day serving on the City Council. He's off to Albany after winning an uncontested race for the state senate seat held by former Sen. John Sabini.

The arrest puts Monserrate on an unfamiliar side of the law. He retired from the NYPD in 2000 after a 12-year stint. He's a founding member of the Latino Officers Association and served on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union while still on the police force.

Monserrate has recently drawn scrutiny for a nonprofit called Libre to which he has directed more than $400,000 in city funds that is run by some of its closest aides and has done political work for him.

Relative Progress for Working Families Gives Hope for Greater Muscle in 2009 by David Freedlander - City Hall News

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Spurred by term limits involvement, grassroots group looks to tip targeted races

When word first broke that Mayor Michael Bloomberg (Ind.) and Council Speaker Christine Quinn were considering overturning the city’s term limit law, the voices of protest were strangely muted and scattershot. A few earnest good-government types raised their voices in protest and some bizarre ads featuring a crying baby were posted online, but not much of that was heard above the din.

It was not really until the Working Families Party picked up the cause—or as Council Member John Liu (D-Queens) put it, “the cavalry arrived”—and their army of canvassers took to the streets that backers of the mayor’s bill had a real fight on their hands.

“When they are committed to something they go to the mat for it,” said Letitia James (WFP-Brooklyn), the only member of the Council elected on the party’s line alone (in her 2003 special election) and one of the leaders of the anti-extension fight. “They have done it before and they will do it again. People thought the electorate wasn’t paying attention. They didn’t realize the hunger the Working Families Party had tapped into.”

If the WFP ultimately lost that round, it was setback from a group of community organizers who have not seen many of them. They had just disposed of Martin Connor, a Democratic state senator not seen as sufficiently progressive or energetic (and had over the summer contributed to the pressure on John Sabini to step aside for Hiram Monserrate), and days later their support would prove instrumental in flipping Senate control to the Democrats for the first time in 40 years.

The final vote on the floor of the Council was far closer than most observers could have predicted. To some, that meant that in a political universe ruled by Planets Bloomberg and Quinn, an alternative power source had emerged, ready to whack back city pols who step out of line.

The results left many wondering who the Working Families Party would target next.

“The terrain has shifted,” said WFP executive director Dan Cantor on the steps of City Hall immediately following the vote.

“Good people will still emerge and want to challenge incumbents, and if we think they are more progressive and more accountable than the people they are running against, even incumbents, they are likely to have a good shot at winning our support,” he said. “I can’t predict it. But it’s certainly a live option.”

Party officials and members predict that the WFP could be involved in as many as a dozen races next fall, and political observers say they could wreak havoc for council members who thought the safest thing to do was to go along with the mayor’s plan.

The Working Families Party has been careful to pick their spots in past campaigns, and are likely to focus on incumbents who are running in areas where the party is strong and are receiving strong challenges, especially in low-turnout primaries where they can have a proportionally bigger impact.

In the term limits fight, the WFP was methodical and unflagging. On their website, they kept a running tally of where Council members stood, and then flooded the zone with mailers in certain undecided member’s districts, storming into district offices and alerting voters to what they saw as a betrayal.

“Aw, that was good stuff, wasn’t it?” recalls Cantor, a hint of mischief in his voice. “That was Organizing 101. How do you make decision makers aware of how their constituents feel? It was the kind of thing that happens when you have a bunch of creative, young organizers hanging around.”

One-by-one, they picked off undecideds, hardly endearing them to opponents on the Council.

Weighing in on the term limit dispute was something of an odd battle for the WFP to pick. Most of their energy up until now has been focused on achieving tangible results on major policy issues like a living wage and rent control reform at Albany, where tangible results on these issues can be easier to come by.

“We think term limit rules are silly and undemocratic, but we have much less money than the other side, so we want clean elections,” Cantor said. “At the end of the day, what was clear to us was that the water was warm and that the public was really on our side here and our job was to make the public’s incipient views find expression.”

If they are successful in this fight, say close observers, their advantage will be twofold. The party has grown in its decade of existence—an enormous climb over the years in prominence and power since the first city race it weighed in on, a February, 1999 election in which they helped propel a former chief of staff named Christine Quinn to her old boss’s Council seat—and they expect that more open elections will mean more of what they want to see passed becoming law, which, they believe, will add to their power in the city and state.

“They like to have these incremental kinds of victories, but ultimately they want to get people elected and become kingmakers,” said Alyssa Katz, a professor of journalism at New York University who has written frequently about the party. “Instability is good for them. They can come in then and wield power and tip it to one side or the other, which ultimately helps their agenda.”

Party officials know that in the city they could never yield as much influence as the mayor or some of the entrenched party players. But still, members are quick to point out, the WFP made out okay on Nov. 4. Not counting Daniel Squadron, the one candidate they agreed with the mayor on, Bloomberg’s boys were 0-4.

State Finally Reaches the Finish Line by Lee Landor - Queens Chronicle

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From left are state Sen. Serphin Maltese, Delaware North President William Bisset, State Racing and Wagering Board Chairman John Sabini, Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer and Community Board 10 Chairwoman Betty Braton. (photo by Lee Landor)

Those who bet on Delaware North Cos. of Buffalo to beat out competitors for the contract to operate a new racino at Aqueduct Racetrack can now collect their winnings.

Just five days after refusing to join Gov. David Paterson and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in their selection of the corporation, Senate Republicans agreed last Thursday to support the decision.

The finalization came after Delaware North complied with a request from Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Center) to clarify the company’s plans for improvements and jobs near the track, located in South Ozone Park.

“This has been a very, very long, difficult road,” said Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer (D-Ozone Park), who has long fought on behalf of the community to save Aqueduct. “We’ve been waiting as a state for the income, we’ve been waiting as a city for the growth, but, most importantly, a community has been waiting.”

Unlike its competitors, SL Green Realty Corp. and Capital Play Limited — either of which community residents initially preferred for selection — Delaware North failed to include sufficient details in its economic development plan, according to Skelos.

Without delay or hesitation, Delaware North met with critics, which included Pheffer, state Sen. Serphin Maltese and Community Board 10 Chairwoman Betty Braton.

The company won approval from all parties after it laid out detailed plans, which were promising enough to finally end the state’s seven-year search for a company to bring 4,500 video slot machines to Aqueduct.

The video lottery terminal will provide the state about $10.3 billion — more than $300 million annually for the duration of the 30-year operating contract.

When asked why Maltese and others had so quickly gone from opposition to approval, the senator said it was a matter of commitment. While they had renderings and a general idea of Delaware North’s plan, they were missing specific details that they wanted in writing.

“We got what we consider guarantees that reassured the community ... the residents and (Pheffer) and myself,” Maltese said. He then thanked Skelos, who was not present for the announcement last Thursday, for taking the steps necessary to ensure that everyone was on the same page regarding Delaware North’s plan for Aqueduct.

The company’s project will include a 328,000-square-foot gaming and entertainment facility for the VLT, a 300- to 500-room hotel, a spa, a 60,000-foot conference center, a 3,000-seat event center and up to 30,000 square feet of retail space.

It is also expected to create more than 2,000 union jobs — about 1,000 in construction and 1,100 operational jobs — in the community.

The project “will revitalize the neighborhoods surrounding the racetrack and bring new energy to the community,” Maltese said.

“Community is an absolutely critical component to this project,” Delaware North President William Bissett said, adding that the company will establish a Queens Community Advisory Panel, which will include nine members of C.B. 10.

The panel will be a vehicle that will receive community input on the impact of future economic development activities related to the firm’s operations through the term of the contract.

Delaware North said its goal is to minimize adverse effects, such as noise and traffic, that often accompany development. Once finalized, the facility will likely see some 10,000 people a day, Bissett noted.

Additionally, the company will establish an Employment and Small Business Development Center in the area to work with the community and provide support to those seeking employment and local companies seeking to provide goods and services to the gaming facility.

Paterson and Silver were said to have initially selected Delaware North because it offered to pay a $370 million up-front licensing fee to the state. SL Green and Capital Play offered $250 million and $100 million, respectively.

Still, Delaware North was the least appealing to residents of the areas surrounding Aqueduct because it had been the least communicative about its plans, according to Braton. She had expressed the community’s concerns to Maltese and Pheffer, who have both fought on the behalf of the community to save Aqueduct, shortly before Paterson and Silver announced the selection.

But on Oct. 16, Braton stood with the two lawmakers and gave her approval to Delaware North, which she said had provided the more detailed information the residents wanted. Braton noted, however, that “there is still a considerable amount of skepticism out in the community.”

She praised C.B. 10’s ability to get past differences, find common ground, develop consensus and willingness to compromise, and said that is what helped finalize the selection process.

“We will work with Delaware North to ensure that this project moves forward in a timely manner and delivers much-needed economic development for our community and the state,” Braton said.

As Delaware North continues developing its master plan, it will coordinate with community leaders and officials, according to Bissett. It is also working in cooperation with the New York Racing Association, which owns Aqueduct and the state’s two other racetracks. The company expects to complete the project by 2013.

Casino Complex to Be Built at Aqueduct by Jeremy W. Peters - NYTimes.com

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A developer’s rendering of the video-gambling and hotel complex at the Aqueduct racetrack. Plans are to open the casino in 2010.

After seven years of political wrangling and delay, a deal to build a casino at the Aqueduct racetrack is now in place.

Under a contract announced by the Paterson administration on Thursday, a Buffalo company will construct a complex featuring a 184,000-square-foot gambling floor and 4,500 video gambling terminals, multiple restaurants including one with a 600-seat buffet, at least 300 hotel rooms and a 60,000-square-foot conference center.

The Buffalo company, Delaware North, said it planned to start construction in early 2009 and finish the casino, its adjoining restaurants and the parking structure in about a year. The project will be completed in phases within five years, it said.

In its promotional material, Delaware North has boasted that the complex will be “all right in the heart of Queens,” a subway ride away on the A train. The track is in South Ozone Park just northwest of Kennedy Airport.

For the casino itself, gamblers should think more arcade than Atlantic City. There will be no blackjack tables with dealers, or roulette wheels. Instead the casino will have video-screen terminals that will accept money for virtual hands of poker and other games.

Delaware North operates a similar hybrid racetrack-casino — known as a racino — in Saratoga Springs. The company beat out two other bidders — the commercial real estate firm S L Green Realty, in partnership with Hard Rock Entertainment, and Capital Play, which had joined with Mohegan Sun.

State officials said Delaware North prevailed because it was offering more money in advance: $370 million for its license to operate the casino and entertainment complex.

“They offered the most money up front,” said John D. Sabini, chairman of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board. “And I think that’s important to the state because of the financial situation we’re in.”

In addition to the up-front payment, the state expects to reap more than $10.3 billion in revenue from the gambling terminals over the next 30 years.

Though the State Legislature has already trimmed more than $420 million in state spending this year, Gov. David A. Paterson said this month that the faltering economy had opened a new $1.2 billion hole in the budget.

After the Aqueduct negotiations hit a snag two weeks ago when Senate Republicans said they wanted more time to review the plan, Mr. Paterson and fellow Democrats accused Republicans of dragging their heels and delaying the start of a project that would create about 1,000 construction jobs at a time when employers in New York are shedding workers.

“This deal will provide a critical revenue stream — especially given the financial crisis that is battering our state and nation,” Mr. Paterson said in a statement,

The push to build a casino at Aqueduct began in 2001, when in the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks the Legislature began passing laws that would allow for a major expansion of the state’s gambling industry.

In approving the deal, the state once again finds itself turning to gambling to strengthen its weakened cash flow. But with New Yorkers expected to spend less as the financial crisis expands, Delaware North’s president was asked on Thursday whether a casino could remain a steady source of state revenue during an economic downturn.

“Clearly the gaming business is not a recession-proof business,” the president, William J. Bissett, told reporters in a room overlooking the neatly groomed racetrack at Aqueduct.

“There is a large population that will have an easy means to get to this location to entertain themselves,” he said. “We take comfort that, even in a recession period, the fact that Aqueduct sits where it does in a huge metropolitan community buoys our confidence that we will be successful here.”

The project is expected to create about 2,000 jobs in Queens. About half those jobs would be permanent jobs at the casino complex once it is fully operating, and the rest would be construction jobs.

“The ultimate goal, of course, is not only to create revenue for the state but to create jobs,” said State Senator Serphin R. Maltese, a Republican from Queens. “So as far as economic development, I think you can put it in big letters: J-O-B-S.”

Mr. Maltese, who is locked in a competitive re-election battle that may decide which party controls the Senate next year, objected to the Delaware North proposal two weeks ago after Mr. Paterson and the Democratic-led Assembly signed off on it.

At the time, Mr. Maltese and other Senate Republicans said they were not convinced the plan included enough economic benefit for the Queens community. So the developers agreed to put more of their plans in writing, including the proposal for building the hotel and convention center and a community advisory board to inform Delaware North on their satisfaction with the development. In addition, the company agreed to open an office in the community that will make it more convenient for people to apply for a job.

Jonathan Starkey contributed reporting.

NYRA Aims to Turn Around Racing Industry by Paul Post - The Troy Record

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Armed with a new 25-year franchise agreement, New York Racing Association is prepared to wage war against industrywide trends of declining on-track attendance and handle.

However, it won't have the ammunition to put up a good fight until Aqueduct Racetrack's proposed gaming center comes on line.

NYRA is slated to get 7 percent of the Aqueduct racino's net earnings - up to $25 million per year for capital expenses, $20 million for operations - and everything and anything is open to suggestion as the firm seeks ways to improve its three tracks: Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.

"We got $30 million to bridge us from the start of the new franchise to when VLTs start operating," NYRA President and CEO Charles Hayward said. "At one point, late 2009 looked realistic. Now I'd say 15 to 18 months. That's just what I've been told by the bidders."

If that estimate is accurate, the racino at Aqueduct might not open until mid-2010. Three entities have submitted bids to run the proposed 4,500-machine video lottery terminal facility. Gov. David L. Paterson's office says an announcement will be made soon. But it's been saying that since legislation allowing for VLTs was approved seven years ago.

"When I started here in 2004, one of the first questions people asked was, 'When are VLTs going to get up and operating?' " Hayward said. "Each time I've been asked and answered, I've been wrong."

The difference now is that lawmakers realize the urgency of generating new revenue, not just for racing, but cash-strapped state coffers, as well. It's estimated that the state loses the potential for making $1 million for each day the gaming center's doors fail to open.

NYRA, however, is laying the groundwork for the day money starts to flow. Recently, it hired London-based Turnberry Consulting Ltd. to make recommendations for each track - quality of racing, dirt versus synthetic surfaces, backstretch living conditions, hospitality and patron experience. Basically, what each track should look like 10 years from now.
Capital improvements

"They're going to give us a preliminary report in October," Hayward said. "Then it's going to be presented to some of our trustees in November. We'll use that as a framework to really develop and flesh out some of our capital plans going forward."

"We have 440 acres here," Hayward said, looking out on America's only 1½-mile track, so vast that the naked eye can barely see the starting gate for some races. Belmont's "new" building opened in 1968 before the onset of Off Track Betting, when crowds averaged about 25,000 people a day. Today, they get about one-fifth that.

With ivy-covered walls, it's a jewel of a facility, reflecting a century of rich history as host of the third leg of racing's Triple Crown. Except for Belmont Stakes Day, which draws about 100,000 patrons, the track's sheer size has outlived its usefulness, presenting NYRA with a dilemma about what to do with a beautiful yet difficult-to-maintain facility.

Reduce the building's size?

Have a separate oval and new grandstand for winter-time racing only?

Shrink the 1½-mile oval to 1Þ-mile, like Saratoga?

Questions surrounding each track's future seem endless. NYRA wants to answer them now so that it can move forward when VLT money becomes available.

"This is all highly speculative," Hayward said, emphasizing that no decisions have been made. "We may still run at Aqueduct forever."

Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Big Brown is currently stabled there.
Aqueduct, the winter track, is to get VLTS

Aqueduct runs from early November to late April. After the Christmas break, most big stables head south for the winter, giving other horsemen, with New York breds, in particular, a chance to earn a slice of racing's pie. Without this meet, they probably couldn't survive.

Among the many issues under consideration is whether New York's year-round racing is too much of a good thing.

From Aqueduct, racing immediately starts up at Belmont, which runs until mid-July, followed by Saratoga's six-week meet. Then comes Belmont's fall program, which means horses run almost continuously at Belmont and Aqueduct - less than 10 miles apart - for eight consecutive months, from early September to late April.

"Most successful meets have a beginning, middle and end," said John Sabini, a former state senator from Queens. "With too much product, there's no urgency to attend the downstate tracks."

Scaling back the program is unlikely, though, because California, Kentucky, Maryland and Illinois race year round, too. New York would be at a competitive disadvantage if it acted unilaterally.

Racing for 2-year-olds

Hall of Fame trainer LeRoy Jolley said there might be another solution.

Growing the 2-year-old program would bring more horses into the mix, meaning that older ones wouldn't have to compete so often, improving racing's quality overall.

"Racing 2-year-olds sensibly, rather than hurting them, extends their life, their career and their earnings," he said. "Maybe we can change and race our horses a little more effectively."

In August, Sabini took over as new chairman of the state Racing and Wagering Board, which regulates New York's racing industry. In addition to enhancing the sport's integrity, Paterson has given him a clear charge: "We're looking for ways for this (racing) to make money for the state," Sabini said.

Changes at Saratoga

Meanwhile, NYRA's Saratoga work crews are moving forward with all kinds of projects, from new storm water drainage systems to barn rehabilitation.

While cognizant of the need to protect Saratoga's ambience and historical character, physical upgrades are needed there, too, Hayward said. After all, the oldest parts of the grandstand have been in use since 1864. This summer, prior to the Saratoga meet, crews jacked up portions of the building to restore structural soundness, an effort that's far from being done.

Other possibilities?

NYRA spent $200,000 this year to enclose and air-condition the At the Rail and Paddock pavilions.

"You could replace the At the Rail with a two-story building that's aesthetically consistent with Saratoga," Hayward said. "And we have those five luxury suites at the clubhouse turn that we have to rent every year."

These, too, could be replaced with permanent structures. Also, Turnberry's report might include doing something with Saratoga's infield. At one time, boards were put down across the main track and turf courses, allowing people to watch races from the infield.

"There were some mutual bays, it's kind of a cool place to go," Hayward said. "I think you'd have to gain access underneath the track, at the clubhouse turn or far turn. One thing we're not going to do is put in the kind of stuff that's at the infield at Churchill Downs. It's all structures. If you're up on the fourth floor trying to watch the races, you see horses go into the clubhouse turn and you never see them again until they come around the inside."
NYRA does not want Saratoga's infield experience to replicate Kentucky Derby Day, something akin to Mardi Gras bordering on Woodstock.

At Saratoga and Belmont, plans are already in the mix to provide new townhouse-style housing for backstretch workers - $30 million at each track.

"There's a tremendous relief that comes with the franchise resolution," Hayward said. "I showed up here in November 2004. We were under a deferred prosecution agreement with a Federal monitor. Within a month, five weeks, we had 25 state troopers storm the place and pull out all this information about jockey weights. Six weeks after that, we had the Uvari indictment for a trainer who had allegedly milk-shaked a horse.

"Then we had the whole franchise process, then bankruptcy. It wasn't always easy to come to work, because you weren't sure what things were going to happen."

There's still a lot of speculation. The difference, for the most part, is that it's positive in nature - plans for new construction, facilities and amenities rather than fears about job loss and racing shutdowns.

"It's tough to make money and maintain three tracks," Jolley said. "The maintenance and overhead is tremendous. Hopefully now, with the franchise under their belt, NYRA will be able to solve some of these problems. I hope they hurry up. We might be getting past the Golden Age of the slot machine."

©The Record 2008

City Council Turnover Could Come Well Before 2010 - City Room by Jonathan P. Hicks - Metro - New York Times Blog

Seven City Council members are running for state or federal legislative positions in this fall’s primary or general elections. From left: Joseph P. Addabbo Jr., Simcha Felder, James F. Gennaro, Miguel Martinez, Michael E. McMahon, Hiram Monserrate and Kendall Stewart.

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One of the arguments most often waged these days against term limits is that two-thirds of the City Council’s 51 members will be new to that body after the 2009 election.

To be sure, there will be a great many new members — if the current term limit laws remain intact. But a handful of candidates might well get a nearly one-year head start on the class of 2009.

A number of council members — seven, in fact — are running for other offices this year. And if they are successful, their Council seats will become vacant at the end of this year. And by law, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg would be compelled to call a special election within 45 days of those vacancies.

As a result, there could be a number of new council members as early as February of next year.

Although not every council member seems assured of victory, one vacancy appears to be certain. And that is in Queens, where City Councilman Hiram Monserrate is running for the State Senate that was recently vacated by John D. Sabini, who resigned to take a position as chairman of the State Racing and Wagering Board.

In that race, Mr. Monserrate is the only candidate who filed petitions to run in the general election in November (there is no primary in this district). Mr. Monserrate is running on the Democratic and Working Families Party lines and there is no other candidate.

The other vacancies depend on victories in a string of contested elections. On Staten Island, City Councilman Michael E. McMahon is running for Congress in an effort to succeed United States Representative Vito J. Fossella, a Republican. And if he wins, there would have to be a special election to fill that Council vacancy.

However, for Mr. McMahon to prevail, he must first win the Sept. 9 Democratic primary against Stephen A. Harrison, a Brooklyn lawyer. And after that, he would face a Republican opponent in November, depending on the result of that primary. Two Republicans are also competing for the nomination to run for that seat in November: former Assemblyman Robert A. Straniere and Jamshad I. Wyne, the finance chairman of the Republican Party on Staten Island.

In another race, City Councilman Joseph P. Addabbo Jr., a Democrat, is running for the State Senate seat in Queens now held by State Senator Serphin R. Maltese, a Republican. (Last week, Albert J. Baldeo, Mr. Addabbo’s rival for the Democratic nomination, dropped out of the race and endorsed Mr. Addabbo.)

Another Republican incumbent state senator, Frank Padavan, is being challenged this November by a City Council member, James F. Gennaro, a Democrat.

In Manhattan, City Councilman Miguel Martinez is challenging Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat in the Democratic primary.

There is one race that a City Council member is certain to lose. That is in a Democratic primary in Brooklyn for the State Senate seat now held by Kevin S. Parker. The reason? Mr. Parker faces two City Council members: Kendall Stewart and Simcha Felder.

Ferrer Endorses Addabbo | Azi Paybarah - The New York Observer

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Fernando Ferrer announced today he will endorse Joe Addabbo in the Democratic State Senate primary in Queens.

Addabbo, a term-limited City Councilman, is facing Albert Baldeo, who almost beat Republican incumbent Serf Maltese in 2006.

Democrats are paying a lot of attention to this race because it could affect the balance of power in Albany, where Senate Republicans are hanging onto a slim two-seat majority.

When Michael Bloomberg made a flurry of legislative endorsements last week, he didn't mention Maltese's district, even though Bloomberg’s aides openly floated the idea of Addabbo running against Maltese back in 2006.

Ferrer’s endorsement, which is officially taking place at the steps of City Hall tomorrow, isn’t his first foray into State Senate politics. In 2006, he endorsed challenger Hiram Monserrate in the primary against incumbent John Sabini.

Ballot Race Getting Crowded with Term-limited City Council Members by Lisa L. Colangelo - NY Daily News

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The field is especially crowded in Queens, where well-known Democrats will also be jockeying for backing from the influential county party.

But even if they don't get that endorsement, many of them are vowing not to go away quietly.

It could be a new test for the Queens Democratic Party, viewed as the strongest and most cohesive of all the boroughs. The party still wields considerable power, but has a spotty endorsement record - especially when it comes to citywide races.

"County support is significant. They bring expertise and organization with them," said Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., who is eying a run for borough president. "I hope to have county support but should I decide to run, I'm prepared to run without it."

Vallone said 2009 will be unlike other election years.

"There will be well-known and qualified candidates for every open office who will also be able to band together," he said.

But Michael Reich, executive secretary of the Queens Democratic Party, said he isn't worried about insurgent candidates banding together in a primary.

An endorsement from the party can be a "significant advantage," Reich said. This is especially true for collecting signatures and fund-raising. But it's not "make or break," he conceded.

For example, Queens Democratic leaders backed two losing candidates in the last two mayoral primaries: Alan Hevesi in 2001 and Gifford Miller in 2005.

More recently, it backed Elizabeth Crowley in a special election for the 30th Council District. Crowley narrowly lost the nonpartisan race to Republican Anthony Como.

But state Sen. John Sabini, a longtime party loyalist who was facing his first primary without support from the Democratic party, decided not to chance it. Gov. Paterson has appointed him to head the state Racing and Wagering Board, saving him from a bruising primary against Councilman Hiram Monserrate.

"They are not omnipotent but they are still potent," said Doug Muzzio, a political science professor at Baruch College. "They have the troops and the wherewithal to make life miserable for a challenger."

The Queens party was key in selecting the past three Council speakers. Even though the last two - Gifford Miller and Christine Quinn - were from Manhattan, the party scored by getting key committee appointments for the Queens delegation.

And Muzzio said the party may be more interested in the most local races of all - the district leaders and judges.

"The key element is the selection of judges," Muzzio said. "That is the last great bastion of political patronage."

Albany and Mayor at Odds Over Future of Off-Track Betting by Sewell Chan - City Room - Metro - New York Times Blog

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Gov. David A. Paterson and the leaders of the Legislature announced on Friday a deal under which New York State would take over the financially unprofitable Off-Track Betting operation from New York City, the biggest change in the governance of the state-regulated gambling entity since its creation of 1970. But Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg — who had moved to shut down the operation, saying that it was not profitable and that it was not in the city’s interests to continue running it — said the deal was unfair to the city and immediately vowed to move forward with a plan to close all 71 O.T.B. outposts this weekend. The political dispute meant that the agency’s future remained uncertain.

Mr. Paterson said the state takeover would preserve “1,500 jobs and the health of racing in New York State.” The Off-Track Betting Corporation, which was created by the State Legislature in 1970, would be replaced by a new entity, the Empire State Off-Track Betting Corporation. In addition, Governor Paterson said he would nominate State Senator John D. Sabini, a Queens Democrat, to the state’s Racing and Wagering Board and name him chairman of that board.

Mr. Paterson — who has the support of Joseph L. Bruno, the leader of the Republican majority in the State Senate, and of Sheldon Silver, the speaker of the Democratic-controlled State Assembly — said the state would “immediately begin to pursue initiatives to substantially improve the profitability of O.T.B.,” including eliminating redundancies, moving the agency’s headquarters from Times Square to the Aqueduct Racetrack, and exploring public-private partnerships.

The announcement by Albany leaders quickly led to a back-and-forth, reflecting vigorous disagreement over the financial implications of a change in the status of Off-Track Betting.

Mr. Bloomberg’s office issued a statement raising concerns and expressing disappointment about the deal:

The City of New York still has substantial legal and economic issues that need to be settled before the future of off-track betting in the five boroughs is resolved - and it is very disappointing that these concerns have not been addressed. Without a settlement of these outstanding issues, we will have no choice but to go forward with our plan to close the city’s O.T.B. parlors on Sunday. We hold out hope that a satisfactory solution can be reached. But I want to reiterate the City’s position: We will fight to prevent gambling operations in the City unless they provide a public benefit to the City. Every other locality that has O.T.B.’s receives a benefit from them — and our legislative representatives in Albany should ensure we do as well.

Mr. Paterson’s communications director, Risa B. Heller, issued a retort in response to the mayor’s statement:

Earlier today the governor and legislative leaders announced an agreement by which the State will assume both the assets and liabilities of the New York City Off-Track Betting. This agreement was reached in response to the City’s request for state intervention.

The agreement ensures that the 1,500 employees of the New York City O.T.B. will keep their jobs and that the New York racing industry will continue to receive the critical financial support it gets from the New York City O.T.B. It is distressing to hear of the City’s objection to an agreement that will meet the Mayor’s long-stated demand for a permanent fix that would ensure that the City not have to subsidize New York City O.T.B.

Host municipalities who run O.T.B. receive a surcharge for winning bets placed at their O.T.B.’s or at tracks located in their county. The City insists that it should keep the surcharge benefit even when they are no longer running O.T.B. and the state has taken responsibility for all liabilities. It makes no sense for the state to take over responsibility for the operations of New York City O.T.B. and the $201 million of outstanding liabilities on O.T.B.’s books, while allowing the City to continue to collect the roughly $18 million it currently receives from New York City O.T.B.

District Council 37, the city’s largest union of municipal workers, had agitated against the closing of the corporation, and embraced the news of the deal in Albany.

Lillian Roberts, the union’s executive director, said in a statement released by Mr. Paterson’s office: “The winners in all of this are the 1,500 OTB employees who can sleep soundly tonight knowing that they are no longer at risk of losing their jobs and New Yorkers who will continue to benefit from the $1.1 billion generated by the New York City OTB. All of us at DC 37 are appreciative of the work that went into putting together this agreement.”

Under the deal supported by Mr. Paterson, Mr. Sabini, as chairman of the Racing and Wagering Board, would receive a salary of $120,800 per year for a six-year term. The appointment is politically convenient. Mr. Sabini had recently been denied the support of party leaders for re-election this November; instead, Queens party leaders threw their support to City Councilman Hiram Monserrate, another Democrat, to fill the seat.

New York State Betting on OTB by Daniel Massey - Crain's New York Business

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The state reached a deal to take over the city’s Off-Track Betting Corp. on Friday, just two days before Mayor Michael Bloomberg planned to shutter the operation that employs 1,500 workers across the five boroughs.

“There is a deal,” said Gov. David Paterson at a news conference at his office in New York City. “People should come back to work on Sunday or Monday.”

Details of the agreement are still being worked out, but the governor said the state will pass legislation Monday that will create a public benefit corporation to run the OTB operation. The transfer to the state will be completed within 90 days.

The deal saves 1,500 jobs at the 61 OTB betting parlors across the city.

“If OTB would have closed, everybody would have lost,” said Lillian Roberts, executive director of District Council 37.

The city was on track to begin running the financially troubled OTB branches at a loss this month, and the mayor threatened to shut them down if an agreement with the state could not be reached.

“We're not going to subsidize it,” the mayor said in his weekly radio address Friday morning. “I have to make a choice: People who work in a bookie operation, or cops who walk our streets? People who work in a bookie operation, or teachers who teach in our classrooms? We're not going to lay off cops and firefighters and teachers to support this.”

The state will immediately begin an overhaul of OTB to improve its profitability by eliminating duplicate functions between the city’s OTB, the New York Racing Association and the five other OTB branches around the state. The headquarters of OTB will be moved from Times Square to Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, saving $5 million a year in rent.

The governor also announced the nomination of State Sen. John Sabini, D-Queens, as chairman of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board. Upon confirmation, Mr. Sabini, who had been running for re-election, will step down from his Senate seat. The development virtually assures City Councilman Hiram Monserrate, D-Queens, will win the seat this fall.

Sabini And OTB - A Two-For-One Deal (Updated) by Elizabeth Benjamin - The Daily Politics - NY Daily News

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The imminent appointment of Sen. John Sabini as a senior advisor on racing to Gov. David Paterson, ending his likely bloody re-match against Councilman Hiram Monserrate in 13th SD, is part of a package deal that includes a state takeover of the city OTB operation, according to sources familiar with the deal.

The OTB agreement is all-but done, and could be announced as early as this afternoon.

Despite the fact that an administration job was one of several potential exit strategies were offered Sabini when it became clear the Queens County Democratic organization, followed by numerous labor unions, would abandon him in favor of Monserrate, this agreement didn't come together until just yesterday.

Another option Sabini rejected was a run for City Council in 2009.

The deal is a win-win all around.

Sabini, who is the ranking Democratic member on the Senate Racing and Wagering Committee, doesn't have to suffer through a primary he stood a good chance of losing.

Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, who had pledged to support Sabini, doesn't have to spend cash he needs for competitive GOP-on-Democrat races to protect an incumbent.

Gov. David Paterson, whose peace with Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and disinterest in helping Senate Democrats raise money for a takeover had caused some consternation among minority members, earns some points for helping avoid a primary.

Queens Democratic Party Executive Secretary Mike Reich insisted his organization didn't have a hand in this deal, but he's nonetheless happy it's going down.

"I think it's great that John has a landing place," Reich said. "I think it's a significant position for him and opportunity for him to advance his career, and we congratulate the state for making this decision."

"..In the end this is probably working out the best for everybody, for John, for the community for the Queens County Democrats and for the state."

UPDATE: Paterson's office just announced a 3 p.m. press conference at his Manhattan office.

State Legislators Convene Emergency Citywide Summit in Response to Recent Shootings : NewsLI.com

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State and local elected legislators today joined law enforcement officials and community leaders for an emergency meeting in Harlem to discuss strategies to “stop the violence” following a rash of neighborhood shooting incidents across the city that left several dead and many wounded.

During the past three months there have been several dozen shootings taking the lives of several teenagers and left many wounded. The meeting was called after the random shootings in Harlem, the Rockaways, Jackson Heights, Prospect Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant.

State Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm A. Smith (D-St. Albans) said that the Summit was especially necessary because “we are losing a battle much greater than any one official.”

“We as public officials, clergy, and community leaders must take a more aggressive approach to coming up with solutions to stop the growing gun violence on our city streets,” said Senator Smith, one of the event’ organizers.

Law enforcement officials presented crime status reports on recent shooting incidents and steps being taken to stop the violence. Officials and community leaders exchanged ideas during the roundtable discussion and developed an immediate action plan.

Participants in today’s roundtable discussion announced the creation of ‘Operation SNUG’, the word ‘guns’ spelled backwards.

This initiative will consist of:

S treet intervention and stopping the violence

• violence interrupters
• support for police and law enforcement

N ational state local funding support

• funding for all alternatives
• legislation that can help implement solutions

U se of celebrities and centers

• public relations and materials
• existing community centers, new bunkers and community offices

G angs, guns, gainful employment

• real-world gang awareness and prevention initiatives
• connections to employment and economic alternatives

There will be four meetings held to follow up on the initiative’s progress, one for each point.

Governor David Paterson said, “Gun violence is one of the most serious issues facing our city and state. Innocent lives - too often children - are ended because of trivial disputes and carelessness. I applaud Senator Smith for bringing together some of the leaders in the fight to get gun off the streets and out of the hands of criminals.”

Meeting organizers included Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm A. Smith; State Senators Bill Perkins(D-Harlem), John Sabini (D-Jackson Heights), Eric Adams(D-Brooklyn), ranking member of the Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee; Assemblymen Keith Wright (D-Harlem) and Darryl Towns (D-Brooklyn), leader of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus.

In Brooklyn, 44 shootings within the past three months occurred in the Brooklyn South division of the Police Department officials said, including at woman being shot in the hip. In that case, police arrested and charged an unidentified 32-year-old man.

“The recent escalation in the number of shooting incidents impels responsible legislators to promulgate an action plan to combat the scourge of gun violence,” said Senator Adams. “The voices of our constituents call for the prevention of such tragedies; in my own district there has been impassioned outcry from all ethnic and economic groups.”

While police have made some arrests, several murder suspects remain at-large because witnesses have refused to come forward.

Senator Adams said that it was “imperative” for elected and community leaders to collaborate on reaching solutions “to make our city a safer place.”

“The criminals who wound and murder our fellow citizens make a mockery of our outrage over the Sean Bell shooting and cripple our efforts to prevent a repetition of the terrible incident,” said Senator Adams, a retired New York City Police Officer. The bullet from an illegal weapon pierces not only the flesh of our loved ones, but the emotional body of our family as well. Even the substance of the larger community is wounded. We must protect our citizens from the disastrous effects of gun crimes.”

In Far Rockaway, one week after teenagers Brandon Bethea and Tyreece Johnson were fatally shot in two separate incidents, eight individuals were wounded during the Memorial Day holiday weekend in Harlem.

Senator Bill Perkins (D-Manhattan) said: This latest explosion of gun violence reminds us that we must be vigilant in getting guns off the street and out of the hands of the wrong people. We have to focus on finding, arresting, prosecuting and convicting those responsible for brining and distributing these guns in our communities. We have to cut off the supply. It is going to require all of us- growing problem. We need more police protection without harassment. We need more training, education, and employment opportunities. We have to provide parenting, social and anger management skills. Something we all can do is…-WHEN WE SEE A GUN, WE HAVE TO CALL 911. These are some of many measures that need to be taken if we are going to seriously put an end to gun violence.”

Charles Fisher, chairman of the Harlem-based Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council, Inc. said that his organization has partnered with corporations and media outlets “to implement initiatives to address the drugs, illegal guns, and growing gun violence that is plaguing our communities.”

“With the closing of youth centers, along with gas, food, unemployment, and foreclosures on the rise, it’s going to be tough on us all for a while, especially our youth and young adults,” Fisher said. “We have to let our youth know that we are serious to help stop the violence.”

The citywide Summit in Harlem follows a similar meeting at the Redfern Houses community center in Far Rockaway several weeks ago where Smith, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, Assemblywomen Michele Titus (D-Far Rockaway), Audrey Pheffer (D-Ozone/Rockaway Beach), City Councilman James Sanders (D-Far Rockaway), and community leaders met to construct a plan to stop violence in the area. The group’s action plan included securing public funds to put up video surveillance cameras, opening up the shuttered community center, and putting additional police manpower on the streets.

Also in attendance at today’s meeting were: Congressmen Charles Rangel (D-Manhattan) and Gregory W. Meeks (D-Jamaica/Far Rockaway); Assembly Member Herman D. Farrell, Jr (D-Manhattan); Council Members John Liu (D-Flushing), Inez Dickens (D-Manhattan); State Committee Member Theresa Freeman; New York Police Department Chief Raymond Diaz, Manhattan North and Chief Thomas Dale, Queens South; Marques Claxton, 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement; Anthony Miranda, National Latino Officers Association of America; Norman Siegel, Civil Rights Attorney; Charles Billops, Grand Council of Guardians; Jean Corbett Parker, Harlem Mothers SAVE; Dr. Candice Kane CeaseFire Chicago; among others.

Additional statements were issued:

“The rise is gun violence is devastating communities around our city,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. “With crime going down across the board citywide, it’s completely unacceptable that neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn and parts of Harlem are being left behind. It’s time for officials at every level of government to come together and figure out how to make these tragic incidents as rare as possible.”

Photo: State Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm A. Smith

Queens Democrats Wont Endorse Senator for Re-election By Jonathan P. Hicks - City Room - Metro - New York Times Blog

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Democratic Party officials in Queens voted today not to endorse State Senator John D. Sabini, a Queens Democrat who has been in office six years. Instead, they voted to back his challenger, City Councilman Hiram Monserrate.

The decision represents an unusual move by a party organization to deny an incumbent its endorsement. And it was a significant blow to Mr. Sabini, a former city councilman and onetime Queens Democratic party chairman.

For much of the last two years, Mr. Monserrate has put intense pressure on the party officials to gain their support. Two years ago he challenged Mr. Sabini and came within 250 votes of beating the senator.

In interviews on Friday, several Queens Democratic officials said that the party’s leadership committee in the district switched its support in part because of the strength Mr. Monserrate demonstrated in the 2006 election and because also because the ethnic politics of the district are increasingly favoring the challenger.

Some Democratic leaders have charged that Mr. Monserrate has put pressure on the party organization by threatening to challenge incumbent district leaders in his section of Queens.

Mr. Sabini made clear that he has no intention of dropping out of the race. He issues a statement saying: “It is ultimately up to the district’s voters to decide whom they want as their state senator. I will fight for the privilege to continue to serve them.”

Today’s decision came five days after the Democratic leaders in the Queens first met to discuss whom to endorse in the State Senate race. The decision, however, was postponed until Friday. In the end, Mr. Monserrate won the support of 12 of the 14 leaders who voted on the endorsement. Two leaders abstained.

Mr. Monserrate said he was thrilled with the decision. “This is a historic moment for the Democratic Party in Queens,” the councilman said. “It speaks to the work we’ve done in the community.”

The 13th State Senate District was configured after the 2000 Census, with the goal of electing a Hispanic candidate. Eight years ago, the population of the district was about 56 percent Hispanic, 20 percent Asian, 12 percent non-Hispanic white and 9 percent black. And many Queens Democratic leaders insist that the Hispanic population has likely grown sharply since that Census.

In 2001, Mr. Monserrate was elected as the first Hispanic council member from Queens. And almost since then, he has been rumored to be interested in offices in the Legislature and even in Congress. Because of the city’s term-limit laws, Mr. Monserrate cannot run for his current Council seat next year.

Mr. Sabini, who is of Italian descent, served for a short time as the Queens Democratic Party chairman and in the City Council.

Would-Be Monserrate Pleased With Queens County Endorsement by Azi Paybarah | The New York Observer

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As expected, the Queens County Democratic Organization endorsed Hiram Monserrate for State Senate over incumbent John Sabini earlier today. It’s a major coup for Monserrate, who has been steadily building a base of support in the Jackson Heights-Elmhurst district independent of the county organization.

Most people I've spoken with since the announcement cited Sabini's vulnerabilities (DUI arrest, a narrow reelection in 2006, and low profile outside campaign season) as a reason for the decision. But the other major explanation has to do with demographics: the district has become steadily less white since Sabini was first elected, and more Latino and Asian.

So, what does this say about the Queens County Democratic Organization, arguably the city’s most influential Democratic machine? Is the organization weak for not being able to protect (an admittedly vulnerable) incumbent against a strong challenger? Or is the county organization simply smart for going with a likely winner?

The answers I've gotten, perhaps not shockingly, have tended to break down according to whether or not the respondent expects to benefit from the demographic shifts.

One official I spoke with expressed concern that other white lawmakers will be abandoned by their county organizations.

But those who view themselves as the Monserrates of their communities seem encouraged.

Albert Baldeo, a candidate for State Senate who is Indo-Guyanese, finds the development encouraging. He’s running in a Democratic Senate primary against City Councilman Joe Addabbo, who is Italian, for the honor of challenging Republican incumbent Serph Maltese.

Baldeo told me, “I think it sends the message they are willing to include minorities and broaden the base of the party.”

He then added, “Well, basically, [Monserrate] is like a new blood in the party. And similarly, I am new blood. Councilman Joe Addabbo has been part of the process for a long time, similar to Senator John Sabini.”

Queens Dems Dump Sabini, Officially (Updated) by - Elizabeth Benjamin - The Daily Politics - NY Daily News

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After delaying the vote for a week, Queens Democratic district leaders in the 13th SD reconvened this morning and, as expected, officially voted to support Councilman Hiram Monserrate over incumbent Sen. John Sabini in the primary this fall.

There were 14 leaders in the room, 12 of whom voted for Monserrate. Two abstained out of respect for Sabini, according to party Executive Secretary Mike Reich. Both candidates spoke.

"It was a tough thing, I think, for most people," Reich said. "They have a warm spot in their hearts for John. This was not done lightly, and it's not done often."

"I don't think it reflects on the work John has done over the years," Reich added. "I don't think it reflects on John as a person. I think it reflects on the political reality of the district. We saw the handwriting on the wall that John was extremely vulnerable."

Reich noted that while it's unusual for the party to turn its back on an incumbent, it is not unheard of.

In fact, he said, Sabini himself came to his first elected post in much the same way when Councilman Joseph Lisa lost party support (he was rated among the seven least effective Council members in a 1987 Daily News poll) and faced a potential challenge from Sabini in the early 1990s. Lisa was appointed to a judgeship in 1991 to avoid a primary.

So what does this mean for Sabini and Monserrate, practically speaking?

First and foremost, Reich said, Monserrate is not only the designee of the party, but his name will be on the petitions that the party troops carry when petitioning starts June 3. Sabini will have to pay to print his own petitions and find his own volunteers to carry them.

The candidates need to collect 900 valid signatures to get on the ballot. The rule of thumb is you need to collect three times that number to provide a cushion to prevent getting tossed off the ballot.

Now that the Democrats have made their decision, it's like the Working Families Party will follow suit. The Queens chapter of the WFP already recommended Monserrate over Sabini when the party met last weekend to review candidates.

UPDATE: Sabini, does not appear to have any immediate intention of dropping out of the race. He released the following statement:

"It is ultimately up to the District’s voters to decide whom they want as their state senator. I will fight for the privilege to continue to serve them."

Queens Senator May Lose Party Support by Jonathan P. Hicks - New York Times

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Photo credit: Kate Anne

State Senator John D. Sabini, a Queens Democrat, may find himself in the unusual position of losing the support of the Democratic organization in his borough in his bid for re-election, with leaders of the party likely to back City Councilman Hiram Monserrate instead.

Democratic leaders in Queens are scheduled to meet on Monday to determine whether to endorse Mr. Sabini, who was first elected to the Senate in 2002. Normally, party organizations support incumbents, and Mr. Sabini is a former Democratic chairman in Queens. But Mr. Monserrate has put intense pressure on the party officials to gain their support in recent months.

It may well pay off. Several Queens Democratic officials said on Sunday that the party’s leadership committee for the district is considering switching its support, in part because of the strength that Mr. Monserrate demonstrated two years ago when he challenged Mr. Sabini, and also because the ethnic politics of the district increasingly favor the challenger.

Some also have said that Mr. Monserrate has put pressure on the party organization by threatening to challenge incumbent district leaders in his section of Queens.

Representative Joseph Crowley, the Democratic Party chairman in Queens, said that no decision had been reached regarding what will occur at Monday’s meeting. “We’re still in the process of talking with the various leaders,” Mr. Crowley said in an interview. “I have no expectation whatsoever about what might happen.”

However, losing the support of the organization was a prospect for which Mr. Sabini was clearly preparing himself.

“We’ve had discussions about it, and many of the district leaders have actually said they are going to support me,” Mr. Sabini said on Sunday.

He added: “I don’t know what the ultimate outcome will be. But I’m pretty proud to run on my record. I’m six years in the Senate and 10 years in the City Council. Ultimately these elections are decided on the streets of Queens. I would enjoy having the county’s support. If that doesn’t happen, I’ll still be running, and I’ll expect to win.”

The possibility that the Queens Democratic Party organization would support Mr. Monserrate over Mr. Sabini was reported in Sunday’s Daily News.

Two years ago, Mr. Monserrate challenged Mr. Sabini and lost the primary by fewer than 250 votes. It was one of the slimmest victory margins for any incumbent in the state in 2006.

The 13th State Senate District was configured after the 2000 census with the goal of electing a Hispanic candidate. Eight years ago, the population of the district, which includes parts of Jackson Heights, Corona, Woodside, Elmhurst and East Elmhurst, was about 56 percent Hispanic, 20 percent Asian, 12 percent non-Hispanic white and 9 percent black. And many Queens Democratic leaders insist that the Hispanic population has probably grown even larger.

Mr. Monserrate did not return calls on Sunday.

In 2001, Mr. Monserrate was elected as the first Hispanic council member from Queens. He has been rumored to be interested in offices in the Legislature and in Congress. Because of the city’s term-limit law, Mr. Monserrate cannot run for his Council seat next year.

Mr. Sabini served for a short time as the Queens Democratic Party chairman and in the City Council.

Mr. Sabini criticized Mr. Monserrate on ethics, following recent revelations that the councilman’s office steered more than $3 million in Council discretionary and capital money to a nonprofit agency that was run by some of his closest aides. The group’s financial records have devolved into what its current director characterized as a “mess.” Federal prosecutors and the city’s Department of Investigation are looking into how council members dole out millions of dollars in discretionary money they control to nonprofit agencies that provide a broad range of services.

Mr. Monserrate has denied any wrongdoing. And his supporters have pointed out that Mr. Sabini was arrested last year in Albany and charged with driving while intoxicated. The senator pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and paid a $300 fine.

Colin Moynihan contributed reporting.

Queens Democrats Pull Plug on Sabini by Kirsten Danis - NY Daily News

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Photo credit: Kate Anne

Things are getting weird in Queens.

The county's Democratic boss, Rep. Joseph Crowley, appears to be abandoning a sitting state senator just before a tough race in favor of his challenger, a city Councilman entangled in a criminal probe.

Why? Queens is changing, and the old guard is nervous.

Several sources confirmed that district leaders meeting tomorrow morning are poised to support Councilman Hiram Monserrate in his primary challenge against state Sen. John Sabini in September. The news reverberated throughout Democratic circles this weekend as it's extremely rare for a party to abandon a loyal incumbent with no major scandal hanging over him.

Monserrate came close to beating Sabini in 2006, and as the district that includes Jackson Heights, Corona and East Elmhurst becomes more Latino, the Hispanic councilman has a solid shot at winning this time around. Mayor Bloomberg blurted out at a private meeting of Council members recently that he would support Monserrate, a former Marine and city cop.

Sources said Crowley is worried about backing the wrong man and leaving Monserrate to build his own base, one that could then help him go after a bigger seat, possibly even Crowley's.

Sabini, a longtime legislator, has been especially vulnerable since he was arrested in Albany last year for drunken driving. He pleaded guilty in February to the lesser charge of driving while impaired.

On the other hand, Monserrate also has the potential for problems. The Queens district attorney and city Department of Investigation reportedly are probing whether Libre, a Queens nonprofit closely linked to Monserrate, helped him with his 2006 Senate race. The councilman, who denies involvement in anything untoward, has steered $400,000 in taxpayer money to the group.