Dave Valesky: Ex-Reform "poster boy" doesn't want to hear it!

Central NY State Sen. Dave Valesky doesn't want to listen to a newspaper editorial that chided him for laying down his mantle of Albany reform, to side with NYC Democrats to support the most bloated budget in state history.

Republican Senate Leader Dean Skelos was attempting to read the editorial into the official record when Valesky, who was presiding at the time, abruptly cut him off. Skelos was critical of Valesky's effort to end debate on the controversial plan, which threatens hospitals and nursing homes with funding cuts and layoffs of doctors and nurses.

The exchange came during debate over the hospital and health care portion of the Paterson-Valesky, $132 billion budget, which raises spending by 10% and includes $8.5 billion in new taxes.

Following is the March 31 editorial from Valesky's hometown paper, the Syracuse Post Standard.




Take that poster down

March 31, 2009
In endorsing state Sen. David Valesky for a third term in October, this page labeled him a "poster boy" for reform of state government. Then, in January, when Valesky was named to the apparently influential post of Senate vice president pro tempore, we noted that the upcoming legislative session would show just how deep Valesky's commitment to reform was.
Well, one horrendously dysfunctional budget process later, it's time to strip Valesky of his "poster boy" status and put him up on the Wall of Albany Dysfunction with the rest of his go-along, get-along colleagues.
Valesky ran all three of his campaigns under the reform banner. This year, after the Democrats took over the Senate and he got his big promotion, it was reasonable to expect that he would push his No. 1 issue and exert some influence over the budget process.
Not a chance. The process this year was a more tightly controlled and secretive "three-men-in-a-room" affair than ever before. This time, the three men were all Democrats -- the governor and the leaders of the Senate and the Assembly. The idea of conference committees meeting so that rank-and-file legislators could have their input was entirely lost.
Valesky acknowledges that the process "hasn't been what it should be" but couldn't say why. He said he was frustrated that his fellow Democrats didn't do better, but he never raised a public outcry to insist things be done differently.
For a Senate leader supposedly intent on openness and reform, that's not good enough.

http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2009/03/take_that_poster_down.html

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[demsco]

Valesky is an ahole. I hope that guy is voted out with a vengeance.

[carlrs15]

I vote noooo