Budget Bothers Breslin a Bit

"We must ask ourselves the following questions. Can our economy withstand a major influx of unemployed workers coming off the payrolls?"
That is the question from State Senator Neil Breslin, D-Albany, who is concerned about the ramifications of the state possibly laying off 9,800 workers. This potentially massive layoff has been laid out by Gov. Andrew Cuomo as the worst case scenario if the state workers don't agree to share some of the pain with cuts in benefits.
Regarding this cost saving measure, Breslin suggested that there might be increased overtime costs as a result. He added that the large number of unemployed people would add further stress to the state's budget, as these people would need some form of economic assistance. This last fear was echoed by Breslin's Republican colleague, Hugh Farley of Niskayuna.
Breslin, though, remains optimistic about avoiding this worst case scenario. "I am confident with [Cuomo's] leadership we can work together to develop a fiscally responsible approach to capture savings," he said.
"The Governor has demonstrated steady leadership during these challenging economic times. I know my colleagues and myself are anxious to work with him to develop a responsible budget that will return New York to fiscal solvency."
This somewhat mixed message from Breslin represents the hard realities of this budget. The truth about being fiscally conservative is that it sometimes requires hard choices, which is code for saying that regular people will be impacted. Savings won't just come from bloated pensions and scheduled raises, but also in the form of meaningful cuts that could represent a child's braces, a family's vacation or some jobs.

Senate Shakeup

Following the escape of four Senators from the Democratic Conference, Senator Neil Breslin remains hopeful that they'll come back.
It was shortly after 10 a.m. that Senators Jeff Klein, Diane Savino, David Carlucci and David Valesky announced that they were leaving the Democratic Conference to form their own Independent Democratic Conference .
"I hope we convince them that they're part of a team," said Breslin. He argued that if the Democrats all stick together they'll be back in the majority.
Breslin, who is a moderate, said he wasn't approached by the four Senators about joining their Conference. He said he wasn't surprised either, because they know he is part of a team (The Democratic Dodgers?). As part of a team, Breslin said it is your duty to stick it out when you don't agree with the direction and try to change things internally.
Going forward, it will be interesting to see what role the new Conference has on the floor. Additionally, I'm wondering who the next floor leader will be for the Dems, as Klein is probably losing that post. It will probably be a lawyer, with one person close to the state Senate suggesting it could be freshman Senator Mike Gianaris.