It’s not what any New York taxpayer wants to hear.
The two most powerful leaders in the state Legislature — Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos — don’t trust each other, believe that each lies to the other and rarely speak privately, sources close to both men tell The Post.
On the rare occasion that they do speak, Skelos may not even be able to hear Silver correctly, the sources said, referring to the Senate leader’s generally unknown-to-the-public hearing loss.
The split between the Manhattan Democrat and Nassau Republican is so wide that it’s endangering the ability of Gov. Cuomo to forge an agreement in the final days of the legislative session on such key issues as ethics reform, renewed rent regulations, lifting state-imposed mandates on local governments — and possibly even a vote on same-sex marriages, the sources say.
“Things have reached the point where there is virtually no relationship between Dean and Shelly,” said a source who has had dealings with both men.
“Dean doesn’t trust Shelly, doesn’t think he tells the truth, and Shelly doesn’t think Dean is any sort of a leader, can’t deliver his conference and doesn’t know most of the time what he even wants,” the source continued.
An Assembly source said flatly, “The speaker and Skelos don’t talk,” although he noted, “their staffers do get along and can get some things done.”
Cuomo’s surprise agreement last week with Silver and Skelos on a property-tax cap came about only because Cuomo maneuvered around the split.
The governor publicly sought to force a reticent Skelos to take a stand on a compromise proposal by first orchestrating Silver’s endorsement of it, then quickly endorsing it himself, pressuring the Senate leader to follow suit, sources said.
Skelos spokeswoman Kelly Cummings insisted Skelos and Silver “have a cordial working relationship” and talk “as necessary,” although she conceded the two had just one private conversation “a few weeks ago.”
Some on the inside say Skelos’ hush-hush hearing impairment has made it difficult to negotiate with Silver, Cuomo and others because he often doesn’t catch all that’s being said.
“It’s a serious problem. Dean is too vain to wear a hearing aid, but during negotiations he may just be hearing 80 percent of what’s being said, and that can cause serious problems,” said a prominent Senate GOP insider.
The issue became publicly apparent at a bizarre press conference last week in which the property-tax-cap deal was announced — when Skelos couldn’t understand at least one of the questions being posed.
Cummings contended, “It is simply outrageous and ridiculous that you would raise Senator Skelos’ hearing as an issue — it’s a non-factor.”
Longtime Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Rensselaer) picked Skelos, his deputy, as his successor in 2008, before abruptly resigning to face federal corruption charges.
Just a few months later, Skelos presided over the Republicans’ loss of the Senate majority, which was narrowly won back in November.