ALBANY — Another day, another 10-minute sham session of the dysfunctional state Senate, as lawmakers yesterday again gave short shrift to Gov. Paterson’s appeal to vote on supposedly vital legislation.
In a rare Saturday session, first the Democrats and then the Republicans — still battling to resolve a bitter, 31-31 vote split resulting from a June 8 GOP-backed coup attempt — filed into the Senate to hold separate five-minute “extraordinary” sessions in which they gaveled in and quickly gaveled out.
All Republicans were present, but six Democrats were missing.
While they held the same kind of separate sessions on the two previous days, there was a twist: Nine Paterson nominees to public agencies were in the Senate gallery at the governor’s direction, supposedly to be considered for confirmation.
Lawmakers from both sides denounced Paterson for putting the nine through a futile exercise.
Paterson has ordered the senators to return today for a just-as-rare Sunday session, starting at 6 p.m., but the results are expected to be the same.
Hours before yesterday’s session, six Democrats met at a local diner with Sen. Pedro Espada Jr., a Bronx Democrat who has sided with the GOP, in an effort to hammer out a deal. Insiders said no agreement was reached.