Lunchtime check-in: Gibson committee wishes, CO union on Cuomo prison visit
Times Union blogger Jimmy Vielkind writes today that new congressman Chris Gibson lists the Agriculture Committee as his top choice for assignment in the coming Congress.
I want to serve on Agriculture, on Energy & Commerce, because I want to be involved in removing the impediments to growth — taxes, regulation and health care costs — and I want to be involved to try to help our farmers.
And as a 24-year veteran of the miltary, Gibson is a natural for the Armed Services Committee. That’s his second choice.
If he gets his picks, he’ll be filling spots now held by the man he defeated this month to win the district, Democrat Scott Murphy.
Andrew Cuomo got people’s attention this week by again raising the issue of staffing at state prisons. After touring Sing Sing, he said the state can’t keep people working at prison or other facilities if their jobs are no longer needed. And he said some prisons are under used, and no longer needed.
The state corrections officers’ union wants a full review, too. Here’s part of the NYSCOPBA press release from yesterday:
“…We share the Governor-elect¹s concerns about the management of the prison system and agree that the process must be thoughtful and well managed if we are to save critical taxpayer dollars and keep our prisons safe.
“While our minimum- and medium-security prisons have seen a reduction in inmates, our maximum-security prisons, which hold the most dangerous and hardened criminals, remain at 122% of capacity that they were designed to hold. This is a crisis waiting to happen and an issue that must be addressed as part of the larger budget discussion. We are optimistic that the Governor-elect¹s management approach will deliver the results that we have been calling for and we look forward to working with him on this important issue.”
Gov. David Paterson’s plan to cut jobs at North Country prisons raised a loud hue and cry in this region. It was one reason the state budget took so long to pass, when Democratic Senator Darrell Aubertine held out to keep a prison in Ogdensburg open. We blogged about that March 12:
The idea, says the Times’ Rick Karlin, was floated by Sen. Darrel Aubertine yesterday:
While one senator can’t shift an entire state policy, Aubertine is one of a handful of Democrats — most from Republican-leaning regions — who once again find themselves in a pivotal position due to the Senate Democrats’ need to marshal their entire 32-vote majority to pass initiatives that Republicans, with 30 seats, are likely to oppose.
June 18th, Aubertine announced neither the Ogdensburg prison or Moriah Shock Camp would close. The budget finally passed August 3.
Republican Patty Ritchie takes the seat over in January. It looks like Republicans won enough democratic seats to take majority power, though three races haven’t been finalized, pending recounts. Albany Karen DeWitt plans a story next week on some of the consequences of that shift.
