Local Pol Says A Lawsuit Will Fix Albany Mess
By JOHN P. WISE
Updated 3:45 PM EST, Thu, Jul 2, 2009
Make way for Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, who said today he's got an idea that will unlock the Senate stalemate: a lawsuit.
Levy said he plans to file papers next week requesting the Supreme Court to step in and decide which senator was the last one legally elected leader of the Senate.
"Three weeks ago, a single vote turned the New York State Senate on its head and began a stalemate that has kept the people's work from being done in Albany," Levy said. "Many bills important to Suffolk County and its residents have become lost in the leadership conflict currently occurring at the state Capitol."
One judge has already refused to rule on the Senate circus, saying last month that the senators need to sort it out themselves. But Levy said the mess won't get solved until an impartial party gets involved.
"In a constitutional crisis such as this, it is the exact role of the judiciary to interpret proceedings and resolve disputes that have not been -- and probably cannot be -- decided by the parties with vested personal interests," he said.
Levy reasoned that there's a fairly memorable precedent.
"In the 2000 Presidential Elections, the Supreme Court convened to determine who the winner was; the court did not leave it up to the two parties to decide," he said. "The same needs to happen in this situation."
First Published: Jul 2, 2009 2:26 PM EST
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