Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Espada: Give Me Two Votes, So I Can Break Senate Ties
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 17, 2009
Modified Jun 17, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 17, 2009
Modified Jun 17, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. is sending shivers down the spine of New Yorkers today, with his solution to break the State Senate tie. Espada told the Post, "I can have two votes. We're going to maintain that, as the president pro tempore of the Senate, I am also the acting lieutenant governor, and the lieutenant governor can vote when there's a tie." Hey, is he suggesting that because he was elected to represent the Bronx, but really (allegedly) spends his time living in Westchester?! Democrat-appointed policy adviser and Counsel to the New York State Senate Michael Kink, though, Twittered, "Justice McNamara's decision explicitly says he's not deciding who is the NY Senate Temporary President -- it's up to the Senate to negotiate." At any rate, why we have a 62-member Senate was explored by Newsday's Dan Janison: Maybe-majority leader Dean "Skelos [R-Long Island] in 2002 discovered that a 62-seat redistricting scheme would work best for his party," and managed to create a district in Brooklyn that got Republican Martin Golden elected.
Tagged
Albany
coup
dean skelos
dysfunction
mess
pedro espada jr.
state senate
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Early Addition: Eric Adams did not convince a Wisconsin town to build a data center
Because the vote against it was unanimous, here are your early links: Jacket weather, swishing your Guinness, spooky decorations in North Jersey and more.
By
James Ramsay
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 8:28 a.m. ET
Hit-and-run driver arrested trying to flee to Uzbekistan after deadly crash, NYPD says
Police arrested 22-year-old Sobirjon Abdurazakov for a hit-and-run that killed a 62-year old Lyft driver.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
News
Hit-and-run driver arrested trying to flee to Uzbekistan after deadly crash, NYPD says
Police arrested 22-year-old Sobirjon Abdurazakov for a hit-and-run that killed a 62-year old Lyft driver.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
NY measles outbreak more widespread than official count, health officials say
By
Caroline Lewis
A NYC judge brought his gun into court for an ‘experiment’. Now he’s censured.
By
Samantha Max
The Bronx is getting a new casino and a reimagined Ferry Point Park, too
By
Willow Higgins
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .