Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer, one of three Democrats in tight Senate races around the state, has expanded her lead over Republican Bob Cohen by 466 votes.

Two election districts in the 37th Senate District remain uncounted, as do thousands of absentee votes. Earlier, with 80 percent of districts reporting, Oppenheimer had a 180-vote lead.

“She’s getting stronger,” said Democratic spokesman Austin Shafran.

Earlier today, it was reported that Sen. Antoine Thompson, D-Buffalo, trails GOP opponent Mark Grisanti by 598 votes. Sen. Craig Johnson, a Long Island Democrat, trails his Republican rival Jack Martins by a 415-vote margin.

Democrats must win all three races in order to maintain control of the Senate. Republicans need to win two in order to have a minimum 32-seat majority. If Democrats win two of the races, the Senate is split 31-31.

Sen. Antoine Thompson, D-Buffalo, is trailing Republican opponent Mark Grisanti by 598 votes, said GOP spokesman Scott Reif.

The Thompson race is one of three undecided races around the state whose outcome will determine the majority of the state Senate.

Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer, D-Mamaroneck, Westchester County, had a 180-vote advantage over challenger Bob Cohen, with about 80 percent of precincts reporting on Wednesday. An updated in that race is expected later today.

Sen. Craig Johnson, a Long Island Democrat, trails his Republican opponent Jack Martins by several hundred votes.

Democrats need to win all three races to keep control of the Senate. They currently have a 32-29 majority with one vacancy. If Democrats win two of three, the Senate is tied 31-31.

Democratic spokesman Austin Shafran noted that thousands of absentee ballots and emergency ballots remain to be counted.

“Ballots are still being counted in the three outstanding races, but once every vote has been counted it will be clear, Democrats retained the majority,” he said.

Citizens Union, a New York City-based good-government group, has determined that 26 of the state’s 62 counties posted sample ballots online this year so voters could familiarize themselves with the ballot before Election Day.

The organization criticized the New York City Board of Elections, which it said “has previously and repeatedly refused to post such sample ballots online, arguing that doing so would increase the likelihood of fraud and that ballots for some election and Assembly districts are not finalized until just before the election,” according to Dick Dadey, executive director of Citizens Union.

“We heard many complaints on election day from voters about the ballot being difficult to see, about not being told of referenda on the back of the ballot, and about complex and confusing directions on the ballot. Posting a sample ballot online in advance of the election would help to address these issues. If voters can see exactly what their ballot will look like, they will be better prepared to accurately and completely cast their votes more quickly on Election Day,” Dadey said in a statement.

Citizens Union conducted exit polls Tuesday, along with good-government groups, and did online surveys found that many voters thought the ballot was too hard to read, the directions were confusing and weren’t aware there were questions on the back of the paper ballot, which voters statewide used for the first time this year instead of lever voting machines.

Citizens Union noted that several counties with large cities, including Monroe, Onondaga and Broome counties, put sample ballots online.

“Of the twenty-six boards of elections posting ballots online, seven demonstrate exceptional practices by linking the sample ballot to the poll site finder for users of the site,” said Rachael Fauss, policy and research manager for Citizens Union. Most boards had links to the ballots on their home pages, she said.

CU_SampleBallot

The National Federation of Independent Businesses doesn’t have a lot in common with the union-backed Working Families Party.

But with the next legislative session in New York only seven weeks away, the business group hopes the WFP’s support of Andrew Cuomo and his hold-the-line agenda will put them on the same page.

Michael Elmendorf, the NFIB’s state director, sent a letter to Working Families Party Executive Director Dan Canton urging him to support a plan to cap property taxes, spending and improve the overall business environment in New York.

In the letter, Elmendorf writes:
Some of the more cynical members of the media and others have suggested that this dramatic reversal was little more than a politically expedient move to preserve the WFP’s ballot status. I, however, would prefer to take you at your word and wholeheartedly concur with your statement that we are at “a pivotal moment in the history of this state” and that “leaders in the labor, civic, business and political arena must put aside their individual agendas for the good of the entire state.” You’re right.
Cuomo took the endorsement of the WFP after an investigation cleared the party’s for-profit arm Data and Field Services of any wrongdoing in the New York City elections. Cuomo said at the time the party signed on to his agenda.

Having Cuomo on its line helped the party this election season. The WFP was able to secure the necessary 50,000-plus votes in order to maintain its automatic ballot status.

Cuomo plans to push for a two percent cap on property taxes, a tougher cap than what passed the Democratic-led Senate earlier this year. He also is trying to leverage a campaign to push back against labor and union interests as he works to enact the campaign pledges.

Here’s the full letter from Elmendorf:

Nfib Wfp Letter

In his first public comments since winning the governor’s race in a landslide, Democrat Andrew Cuomo offered few details this morning on the makeup of his administration and the transition.

Cuomo, speaking on Talk 1300-AM in Albany, said a transition committee would be coming together to decide on hiring staff for the new administration.

“We’ve done a lot of the policy work,” Cuomo said, mentioning the multi-volume policy books released by the campaign. “The focus for me is going to be on the personnel side and working very hard to attract new talent to state government.”

Cuomo takes over a state that is mired in fiscal woes and corruption scandals that, combined, have sunk the public’s view of public official and state government.

But Cuomo cautioned that he won’t be able to make the grand, sweeping changes promised by one of his predecessors, Eliot Spitzer.

“If people expect to see progress and realistic progress, no one who is at all informed can say everything will change on day one,” Cuomo said. “Will people expect to see progress? Of course. And I expect to achieve progress.”

Cuomo declined to endorse Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson to remain in charge of the party’s conference. Control of the Senate remains in doubt as three races around the state remain too-close-to call.

Sampson, D-Brooklyn, was implicated in an inspector general’s report in October that he and other Democratic leaders in the Senate conspired to rig a contract-bidding process for a favored firm to manage video-lottery terminasl the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens.

Cuomo said he wasn’t getting involved in the leadership squabble in the Senate, but did say he’s “worked well with John Sampson.”

Cuomo will have to push through an ambitious agenda that includes capping state spending and taxes. At the same time, he hopes to appeal to lawmakers’ sense of public service.

“You don’t become a member of the Legislature only to go home to be reviled,” he said. “You are in this quote-end-quote business because you want to accomplish good things for people. I think my partnership is going to be, we’re in this together, let’s get something accomplished.”

In his first public comments since winning the governor’s race in a landslide, Democrat Andrew Cuomo offered few details this morning on the makeup of his administration and the transition.

Cuomo, speaking on Talk 1300-AM in Albany, said a transition committee would be coming together to decide on hiring staff for the new administration.

“We’ve done a lot of the policy work,” Cuomo said, mentioning the multi-volume policy books released by the campaign. “The focus for me is going to be on the personnel side and working very hard to attract new talent to state government.”

Cuomo takes over a state that is mired in fiscal woes and corruption scandals that, combined, have sunk the public’s view of public official and state government.

But Cuomo cautioned that he won’t be able to make the grand, sweeping changes promised by one of his predecessors, Eliot Spitzer.

“If people expect to see progress and realistic progress, no one who is at all informed can say everything will change on day one,” Cuomo said. “Will people expect to see progress? Of course. And I expect to achieve progress.”

Cuomo declined to endorse Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson to remain in charge of the party’s conference. Control of the Senate remains in doubt as three races around the state remain too-close-to call.

Sampson, D-Brooklyn, was implicated in an inspector general’s report in October that he and other Democratic leaders in the Senate conspired to rig a contract-bidding process for a favored firm to manage video-lottery terminasl the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens.

Cuomo said he wasn’t getting involved in the leadership squabble in the Senate, but did say he’s “worked well with John Sampson.”

Cuomo will have to push through an ambitious agenda that includes capping state spending and taxes. At the same time, he hopes to appeal to lawmakers’ sense of public service.

“You don’t become a member of the Legislature only to go home to be reviled,” he said. “You are in this quote-end-quote business because you want to accomplish good things for people. I think my partnership is going to be, we’re in this together, let’s get something accomplished.”

In his first public comments since winning the governor’s race in a landslide, Democrat Andrew Cuomo offered few details this morning on the makeup of his administration and the transition.

Cuomo, speaking on Talk 1300-AM in Albany, said a transition committee would be coming together to decide on hiring staff for the new administration.

“We’ve done a lot of the policy work,” Cuomo said, mentioning the multi-volume policy books released by the campaign. “The focus for me is going to be on the personnel side and working very hard to attract new talent to state government.”

Cuomo takes over a state that is mired in fiscal woes and corruption scandals that, combined, have sunk the public’s view of public official and state government.

But Cuomo cautioned that he won’t be able to make the grand, sweeping changes promised by one of his predecessors, Eliot Spitzer.

“If people expect to see progress and realistic progress, no one who is at all informed can say everything will change on day one,” Cuomo said. “Will people expect to see progress? Of course. And I expect to achieve progress.”

Cuomo declined to endorse Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson to remain in charge of the party’s conference. Control of the Senate remains in doubt as three races around the state remain too-close-to call.

Sampson, D-Brooklyn, was implicated in an inspector general’s report in October that he and other Democratic leaders in the Senate conspired to rig a contract-bidding process for a favored firm to manage video-lottery terminasl the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens.

Cuomo said he wasn’t getting involved in the leadership squabble in the Senate, but did say he’s “worked well with John Sampson.”

Cuomo will have to push through an ambitious agenda that includes capping state spending and taxes. At the same time, he hopes to appeal to lawmakers’ sense of public service.

“You don’t become a member of the Legislature only to go home to be reviled,” he said. “You are in this quote-end-quote business because you want to accomplish good things for people. I think my partnership is going to be, we’re in this together, let’s get something accomplished.”

Say cheese!

Westchester County is starting a project this weekend to take pictures of properties throughout the county.

By taking both aerial and street-level images, officials say that will help local assessors update property records as well as help local police and fire departments better plan for and respond to emergencies.

The project will start this weekend in Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle and the Town of Rye.

It is anticipated that all parcels will be photographed within the next six to 10 weeks.

Oblique aerial photography is taken from a plane and may not even be noticed by residents.

For the street level photography, a van goes down the street, public roads, with numerous cameras taking pictures in every direction.

Chairman Ken Jenkins, D-Yonkers, said the project “is a major victory for taxpayers” because it will help modernize assessment practices and more fairly distribute the tax burden.

These vans will display the logo of the sub-contractor, FACET Technology.

Gov. David Paterson said today a lame-duck session of the state Legislature may return a little later than the scheduled Nov. 15 special session.

Paterson, speaking on WOR 710-AM this morning, said it was important for lawmakers to return to Albany in order to fix a $315 million hole that’s been blown in the current 2010-11 state budget.

“We should let the governor start on an even ground,” Paterson said of Andrew Cuomo, who achieved a landslide victory over Republican Carl Paladino on Tuesday. “In the last two years we have had $3 billion (deficits). This year it’s only $300 million.”

The mid-year budget deficit is expected to fall $315 million out of balance, according to the Division of Budget. A gap was created, in part, because taxes from the sale of cigarettes sold to non-tribal people on Indian reservations has been delayed due to legal challenges.

Next year’s budget, which is due April 1, is now projected to have a $9 billion deficit, up from an estimated $8.2 billion.

Paterson, in his first public comments since Election Day, predicted Republicans would hold a narrow majority in the Senate and Sen. Dean Slekos of Nassau County would become majority leader.

He also said Cuomo’s message of holding the line on spending and taxes was a wise one given the voter unrest.

“What he did I liked was he didn’t campaign in poetry, he campaigned in prose,” Paterson said. “He specifically pointed out there are cuts that have to be made that we’ve been trying to do.”

But he also complained that during his tenure of trying to cut spending, he didn’t get Republicans to go along with some of his proposals.

“I didn’t get the cooperation from the Republicans that I expected. The legislative game has been we want to cut spending, but somebody else’s spending and not our own,” the governor said.

Gov. David Paterson (where’s he been today, by the way?) is fond of ruefully pointing out that despite the anti-incumbent fervor of this election cycle, most lawmakers stood a good chance of being re-elected.

Turns out, the outgoing governor was right.

All 212 legislative seats in the Assembly and Senate were up for election this year. But only six incumbents definitely lost re-election. According to an analysis by the New York Public Interest Research Group’s Bill Mahoney, five races—Sen. Craig Johnson on Long Island, Sen Suzi Oppenheimer in Mamaroneck and Sen. Antoine Thompson of Buffalo included—face tough battles.

Mahoney rated two Assembly races as tossups and three as definitive losses.

Percentage-wise in the Assembly, 11 or so incumbents losing re-election is  less than one seven percent of the overall membership.

Update: Readers helpfully pointed out the typo in the graf above.

Yonkers Republican Liam McLaughlin said his race in the 35th Senate District against Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, is still undecided because there are about 25,000 uncounted votes.

The Westchester County Board of Elections only posted 70 percent of districts from last night’s vote tallies with Stewart-Cousins leading significantly.

This afternoon McLaughlin, a former Yonkers councilman, said he was told by election officials to disregard those numbers.

“Hopefully by the end of today they will have downloaded the info form the disks,” he said of the ballot scanners. “We did sampling of different polling locations, our numbers where showing this to be a much tighter race.”

Yonkers Republican Liam McLaughlin said his race in the 35th Senate District against Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, is still undecided because there are about 25,000 uncounted votes.

The Westchester County Board of Elections only posted 70 percent of districts from last night’s vote tallies with Stewart-Cousins leading significantly.

This afternoon McLaughlin, a former Yonkers councilman, said he was told by election officials to disregard those numbers.

“Hopefully by the end of today they will have downloaded the info form the disks,” he said of the ballot scanners. “We did sampling of different polling locations, our numbers where showing this to be a much tighter race.”

Yonkers Republican Liam McLaughlin said his race in the 35th Senate District against Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, is still undecided because there are about 25,000 uncounted votes.

The Westchester County Board of Elections only posted 70 percent of districts from last night’s vote tallies with Stewart-Cousins leading significantly.

This afternoon McLaughlin, a former Yonkers councilman, said he was told by election officials to disregard those numbers.

“Hopefully by the end of today they will have downloaded the info form the disks,” he said of the ballot scanners. “We did sampling of different polling locations, our numbers where showing this to be a much tighter race.”

Republicans may like their chances of taking back the Senate, but Democrats are pointing to the thousands of absentee and provisional ballots that are yet to be counted.

Three Democratic incumbents from different corners of the state are fending off tough challenges. Republicans knocked off two Democratic incumbents in the North Country and on Long Island Tuesday, while Democrats flipped a Rockland County seat  and Queens district.

Here’s a look at where the incumbents stand.

Sen. Antoine Thompson, D-Buffalo: 258-vote lead over Mark Grisanti with two districts left to be counted. 2,600 absentee and 1,000 emergency ballots remain uncounted.

Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer, D-Mamaroneck, Westchester County: 180-vote lead over Bob Cohen with 19 percent of district left to be counted. The county Board of Elections reported receiving 2,106 absentee ballots.

Sen. Craig Johnson, D-Nassau County: Has a 415-vote deficit against Jack Martins with all districts reporting. 3,383 absentee ballots have been returned, the Nassau County Board of Elections said.

Republicans may like their chances of taking back the Senate, but Democrats are pointing to the thousands of absentee and provisional ballots that are yet to be counted.

Three Democratic incumbents from different corners of the state are fending off tough challenges. Republicans knocked off two Democratic incumbents in the North Country and on Long Island Tuesday, while Democrats flipped a Rockland County seat  and Queens district.

Here’s a look at where the incumbents stand.

Sen. Antoine Thompson, D-Buffalo: 258-vote lead over Mark Grisanti with two districts left to be counted. 2,600 absentee and 1,000 emergency ballots remain uncounted.

Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer, D-Mamaroneck, Westchester County: 180-vote lead over Bob Cohen with 19 percent of district left to be counted. The county Board of Elections reported receiving 2,106 absentee ballots.

Sen. Craig Johnson, D-Nassau County: Has a 415-vote deficit against Jack Martins with all districts reporting. 3,383 absentee ballots have been returned, the Nassau County Board of Elections said.

Republicans may like their chances of taking back the Senate, but Democrats are pointing to the thousands of absentee and provisional ballots that are yet to be counted.

Three Democratic incumbents from different corners of the state are fending off tough challenges. Republicans knocked off two Democratic incumbents in the North Country and on Long Island Tuesday, while Democrats flipped a Rockland County seat  and Queens district.

Here’s a look at where the incumbents stand.

Sen. Antoine Thompson, D-Buffalo: 258-vote lead over Mark Grisanti with two districts left to be counted. 2,600 absentee and 1,000 emergency ballots remain uncounted.

Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer, D-Mamaroneck, Westchester County: 180-vote lead over Bob Cohen with 19 percent of district left to be counted. The county Board of Elections reported receiving 2,106 absentee ballots.

Sen. Craig Johnson, D-Nassau County: Has a 415-vote deficit against Jack Martins with all districts reporting. 3,383 absentee ballots have been returned, the Nassau County Board of Elections said.

Democratic Attorney General-elect Eric Schneiderman just put out a letter thanking voters for their support. He defeated Republican Dan Donovan by a wider margin than expected after a poll released this weekend showed the two candidates in a dead heat.

Here is what Schneiderman wrote:
“Last night, we achieved an improbable victory. We overcame the odds and ran a positive campaign built on a message of fighting corruption, and delivering justice and real reform to New York State.

“I am so humbled to be your next Attorney General!

“My opponent, Dan Donovan ran a great race and congratulated me very graciously last night.  I look forward to working with him, and with all my colleagues in government, to deliver on the promise of this incredible campaign.

“Over the past seven months, we spoke about New York’s need for an Attorney General who will stand up for the people, and ensure that all New Yorkers—no matter who they are—have equal justice and full protection under the law.

“We won because we took this message straight to neighborhoods and our communities across the State. With one of the broadest, most diverse coalitions in recent memory: we knocked on doors,  made phone calls, talked to friends and family, and joined together to speak out about our agenda for keeping our streets safe, standing up to Wall Street crimes and rooting out corruption in our state government.

“And it paid off.  We proved the critics wrong—not only by winning in New York City, but winning counties all across New York State.  We finished strong across the State, from Westchester  to Onondaga and Monroe Counties, and won a huge swath of the mid-Hudson valley.

“It’s clear:  YOU won this election. I thank you for your support and look forward to serving as your lawyer for the next four years.

“We couldn’t have done it without you.”

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele today released a statement, saying that the GOP victories in New York clearly show that people are fed up with President Barack Obama and other Democrats.

Here it is:
“Over the past two years, New Yorkers have witnessed the results of President Obama and Nancy Pelosi’s reckless tax-and-spend policies, and last night they told Washington that they have had enough by electing five new Republican candidates to the U.S. House.  These Republican victories are clear evidence of the rising tide of the Republican Party in New York and the failure of the Democrat leadership in Washington, D.C.  These outstanding Republican candidates were elected because of their willingness to stand up to President Obama’s job-killing policies, which have stalled New York’s economic recovery.  On behalf of the Republican Party, I would like to congratulate new Representatives Michael Grimm, Nan Hayworth, Chris Gibson, Richard Hanna, and Tom Reed on their successful campaigns for limited government and fiscal responsibility.”

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released a statement thanking his Republican opponent, Harry Wilson, for a good race after Wilson conceded this morning. DiNapoli gave a victory speech before 2 a.m. today. Unofficial returns show that DiNapoli defeated Wilson by 3 percentage points.

This is what DiNapoli released:
“I received a call from Harry Wilson this morning and he was very gracious in conceding this close and hard fought contest.  Mr. Wilson ran a strong campaign and I wish him the very best.

“Public service has been what my life has been about.  To be the people’s choice for comptroller is truly the greatest honor.

“This victory shows it’s not about the polls, nor the pundits, nor the papers.  It’s about the people.

“We still have enormous challenges ahead of us and an immediate challenge in dealing with our current budget.  I will continue to exercise leadership in resolving these problems.

“I congratulate our new Governor, Andrew Cuomo, and Lieutenant Governor Bob Duffy as well as our new Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, on their victories last night.  Together, we will move our state forward.

“I owe thanks to everyone who has believed in me and in my candidacy over these past few months:  the Democratic Party, the Working Families Party and especially my brothers and sisters in the labor movement.

“Today, I am back to work doing the people’s business.”

Assembly Republicans are hopeful some close races could end up breaking their way and take them within reach of ending the Democratic two-thirds supermajority.

Democrats have held the veto-proof majority of more than 100 members since 2002.

Republicans expect to pick up a net gain of at least six, perhaps seven, seats in the Assembly, despite many GOP members retiring this year. Democrats outnumber Republicans 107-42.

Republicans unseated longtime incumbent David Koon, D-Perinton, Monroe Count, and picked up seats in the Buffalo and Albany areas.

The Republicans would be two votes short of breaking the two-third supermajority held by Democrats. Doing so would raise Republicans’ legislative clout during gubernatorial vetoes.

Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, R-Canandaigua, Ontario County, said the party could pick up three more seats. Republicans hope Thomas Kirwan can unseat Assemblyman Frank Skartados, D-Marlborough, Ulster County. Skartados holds a narrow 234-vote lead.

The party also hopes for victories over Assemblyman Bob Reilly, D-Colonie, Albany County, Assemblyman Marc Alessi, D-Suffolk County.

Yet there is one they could lose, Assemblyman Robert Castelli, R-Goldens Bridge, Westchester County, clung to a narrow lead over Democrat Thomas Roach.

“When the Democrats outspent us 4-to-1, these are significant victories for us,” Kolb said. “We haven’t seen this in decades.”