NY Senate to meet Wed., when lt gov case continues

By Joan Gralla

NEW YORK, July 10 (Reuters) - New York's Senate will reconvene on Wednesday, the Democrats' leaders said on Friday, after the resolution of a leadership brawl let the lawmakers enact 135 bills that had been frozen for nearly five weeks.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, on his weekly WOR radio show, said the Senate's approval of a half-percentage-point increase in the city's sales tax enables him to "unfreeze the hiring freeze" he had declared last week.

This allows the city to start a class of police recruits that was postponed, and replace firefighters, emergency medical technicians, school crossing guards and others lost through attrition, the independent mayor explained.

Counties, cities and towns lost as much as $150 million as Republican and Democratic senators resorted to lawsuits, shouting matches, shutting off the upper chamber's lights and hiding the formal copies of bills in their battle to control the state Senate. The Senate's paralysis also could have caused the state to lose billions of dollars of federal stimulus aid.

A spokesman for the Democratic conference led by Senate President Malcolm Smith of Queens said next week's agenda was not finalized, but it likely will include some reforms to improve how the Senate works.

Last night, the GOP delayed the approval of bills until the Democrats agreed to an accord that could split staffers and funding more equally between the two parties and hamper the ability of committee chairmen to bottle up bills indefinitely.

Many top issues are still unresolved, from gay marriage to New York City's tenant protections and mayoral control of schools. Democratic Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli urged the Senate to approve pension reforms to rein in rising costs.

LIEUTENANT GOV IN SPOTLIGHT

Next Wednesday, Governor David Paterson's lawyers will be back in state Supreme Court in Nassau County to argue that the state constitution gives the governor the power to name a lieutenant governor, Paterson's spokeswoman said.

On Wednesday, Paterson chose Richard Ravitch, a well-respected political adviser who helped guide New York City through its mid-1970s fiscal crisis. Ravitch also is a former chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The lieutenant governor's role often is more ceremonial than substantive in many states. But these officials have recently been asked to step up under unusual circumstances. Illinois' lieutenant governor replaced Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich after his impeachment; Alaska's lieutenant governor will replace Republican Governor Sarah Palin, a possible presidential candidate, when she resigns later this month.

New York has not had a lieutenant governor since Paterson replaced former Democratic Governor Eliot Spitzer, who resigned after it was revealed that under the guise of "Client 9," he had patronized a high-priced prostitute.

The president of New York's Senate is third in line to replace the governor. Paterson said the Senate's leadership fight could have permitted three senators to claim the post.

On Thursday, an appellate court vacated the temporary court order the Republican senate leaders had won blocking Ravitch from taking office and returned the case to the Nassau court where the GOP brought suit.

On Friday, the Nassau Supreme Court adjourned the proceedings until next week because the GOP said it needed time to prepare its case, Paterson's spokeswoman said in a statement, calling this a "delaying tactic."

"Since the plaintiffs that brought this action no longer have a stake in the case, we hope that this matter can be resolved and Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch can begin working with Governor Paterson to help stabilize our state's economy and get New York on the road to recovery," she added. (Editing by Jan Paschal)