Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. has returned to the fold, giving the Democrats a 32-30 majority in the state Senate—again—and taking the title majority leader.
Espada (D-Bronx) said during a news conference this afternoon that his disagreement with fellow Democrats on June 8, which led to a Republican-led coup, “has never been about titles,” though he received the title of temporary president as a result of the coup.
“Today I stand here with another title,” he said. “I tell you very clearly, I have always been a Democrat. I will continue to be a Democrat. I never left home. I had a little leave of absence.”
The move comes a day after Gov. David Paterson appointed businessman Richard Ravitch lieutenant governor.
A state Supreme Court judge in Long Island issued a temporary restraining order not long after that appointment, preventing Ravitch from assuming the duties of lieutenant governor. The case is to be heard in Supreme Court at 11 a.m. on Friday.
Espada said he had a long talk with Sen. Dean Skelos, a Long Island Republican, who was the coalition’s majority leader.
“Sen. Skelos knows me better after five and a half weeks than he ever knew anyone else in his life,” Espada said. “We spent lots of hours together. I had a long talk with Dean Skelos today.”
Skelos could not be reached for comment.
Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) who had been ousted as majority leader as a result of the coup, stood beside Espada during Thursday’s press conference. He became the Senate's temporary president. He said the Senate would return to session tomorrow.
“We’re not putting a clock on when we’re leaving Albany,” he said. He also praised Paterson for appointing a lieutenant governor.
On Wednesday, Paterson said that move was necessary as a result of the “chaos” in the Senate. Questions about who is in charge of the Senate been unresolved since the Republican-led coup took place on June 8.
Senators have performed no official business since the surprise uprising. Espada and Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) voted briefly with the Republicans to give a newly formed coalition the majority. But on June 15, Monserrate left the coalition and rejoined Democrats.
rderrico@bizjournals.com