NYS Councilman Lew Fidler kicked off his campaign yesterday on the steps of City Hall, prompting the Senate GOP to compare him to Assemblyman David Weprin as another “insider”. Nick Reisman of Capital Tonight writes:

“Democratic Senate hopeful Lew Fidler kicked off his campaign to replace the disgraced former lawmaker Carl Kruger by addressing the criticism leveled by Republicans, namely that holding the event on the steps of City Hall makes him some sort of Albany insider akin to the hapless House candidacy of David Weprin.

‘I know the Senate Republicans said that we are coming to City Hall today because I’m being supported by a bunch of insiders,’ he said in his opening remarks. ‘But I just want you to know that everyone who is standing behind me here is a civic leader, a community leader, someone who has given their time to make our city a better place. And today in the cold, I can’t think of a more apt description than to call them outsiders.’

Later, a NY1 colleague asked him about the criticism and Fidler, a city councilman, noted that he has ‘266 civic leaders’ who back his campaign, many of whom were at the event.

‘That’s just silly,’ he said. ‘Look at all the folks behind me here.’”

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Chris Bragg of City & State writes:

“Westchester State Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer just announced that she won’t seek re-election this fall, citing the fact that she will have to soon undergo serious shoulder replacement surgery:

“It had always been my plan to seek re-election in November and continue to serve the people of this district,” she said in a statement. “When considering my responsibilities as Senator, the extensive effort that will go into rehabilitation and physical therapy following my surgery, and the added work of the hard fought campaigns I always wage, it became clear to me that I could do only two of those three important tasks.”

Oppenheimer narrowly won re-election in 2010 over Republican developer Bob Cohen. He is expected to run again against Oppenheimer this year, in a race seen as the Senate GOP’s best chance at picking up a seat.”

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William Rashbaum and David Chen of the New York Times write:

“The federal inquiry into the campaign finances of New York City’s comptroller, John C. Liu, a possible mayoral candidate in 2013, appears to be widening, with people knowledgeable about the matter saying Thursday that there has been an increased focus on seeking information from his supporters in the Chinese-American business community.

In recent weeks, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation have delivered subpoenas seeking a broad range of records and other information to a growing circle of Mr. Liu’s more generous donors, said the people knowledgeable about the matter, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity. The supporters who have now been subpoenaed include at least one who acknowledged to The New York Times that he had served as bundler, or someone who helped Mr. Liu raise money from others; and another went to a donor who worked at a company headed by a bundler.”

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Chris Bragg of City & State writes:

“Queens Republican Councilman Dan Halloran, one of New York City’s more colorful political figures, is leaning toward running against similarly colorful Democratic state Sen. Tony Avella, according to multiple sources who have spoken with Halloran.

In May, Halloran told a number of business leaders in a meeting of the Queens Chamber of Commerce that he was planning on running, according to people who attended the meeting. (The president of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, Jack Friedman, said he could not recall Halloran making the statement.)

And at a late November fundraiser in Whitestone, Halloran privately told attendees he was planning on opening up a campaign committee for a Senate run, a source said – though he has yet to register a committee with the state Board of Elections.

Yet others say he has yet to make a decision. At a Queens Village Republican Club meeting in December entitled “Energizing the GOP for 2012” Halloran did not talk about the possible race with Avella.”

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Joseph Spector of Gannett News writes:

“Three Assembly members — Democrat Mark Schroeder of Buffalo, Democrat Mike Spano of Yonkers, and Republican Marcus Molinaro of Tivoli, Dutchess County — all won local elections earlier this month and will resign their Assembly seats as of Dec. 31.

A fourth open seat arose Monday with the death of Republican Assemblyman Thomas Kirwan. Kirwan represented the cities of Poughkeepsie and Beacon in Dutchess County, as well as his home city of Newburgh in Orange County.

Cuomo spokesman Josh Vlasto declined comment Tuesday on when a special election for the four seats could be called. The governor decides if and when to call a special election for a vacant legislative seat, and he can’t call it until the lawmakers officially resign.

Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, R-Canandaigua, said Tuesday that Cuomo should quickly call special elections for the Assembly seats, particularly those in Dutchess County where voters will be without two elected representatives in Albany.”

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Shane Dixon Kavanaugh of Crain’s New York Business (a subscription-based publication) writes:

“Editorial boards have skewered city Comptroller John Liu for failing to disclose campaign bundlers. But he’s not the only 2013 mayoral hopeful whose bundlers remain a mystery.

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and William Thompson, Mr. Liu’s predecessor in the comptroller’s office, have raised millions for citywide campaigns in 2009 and 2013. Yet each has largely neglected to name well-connected individuals who solicit checks for their campaigns. Mr. de Blasio is planning to amend his disclosure report.

Campaign Finance Board filings show a mere nine bundlers who have raised just $38,825 of the nearly $3 million that Mr. de Blasio has brought in during his past two campaigns. Mr. Thompson has reported 11 bundlers contributing $128,733 of the $6.5 million he’s amassed in two runs for mayor.”

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Laura Nahmias of The Capitol writes:

“On Oct. 28, 2010, Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. allegedly collected a $3,800 bribe from an undercover FBI agent at a fundraiser in Brooklyn. But state records show Boyland was collecting from the taxpayers, too – by claiming travel, food and lodging expenses as if he were on state business in Albany.

The latest federal charges against Boyland unsealed yesterday, barely three weeks after he beat an earlier corruption case, shine a spotlight on what prosecutors claim is a brazen pattern of trading government actions for cash payments.

But the 29-page complaint also details undercover agents’ secretly recorded conversations with Boyland in hotels, restaurants and his district office in New York City – on the same days he was claiming $165 in taxpayer-funded Albany expenses.”

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Chris Bragg of The Capitol writes:

“After two election cycles of near misses against Long Island Republican Sen. Kemp Hannon, Nassau County Democrats are turning inwards for their next attempt to defeat the 22-year incumbent.

Ryan Cronin, a young attorney who is the former executive director of the Nassau County Democratic Party, confirmed he will run against Hannon in the Western Nassau district, which currently has a slight Democratic enrollment advantage.

Jay Jacobs, the chairman of the state Democratic Party—who doubles as the Nassau Democratic chairman—said he believes Cronin, a contract resolution attorney at the top Manhattan law firm Blank Rome, will be able to raise significant money for his campaign.”

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Jimmy Vielkind of the Times Union writes:

“It was unexpected: Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown finally, tepidly, during a rally with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, endorsed fellow Democrat Mark Poloncarz for Erie County executive four days before the election.

Matt Rey wasted no time. From his perch at the back of the UAW hall here, he marked the time on his tape recorder with Brown’s words, and within a day they were looping over hip-hop, blasting from sound trucks that roamed inner-city Buffalo neighborhoods in which the mayor’s support was key. Voter turnout there was heavier than expected, and helped Poloncarz to his 53 percent to 47 percent win against incumbent Republican Chris Collins.

Solid work to boot. But Rey wasn’t employed by the Poloncarz campaign: He worked for a coalition of labor unions that was running its own secondary campaign on his behalf. The groups spent $400,000 during the last six weeks of Poloncarz’s successful bid to oust Republican Chris Collins, according to people involved in their effort.

Known as “independent expenditures,” this spending by outside entities has long been legal but is becoming more common in campaigns around the state. It doesn’t need to be officially disclosed until early next month, but the $400,000 in spending came on top of direct contributions by unions to Poloncarz’s campaign committee — $56,500 in the final week alone.”

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The Business Council of New York State, Inc. today released its 2011 Voters’ Guide, which measures New York State legislators’ commitment to improving the state’s economic climate and performance by scoring their support for key business legislation during the 2011 session. All 212 seats will be up for re-election in 2012, and this scorecard provides a mid-term report on legislative actions. The Business Council will be using its combined 2011-2012 rankings in making endorsements in next year’s elections.

“With Governor Cuomo’s leadership, and a responsive legislature, we saw real fiscal reform, spending restraint, and progress on economic development initiatives,” said Heather Briccetti, acting-president and CEO of The Business Council. “However, there were still several anti-growth bills that came to the floor in 2011. Our Voters’ Guide will help give New Yorkers a clearer view of which legislators are truly committed to making our state’s economy more competitive.”

Senators and Assembly members were rated for their stance on 11 two-house bills considered by The Business Council to have a significant impact, either positive or negative, on New York’s economic climate. The real property tax cap, Medicaid spending reductions and program reforms in the budget, Article X siting legislation, Recharge New York and an improved Excelsior Jobs Program - all the subject of vigorous advocacy efforts by The Business Council - were signed into law this year and included on the scorecard.

To read the full release click here.

For the scorecard click here.