A top state Senate Democrat is publicly blaming Gov. Cuomo for allowing Republicans to control of the Senate.
The charge was made by Queens’ Mike Gianaris, chair of the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, in a speech to state’s Progressive Action Network on Oct. 15.
Gianaris said Cuomo’s acquiesced when a small group of rogue Democrats — the Independent Democratic Conference — formed an alliance with Republicans more than six years ago.
“As Andrea Stewart Cousins [the Democratic leader] likes to say, on the day of Gov. Cuomo’s first State of the State speech [January, 2011], the IDC was created,” Giannaris said in a 14-minute speech at St. John’s University.
“Draw your own conclusions,” he added with a smirk.
Cuomo’s office countered that Gianaris is sowing dissension.
“The IDC was created as a reaction to the dysfunctional Democratic Senate and the governor learned of its formation on the same day everyone else did,” said Cuomo spokeswoman Dani Lever.
“Mike Gianaris is the obstacle to unity because of his power struggle with Senator Jeff Klein. The governor has repeatedly publicly called for unity but Mike Gianaris has sabotaged it at every turn and if he would put his ego aside and step out of the way, uniting the party would be achieved. One must wonder why he doesn’t if he really cares about Democratic unity.”
After Tuesday’s elections, Democrats will hold 32 of the 63 seats in the Senate, a razor-thin but numerical majority.
But eight members of the IDC, headed by Bronx Sen. Jeff Klein, have joined with Republicans to maintain GOP control of the legislative body.