Steve Pigeon consults yesterday with Republican State Senator George Maziarz.

An addendum to the post below on Steve Pigeon:

Tonight, Pigeon—counsel to New York State Senator Pedro Espada, director of Tom Golisano’s Responsible New York committee, former chairman of the Erie County Democratic Committee, architect of the Republican takeover of the New York State Senate takeover—hosts $1,000-a-head fundraiser for Republican-turned-Democrat Arlen Specter, whose Senate seat will be challenged from all sides of the political spectrum next year. (Of course, $1,000 is the low-class ticket; you can pay $2,400 if you really want to be the big swinging…swinger.) The party starts at 5:30pm.

The fundraiser is at the Regency Hotel Ballroom on Park Avenue in Manhattan. Pigeon is laying down at least $40,000 for the event, while billions in funding for upstate schools, housing, services, and development are held hostage by the paralysis caused by the power grab he helped to orchestrate.

On the menu: beef Wellington, wild mushroom bruschetta, and shrimp cocktail. Steak tartare, lump crab cake, boursin cheese tartlets, asparagus and prosciutto, California rolls, shrimp shumai, and chicken sate. I’m told there’s an open bar.

As I write this post, the Great Lakes Health system is conducting a private retreat at the Hyatt Regency downtown. The event is closed to the public and press. The retreat follows a half-hour “open meeting” conducted by GLH board chair Robert Gioia, and board members Edward Walsh, Jr., Sharon L. Hanson, and Kevin E. Cichocki, D.C.. At the end of the brief presentation (click here for the outline), the two reporters present were told to leave. Below are screen shots of the various “breakout” meetings taking place in private.

	And let’s not forget lunch…

Wonder what’s on the menu?

When you visit the Great Lakes Health Web site and read that they are “unveiling a bold new healthcare delivery system for Western New York,” what they really mean, obviously, is that they are “unveiling” it to one another, behind closed doors.

The Western New York public will then have the opportunity to live, and die, with their decisions.

I just noticed this post (written on Friday by Jimmy Vielkind) over at the PolitckerNY.com:

During the Republican half of another lightning-quick extraordinary session this afternoon, I noticed Steve Pigeon sitting on the State Senate floor behind Senator Pedro Espada Jr.

Pigeon, who was one of the principle architects of the coup that has hobbled the chamber, remains the executive director of billionaire Tom Golisano’s Reponsible New York P.A.C. When I asked, Pigeon said he was now serving as Espada’s private counsel, and expected to be formally put on the Senate payroll when the leadership struggle in the chamber is resolved. Whenever. That. Might. Be.

Liz reported this possibility a while ago, but Pigeon indicated it was all but set at this point. He did not say that would mean he was relinquishing any role at R.N.Y., noting, “If we were in a situation where there was independent expenditures happening, I would have to take some sort of a leave, and that wouldn’t be until elections.”

Yeah, I’m sure he’ll do that. The last time Pigeon worked in the New york State Senate, he was an aide to Byron Brown. As he prepared to run for mayor of Buffalo, Brown fired Pigeon because he found Pigeon’s political activities a liability. At the time, Brown told the Buffalo News, “Unfortunately, he has been unable to move beyond his attitudes toward those whom he believes have wronged him politically in the past…It was painfully obvious he just wasn’t a positive influence on my staff.” Obviously, the mayor and his chief political officer, Steve Casey, have long since reconciled with Pigeon, though Brown has refused to comment on the role Pigeon played in the Albany coup, so maybe things are strained again, who knows).

Meantime, in yesterday’s New York Daily News, Liz Benjamin reports that Senate Democrats believe Pigeon’s presence on the Senate floor is a violation of the chamber’s rules:

Senate Democrats are crying foul over the appearance on the Senate floor last week of Steve Pigeon, an aide to billionaire Tom Golisano, who helped engineer the June 8 coup.

Pigeon said he is part of the “legal team” for Sen. Pedro Espada, one of the two turncoat Democrats whose defection to the Senate GOP led to the current 31-31 stalemate. Pigeon is an attorney, but he’s also a registered lobbyist.

Senate rules bar those “interested in pending or contemplated legislation” or “employed by, or receives compensation from any public or private source for influencing legislation.” In other words: no lobbyists.

Pigeon said he only registered to represent Golisano’s political action committee, Responsible New York, as a “volunteer” and wasn’t paid. He said he never lobbied the Legislature and has resigned his lobbying post in expectation of getting a job with Espada.

The state Public Integrity Commission Web site does not list Pigeon among lobbyists who have terminated their registration.

“I thought it was drawn up last week,” Pigeon said. “I might have beat it to the floor, but I resigned as lobbyist. It’s already done.”

You not only can’t get ‘em here, I don’t think you can get one anywhere — unless your surname is a Roman numeral.

Benedict XVI passes the White House

The version of the popemobile pictured at the left is a Mercedes-Benz ML 430, which is used for the Pope’s travels abroad. Although M-class Benzes are widely available throughout the world, try getting one with a roof like this one — and then imagine parking it out in the sun for the afternoon and realizing you left your Hershey bar on the seat! OMG! The windows do open, but the Pope’s security team would rather he left them closed. One would imagine there’s quite an air-conditioning system in place or it would be hot as hell in there. The G500 version, on the other hand, is an open-air car, built for use in St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican doesn’t officially have a name for the pope’s vehicle. Actually there’s a fleet of vehicles for different occasions. It’s the press which coined the name “popemobile,” which John Paul II reportedly didn’t care for.

G500 popemobile

Again, as I suggested here, I believe the biggest prize in the struggle for control of the New York State Senate is redistricting after the 2010 Census. The frozen legislation, the pitiful circus, the Catiline conspiracies—that’s all collateral. The New York Times wrote about redistricting yesterday, suggesting that Democrats ought to have a lock on a Senate majority by 2013 rgardless of who wins control of the chamber. The Brennan Center says today that they’re not so sure.

In a desperate move to break the NYS Senate gridlock, a coalition of 16 unions and citizens’ groups have signed on to this letter that was sent to state lawmakers, urging them to adopt a bipartisan operating agreement pronto—so they can get some of the people’s business accomplished by tomorrow.

Hey, what could it hurt?

The Great Lakes Health Board of Directors will hold an open meeting tomorrow morning, June 30, at 8:30am in the Hyatt Regency, Two Fountain Plaza in Buffalo.

This replaces the last open meeting that was abruptly canceled Wednesday, June 10 at Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Click here to read the press release, sent to Artvoice from Buffalo General Hospital Corporate Administration via fax last week.

These meetings which have been taking place behind closed doors since late 2007, are finally being listed on the GLH Web site. This slow inclusion of the public comes despite the fact that the group had spent over $160,000 on marketing between May 15,2008, and April 30, 2009.

Click here to see the 38 pages of invoices from Stand Advertising to Kaleida Health—including Web site work—obtained by Artvoice subsequent to a FOIL request.

Here’s an Excel spreadsheet, illustrating the accumulating costs associated with controlling the message offered to the public by the group that is “unveiling a bold new healthcare delivery for Western New York.”

In the year and a half Great Lakes Health (formerly Newco, formerly Western New York Health System) has been in existence, there has been only one public forum held at the downtown library (May 12, 2009)—populated largely with members of the GLH leadership, as well as a handful of citizens who were petitioners on a lawsuit that successfully called for more transparency from the secretive group.

In today’s Buffalo News, political reporter Bob McCarthy reports that New York State Senator Mike Ranzenhofer took a beating from his consituents on Saturday over the Republican coup that has left the state legislature gridlocked for the last three weeks.

Well, Senate Democrats continue to try to make Republican Senators pay for the collapse of the Senate in the court of public opinion. Here’s a TV ad targeting Ranzenhofer scheduled to begin running today:

A radio ad conveying a similar message started running in the Albany market yesterday. Similar TV ads will target Republican senators around the state.

“The Senate Democrats have offered a reasonable and fair power sharing plan that could end the current stalemate and get Albany working again,” says Shams Tarek, communications director for the New York State Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. “It’s won the support of newspapers, advocates and unions all over the state, while Republicans continue to try to distort the fact that it’s their desperate lunge to regain the Senate Majority that has created this mess and keeps it from ending.”

October 1961 ad

If you were driving down (or up) Sheridan Drive back in October 1961, you probably couldn’t help but notice this dealership, C. Hettinger for Rambler, as it was nothing less than the “5th largest Rambler dealer in the USA.” Not often you hear anyone claim to be the 5th largest anything in their advertising, but there you go.

...from the brochure

Today, 3900 Sheridan Drive is the home of Northown Kia/Mazda, and adjacent to Northtown Lexus. Back in 1961 Hettinger’s service department ran two full shifts, and was open until 1 a.m. daily, and Saturdays until 5 p.m. I don’t know if this is a reflection of Hettinger’s commitment to service, or a comment on the reliability of the Rambler that they were kept that busy. Whichever, it was commendable, especially seeing that back in those days dealers weren’t quite so hounded by manufacturers to keep up their customer satisfaction quotient like they are today (to the point of driving the customer nuts — “So I can put you down as ‘Completely Satisfied’ then, even though your car wasn’t ready when I promised it would be?”)

There were some great trades being advertised that October: ‘57 Ford convertible – $794; ‘55 Imperial hardtop – $494 (someone traded an Imperial on a Rambler?!); or a ‘56 Nash for a mere $394.

3900 Sheridan Dr. today

1953 Chevrolet 150 (Forrestville, N.Y.)

Driving through Forestville recently, I came across this unrestored 1953 Chevy 150 four-door sedan just waiting for someone to bring it back to life. Over 54,000 150 four-doors were built. I found the two-tone color combination on this car most interesting, as it was the same as my dad’s ‘53 Bel Air two-door hardtop which he had when I was a kid (see photo).

Dad, me and Mom; Wasaga Beach, Ontario, 1956

A neighbor of ours has a beautiful ‘53 Bel Air sedan with the opposite color combo (dark color on the bottom), and it’s a real head-turner.

Chevy for 1953 came in three series: top of the line Bel Air, 210, and 150. These days you see mostly Bel Airs, as I guess the ritziest models are the most fun to restore and drive around in on those sunny summer days, but there’s something to be said for the simplicity of the lower-end models.

...from the brochure