The Democratic State Central Committee has tapped Mark Critz, the late John Murtha’s former district director, as its candidate to fill the 12th district congressional seat. Critz lead the votes, beating out former state treasurer Barbara Hafer.
In the running on the Republican side are businessman Tim Burns and Murtha’s 2008 challenger, Bill Russell. The election will be held May 18, the same day as the primary.
Senate to take up unemployment insurance extension
Legislation extending unemployment insurance for the long-term jobless faces a key test vote in the Senate, its momentum helped by about 60 popular tax breaks for individuals and businesses that expired at the end of last year.
The measure also prevents doctors from absorbing a crippling cut in Medicare payments, extends health insurance subsidies for the unemployed and gives cash-starved states help with Medicaid, the federal-state program providing health care to the poor and disabled.
The unemployment insurance alone — to provide weekly unemployment checks averaging above $300 to people whose core 26-week benefit package has run out — will cost $66 billion through December. In some states people are eligible to receive benefits for up to 99 weeks.
New York governor stands up against critics
And New York Gov. David Paterson was adamant about governing, taking questions from the public at a town hall meeting on Monday, trying to make clear his authority to negotiate a state budget amid two scandals that threaten his job.
"Recently, I've been the target of rumors and innuendo, but it hasn't stopped me," he said in his opening remarks, one of the few references to the situation swirling around him.
In their questions, audience members at the session in Brooklyn were clearly more focused on their own concerns rather than the governor's, who is being probed over whether he illegally had contact with a woman who had accused a Paterson aide of abuse. He is also facing an ethics charge for obtaining free World Series tickets.
Few questioners mentioned the scandals, with one offering support for Paterson finishing his term before going on to ask a question on another topic.
The reaction reflected findings in a poll from Siena College released Monday, which found that 71 percent of those questioned thought he should be allowed to finish his term instead of being impeached if he doesn't resign. Twenty-one percent said the Legislature should impeach him if he doesn't step down, although Paterson hasn't been charged with a crime. The rest didn't know or had no opinion.
