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This program is a production of WAMC News. From Albany, this is the legislative gazette,
a weekly half hour review of New York State government and politics. Your host is
political scientist and syndicated colonist Dr. Alan Shartock of the State University.
Hello and welcome to the legislative gazette. Some New York State Republicans want
presidential hopeful Jack Kemp to run against US Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
And the state's most powerful Republican leader has publicly supported an increase in the
minimum wage. We'll have those stories and we'll see why Lieutenant Governor Stan Lundine
thinks a George Bush nomination for president would be good for the Democrats.
All these stories and more coming up on this week's legislative gazette.
And Lori is the executive director of the New York State Republican Committee and a man who knows
a great deal about state politics and that's just what we talked about this week. One, the Bush
dull contest up until now. Where do you see things at? I think it's going to be a long battle.
I don't think either candidate should should be discouraged.
Dull will Iowa will carry Dull into Super Tuesday and New Hampshire will carry Bush into Super Tuesday.
So we're looking at least till Super Tuesday before we see an apparent winner or loser.
Who do you see in the lead right now? Well, I equate the Bush campaign a lot to the Reagan
1980 campaign. Bush lost Iowa then went into New Hampshire won it and then the states just fell
one after another for Ronald Reagan. I think a lot of that scenario has been played for George Bush.
Most New York State Republican chairman are firmly in the Bush camp, is that right? That's correct.
And your chairman Mr. Caliveda from Westchester is in the Bush camp. That's correct.
Who's the other side? It's Alfonso D'Amato, right? There are several county chairman who are also
supporting Bob Dull. There is a national committee named Richard Rosenbaum who ran for governor in 1982
also supporting the senator. When you say ran for governor, you don't mean Rosenbaum was
there on the ballot to you? No, in 1982 he was in politics in our convention.
Right. Okay. And the fallout, this is such a device of battle between the Bush forces and the
Dull forces that we're going to see a sort of Dull, everyone else split in the state for a while now
in the Republican Party. I don't think so. I think it shows two viable candidates who are very
qualified to be president of the United States and both sides believing their candidates a little
bit better than the other. I think by comparison of Dull Bush versus the Seven Tours, I think we
work much better. Apparently we now have indications that Al Dull was calling on Jack Kemp on a public
talk show to withdraw from the race because he's pulling boats away from Dull. What do you make of that?
I think the senator is working very hard for Bob Dull. As far as U.S. Senate's concerned,
Jack Kemp would be a helper candidate. Let me make this clear that he's saying now that
Kemp ought to get out of the presidential race and run Senate. Understand.
That decision has to be Jack Kemp's. Jack has to feel it. The Congressman has to feel very good
about his third-poishone and I still think he'll be in it on Super Tuesday. A lot of people think
that Jack Kemp is a ideal vice presidential candidate and if he is, then of course it would
make a whole different scenario even if he were going to lose the election, it might be who
them to stay in the race. But the only vote that counts for vice president is whoever gets the
presidential nomination and you are absolutely right. The only way you can show your wares is by
staying in it for the long haul. So therefore the scenario of him dropping out running for Senate
is a long shot right at this point. Your counterpart John Marino recently told me that he thought that
U.F. folks were essentially bankrupt when it came to a candidate to run for the U.S. Senate.
Now we have the motto talking about Kemp. You got anybody else in the wings?
Yeah we do but as I indicated we don't want to get into a name game because all the name
game does is highlight some names and then if they say no it looks like
we are searching for a candidate rather than recruiting a candidate and there's a world
of difference between the two. Running for a U.S. Senate or any state wide office in the state
of New York takes personal commitment and takes professional commitment, takes sacrifice to
family friends and money. Well professional sacrifice means money I guess but you are absolutely
right out. It takes a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of effort and it changes your life
and no one's going to decide that tomorrow. Now understanding a lot of people are for the vice
president. Does it ever cross your mind that there has been I've talked to the governor about this
into some others who say that the dough would be a much more effective candidate to get Democrats
to vote for the Republican candidate. How would that play out on the state level and legislative
elections other places wouldn't it be better for the party to have dough as opposed to Bush?
Yeah we're looking into a crystal ball. There would be a lot of people who would have argued in 1980
Ronald Reagan is going to be a disaster for New York and he turned out to be just the opposite.
There would be a lot of people who argued Mario Cuomo could never want an election on his own
going into 1982. There's a lot of people who believed out the model was going to be one term
senator and he's a very popular individual Republican and public official. So I mean who is
best who is worst? Timelta out there there's a lot of factors that go into becoming a national
candidate and I think George Bush has all the credentials to do that.
And Laurie Executive Director of the New York State Republican Committee.
He may be the most powerful individual in the state senate but rarely are his words heard directly.
This week Bruce Robertson reports on some of the priorities of Senate majority leader
Warren Anderson. Two of the biggest issues during last year's legislative session were ethics
and solid waste disposal. Although ethics may not dominate political discussions this session
there are still some who are concerned about the public's cynicism regarding the ethics of the state
legislature. Many ethics reforms were passed last year including financial disclosure of legislators
and staffs outside holdings and limitations on lawyer legislators practicing in front of state
agencies. But one change that did not occur although it was suggested is financial audits of
lawmakers budgets. At a gathering of the legislative forum in Albany New York this week senate
majority leader Warren Anderson spoke of the many issues that concerned him including establishing
a financial auditing system for all lawmakers and their staff. Last year we created several commissions
that are currently studying this subject and I'm sure that as a result of that their recommendations
and some things that we're doing in house that there will be more disclosure of the records than
is currently the case. Much of the data that people seek is available but it takes a little work
to dig it out and a lot more detailed information will be available when we finish an accounting
process that is not going on an auditing process that is not going on in which we've hired
each house I guess it's going to do this somebody from a professional accounting firm to give us
guidance in establishing more controls over our expenditure. Anderson says he's is not
expect to establish an identical auditing system such as the one in congress which documents
all spending from staff salaries to magazines and coffee expenses but he says New York's auditing
system will be comprehensive. Another important issue this year is what to do about the garbage crisis
the controversy over solid waste management has been whether or not it's the states role to intervene
and help localities with their garbage problems. Governor Cuomo says it's not the state's
responsibility to assist localities while members of the assembly say there needs to be a compromise
but the state can't completely take responsibility away from the localities. Assembly members are
also pushing for more alternatives for solid waste disposal and senator Anderson and the Republicans
say the waste disposal situation has reached crisis proportions and that it's the state's responsibility
to intervene and care for localities. The Republican Senate at least feels that the time has come for
for the for the for the state to assist localities in the construction and the disposal of solid
waste it's a problem that we feel now is is almost too big for many localities in the state and
we think that the state should step in and help in this area as it's done in several other areas.
These are just some of the positions on issues that need to be resolved during the 1988
legislative session. At the legislative forum Anderson also spoke about the need to put a cap
on state spending and to increase workers' compensation and unemployment benefits. For the legislative
Gazette in Albany this is Bruce Robertson.
As you know the new Hampshire primary is over the results are in. This week Dave Galatly spoke with
lieutenant governor Stan Lundin about his reaction to that exciting primary.
Well I think both the Republican and the Democratic nominations are much more open today than
they were before the Hampshire primary. If Senator Dahl had won New Hampshire in the Republican
primary I believe that vice president Bush would have been seriously wounded perhaps his
candidacy would have failed after losing Iowa and the New Hampshire at least he would have been
in deep trouble heading into the South. Now I think you have at least the two person hand-to-hand combat
kind of a battle that I would imagine will last for some time into the future. The democratic primary
results likewise seem to assure that we're going to have a competitive situation for some period of
time. Had Ducacus been upset in New Hampshire perhaps some other candidate would have gone into
the South with a tremendous thrust and and been become the front runner. As it is it seems to me
that Ducacus is the most likely nominee of the party. He only won his sister state in New Hampshire
but he's got a lot of money and a lot of support and he seems to be better organized on a national
basis than most of the other candidates. Yet the South on Super Tuesday will be contested with
Senator Gore being a factor. Jesse Jackson certainly will play a major role and I think that
Congressman Gebhardt will also be now a major factor. What about the conventional wisdom it seems
it's been going on going around that it would be easier for a Democrat to run against Bush
than Dole? I believe that and I know Governor Cuomo does too. I think that Vice President Bush
doesn't really have a strong message. He tends to talk about his resume rather than his ideas for
America's future. I think he is something of an elitist. Certainly we in the Democratic party don't
hold it against somebody that they have an excellent education or come from a privileged background.
Franklin Roosevelt for example certainly did and but demonstrated his compassion for people,
his commitment to moving the nation ahead but I think it's a liability for a Republican candidate
particularly and I just don't think that that Vice President Bush is quite as strong a candidate
in appealing to average voters. The kind of voters that don't usually vote in primaries that
determine presidential elections in various parts of the country I think would be more attracted
to Senator Dole than Vice President Bush. This week Senator Anderson came out in favor of a
system of financial reporting for the state legislature which would be roughly equivalent to that
used by the Congress. First of all do you think that this is something that will be implemented soon
and second of all you've had some experiences of congressman with that type of reporting system just
what kind of level of reporting is it? If Senator Anderson is for it and there isn't a major
problem with Speaker Miller then I would think it will happen. That's the way the legislature
works here and it's hard for me to believe that their conferences would turn them down on a
matter of internal administration of the legislative body so I would think that it will happen.
I don't think that the financial reporting is in any way an honoris or burdensome
requirement. I never mind it as a congressman having all of my financial records available whatever I
spend on computers or staff or other expenditures where the public's money and I thought the public
was entitled to know what I spent. Now I want it clear that I feel as though I'm a member of the
executive branch here at the state level and I'm not telling the state legislature what they ought
to do but in an era of increased accountability and integrity I have to compliment Senator Anderson
and Speaker Miller for trying to move forward in this kind of a manner and I think they would do
well to look at the experience of other states as well as the Congress of the United States in
regard to not only the accounting methods and disclosure but how you fairly apportion the resources
so that legislators can do their jobs adequately and can be responsive to their constituents.
Lieutenant Governor Stan Lundin. New York's minimum wage was last increased in 1981 to $3.35
an hour. It hasn't been raised since then. Brandeveck Man reports on renewed debate over the
minimum wage. This time including the powerful Senate Majority Leader Warren Anderson.
It's been almost eight years since the minimum wage was increased in New York state and the
current $3.35 cents an hour has eroded to be valued at no more than $2.68 an hour. In the
past the debate over New York's minimum wage has ignited tense feelings between the business
community and lawmakers yet it continues to come to the forefront of political discussions
but this year there's a new twist. One of the major obstacles to the increased minimum wage
has been knocked away. The state's most powerful Republican leader Senator Warren Anderson has thrown
his support behind an increase in New York state's minimum wage. Although Anderson has not given
any figures this is the first time since 1981 that he supported such a measure. It's been in all
likely would probably do some increasing in the minimum wage. That gets mixed reviews. The
minimum wage alone. Not that people shouldn't get up better ways than they're getting but it does
squeeze out sometimes some of the lowest paid kinds of employment and there are losses that occur
at that level but I basically my philosophy would be that I think that it has stayed at the current
level for quite a bit of time and with inflation and so forth I think that I would support an
increase. New York's minimum wage is currently lower than many states in the northeast including
Connecticut whose minimum wage will be $4.25 as of October and Massachusetts whose minimum wage
is up to $3.75 an hour but the loyal opposition to an increase minimum wage is a New York state
business council and they still oppose the measure. The business council spokeswoman Chris McKnight
says they support a federal wage increase not one set by the state. It's an issue that is best
addressed at the federal level for the sake of uniformity among all of the states. Setting the
minimum wage that may be higher than some of the surrounding the some of the states surrounding New York
places businesses in New York at a competitive disadvantage and this goes as well for Canadian
provinces. When asked if she thought the minimum wage would cause problems this session McKnight says
she is unsure the increase will go anywhere. We've been getting some mixed signals from the
Senate and in the last few days for example of course the Senator Anderson has come out in
supportive and increase in the minimum wage however the chairman of the Senate Labor Committee Senator
Lack told the business council last week that he views the minimum wage issue as a federal issue
so there are some still some inconsistencies there that need to be certainly addressed and we hope to be
at the bargaining table and making a positive effort to resolve the issues.
But Connie Varkasia a spokeswoman for Senator Lack chairman of the Senate Labor Committee
says Lack supports a minimum wage increase but he's not determined how much of an increase he
wants. Meanwhile proposals for raising the minimum wage in New York state range from $3.75
cents an hour as proposed by Governor Cuomo to an incremental increase over three years as
recommended by Assemblyman Barbaro chairman of the Assembly Labor Committee. That bill would give
$3.85 an hour for the first year, $4.25 for the second year, and $4.65 for the third year of the
increase. Although there seems to be a little bit of confusion over what proposal lawmakers support
it looks as though New York's minimum wage has a good chance of being increased during the 1988
legislative session. For the legislative Gazette I'm Brenda McMahon.
Once again Fred Dicker, Capitol Bureau Chief of the New York Post joins us here at the Gazette.
This week to talk about presidential prospects. If you were Mario Cuomo or a fly in the
wall over Mario Cuomo's shoulder while he was writing his diary, what do you think he'd be writing
in his diary right now? Well I'm really glad you asked that question now, you know it just so
happens I have in my hand an unofficial and some might say somewhat questionable excerpt in the
governor's latest diary. Well you know I'm not quite sure whether we should call this the real
thing or not but let me just real excerpt from it. This is Mario Cuomo writing in his diary.
Boy do we Democrats have problems? First is Midwesterner Gethart. I think that's his name.
Winds in Iowa. Then a new Hampshire, my rival next door, Duke DuCoccus, he wins big but at least
he didn't get a majority of the vote. I think it's pretty clear Alan at the governor knows as a
very interesting poll that we saw up here showed that if he was in the race he'd if not be the front
runner would be number two right now. I think he feels the frustration at someone of his ability
is great speaking potential has but on the other hand I think he realizes that the Democratic
Party essentially is in disarray and I think the reason we haven't seen him endorse anyone yet
is not just because maybe he still has some hope still get in but also because he doesn't know which
candidate to go with. It seems to me that if it's going to be a George Bush race with the Duke
let's just say. I think you know Fred that the Duke has a shot. That's my feeling that Duke
Coccus is not a bad speaker that Vice President Bush is a lousy speaker that if they get into debates
that the comparisons are going to be obvious and that the Duke may do a lot better than people
may think. Yes and I do know though or I do note though Alan you didn't say you thought he was
going to win and that he would do better than people might think. I agree with you. I mean he's
a quality person and he's got reasonably good credentials. He looks good he's presentable
but there's no way it seems to me that the American people once they focus on the credentials of
a guy who's been Vice President for eight years CIA director congressman ambassador to China
and then take a look at a guy who's been governor of Massachusetts one time and in fact even
defeated as governor of Massachusetts and say they're equal now of course in the fray in a campaign
big mistakes can be made Bush could stumble badly Duke Coccus could win but I think if it is Bush
Duke Coccus it's going to be Bush's race to lose who clearly be the overwhelming favorite and
short of some major mistakes he'll be the next president. Well I agree with you that it's his to
lose but I have no doubt that he may lose it and I just if you just permit me a few seconds to
answer your long and what low questions description I I think there's no question that he might he
might be able to do it if the economy doesn't do as well as we think if the smoking gun on our
ran scam goes off in his face if in fact he has a debate I mean you do remember Mr. Bush trying to
do debate trying to debate Ms. Ferraro in the last election they were both rotten they both
stink but I'm I mean anybody of quality would have beaten his pants off and I won't be long
and low questions this time I'll be short into the point I think that the Democratic party we've
been shown repeatedly is not a party a national party that the American people warms too easily
you get someone from Massachusetts probably the most left of center state in the United States
and that person is vulnerable as a candidate for president yeah but the Duke is but the Duke is
it easily be tied to the politics of Massachusetts rightly or wrongly we're talking about politics here
and everything is always done fairly and it is you well know but you've got a win in the south you
got a win in the west michael de caucus and exactly a household word right now Freddie far be it
for me to think that you're not short and to the point now listen Fred here's the other thing about
the motto good old al de motto now we've had some interesting things that the motto who is a of
course a dull supporter must be freaking a little bit now well just quickly on that one I think
dull did better than most people realize in this primary the expectations were raised so highly
after Iowa partly because all the polls show it head to head these pollsters and pundits who
were predicting that dull was going to win I think did it disservice to a candidate who after all
did pretty well because just a few weeks ago dull was about 30 points yes dull was about 30 points
behind bush okay now Freddie let's talk about this for a second why would the motto be saying
that camp ought to get out of the race right and then run for the senate seat against moinehan
very simply al de motto wants to control the new york state republican party he bent over backwards
trying to get rid of juliani to run against pat moinehan for the senate juliani dallyed and dallyed
and dallyed and just a couple of weeks ago finally pulled out leaving the republicans in this state
without a candidate who run run against moinehan obviously a domado is with dull not with camp
if you could get camp out of the race by trying to give him some incentive to run for the senate
he would do it and I think that's what he is doing okay most of the states major republican
politicians are supporting bush and yet the domado camp in particular with emphasis great
emphasis great energy is supporting dull how deep is this going to what a what kind of a deep
fisher is it's going to leave in the republican ranks yeah that's a good question that
fish has been there for some time the public i think generally isn't aware of it but they really
are several important splits in the state republican party al de motto is sort of a politician
non-parell long island based very forceful individually doesn't have that much of an organization
but has a pretty substantial patronage base because of his senate position and the other hand
the real power in the state isn't the hands of the likes of warn anderson the senate majority
and some of the upstate politicians who have not only patronage but acclaimed to the party loyalty
he can mind the motto is endorse coach in the past he's played footsie with quamo a lot of
republicans resent that what this all means is that bush is going to do better in this state than
he would have otherwise because the organizational support is with him those people will get out the
votes uh... domado i think in fact probably went with dull in part to show that he is different
and does have acclaimed the leadership of the party he doesn't yet have the army though to take
control of that leadership fred dicker of the new york post
and that's it for this week's legislative consent the show is produced by branda mcman she had
helped this week from bruce robert's in and david gallet we hope you enjoyed the show and that
you'll tune in again next week to hear what's happening in and around the empire state
until then i'm allen charton
the legislative gazette is a production of w a mc news dr allen chartock is executive producer
this program is made possible with funds provided by the legislative gazette a weekly newspaper
on state politics with student internships available state-wide satellite distribution of this
program was made possible by the lawrence group providing residents throughout new york state with
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