Klein goes back to Senate drawing board

After two years in which Riverdale’s state Sen. Jeff Klein and Republican state Sen. Dean Skelos played a decisive role in shaping New York’s agenda as co-majority leaders of the Senate, Mr. Klein says Mr. Skelos will be sole majority leader as the new legislative session begins this week.

But with Mr. Klein planning to maintain the coalition between his breakaway group of Democrats and the Republicans, who won an outright majority of Senate seats in last year’s elections, Mr. Klein plans to announce an agenda that seems no less ambitious than the one he pursued last year. His district includes a wide swath of the Bronx and part of Westchester.

He says his Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) will maintain its ability to bring bills to the floor of the Senate, and appears to be counting on his role as “co-coalition” leader to pursue a sweeping agenda ranging from paid maternity leave to infrastructure investment and job programs.

“The IDC is going to remain a separate conference,” he said in a Monday phone interview. “I think we were very effective in bridging the gap and accomplishing things in a bipartisan fashion.”

Mr. Klein said he initially planned to announce the IDC’s agenda for the coming two-year session on Wednesday, but postponed it out of respect for former Gov. Mario Cuomo’s funeral. He said the IDC will likely make its announcement next week.

In the interview, he gave a preview of his priorities.

He had previously announced a $5 billion program for infrastructure programs and job growth. Mr. Klein’s “New Deal for New York” would use funds from settlements and fines from financial institutions. He said $3.5 billion would go to upgrading and repairing infrastructure through private contractors, with an estimated 97,000 jobs created in the process. The other $1.5 billion would go to smaller works projects and job training.