The Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) was a group of Democratic members of the New York State Senate that caucused separately from other Democratic members of the State Senate. As of April 2018, the IDC included eight members: Leader Jeffrey D. Klein and Sens. Marisol Alcantara, Tony Avella, David Carlucci, Jesse Hamilton, Jose Peralta, Diane Savino, and David J. Valesky. "Independent Democrat" is not a recognized political party in New York State, so members of the conference have appeared on the ballot as Democrats. Formed in 2011, the IDC allied itself with Senate Republicans throughout its existence. During the 2013-2014 legislative session, the IDC and the Senate Republican Conference controlled the Senate jointly, as the Senate Republicans did not have sufficient numbers to form a governing majority on their own.
On April 4, 2018, the IDC announced that it would dissolve, that its members would rejoin the Senate Democratic Conference, and that Sen. Klein would become the Deputy Democratic Conference Leader. On April 16, the IDC was dissolved.
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Background
The Democratic Party took control of the New York State Senate from the Republican Party in the November 2008 elections for the first time since 1964, controlling 32 out of the chambers' 62 seats. However, four Democratic Senators, Pedro Espada Jr., Rubén Díaz Sr., Carl Kruger, and Hiram Monserrate did not support the Democratic Leader, Malcolm Smith. In the new session, Espada and Monserrate voted against Smith as Majority Leader. Monserrate rejoined the Democrats, leaving a deadlocked 31-31 Senate, causing the 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis. Jeffrey D. Klein, who became the Deputy Majority Leader after the 2008 elections, was charged with keeping Espada, Diaz, Kruger, and Monserrate in the Democratic coalition.
Following the leadership crisis, Republicans won control of the chamber in the November 2010 elections. In the fallout of the 2010 elections, Democrats replaced Klein as their chief strategist in December 2010. Klein stepped down as deputy minority leader in January 2011, citing disagreements with John L. Sampson, the Minority Leader of the State Senate.
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Conference history
A few days after resigning as Deputy Minority Leader, Klein and three other senators (Diane Savino, David J. Valesky, and David Carlucci) announced that they would form their own caucus within the State Senate called the "Independent Democratic Conference" because they no longer approved of Sampson's leadership. Sampson offered the IDC members minor roles on committees, and Klein reached out to Dean Skelos, the Republican leader. Skelos agreed to give the four members chairmanships of standing committees. Democratic Senators, including Ruth Hassell-Thompson, criticized Klein for leaving the campaign committee in debt and following his own personal ambitions.
In the November 2012 elections, Democrats won the majority of seats in the State Senate. However, a week after the election, Simcha Felder, a newly elected Democrat, announced his intentions to caucus with the Republican Party. In December, the IDC recruited Malcolm Smith and agreed to caucus with the Republicans instead of the Democrats, giving Republicans control; the gambit was part of a failed attempt by Smith to secure the Republican line in the New York City mayoral election, one that also included illegal bribery, which led to his expulsion from the conference and, eventually, the Senate. Klein struck a deal with Skelos to alternate who would preside over the chamber every two weeks. Tony Avella joined the IDC in February 2014.
Liberal activists working with the Democratic Party and the Working Families Party targeted Klein and Avella during the Democratic primary elections in September 2014, with Oliver Koppell challenging Klein and John Liu challenging Avella. Due to pressure from Governor Andrew Cuomo and labor unions, Klein indicated in June 2014 that the IDC would rejoin the Democratic caucus after the November 2014 elections. Still, the IDC supported Betty Jean Grant's unsuccessful primary challenge against Timothy M. Kennedy, because of her pro-choice political stance. Klein and Avella won their primaries. In the general election, Republicans won control of the Senate outright, with Skelos assuming complete control. Though the new Democratic leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, had continued discussions with Klein about the IDC rejoining the Democrats, the IDC members decided to remain with the Republicans in the 2015 legislative session.
During the 2015 session, the IDC successfully pushed the Republicans to include paid family leave and a $15 per hour minimum wage in the state budget. Klein also pushed for more funding to the New York City Housing Authority, and obtained $100 million. During Skelos' 2015 trial for corruption, a wiretapped conversation was aired where Skelos argued that in their power sharing agreement, the IDC would have no real power and it would serve to hinder Democrats by keeping them divided. Klein indicated that this recording would not change the IDC agreement with Republicans.
Heading into the November 2016 elections, Klein would not commit to rejoining the Democrats. Following the 2014 primary challenges, the IDC formed their own campaign committee through an agreement with the Independence Party of New York. After the elections, newly elected Senators Marisol Alcantara and Jesse Hamilton joined the IDC. Despite pressure from liberal activists to find a way to unite the 24 mainstream Democrats with the IDC and Felder to form a 32-member majority, including Stewart-Cousins attempting to involve Cuomo, the IDC and Felder continued their relationships with the 31 Senate Republicans, giving Republicans the majority in the 2017 legislative session and swinging control of that body to the Republican conference. In January, Jose Peralta joined the IDC. Following the election and inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States, the Democratic Conference and grassroots activists, including members of Rise and Resist and several Indivisible groups, began to step up criticism of the IDC for spitting the Democratic vote in the State Senate and thus swinging control to the Republican Conference.
In early May 2017, it was revealed that members of the IDC, among them Savino and Peralta, received stipends ("lulus") normally reserved only for chairmen of committees, who, in these cases, were Republicans. The payments appear to have been approved by Republican leadership in the State Senate. It later emerged that this was also made possible through the actions of staff who falsely listed the members of the IDC as committee chairmen. The scandal is currently under investigation by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the U.S. Attorney for Brooklyn, the members of the IDC have refused attempts by the Democratic Party to have the conference join with the "mainstream" Democratic Conference completely or in a coalition.
On May 31, state senator Simcha Felder, the only Democrat who caucuses with and voted for the Republican leadership, wrote a letter to the conference urging that they rejoin the mainline Democrats, suggesting that he would rejoin the Democratic Conference himself if they did so as well.
On April 4, 2018, the IDC announced that it would dissolve, that its members would rejoin the Senate Democratic Conference, and that Sen. Klein would become the Deputy Democratic Conference Leader. On April 16, the IDC was dissolved.
Members
2018 members
- Jeffrey D. Klein, Independent Democratic Conference Leader & Majority Coalition Leader
- David J. Valesky, Deputy Independent Democratic Conference Leader for Legislative Operations
- David Carlucci, Independent Democratic Conference Whip
- Diane Savino, Independent Democratic Conference Liaison to the Executive Branch
- Tony Avella, Assistant Conference Leader for Policy and Administration
- Jose Peralta
- Jesse Hamilton
- Marisol Alcantara
Former members
- Malcolm Smith
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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