Capitol Confidential

The state's chief elections enforcement officer either had her wings clipped this week or reasonable oversight authority was finally put in place. Your opinion of the actions taken by the state Board of Elections commissioners could depend on how you view the work of Risa Sugarman, New York's election law watchdog for the last four years. Her work is now subject to new reporting requirements and the bipartisan board will have more say in the subpoenas she issues for investigations. Jennifer Wilson, the legislative director for the League of Women Voters of New York, joined the podcast to talk about Sugarman's time in office, weighed in on the new regulations for her office and contemplated what it all means for election law scofflaws moving forward.  

The state's regulator of public utilities brought the hammer down on your cable company, assuming you haven't cut the cord and live in upstate New York. The controversy has been brewing for years and it came to head at a special meeting of the Public Service Commission, which gave Charter Communications 60 days to come up with a plan to give up its internet, cable and phone business in New York. The communications giant has indicated it won't go down without a fight. Times Union business reporter Larry Rulison, who has been covering this issue since Charter acquired Time Warner Cable two years ago, explored every facet of the latest developments, including allegations of gaslighting, the prospect of New York owning a broadband company and the origin of the problem.  

In the most meta episode yet, Times Union Editor Rex Smith discusses the evolution of Capitol Confidential from a print product to a blog and now as a podcast. The interview explores the changing media landscape and what that means for the Capitol Confidential brand, which could exist on other platforms in the future, such as video. The conversation is also a trip down memory lane, as Rex talks about the people that have made Capitol Confidential special and helped establish its current identity.    

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, the Republican nominee for governor, joined host David Lombardo on a park bench outside the Capitol for this episode of the Capitol Confidential podcast. The interview touched on Molinaro's political ideology, reality television, a West Wing reunion, dialing for dollars, working in a deli and a lot more. It's a freewheeling conversation designed to solicit unguarded, human answers from a potential governor.      

The next round of redistricting is still four years away, but every election is shaped by the last time the legislative boundaries were drawn. For four rounds of redistricting, Jeff Wice was a player in New York's redistricting process. He got to experience both sides of the process, as he worked for the Assembly majority and the Senate minority. The conversation with Wice touched on on the first use of computers in the Assembly to draw lines, the role gerrymandering has played in helping Republicans maintain a majority in the state Senate, different legal challenges to New York’s legislative boundaries and the significance of a potential question on the U.S. census in 2020.

The first annual Capitol Confidential awards recognized the winners, losers and best plot twists of the 2018 legislative session. It was a fierce competition for the top awards, as the past six months in Albany had everything. There was betrayal, overdue reunions, celebrities, a changing of the guard and melodrama. This year's presentation was hosted by David Lombardo, with Casey Seiler filling in as co-host, analyst and style guru.

In 2002, largely behind the scenes, the Democratic leader of the state Senate was toppled and the rise of David Paterson began. The change in power was aided by a relative newcomer to the chamber, Neil Breslin, who joined the podcast to reflect on the last successful coup in the Capitol. He revealed the secret conversations to recruit support for Paterson, explained how the failed challenge to Sheldon Silver informed their efforts and reflected on why there was a desire in the conference to replace Marty Connor.

Saratoga County Republican operative Nick Willock joins the podcast to explain the campaign petition process, which is how candidates for elected office secure their spots on the ballot. The conversation explores the infrastructure needed to collect signatures, legal complications that can arise and Cynthia Nixon's effort to get on the Democratic primary ballot.

Associated Press reporter David Klepper talks about the shenanigans that have dominated the narrowly divided state Senate in recent weeks. The episode explores the cause of the chaos, explains the AP's approach to covering the melodrama and examines what it all means for this fall's elections to control the chamber.

Citizens Budget Commission Director of State Studies David Friedfel joined the podcast to talk about fuzzy budget math, future state deficits, the failing New York Mets and economic development projects.

Dr. Don Levy, of the Siena Research Institute, talks about the new Associated Press guidelines for reporting on a poll.

Jonathan Trichter joined the Capitol Confidential podcast to talk about his long shot bid to be the next state comptroller. Trichter, a Democrat, is pursuing the Republican nomination and believes he is the right candidate to exercise the "super powers" of the office.