As Senate Churns, Kolb Aims To Begin His Own Revival
New leader stresses policy through consensus for Assembly Republicans
Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:56:00
When Senate Republicans staged their coup, newly minted Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb (R-Ontario/Seneca/Cayuga) could only sit back and shake his head, seeming almost annoyed at the chaos down the hall.
“We had to cancel a five-way leadership meeting today because of it,” Kolb said. “I’d like to see everything resolved as quickly as possible, so we can get back to work.”
A less partisan, solution-driven approach is what Kolb promised when the 41-member Republican conference elected him to replace James Tedisco in early April.
Colleagues say Kolb has kept the promise.
Following his first five-way leadership meeting in early May, for instance, Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassau) tore into Gov. David Paterson (D) over the budget and the MTA bailout. When Kolb’s turn came to speak, he instead carefully praised the governor’s recently proposed budget spending cap and expressed a desire to work with him.
“We can’t do anything about the past,” Kolb said at the press conference. “All we can do is move forward now.”
Kolb’s predecessor’s bombastic personality gave him a special talent for attracting media attention. There were initial questions, given Kolb’s more affable disposition, about whether a louder voice was needed for Assembly Republicans to be heard.
Kolb, however, said he believes that this has not been the case.
“There’s only one Jim Tedisco. And there will only be one Jim Tedisco,” Kolb said. “So my approach, really, is that hopefully the merits of our work will gather the appropriate media attention.”
Kolb has instead focused his members on creating detailed proposals to serve as the counterweight to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and his overwhelming majority. For instance, despite the Republican conference’s small staff size, Kolb has asked them to create a full alternative budget proposal next year for the first time.
Assembly Member Greg Ball (R-Putnam/Dutchess/Westchester) praised this for the policy implications, but also for the political ones, if the conference is indeed able to offer a concrete alternative to the Democrats’.
“I’ve always said, ‘We need a clear strategy, or else we’re going to become irrelevant,’” Ball said.
Kolb, a small-business owner before coming to Albany, said he tries to take a businesslike approach to politics. At leadership meetings, he has pressed his colleagues to better organize their priorities by setting deadlines and creating action plans.
“That was something that people have been telling me that they haven’t seen from anybody at that leadership table,” Kolb said. “I feel comfortable—as a business guy—taking a very methodical approach to the issues.”
The inner workings of the conference have also begun to evolve under his leadership. Under Tedisco, many in the rank-and-file griped that legislative priorities came from the top, with members consulted only after the conference’s basic agenda had already been set.
Kolb, meanwhile, has consulted members about their top handful of priorities and then developed an agenda around them, Republicans say.
Kolb also is more inclined to speak with individual members directly, whereas Tedisco would delegate that responsibility to staff.
“Before, there were certainly members that felt like they were not in the conference and were on the outside,” said Assembly Member Dede Scozzafava (R-Lewis/Oswego/Saint Lawrence/Jefferson). “Either you were on the inside and knew what was going on, or you weren’t. It’s easy in Albany for the conference to be very staff-driven versus member-driven.”
Another difference: Kolb goes home every weekend, whereas Tedisco, like former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, is able to commute to Albany. That constant inundation with the capital can change a lawmaker’s perspective, said Assembly Member Jack Quinn (R-Erie).
“They never had a rest from Albany,” Quinn said. “That leads to there being more acrimony—whereas Brian gets to remove himself.”
As for what effect the Republican takeover in the Senate might have on Assembly Republicans, Kolb said he hopes the new rules reforms passed by the upper chamber will put pressure on Silver to also make the Assembly more democratic.
If not, Assembly Republicans could also try to pull off a similarly clandestine leadership coup. But with the Democrats holding a 109-member advantage, Kolb admitted, that is unlikely to happen anytime soon.
“But we never divulge our strategy,” Kolb said.
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ABOVE: Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb has instituted a new way of doing business since taking over from James Tedisco. Photo by Andrew Schwartz
“We had to cancel a five-way leadership meeting today because of it,” Kolb said. “I’d like to see everything resolved as quickly as possible, so we can get back to work.”
A less partisan, solution-driven approach is what Kolb promised when the 41-member Republican conference elected him to replace James Tedisco in early April.
Colleagues say Kolb has kept the promise.
Following his first five-way leadership meeting in early May, for instance, Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassau) tore into Gov. David Paterson (D) over the budget and the MTA bailout. When Kolb’s turn came to speak, he instead carefully praised the governor’s recently proposed budget spending cap and expressed a desire to work with him.
“We can’t do anything about the past,” Kolb said at the press conference. “All we can do is move forward now.”
Kolb’s predecessor’s bombastic personality gave him a special talent for attracting media attention. There were initial questions, given Kolb’s more affable disposition, about whether a louder voice was needed for Assembly Republicans to be heard.
Kolb, however, said he believes that this has not been the case.
“There’s only one Jim Tedisco. And there will only be one Jim Tedisco,” Kolb said. “So my approach, really, is that hopefully the merits of our work will gather the appropriate media attention.”
Kolb has instead focused his members on creating detailed proposals to serve as the counterweight to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and his overwhelming majority. For instance, despite the Republican conference’s small staff size, Kolb has asked them to create a full alternative budget proposal next year for the first time.
Assembly Member Greg Ball (R-Putnam/Dutchess/Westchester) praised this for the policy implications, but also for the political ones, if the conference is indeed able to offer a concrete alternative to the Democrats’.
“I’ve always said, ‘We need a clear strategy, or else we’re going to become irrelevant,’” Ball said.
Kolb, a small-business owner before coming to Albany, said he tries to take a businesslike approach to politics. At leadership meetings, he has pressed his colleagues to better organize their priorities by setting deadlines and creating action plans.
“That was something that people have been telling me that they haven’t seen from anybody at that leadership table,” Kolb said. “I feel comfortable—as a business guy—taking a very methodical approach to the issues.”
The inner workings of the conference have also begun to evolve under his leadership. Under Tedisco, many in the rank-and-file griped that legislative priorities came from the top, with members consulted only after the conference’s basic agenda had already been set.
Kolb, meanwhile, has consulted members about their top handful of priorities and then developed an agenda around them, Republicans say.
Kolb also is more inclined to speak with individual members directly, whereas Tedisco would delegate that responsibility to staff.
“Before, there were certainly members that felt like they were not in the conference and were on the outside,” said Assembly Member Dede Scozzafava (R-Lewis/Oswego/Saint Lawrence/Jefferson). “Either you were on the inside and knew what was going on, or you weren’t. It’s easy in Albany for the conference to be very staff-driven versus member-driven.”
Another difference: Kolb goes home every weekend, whereas Tedisco, like former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, is able to commute to Albany. That constant inundation with the capital can change a lawmaker’s perspective, said Assembly Member Jack Quinn (R-Erie).
“They never had a rest from Albany,” Quinn said. “That leads to there being more acrimony—whereas Brian gets to remove himself.”
As for what effect the Republican takeover in the Senate might have on Assembly Republicans, Kolb said he hopes the new rules reforms passed by the upper chamber will put pressure on Silver to also make the Assembly more democratic.
If not, Assembly Republicans could also try to pull off a similarly clandestine leadership coup. But with the Democrats holding a 109-member advantage, Kolb admitted, that is unlikely to happen anytime soon.
“But we never divulge our strategy,” Kolb said.
--
ABOVE: Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb has instituted a new way of doing business since taking over from James Tedisco. Photo by Andrew Schwartz
