Serrano: Kruger's Committee Chair Means Dems Moving In The Right Direction

Up in Albany, whenever a Democrat gets a handout from a Republican, all eyebrows are immediately raised.

That's the case today after State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno awarded a Brooklyn Democrat and [oftentimes ally], Carl Kruger, the chairmanship of the State Senate's social services committee. The move was unprecedented, as no similar cross-party favor has ever been recorded in State Senate history.

Reformers in the Senate minority, such as Bronx/Manhattan Democrat Jose M. Serrano (pictured), see the move as a definite short-term victory for Bruno, who has seen his majority slip dramatically in the past few years.

"Bruno is masterful at stretching his tentacles into the Democratic caucus," said Serrano, who added that he was "mystified and amazed" when he learned of the news. "To me, it's not a good thing to accept goodies from the other side of the aisle."

Serrano said he'd be able to understand the move as a gesture of bipartisan respect had it ever happened before, but in this context the move reeks as a desperate grab to remain in power from Bruno. "It seems so ironic that this is happening to the one guy who has always been close to the other side of the aisle," said Serrano.

As for the future, the move shows that Bruno knows his days are numbered, said Serrano. "It's an act of desperation," said Serrano. "[The Senate minority] must be doing something right if we're making Joe nervous."