Shining a Light on Albany’s Bus Camera Vote

bus_lane.jpgA source sends along this roll call of the State Assembly transportation committee’s vote on bus-mounted enforcement cameras. The names come from the official record; whether the record accurately reflects who raised a hand and who didn’t is not certain, for reasons explained below. Note that the vote was on whether to table the bill, so "Yes" actually means "No" to better bus lane enforcement. You can match names to districts here.

YES: (14)
Gantt, Lafayette, Weisenberg, Hoyt, Perry, DelMonte, Latimer, Lupardo, Alessi, Gabryszak, Hyer-Spencer, Titone, Schimel, Spano.

NO: (11)
Cusick, Millman, R. Diaz, Maisel, McDonough, Thiele, Bacalles, Errigo, Reilich, Giglio, Tobacco.

Among the "Yes" column, Lafayette, Perry, Hyer-Spencer, and Titone represent districts in the five boroughs.

Multiple sources told Streetsblog that the vote was held soon after committee chair David Gantt called the meeting, at around two in the afternoon. They described a rushed scene in which advocates and legislators were scrambling to make it to the room where the meeting was held. The location of committee meetings is not known, even to legislators, until the chair announces it.

Not everyone on the committee made it in time for the vote. According to parliamentary rules, the votes of absent members are automatically counted as "Yes" votes. There is some time between the committee vote — in this case, a show of hands — and the official recording of the roll call. During this gap, one source told us, legislators can change how their vote is recorded, but the tally of the committee vote cannot be altered.

That clears things up, right?

Readers emailing their Assembly reps to voice displeasure with Albany’s opacity might consider copying their messages to Speaker Sheldon Silver.

Photo: julieleone/Flickr

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

How David Gantt Sent Bus Cameras to Defeat in Albany

|
After state lawmakers dealt a setback to the city's Bus Rapid Transit plans, Streetsblog looked into how Assembly transportation committee chairman David Gantt was able to bring down a bill that reportedly enjoyed majority support among his members and won approval in the New York City Council by a 40 to 7 vote.

Silver Gives Gantt Two More Years Atop Transpo Committee

|
Sheldon Silver and David Gantt On Thursday, Sheldon Silver re-appointed Rochester’s David Gantt to chair the Assembly Transportation Committee (Excel spreadsheet via Daily Politics). Gantt is the chairman who engineered the defeat of bus lane enforcement cameras last June, when six co-sponsors of the bill wound up voting against it in his committee. With the […]

Double-Take Time: Bus Cam Bill Clears Assembly Transpo Committee

|
You read that right. Don’t celebrate just yet, but legislation authorizing the use of camera enforcement to keep New York City bus lanes clear of traffic — a.k.a. the bus cam bill — just cleared the Assembly Transportation Committee. Sheldon Silver and David Gantt. While it might seem sort of pathetic to tout a committee […]

David Gantt, Longtime Foe of Red-Light Cams, Changes Tune

|
One of Albany’s chief foes of automated traffic enforcement appears to have softened his opposition to red-light cameras, but allegations of patronage may taint his turnaround. For years, State Assembly Member David Gantt, a Rochester Democrat, has used his position as chair of the transportation committee to block the expansion of red-light cameras in New […]