State Senator David Valesky (D)
ALBANY (AP) -- In the pay-to-play, opaque culture of New York state politics, the occasional reach across the aisle dividing Democrats and Republicans can be viewed with suspicion.
Democrat Sen. David Valesky, of Syracuse offered $250,000 in pork-barrel funds each to Republican Sens. John DeFrancisco, Michael Nozzolio and Joseph Griffo. They turned him down.
In New York the majority party gets extra funds for staff and resources, and bigger chunks of so-called member item money for pet projects in politicians' home districts. Valesky was awarded $4.5 million to hand out in his district this year, compared with $300,000 the year before when he was in the minority.
Republicans questioned whether the pork grants were appropriate when the state faced a $17 billion budget deficit.
(Copyright ©2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
