New York Desk

ALBANYPATAKI APPROVAL RATING SINKS TO NEW LOW Governor Pataki’s approval rating has sunk to an all-time low, according to a new statewide poll of registered voters. The Quinnipiac University survey of 1,218 New York state residents showed the governor’s approval rating slipping from 44% in early December to 34%, an all-time low.Particularly troubling to Pataki and his supporters should be the figures from upstate, which show a 22% percent approval rating in areas that many credit with putting the governor in office 10 years ago. Mr. Pataki, who has kept Republicans Party members in suspense over his future plans, is viewed as a moderate by 43% of those polled. Another 30% said they view the governor as conservative, while 14% said they regard him as a liberal. A total of 40% of New York voters said they are satisfied to some degree with Mr. Pataki’s leadership.When asked to respond to the poll, a spokesman for Mr. Pataki said the governor is focused on his agenda. “Governor Pataki is committed to making the tough decisions to ensure continued growth and opportunity for all New Yorkers. The governor loves his job and is focused entirely on leading our state and making the lives of New Yorkers even better. New Yorkers like and trust the governor, and should he decide to seek re-election, we’re confident he will enjoy strong support from across the state.”– Staff Reporter of the SunASSEMBLY LAWMAKERS FACE NEW RULESNew procedural rules in the state Assembly will subject members to removal from committee assignments if they miss too many committee meetings. Majority Democrats and minority Republicans announced an agreement yesterday as a way to address complaints from members that committee meetings start late because there is not a quorum of members present or they fail to come off at all. In other cases, some committee chairmen do not call meetings of their committees even though there are bills that the panels need to review before they go to the floor of the Assembly.Members would be subject to removal for their unexcused absences from three or more meetings of a standing committee per year. The committee would have to meet at least once a month – some meet more infrequently than that – to be subject to the penalty. Instead of being thrown off the committee that members were not attending meetings of, Assembly members could face removal from another, more powerful or influential committee that they’re also assigned to, under the new rule. “You lose the choice committee, more likely,” said a state assemblyman, Jack McEneny, an Albany Democrat whose task force is recommending rules changes.– Associated PressMANHATTANOPPONENTS TURN OUT FOR EAST SIDE ACCESS HEARINGOpponents of a 16-story building proposed as part of the project to bring the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Terminal railed against state and federal transit officials at a hearing yesterday, saying the building was unnecessary and would cost businesses hundreds of millions of dollars.The slew of opponents, who numbered so many that an additional room was used to accommodate them, included Assemblyman Jonathan Bing, an attorney representing the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, historical building preservationists, hoteliers, and a waiter who feared decreased tourism as a result of the building’s construction would cost him his livelihood.The building at East 50th Street is part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s East Side Access project, which would allow eight LIRR tracks to be built 150 feet below Grand Central Terminal, bringing Long Island commuters directly to the east side of Manhattan.While almost all the opponents voiced their support of the plan’s intentions, they worried the building between Madison and Park avenues, which would hold as much as 8,000 gallons of fuel to power reserve generators, as well as huge ventilation shafts, would be an easy terrorist target. They argued that an MTA-sponsored study on the environmental impact of the building was inadequate and called for more review and an extension of the public comment period scheduled to end February 22.– Special to the SunCITYWIDECOUNCIL MEMBERS RENEW CRITICISM OF MAYOR ON EQUAL BENEFITSThree members of the City Council kept alive criticism of the mayor on gay marriage yesterday, bringing up a lawsuit he filed several months ago to prevent the council’s Equal Benefits Law from being implemented.The speaker of the City Council, Gifford Miller, who hopes to run against Mr. Bloomberg in the November election, attacked the mayor for publicly declaring support of gay marriage but not pushing for equal rights for gay New Yorkers.The council’s law would require those with city contracts worth $100,000 or more to provide benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian employees. The mayor has said the state needs to have the final say on the legality of same-sex marriages. If not, he said, the city would risk issuing marriage licenses only to have them revoked.In regard to the benefits bill, he said he supports the idea but that the city should not make it a requirement for companies doing business with the city. Council Member Christine Quinn, the lead sponsor on the bill, who is gay, and Council Member Margarita Lopez, who is also gay, disagree. Ms. Quinn said, “I don’t really understand how one can simultaneously say they are for LGBT New Yorkers having the same relationship rights as heterosexual New Yorkers and then have on your desk a bill that would do that” and fight it in court.– Staff Reporter of the SunNYC TRANSIT SIGNS UNISYS TO FIVE-YEAR-DEALNew York City Transit has signed information technology firm Unisys to a five-year, $105 million contract to manage the subway agency’s 12,000 desktop computers and 350 servers.Unisys will phase in new technology and equipment over the five-year contract, which can be extended an additional two years for $38 million. New York City Transit has 48,000 employees across more than 20 major departments and divisions. Unisys, as part of the contract, will create an in-house Web site that will track and manage the agency’s computer equipment across the city’s five boroughs.– Special to the SunHEALTH OFFICIALS INVESTIGATE POSSIBLY CONTAMINATED HEROINFollowing the hospitalization of six city residents, officials are investigating whether a batch of contaminated heroin that turned up in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania has hit New York, health officials announced yesterday.Officials from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene suspect that heroin contaminated with clenbutero, an illicit performance-enhancing drug, is circulating among the city’s 200,000 heroin addicts.– Special to the SunWESTCHESTERMAN ACCUSED OF STEALING FLUTES IS CAUGHT ON EBAYA man who allegedly stole 10 flutes and a clarinet was arrested when he put one of the flutes up for auction on eBay and gave his address to the high bidder – an investigator for the district attorney’s office.“It was one of our easier cases,” Westchester District Attorney Jeanine Pirro said yesterday. “We just responded to his ad.”Chancius “Chance” Drzewucki, 26, of Brooklyn, was charged with grand larceny for allegedly stealing the instruments from his employer, a music company that prosecutors would not identify.The company went to Eastchester police, who referred the case to Pirro’s High Tech Crimes Bureau. An investigator spotted the flute for auction, landed it with a $65 bid, and sent a check to Mr. Drzewucki. When the flute was delivered February 1, it bore a serial number matching one of the missing flutes, and Mr. Drzewucki was arrested, Ms. Pirro said. Mr. Drzewucki’s defense was assigned to Legal Aid, Ms. Pirro’s office said. A call to Legal Aid was not immediately returned.– Associated PressPOLICE BLOTTERTRAFFIC OFFICER CHARGED WITH LYING ABOUT IDENTITYA city traffic enforcement agent from Bangladesh was arrested yesterday and charged with lying to a federal agent, police said.Mustofa Kamal, 37, a native of Bangladesh, arrived in America in 1994 and filed an application for political asylum under an assumed name, said a special agent in charge of the New York Department of Homeland Security, Martin Ficke.Though Mr. Kamal’s bid for asylum was denied and he was ordered back to Bangladesh, he did not comply, Mr. Ficke said. Instead, Mr. Kamal established a life in Queens. He got married, falsified documents to obtain a job with the police department, and applied for a green card again in 1997, Mr. Ficke said. Fingerprints taken the times of both applications allowed federal agents to uncover Mr. Kamal’s false identity. He could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.– Special to the SunPlease send story tips to crimetips@nysun.com, or call 212-619-2262.

New York Desk

New York Desk

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