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Skelos' support dips as lawmakers return to work Monday

Jon Campbell and Joseph Spector
JCAMPBELL1@gannett.com

ALBANY – Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos' slipping grasp on his powerful post faces a make-or-break moment Monday as Republicans return to the state Capitol to hash out his future.

Following his arrest on corruption charges last week, support for Skelos among his GOP colleagues continued to erode over the weekend. Sen. Terrence Murphy, R-Yorktown, Westchester County, late Saturday became the ninth Senate Republican to call on the Nassau County Republican to step down.

On Monday, the 33 senators who sit with the GOP are again scheduled to discuss whether Skelos should continue as head of the 63-seat Senate, one of the three most-powerful positions in state government.

Should Skelos be forced out or step down as many expect, two Republicans are jockeying to replace him: Sens. John DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse, and John Flanagan, R-Suffolk County.

"Senator Skelos has done a lot of good for the people of this state and he has the right to due process in a court of law," Murphy, a freshman senator, said in a statement. "My constituents, and this institution, have the right to leadership that can address the important issues on our agenda without any distractions."

Skelos was charged May 4 with six counts of extortion, conspiracy and bribery charges, with U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara accusing him of using his political influence and governmental powers to personally enrich his son.

He has denied any wrongdoing and Senate Republicans initially stuck by him, citing his presumption of innocence. The GOP has a slim majority in the chamber, bolstered by the support of Sen. Simcha Felder, a Brooklyn Democrat who sits with the Republicans.

But support for Skelos, who has held the majority leader title at various points since 2008, began to diminish nearly immediately as some Republicans began to call for his ouster.

If Skelos retains his majority leader title, Senate Democrats have vowed to try and force a motion through the chamber that would allow a vote for his ouster. At least one Republican, Sen. Rob Ortt of North Tonawanda, Niagara County, has said he would support the motion.

Skelos also could force the Senate into chaos: If he were to resign his seat entirely, the Senate would have 31 registered Republicans and 31 registered Democrats. The next majority leader would need 32 votes.

One Republican, Deputy Majority Leader Tom Libous, R-Binghamton, is battling cancer and recovering from an infection in Florida, leaving him unable to cast a vote until he returns – which isn't expected for several weeks. Felder, meanwhile, has been loyal to Skelos and hasn't publicly signaled whether he would remain with the GOP should Skelos be ousted.

The Legislature's annual session in Albany is scheduled to end June 17.

"I expect leadership strategies will emerge over the next few days," Sen. Catharine Young, R-Olean, Cattaraugus County, said in a statement Friday. "The most important consideration is doing what is best for the taxpayers, economy and job growth."

The Daily News reported late Saturday that Skelos has signaled he could step down as majority leader if Flanagan, a fellow Long Islander, were to be picked as his successor.

Flanagan -- who has supported Skelos continuing as leader -- is battling for the post with DeFrancisco, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Upstate leaders are pushing for DeFrancisco, which is believed to give him an edge because the majority of Senate Republicans hail from upstate counties.

Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer, R-Amherst, Erie County, said Friday it's too soon to talk about successors to Skelos, saying that there have been "a lot of telephone calls" on how to handle the situation. Ranzenhofer's district stretches east into the city of Rochester.

"I and everybody are very concerned about the allegations in the complaint. I and many of us feel that the disruption is rising to an unacceptable level, and I've been working with my colleagues to get to a solution to address this issue," Ranzenhofer told Gannett's Albany Bureau.

But Ranzenhofer said he's not calling on Skelos to step down: "I don't believe that the calls for him to step down are effective, and I think it's up to the members to work to find an answer to this problem."

In a phone interview, Libous said supporting Skelos is the "right thing to do." Skelos supported Libous continuing as deputy leader when Libous was charged last year with lying to the FBI; he maintains his innocence and is awaiting trial in June.

"I like to keep reminding people: In America, you're supposed to be innocent until proven guilty," Libous said Friday. "Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. He stood behind me when I had my problem, and I'm standing behind him."

JCAMPBELL1@gannett.com

Twitter.com/JonCampbellGAN