John Flanagan

ALBANY – There’s a new leader in the State Senate.

Former Senate leader Dean Skelos stepped down as leader of the New York Senate on Monday in the wake of federal corruption charges and was quickly replaced by another Long Island Republican, Sen. John Flanagan.

Albany insiders speculate that Flanagan’s appointment as the new Senate leader was a key condition in Skelos agreeing to leave his leadership post. Authorities arrested Skelos a week ago on charges that he used his position to extort payments for his son, Adam Skelos, who is also charged. Both men say they are innocent.

The Republican Skelos is the sixth legislative leader to face criminal charges or scandal in Albany since 2008. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, stepped down from his leadership position in January.

Flanagan emerged as the new leader after a three-hour, closed-door meeting with his Republicans colleagues. Less than an hour later, the Senate officially elected Flanagan with a show of 32 hands: all 31 Republicans present – including Senator Cathy Young – voted for Flanagan, as did Democrat Simcha Felder, of Brooklyn, who sits with the GOP.

It was the narrowest majority possible in the 63-seat chamber.

Flanagan is an attorney and 29-year legislative veteran who also spent time in the Assembly. He most recently served as chair of the Senate’s Education Committee. He also came to Jamestown in 2012 as part of an education roundtable forum hosted by Senator Young, focusing on regional school districts for rural areas in upstate New York.

Republicans are now pinning their hopes on Assemblyman George Amedore’s race against Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk in the 46th District in the Albany area. Amedore trailed Tkaczyk by just 139 votes on election night. Elections officials in the five-county district began a recanvass of voting machines on Tuesday, which yielded no changes after a review in Albany and Schenectady counties. Residents in that district will now have to wait until the counting of absentee ballots, which will begin next week.

Regardless of the outcome of the race in the 46^th state senate district, Chautauqua County’s representative in the state Assembly – Andy Goodell (R-Jamestown) – says it’s unlikely the democrats will take control of the Senate because of a handful of rogue democrats in the Senate who often side with the GOP.

“Even if it switches over to Democrat control in terms of total numbers,  for the last two years there has been an independent coalition of democrats – four democrats – that often would work with the republicans on fiscal matters and things like that,” Goodell explained. “So it is possible you may end up with coalition government with republicans and this independent group of democrats. It’s hard say. In any event, it’s going to be very close. The republicans will either have one vote up or one vote down.”

The outcome of which party will control the Senate is being closely watched because it will also determine who will be part of the often criticized “Three Men in the Room” format of creating a state budget. Both the leader of the Assembly and the leader of the Senate  – along with the governor – are the key players of the budget process. Republicans would like to see a member of their party involved in that process, which for the past few years has been Senate Majority leader Dean Skelos – the republican from Long Island.