Spin Cycle

In his keynote remarks to state Democratic committee members today, Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington), at right in photo, underscored the importance of the state Senate races in New York to his party's efforts to gain ground in the US House of Representatives.

If Democrats take the Senate, they will have an upper hand in the redistricting of Congressional seats to come in 2012, when the state is expected to lose one or two seats overall. He said there is more unified purpose between the Democratic Congressional effort and the state and highlighted the issue of homeless veterans.

Delivering the address at the end of a full session in Saratoga -- he acknowledged missing some votes in Washington -- Israel was among the bigger features of a spring meeting that drew neither Gov. David Paterson nor Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. In a bit of role reversal, Paterson was in Washington D.C. meeting with state representatives.

Dan Janison