This past week marked the return to Albany by state lawmakers, staff, and lobbyists, as both houses had their opening days of session. And amid the pomp and free food, there was also some news, with legislative leaders (vaguely) identifying their session priorities and tapping committee chairs.

We're exploring what to expect from the people's house in 2025 and the significance of the new committee leaders with the help of former Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski, who now works for Brown & Weinraub.

And a reminder that we're also soliciting questions for Shontell Smith for a future episode. Leave a voicemail (that we might play on the air) at (518) 650-1463 or write to [email protected] with your question (which can remain anonymous) and we’ll do our best to provide answers.

For the season three premiere of Dispatches from Planet Albany we're checking in with Tusk Strategies Partner Shontell Smith to discuss Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado's flirtation with a gubernatorial run, the legislative ramifications of violent murders captured on video, the likelihood of changes to school aid distribution, and whether Gov. Kathy Hochul will be able to deliver on her promise of "Inflation Refund" checks.

We are also soliciting questions for Shontell and host David Lombardo to answer in a future episode. Is there something you want to know about Planet Albany? Want us to weigh in on pop culture? Curious about our personal lives? Leave a voicemail (that we might play on the air) at (518) 650-1463 or write to [email protected] with your question and we'll do our best to provide answers.

The 2024 elections were a mixed bag for New York Democrats, who reversed the 2022 gains Republicans made in the state’s congressional delegation, but also saw their traditional electorate shrink.

To make sense of the results, as well as the polls leading up to Election Day and where Democrats in the Empire State go from here, we spoke with Loren Amor, a senior vice president with BerlinRosen.

The big election questions for New York in 2024 are the balance of the state's congressional delegation and whether a statewide referendum adding anti-discrimination language to the state constitution will pass.

We try to answer these questions and discuss state legislative power with Loren Amor, a campaign veteran, who is now a senior vice president with BerlinRosen. 

After listening, use the knowledge you've gained to enter our 2024 Election Contest!

Gov. Kathy Hochul reached historic lows for her job performance and favorability ratings in a recent Siena College Research Institute poll, but does it matter?

We explore how the low popularity levels could impact the exercising of gubernatorial powers, consider why the numbers are as bad as they are, and do our best to ignore the 2026 campaign noise (because that stuff is just noise).

Our guests are Morgan Hook, managing director for SKDK, and Shontell Smith, partner and head of the New York practice for Tusk Strategies. 

State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, a Queens Democrat, reflects on his first two legislative sessions in Albany. We discuss the process of moving bills at the Capitol, living out of a suitcase for half the year, and taking over a newly carved up district.

The primary campaigns for state legislative races in New York may have been exciting, but the results of the elections were not.

We explore why the status quo was so powerful in Democratic primaries this year and consider what the outcomes mean for governing in Albany for the next two years.

Our guests are Jasmine Gripper, co-director of the New York Working Families Part, and Loren Amor, a senior vice president with BerlinRosen.

Two bills - one imposing a controversial waste reduction mandate and the other a broadly supported employee benefit update - successfully made it through the state Senate in the waning days of the legislative session in June, but didn't end up coming up for a vote in the Assembly.

Both of these measures were expected to make it to the governor's desk, so we explored what happened.

Senate Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Pete Harckham, a Westchester County Democrat, talks about the effort to curb plastic packaging waste and Assembly Labor Committee Chair Harry Bronson, a Rochester-area Democrat, discusses the legislation increasing short-term paid medical leave. 

Assemblyman Alex Bores, a Manhattan Democrat, reflects on his first two legislative sessions in Albany. We discuss the end of session crunch, working with central staff, and navigating the budget process.

We also have special theme music courtesy of Anthony Mazzanti. 

Despite passing with overwhelming bipartisan support, legislation to curtail the most addictive features of social media was never a sure thing at the state Capitol in 2024.

To learn how the measure went from an idea in 2022 to passing both houses in Albany, we talked with the bill's Senate sponsor, Brooklyn Democrat Andrew Gounardes. We discussed the role of the state attorney general's office, amending the bill at the end of session, and keeping the legislation on the mind of state lawmakers.