Governor David Paterson promised today to keep senators in Albany to work out their power struggle and vote on legislation, despite requests from leaders to delay a special session scheduled for tomorrow, saying the people’s business has waited long enough.

Today is the last regularly-scheduled day of the session before summer break.

The coalition of 30 Republicans and one Democrat says it will keep meeting in the chamber through the week. But, as of this hour, the Senate’s 31 other Democrats are boycotting.

They say they will not work under the coalition’s leaders, who claim to have taken charge on June 8th, when dissident Democratic State Senators Pedro Espada Junior and Hiram Monserrate voted with Republicans to oust the Democratic leadership.

Monserrate has since rejoined his party, creating a 31-31 deadlock in the Senate.

Governor David Paterson denied a request from Espada, Republican leader Dean Skelos, and Democratic leaders John Sampson and Malcolm Smith to delay a special session planned for tomorrow, saying the people’s business has already waited long enough.

He ordered the session to deal with 55 pieces of time-sensitive legislation, including mayoral control of schools and the city’s request to raise its sales tax.

The session is set for 3 p.m.

Paterson cannot actually make lawmakers vote, but he says he will make them convene all summer – including weekends and holidays – to get work done.

“Over the last couple of weeks, the senators’ conduct has been laughable, but what’s going around here these days is no joke and I don’t find it funny,” said the governor at a news conference yesterday. “To the senators, I tell you, you have inconvenienced the lives of all New Yorkers for a couple of weeks and now you will come back to work and do the people’s business.”

The governor is bringing in two former state lawmakers, Stan Lundine and John Dunne, to mediate the leadership dispute.

He’s also said Chief Judge Jonathan Lippmann agreed to preside over a special session if the mediation does not work, though the coalition is questioning whether that move is constitutional because it may violate the separation of power.

Espada and Republican leader Dean Skelos say they are willing to convene a session every day to pass priority legislation.

But since they claim their coalition is in power, they say they’re not bound by the previous Senate calendar, so it does not have to be a special session.

“What we do need is all 62 senators to show up for work…and remain in Albany as long as it takes to address, debate and vote on important legislation,” said Espada in a statement.

The State Assembly last week passed a measure to extend mayoral control of schools with some modifications. The current bill expires at the end of the month. Without action, the city school system will return to the much-criticized Board of Education.

(Source: NY1)