Doom-a-doom-doom, Three-men-in-a-room

Must-read from Newsday:

By MARC HUMBERT AP Political Writer January 1, 2005, 11:05 AM EST ALBANY, N.Y. -- The officials who make up the much-maligned, three-men-in-a-room system of governance for New York state haven't changed in a decade and are about to embark on Year 11, a record of longevity unmatched in the state's 227-year history. It was in early 1994 that Sheldon Silver became speaker of the state Assembly after his fellow Democrat, Saul Weprin, had a stroke and died. In early November of that year, Republican George Pataki defeated Democratic incumbent Mario Cuomo in the governor's race. With the governor-elect's help, Joseph Bruno staged a coup later that month against fellow Republican Ralph Marino to become the state Senate's majority leader. Over the next 10 years, the trio survived disloyal lieutenants, serious health problems and ambitious underlings. The three, usually meeting behind closed doors, negotiated agreements on most major issues facing the state. They got credit for successes and blame for the state's increasingly systemic gridlock which has, among other things, produced 20 years of late budgets. "In some ways, it is like a bad marriage," said Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group, a frequent critic of the system. "They have accumulated a long history together and they know what to do to drive the other one crazy."

Is this any way to run a state?