Democracy In Albany

Voting "Yes" didn't always mean what it looks like.  As was said, people voting "No" were actually voting for the original budget the mayor proposed.  It was a no-win situation.  The "No" votes in the meeting were people venting their frustration and deciding that it was better to make a statement by possibly voting down the budget than get the few minor changes they were able to make.  No Win for anyone.  If the Nos had won, we would have had the original budget proposed by the mayor.

If you weren't there to see the frustration, you are making a mistake looking at the votes, IMHO.

The REAL stories were things like Joseph Igoe strutting out of the Caucus claiming he was going to vote "No" on the budget because it was a bad budget, and then changing his mind when it looked like his "No" vote might actually matter!  I watched him and it was sickening.