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On Friday night’s program, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz explained how difficult it was to be in the Democratic minority back when he was in the State Senate.

Tonight’s program includes: State Sen. Tom Duane; Our Monday Consultants Corner.

A.G. Sulzberger writes: “The mayor wanted members of the State Senate to be dragged back to Albany. Instead, nearly a dozen of them showed up on the front steps of City Hall on Sunday. In the increasingly acrimonious battle over mayoral control of New York City’s public schools, 10 senators, all of them Democrats, held an hour-long news conference, ostensibly to demand that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg make some concessions before they consider extending his control.”

Winnie Hu reports: “For years, top Manhattan public schools have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from parents to independently hire assistants to help teachers with reading, writing, tying shoelaces or supervising recess. But after a complaint by the city’s powerful teachers union, the Bloomberg administration has ordered an end to the makeshift practice.”

New York Post

In his weekly column, Fred Dicker writes: “Former Lt. Gov. Stan Lundine has a dramatic message for Gov. Paterson: You're breaking the law by trying to name Richard Ravitch your new lieutenant governor. Lundine, in his first public comment on Paterson's highly controversial effort to make former MTA boss Ravitch his second-in-command, told The Post, ‘There's no question in my mind that the governor does not have the power to fill a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor.’"

Daphne Retter notes: “Out-of-staters visiting New York could be allowed to legally carry concealed firearms under a measure up for debate in the Senate today. New York Sen. Charles Schumer, a Democrat, said yesterday he would pull out all the stops to kill the amendment, calling the proposal ‘simply appalling.’"

Jen Fermino profiles Cy Vance Jr.

Sally Goldenberg notes: “Sen. Charles Schumer yesterday all but endorsed city Comptroller Bill Thompson to unseat Mayor Bloomberg. ‘I always endorse the Democrat. It will be up to the Comptroller's Office and my office as to the timing of an endorsement,’ said Schumer (D-NY).”

Goldenberg also reports: “Want to get away with playing hooky? Get elected to the City Council. One-fifth of its membership -- 10 legislators -- showed up at 75 percent or fewer mandatory hearings and meetings in fiscal 2009, records show.”

Carl Campanile writes: “The do-nothing state Senate's refusal to renew mayoral school control is having an unintended political consequence: It's boosting Mayor Bloomberg's re-election prospects, campaign insiders for Hizzoner said. Bloomberg is unveiling two ads today contrasting his education record with that of the old Board of Education.”

Campanile also reports: “Democrats in the state Senate want to shower enemies of mayoral school control with up to $1.6 million a year to operate a citywide parent-training center, The Post has learned."

James Fanelli notes: “The FDNY's system for inspecting and tracking fire alarms that are not up to code is broken, according to a city comptroller audit. The comptroller said the self-certification process was vulnerable to corruption and a danger to the public.”

New York Daily News

In her weekly column, Liz Benjamin writes: “Tensions between Gov. Paterson and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo have reached frosty new levels with the recent pick of a state Democratic boss.
Paterson tapped Nassau County Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs to replace June O'Neill, a veteran of former Gov. Mario Cuomo's administration. A Paterson ally described Cuomo - the governor's potential 2010 primary rival - as ‘off-the-charts angry’ about the nod.”

Bill Egbert notes: “Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz puts his Merlot where his mouth is. After he was shown sipping wine on a stoop for a video segment, Markowitz spoke out against enforcing open container laws when people are on their own property.”

Newsday

Dan Janison looks at how Team Bloomberg is avoiding a pension battle with the teachers union for a year.

Until tomorrow.

Bob Hardt