New York state Senate standoff ends

ALBANY, N.Y., July 9 (UPI) -- A month of legislative gridlock ended Thursday in Albany, N.Y., when a state senator rejoined the Democrats in return for being made majority leader.

Sen. Pedro Espada's return restores the 32-30 Democratic majority in the upper house, The Buffalo (N.Y.) News reported. The Republicans held the majority after Espada and state Sen. Hiram Monserrate changed parties June 8 but the GOP lost control June 15 when Monserrate flipped back.

The resulting 31-31 stalemate left both parties insisting they controlled the Senate with no legislation being passed.

Gov. David Paterson, a Democrat, named Richard Ravitch, a former head of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, as his lieutenant governor Wednesday, in an attempt to end the stalemate. Republicans obtained an injunction early Thursday temporarily barring Paterson from swearing Ravitch in and discovered it had already been done Wednesday evening, the New York Daily News reported.

Paterson said he filled the lieutenant governor's position, which he had held before the resignation of Gov. Eliot Spitzer, to ensure a successor if he became unable to serve -- and not to provide a tie-breaking vote in the Senate, The New York Times said. But the appointment would have had the effect of breaking the deadlock.