Two million dollars a day. That’s what New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the city stands to lose unless the gridlock in the state Senate is resolved. With the scheduled legislative session all but over, lawmakers are set to get away for a long weekend.

As the New York State Senate’s current legislative term enters its final weekend, there are growing worries over time and money. Democrats, Republicans and municipalities across our region, according to Mayor Bloomberg, are running out of both.

“We’re going to have to start downsizing, if we don’t have the money,” said Bloomberg on Thursday.

The not so subtle nudge from the Mayor for state Senators to end their painful stalemate and resolve their differences didn’t seem to do any good.

The Senate is still mired in a 31 to 31 deadlock after the Republicans lost the support last week of Sen. Hiram Monserrate, one of the two renegade Democrats who helped them pull off their surprise coup. And Sen. Pedro Espada, the other dissident Democrat, is still in the spotlight. But unfortunately, it’s not for being an effective lawmaker.

Democrats asked a judge to issue a temporary restraining order prohibiting Espada from assuming any duties of the Senate president, including being next in the line of succession to the governor and voting twice — as a senator and Senate president — to establish a quorum.

Late Thursday, Democrats said they withdrew the request in a state appellate court, but Republicans and Democrats dispute why it was withdrawn. Democrats may still appeal another state judge’s decision on Tuesday to reject the Democrats’ request to intervene in the dispute and invalidate the coalition’s overthrow.

Espada and the Senate’s 30 Republicans maintain they elected him president on June 8 in a shocking parliamentary overthrow.

In the meantime, bills on sales tax, school control and other pressing issues aren’t being passed for local governments statewide, including New York City.

(Source: WCBSTV)