After a long wait, the state Senate took steps to act on two of Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s nominees to SUNY’s Board of Trustees.

The governor nominated Carl Hayden as board chair, and H. Carl McCall and Linda Sanford as trustees June 19 and 20. The Senate ended its session June 21. It was widely reported that the delay in moving the nominations forward was due to the so-called Troopergate scandal that broke in July.

In late September, the Senate announced it would conduct hearings Oct. 17 on Hayden and McCall’s nominations. As The Voice went to press, the full Senate stood poised to confirm both nominees, when they were called back to Albany Oct. 22 to act on a number of unresolved issues.

Prior to its scheduled Oct. 26 meeting, the SUNY Board of Trustees had not met since May 31. Since then, the terms of three board members — Candace de Russy, Teresa Santiago and Fr. John Cremins — have expired. The wait to confirm their replacements has delayed the board from implementing a search to find a new SUNY chancellor to replace John Ryan. John Clark is serving as interim chancellor.

— Donald Feldstein