On last night’s program, Michael Long from the Conservative Party and Dan Cantor from the Working families Party disagreed over Caroline Kennedy's push to be New York's next senator. Watch the video above.

Tonight’s program include: Our Friday reporters roundtable.

Jeremy Peters reports: “As Republicans in the State Senate adjust to their newly diminished role in the minority, they are preparing to confront some of the humbling tasks that accompany their smaller place in government: giving up spacious office suites for smaller ones, returning state-owned vehicles and living with smaller office budgets. While Democrats will be hiring more employees as they take charge of the Senate’s $95 million budget, Republicans will almost certainly be forced to eliminate positions and lay off significant portions of their staffs. Though Senate Democrats have pledged to be equitable in apportioning resources, no one knows for sure how big a chunk of the Senate’s budget will go to Republicans; transition talks are still taking place among leaders of both parties.”

Hakim & Confessore write: “Gov. David A. Paterson continued to play down suggestions that he has already decided upon Caroline Kennedy to replace Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, as candidates seeking the appointment submitted lengthy vetting forms to the governor’s office on Thursday.”

David Chen notes: “Bolstered in part by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s spending, the average New York City employee cost the city $107,000 a year in wages, health insurance, pension and other benefits in the 2008 fiscal year, an increase of 63 percent since 2000, according to a new report.”

New York Post

Haberman & Goldenberg writes: “Mayor Bloomberg has begun reaching out to city Republican leaders to gauge whether he could run on the GOP line in his re-election bid this year, several sources told The Post. The maneuvering began in the past two weeks, and sources said the mayor is expected to try to run on a major-party as well as a third-party line, likely one of his own creation.”

Tom Namako reports: “The city wants to improve the GPS, touch-screen and credit-card payment technology installed in thousands of yellow cabs, Taxi and Limousine Commission Chairman Matt Daus said yesterday. And it wants anyone and everyone to send in his or her ideas.”

Namako & DeMarche report: “ As if massive fare hikes weren't enough, the MTA now wants to ask straphangers to fork over extra cash when they buy a MetroCard to help fund the agency's pet ‘green’ projects. The plan, revealed by MTA officials yesterday, would ask riders to volunteer a few extra greenbacks for projects like making subway cars lighter, expanding the number of dedicated bus lanes, reusing electric power and other environmental programs.”

Tom Topousis writes: “City planners will be peddling an ambitious proposal today to create the nation's most rigorous bicycle-parking rules. And unlike other recent construction requirements, this one - mandating that all new residential buildings and commercial towers include storage space for bicycles - actually has the tacit support of developers.”

Leonard Greene notes: “President Bush yesterday tipped his hat to an unlikely ally - the Rev. Al Sharpton. “

The edit-heads opine: “The MTA and the Transit Workers Union are headed to arbitration over the union's new contract - all but ensuring that the TWU won't be required to bear its share of the transit system's fiscal crunch. The result: pain for riders - in the form of unnecessarily harsh service cuts and fare hikes. Not to mention the gradual deterioration of the system itself.”

New York Daily News

Lisberg & Sederstrom write: “The $1 billion Nets arena designed for Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards may be scaled back to save developer Bruce Ratner millions in construction costs, the Daily News has learned.”

Pete Donohue notes: “MTA chief Elliot Sander has one more irate straphanger to contend with - his daughter. Sander's 15-year-old daughter, Bria, is giving him flak about doomsday budget plans that would whack weekend bus service on the Q76 and Q79 routes in Queens. The teen uses the routes on Saturdays to get to school plays, test prep classes and, of course, to meet friends and go shopping.”

Adam Lisberg writes: “New York’s fiscal picture is even grimmer than previously stated, three new economic reports said Thursday. City deficits are growing, pension costs rising and more New Yorkers are losing their jobs and homes.”

Columnist Juan Gonzalez slams the city for its dealings with the Yankees: “Less than three years after they got $942 million in tax-free bonds for a new Bronx stadium, the Yankees are at the public trough again. With our city facing the worst financial crisis since the Depression, and more than 200,000 people expected to lose their jobs by the end of the year, baseball's richest team wants another $260 million in tax-free bonds to help cover a stadium cost overrun of $370 million."

Lovett & Blain writes: “Newly minted state Senate Democratic Majority Leader Malcolm Smith is in hot water for making embattled Sen. Hiram Monserrate a committee chairman. Anti-domestic violence advocates, Republicans and even some Democrats say Smith sent a bad message by giving Monserrate the chairmanship before his felony assault case is settled.”

Ken Lovett reports: “Gov. Paterson acknowledged Thursday it was a mistake not to list the Ground Zero redevelopment among his priority projects during his State of the State address.”

Newsday

In a guest op-ed column, political scientist Jeffrey Stonecash writes: “Paterson will have to work closely with the legislature, where he himself spent so many years. If he can pull it off, he'll be in a very good position for a 2010 race. If he doesn't handle the budget well, challengers won't be shy about launching a primary against him.”

Have a great weekend. Until Monday.

Bob Hardt

To drop us a line, write to political_itch@ny1.com.