At 2:40 p.m., Deputy Kate Jarosh said the finishing touches are being put on the budget. Does this normally take this long?

And now, from the web and inbox:

Eliot Spitzer got panned after the first episode of his new gig on CNN. [Daily News

Paladino was called a “zoo man” by Fox News 'Papa Bear' Bill O'Reilly. His campaign was also described as a “very flamboyant gamble.” [NYT/City Room]

In NY-20: Murphy was endorsed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Political Action Committee at an event in Catskill today.

“The work I have done on behalf of veterans is the most valuable and rewarding part of my job,” he said.

Gibson released a statement on the Department of Education in response to a Murphy ad slamming his position on consolidation of the department.

"The role of the federal government should be to invest in research into best practices, such as keeping track of performance, measuring success and failure, and sharing innovation. It should not be involved in day-to-day operations, which are more effectively handled locally," the release reads.

"Instead of sending money to Washington to support the massive overhead of the federal bureaucracy, we could keep property taxes down by keeping that money locally and passing a state property tax cap. Something we need here desperately."

Gibson was in The Saratogians offices today for an editorial board endorsement meeting.

See you all at 7 p.m. for the City Council meeting!