This is not necessarily a good thing for progressives.
Albany is functional in its dyfunction. The "three men in a room" style of horsetrading leadership will stun non-NYer's in how old-school it is. Yet, complete control by the Dems may not be the best thing for progressives.
While all Dem control would probably result in Rockerfeller Drug law reform, it would also spur pro-charter school, anti-union, education "reformers" into power.
Yes, the geniuses that gave us NCLB nationally have been rebuffed by a Republican State Senate. Their allies here would now be thrust into power.
Yes, its true, in NY the Republican Senators have been the "good guys" in education issues.
In reality, other than drug sentancing reform (good) and education and property tax "reform" (bad). I'd expect very little to change in Albany.
The one power that is often overlooked in NY is the anti-NIMBYism that thwarts all attempts at any kind of real infrastructure development in NY.
As a result, no one will take on "the public" on anything. The leadership will do a band aid whatever the flavor of the day item might be ending with a zero sum gain in moving progressive values forward.
Frankly, NY has some of the most progressive state laws on the books anywhere and it happened because of a fairly forward thinking Republican Senate with a culture for moderation. Some of these laws may be in play with complete Democratic control.
Also, don't underestimate the power struggle between the leadership in the Assembly, Senate and Governor over who is the real reformer.
I foresee years of press conferences that are akin to "It wasn't us, it was them."