Guy Velella and the Bronx Democratic old guard are said to have had a non-aggression pact that state Sen. Schneiderman broke. But Mr. Velella's revenge backfired.

By N. Clark Judd

Like many tales of revenge, this one begins at a wedding.

The groom was a top political consultant for Guy Velella, a powerful Republican state senator. Riverdale political power couple Oliver Koppell and Lorraine Coyle Koppell, friends of the groom, Norman Adler, were there. So was Eric Schneiderman, a precocious freshman lawmaker in his second year in Albany, determined to engineer an overthrow of the state's Republican hierarchy.

Many Bronx politicians crack a wistful grin when they talk about that day in 2000, when Mr. Schneiderman, who also represents parts of Riverdale, walked up to the Koppells at the reception. With Mr. Velella in the room, he suggested that Ms. Koppell challenge the Republican in an upcoming election.

The entire city stretched out below the newlyweds as they were feted at Windows on the World, atop the World Trade Center. Maybe it was the rarefied air that spoke of infinite possibilities, maybe it was that the Democrats perceived political opportunities - but whatever the cause, Ms. Koppell agreed to take on Mr. Velella.

Mr. Velella and the Bronx Democratic old guard allegedly had a sort of non-aggression pact. By actively recruiting a candidate like Ms. Koppell, Mr. Schneiderman had violated the unspoken compact.

Although Ms. Koppell's bid failed, the attempt prompted a campaign of revenge that dramatically tipped the scales of power - not only in the borough, but throughout the state. The violent corrective swings back and forth would stretch over nearly a decade; only now has the beam come to a precarious equilibrium.

Nearly 10 years later, Mr. Velella has served time in jail on briberyrelated charges, Mr. Schneiderman has gone from a footnote in the state Senate minutes to the chairman of a powerful committee, and Riverdale has gone from having two Senators to three, all of whom hold considerable clout. This March, as the corridors of power in Albany swarm with lawmakers and lobbyists rushing to pass a budget, those three will have a weighty say in the final product.