It wasn’t supposed to be this way for G. Steven Pigeon.

A monthlong stalemate in the State Senate and new uncertainity hanging over Albany were never in the plan for the June 8 coup he helped instigate.

But that’s the political no-man’s land in which the former Erie County Democratic chairman now dwells.

After plotting with billionaire political activist and Buffalo Sabres owner B. Thomas Golisano to temporarily upset the Senate’s balance of power, Pigeon until a few days ago found himself a pariah—a man without a party.

Now — however tenuously — he is back among them; even back in government as counsel to new Democratic Majority Leader Pedro Espada of the Bronx. And the conspirators, he contends, have caught Albany’s attention.

“Tom never cared about whether it was Democrat or Republican; he cared about reform,” Pigeon said after the Senate flipped back to Democratic control. “We’ve fundamentally changed the way that chamber works and put pressure on the Assembly to change, too.”

Indeed, smiling faces, handshakes all around and new promises of cooperation abound since Espada returned to the Democratic fold Thursday and resuscitated a stalled state government.

But behind the handshakes and smiles, Democrats whisper questions about Pigeon’s status in the party.

Forgiveness may be the order of the day, but all is not forgotten. Even after Democrats regained the majority, some insiders view him as a “hired gun” who instigated nothing but chaos.

“He is persona non grata,” said one high-ranking Democrat who asked not to be identified. “Everyone has nothing but disdain for him after what he did.”

Staying in the game

For Democrats such as Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver of Manhattan, with a long history of antagonism toward the Buffalo attorney, Pigeon is dismissed as a nonperson.

“I’ve seen [Golisano’s] representative, Mr. Pigeon, around Albany on several occasions,” Silver sniffed before Thursday’s truce. “I don’t know what he does there, nor do I really care.”

Yet Pigeon, as he has so often throughout his political career, manages to stay in the game. Though some believe that he and Espada will be marginalized by the Senate’s Democratic leadership, he calls his new post the most important legislative staff position held by a Western New Yorker since Joseph F. Crangle was Assembly chief of staff in the 1980s.

And through Golisano’s influence, he occupies an almost-omnipotent position as upstate master of the coveted Independence Party line.

“Nobody wants to say anything or slap him around,” said the high-ranking Democrat, “because he controls the Independence Party.”

Perhaps more importantly, Pigeon also remains the conduit to Golisano’s millions of dollars in donations.

Golisano’s Responsible New York political fund last year spent $4.4 million across the state on legislative elections. Locally, it dropped unprecedented sums such as $700,000 in one Senate race, $600,000 in another, $500,000 in an Assembly race and $250,000 on yet another Senate contest.

Pigeon says Golisano may pump his funds into a new independent fund along with the Independence Party that the Rochester businessman helped found in the 1990s. That means Golisano’s power in elections — the same force that prompted the Senate coup — is not going away.

“We’ll work with [New York City Mayor Michael R.] Bloomberg and the Independence Party,” Pigeon said. “It’s an option. And a party can give unlimited amounts of money to Senate candidates.”

Golisano calls that idea “speculation” but does not deny he plans to spend money on elections once again.

Still, Pigeon finds himself on the outside of many Democratic circles because of the events of June 8. Some developments include:

Mayor Byron W. Brown canceled a June 25 fundraiser that Pigeon was to host after some deemed Pigeon “radioactive.” Knowledgeable sources say that it cost the mayor’s campaign treasury about $100,000.

Former heavyweight boxer Joe Mesi, a longtime Pigeon ally who was given a $70,000 job by Senate Democrats after an unsuccessful run for the Senate last year, “resigned” July 2. Before Democrats returned to power, Pigeon blamed it on “retribution” for his role in the coup.

Golisano’s new threats against Silver now sharpen opposition to him and Pigeon in the Assembly, too.

Pigeon insists that he is just as much the loyal Democrat as he was before June 8 and that his new position vindicates his actions. It was necessary, he said, after Senate Democrats latched onto Golisano’s millions in 2008 and promised a new focus on upstate as part of the deal. Then, he said, they ignored Golisano and the region.

“I really believe this is a time when I did what a good Democrat should do — I brought Tom Golisano to the leadership and explained the way they were operating was killing upstate and Western New York in particular,” Pigeon said. “We helped them win and then saw a system even worse for upstate New York. It all left upstate dying, simply dying.”

‘Dependent on Golisano’

That’s fine and dandy, say Pigeon’s critics, but he ignores the issues of power and money that link him to one of New York’s — now Florida’s — richest men. Pigeon has sidled up to wealthy patrons in the past, they point out. But Golisano’s resources are vast and can be spent in unparalleled amounts.

As a result, Pigeon is now viewed almost completely as “Golisano’s guy.”

“What has changed is that Steve is now totally dependent on Golisano,” said one Capitol insider who asked not to be identified, “where before he was a Democratic operative with ties all over the place.

“If he starts funding Democratic candidates, he can be a real person again,” the Democratic-leaning source added. “But it’s all through Golisano.”

Pigeon is discovering the consequences of his actions. While many knowledgeable Democrats insist that he maintains a close relationship with the Brown administration, the mayor is backing off — just as in 2004, when he abruptly fired Pigeon from his Senate staff as he prepared to run for City Hall. Brown said neither he nor Deputy Mayor Steven M. Casey, his political point man, maintains a close relationship with Pigeon.

“They are acquaintances,” the mayor said of Casey and Pigeon, “like he and I are acquaintances. But I would not say he is an adviser to myself or Steve. And he has never been involved in policy decisions.”

After Golisano’s efforts that temporarily dislodged his former Senate colleagues from the majority, will the mayor accept his money during this election year? “I don’t anticipate that happening now,” he said before the truce. “I’m a fan of Tom Golisano. I respect what he does charitably and what he did in saving the Buffalo Sabres. But the results of what he did in Albany are troubling.”

Before the coup, Pigeon viewed Senate leader Malcolm A. Smith and Gov. David A. Paterson with a “this too shall pass” attitude, and he hints at new life in conjunction with the possible gubernatorial candidacy in 2010 of Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo. He enthusiastically backed him for governor in 2002.

“When we have a governor’s race next year, there will be bridges back to the Democratic Party,” Pigeon said.

Cuomo has never said he will run for governor next year, but it has been widely speculated that he may. And during a joint appearance in Rochester with Cuomo in February, Golisano called the attorney general “a dedicated person and one of the more creative and energetic people in state government.”

“I would like to see anyone with his energy and skill set run,” Golisano said then. Cuomo’s office declined to comment.

Silver next target?

Perhaps Pigeon’s biggest challenge may be Golisano’s hints that Silver next lies in his sights. With Golisano insisting that Silver has served too long as speaker, Pigeon predicted that the Assembly will clamor for the same type of reforms precipitated by the Senate coup — including term limits for committee chairmen and leaders.

Pigeon now enters a new and different phase of his political career. At 48, his ties with many Democratic colleagues are bruised and battered. And he dismisses any suggestion that his penchant for political intrigue is all about Golisano’s money.

“The fact is, I could be making more of a living by not doing this stuff,” he said. “That’s just jealous people talking.”

Pigeon sees a future in which he can be “an active and very involved Democrat.”

“I’m not popular with some Democrats right now, and I accept that,” he said. “But I think what we did was for the higher good, by giving upstate a chance.”