Bronx State Senator Jeffrey Klein shook up Albany at the start of the year when he announced his departure from the Senate Democrats to form a new, “Independent Democratic Conference” along with three of his colleagues.

The announcement came days after Klein resigned his position as Democratic Deputy Leader, citing his disapproval of Democratic Leader John Sampson and other problems within the party.

“We’re moving away and distancing ourselves from dysfunctional leaders of the Senate, and working with the new majority and other Democrats,” Klein told the Norwood News at the swearing-in ceremony of State Senator Gustavo Rivera. The group includes Senators Diane Savino, David J. Valesky, and David Carlucci.

In a press release, the four said they will remain Democratic in principle but want to make a break from Sampson and the “hyper-partisan gridlock that has gripped this chamber.”

Sampson’s been under a spotlight of criticism for his alleged role in the manipulation of a bid for the Aqueduct Casino planned for Queens. State Senate Republicans also took him to task for overspending on an expanded legislative staff during a year when Democrats went over their budget by millions of dollars.

Other representatives, however, say Sampson can’t be blamed for the last political term, which was plagued by a budget crisis and fraught with discord, like the 2009 coup led by former senators Pedro Espada and Hiram Monserrate.

“I think that under the circumstances, [Sampson] did the best that he could,” said Bronx newcomer Gustavo Rivera.

Republicans retook the majority in the chamber this year after the Democrats had held it for a brief two-year stint, a time that Klein described as one of “squandered opportunities, ethical lapses, and mismanagement.”

The four-person Independent Democratic Conference, or IDC, released an agenda for 2011 that calls for a statewide property tax cap, ethical reform in Albany and reducing government waste. The group also says it will focus on tasks like job creation, updating laws around women’s reproductive rights, reforming Medicaid and addressing the MTA’s budget crisis.

“This is a new beginning,” Klein said