State Senate Dems patronage rivals Republicans
The Joe Bruno patronage machine, which found numerous jobs for family members and pols on the state payroll and bankrolled activities such as the secret printing plant and TV studio for Republicans, is being challenged. Despite promise of reform and fiscal restraint, the Democrats are threatening to become just as audaciously self-serving in their use of state money.
Sen. Pedro Espada Jr., who played a pivotal role in the coup by first defecting to the Republicans and then returning to the Democratic fold with the title of majority leader, got permission from the leadership for more than $500,000 in raises and new hires. The seemingly shameless Mr. Espada has put on the public payroll a number of employees from his own private health care organization, Soundview Health Care Network, as well as the son of a former Soundview executive who pleaded guilty to funneling state dollars to Mr. Espada’s campaign. Mr. Espada — whose own son was briefly on the Senate payroll before resigning amid controversy and threats of an investigation — sees no problem here.
Nor, apparently, do Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson and President Pro Tempore Malcolm Smith, who went along with Mr. Espada’s one-man spoils system and whose own payrolls have swelled by more than $400,000. The final bill for the bunch is expected to easily exceed $1 million once back pay and a chunk of raises for the staff of Sen. Hiram Monserrate, another defector who came back to the Democrats, are figured in.
This kind of patronage is hardly the sole province of Democrats. One has only to recall how many relatives of former Republican Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno found their way to various places on the state payroll.
Yet it’s breathtaking nonetheless how Democrats — who campaigned on promises of reform — have not only done no better than the old regime but hand out these plums while state agencies cope with hiring restraints, prisons close, public parks shut down and all sorts of other programs that helped citizens have fallen under the ax. Ah, how easily pain is shared when only other people do the sharing.
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[...] Make it stop please - some of our state lawmakers are double-dipping pay and pensions. Please make this stop too - Patronage. [...]