Want to learn more about Albany’s corrupt culture? Then go ahead and read this:
Citizens Union Report on Legislative Turnover and Ethical Misconduct
Here are some highlowlights from the report:
- The crime wave of scandals prompting state legislators to leave office because of ethical or criminal misconduct has worsened; in fact, it has quickened at an alarming rate.
- Over the past four years (2007 – 2010, a period when everything was supposed to change for the better), the pace of state legislators leaving office because of ethical misconduct or criminal charges has doubled – an alarming 9 legislators left during this four-year period, which is one more than the 8 legislators who left in the entire eight-year period before 2007 (1999 – 2006).
- And over the past six years (2005-2010), the number of legislators who left because of such incidents (13) is actually triple the number (4) of the prior six years (1999-2004).
- One of every 11 state legislators, or 17 of 185, who have left office since 1999 have done so because of ethical misconduct or criminal charges.
- State Senator Hiram Monserrate became the first legislator in 90 years to actually be removed by the legislature itself for wrongdoing.1 In the vast majority of cases, criminal charges or charges of ethical misconduct resulting in departure from office have been brought from authorities outside of the legislature.
- 4. More legislators (13) lost their seats outright (not counting those for whom ethical and criminal issues played a factor in their defeat) than at any time in the past twelve years of tracking. The previous high was 7 in 2004.
- In spite of 13 legislators being defeated, the incumbency re-election rate for state legislators remains high. The twelve year incumbent re-election rate still averaged 96% from 1999 to 2010.
- Seventeen (17) legislators left during the 2009-2010 legislative cycle to run for or serve in another public office, a rate on par with the 16 who left in 2005-2007.
