I have to admit, it’s a little odd using the word “ethics” next to “Assembly”.
In any event, the Albany Times Union reports that JCOPE has subpoenaed testimony from the members of the Assembly’s Ethics Committee. Two members have already been interviewed, but both (correctly) declined to share the substance of their testimony.
Celeste Katz, over at the Daily Politics [New York Daily News] reports that Ellen Biben, JCOPE’s executive director, has sent a letter to Attorney General Schneiderman resigning from her unpaid position presiding over the remaining sentencings in the pay-to-play investigation involving former Comptroller Hevesi’s office.
That’s bad news for AG Schneiderman, as it is the first positive indication that JCOPE’s probe into the secret Lopez settlement deal encompasses the Attorney General role in reviewing and/or approving the agreement. Apparently, the AG’s staff (inexplicably) has refused to comment whether that office has received a JCOPE subpoena.
For a little more info on Ellen Biben, check out this piece from the New York Daily News.
On the bright side, I suppose we should all cheer that Vito “Gropez” Lopez is no longer Brooklyn’s Democratic Party Leader.
On the other hand, his replacement is not exactly — how should I put it — a paragon of civic virtue and political ethics.
The NY Daily News reports that Frank Seddio is the new Kings County Democratic Party Leader. A little while back, I ran this short profile of “Judge” Seddio. All you need to know is that (a) he’s best buds with Carl Kruger; (b) a Vito Lopez protege; and (c) he resigned from the surrogate court after only four months on the bench after being investigated for some campaign finance “irregularities”.
I suppose none of us should be surprised that NY Dems would replace Vito Lopez with, well, yet another Vito Lopez. The sad truth is that the Lopez’s and Silver’s and Espada’s (and we could go on and on with this list) of New York politics aren’t the primary cause of corruption in New York. They’re just the most obvious symptoms of a deep and underlying sickness pervading the whole enterprise. New York’s Democratic Party isn’t interested in reforming anything. They kicked Lopez to the curb because his antics (and Silver’s ham-handed attempt to cover them up) attracted too much attention to the party membership itself.
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