How Loudly, Personally, and Ignorantly Money Can Speak
Money rarely speaks as loudly and personally as it did for Tom
Golisano, a billionaire who appears to have been the principal force in pushing the Democrats out
of power in Albany, after he was snubbed by the party to which he has
been a principal patron. And rarely has a good government advocate
shown so clearly that he doesn't even know what government ethics is.<br>
<br>
According to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/nyregion/10albany.html" target="”_blank”">an
article in today's New York </a><span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/nyregion/10albany.html" target="”_blank”">Times</a>,
</span>Golisano helped convince two Democrats to go across the aisle
and give the Republicans a majority. One of them became Senate
president, second in line to the governorship. The new Senate president
has been fined more than $60,000 for campaign finance violations; the
nonprofit he ran for decades is being investigated on suspicion of
misappropriation of funds; he is being investigated concerning whether
he actually lives in the district he represents; and just this year he
requested $2 million in earmarks for two organizations that had not
existed days before the request was made (one of them is chaired by one
of his staff members).<br>
<br>
When asked about the new Senate president's legal troubles, Golisano
responded:<br>
<br>
<div>Don’t talk to me about ethical
background in Albany. We have
a governor who stood on a podium on national television and said he had
extramarital affairs and used cocaine.<br>
</div>
<br>
How can Golisano bring good government to Albany when he equates
cocaine use and private affairs with campaign finance violations,
earmarks to staff members' organizations, and the public crimes about
which the new Senate president is being investigated?<br>
<br>
Golisano also doesn't seem to understand that the weight he is throwing
around is based on the size and number of his campaign contributions,
which is something that good government advocates oppose. Nor does he
seem to understand how New Yorkers will feel about his concern for them
when they learn that he just moved his principal residence to Florida,
so that he won't have to pay higher New York taxes.<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
<br>
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