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Friday, January 22, 2016

Time to attach blame

Who is responsible for the state of ethics in New York?

Is it the corrupt electeds that continue to prove that one bad apple does ruin it for all the other bad apples that just haven't gotten caught?

Is it Andrew Cuomo's fault for announcing yet another best in the known universe ethics reform package that will once and for all prove that transparency is what New York government is the best at?

Is it JCOPE and it's leader Dan Horowitz  for their do nothing and understand less, brand of ethics enforcement?

Is it the media for an approach to ethics reform that is better suited to sports reporting or fiction.  Just think Chris Bragg can do a documentary "The making of honest services fraud" starring Casey Sailer as the plagerising host dutifully reading the latest ethics reform package that failed to stop the latest corruption conviction.

Is it the staff at JCOPE like Amy Nicotera that spend their days spellchecking client names to catch that comma discrepancy?  Or Christina Weisnet who spends her time sending collection matters to the AG's office for payments that JJOKE has already received and processed?  Or Martin Levine writing draft opinions about tweeting?  Or Jeanine Clemente retired and still earning $30000 plus her pension to design a new computer system (none of them remember we stole the last system from Connecticutt, Jeanine has no expertise or particular talent to be paid $30000 to babysit this project for God knows how long, must be nice to have political connections - and if her husband doesn't agree with the blog he knows where to find me)  Or Kevin Gagan waiting to get his appointment as Executive Director based solely on his ability to do exactly as he is told by his former patron the governor?  On that one look for Gagan's appointment Tuesday at JJOKE's next meeting.  After a nationwide search and numerous interviews of highly qualified ethics lawyers (I never did get an interview, I guess I'm not qualified and Gagan is, qualified to stick a nose up the governor's arse that is) JJOKE finds the next Teitelbaum, Ginsberg, Biben  and/or Tagliafierro right in their own offices, shocking.

A little more on Gagan, the soon to be new executive director of the worlds most incompetent and meaningless ethics agency,  he's been the chief of staff for over 7 months and what has he accomplished other than collecting his $165000?  That's right he is responsible for the fund raising opinion, the tweeting opinion and the PR/consultant opinion.  Imagine what he will be capable of once he gets the title.

And for all the folks that are up in arms over those opinions save your money that you are wasting on the Spitzer retread Andy Celli (he never understood what was going on when he was a lobby commissioner and judging from his work on the consultant opinion not much has changed in my humble opinion) or counting on the New York Advocacy Association and Ken Fisher to help you (I spoke to Ken before he wrote his comments - the note about meaningful involvement was all me) remember I've forgotten more than these folks know.  I've already found the loophole oops exception that would prevent JJOKE from requiring consultants and PR folks from having to register and report their activity.  My clients get that tactic or protection  the rest can count on Celli and Fisher to protect them . . . good luck.

And because I like Martin Levine and know that he is trying, he just lacks the experience or direction to not step on his dick, here is a freebie.  Have you considered that your opinion will require the spokesman for a political campaign to register as a lobbyist? Which makes the campaign the client of a registered lobbyist. Which means all those lifestyle enhancements the campaigns buy for their public official candidates, the meals, the travel, the cars, the clothes. the pool covers, the tickets to the Yankees and Mets and Rangers and Knicks and Nets  oops scratch that no one goes to the Nets games, the pool covers the vet bills the magicians the clowns etc etc etc are ALL ILLEGAL GIFTS AND THEREFORE CRIMES.  Congratulations Martin you just solved one of the goo goos biggest gripes and gave everyone a chance to see how JJOKE reacts once the electeds read the blog and react.

And speaking of the good government groups that is who I blame for the state of ethics in New York.

As bad as this governor and past governors have been at announcing ethics reform after ethics reform the groups are the Charlie Brown of ethics to the Governor's Lucy.

Blair, Susan and Dick don't you get it yet?  All you do is provide political cover for a deeply flawed and broken system.  All the folks above bear some blame but you guys are the original AIDS monkey.

The single most meaningful decision that will effect ethics in New York for the next couple of years will take place at the commission meeting Tuesday.  A new executive director will be chosen.  It will be a Cuomo apparatchik (I think Gagan) and you not only have had no effect or input into the decision you haven't even asked the most basic questions. 

Show up Tuesday to watch the monkey get screwed again.

Maybe Gagan will even sign your pledge.


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