Pigs are flying

They must be because I am about to say something I never thought I would ever say

JCOPE just did one of the bravest most meaningful ethics reform measures that I have witnessed in the last decade.

They issued a draft opinion that if adopted will change forever the way elected officials in Albany raise money.

You can read it here
http://www.jcope.ny.gov/advice/proposed%20regs/Proposed%20Advisory%20Opinion.pdf

This opinion will stop the Governor, the Controller, the Attorney General and members of the legislature from soliciting or accepting campaign contributions from those subject to active investigatory actions.  And it gets better, the definition of active investigatory actions is broad enough to include many many regulatory acts that will effect New York's large banking, insurance, real estate, union, casino and virtually all other industries.  It will even reach to those individuals being audited by the Tax Department, although how a campaign would know who is being audited is beyond me.

Now of course the JJOKE group that wrote the opinion have no clue of what the real world is like so all the problems inherent in a sweeping opinion such as this will come flooding in and the opinion will never be issued but I need to know

DID JJOKE NOT RUN THIS BY THEIR APPOINTING AUTHORITIES?

DID THE GOVERNORS OFFICE ACTUALLY APPROVE?

DID ANYONE AT JJOKE REMEMBER THEY REJECTED DONALD TRUMPS COMPLAINT THAT ERIC SCHNEIDERMAN DID EXACTLY WHAT THIS OPINION PROHIBITS?

Why haven't the good government groups issued press releases praising JCOPE for their heroic actions?

Someone please tell me who at JJOKE thought of doing this opinion.  I want to nominate them for ethics hero of the decade.

And then help them find a job after they get shit canned for putting the Governor in such a tight spot

When it comes to wasting time and money JJOKE is tops

I have to admit that I am an addict.

I'm addicted to JJOKE meetings.  Now I've been attending JJOKE meetings for years and COPI meetings for years before then.  I used to go to the old COPI meetings when Cherkasky was the Chairman just to torture him during the public question portion of the meetings.  Now I go to JJOKE meetings, even though there is no opportunity for public questions (I will admit my running dialogue with commissioners is my version of the old public question session) just to watch the personal dynamics of commissioners that dislike one another and are finally realizing how little they understand the issues.  On that point I feel Marvin Jacobs deserves special praise.  Marvin has finally woken up,  much like Rip Van Winkle, and is making up for lost time.  Based on his recent performances, Marvin is one hell of a lawyer and a genuine tough guy for JJOKE purposes.  He won't be bullied by Chairman Horwitz and he is smarter than virtually all of the other commissioners.  Where were you for the last three years, Marvin?   Better late than never I guess. 

On the other end of the scale is Joe "cave in" Cavullo (I know it's Covello but really who cares).  I used to think Joe was pretty good as the "fun" commissioner.  He made the meetings, spoke occasionally and seemed to have a sense of who he was in the overall scheme of JJOKE incompetence.  Now he is part of the dissidents voting in lockstep with Marvin and George Weissman, but I'm not sure he knows why other than someone in Nassau County told him to.  (Memo to Horwitz if you want Joey Cave In to go along have Andrew talk to Alfonse who can have someone talk to Joe, I'm sure he will start behaving).  Joey Cave In and I have always gotten along although he keeps calling me Gastineau which I guess is his shorthand for Grandeau.  I told him during the meeting I thought it was rude of him to purposely keep mispronouncing my name (ironic huh?) especially since I have offered him my resume and writing sample in the form of one of my promotional brochures as part of my application to become the next executive director.  He responded that I was thin skinned, I responded by flipping him off (watch the meeting closely and you can see it just before they lose the connection to the remote commissioners).  Joey Cave In then said that I should not complain about a mispronounced name since I spelled Joey's name wrong in a previous blog although he quickly added that he never reads my blog.  Right Joey you don't read it, someone else read it to you, that's why you are perfect for JJOKE, lazy, slow witted and politically controlled makes you a great JJOKE commissioner Joey.  The fact that as a taxpayer my taxes fund the $300 you make every meeting is particularly galling.  It's a waste of taxpayer money but not nearly as big a waste of taxpayer money as others in that room.

As I sat in the meeting I started to count up all the waste, the total was astounding.

Lets go around the table.

At the end by the door you have the Director of Public Information, Walter J McClure Jr. who makes $78752 and as much as I can tell his sole job is to open and close the door and say no comment (total wasted $78752)

Next is Stephen J Boland the administrative officer who makes $114710 and presented the total amounts spent by JJOKE to date.  Shouldn't Steve be explaining where the salaries for the new hires come from? how they were authorized? the internal controls that he follows to insure against new appointees being paid whatever an outgoing executive director feels like paying (total wasted $193462)

To Stephens right I think is Stacey Hamilton the Manager of training who makes $120000, I say I think because she has never spoken and I can't think of why she would need to attend a commission meeting unless she was going to provide the commissioners a training, something I would pay to watch. (total wasted $313462).

To her right is John Harford the Deputy Counsel who makes $132000.  Another mute JJOKE staffer but I guess he is there to provide Gagan moral support and play Robin to Gagan's batman (total wasted $445462).

Speaking of ED in waiting Kevin T Gagan, who sits across from Harford, the man has not said one word in any of the meetings he has attended nor has he done anything but scowl.  He makes $165944 the highest paid JJOKER staffer in history (total wasted $611406).

Skipping Commissioner Seymor Knox who has never spoken in his entire tenure on JJOKE you get to the women taking notes Deborah Novak who makes $77598 as a confidential assistant.  I don't know who she is confidentially assisting but she used to be a secretary at the old lobby commission.  Hired as a friend of Jeanine Clemente, she is a competent secretary but not worth $78k, I'll leave her out of the waste total since she actually provides a function, she's overpaid but she is working.

And speaking of Jeanine Clemente, she wasn't at the meeting but she was mentioned although not by name.  You see Jeanine retired in the spring from the job now held by Boland.  She is collecting a very healthy state pension but lo and behold she was hired back by JJOKE as a part timer to "work" on the new lobby application.  She makes $55.98 an hour on top of her state pension and I'd be willing to bet she will max that part time status out at $30000.  What I wouldn't bet on is if she really shows up at JJOKE to work part time. the real question is why they need her to do this work.

Swinging around the table we come to Monica Stamm who makes $154525 and is worth every penny.  My question is why isn't she the acting executive director?  It would solve all of Marvin and George's strict construction issues on delegations.  She would be appointed unanimously and I know Commissioner Romeo has suggested it to Horwitz (I know because I suggested it to Romeo during the meeting and he immediately suggested it to Horwitz) but Horwitz doesn't want Monica to have the title.  I checked around and it appears two things are in play.  First the Cuomo crowd doesn't want an acting ED to muddy the waters for Gagan to get the job and second Monica isn't fully trusted by the Governors office.  She is a Biben person not a first generation Cuomo apparatchik.

Continuing down the table there are a couple of staffers whose names I don't know and who have never said a word.  If anyone can identify these wasted seats let me know and I'll add them to the waste total.  Last at the table is Lori A Donadio the investigative assistant who makes $66780.  Now Lori never speaks and her boss isn't at the table, he sits on the sidelines and I'll get to him in a moment, but why is Lori there?  As near as I can tell she is there to fill water and coffee cups. (total wasted $678186).

Along the wall we have two female JJOKE staffers who just sit there with there mouths agape and a confused look on their faces, gotta be lawyers but I'll be damned if I know who they are or what they do.  I'm going to estimate their salaries at approx. $90000 each since that's what junior lawyers at JJOKE make (total wasted $858186).

Then we come to Investigator Patrick Coultry who makes $118784.  Why are you sitting in the meeting Patrick?  You are adding nothing to the meeting and you should be back in your office or on the street investigating some ethical violation.  But wait now it makes sense.  You must be undercover investigating the violations of the Public Officers Law that occur among the commissioners and their appointing authorities.  I can't wait to see that prosecution.  (total wasted $976970)

And last we have the two JJOKE thugs who sit behind me at the meeting.  Wimpiest thugs I've ever encountered.  I asked the younger one if he was Terence M Mulderrig an investigator who makes $101728.  He lied and said he was not,  So I asked if he was Peter J Smith an investigator who makes $80535.  He said he wasn't.  I then said it is a bad idea for a JJOKE investigator to lie about his identity and that he should stop acting like a hard on irish cop and fess up.  Terrence smiled like his mom just caught him jerking off with her thong and admitted he was Mulderrig and the old mute dude with him was Smith.  Now other than sit behind me and try to get me to behave what were they doing wasting time in that meeting room?  They should have been out with Coultry collecting information on the Governor's trip to the world series game.  When the governor was a wannabe governor he got COPI to use a world series game to destabilize the always shaky Governor Paterson.  How was this game in Kansas City that the Governor and members of his staff attended with the Mets owner any different?  If the Governor truly used campaign funds was that a legal use of those funds?  I know he has done it before for a Ranger hockey game but shouldn't JJOKE at least verify it?  NO instead they should all sit and watch the idiots that pass for JJOKE commissioners argue about transparency (total wasted $1159233)  THAT IS OVER $1 MILLION DOLLARS WASTED IN THAT ROOM.

When I am Executive Director everyone of them will be fired and we will investigate the commissioners themselves and the governor's trip to the world series along with a long list of violations that have been swept under the rug.

Speaking of violations swept under the rug.  Does anyone remember the Trump complaint against Eric Schneiderman?  Trump alleged Schneiderman violated the law by soliciting campaign contributions from Trump and family while investigating Trump.  JJOKE refused to act until forced to by a court decision.  And then it dismissed Trumps complaint, we don't know why nor does Trump because its all confidential.  But lo and behold at the end of the meeting JJOKE slipped up and discussed a draft opinion in public session (thank you Marvin) which makes the document subject to FOIL and also by JJOKE rules should have been published on the web site.  This is important because it appears in the opinion JJOKE has ruled that elected officials can not accept donations from those they are investigating (no shit).  Did they forget what they did in the Trump case?  I can't wait until presidential candidate and David Grandeau and Associates client, Donald Trump, gets his hands on that opinion.

Addiction is a powerful emotion.

Dude I gotta slam that JJOKE junk in my veins all the time.

What we can expect if DiFiore is named chief judge

http://davidgrandeau.blogspot.com/2012/01/mark-twains-definition-of-insanity.html

And Cuomo wants to make her the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals?

Well at least her parking problems should be over.  Now about the nannygate rumors

Make no mistake I have applied

To JJOKE for the vacant position of executive director.

I spoke with several commissioners at the last JJOKE meeting and I called Holly Levy and Monica Stamm to formally apply, neither one took my call (memo to self fire Holly and ask Monica to promptly return my calls when I am the executive director).

To make sure my hat was officially in the ring I sent the following email today:

From: grandeau@ix.netcom.com

To: jcope@jcope.ny.gov

Cc: hhorner106@aol.com, bragg.chris@gmail.com, DDopp@plynchassociates.com, FLeBrun@TimesUnion.com, jvielkind@capitalnewyork.com, Letizia.Tagliafierro@jcope.ny.gov, Martin.Levine@jcope.ny.gov, Michael.Gormley@newsday.com, MVirtanen@ap.org

Subject: executive director

Date: Oct 23, 2015 10:14 AM

Attachments: 07+GRANDEAU+BROCHURE+08+ALL[1].pdf

I am applying for the position of executive director that you have posted.  I have already made my application known to Commissioners Jacobs, Cavullo, Weissman, Romeo and Levine.  I have also left a voicemail for Holly Levy and Monica Stamm notifying them of my application.  During the above referenced notifications I have informed you that I will not be providing a resume or writing samples.  As to the resume, you know who I am, if you don't just read this http://wamc.org/post/blair-horner-perfect-storm-ethics-reform#stream/0.  I am the formidable candidate Mr. Horner is referring to.  I will attach one of my promotional brochures if that helps with your bureaucratic needs.  As to writing samples you are directed to the written opinions of the Lobby Commission from 1995 until 2007, as I wrote them, or you can read my blog at www.davidgrandeau.com, something many of you already do.  Let me know when I can expect to be interviewed.   David Grandeau Now lets see if I get an interview.   Now for my many clients that might be unreasonably worried that I will be exiting my consulting practice. Not a chance.   First I am loyal, I would never leave a client.   Second I like my lifestyle I really really do and I would hate being a state employee again.   So you might reasonably ask why am I applying to be the executive director?   That answer is simple.   I am crazy and JJOKE doesn't have the balls to call my bluff.   Think of it this way I am playing poker with JJOKE and showing them my cards and they still will not win the hand.   If they don't offer me the job Blair Horner's insightful analysis comes true, whomever they give the job to better be a better choice than I am.   If they do offer me the job it will only be after the greatest interview ever reported on live by the Albany media. I guarantee a show and I have a lot of questions I want to ask JJOKE in front of an audience and I would get a chance to enter into a negotiation that would make Congressman Ryan blush.   And for those in the lobbying community that never retained me you better hurry up and hire me just in case. Think of that as ethical extortion. Or sarcasm for those of you who take this stuff too seriously   Now shuffle up and deal, because I am going all in.

Casey Seilor and monkey feces

Casey has an item today about some WSJ reporter who tweeted an inaccurate quote about Hillary Clinton which was then retweeted by a host of other tweeters, Casey included, until Casey pointed out the WSJ reporters error.  A big attaboy for that shining example of journalistic ethics by Casey.

Now it's no secret that Casey and I do not get along.  He is fixated on my lack of punctuation and I am fixated on his lack of talent as a reporter.  But this classic Casey piece where he takes the journalistic high ground, trying to make others feel inferior while reporting nothing of substance set off a bell in my head. 

Didn't Casey write something last week about JJOKE that sounded familiar?

So I went back and checked.  Casey reported on a JJOKE press release announcing midyear lobby data.  The JJOKE press release contained the following original material.

"As of June 30, 2015, there were 5,602 individual lobbyists reported on lobbyist registrations in New York State, representing 3,448 clients.

Of the approximately $131 million in total lobbying spending for January through June of 2015, approximately $101 million was spent on compensation to retained and in-house lobbyists, and $30 million in advertising, events, and other expenses. The top 10 professional lobbying firms received more than $35.3 million in total compensation and reimbursed expenses, led by Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, LLP, which received $5.5 million. The largest amount paid by a single client to a lobbyist was $531,000, which was paid by the French outdoor advertising company JCDecaux North America to Greenberg Traurig, LLP."

Casey's report was written as follows WITHOUT quotations:

Of the approximately $131 million in total lobbying spending for January through June of 2015, approximately $101 million was spent on compensation to retained and in-house lobbyists, and $30 million in advertising, events, and other expenses.

As of June 30, 2015, there were 5,602 individual lobbyists reported on lobbyist registrations in New York State, representing 3,448 clients.

The top 10 professional lobbying firms received more than $35.3 million in total compensation and reimbursed expenses, led by Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, LLP, which received $5.5 million. The largest amount paid by a single client to a lobbyist was $531,000, which was paid by the French outdoor advertising company JCDecaux North America to Greenberg Traurig, LLP.

As you can clearly see Casey did no original writing, he merely moved one sentence from the press release to the middle of his non original piece.

That is at a minimum about as lazy as you can get, at it's worst it is plagiarism, which should be a firing offense even at the Times Union.

Hey Casey maybe that monkey shit reporting works when you are in Burlington Vermont writing reviews of High School musicals, but when you cover JJOKE you need to at least use quotations.

And I'm the one that's comma challenged?

It's the people stupid!

UPDATE

A quick google search on plagiarism and press releases found the following:

"the Arizona State University’s Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication:
“A good reporter will use the press release as a starting point, going on to do his own reporting and gathering his own quotes. If you do use information from a press release, however, the rules of attribution apply.”"

That by the way is from an article in PRSAY titled "Of Press Releases and Plagiarism

Posted by Gerard Corbett in July 20th 2012"

 

Is that the proper way to use quotes Casey?

Volker is tone deaf on independence and ethics

Former Senator, Dale Volker presided over what may have been one of the most underwhelming public hearings on ethics ever held, and that is quite the accomplishment.  Ordinarily I would post a link for the readers to watch but I can not subject you to that.  If you want the link go to Chris Bragg's story in the Times Union http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/241851/jcope-review-chairman-says-he-asked-cuomo-for-staff/ and be prepared to waste a couple of hours, I did.

Bragg's article does point out though a very telling request made by Volker of Cuomo for staff to do the work of the JERKOFF commission.  Telling for several reasons.

First it should garner Volker an award for most tone deaf statement made by an independent review commission charged with determining if outside political influence has had a role at JJOKE.  I'm pretty sure Preet will not ask Shelly or Dean to borrow their staff to help in his investigation.  Nor would Spitzer ask Silda to use her credit card to book that hooker.  Now I admire Dale's honesty in telling us he did actually ask Cuomo for staff but COME ON MAN you can't be serious that you are so unaware of your role as to actually do that.

It makes my FOIL request for communications between JERKOFF and the Cuomo administration even more important.  Channeling Dale let me be honest, when I asked for those communications I was taking a shot in the dark, I didn't really believe JERKOFF would be foolish enough in this environment to have communications with Cuomo.  Now we know they did all that is left is too watch how far JERKOFF will go to cover it up.

After watching Dale complain about the lack of staff and amount of paper they have collected (and yes I will want to read every document) I know what Volker's next move is.  It will be the same one every other unpaid member of an ethics panel that steps on their dick does.  He will say they are volunteers and don't have the time or resources to do the job.  Big surprise.

Now it is left to some poor volunteers from New York Law School to write a report about an issue they have no real feeling for nor data to work with.  JJOKE is not a proper subject for a law review article. 

Mr. Volker save us all the trouble of reading a poorly researched, boring rewrite of the same old same old good government horseshit we've read before and just say that because of a lack of cooperation from JJOKE no report can be written.

IT'S THE PEOPLE DALE, including you.

Cancel the JERKOFF meeting Feerick proves my point

IT'S THE PEOPLE STUPID

Want more proof that I am right?

Read this story by Bill Mahoney

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2015/10/8579431/guide-what-jcope-review-commission-will-be-looking?top-featured-image

Both Blair Horner and John Feerick prove my point by their comments.

Blair states emphatically that “The thing that’s worked well when you have ethics boils down to two words — Preet Bharara,” said Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group."  Are you saying Blair that's it's the people stupid?  If Preet Bharara was running JJOKE would it still be the joke we all know it to be?  Of course not, Preet would make it work because IT'S THE PEOPLE STUPID.  Yet even knowing that IT'S THE PEOPLE STUPID the article notes that "Horner cited several changes that might improve the commission's efficiency, such as creating a smaller commission that includes members appointed by the attorney general and comptroller and making sure executive directors have not been “recycled through the legislative and executive branches.”   Here Blair goes again with that same old good government mantra that we need to change the structure have more transparency and somehow legislate the hiring process.  Enough already Blair.  You were wrong before you are wrong now and you will be wrong in the future.  Take some responsibility for your mistakes.  Admit that IT'S THE PEOPLE STUPID and use your time in front of the JERKOFF commission to endorse my candidacy for Executive Director of JJOKE.  You will not need to change the structure or the transparency I promise you I'll use the existing law to make JJOKE work, to make everything they do public and in my first official act will open an investigation into the commissioners and their malfeasance in office.  Or you can try to convince Preet to take the job.  I think I have a better chance of actually wanting to be Executive Director than Preet but at least you have recognized IT'S THE PEOPLE STUPID.

Now John Feerick's comments go even further to prove my point.  I've known John Feerick to be a hypocritical blowhard since the first time I met him.  I have heard that he is not nearly as sharp mentally as people used to think he was but his comments to Bill drove the point home IT'S THE PEOPLE STUPID.  Now remember, no matter how much the establishment wants you to believe that John Feerick has a sterling reputation as the gold standard of public ethics the facts say something completely different.  You wouldn't know it from Mahoney trotting out Feerick to comment on the job of being a JJOKE commissioner.  By the way citing Feerick as your source for a commissioners job is like asking Elliot Spitzer to be your expert on marital fidelity.  Feerick ran the Public Integrity Commission when his hand picked executive director, Herb Teitelbaum, covered up the fact that he was leaking information to the then governor Spitzer when Spitzer should have been the target of the troopergate scandal.  Instead Teitelbaum destroyed Darren Dopp's life and when presented with the true facts, John "gold standard" Feerick furthered the coverup until he resigned in disgrace.  John Feerick was more than a complete failure as the ethics czar under Spitzer, he was a willing participant in the corruption of New York's ethics agency that continues to this day.  With those facts in mind here is what Feerick said to Mahoney when asked about the job of being a commissioner "accept the criticisms that come and just hope that when it’s all over, you’ve got your reputation.”  If you think you have your reputation still John you need to stop deluding yourself.  Your reputation as an ethics reformer is pure shit, and always will be until you can explain your corrupt actions in troopergate and it's aftermath IT'S THE PEOPLE STUPID.

I've already said I knew Feerick was a hypocritical blowhard the first time I met him here's the story.  Feerick was announced as the incoming head of what would be the new combination of ethics and lobbying, I was still the executive director of lobbying and they announced another of the soon to be famous national searches to find someone to run the combined agency.  Feerick asked me to go to lunch with him and I accepted, knowing that he probably had marching orders from the whore fucker, who I had embarrassed in the Philip Morris case.  I did not think I had any chance of keeping my job no matter how many platitudes I received from the media and the good government groups but I went to get the measure of the "gold standard".  Even though it wasn't politically correct I asked the great man what were the qualities he was looking for in the next executive director and how were they different from what I had proven, over the last decade, I brought to the job.  He sat there with a look on his face like someone needed to change his diaper.  Absolute silence and the whiff of shit came off the great man, but not one word of explanation.  I knew immediately what kind of ethics chairman this doddering old fool would be.  And judging from his comments he hasn't changed that diaper yet. IT'S THE PEOPLE STUPID.

Feerick went on to praise Patty Salkin in Mahoney's article as “She’s really a very, very fine person. A commission with her is fortunate to have her"  I am almost positive that is exactly what he said about Herb Teitelbaum when he was hired and look how well that turned out. IT'S THE PEOPLE STUPID.  My experience and research about Patty is that she is a lightweight just following orders of the system that she and her family have come to rely upon.  (I dug up some more information on Patty but I'm going to wait for her reports release before I tell everyone about how  "A commission with her is fortunate to have her")  I love when hypocritical old blowhards keep making the same mistake, it proves my point IT'S THE PEOPLE STUPID.

And in case anyone watching the JERKOFF hearing today reads this  I still don't have any of the information that anyone would need to provide cogent testimony about JJOKE's work but don't let that stop you, your input proves my point 

IT'S THE PEOPLE STUPID

Always has been always will be it's actually a pretty simple answer.