We repeatedly see policies and proposals put forth with no rational basis aside from personal gain. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara may have exposed some of the more egregious examples of political corruption in the recent round of arrests, but in reality there are other pervasive and subtle forms of self-dealing which are doing long-term damage to the public interest.… [More]

My four terms in the Assembly will now forever be bookended by corruption cases. I was first elected in a special election in 2003, following the arrest and conviction for bribery of my predecessor, Gloria Davis. During my eight years in office, until my retirement from the Legislature in 2010, I did my utmost to remove the stain Davis had left upon the seat by regaining the people’s trust. Sadly, it is clear now that despite my best efforts, I… [More]

New Roosevelt, a good-government group led by progressive entrepreneur Bill Samuels, is launching another reform into the mix: a dedicated Legislature.… [More]

For the past eight years Assemblywoman Margaret Markey has introduced legislation to expand the statute of limitations for victims of sex abuse. The bill, which would allow child sex abuse victims to file lawsuits against their abusers, has failed to gain traction previously, but Markey believes a number of high-profile abuse cases in the Catholic Church and the Hasidic community, and an increased lobbying effort, will sway her colleagues and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “I really think the governor is open to it,” she said.… [More]

Legislators returned to Albany on Monday  and booted state Sen. Malcolm Smith from the Independent Democratic Conference two weeks after federal agents arrested him on bribery charges. “If [the Democrats] are willing to take him on, if they want to make him a part of their conference, they’re free to do so,” IDC spokesman Eric Soufer said. But the Democrats didn’t seem to want him either. “I don’t foresee that happening,” Senate Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said at a… [More]

Assemblyman Eric Stevenson was hauled away by the feds last week for taking bribes to write legislation for his constituents. His bill, which he drew up in February, would establish a moratorium on the construction of new adult day care centers. But Assemblywoman Joan Millman, who is chairwoman of the Assembly Aging Committee, said the bill is “certainly not going anywhere.” “We’re never going to bring it up,” she said. “I took a look at it [on Friday]. He didn’t circulate it. The… [More]

State Sen. Malcolm Smith woke up to FBI agents pounding on his door in Queens on Tuesday morning—and his colleagues in the Independent Democratic Conference woke up to a pounding headache. Federal prosecutors charged Smith with bribing New York City political officials in a quixotic bid to run for mayor on the Republican ballot, the latest in a steady stream of corruption cases flowing out of Albany. The elaborate alleged conspiracy and extortion plot also ensnared Queens Councilman Dan Halloran, two… [More]

Amid the chaos surrounding New York City Councilman Dan Halloran’s alleged involvement in a corruption and bribery scheme with state Sen. Malcolm Smith and two city GOP operatives, Halloran has to defend his Council seat from one of a slew of Democratic opponents. Two of them, former Cuomo administration employee Austin Shafran and urban planner Paul Graziano, put out statements about Halloran’s troubles. “These are serious and disturbing charges from the FBI which need to be prosecuted to the fullest… [More]

At a press conference announcing federal corruption charges against Democratic state Senator Malcom Smith and New York City Councilman Daniel Halloran, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara indicated that while the investigation is still ongoing, there is no evidence that state Sen. David Carlucci is in any way involved, as an earlier report had discussed. The criminal complaint says that Smith had been speaking to an undercover FBI agent posing as a wealthy real estate developer. Spring Valley Mayor Noramie Jasmin and… [More]

A lawsuit challenging the expansion of New York University received a boost yesterday when a judge agreed to review further documents that opponents say shows that the land the university plans to build on is designated park land and therefore requires the approval of the state Legislature before the expansion moves forward. As part of NYU’s plans to grow its campus, the city has designated several parcels of land on the blocks between LaGuardia Place and Mercer Street, and between… [More]