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The End of the Bad Old Days
New Yorkers experienced Albany at its worst last week, and, at the same time, got a glimpse of good things to come. First, the bad. The New York Post reported on the alleged efforts of Senate Majority Bruno and Governor Pataki to fire the executive director of the Lobbying Commission, David Grandeau. According to the Post, Lobbying Commission Chairperson Paul Shechtman, a gubernatorial appointee, has been dispatched to deliver the “hit” on Grandeau, under orders from Pataki and Bruno. The Post did not report any reasons why Grandeau was to be fired. That’s because there are no legitimate reasons. Grandeau has been widely praised by advocates and editorial boards alike for his efforts to boost oversight of lobbyists and to toughen ethics. If there is an effort to remove Grandeau, it is likely the result of his vigorous enforcement of the lobbying law, not the shirking of responsibilities. Grandeau has received deserved praise for his investigations such as the tobacco scandal of 1999, his visionary interpretations of his job that led to actions against Microsoft, Donald Trump, and Caesar’s Casinos, among others. During Grandeau’s time, the law has been continually strengthened and is now viewed as among the toughest – if not the toughest – lobbying law in the nation. In an era of New York State scandals and controversies, it has been the Lobbying Commission that did its job even when other so-called ethics enforcers were nowhere to be found. Of course, the Post report could be wrong about the conspiracy. One would hope so. If it were true that the governor and the senate majority leader are gunning for Grandeau as a result of his conscientious enforcement of the law, it would send a chilling message. The message would be clear: if you look out for the public’s interests, you risk your job; if you ignore misbehaviors, you will be protected. But all is not lost. Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer has pledged to bring a new standard of ethics to Albany. Last week, the governor-elect unveiled a package of executive actions designed to strengthen the executive branch’s ethics and to ensure greater public accountability. In addition, Spitzer committed to “Appoint a first-rate Inspector General, and give that office the resources it needs to pursue corruption without fear or favor.” Spitzer went on to say “The State Inspector General is one of the most important officials in state government, because the IG is responsible for investigating corruption, fraud and waste throughout the Executive Branch of government … No administration can claim that it is serious about reform unless it is willing to give the IG’s Office the resources needed to do its job effectively.” What a difference. The governor-elect pledged to not only appoint a high-caliber Inspector General, but said that the IG will be able to act “without fear or favor.” The governor-elect’s position stands in stark contrast to allegations reported in the Post. If the governor-elect delivers on his pledge, it means a new approach to ethics. It will result in a state government held to the highest ethical standards. It will mean that ethics enforcers will no longer need to look over their shoulder for fear of retribution for enforcing the law. All New Yorkers should hope that the governor-elect is able to deliver on his pledges. If he does, four years from now there will be more than one effective watchdog in Albany and New Yorkers will have a state government with ethics to be proud of. That’s all for now. I’ll be keeping an eye on the Capitol and will talk to you again next week. |
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