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Nick Reisman
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Posts by Nick Reisman
DiNapoli: Inmates Received $36K In Improper Benefits
May 4th - 10:06 am
An inquiry found that the Workers Compensation Board paid out $36,000 in improper benefits to state prison inmates, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office this morning announced.
DiNapoli’s office also found that an additional 193 nimates may have been wrongly compensated, but their benefits were paid out by private insurance companies, but the comptroller’s examiners couldn’t receive access to those payment records.
“Simply stated, inmates serving felony time are not entitled to a dime of workers’ compensation benefits. These payments are indefensible and should have been stopped,” DiNapoli said. “The Workers’ Compensation Board owes it to businesses and taxpayers to put stronger internal controls in place. New York state businesses can’t afford to pay higher insurance premiums to cover the cost of these inappropriate payments.”
In a letter to the Workers Compensation Board Chairman Robert Beloten, DiNapoli’s office recommends a set of internal controls, including cross-checking of claims and double-checking of social security numbers for claimants.
Fidler’s Modest Lead (Updated)
May 3rd - 7:03 pm
Democratic Senate candidate Lew Fidler has a 87-vote lead in the endless, too-close-to-call special election to replace former Sen. Carl Kruger.
Fidler’s campaign announced this evening that the ongoing recanvassing gave the city councilman 11,050 votes to David Storobin’s 10,963.
But as Colin Campbell at The NYO ably documented today, Democrats are trying to torpedo any chance of Storobin has of working in Albany in a lawsuit that claims a GOP staffer, Alla Pometko, intentionally collected more than 100 fraudulent ballots.
Both sides were in court today as the recount continued in Brooklyn.
From the Fidler campaign:
“Today, the Board of Elections was finally able to proceed with the long-delayed vote count after Mr. Storobin withdrew the bulk of his bogus challenges to lawfully cast ballots. The result is clear: the voters chose Lew Fidler to be our State Senator.
“While Mr. Storobin’s illegal voting scheme is still being heard in court, it is clear that the majority of lawfully cast ballots were cast for Lew Fidler.
“Lew continues to look forward to the swift conclusion of this count so he can get to work in Albany fighting for our community
From Storobin’s campaign manager, David Simpson:
“There are still more than 130 ballots yet to be counted, almost all of which we expect will be cast for David Storobin and will make him the winner.”
“These ballots are being held up in court by Mr. Fidler’s legal team in an attempt to steal this election by disenfranchising Russian voters on a bogus fraud claim.”
“These votes were cast legally in accordance with election law governing absentee ballots, and we’re proving that in court.”
“After the Fidler campaign exhausts it’s legal maneuvering and the court orders those ballots to be counted, Mr. Fidler’s premature victory claim is going to make him look pretty silly.”
Jacobs Signs On To Pro-Gay Marriage Plank
May 3rd - 3:52 pm
New York Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs sign on to the national campaign that’s pushing for a plank at this summer’s Charlotte convention supporting same-sex marriage rights.
“Nearly a year ago, New Yorkers stood united in supporting full marriage equality for all loving and committed families, and Democrats led the way,” said Jacobs in a statement provided by the campaign, Freedom To Marry. “We now see first-hand how marriage improves the lives of gay couples and their families, and strengthens businesses and communities throughout the Empire State. Marriage equality is simply the right thing to do, and that’s why I strongly believe that the Democratic Party should stand united for a freedom to marry plank in our national Democratic Party platform.”
Jacob’s support for the plank is both interesting and significant.
The New York State Democratic Party’s leader is essentially Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been credited as the driving force behind last year’s successful same-sex marriage effort. Cuomo said late last year at an Empire State Pride Agenda awards ceremony that the New York law should lead the nation to a wave of legalization for gay couples.
“And we need marriage equality in every state in this nation, otherwise no state really has marriage equality,” he said at the time. “And we will not rest until it is a reality.”
The passage of same-sex marriage in New York instantly made Cuomo a contender for the 2016 presidential election, though he has reportedly sought no role at this summer’s convention.
President Obama, who will be renominated at the convention, has said his views on same-sex marriage are “evolving,” though it is a position that’s shifted for him over the years.
Polls have shown that public support for same-sex marriage has increased by leaps and bounds over the last several years.
“Today still more Democratic Party leaders, including New York state party chair Jay Jacobs, joined Freedom to Marry’s call for a freedom to marry plank in the Party Platform. These state party chairs know that at its best the Democratic Party fights for freedom, fairness, and families,” said Evan Wolfson, founder and President of Freedom to Marry.
AG Wants To Retire Thoroughbred Retirement Board
May 3rd - 3:20 pm
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman today filed suit today to remove the board of the financially troubled Thoroughbred Retirement Board, saying that the non-profit’s leadership has failed to protect vulnerable race horses.
“New York and the nation need the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation to succeed. But unfortunately, TRF’s board has driven this vital organization into the ground, threatening its mission and the very horses it is supposed to protect,” Schneiderman said in a statement. “Despite my Office’s efforts to encourage reform, TRF’s current directors have proven incapable of turning around the dire situation they have created. The time has come to give new leadership a chance.”
Schneiderman’s office says an investigation has found “numerous horses” at farms run by the TRF have suffered neglect and insufficent feed, along with failure to provide treatment to injured horses.
The board has also taken on $1.5 million in debt and improperly used the endowment fund to shore up its finances, Schneiderman said.
The attorney general’s office added that the TRF’s board was unwilling to make changes to structure over the last five years. At least 25 directos have resigned over the last five years, decided not to be re-elected or have been asked to leave.
Schneiderman’s office will also look into whether there is any need to inspect TRF farms and determine whether there is a need to intervene in order to protect horses.
Bruno Lawyers: Indictment ‘Exactly The Same’
May 3rd - 3:02 pm
The indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court is essentially the same case the Department of Justice brought against former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno nearly three years ago, his attorneys charged after the 83-year-old’s courtroom appearance today.
“We haven’t a had a chance to thoroughly review it, but skimming through it, it appears to exactly the same indictment that Joe Bruno went to trial on the last time except for failure to disclose, the words bribery and kickbacks have been substituted,” said William Dreyer, an attorney representing Bruno in the case.
Bruno did not speak following his brief appearance in court, where he entered a not guilty plea. The Rensselaer County Republican strolled past reporters outside of the federal courthouse in Albany and sat in a tinted SUV reading the indictment while his lawyers spoke.
Troy-based attorney E. Stewart Jones went further, blasting the government — as he has before — that the DOJ is unfairly targeted an elderly former public servant.
If you look at the indictment, the allegations are eight years old to six and a half years old. There is no truth to what is in that indictment. There was never a bribe, there was never a kickback. This indictment will never be proven because there is no factual truth to the allegations. As Bill has said, they’ve basically taken the old indictment and they’ve changed the language to get around the prohibition from the United States Supreme Court. Joe Bruno is 83 years of age. He is a father, he is a grandfather, he is a great-grandfather. He is no longer in public.
He added: “Joe Bruno does not deserve this. He’s done no wrong, he’s done no harm, he’s done nothing but good for this community his entire life and the government won’t let go because they can’t tolerate someone standing up to him.”
The indictment today charges that Bruno “routinely met with various individuals and representatives of groups who asked that defendant Joseph L. Bruno take action benefitting their interests regarding legislative, funding, contract, and regulatory issues pending before the New York State Legislature.”
The indictment also rehases his ties to business Jared Abbruzzese, the Bruno friend and businessman who received a half-million dollars in public grants.
Cuomo Not ‘Exceptionally Optimistic’ On Minimum Wage
May 3rd - 1:49 pm
Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters at his Red Room news conference this morning that he thought it was “dubious” a minimum wage increase would pass this year in the face of Republican opposition in the state Senate.
Cuomo, who again reiterated that he has supported past increases, expressed doubt that the measure would be approved.
“The conversations on the minimum wage are ongoing,” Cuomo said. “As I’ve said before, at this point there’s a philosophical difference in the Legislature on the minimum wage, but I wouldn’t be exceptionally optimistic on the minimum wage.”
On Susan Arbertter’s Capitol Pressroom show yesterday, that the hike “would be in order” this year.
Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, wants to increase the wage from $7.25 to $8.50 a hour and then tie to the rate of inflation.
But today, with Silver sitting next to him in the Red Room, Cuomo said the likelihood of passage is in doubt.
“I’ve usually supported the concept on the minimum wage. That’s a different question than rather I think it will get this year,” Cuomo said.
Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos has said he considers the bill a “job killer” and told reporters earlier in the week he didn’t think Silver’s bill would pass his conference.
Skelos wants to push through a package of tax credits and cuts for businesses, which he said would be unveiled sometime this month.
But his comments come as the New York Catholic Conference, led by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, calls for a “modest” minimum wage hike this year.
The conference says in a statement released widely this morning that the Legislature and governor should “come together for some sort of action toaddress the grave problems facing the lowest wageearners in our state.”
Name-Dropping Al Smith And Robert Moses
May 3rd - 12:52 pm
It’s no secret that one of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s models is Al Smith, the bombastic Democratic governor from the 1920s who reshaped the state’s bureaucracy.
If Nelson Rockefeller is the father of the modern New York state government, then Al Smith is certainly its grandfather. 
But as Jimmy Vielkind at CapCon aptly pointed out at today’s news conference unveiling the NY Works Task Force, Smith relied on Robert Moses, the controversial master builder who remade New York through a system of bridges, byways and highways.
As anyone who has read Robert Caro’s history of Moses, Jimmy pointed out that he has been criticized for using a “ramrod” to get his projects through.
Given that, will the NY Works Task Force operate in the light of day?
The question resulted in a reflective comment from Cuomo, who seemed to disagree with the contention that Moses resorted to a “ramrod” approach. The answer provided a good insight into how Cuomo views government’s role and leveraging of power.
It’s also worth noting that Caro met with Cuomo back in December, according to his official schedule.
“The point of Al Smith and his ability to manage the government just on this point I thought was profound, especially coming in the door because in many ways that’s enemy number one. The misamangement the atrophy of state government that has been years in the making…that’s what Al Smith was all about.
…
People trusted Al Smith. They trusted the government’s capacity and integrity. There are ways for government to get things done without using a ramrod, obviously. Your characterization that Mr. Moses used a ramrod — other people would disagree with that characterization, but it was yours. But the consultation and the process shouldn’t be paralyzing. You know, government needs to work, society needs to be able to replace a bridge.”
Smith’s portrait hung in the governor’s Red Room, his ceremonial office, up until recently when it was moved to the refurbished Hall of Governors.
Let’s Check In With Pedro Espada
May 2nd - 5:01 pm
Sushi lover, love-letter essayist, Mamaroneck resident and erstwhile Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada, on trial for bilking the state out of millions of dollars in Medicaid money from his Soundview health clinics, delivered an anti-Andrew Cuomo following his courtroom appearance today.
Jurors began deliberating the case on Monday.
The governor, who as attorney general filed a civil lawsuit against Espada over siphoning $14 million from his health clinics for meals and other personal perks, “has been given carte blanche to do anything he wants” said Espada.
“That is as dangerous as it gets,” Espada said.
The former Bronx lawmaker, protected from the rain by an rather tough-looking customer holding an umbrella, spoke to reporters following his appearance in federal court in Brooklyn, where is facing corruption charges. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Espada, decked out in a matching pink tie and pocketfold, later lapsed into a Yoda-like syntax: “He’s worse than the steamroller. He has no moral compass, Mr. Cuomo does. He operates in the shadows.”
How They Voted On Bullet Aid Reso
May 2nd - 4:38 pm
Here’s a rundown of how the Senate voted on yesterday’s bullet aid resolution that distributed $9.9 million to school districts in Republican-held territory.
The voted netted the support of 12 Democrats (not counting the four-member IDC), despite the conference’s bitter opposition to the proposal.
There was a little confusion earlier today over Sen. Dan Squadron’s recorded no vote on the contentious budget resolution.
The Brooklyn Democrat had originally said he would vote in favor of the measure on the floor, declaring to Long Island Sen. Lee Zeldin: “I will vote yes on this resolution because I support Senator Zeldin’s children.”
A Senate official claimed Squadron had intended to vote against the proposal and later clarified to the journal clerk.
Video of the whole debate, which starts at the 2:45 mark is below.
Long: No Bending On Taxes
May 2nd - 3:18 pm
Republican Senate hopeful Wendy Long said in an interview that she was “surprised” and “saddened” that Rep. Bob Turner had suggested a broader compromise on the nation’s debt and deficit issues that may include raising taxes.
“We have to be unwavering on that,” Long said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. “I do not think you compromise on principle. You compromise on the margin of things, but you don’t compromise on a fundamental principle.”
Long, an attorney from New York City who has the backing of the state Conservative Party, is locked in a three-way GOP primary to take on Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in the fall along side Turner and Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos.
Turner told me in an interview Tuesday morning that while he voted for the latest version of the Paul Ryan budget — which includes deep cuts to socials service spending — he expects a compromise on revenue-generators might be needed.
“I’m trying to duck that specific, but we’re going to have to do what has to be done,” Turner said. “This is a very serious problem. We cannot stand on certain principles that are inflexible. Everybody’s going to have to bend somewhere. The job is too big and too important.”
Appearing alongside Liz later on Capital Tonight, Turner clarified a bit, saying:
“There’s no one that wants to raise taxes in a down economy that will hurt business and job growth. We all understand that. We have an enormous deficit and overspending problem. We will have to come together on both sides of the aisle to solve this and I think we have to signal a certain flexibility. I don’t know what that’s going to be… what I’m saying is let’s not dig in, put ourselves in a position where we can’t move forward.
But Long called that a “major difference that’s now emerging in the Senate primary.”
“I had thought that Bob was where I was and that’s opposed to any tax increase,” she said.
Asked if she would back Ryan’s budget, Long did not want to get into specific aspects of the plan, which has tripped up previous Republican candidates.
“Certainly something on the broad outline of the principles of the Ryan plan is the right way to go and that is, as he says, we have to get off the path of debt and decline and we have to get on the path of freedom and opportunity… I think the fundamental approach of the Ryan plan is sound,” she said. “Since I’m not a legislator yet I don’t have to be voting on every little detail of it.”
Asked which detials of the plan she likes versus that ones that she would jettison, Long stayed general.
“Nothing specific,” she said. “I definitely agree that we have to cut taxes and cut spending except for defense. With that broad stroke principle that is in the Ryan budget I totally agree with.”
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