GOP members charge extortion

From the NY Post:

City Councilman Eric Ulrich is demanding an investigation into claims that Queens GOP leaders milked candidates “for financial gain.”

His call comes amid mounting criticism of the county party from prominent Republicans, including former Rep. Rick Lazio, Rep. Bob Turner and ex-Councilman and party honcho Thomas Ognibene.

“The District Attorney’s Office or the US Attorney’s Office should look into these issues because they’re deeply troubling,” Ulrich said. “These con artists have been playing this game for far too long.”

Several Queens Republican sources said it’s commonly known that if candidates want the party’s nomination, they’ll have to pay — whether it’s in the form of hefty contributions to the party or fees to the party’s consultants.

One high-ranking Republican familiar with the allegations against the Queens GOP leadership said Ragusa is a “decent guy” but has surrounded himself with “operatives who make a living off this.”

Congressman Turner said he was dismayed when the Queens leadership delayed his nomination last year for the special vote arising from the Anthony Weiner sext scandal.

“They were hesitant, and it cost us two weeks of campaigning for what every other political professional thought was a no-brainer,” he said. “Their reasons for doing it were suspect.”

Turner said he was approached by Jay Golub, a consultant for Queens political candidates.

“I think his play was that I could clear up the nomination process by using him,” Turner recalled. “The conversation didn’t last long . . . I didn’t like where it was going.”

Golub said he was “just trying to help Bob.”

“I was never hired by the Turner campaign,” he said.

You are who your friends are

From the Daily News:

Andrew Cuomo has made breaking the special interests' hold on Albany a hallmark of his campaign for governor.

But the man he handpicked to run the state Democratic Party calls some of these same special interests clients.

Charlie King eagerly took on the role of the Cuomo campaign's chief attack dog.

Yet he's maintained his stake in lobbying and consulting firms that represent New York's largest beer distributor, a technology firm and a gaming company.

King also continues to serve as a paid consultant to the Rev. Al Sharpton, who was dismayed by Cuomo's decision to tap Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy as his lieutenant governor. Sharpton balked at the all-white statewide Democratic ticket.

King took over the post of state Democratic Party executive director in April at Cuomo's request. Since then, he's repeatedly assailed the Republican gubernatorial designee, Rick Lazio, for being a "Wall Street lobbyist" who has so far refused to release his tax returns.

Lazio, a former Long Island congressman, took an unpaid leave from JPMorgan Chase, where he had once worked as a lobbyist, before announcing his candidacy in September 2009.

King was also a registered lobbyist until accepting his paid party position just three months ago.

Candidates say no to gerrymandering

From the Daily News:

New York has become a State of Shame largely because lawmakers have rigged the system to solidify their hold on office.

They make it extraordinarily difficult for challengers to get on the ballot. They take advantage of lax campaign finance rules to amass huge war chests. They use public moneys to make grants that buy local support.

And, when the census is completed every 10 years, they ruthlessly exploit the redrawing of lines for Senate, Assembly and congressional districts for partisan and personal advantage.

The commitments won by Koch from expected Democratic contender Andrew Cuomo and Republicans Rick Lazio, Steve Levy and Carl Paladino are aimed at preventing legislators from engaging in this abuse.

The lawmakers elected this November must know that business as usual is not an option when they next draw the lines in 2012. They must hear that the days of overstuffing some districts with voters and understuffing others are over. That drawing bizarre boundaries to protect buddies and maximize party power will not be tolerated.

Governor's race about to get more interesting

From the NY Times:

A governor’s race that seemed all but settled could soon be upended again, by a popular Democrat from Long Island who is planning to switch parties, a move certain to excite Republican leaders pessimistic about their party’s hopes this fall.

Those leaders believe that the official, Steve Levy, a blunt-spoken fiscal hawk and contrarian who collected 96 percent of the vote in his last re-election bid, can tap into the public’s anti-incumbent sentiment and frustration with Albany’s overspending.

“There really seems to be a void out there that I can fit perfectly,” Mr. Levy said, describing Albany’s political culture as a “cesspool.”

“We’ve got to clean house, tear that place down and build it back in a cleaner, more efficient manner,” he added.

There is no question that Mr. Levy would add unpredictability to the race. He is known not only for his Puritan work ethic and stubborn frugality but also for his occasionally incendiary comments, especially on immigration. His detractors say he has stoked the anger of the largely white middle-class residents of Suffolk County, which is grappling with an influx of immigrants who are straining the social service system.

In 2005, Mr. Levy helped orchestrate a highly publicized raid on a house in Brookhaven, where the authorities rounded up dozens of suspected illegal immigrants. He once described foreign women who give birth after moving to the United States as having “anchor babies,” a term often used derisively by anti-immigrant groups. Asked in a recent interview whether he might have chosen his words more carefully, he was unapologetic. “There’s no need to,” he said. “The public is in agreement with me.”

His tendency to say what he believes is what he thinks voters find appealing about him. “I mean, I came out of nowhere for a lot of people,” he said. “And when they started paying attention to what I was saying, it’s like: ‘Wow. This guy is saying what I’ve been thinking for years.’ ”

In the county, he has reduced spending throughout the $2.6 billion budget, through steps like doing away with county vehicles, authorizing fewer hires of county employees and leaving unfilled positions vacant. He has fiercely battled public employee unions, and says he will do the same if he goes to Albany.

Holy shit! Where do I send my check?

Lazio may run for governor

Former Representative Rick Lazio, a Long Island Republican who rose to prominence by challenging Hillary Rodham Clinton in her first Senate race, is exploring the possibility of running for governor next year.

In recent weeks, Mr. Lazio, who retired from Congress in 2000, has had conversations with Republican elected officials, party leaders and fund-raisers to discuss the pros and cons of a possible candidacy, according to three people he has consulted about the race.

Lazio Said to Mull Run for Governor