Sunday, January 29, 2012

Cleaning up Albany? Or just cleaning up?

From the NY Times:

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo defended his decision to participate in a closed-door discussion of infrastructure policy on Friday before an audience of deep-pocketed donors, some of whom paid $50,000 or more to attend, at the same time that his administration is preparing to accelerate billions of dollars of public works projects across New York State.

Neither Mr. Cuomo’s office nor the Democratic Governors Association would allow reporters to attend the panel, which was held in a meeting room at a hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Nor would the association immediately disclose who donated money to gain admittance to the event, which was part of a two-day conference it sponsored.

Over all, the gathering raised about $1 million to help support the election campaigns of Mr. Cuomo’s fellow Democratic governors. The session constituted a relatively standard fund-raiser for the association and groups like it, which can accept unlimited donations.

“I and other governors or elected officials are in rooms with people who do business with government all day long,” Mr. Cuomo said after the discussion.

“It’s this room, it’s every room you walk into,” he added. “There are people who do business with the state, and you have to be aware of that, and that’s why we have ethics laws and codes of conduct, et cetera.”

Mr. Cuomo spoke to reporters who had been restricted to the far end of a hallway where they could not see people entering and leaving. A representative of the association stood sentry.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

They can donate all the money they want and we can't even know who they are. Huh.
Democracy at it's finest. We're all in trouble now...

Anonymous said...

Cuomo's a mobster from a mobster family...political or otherwise!

The only way to clean up Albany is to put the Legislature on a purge diet.

Empty their bellies of all those deep pockets' campaign contributions.

99%? said...

They can donate all the money they want and we can't even know who they are. Huh.
Democracy at it's finest. We're all in trouble now...


That is why we need to open up new lines of information and new community building outside the established order.

Anonymous said...

Cuomo is cutting everything.........except welfare..........typical DemocRAT...

georgetheatheist said...
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georgetheatheist said...
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Anonymous said...

It used to be "three men in a room"- now it's as many as have deep enough pockets to get the attention of the catamite in chief. Nice Going,Chico Cuomo! Shameless pandering to moneyed interests coupled with shackling of the press.Nothing like a little transparent meritocracy,huh? Sunshine is the best disinfectant Throw open the shutters and throw the bums out.Republicans,Democrats,Tea Partiers, all the same BS when it comes down to it.Think we need a mic check around here!

Anonymous said...

#7... you are a fool or a dem. operative ?

any reporter with guts can file a F.O.I. request . but they will be blacklisted if they do by the dem. machine in nys.

the JUDICIAL WATCH .COM has been successful in legally forcing the obama adm. into transparency.

contact them ...

Anonymous said...

if one wants to know the story of how the very close relationship between TALK SHOW LEGEND BOB GRANT & GOV.MARIO CUOMO ended, ASK George ,the Atheist ?

Mario walked off his pals show ????? Never to return....

Anonymous said...

cuomo would not answer which bank in nyc cuomo deposited his leftover campaign fund donations from his election pursuit.

georgetheatheist said...

'strue. Mario, once Grant's bosom-buddy, hung up on Bob on air.

And this reminds me:

MARIO, SENTE MI. TU SEI PROPRIO UN

S-F-A-C-I-M!!!!!

(And he is.)