Published: November 15, 2009 12:43 am      

CHRISTY: The state Senate on trial

Every week, I try to write about something other than the incredibly ugly scene that is the New York Senate. It can get monotonous to continually dissect one facet of a horribly broken state government. There are so many things wrong with our state government that require attention.

But week after week, the state Senate returns to the headlines — and rarely in a small or insignificant way. And it seems that every week there is a Niagara connection to the nastiness going on across the state. This week, we learned that local state Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, is on the list of witnesses to be called at the corruption trial of disgraced former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno.

Most of us remember Bruno as the guy who quit his job three days before the end of the Legislative session a few years ago. He couldn’t even be bothered to work another 72 hours — a time when nearly all important decisions are made. But it turns out Bruno was more than a quitter; he was only a part-time state worker. The time it takes to be one of the three most powerful people in all of state government allowed him to become a consultant in an investment firm and manage other people’s money at the same time. He was also involved in land development, partnering with lobbyists.

The state Senate Republican caucus is a very close-knit group where everyone knows how the game is played and follows the rules. At any one time, there are at most about 35 members (30 as of this moment), and turnover is glacial. Once a senator, always a senator, is the golden rule. The content of this trial is a surprise to no one who is even tangentially involved in state government. The big news is that Bruno was indicted at all.

The Bruno trial is about theft-of-services. According to the New York Times, Bruno was “indicted under a federal anti-corruption statute that makes it a crime to deprive citizens of ‘honest services’ from their elected officials.”

Bruno personally received $3.2 million in consultant fees and gifts for his work managing other people’s money. About $10 million of that managed money came from Laborers Local 91, and the union official who is doing 15 years in prison for labor racketeering has testified that the money was deposited specifically with Bruno to win favors and contracts.

Looking beyond the immediate disgust of these charges, what the heck is any state legislator doing running some other business? Shouldn’t being a state official be a full-time job? New York is perhaps the worst run, highest-taxed state in the country. Bruno had a side job consulting on finances and land speculation. Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver is a partner in a personal accident law firm in Manhattan and consistently refuses to reveal his compensation.

What this means locally, if Maziarz is called to testify, is that he will be in the awkward position of having to admit that Local 91 acted in its best interest because “that’s how the game is played” or testify that he knew nothing of the investment. If he knew how the “game” — that is the management of your tax dollars — is played, and did nothing to stop it, then what will that mean? As a former chairman of the Senate Labor committee, his testimony will be closely watched, as the crux of this case involves money not only from a labor organization, but one that is located in Niagara County.

Again, we must keep in mind that Bruno is not on trial for having a couple of side jobs or for taking millions of dollars in fees from a Niagara County labor union. All of that is not even a question. The only question is whether he was expected to do favors for the union.

Downsizing is the buzzword of the electorate these days. People want less government — but does that necessarily mean they deserve less elected representation? With the trial of Bruno, we’re getting a peek into the world of government where very few people call all the shots and spend all the money. It’s not only an ugly picture but a potentially illegal one. People may want to think twice before begging powerbrokers inside of government to have fewer people controlling things.

Tom Christy is the founder of FAIR Government, a non-political and non-editorial educational foundation dealing with local government issues. The Web site is www.fair-government.org. He encourages communication and can be reached via e-mail at aim1986@mac.com.