Business as usual in Albany

To the editor,

 Elected officials are usually never shy around a camera or microphone.  There are good reasons why yesterday’s loyal friends of Silver overnight morphed into long-lost acquaintances. You will be hard pressed to find any who will serve as character witnesses on behalf of Silver during his upcoming trial. They will now genuflect to Democratic State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for “party favors.” It is now Heastie rather than Silver who will determine their share of the ill-gotten gains.

Loyal  Assembly members followed the advice of their respective Democratic Party County chairmen and voted for the candidate they sponsored, who ended up being Carl Heastie. In return, everyone  shared in the spoils of victory. Besides the speaker’s office, there are chairs of various Assembly committees and subcommittees, employment opportunities for both the speaker’s office and various supplemental staff assigned to Assembly members along with the usual lulus for chairing Assembly committees and subcommittees along with funding for future member items. 

These lulus range from several thousand dollars up to $41,500 for Speaker Heastie.  This can result in a salary of $121,000 per year. Everyone will continue to share in supplemental day-to-day meal expense accounts and reimbursement for travel to and from Albany.

Speakers come and go, but it will be business as usual in Albany with taxpayers picking up the tab. 

Larry Penner