The cost of Klein’s earmarks

Long gone are the days when a politician could buy a person’s vote with a plump turkey or a handful of cash.

But unscrupulous politicians will always have their ways. In the case of state Sen. Jeff Klein, earmarks are his path to the community’s heart.

Last year, when he was running for re-election, The Press found he rained at least about $14 million in state funds on the district. Mr. Klein’s budgetary feats made headlines earlier this month, when the state Senate released data showing he had more access to a slush fund called the State and Municipal Facilities Program than any other legislator — $11,743,486 over the past three years.

Budgeting in Albany is a notoriously opaque process conducted by some three men in a room with no oversight from voters or even other politicians. Why Gov. Andrew Cuomo, former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and former state Sen. Co-leader Dean Skelos would divert more funds to Mr. Klein than any other lawmaker is obvious: they wanted to keep him in office so he could continue his alliance with Senate Republicans and preserve the balance of power in the capital.

The problems with the budgeting process, in which Mr. Klein has a starring role, lie at the core of the dysfunction in state government.

When legislative leaders dole out funds behind closed doors, there is no accountability for the spending. Instead of an open, competitive process to make sure the most needed projects get taxpayer dollars, top pols are free to shower funds to their own advantage.

Among the groups getting money through Mr. Klein, many are outstanding community organizations — Riverdale Neighborhood House, Riverdale Senior Services and Wave Hill, to name a few. While their staffs go above and beyond to serve residents, Mr. Klein gets to boast that he cut the check (witness mailings from his campaign committee or just about any of his frequent public appearances). We need a budget process that will let worthy organizations receive the funding they need without being at the mercy of self-interested elected officials.

In some cases, the influence of Mr. Klein’s funding is downright corrosive.