The Capitol Connection w/o 072213

ALBANY, NY (07/22/2013)(readMedia)-- Usually, the governor and the Legislature resolve their differences and go home for vacations. This year, the heat outside and inside the government has gone up, way up. To reprise, the governor wanted his way with the Legislature and unlike the beginning of their relationship in which the Legislature cowered, the situation has changed. When the governor wanted to "clean up Albany," and said so, he asked for a laundry list of reforms. One of them was for the people to pay for campaign financing. The Democrats in the Assembly said yes but the Republicans under Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, said "no." Republicans are thought to have more money and they don't want to make things easier for those who don't. In fact, one part of the IPP, Incumbent Protection Plan, is to make sure that people who want things from the Legislature pay for it through campaign contributions. The minute that Harry the Barber can run for office on the people's money the whole system is thrown out of kilter, don't you see? Even the governor, with all his plans for a fairer system has raised almost $29 million in his political war chest. Well, when the Legislature raised its middle finger and told the governor that it wouldn't do what he wanted, the battle was on. The governor had blood in his eye. Andrew would take his revenge.

Well, we all know that Prince Andrew doesn't like to take no for an answer and he announced the formation of a Moreland Act Commission which would study the role that money plays in the political system. What's more, the governor made common cause with the Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, who he has not always played well with, and had the members of his Moreland Act Commission deputized as assistant attorney generals much like Wyatt Earp was also a deputy U.S. marshall that allowed him increased jurisdiction. That gave the Moreland Act Commission people a chance to look further into the coordinate legislative branch of government. A very clever move.

One of the reasons that the governor's Moreland Act Commission is so interesting is that he previously took great credit for getting everyone to agree to yet another ethics commission that would look over everyone (the Legislature and the executive branch) which was a major advance since in the old days the Legislature appointed a do nothing commission as their ethics watchdog. That JCOPE group has received very bad grades for their work up to now, so bad that they are being called "J-Joke."

Well, wouldn't you know that the new Moreland Act Commission has written to the earlier JCOPE ethics board warning them not to destroy any messages, electronic or verbal that they may have in their possession? The governor who wanted to be known as Mr. Transparency had already announced that his agencies would be destroying e-mail that was more than thirty days old. Why would he do that? Since the legislative leaders appoint many of the members of the JCOPE Board this is interesting stuff because (heaven forbid) there might be communication between the ethics board and the people they were supposed to be watching.

The question, of course, is whether the Moreland Act Commission appointed by the governor will do the governor's bidding or whether they will take their job seriously to uncover corruption and go where the trail leads them. They will, of course, be following the money. Most people give politicians money because they want something. For example, the governor has collected almost $29 million. Will the Moreland Act Commission try to figure out who gave him money and why? Ditto who gave the Legislature folks money and why? Or, will the Moreland Act group take a fall, do little or nothing and make the people even more cynical about their politicians than they already are. I'd love to see the Moreland Act group blow the top off the place but I am a pretty cynical fellow. But I can hope.