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What Are You Going to Do About It? Ethics and Corruption Issues in The
What Are You Going to Do About It? Ethics and Corruption Issues in the New York State Constitution By Bennett Liebman Government Lawyer in Residence “What Are You Going to Do About It?” Ethics and Corruption Issues in the New York State Constitution By Bennett Liebman Government Lawyer in Residence Government Law Center Albany Law School Edited by Andrew Ayers and Michele Monforte April 2017 Cover image: “The Prevailing Candidate, or the Election carried by Bribery and the Devil,” attributed to William Hogarth, circa 1722. It depicts a candidate for office (with a devil hovering above him) slipping a purse into a voter’s pocket, while the voter’s wife, standing in the doorway, listens to a clergyman who assures her that bribery is no sin. Two boys point to the transaction, condemning it. Image courtesy of the N.Y. Public Library. Explanation of the image is drawn from the Yale Library; see http://images.library.yale.edu/walpoleweb/oneitem.asp?imageId= lwlpr22449. CONTENTS I. Introduction ....................................................................... 3 II. Ethics Provisions in the State Constitution ........ 5 A. Extant Ethics Provisions in the Constitution .............. 5 B. Banking and Ethics ....................................................... 6 C. The Canal System and Ethics ..................................... 11 D. Bribery and Ethics....................................................... 15 E. Free Passes, Rebates, and Ethics ............................... 23 III. Restrictions on the Authority of the State Legislature -
John J. Marchi Papers
John J. Marchi Papers PM-1 Volume: 65 linear feet • Biographical Note • Chronology • Scope and Content • Series Descriptions • Box & Folder List Biographical Note John J. Marchi, the son of Louis and Alina Marchi, was born on May 20, 1921, in Staten Island, New York. He graduated from Manhattan College with first honors in 1942, later receiving a Juris Doctor from St. John’s University School of Law and Doctor of Judicial Science from Brooklyn Law School in 1953. He engaged in the general practice of law with offices on Staten Island and has lectured extensively to Italian jurists at the request of the State Department. Marchi served in the Coast Guard and Navy during World War II and was on combat duty in the Atlantic and Pacific theatres of war. Marchi also served as a Commander in the Active Reserve after the war, retiring from the service in 1982. John J. Marchi was first elected to the New York State Senate in the 1956 General Election. As a Senator, he quickly rose to influential Senate positions through the chairmanship of many standing and joint committees, including Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on the City of New York. In 1966, he was elected as a Delegate to the Constitutional Convention and chaired the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitutional Issues. That same year, Senator Marchi was named Chairman of the New York State Joint Legislative Committee on Interstate Cooperation, the oldest joint legislative committee in the Legislature. Other senior state government leadership positions followed, and this focus on state government relations and the City of New York permeated Senator Marchi’s career for the next few decades. -
A Tribute to the Fordham Judiciary: a Century of Service
Fordham Law Review Volume 75 Issue 5 Article 1 2007 A Tribute to the Fordham Judiciary: A Century of Service Constantine N. Katsoris Fordham University School of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/flr Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Constantine N. Katsoris, A Tribute to the Fordham Judiciary: A Century of Service, 75 Fordham L. Rev. 2303 (2007). Available at: https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/flr/vol75/iss5/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by FLASH: The Fordham Law Archive of Scholarship and History. It has been accepted for inclusion in Fordham Law Review by an authorized editor of FLASH: The Fordham Law Archive of Scholarship and History. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Tribute to the Fordham Judiciary: A Century of Service Cover Page Footnote * This article is dedicated to Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman appointed ot the U.S. Supreme Court. Although she is not a graduate of our school, she received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Fordham University in 1984 at the dedication ceremony celebrating the expansion of the Law School at Lincoln Center. Besides being a role model both on and off the bench, she has graciously participated and contributed to Fordham Law School in so many ways over the past three decades, including being the principal speaker at both the dedication of our new building in 1984, and again at our Millennium Celebration at Lincoln Center as we ushered in the twenty-first century, teaching a course in International Law and Relations as part of our summer program in Ireland, and participating in each of our annual alumni Supreme Court Admission Ceremonies since they began in 1986. -
Robert F. Pecorella
1 The Two New Yorks Revisited: The City and The State Robert F. Pecorella On February 3, 1997, five members of the New York State Assembly from upstate districts introduced a concurrent resolution petitioning Congress to allow the division of New York into two states. The proponents defended the resolution in the following terms: “Due to the extreme diversity of New York State, it has become almost ungovernable. It is extremely difficult to write good law which is fair to all concerned when you have areas a diverse as Manhattan and Jefferson County, for instance.”1 This was certainly not the first proposal for geographical division of New York State, and it is unlikely that it will be the last. Regardless of whether the idea emanates from upstate or from New York City, it stands as a sym- bolic gesture of intense political frustration. People from New York City and people from other areas of the state and their political representatives often view each other with emotions ranging from bemusement to hostility. “Rural folk and city dwellers in many countries and over many centuries have viewed each other with fear and suspicion. [T]he sharp differences—racial, reli- gious, cultural, political—between New York City and upstate have aggra- vated the normal rural-urban cleavages.”2 As creations of modernity, cities challenge traditional culture by incubat- ing liberal social and political attitudes; as the nation’s most international city, New York represents the greatest challenge to the traditions of rural life. “From its earliest times . New York was a place of remarkable ethnic, cultural, and racial differences.”3 The differences between people in New York City and those in the rest of the state are both long-standing and easily summarized: city residents have been and are less Protestant, more ethnically diverse, more likely to be foreign-born, and far more likely to be Democrats than people in the rest of the state. -
The Tragedy of Transportation: Underfunding Our Future Richard Ravitch Former Lieutenant Governor, New York
The Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center and the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy present THE ALAN M. VOORHEES DISTINGUISHED LECTURE Monday, November 11, 2013, 5:00 p.m. Special Events Forum, Civic Square Building The Tragedy of Transportation: Underfunding our Future Richard Ravitch Former Lieutenant Governor, New York Richard Ravitch is a lawyer, businessman, and public official who has been engaged in private and public business for more than 50 years. Mr. Ravitch is drawn to public service as a lifelong New Yorker. Educated at Columbia College and Yale Law School, he has become known as “Mr Fix-It” because of his “renaissance man” abilities to problem solve difficult problems. In 2012, he co-chaired the New York State Budget Crisis Task Force. He served as Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York from 2009 to 2010. Prior to his appointment as Lieutenant Governor, Mr. Ravitch served as chairman of the New York State Urban Development Corporation, the Bowery Savings Bank, HRH Construction Corporation, and AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust. He also was called upon by Major League Baseball to negotiate a labor agreement on behalf of the owners. Mr. Ravitch was also selected by Governor Hugh Carey to lead the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 1979 during the agency’s most troubled time. He is widely credited as having been the catalyst for the restoration of the MTA in subsequent years. A reception will follow the lecture. Please RSVP by Friday, November 1 to Stephanie Kose by phone at 848-932-2832 or by e-mail to [email protected]. -
Dean Skelos and Adam Skelos, Defenda
Case 1:15-cr-00317-KMW Document 166 Filed 03/23/16 Page 1 of 49 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK United States of America, - v. - S1 15 Cr 317 (KMW) Dean Skelos and Adam Skelos, Defendants. SENTENCING MEMORANDUM FOR DEAN SKELOS G. Robert Gage, Jr. Joseph B. Evans Gage Spencer & Fleming LLP 410 Park Avenue, Suite 900 New York, New York 10022 (212) 768-4900 Attorneys for Dean Skelos Case 1:15-cr-00317-KMW Document 166 Filed 03/23/16 Page 2 of 49 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................. i TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ......................................................................................................... iii INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................1 BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................................2 I. Personal Background ...........................................................................................................2 II. Service in the New York State Senate .................................................................................9 A. Legislative Initiatives .............................................................................................10 B. Leadership Qualities ..............................................................................................15 C. Extraordinary Service to -
REGULAR MEETING Morning Session Monday, January 28, 2013 Legislative Chambers, Bath, New York
REGULAR MEETING Morning Session Monday, January 28, 2013 Legislative Chambers, Bath, New York The County Legislature of the County of Steuben convened in Regular Session in the Legislative Chambers, Bath, NY on Monday, the 28th day of January, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. and was called to order by the Chairman of the Legislature, Joseph J. Hauryski. Roll Call and all members present except for Legislators Crossett, Farrand, Ferratella and Swackhamer. Mr. Mullen provided the Invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mrs. Lando. Chairman Hauryski asked Michael McCartney to come forward. Mr. McCartney is an employee in the District Attorney’s Office. He presented him with a Certificate of Appreciation and a pin in recognition of his 25 years of service to Steuben County. Chairman Hauryski opened the floor for comments by members of the public. Tim Hargrave, Cameron Mills, stated New York State lied to you. At the December Legislative meeting, Mr. Swackhamer gave a moving speech regarding the sale of the Health Care Facility. During his speech, he stated that New York State had lied, and I believe him. Mr. Hargraves stated that he has 100 signatures from people in our area who are protesting the negative impact that Dickson Corporation has had in their lives. He stated that he and Wayne Wells are the voices of those people. Mr. Hargraves distributed a chart that shows a partial listing of sludge sources that end up in the fields that surround the homes of most of these people. How comfortable would you sleep at night knowing the largest waste disposal corporation could dump waste 50 feet from your property line and 100 feet from your well? If you know the State had lied and was deceitful, you could have avoided the problems with the Health Care Facility. -
August 12, 2004 Governor George Pataki Capitol Albany NY 12224
August 12, 2004 Governor George Pataki Capitol Albany NY 12224 Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno 909 Legislative Office Building Albany, New York 12247 Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver LOB 932 Albany, NY 12248 Re: Javits Center Expansion Legislation Dear Governor Pataki, Senator Bruno and Speaker Silver: For several years, Manhattan Community Board No. 4 has supported and continues to support the expansion of the Javits Convention Center. The Board and the communities of Chelsea and Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen believe that the expansion will create economic development and new jobs by better equipping the Javits Center to attract additional shows and exhibitions. However, it is entirely appropriate to ensure that this expansion, like other major development projects, undergoes a full and complete public review. A healthy respect for the local community and the democratic process demands no less. This project should be subject to the City’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). This will enable our Board, residents, and businesses in the local community to comment on the project and allow the City Council and the City Planning Commission to vote on it. The elected legislative body of the City of New York should have a vote on such an important city asset. In particular, the closing of 39th Street should undergo the normal process for closing a city street. Major development projects within New York City should be reviewed and approved by the City’s elected officials. The fact that this is a State project on State-owned land is no excuse for shortcutting the local government’s process. -
Legislative Turnover Due to Ethical/Criminal Issues
CITIZENS UNION OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK TURNOVER IN THE NYS LEGISLATURE DUE TO ETHICAL OR CRIMINAL ISSUES, 1999 to 2015 May 4, 2015 Citizens Union in 2009 and 2011 released groundbreaking reports on turnover in the state legislature, finding that legislators are more likely to leave office due to ethical or criminal issues than to die in office, or be redistricted out of their seats.i Given corruption scandals continually breaking in Albany, Citizens Union provides on the following pages an updated list of all legislators who have left to date due to ethical or criminal misconduct. Since 2000, 28 state legislators have left office due to criminal or ethical issues and 5 more have been indicted, for a total of 33 legislators who have abused the public trust since 2000. Most recently in May 2015, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos was charged with six federal counts of conspiracy, extortion, wire fraud and soliciting bribes, related to improper use of his public office in exchange for payments of $220,000 made to his son. His arrest comes less than five months after Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s indictment. The five legislators currently who have been charged with misconduct are: Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, Senator Tom Libous, Senator John Sampson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assemblymember William Scarborough. In the 2013-2014 session alone, 8 legislators left office. Four legislators resigned in 2014: Assemblymembers Gabriela Rosa, William Boyland Jr., Dennis Gabryszak and Eric Stevenson. Two more left during the election season in 2014: Senator Malcolm Smith lost the Primary Election in 2014 and later was convicted of corruption, and Assemblymember Micah Kellner did not seeking re-election due to a sexual harassment scandal. -
Deregulating Corruption
Deregulating Corruption Ciara Torres-Spelliscy* The Roberts Supreme Court has, or to be more precise the five most conservative members of the Roberts Court have, spent the last twelve years branding and rebranding the meaning of the word “corruption” both in campaign finance cases and in certain white- collar criminal cases. Not only are the Roberts Court conservatives doing this over the strenuous objections of their more liberal colleagues, they are also breaking with the Rehn- quist Court’s more expansive definition of corruption. The actions of the Roberts Court in defining corruption to mean less and less have been a welcome development among dishon- est politicians. In criminal prosecutions, politicians convicted of honest services fraud and other crimes are all too eager to argue to courts that their convictions should be overturned in light of the Supreme Court’s lax definition of corruption. In some cases, jury convictions have been set aside for politicians who cite the Supreme Court’s latest campaign finance and white-collar crime cases, especially Citizens United v. FEC and McDonnell v. United States. This Article explores what the Supreme Court has done to rebrand corrup- tion, as well as how this impacts the criminal prosecutions of corrupt elected officials. This Article is the basis of a chapter of Professor Torres-Spelliscy’s second book, Political Brands, which will be published by Edward Elgar Publishing in late 2019. INTRODUCTION ................................................. 471 I. HOW AVERAGE VOTERS VIEW CORRUPTION . 474 II. HOW THE SUPREME COURT HAS CHANGED THE MEANING OF CORRUPTION IN CAMPAIGN FINANCE JURISPRUDENCE . 479 A. A Reasonable Take on Campaign Finance Reform from the Rehnquist Court ....................................... -
FY13 Annual Report View Report
ANNUAL REPORT 2012–13 3 Introduction 5 Metropolitan Opera Board of Directors 7 2012–13 Season Repertory & Events 14 2012–13 Artist Roster 15 The Financial Results 46 Patrons Introduction The Metropolitan Opera’s 2012–13 season featured an extraordinary number of artistic highlights, earning high praise for new productions, while the company nevertheless faced new financial challenges. The Met presented seven new stagings during the 2012–13 season, including the Met premieres of Thomas Adès’s The Tempest and Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda, the second of the composer’s trilogy of Tudor operas (with the third installment planned for a future season). All seven new productions, plus five revivals, were presented in movie theaters around the world as part of the Met’s groundbreaking Live in HD series, which continued to be an important revenue source for the Met, earning $28 million. Combined earned revenue for the Met (Live in HD and box office) totaled $117.3 million. This figure was lower than anticipated as the company continued to face a flat box office, complicated by the effects of Hurricane Sandy, the aftermath of which had a negative impact of approximately $2 million. As always, the season featured the talents of the world’s leading singers, conductors, directors, designers, choreographers, and video artists. Two directors made stunning company debuts: François Girard, with his mesmerizing production of Parsifal on the occasion of Wagner’s bicentennial, and Michael Mayer, whose bold reimagining of Verdi’s Rigoletto in 1960 Las Vegas was the talk of the opera world and beyond. Robert Lepage returned to direct the highly anticipated company premiere of Thomas Adès’s The Tempest, with the composer on the podium. -
MOYNIHAN STATION PROJECT SEMINAR and TOUR Tuesday, April 29, 2014 | 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
THE GREATER NEW YORK CONSTRUCTION USER COUNCIL PRESENTS MOYNIHAN STATION PROJECT SEMINAR AND TOUR Tuesday, April 29, 2014 | 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM JAMES A. FARLEY BUILDING Enter at North West Corner of 31st Street and 8th Avenue New York, NY The Moynihan Station Project will redevelop the landmarked James A. Farley Post Office Building into the new Manhattan home for Amtrak, transforming a treasured building into an iconic railroad passenger station and mixed-use development befitting New York City. In May 2012, MSDC awarded a $147,750,000 construction contract to Skanska USA Civil Northeast for the West End Concourse Expansion. Construction on the West End Concourse Expansion began in September 2012 with the first weekend closures of individual Penn Station tracks and platforms in order to facilitate surveying, the relocation of utilities, and preliminary foundation work for the new concourse. This type of work will continue until mid-2014 when the technically challenging steel erection phase will begin. In September 2012, the Federal Railroad Administration awarded Moynihan Station a $30 million High Speed Rail Grant through the New York State Department of Transportation for the Connecting Corridor construction and the first portion of the new Emergency Ventilation System. This event will feature a panel discussion with key project stakeholders from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and the Moynihan Station Development Corporation. A short tour of the project site will follow the panel discussion. SPEAKERS MICHAEL J. EVANS | PRESIDENT | MOYNIHAN STATION DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Michael Evans serves under New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo as President of the Moynihan Station Development Corporation, the New York State public authority charged with building a new intercity passenger rail station for New York City within the landmarked James A Farley Post Office Building.