By TIMOTHY O’CONNOR
THE JOURNAL NEWS

Whom to call

Federal authorities have created a toll-free public corruption hotline. The number is 877-363-4723.

HARTSDALE — Federal authorities intend to step up efforts to uncover public corruption in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and three other suburban counties.

U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia made the announcement during remarks to the Scarsdale League of Women Voters at a luncheon yesterday at the Scarsdale Golf Club. The large pools of federal funds and developers’ dollars that circulate through the 170 cities, towns, and villages in the suburbs make for a tempting trough for government officials, he said.

“Here, billions of dollars are spent on private development through projects that require government involvement at all levels,” he said. “In this environment, there is risk and there is opportunity for corruption. We must take a hard look.”

Garcia said he was not calling for indictments, noting that other prosecutors have been rebuked for such comments.

“I want to take a hard look to make sure it isn’t there where it isn’t there,” he said. “Where we don’t find it, great. We shut down and we move on. But where we find it, we investigate and we prosecute.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has established a toll-free hotline for people to report possible incidents of public corruption.

“We want the public to know we’re there,” he said.

The hotline will be manned by members of the FBI’s White Plains office.

“We are looking for any help we can get from the public,” said Steven Garfinkel, the FBI supervisory agent in charge of the White Plains office’s public corruption and white collar investigations.

Garcia has tapped Assistant U.S. Attorney Perry Carbone to head up public corruption prosecutions in the northern suburbs. Carbone prosecuted former Yonkers Democratic Party boss Ralph Arred on tax charges. He also prosecuted public corruption cases for 10 years in New Jersey, including the case of former Essex County Executive James Treffinger, a two-time Republican candidate for U.S. Senate.

Garcia also said he will assign prosecutors from Manhattan to work on public corruption cases in the suburbs as needed.

“We’ll be able to focus resources in an area where I think we can make a difference,” Garcia said.

YOU ARE RUNNUING OUT OF TIME CAVALOW PACK UP AND GET OUT OF TOWN WHILE YOU STILL CAN!

FROM WESTCHESTER INTEGRITY CMTE.

Independence Party of New York
P.O. Box 871

Lindenhurst, New York 11757

Attention: Mr. Frank MacKay

Chairman

Dear Mr. MacKay:

After having the opportunity to review your press release with my committee it is our opinion that either you are absolutely not aware of anything going on in Westchester County or you are part of the circle of corruption under the current leadership of Giulio Cavallo.

It is also very obvious by the attendance at the press conference, the few people there, which included Giulio Cavallo and Mario Castaldo, do not represent the Westchester Independence voters. Your press conference was a sham and not worthy of even the news media. The residents of Westchester and the politicians know about Cavallo. It is the job of my committee to continue to educate the Independence voters.

This committee represents true Independence voters in Westchester County that deserve a change. We promise you, change will come this year.

As a state Chairman, you have an obligation to investigate complaints with respect to County Independence Committees and to oversee and review allegations of corruption.

What have you done to investigate and protect the Independence voters to date on these issues here in Westchester County? I suggest you take immediate action before law enforcement. After your inquiry finds fraud and corruption, it is your obligation to remove those in power (Giulio Cavallo and the Executive Committee) to safeguard the Independence Party member’s rights.

We have diligently contacted Federal, State and County law enforcement about the unlawful acts of Cavallo and Company. We will continue to do so daily until justice is served and the Party is back in the hands of honest, good-willed people who truly represent the Independence Party members.

Your baseless allegation and personal attack on my character is totally unfounded. I will not dignify your shallow accusations with a response.

Your conclusion about my involvement with Ms. Fulani is completely false; however you should mention that you became state Chairman with the assistance of Ms. Fulani. I was, during that time, aligned with Jack Essenberg or did you forget that part of the story?

Your role at the press conference was clearly a tactical and political diversion from the truth which miserably backfired since Cavallo can no longer be protected at any level.

This committee will not waiver in the reorganization of the party which represents the Independence voters in this county with integrity and honor.

The state Party has come a long way and Westchester will significantly impact the state Party.

I suggest you review your state platform and realize exactly what the county Committee has done to the voters of Westchester. You will see, very clearly, the county Party is being run as a lucrative, personal business for Giulio Cavallo.

I am proud to be a licensed attorney and educator for over 30 years and stand firm behind my impeccable record of achievement and professionalism.

We will make the selection process fair for candidates to run for office and not make them feel they are being held hostage or obligated to “buy� tables at Cavallo’s annual gala events to get the Independence endorsement.

The time has come to recapture the party and protect the rights of the voters, the Independence Party member’s and the candidates running under our banner.

There is nobody more conscious of the rights of the votes in Westchester than my Committee and I which is the basis of the reorganization. We are obligated, as good citizens and members to rid the Party of inside dealings and corruption.

To protect the voters of Westchester, we have asked the US Attorney, Attorney General of New York, the Westchester District Attorney, the State and County boards of election and the State Department of Education to investigate Cavallo and Company in the process of selecting candidates; especially judicial candidates.

There are numerous questions surrounding the way the entire county Party functions. We are planning to file an action before the petition process is complete to freeze the Westchester Independence Committee from issuing a Wilson – Pakula to any candidate. Our Committee has obtained numerous FOIL requests to make our claims unequivocally clear to any judge that reads our contemplated action.

I welcome and will make myself available to any inquiry by any law enforcement agency.

I ask you Chairman MacKay, Giulio Cavallo and Mario Castaldo to review the following points and reply to each;

Has the state Committee approved and reviewed the current by-laws, District Leaders and Executive Committee Members of the Westchester Independence Committee and the way Cavallo, not Castaldo, has set up?

Are you aware Mario Castaldo (listed Chairman) is never available to meet with any candidates and is never allowed to the interview process, if any, of potential candidates? All deals are cut by Giulio Cavallo alone and all the candidates must meet with him, one on one. Is this acceptable to you? Is this fair to the Independence Party members?

Are you aware Giulio Cavallo is not a M.D.? Are you aware he uses the title on Independence Party literature? Our research with the NYS Department of Education has found Cavallo is not licensed or registered as a M.D. in New York State. This is clearly a fraud.

Are you aware of his unethical conduct towards elected officials in this County because he wields control of the Independence County line endorsement? Do you know Cavallo degrades and disrespects judges and senators openly in the public eye?

How about the Financial Disclosures of the Party and the Club filed at the Westchester County Board of Elections. The Independence Club has amassed considerable amounts of money over the years, with none going towards any candidate or even a primary? Not one Independence candidate has ever been given the endorsement and several have requested it. The expenditures and review of his American Express card are outrageous and should be clearly reviewed and investigated to see that he personally wined and dined using contribution monies for candidates. Who was present during elaborate dinners?

Why is the NYS Republican Party donating $42,000 to the Club?

Why is there a $27,000 housekeeping payment made to North Fork Bank?

Why does a judge donate $5,000 to an event when the legal limit is two tickets?

Mr. MacKay, do you know Giulio Cavallo is now employed as a legislative aide to senator Maltese from Queens at another “no show” job costing the taxpayers $50,000 per year? Yes, a Republican Senator hired him to work on Italian and medical issues. The Senator’s staff, when questioned, did not even hear of him?

Mr. MacKay, do you know Giulio Cavallo has appointed, without the consent of the members, people to his executive committee who do not even live in this state! Look at the true residency of Michael Gianopoulos from North Salem, the father of Gus and Tom Gianopoulos who plead guilty to Federal crimes and are awaiting sentencing. Gus and Tom were frequent Cavallo supporters, business associates and Cavallo’s right hand men until the Federal authorities caught up with them. What is more shocking is that they still attended political functions as leaders with Cavallo after they were indicted and awaiting sentencing. Is this the type of organization you endorse that represents the Independence voter here in Westchester? I beg to differ!

Mr. MacKay, what are you going to do for the Independence Party members here in Westchester County? You stand by this individual in front of a State Court House to support who and for what?

Mr. MacKay, to show our commitment to the Independence members here in Westchester County, the committee is scheduling a live news 12 debate with Giulio Cavallo and Mario Castaldo to answer these allegations.

Mr. MacKay, we can guarantee you that neither Mario Castaldo nor Giulio Cavallo will debate, in public.

SO GUYS LETS CUT TO THE CHASE AND DEBATE????

Karl J. Sleight

Executive Director

New York State Ethics Commission

39 Columbia Street

Albany, New York 12207-2717

Dear Mr. Sleight,

We call upon the New York State Ethics Commission to conduct an investigation into the use and miss-use of funds and various political favors benefiting the Westchester Independence Party and the Westchester Independence Club that is chaired and headed by Giulio Cavallo.

The place to start is with the Financial Disclosures of the Party and the Club filed at the Westchester County Board of Elections. The Independence Club has amassed considerable amounts of money, with none going towards any candidate, and expenditures that appear to be suspect at best. They do not support Independence candidates!

We have discovered many contributions from candidates from both democrats and republicans alike, but the most glaring and significant ones are the two (2) contributions in October 2004 from the New York State Republican Senate Committee totaling $42,000 to the Independence Club, not the Party.

We also found an expense that included $27,000.00 to North Fork Bank and it was marked “housekeeping�. The disclosure is filled with American Express bills as well, and all of these expenditures need to be investigated.

This year GOP State Senator Serafin Maltise from Queens has added Giulio Cavallo to his payroll for an estimated $50,000 a year as a part-time consultant for medical and Italian issues. This only bolsters the fact that the New York State Republican Committee is again attempting to acquire the Independence Party’s endorsement of Senator Nick Spano, a Republican. How can he be a consultant for medical issues if he is not a licensed medical doctor, or is this a no-show job to curry political favor?

Mr. Cavallo for several years now has used his power and influence to negotiate deals for not only judicial candidates wishing to seek his party’s endorsement for Supreme and County Court other candidates in the county of Westchester.

Mr. Cavallo does this by frequently throwing lavish fundraisers, expecting all candidates, incumbents and otherwise, to not only buys one or two tickets, but at times tables as well. All the funds raised by these fundraisers go to the Independence Club, not the party.

It is clear that Giulio Cavallo has been acting with dual roles in the Party and the Club. He also calls himself a medical doctor. We have contacted the NYS Dept of Education and confirmed that he is not licensed or registered as a medical doctor. We will ask that the NYS Education Dept conduct an investigation as well.

Respectfully,

THE WESTCHESTER INETGRITY COMMITTEE

YONKERS, NY—April 20, 2006—“Running a politcal party is a major undertaking and having a true, elected leader that understands the process is critical to the Party’s health” stated Nader J. Sayegh, Esq., who is the registered founding member of the Westchester Independence Party, Westchester Integrity Committee , and candidate for the 35th Senate District challenging incumbent Senator Nick Spano.

“Mario Castaldo, the “listed” Chairman of the Westchester Independence Party, is not involved in the process, alienates himself from the members of the party, and acts only on orders from Giulio Cavallo. Mario is a retired auto mechanic who operates a repair shop located at 519 Waverly Avenue in Mamaroneck, NY. It is also coincidentally the headquarters for the Westchester Independence Party.â€?

An investigation by members of the party have discovered that Mario is essentially an inactive Chairman and member of the Party. Does Mario Castaldo understand the tremendous responsibility and accountability such a position holds? It is apparent, Giulio Cavallo has insulated himself by hand picking a person who will not question his role as Chairman. Does Giulio Cavallo have something on Castaldo? Does Mario realize he has exposed himself to being held accountable for the actions of Giulio Cavallo under his title as Chairman? A further investigation into the background of each and every member of the executive committee has been commenced to verify the current committee and those findings will be released in the next 24 hours. Lawsuits are planned on behalf of Independence Party members against every listed executive committee member and officer to hold them accountable for their actions as well as those of Giulio Cavallo.

A press conference is scheduled for April 26, 2006, at 1PM on the Federal Court House steps in White Plains to call upon USA Michael Garcia to investigate the Independence Party and its operations as well as Giulio Cavallo’s duel role and actions with the County Committee and “Club”, and the role of each and every member of the “hand pickedâ€? executive committee.

It is clear, the process of selecting candidates for the executive committee under the so-called Chairman Mario Castaldo, violates the law and therefore we call for the immediate resignation of Mario Castaldo.

Sayegh said, “I welcome an open debate with Mario Castaldo on the issues to show the people that he is truly not the Chairman but really just a “hand pickedâ€? figure-head so Giulio Cavallo can deflect attention away from his alleged illegal and unethical activities of selling endorsements to the highest bidder.â€?

In closing, he said, “this party was established to be operated truthfully and legally and represent the entire Independence population and not just absolute control by Cavallo that leads to absolute corruption.”

We have reviewed the Board of Elections Disclosure Statements filed with the Westchester County Board of Elections by the Westchester County Committee of the Independence Party from January, 2002 through January 2006 and the Westchester Independence Club from January, 2001 through January 2006. We have found a number of irregularities and some significant activity that may indicate criminal violations. We will present some general comments, then discuss the irregularities and then the potential criminal violations.

The Westchester County Committee of the Independence Party is a constituted committee as defined by the Election Law §14-100(3). The Westchester Independence Club is not a constituted committee; it is a political committee as defined in Election Law §14-100(1). Two different individuals, Mark Jordan and Vincent Zuccarelli filed reports for the period July, 2003 to January, 2004. The reports are not entirely consistent. For the period January, 2004 to July 2004 Mr. Jordan and Nivea Cavallo both filed reports. Again, the reports are not consistent. In each case the person filing the report claimed to be the Treasurer of the County Committee.

There are a few items to note about the County Committee reports. After July, 2002 there is virtually no political activity reported by the Committee. There are a few donations (including to the “Republican Club� and the Independence Party Club), some bank fees and $1,500 in payments to Mario Castaldo, the Chair of the County Committee. There is also a $1,000 unitemized contribution in the 32 day pre-general election, 2004 report. While it is possible that there was exactly that amount contributed in amounts of less than $100 each, it is more likely that this was a contribution that should have been itemized.

The Westchester Independence Club (the “Club�) statements present significantly greater problems. First, the Club files reports as “Housekeeping Account Only.� A housekeeping account is only for separate account maintained by party or constituted committees for “non-candidate expenditures� which are defined as “expenditures made by a party committee or constituted committee to maintain a permanent headquarters and staff and carry on ordinary party activities not promoting the candidacy of specific candidates.� Election Law §14-100(5). The Club is not entitled to maintain a housekeeping account since it is not a Constituted Committee or a Party Committee. The Westchester County Committee of the Independence Party fulfills that position. In addition, many of the expenditures appear to be campaign and candidate related – activities that may not be made with housekeeping funds.

Significantly, none of the expenditures reported on the Club’s statements list the address of the payee as required by Election Law §14-102. As is discussed later, this makes it impossible to verify the veracity of the report, or in many cases, the identity of the payee.

Most importantly, the statements do suggest that Club funds may have been used as a “private piggy bank� by the leaders of the Westchester County Independence Party. A few examples should suffice.

There are payments to American Express in excess of $94,000 (see schedule “A� attached). These expenses are listed for “office,� “office – household,� “office-housekeeping,� and in one case each for “supplies� and “campaign expenses.� There is no itemization of any of these expenses and they continue month after month in four-figure amounts even during times when there are no campaigns going on.

There are multiple payments to and entity identified as “Executive Star� and “Executive Star Mailing Services� in excess of $30,000 (see schedule “B� attached). There is no address listed for Executive Star in the reports and there is no telephone listing for such an entity in either the white or yellow pages of the telephone directory. The payments may have been made to Frank DiPaolo who is closely associated with the party leadership. In addition, many of the payments were for “print-ads� or “print mail.� Yet the Club filed no ads or literature with the Westchester County Board of Elections. Election Law §14-106 provides that

The statements required to be filed under the provisions of this article next succeeding a primary, general or special election shall be accompanied by a facsimile or copy of all advertisements, pamphlets, circulars, flyers, brochures, letterheads and other printed matter purchased or produced and a schedule of all radio or television time, and scripts used therein, purchased in connection with such election by or under the authority of the person filing the statement or the committee or the person on whose behalf it is filed, as the case may be.

In addition to the payments to Executive Star noted above there were additional payments in excess of $139,000 for other ads or literature although none was filed with the Board of Elections. This included expenditures listed for “print ads,� “literature,� “advertising� and “TV ads� (see schedule “C� attached).

There were also payments to Mario Castaldo, the Chair of the Westchester County Committee of the Independence Party in excess of $10,000 including payments for “rent� on July 25, 2002 ($5,200), April 13, 2003 ($2,000) and May 21, 2003 ($2,000); payments to “cash� for “supplies� in March, April and May, 2002 in the amount of $1,830 (always in round dollar amounts) even though there were payments for “supplies� during the same period in excess of $3,000; and payments of tens of thousands of dollars to individuals with no addresses (and frequently with identical last names) in amounts ranging from less than $100 to $6,000 for “petitioning,� “campaign worker� and “clerical.� It is impossible to determine if any of these expenses are legitimate.

Finally, and most interestingly, there is a payment dated 5/10/05 to North Fork Bank in the amount of $27,285.61. The listed purpose is “Office-Housekeeping.� We can only speculate on what this payment was for.

Based on our review we recommend that this matter be referred to an agency with investigative and subpoena power giving the likelihood of criminal self-dealing and misappropriation of funds. We note that the current Westchester County District Attorney is listed as a contributor on the statements and that the Independence Party endorsed her and she ran on their line in her recent election.

SCHEDULE “A’

American Express

Date Purpose Amount

6/8/02 Supplies $3,066.38

7/9/02 Campaign Expenses 2,251.22

8/19/02 Office 1,788.48

9/12/02 Office 485.23

10/17/02 Office – Household 1,699.04

11/8/02 Office 1,045.70

12/10/02 Office – Household 2,868.46

2/11/03 Office – Household 2,801.46

3/18/03 Office – Housekeeping 1,401.85

4/13/03 Office – Housekeeping 1,158.98

6/9/03 Office – Housekeeping 2,838.13

6/14/03 Office – Housekeeping 1,025.98

8/22/03 Office 981.58

9/15/03 Office 1,425.06

10/16/03 Office – Housekeeping 1,978.17

11/11/03 Office – Household 1,497.30

12/16/03 Office – Household 1,798.52

12/16/03 Joe Farmer 2,517.27

1/12/04 Office – Housekeeping 661.71

2/14/04 Office – Household 2,426.60

3/16/04 Office – Household 2,911.08

4/14/04 Office – Housekeeping 2,909.13

5/27/04 Office – Housekeeping 3,822.10

6/15/04 Office – Housekeeping 2,197.73

7/10/04 Office – Housekeeping 1,756.44

9/14/04 Office – Housekeeping 573.72

10/10/04 Office – Housekeeping 3,340.17

10/10/04 Office – Housekeeping 2,516,48

11/15/04 Office – Housekeeping 1,403.07

12/14/04 Office – Housekeeping 2,361.04

1/10/05 Office – Housekeeping 2,366.04

2/28/05 Office – Housekeeping 2,530.63

3/11/05 Office – Housekeeping 1,794.07

4/11/04 Office – Housekeeping 1,473.90

5/10/05 Office – Housekeeping 136.85

5/12/10* Office – Housekeeping 1,722.12

6/9/05 Office – Housekeeping 2,984.26

6/15/05 Office – Housekeeping 3,476.54

7/16/05 Office – Housekeeping 4,159.78

8/15/05 Office – Housekeeping 2,064.22

9/14/05 Office – Housekeeping 1,620.70

11/30/05 Office – Housekeeping 2,711.30

11/30/05 Office – Housekeeping 3,118.83

1/6/06 Office – Housekeeping 2,900.10

TOTAL $94,657.93

• – as in original

SCHEDULE “B�

Executive Star

Date Purpose Amount

7/16/02 Computer $1,000.00

7/24/02 Computer 1,000.00

11/3/02 Computer 2,000.00

6/24/03 Fundraising 2,000.00

8/9/03 Petition Expenses 1,500.00

11/17/03 Print Ads 1,000.00

12/3/03 Print – Xmas Mailing 1,200.00

12/19/03 [none] 1,200.00

4/8/04 Fundraising – Journal 2,000.00

5/11/04 Postage 500.00

10/13/04 Print Ads – Printing Mail 1,047.31

12/17/04 Print Ads – Printing – Mail 2,500.00

12/8/04* Print Ads 2,306.65

12/8/04* Print Ads – Maili 2,223.05

12/14/04 Print Ads – Mailing 600.00

4/13/05* Print Ads 1,000.00

5/11/05 Print Ads 2,000.00

7/16/05 Print Ads – Mail 3,000.00

9/14/05 Print Ads – Mail 2,000.00

TOTAL $30,077.91

• – vendor listed as Executive Star Mailing Service

SCHEDULE “C�

Print Ads

Date Vendor Amount

9/6/01 Yorktown Pennysaver $ 408.00

9/6/01 North County News 248.00

2/14/02 SDF Printing Co. 8,995.89

3/27/02 Westchester GOP 250.00

11/8/03 Strategic Political Group 28,082.00

11/8/03 Strategic Political Group 1,075.00

11/17/03 Strategic Political Group 3,000.00

TV Ads

Date Vendor Amount

8/5/03 Dawson, McCarthy & Nelson $ 8,000.00

10/20/03 Image Makers 2,000.00

10/20/03 Multi Media Services 4,500.00

10/20/03 Multi Media Services 4,500.00

10/8/04 Image Makers, Inc 31,701.00

10/21/04 Image Makers, Inc. 10,000.00

Literature

Date Vendor Amount

11/26/01 SDF Advertising $ 6,000.00

Advertising

Date Vendor Amount

No Date* The Townsend Group $10,833.00

TOTAL $139, 092.89

• – listed in 11/30/01-1/11/02 report

FBI amd AG is investigation the BID under McFarlin and Ron Law and the garbage pickup scam.

Jim Pinto is the target and will cost Amicone the election.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
APPELLATE DIVISION : SECOND DEPARTMENT
__X
In the matter of
Michael J. Lehrer, Shandara Sookdeo, and Shadi Kader

Petitioners, Respondents
Against

Giulio Cavallo, Dhyalma Vazquez, Mario Castaldo, and
The Westchester County Committee of the
Independence Party
Respondent, Appellants
And
The Westchester County Board of Elections, and
The New York State Board of Elections,

Respondent, Respondents,
___X

Upon the affirmation of John Ciampoli, Esq, and the exhibits annexed thereto, let the Respondents hereto SHOW CAUSE before this Appellate Division, at the courthouse thereof, located at 45 Monroe Place, Brooklyn, New York, 11201, on the 9th day of January, 2007, at 9:30 o’clock in the forenoon of that date or as soon thereafter as counsel may be heard, why an order should not be made and entered:

1: Granting a stay of the order of the Supreme Court dated December 21, 2006 pending the appeal and decision of this matter, and
2: Staying all proceedings in this matter before the Supreme Court, and
3: Consolidating the appeal of this order with the pending appeal before this Court, and
4: Granting the Appellants such other and further relief as this Court deems to be just and proper in the premises

SUFFICIENT CAUSE BEING SHOWN THEREFOR, IT IS HEREBY
ORDERED, that pending the determination of this motion, the order of The Supreme Court, Donovan, J. dated December 21, 2006, appealed from herein, is temporarily stayed

DATED December 29, 2006
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
Hon. Joseph Covello,
Assoc. Justice of the Appellate Division Second Department

Just ask the tenants in the Trolley Barn. They will tell you about Joe Spiezio. They say it was hell with him there. No laundry room, no heat ect.. ect.. just empty promises and threats.

You get the picture.

Spiezio has more excess baggage than Delta Airlines during the Holidays.

The letter states that the campaign didn’t itemize certain expenditures on the proper forms; that their totals in terms of receipts was off; they didn’t outline their entire list of expenditures (more than $500,000 worth of expenses aren’t itemized); and that they’ve haven’t done a good enough job getting some background information on some campaign donators.

Outside of the expense lack of reporting, this letter really isn’t anything major. They (meaning Chris Spring, Spencer’s brother in law and a soon-to-be-a-leader in a new bank headquartered in Westchester County) have to do a better job filling out those forms.

Posted by The Yonkers Citizen on Thursday, September 07, 2006 at 02:45 PM in John Spencer | Permalink

March 16, 2004
Section: Opinion
Page: 7B

COMMUNITY VIEW
Giulio Cavallo

M. D.
Readers
The Journal News

Lost opportunity for judicial reform in New York state

Giulio Cavallo, M.D.

Imagine that your legal rights before a court of law were dependent on how much money your lawyer gave to the judge hearing your case. How much is enough to get you the outcome you want – $100? $250? $500? Will $1,000 bring justice your way?

Unfortunately, in New York state this brand of money justice is closer to reality than something more pristine, and as recent opinion polls show, it is overwhelmingly the public’s perception, too.

This past month, a group made up of leaders of more than 40 metropolitan-area bar associations, including the Westchester County Bar Association, rejected a series of recommendations made by a blue-ribbon commission designed to build public confidence in the way judges are elected in New York state. Their opposition is unfortunate and signals another lost opportunity to seize the momentum for reform and address the growing influence of campaign contributions in our elected judicial system.

The Commission to Promote Public Confidence in Judicial Elections was established by Chief Judge Judith Kaye after a spate of scandals was brought to public attention, revealing a system rife with instances of corrupt judges, bribery, cash and gifts in exchange for appointments and referrals, and other unseemly practices. In one instance, a Brooklyn judge was captured on videotape accepting a box of cigars and a $1,000 referral fee from a lawyer with cases before him.

These incidents have prompted vociferous calls to switch from the current system, in which state and county judges are elected to the bench, to an appointed system. But that would not remove politics from the process and would surely result in more cronyism in the selection of judges. Discounting the elected system would eliminate the most potent means of maintaining some accountability over our judges, whose decisions in criminal and civil matters can course right through the center of our lives.

A better course of reform would be to embrace some of the recommendations that would put into place an absolute fire wall between large contributors to judicial candidates and the judges receiving those contributions toward their election or re-election.

The commission made two key recommendations toward reforming the campaign-contribution rules: first, to require the recusal of judges who have accepted more than $500 in campaign contributions over a five-year period from lawyers who appear before them; second, to establish a mandatory disclosure rule for campaign contributions whereby judicial candidates would be required to file their campaign-financial disclosure reports in a searchable electronic format.

While in Westchester and the 9th Judicial District – encompassing Westchester, Orange, Rockland, Putnam and Dutchess counties – our judges by and large have exercised judgment and restraint in the conduct and financing of their campaigns, inevitably there will be an overreaching for campaign contributions, particularly by sitting judges in their efforts to stay in office. In judicial politics in New York state, it is best to assume absolute power corrupts absolutely. Indeed, recently a senior 9th Judicial District judge held a $1,000-per-person fund-raiser toward his 2004 re-election campaign, a staggering amount bound to infect the integrity of the judicial system. It only highlights, dramatically, the need to put in place controls in the campaign contribution system for judges.

We should also prohibit judges who are up for re-election from hearing election-law cases since that gives a judge tremendous leverage over political parties and their leaders.

Our judicial system is too important not to aim to perfect the way we elect our judges. The commission has made recommendations that would go a long way toward limiting the influence of campaign contributions in the judicial system. These recommendations deserve the utmost consideration.

In the meantime, our judges should recognize that the way they conduct their campaigns has a direct bearing on the public’s confidence in the judicial branch, and should make all efforts not only to strictly follow the current campaign-finance rules, but also to think twice about their campaign activities and the way the public perceives them.

As the commission has recognized, “Without public confidence, the judicial branch could not function.”

The writer, a Yonkers resident, is a member of the Executive Committee of the Westchester County Independence Party. THE WRITER IS FULL OF BULL$HIT HE TOOK PLENTY OF MONEY FROM JUDGE ALLESANDRO APP.500K THATS HOW HE IS BUILDING HIS HOME IN SHARON,CT.

“WE ARE THE PARTY THAT MAKES THE DOG WAG ITS TAIL”THATS WHAT THE DOC SAID THIS YEAR IN A INTERVIEW WITH THE JOURNAL NEWS .CAVALLOW IS THE DIRTIEST PUBLIC FIQURE ARROUND!!!

John “Jack� O’Toole, of 7 Grosbeak Road, Yonkers, NY, a registered Republican, claims to be the spokesperson for Giulio Cavallo and the Westchester County Independence Party and Club. What did he get himself into this time?

On April 26, 2006, on the steps of the Federal Court House, Jack O’Toole was visibly baffled by questions posed by Tracy Everson of Channel 12 News Westchester. When asked about the financial disclosure filings and glaring housekeeping accounts filed by Giulio Cavallo he was obviously stunned, stumbling over his words. Imagine a spokesperson speechless.

Jack O’Toole has a long relationship with corrupt public officials and party bosses. To name a few, convicted felon and ex-state Senator Guy Velella, listed Westchester Independence Party boss Mario Castaldo, convicted felons and Independence Party district leaders brothers Gus and Tom Gianopoulos from North Salem, disbarred attorney and executive committee member Moses Rambarran, and of course, Giulio Cavallo.

When it comes to finances, Jack O’Toole is no stranger to evading the law and fits the mold of the persons mentioned above. Research had found Jack O’Toole has a Civil Judgment filed against him in March 1998 for $31,576.00 and a NYS Tax lien and judgment filed against him in December 2004 for $3,694.00. It appears “Birds of a feather flock together.” Did Cavallo bail O’Toole out with tainted, political donations through housekeeping accounts? Did he get him a state job?

Can’t the Independence Party get anybody else to answer simple questions? Allegedly, Doug Colety, New Rochelle GOP Chairman and member of the GOP Executive Committee is replacing the bewildered O’Toole this month as the new spokesman. Colety may be up to the job since he has been seen numerous times in the company of Giulio Cavallo and convicted felon Gus Gianopoulous, most notably at Jeanine Pirro’s fundraiser in 2005 courtesy of Channel 12 News Westchester (Watch the Channel 12 News Westchester Video on our Web site @ www.westchesterintegrity.com). Colety has repeatedly been called the “chauffeur” due to the frequent sightings of Colety driving Giulio Cavallo from place to place all over the county. Allegedly, Colety’s aspirations include reorganizing the Westchester GOP and ousting current GOP Chairwoman Rosemarie Panio. GOP sources indicate he has the support of several GOP town leaders including the outspoken and notorious Zehy Jereis of Yonkers, who unsuccessfully organized a coup against Panio last year, and North Castle GOP Chairman Kevin Eccleston.

The Westchester Integrity Committee continues to call upon the US Attorney, State Attorney General and Westchester County DA to vigorously investigate the obvious political corruption taking place here in Westchester County within the Independence Party and Club and its associates.

Stay tuned. Further investigation between Doug Colety and Giulio Cavallo’s business dealings related to various political housekeeping accounts and movement of monies with known convicted felons is pending.

The information obtained within this release was provided by third parties and news reports.