Lawmakers don’t reject ethics changes – yet
The good news for Gov. Paterson is that legislative leaders today didn’t dismiss out of his hand his proposal to establish a new independent ethics-watchdog panel that would also have authority over the Legislature.
“We are open to changes,’’ said Dean Weiller, a spokesman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan.
Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, said he welcomed the plan – but pointed out the Senate was already working on its own proposal. Historically, lawmakers have nixed any plan that would take oversight of their ethics out of their own hands.
Such is life for a governor who has record-low approval ratings. His plan would set up a five-member commission appointed by a 10-member nominating panel whose members would be selected by him and other top state officials.
Paterson wants to shuffle the deck in part because the existing Public Integrity Commission is in hot water because its executive director leaked confidential information to an aide to Eliot Spitzer when the commission was probing that gov., according to Inspector General Joseph Fisch. Paterson called on them all to quit, but they said no.
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Any “ethics committee” appointed by unethical lawmakers to police those same unethical lawmakers is doomed to continued uselessness. They’re papering a rotted wall with fancy fabric.
“Historically, lawmakers have nixed any plan that would take oversight of their ethics out of their own hands.”
How ridiculous! So you are going to get the politicians to police themselves?
Paterson is right to ask the members of that sham of a Public Integrity Commission to quit.
Paterson obviously has nothing to hide behind when it comes to ethics…so what do his fellow legislators have to fear is the real question we should all be asking.
As a ny voter, I’m happy to see someone trying to put a little bit of integrity back into the political process.