Golisano Denies Ties To Espada, Monserrate
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- June
- 9
Rochester-area billionaire Tom Golisano is taking both heat and credit today for the Republican 
coup yesterday.
Senate Democrats are saying he used money to influence Sens. Pedro Espada and Hiram Monserrate to join Senate Republicans, even suggesting that he may be helping the senators with their legal woes.
But Golisano said that’s not true.
“Absolutely not. I know even know anything about his legal problems,” Golisano said, when asked about Monserrate, who is accused of slashing his girlfriend.
Golisano said the only thing that he’s pledged is to help candidates who support the reforms put forth by his group, Responsible New York.
“I’m been making it aware to everybody since Responsible New York was founded that we are going to support candidates financially and their election in races if they support the reform structure of Responsible New York,” he said.
Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, tried to connect the dots, saying Republicans were able to “take two people with serious legal and ethical problems and get them to jump over.”
As for Golisano, she said, “Did Mr. Golisano play a role? Apparently he said he did. Does Mr. Golisano have large sums of money? Apparently he does.”
Austin Shafran, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, was more blunt about Golisano, who recently changed his residency to Florida to save $5 million a year in income taxes.
“I think he belongs in Florida, that’s the last place an election was stolen from the Democrats. I have two questions: When and how much?,” Shafran said.
He went on to say that while the Paychex Inc. founder should be applauded for the jobs he created in New York, “As admirable as that is, I think that any good qualities he has have been completely overrun by political opportunism. This is a billionaire that needs to have his hand in anything. He’s found something that he could buy: the Senate Republicans.”
Citizen Action, meanwhile, held a rally outside Espada’s office today to protest the coup. And Golisano happened to walk out of Espada’s office while the rally was going on, leading to chants of “Golisano Pays and Espada Plays.”
Espada, though, said he never met with Golisano during discussions about the coup, only talking with Golisano’s aide Steve Pigeon, who has had a long friendship with. He said there is no “quid pro quo.”
“I barely know the man,” Espada said. “We met twice, and we did not meet at all during this situation.”
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 3:05 pm by Joseph Spector.
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“Citizen Action?” Why aren’t these groups forced to say who they are within their stated nomenclature? As with “Working Families Party,” “Independence Party,” and various and numerous other groups and “committees,” they hide their true motivation and goals behind sweet-smelling verbiage. If you stand for something, stand up and say it, starting with specificity in your chosen appellation. The public would be wise to disregard any of them until they have investigated their leadership, affiliations, and sub rosa machinations.
Don’t need to think much about this one. Golisano has been trying to buy his way into NY politics for years. He failed at the Governor’s seat and now he is just running a PAC to buy favor. No different than any other PAC really just he has a lot of money to throw around with his Billions. If it means lower taxes for everyone than great. But if it just means lower taxes for the wealthy and big business than who cares. I am tired of hearing how they are being targeted while the middle class is slammed with no relief at all.
Espada’s being coy. He’s buddies with Steve Pigeon, Golisano’s political bagman.
I guess Liz Krueger forgot all the millions the Senate Democrats received from Tom Golisano PAC in 2008. Maybe they will now return it to his PAC.
VJ Machiavelli
NO MORE SCHUMER
NO MORE PELOSI
NO MORE RANGEL
NO MORE ENGEL AND HIS MILLION DOLLAR HOME IN MARYLAND.
In 2004 & 2006 Tom Golisano bankrolled the Senate Republicans. So he helps both sides.