We've seen this time and again with Cuomo.
ALBANY—On a mild, drizzly September day in 2013, approximately two dozen people gathered in a private room of a downtown steakhouse for a cocktail party. There was a prominent local realtor and the founder of an economic consulting firm. The head of the city's largest hospital came with several of his top aides. Technology lobbyists and several executives from a company called nfrastructure, which builds information technology networks, mingled.
The host was Dan Pickett, nfrastructure's C.E.O. and a regular political donor. The guest of honor, Governor Andrew Cuomo, spent about an hour chatting with the attendees before and after brief remarks about the programs he's pushed to improve the state's business climate. According to campaign finance records, the Democratic governor reaped $67,000 from people and businesses in the greater Capital Region several days after the event.
For Cuomo, it was one of the dozens of events that helped him raise a record $46.9 million for his re-election. But for members of the Capital Region Economic Development Council like Albany Medical Center C.E.O. James Barba and realtor Bob Blackman, then a member of nfrastructure's board, the soiree marked the occasion of their first political contributions to the governor.
The event came several months before Cuomo announced the council had won $82.8 million, in part for projects around the eight-county region—a reversal after two years of being snubbed in the state's competitive funding process.
And several attendees, including council members, benefited from that win. The information technology company nfrastructure was awarded $750,000 to consolidate its growing operations at a single site in Saratoga County. The state also awarded $2.5 million for a plan to redevelop buildings adjacent to Albany Med in the city's Park South neighborhood, and $950,000 to support rehabilitation of a downtown office building where Aeon Nexus, a consulting company owned by another council member, was planning to re-locate.
Both Pickett and state officials said there was no connection between the awards and the events.
He takes charter school donations in return for helping out the charter school industry.
He takes real estate donations in return for tax breaks for the real estate industry.
He takes Hollywood mogul donations in return for tax breaks that essentially pay for Hollywood to make movies in New York.
He takes gambling consortia donations in return for expanding legalized gambling across the state.
There is NOBODY in Albany dirtier than the Sheriff of Albany himself, Andy Cuomo.
When does this guy get investigated for bribery?
The Jacobs family of the Buffalo area threw a swanky, expensive party for Cuomo this spring. The Jacobs own Delaware North which will receive a huge tax break for a new headquarters a few blocks away, leaving a relatively new building without a major tenant when downtown Buffalo has a glut of available office space.
ReplyDeleteOne of Delaware North's businesses runs casinos..hmmm.
Quid Pro Cuomo at it again. If Preet Bharara really wants to nail Cuomo, there's definitely enough smoke and fire. I'm not convinced he wants to nail, though.
DeletePay for play, the American way. Quid pro Cuomo is all sleaze.
ReplyDeleteCuomo is under protection from the plutocracy. Can't touch the man with the "law". The law is for little people.
ReplyDelete