Loss of Faith, Destruction of Trust
It’s really come to this. Things are so bad in the way of corruption, legislative gridlock and greed that David Paterson, the governor of the greatest state in the great country in the world, used his State of the State Address yesterday to lecture lawmakers on the myriad ways they’ve destroyed the people’s trust.
Usually, these addressed are met with constant interruptions of applause for every pledge and platitude. Every meaningless line—“We will see that no child is left behind” etc.—gets an automatic clapping of hands from the assemblage of elected chimps.
This time, none of that happened. Paterson, ordinarily a funny guy, made no jokes. He kissed no one’s ring or hand. And there was hardly a hand clap.
Paterson is obviously trying to save his job. His poll numbers are weak. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is patiently waiting in the wings to take the accidental governor out in this year’s coming election.
No matter. Paterson should take it as a badge of honor that he managed to piss off just about everybody in Albany.
His address to the 212-member den of thieves came just and hour or so after a federal indictment was handed down in White Plains accusing former Yonkers City Councilwoman Sandy Annabi of accepting $166,000 in bribes to, in effect, help grease the wheels for two major development projects. One of them was the $600 million Ridge Hill project, a massive undertaking by the Forest City Ratner group, which is the same outift, incidentally, that is remaking an entire neighborhood in Brooklyn.
Ridge Hill will now forever be associated with corruption—that’s how critical Annabi’s vote was. If the allegations against her hold up, then it can always be said that Yonkers can bought for the price of a condo, a Rolex watch and a couple of vacation trips. (Check out today’s column on this matter.)
How sad. And that’s where we stand.
Today on the “High Noon” radio show, my co-host, Matt Richter and I will be talking about all this and more. One of ou guests will be Yonkers City Councilman John Murtagh. Listen in by turning your radio dial to 1460 AM or go to wvox.com.
Phone number is 914-636-0110.
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It reminds me of when Richard Codey took over as Governor of NJ after the McGreevey debacle. He had nothing to lose and ticked everyone off with his statements and actions—and in the process actually got some things done. Then Corzine took over and it was business as usual for the NJ legislative crooks.