Seiler: JCOPE s got 99 problems
But, contrary to Cuomo s opinion, the inability to sanction legislators directly isn t one
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Logo at the entrance to the NYS Joint Commission on Public Ethics offices in Albany, NY, Tuesday May 28, 2013. (John Carl D Annibale / Times Union)John Carl D Annibale, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER / Albany Times Union
At no point in the sad decade-long history of the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics has anyone ever said that the major flaw in its structure was the fact that it can t directly sanction misbehaving members of the state Legislature.
Until last week, that is, when Gov. Andrew Cuomo was asked if he supported a bill that would reform JCOPE s goofy appointment system, which grants state Senate Republicans the power to name three commissioners to the panel while the chamber s supermajority Democrats only get one appointee, and voting requirements that can stand in the way of investigations even when they re supported by a majority
Former State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is no longer in the federal prison in Otisville. He has been moved to Devens Federal Medical Center in Massachusetts, although it's not clear why.
Ex-Assembly Speaker Silver, fighting cancer, moved to prison hospital newsday.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newsday.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Luther Gulick Park, Willett Street.
The long awaited restoration of Luther Gulick Park, the neglected public space at Willett and Delancey streets, is now fully funded. The Friends of Gulick Park announced today that they have been awarded $1 million from State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Earlier this year, Silver helped facilitate a $2.5 million grant from the state Department of Transportation. The organization had already secured about $3 million from other elected officials.
There’s been a five year campaign, including public visioning sessions, for the park’s resurgence. Here’s a diagram showing the Parks Department design for Luther Gulick:
Originally, the city said it would cost $6 million to complete the job. Now there’s a surplus, which could potentially be used as a down payment for a bathroom building that could be built at some point in the future. Construction at the park could get underway by next fall.