Hilarious. I have hella articles on the subject, including a funny NYT one where the authors struggle to spend $20k on take-out sushi at a top-shelf restaurant where Espada's wife spent that amount, but utterly fail "even counting 40's of sake."
It's hard to find a young Democrat in NYC who isn't excited to replace some establishment types with progressives like Jose Peralta.
http://recordtalespin.blogspot.com/2010/04/cuomo-is-bully.htmlShame on Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for abusing his position to pick on poor state Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada just to get a leg up on his presumed bid for governor.
We’re with Espada on this one. This is nothing more than a political witch-hunt. The “steamroller” has nothing on Cuomo.
He must be worried about his poll numbers.
And for him to use terms like “looting” to describe Espada’s alleged “siphoning” of public money from Soundview, a health clinic in the Bronx Espada created, is just stoking a fire that should never have been lit.
Espada earned his $9 million severance package approved by a Board of Directors comprised of his family and friends. He’s providing healthcare to poor people in his district and that’s noble, damn it. He doesn’t live in the district he’s elected to represent, but the fact he opened clinic there proves he cares.
And for that he deserves taxpayers pick up the $80,000 restaurant tab for he and his family, including $20,000 for sushi delivered to his wife.
Furthermore, it’s more than understandable that Espada would give his son a $400,000 a year contract to clean Soundview. It’s just a coincidence he was the lowest bidder.
And we think too that Soundview should pay for Espada’s campaign expenses because the state is, or hopefully will be, a better place when he sits as a lawmaker.
Just think back to the coup he orchestrated only to see other lawmakers buy him off by naming him majority leader and giving him all the perks that go with it. It turned out to be a good thing because it encapsulated how Albany really works in a way people can understand.
This story goes beyond that, but it sheds light on government. The fact – well, the allegation since Espada, in unabashed bravado, vows to “answer each charge” – it was even allowed to happen is telling and we have to wonder how many Soundviews there are around the state and nation.
One question we have is why didn’t Cuomo bring criminal charges?
Another is how many real people got hurt so Espada’s wife could eat sushi at home on our dime? Fourteen million dollars can, we assume, provide lot of healthcare to people who need it.
