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If you've been following along with any of the various scandals simmering around Democratic State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr.—whose defection was instrumental in returning control of the Senate to Republicans and put him next in line to be Governor (should tragedy befall David Paterson)—then you get why some people think he's "really an unsavory character," in the words of Baruch College political analyst Doug Muzzio. But we may have figured out the cause of his troubles: multiple personality disorder.
Sure, just consider his response to a question about why he illegally resides in fancy Westchester, outside his Bronx district: "Pedro Espada has a second home in Mamaroneck, [but] I live in the Bronx," Espada cryptically explained to the Daily News. But residents at his Bronx "address" say they never see any of Espada's personalities.
Could it be he's laying the groundwork for an insanity defense should the ongoing investigations into his alleged misconduct lead to felony charges? Maybe it really was just shady "Pedro" who failed to file some 41 campaign reports since 2002, making it impossible to know how he handles his campaign cash. And perhaps "Pedro" is also the one who funneled taxpayer money to a nonprofit he controls, Soundview Health Clinic, to fund his campaigns—something Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is now investigating.
And yesterday it emerged that someone acting under the name "Pedro" demanded $2 million in earmarks from (former) Majority Leader Malcolm Smith for two new non-profits, but Democrats refused because they couldn't actually verify that the non-profits were legit. Now Espada will get that pork from the Republican-controlled Senate.
When you think about it, you'd have to be kind of crazy to say this to the press and not crack up laughing mid-sentence: "Yes, I get a $2 million allocation, but that's not the issue, nor is it anyway involved with the decision to form a coalition government. It's about top to bottom reform of the Senate and the culture of the Senate." Muzzio, the political analyst, is dismayed that Espada is now a heartbeat away from the Governorship, telling CBS2, "He's under investigation for all these things. I mean you have a potential felon as the number two actor in New York state."
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Cuomo, get in the saddle. This guy needs to be locked up.
Yeah really lets clean this scum off the streets and send his larchmont living bronx fronting ass home
The Democrats deserve this. They failed to shut down that gang of three bullshit and now one of them has brought Albany corruption to new lows. And that's saying a lot.
I know what you mean—I'm more pissed at the Democrats for letting this happen than I am at the Republicans are taking advantage of the situation. But the whole thing stinks, as a godforsaken citizen of New York.
I am no fan of the Democratic insiders in Albany, BUT...
I have to contest the assertion that the Democrats "let this happen".
The simple political fact is that they didn't have the votes without these guys, so they couldn't do anything. Kruger, Espada, Diaz, Monserrate essentially held them hostage over the last 6 months.
Smith was certainly not an effective leader, but he was also a product of an untenable situation and possibly would not have gotten his position in the first place had the Democrats had enough bodies to control the chamber properly.
Which leads us to the question, "Why, in an overwhelmingly Democratic state, are there so many Republican Senators?"
The answer is that we have an extremely partisan districting system that is designed to benefit incumbents. If people on both sides of the aisle want to fix Albany, they need to start by instituting non-partisan re-districting. This would ensure that a) the legislature better reflected the will of the people and b) jackass incumbents like Espada were defeated quickly before they could do any more damage.
Paterson had better have someone else start his car in the morning.
hahaha!
hahaha!
Me, I vote for Both Crazy and Corrupt.
Jen's right: The Democratic Party let this happen.
Ugh...
pedro puts the easy in greasy.
Nothing says reform like a $2 million bribe!
Now we'll really need to increase dickbag Golisano's taxes to payoff the "reform-minded" Senate that he just paid to get into power.
Fucktards, I'm moving to California. They might be bankrupt, but they have stupid rules that make this shit impossible!
Typical piece of shit politician.
Why is this guy still in office???
I have been following this story since it broke and while I want to say something like "typical politicians", etc., I cannot because as I read more about Albany, the sadder the whole situation gets. The democratic politicians involved serve some of the poorest urban districts in the nation and this is the service they provide. That the whole thing was masterminded by a Rochester billionaire upset about his goddamn taxes must have really motivated the representative from the Bronx to act. I want to write off Albany as a lost cause forever gone to corruption and not think about it, but I live in NYC and I have a billionaire mayor running for a third term. The city and the state are run by the same incapable leaders who soon forget why they were elected.
What $2,000,000? You can by this guy with a six pack.
Yes ladies and gentlemen, this is...your New York State Senate.
Paterson's the ONLY sane one up there, and more focus/speculation is on his office than on Espada's, Monserrate's, and the other freakshows combined.