Up on the Board: Albany corruption, Nassau's court loss, and binding arbitration
John Sampson becomes the third ex-Democratic Senate leader to face federal charges behind Pedro Espada and Malcolm Smith. Credit: AP
It may be that federal prosecutors will be the ones to set de facto term limits in Albany, as yet another denizen fell from grace today. Sen. John Sampson (D-Brooklyn), at one time the co-majority leader of the State Senate, surrendered to the FBI to face charges of embezzlement, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
Since April 1, federal prosecutors have charged a state senator, an assemblyman and a New York City councilman. As the hits keep coming, the editorial board hopes that pressure for reform will mount.
Nassau County lost what seems to be its final appeal against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which leaves the county owing $26 million to the MTA. The Mangano administration can’t seem to win in court – or manage the county’s finances.
And, we’ll be weighing in on Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s public union contract overhaul, which would reform binding arbitration. The proposal would cap arbitration awards, easing financial burdens on municipalities. The editorial board thinks the governor should seize this opportunity.
If you have an opinion on any of the above, simply fill in a comment in the section below, or email letters@newsday.com.
Up on the Board is the editorial board's blog about what we just discussed at our weekday morning meeting. These meetings are where we talk about the news of the day and hash out our positions for the opinion sections of Newsday, Newsday Westchester and amNew York.
