JCOPE - All is Not Well in Albany

    After scandal after scandal Governor Andrew Coumo in his quest for an end to corruption in Albany (or quest for the presidency in 2016) created the Joint Commission On Public Ethics to do that. The problem with JCOPE (as the commission is called) is that JCOPE is full of political appointees of the Governor, Assembly, and State Senate. While the Vito Lopez scandal (with more are on the way such as the Naomi Rivera scandal) is the first true test for JCOPE, there seems to be ethical problems for JCOPE itself.

   JCOPE commissioner Ravi Batra (appointed by Senate Minority Leader Sampson) threatened to quit the commission because of recent events concerning the Assemblyman Vito Lopez investigation, Assembly Speaker Silver, and the State Assembly that is growing. Batra did just that as he said in a statement he resigned from JCOPE and did not want to be a part of a commission that was set up to be a commission on public ethics that can not do its job. 

    "I wish you well and hope that my resignation aids in focusing attention on the need for proper policies and practices to effectuate honest and independent ethics enforcement so as to actually restore public confidence in government and public service". Batra added "I acknowledge the continuing confidentiality obligation as well as the 2-year bar. I welcome a subpoena from a federal prosecutor or a Moreland Act-empowered special prosecutor to share my experiences and impressions about the reality of JCOPE in practice, for then the confidentiality bar would no longer apply, and public trust further enriched".

    Meanwhile the infighting continued in Albany with State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos calling for an investigation of the assembly's role in the Vito Lopez scandal. Governor Cuomo slammed Senate Minority Leader Sampson for appointing Batra, and said that Batra is only a reflection of Senator Sampson.

    We are no fan of State Senator John Sampson, but have to agree with his appointee who just quit JCOPE over ethical questions about JCOPE itself. We also agree that it is time for the U.S. Attorney to step in and find out more about the Assemblyman Lopez scandal, the possible cover up by Assembly Speaker Silver that he admits may have been a mistake, and any other wrongdoings that may have occurred in the New York State Assembly.