MAY 11, 2015
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)
Republican Dean Skelos resigned from his position Monday as
leader of the state Senate following his arrest on federal corruption charges
and was quickly replaced by another Long Island lawmaker, Sen. John Flanagan.
Skelos, who intends to keep his legislative seat, becomes
the latest leader to lose his power in a state government marred by corruption.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver stepped down from his leadership position early
this year.
Skelos, a 67-year-old Nassau County resident, is fighting
charges he traded his influence for payments to his son, Adam Skelos, who is
also charged in the case. Both men say they are innocent.
The resignation comes after Democrats vowed to force a vote
on Skelos' ouster. Skelos held onto power for a week following his arrest, but
his support among the Senate's Republican majority steadily eroded.
Flanagan emerged as Skelos' replacement after a three-hour
closed-door meeting of Senate Republicans. Sen. John DeFrancisco, who had also
contended for the top position, was at Flanagan's side as he announced his
victory.
"We come out of this unified," said Flanagan, 54,
a 29-year legislative veteran who had led the Senate education committee.
"There is a lot of work that needs to get finished."
In the formal Senate vote, Flanagan was elected leader with
33 ayes. The 63-member chamber has 32 Republicans; in a symbolic move, the
chamber's Democrats nominated Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins to be leader.
Seven top state lawmakers have stepped down in the past six
years because of criminal charges or scandal. In January, Silver was charged
with accepting nearly $4 million in payoffs. Silver stepped down as speaker but
kept his Assembly seat and has pleaded not guilty.
Skelos, 67, was first elected to the Senate in 1984. He did
not address reporters Monday.
Authorities said the legislative veteran traded his
influence to extort money from others with business before the state, including
hundreds of thousands of dollars from a senior executive of a major real estate
development firm who was cooperating with the government. The money was paid to
Adam Skelos, authorities said, with the expectation that Dean Skelos would use
his position to support the developer's legislative priorities.
Dean Skelos promoted and voted for real estate legislation
sought by the developer, including some pertaining to rent regulation and
property tax abatements, the complaint said.
The probe focused in part on whether Skelos influenced
Nassau County's decision to award a $12 million contract to Arizona-based
AbTech Industries in 2013. Adam Skelos worked for the company as a consultant;
investigators claim his monthly pay more than doubled after the contract was
approved.
George Carlin was spot on. "It is one big club and you
and I are not in it". He also said: "The Government will be
coming after your retirement money, and they will get it". Already the federal reserve has stolen
trillions from the savers by keeping the rates artificially at 0 percent so
that the rich stock holders benefit from the stock appreciation.