Friday, August 11, 2006
George Pataki may have an eye on a run for president, but, regrettably, he’s keeping the other eye on extending his influence in state government by doling out patronage positions.
The Republican has already made more than 150 appointments to friends, supporters and friends of supporters, which will make it tough for the next governor to shake things up.
Why the orgy of patronage handouts? Because most people expect Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat, to move into the governor’s mansion come January.
Among the more significant of Pataki’s moves was the reappointment of Peter Kalikow as chairman of the MTA to another six-year term.
Spitzer isn’t happy with the slogging pace of the Second Avenue Subway and Long Island Rail Road East Side Access projects, and his spokesman inferred that Spitzer would like to replace Kalikow. But Kalikow says he won’t step down, even if the next governor asked him to. It’s a situation that will lead to time-wasting clashes the public doesn’t deserve.
Also undercutting the next governor: Lawyers for SUNY Chancellor John Ryan are working on a four- or five-year contract to prevent a Democrat from ousting him.
Then there are the more amusing appointments. Pataki wants his longtime spokeswoman, Jennifer Arena, to fill a two-year term on the state Board of Parole – at $101,600 a year.
Democrats say she isn’t qualified, but the administration contends she meets the minimum legal requirements. That’s not good enough.
If Pataki wants support in 2008, he first has to prove that he can rise above petty partisan politics. So far, no dice.