WHITE
PLAINS - Westchester legislators quietly hired
themselves a $55,000-a-year lobbyist at taxpayer
expense yesterday, just weeks after the county
executive hired one at less than half the
price.
The Board of Legislators' Democratic leadership retained the high-powered lobbying firm of Davidoff Malito & Hutcher LLP to represent the county's interests in Albany. The firm is well known in Albany and has a lengthy list of public- and private-sector clients.
"I make no apologies for it," said board Majority Leader Martin Rogowsky, D-Harrison. "We think it is $55,000 well spent."
By hiring its own lobbyist, however, the board has broken with its recent practice of joining with County Executive Andrew Spano to hire a single lobbying firm to represent Westchester in Albany. Late last month, the Spano administration renewed its $25,000 contract with Patricia Lynch Associates - another well-known Albany lobbying firm.
"This is another waste of taxpayer dollars," Legislator James Maisano, R-New Rochelle, the board's deputy minority leader, said of the move to hire another lobbyist. "(County Executive) Andy Spano already hired a top lobbyist to lobby for the same items."
Maisano and other GOP lawmakers said Davidoff Malito's hiring was an unnecessary expense in tough economic times. It also comes on the heels of last month's bid by the legislature to award sizable stipend increases to board Chairman William Ryan, D-White Plains, and other leaders. That attempt was abandoned in the face of staunch public opposition.
Rogowsky said the county was not seeing enough results from Patricia Lynch. It was time for the legislature to have its own representation in Albany, he added.
The hiring of Davidoff Malito was approved yesterday by the county's Board of Acquisition and Contracts. It was a late addition to the board's agenda, submitted by Ryan after the initial agenda was printed and distributed Monday to members of the media.
Rogowsky denied any attempt to hide the firm's hiring from the public, saying he was still ironing out some final details with the firm when the initial Acquisition and Contracts agenda was printed.
Maisano, however, questioned the selection of Davidoff Malito, noting that it has been a frequent donor to Democratic causes in Westchester.
The Board of Legislators' Democratic leadership retained the high-powered lobbying firm of Davidoff Malito & Hutcher LLP to represent the county's interests in Albany. The firm is well known in Albany and has a lengthy list of public- and private-sector clients.
"I make no apologies for it," said board Majority Leader Martin Rogowsky, D-Harrison. "We think it is $55,000 well spent."
By hiring its own lobbyist, however, the board has broken with its recent practice of joining with County Executive Andrew Spano to hire a single lobbying firm to represent Westchester in Albany. Late last month, the Spano administration renewed its $25,000 contract with Patricia Lynch Associates - another well-known Albany lobbying firm.
"This is another waste of taxpayer dollars," Legislator James Maisano, R-New Rochelle, the board's deputy minority leader, said of the move to hire another lobbyist. "(County Executive) Andy Spano already hired a top lobbyist to lobby for the same items."
Maisano and other GOP lawmakers said Davidoff Malito's hiring was an unnecessary expense in tough economic times. It also comes on the heels of last month's bid by the legislature to award sizable stipend increases to board Chairman William Ryan, D-White Plains, and other leaders. That attempt was abandoned in the face of staunch public opposition.
Rogowsky said the county was not seeing enough results from Patricia Lynch. It was time for the legislature to have its own representation in Albany, he added.
The hiring of Davidoff Malito was approved yesterday by the county's Board of Acquisition and Contracts. It was a late addition to the board's agenda, submitted by Ryan after the initial agenda was printed and distributed Monday to members of the media.
Rogowsky denied any attempt to hide the firm's hiring from the public, saying he was still ironing out some final details with the firm when the initial Acquisition and Contracts agenda was printed.
Maisano, however, questioned the selection of Davidoff Malito, noting that it has been a frequent donor to Democratic causes in Westchester.
"They just
gave out the contract," Maisano said of the lobbying
deal. "I guarantee that if this contract was done
through competitive bidding, we would have found an
excellent lobbyist at a much lower
cost."
A check of state Board of Elections records showed, among other things, that the firm donated $1,000 in October to the Democratic Majority Action Committee - a committee created by the legislature's Democratic leadership to help elect more Democratic legislators - and $250 to Ryan's campaign in November 2006.
Rogowsky insisted that the campaign contributions played no role in the firm's hiring. When asked how board leaders selected the firm, he said: "We looked around. ... They have a very good reputation."
Rogowsky also defended the contract's cost, arguing that the Spano administration, in addition to its contract with Patricia Lynch, has a full-time staff member, Karen Pasquale, whose job includes lobbying.
"We don't pay nearly as much as the ninth floor," Rogowsky said, referring to the floor containing Spano's office in the county's main office building.
With the new lobbying firm, Rogowsky said, lawmakers hope to obtain additional aid from the state government. Among the priorities are money to fund police patrols on local parkways and the reinstatement of tuition reimbursements that Westchester used to receive from the state for residents who attend the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan.
"(Pasquale) working on it with Pat Lynch - it didn't happen," Rogowsky said. Deputy County Executive Larry Schwartz defended Pasquale and the county's deal with Patricia Lynch, saying they were both providing quality services to taxpayers.
"(The legislature) should defend the merits of why they wanted to hire Davidoff and Malito and not spend their time creating a distraction by criticizing other people who do a great job for Westchester," Schwartz said. "I am disappointed in Marty throwing people under the bus."
Other Democratic lawmakers questioned by The Journal News said they supported the move to hire Davidoff Malito, but they also made it clear that the hiring was driven solely by Ryan and Rogowsky.
"This was a Bill-Marty move," said Legislator Michael Kaplowitz, D-Somers.
A check of state Board of Elections records showed, among other things, that the firm donated $1,000 in October to the Democratic Majority Action Committee - a committee created by the legislature's Democratic leadership to help elect more Democratic legislators - and $250 to Ryan's campaign in November 2006.
Rogowsky insisted that the campaign contributions played no role in the firm's hiring. When asked how board leaders selected the firm, he said: "We looked around. ... They have a very good reputation."
Rogowsky also defended the contract's cost, arguing that the Spano administration, in addition to its contract with Patricia Lynch, has a full-time staff member, Karen Pasquale, whose job includes lobbying.
"We don't pay nearly as much as the ninth floor," Rogowsky said, referring to the floor containing Spano's office in the county's main office building.
With the new lobbying firm, Rogowsky said, lawmakers hope to obtain additional aid from the state government. Among the priorities are money to fund police patrols on local parkways and the reinstatement of tuition reimbursements that Westchester used to receive from the state for residents who attend the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan.
"(Pasquale) working on it with Pat Lynch - it didn't happen," Rogowsky said. Deputy County Executive Larry Schwartz defended Pasquale and the county's deal with Patricia Lynch, saying they were both providing quality services to taxpayers.
"(The legislature) should defend the merits of why they wanted to hire Davidoff and Malito and not spend their time creating a distraction by criticizing other people who do a great job for Westchester," Schwartz said. "I am disappointed in Marty throwing people under the bus."
Other Democratic lawmakers questioned by The Journal News said they supported the move to hire Davidoff Malito, but they also made it clear that the hiring was driven solely by Ryan and Rogowsky.
"This was a Bill-Marty move," said Legislator Michael Kaplowitz, D-Somers.