Anatomy of a public betrayal

Newsflash: New Yorkers are living in an age of political corruption. 

Fresh off of his Nov. 4 victory, with Democrats asking for a special legislative session to reconsider the minimum wage, what was the very first bill that our governor signed? The Craft New York Act, to support New York’s breweries and wineries.

State Sen. Co-majority Leader Jeff Klein released a quote applauding the legislation.You might have, too, if the liquor industry was one of the corporate entities instrumental in lining your campaign coffers.

The New York Post uncovered earlier this month that, in a “secret re-election ‘pact,’” Republican co-leader Dean Skelos supported Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s candidacy in exchange for Cuomo withholding support from Long Island Democrats. This deal makes sense in light of Capital New York’s revelation in early September that Cuomo was behind Klein’s Independent Democratic Conference partnering with Republicans.

Translation: Mr. Cuomo brokered the deal in which Mr. Klein’s rogue band of Democrats shared power with Republicans and assisted with Republican legislative priorities for two years — the deal that wrested the majority leadership from the Democrats in 2012 and handed it to Republican Dean Skelos — so that Klein could become a “co-president.”

With Mr. Klein and Mr. Skelos at the helm, New Yorkers were denied an increase in the minimum wage to $10.10; the Women’s Equality Act, the Dream Act, GENDA legislation, a moratorium on hydrofracking and campaign finance reform failed to pass; and tenants were left to fend for themselves.

There is a rotten triumvirate at the epicenter of Albany, and we have made its reappearance a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The State Senate Democrats who begged Oliver Koppell to challenge Mr. Klein’s reelection bid stood in awe of Mr. Klein’s statement on June 25 that he would return to the Democratic fold; that he would form a coalition with Democrats. Mayor Bill de Blasio urged support for Mr. Klein to help Democrats recapture the majority. The Working Families Party withdrew its support from Mr. Koppell. Democratic groups, fearing Mr. Klein’s power to deny legislation from getting to the Senate floor, largely stayed neutral. 

During his 2014 primary campaign, Mr. Klein flexed his co-presidential muscles and bench-pressed nearly $14 million in State Senate funds — hundreds of thousands or millions at a time — to sway his highly gerrymandered district.

Were you one of the Democrats who believed Mr. Klein’s steady stream of campaign mailers that proclaimed his progressive agenda? Were you moved by his campaign commercials in which he recounted the importance of being raised by his family to be a Democrat?  

Just after the June 25 statement, Mr. Skelos, in the press, reflexively scoffed at the notion that Mr. Klein would ever rejoin the Democrats. New Yorkers should have listened.

The Republicans won an outright majority of seats in the State Senate and “Democrat” Jeffrey Klein ran right back to Mr. Skelos to reclaim his seat at the head table. State of Politics even reports that the new price of Mr. Klein’s power might be an IDC coalition with Republicans past the 2016 elections. And what is Mr. Skelos’ legislative agenda? “We’re not doing Dream Act, we’re not doing minimum wage, we’re not doing taxpayer financing,” he has said. Skelos is, however, open to legislative pay raises and proclaimed that “fracking is the answer” to job creation.

If you supported the candidacy of former Assembly Member, City Council Member, and State Attorney General Oliver Koppell as I did, watching Jeffrey Klein renege on his agreement to re-partner with the Democrats was as surprising as watching water, at 32˚F, turn into ice. 

Collectively, we must extract from Mr. Klein’s behavior that he is not in fact the leader of a group of Democrats who want to reach across the aisle. In truth, under Mr. Cuomo’s watch, he calls the shots for a back-up troop of Republicans.

 Let’s end this game of corruption. Being prey to its manipulation is learned behavior that we can disrupt by being informed and getting to the polls in numbers higher than 9.3 percent.

In Oliver Koppell, we had an environmental champion who never deviated from fighting for an increased minimum wage or the rights of women, tenants, and immigrants. 

Mr. Koppell was willing to extend his 40 years of public service to oust a politician who traded in his principles for a throne. We must now regroup to find another true Democrat focused on serving the people of New York State. And remember not to squander that candidacy. 

Jennifer Firestone was campaign manager for Oliver Koppell’s state Senate campaign. She is a medical writer and political consultant who lives in Riverdale.