Joseph Bruno, Sheldon Silver questioned over private-sector jobs
March 4, 2008
The state Legislature’s leaders on Monday made headlines over their outside business interests.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has appointed the head of the law firm where he works to serve on a state committee that recommends top state judges for appointment.
“Arthur Luxenberg is a respected member of the bar, he has an impressive list of legal accomplishments and a long record of community service,” said Dan Weiller, spokesman for Silver, a Manhattan Democrat.
Luxenberg’s appointment, first reported by the New York Post, is to the judicial screening panel of lawyers that recommend prospective judges to Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who appoints and nominates judges.
Senate Republican leader Joseph Bruno confirmed this week to New York magazine that he introduced New York unions to the investment company he worked for, but denies any wrongdoing in the arrangement that has long been investigated by the FBI.
Bruno says he worked for the company for about a decade and always made it clear that if the union didn’t like the investment company, then no deal should be made. Bruno, who supports unions in Albany, says he never promised any action as a Senate leader to a union that agreed to work with Wright Investors Service.
New York magazine reported in an extensive profile of Bruno that the state’s top Republican was introduced to a Wright Investors Service executive by an unnamed mutual friend.
“I provided the entree,” Bruno was quoted in the magazine. “In that business, the biggest problem is access. I provided access.”
The magazine reported that if the company wanted to meet with trustees of a union looking to invest its pension, Bruno would make the phone calls.
“My pitch to them was, `If you like what they have to say, take it to the next level. If you don’t, say good-bye,”‘ Bruno was quoted in the magazine.
On Monday, Bruno said his comments were taken out of context and some were inaccurate, a claim the magazine denies.
Bruno had long refused to talk about his role with the company. And Silver, a lawyer, has long refused to release his list of clients, citing the attorney-client protection afforded in law.
Source: AMNY
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