One More Reason To Lose Respect For Tom Golisano
I used to have a lot of respect for Tom Golisano. Who wouldn’t? Successful businessman, top benefactor of our community, the guy who saved the Sabres, and our main hope to keep the Bills in western New York when Ralph Wilson no longer owns the team.
But, I’ve lost a lot of that respect this political season. He has come under a lot of scrutiny over his political involvement this year. I think relying on Steve Pigeon is proving to be a big mistake.
We’ve reported on the various request for investigations into his tactics, which if they aren’t illegal, certainly are gutter level. Not to mention his judgement –does he expect us to believe that he really thinks Rick Dollinger is the guy to reform Albany? I’m move convinced than ever that Golisano’s bankrolling of the Senate Dems is a part of a larger deal — but that’s a post for another day.
The Buffalo News is reporting that Golisano and Pigeon are calling on Governor Paterson to remove the two Erie County Election Commissioners who are looking into allegations that his committees have illegally coordinated with candidates (a charge leveled by several organizations) and that his committees have circumvented campaign finance disclosure reporting forms.
From the Buffalo News:
Golisano today accused the Republican and Democratic elections chiefs of violating New York State Elections Law by overstepping their investigative and subpoena powers. Earlier this week Mohr asked Golisano to answer questions under oath about his dealings with three political action committees controlled by G. Steven Pigeon.
(snip)
Golisano called on Gov. David A. Paterson to remove Mohr and Ward from their positions. He also said he has filed a complaint with the state elections board, and is asking the Erie County District Attorney’s Office to investigate the local board chiefs’ actions.
“The very people who represent us and are tasked with protecting and policing elections are using the public trust to launch their own political attacks,” Golisano said.
Mohr and Ward were not immediately available for comment, but planned to speak with the media later this morning.
Wow, can you say thin skinned hypocrite? This is unbelievable. People investigate his activity and he calls on his political cronies to remove them from power?
This sounds like something a third world dictator would do — not something we should expect from a self proclaimed government reformer. Reformers operate in an ethical way and answer questions — they don’t use fear and intimidation to squelch people looking for answers.
We tried to warn Golisano that given his track record, involving himself in this year’s campaign could do a lot of damage to his reputation. Unfortunately, it looks like we were right!
Jamaican-born disco diva Grace Jones said she can not stand Sarah Palin.