The corruption trial of state Assemblyman Sheldon Silver,the powerful former speaker accused of raking in nearly $4 million in bribes and kickbacks, is pulling back the curtain on how things work in Albany and providing a scarce glimpse of politics as normal.
Among the revelations so far: The amount of taxpayer money Silver doled out to nonprofits was hidden even on internal Assembly reports. Silver determined how much in discretionary funds other members got, or but kept everyone in the shaded about how much their colleagues were getting — with a written list of allotments kept in a staffer's desk drawer. The Assembly committee that reviewed possible grants did petite more than check to make certain the grant manager listed in an organization's paperwork was actually alive.
Many of those practices have since changed with state law now requiring more disclosure of how discretionary funds are spent.
The trial is expected to last another month and the workings of Albany are certain to be an ongoing topic of discussion.
Source: wnyc.org