Senate Leadership
May 16, 2006
Williams: Governor Should Have Separated Campaign From Executive Duties
Testimony shows troubling blurring of Moody's duties
State Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D-Brooklyn) today called on Governor Rell to separate the operations of her campaign for reelection from those of the executive functions of the Office of Governor. "Even the Rowland Administration recognized that it would not be wise to have a chief of staff to the governor remain in that post when they are also significantly involved in an election campaign."
Sen. Williams pointed out that during the last gubernatorial campaign, then-Governor Rowland's top political operative relinquished any executive branch duties, and moved to the campaign fulltime a year in advance of the election.
"I appreciated Lisa Moody's testimony today where she acknowledged that she set in motion the events that led to numerous commissioners being fined, and took responsibility and apologized. But frankly, she has had too much on her plate--she has the most important and powerful administrative job in state government as the chief and staff to the governor, and at the same time she has been Governor Rell's closest campaign advisor and advocate. That's where Governor Rell should have stepped in some time ago and separated Ms. Moody's responsibilities," Sen. Williams said.
Added Sen. Williams, "Commissioners have interpreted directions from Ms. Moody as 'direct orders' regarding campaign activity, with Ms. Moody claiming no such thing was intended. As she stated in her testimony today, Ms. Moody works 12 to 14 hours per day, but says she didn't read memos she initialed on the topic of ethics, the governor's hallmark issue. She also claims she did not know it was improper to distribute fundraising material in the governor's office, despite the availability of the governor's ethics attorney if she had any doubts or questions."
Sen. Williams urged the action after the testimony before the legislature's General Administration and Elections Committee. The committee is looking into the actions of those in the executive branch in relation to improper fundraising for the governor's reelection.
|
Senator Williams’ Larry Cook |
Listing of Leadership’s recent press releases. |
Senator Looney’s Larry Cook |
