Boy George, The Influence Peddler

BY CARL P. PALADINO

Over the years Senator George Maziarz has placed many members of his friends and family club as employees of the New York State Power Authority, many in very high paying positions. This effort was conducted with total disregard of the Peter Principal which is defined as the attempt to promote or place people in positions above their level of competence.

The effort, no matter how incompetent and devious, is illustrative of just how careless and carefree a politician who has been there too long can get in abusing his responsibilities to the taxpayer. George’s actions wreak of conflict and self-interest. The arrogance of a public servant selling his influence and abusing his office illustrates just how far off the beaten path a pathetic, narcissistic and power crazed elected official can become and why term limits ate so important.

As chairman of the New York State Senate Energy Committee which is charged with oversight of the New York State Power Authority, George exercised undue and unusual influence over the Authority in securing jobs for his friends and family, many of whom we will reveal next week. As a quid pro quo to the Power Authority taking care of George’s friends and family club members, George, his oversight committee, looked the other way and abrogated his responsibility to not only the taxpayers of his district but to all Western New Yorkers by letting the Cuomo/Silver progressive establishment cartel, in two successive budget bills in 2011 and 2012, sweep $600,000,000 from the bank account of the Power Authority to the General Fund of the State of New York– monies that should have been used for the economic benefit of Western New Yorkers.

Over the years the Albany establishment has stolen billions of dollars in hard cash and power from Western New York. Yes, Boy George perfunctorily whined about it for the press but that’s all he did. In fact he voted for both budget bills. The original Niagara Power Project deal provided that the Power Authority put aside an allocation of power for the economic development of the area of a 30 mile radius from the power plant. Over the years for many other reasons Western New York lost virtually all of its heavy industry to which that power was originally allocated. In turn the Power Authority resold that allocated but unused power on the open retail market for huge profits. The monies earned from the retail sale or reallocation downstate of the unused allocated power should have been properly used to benefit the people for whose benefit the power was originally allocated.

In an effort to assuage his guilt and give back part of what he and the state have stolen from Western New Yorkers over the years, Cuomo recently promised to put up $1 billion in economic aide to Western New York. He didn’t say how, when, where and why. He said it will come in many forms. That should be interesting. We have heard these hollow political promises before. Rather than steering money to his friends and family club, how about paying off all the debt of Western New York municipalities? That will obviate the need for debt service, lower local budgets, lower taxes and create an inviting atmosphere for development. All the people of Western New York will share in the benefit.

George, please tell the people again how you, Skelos, Silver and Cuomo completed all the business that needed attending in the legislature and how successful the Legislative session was.

And while you’re at it tell the people how, only at our prodding, you have successfully convinced your soul mate Andrew Cuomo to release to Niagara County and the City of Niagara Falls the $58,000,000 in casino revenue sharing that he was otherwise holding up. Word on the street is that the announcement will be made a week before the primary so as to make your horrific record as a representative look so good.

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