Investigation of administration may reveal bigger Albany scandal
DAN MEYER Political Columnist
What more can be said about the ongoing investigation of Gov. Eliot Spitzer and some of his closest advisers and their alleged efforts to discredit Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno? The impact the scandal will have on what gets done in Albany over the next couple of weeks will be immense. Spitzer's entire administration will ultimately pay the price for the severe ethical lapses in judgment made by a few of the governor's top aides.

All of Spitzer's talk about how his office operates by following high standards of integrity and ethics can be viewed as nothing more than complete hogwash, especially given the fact that it appears as though Darren Dopp and Richard Baum, two of the top confidantes in the governor's cabinet, may have been the main mad scientists who dreamed up the plan to use State Police personnel and equipment to try and dig up dirt on Bruno.

If you haven't had the chance to do so yet, visit the Attorney General's link on the state's official Web site (www.state.ny.us) and take a glance at Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's report on the investigation. The 53-page document highlights a detailed review of actions involving the meticulous tracking of Bruno's schedule and travel plans, how the State Police produced selective information on Bruno and how people in power who knew they were dealing with a politically sensitive matter simply looked the other way.

The investigation by the State Senate will likely reveal more details of this ethics scandal. The key questions that still linger directly involve Spitzer. What inquiring minds want to know is what did the governor know and when did he know it?

Spitzer can stand by his original claim that he knew nothing of his aides' actions, but plenty of political pundits are skeptical that he didn't know what Dopp and Baum were scheming.

If anything is revealed that shows that the governor did, in fact, know what was going on and that he had some kind of knowledge about the efforts to tarnish Bruno's reputation and to damage the political career of the State Legislature's top Republican, his own political future and his agenda to drastically reform state government may both be hampered.

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The latest information churning out of the Western New York political rumor mill has Dennis Koziol, chairman of the City of Lackawanna's Independence Party, prepared to challenge Tony Orsini and run for the chairmanship of the Erie County Independence Party in 2008.

The expected Koziol vs. Orsini battle should get mighty interesting because of the behind-the-scenes players expected to weigh in and provide support in the form of manpower and money. Erie County Democratic Chairman Len Lenihan, Bill Delmont and other grizzled veterans from the county's Conservative Party, Lackawanna Mayor Norm Polanski, and Chuck Eaton, the chief of staff for Congressman Brian Higgins, are among the folks who are expected to attempt to influence the race as Orsini's reign as head of the county's IP could be in jeopardy.

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Coming off the heels of my recent column on Jimmy Griffin's campaign for Erie County executive were some complimentary e-mails and phone calls about my trip down memory lane for those who enjoyed reflecting on his 16-year run as mayor of Buffalo. I also had more than a few people point out the fact that Griffin's political Web site (www.runjimmyrun.com) is in desperate need of some fresh material.

While the home page indicates the site was updated earlier this year and a very basic "Griffin for county executive" logo is present, the dates for entries under the categories of "News & Commentary" (July 5, 1998) and "Jim Griffin's Opinion" (Jan. 15, 1997) show that the man referenced for years simply as "Hizzoner" may need to grab a six-pack or two and spend some quality time in front of his computer.

(Daniel Meyer is a columnist for the Weekly Independent Newspapers of Western New York. WIN is a consortium of 19 community-based weekly newspapers with a combined paid circulation of 75,000 homes. To provide feedback, visit our Web site at www.wnynewspapers. com. Comments can also be sent directly to Meyer at: meyersmusings@gmail.com. Opinions are those of the author.)