The Albany Times Union took note of the manuever on Tuesday in print. There, the papers allows Breslin to respond (he doesn't seem thrilled) though they interestingly enough leave out the fact that Martland made his challenge to Sen. Breslin practically on the steps of his cozy second job.
Call for disclosure in Senate contest
Democrat Luke Martland urges Breslin to say how much his legal work pays
By JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST, Staff writer
First published in print: Tuesday, May 4, 2010
ALBANY -- Democratic state Senate candidate Luke Martland called on seven-term incumbent Neil Breslin to disclose the identities of his private law clients and reveal how much he's making from the private sector.
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Breslin responded by saying that he scrupulously avoids conflicts of interest but firmly believes the type of legal work he does -- mostly wills, estate matters and closings -- is private.
"I absolutely do not do any legal business with people who have business with the legislature," Breslin said. "I think people's perception, for the kind of law I practice, is that it's a private matter."
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Breslin, 67, also noted that, earlier this year, he released a complete copy of his state-mandated financial disclosure form to the Times Union. It was part of a survey of the entire Legislature by the newspaper.
While that form does not disclose exactly how much the senator makes in return for his private legal work, it pegged the figure at between $20,000 and $60,000 on top of his $104,000-a-year legislative salary.
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Martland, who says the incumbent is vulnerable because of his ties to a Legislature widely viewed as dysfunctional, is one of two Democrats who have said they will primary Breslin this fall. The other is Albany resident Tim Carney.
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Lawmakers' outside sources of income have come under sharper scrutiny in the wake of former Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno's conviction on federal charges that he used his elected position to enrich himself through private consulting work.
Throughout, Bruno maintained that because the Legislature is a part-time job, he had a right to earn a living.
"His defense was basically, that's the way Albany runs," Martland said, "and that's the problem."
Martland also called on Breslin to release his time records to show how much of his attention has been devoted to private law practice while the Legislature is still wrangling with the governor's office to produce a budget, now more than a month overdue.
Breslin countered that he spends 70 hours a week in his Senate office -- including both days this weekend -- and hasn't visited his private office on Beaver Street, other than to pick up his mail, in over a month.
"I strongly believe in public service," he said, "and I made a lot more as a lawyer before I came here."
For even more chatter and debate, the Times Union's Local Politics blog is the place to be. There, the debate rages on:
Should Breslin be required to disclose his client list? Should state legislators be allowed to hold jobs in the private sector? Do these second jobs have any measurable impact on the lateness of the budget? Or is this just a media stunt on Martland's part? And what about Tim Carney, Breslin's other challenger? These are all questions asked by others on the blogosphere, with no visibly clear consensus.
I offer a few answers before turning things loose here. First, every political textbook I've looked at defined the New York State Legislature as full-time and professional already. In other words, it takes up most of the representative's time. Therefor, in order to truly do the best job possible, outside employment should cease. Also, even if there is no conflict of interest or negative measurable impact on legislating resulting from second jobs, they do create an excuse for such stunts and allegations to begin with. Why not jut get rid of the root of the problem?
That's not to say I disagree with Martland's claims. I'm in the "right on the money" camp with this one. But as far as this being a media stunt, I can't buy that. Given the dismal coverage of two years ago, this is an example of the media doing make-up work to give voters a real picture this time around. And as far as Tim Carney is concerned, I'm being told that next week will belong to him as he wraps up his county-wide "listening tour" and starts making announcements of his own.
The only true verdict is that this race has developed very quickly from a sure-bet for Sen. Breslin to a complete toss-up that's only just getting started. |
