Let the voters choose
W
ith the exit of abusive Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, voters failed once by their state’s top legal officer could well soon be failed again in the selection of his successor by Albany powers out to install one of their own.
No. Hell no. The esteemed state solicitor general, Barbara Underwood, was sworn in Tuesday as acting attorney general. She can do the job more than ably through the end of the year and has no interest in serving longer.
Meantime, an election — you know, the way true representative democracies pick their leaders — is right around the corner. Voters will have their chance in September’s primaries and November’s general election to select a permanent successor.
Dripping with arrogance, Speaker Carl Heastie and the 103 other Democrats in the Assembly are scrambling to come up with their own pick, with expectations for a long, long run.
They know first of all that the state Constitution requires the Legislature to fill vacancies, and second that their sheer numbers will decide who gets the plum post.
Their nominee may well be one of the Assembly’s own members, loyal to the powers that be and accustomed to playing along. Another name floating about is Public Advocate Tish James, a 2021 mayoral aspirant whose removal from that race would benefit other contenders.
If the dance move looks familiar, that’s because it’s exactly how Tom DiNapoli went from being a Long Island assemblyman to state controller overnight in 2007, following the resignation of scandal-scarred Alan Hevesi.
Elections come and elections go, but DiNapoli stays right where former Speaker Sheldon Silver put him, propelled by the power of incumbency.
The way forward out of the Schneiderman mess is clear as today’s dawn: The named attorney general ought to be not a career pol looking for an extended run but a public servant with no intention to stand for reelection. Underwood’s the natural choice, but others could do.
Let that individual fulfill the duties of an office shamefully stained for long enough to allow the voters of New York to decide on who comes next, under relentless, essential public scrutiny.