Boss Tweed’s great-grandsons
Tonight in downtown Brooklyn, hundreds of Democratic Party insiders will convene for their ridiculous annual judicial nominating convention, where they’ll tap Civil Court Judges Steven Mostofsky and Rosemarie Montalbano to run for state Supreme Court justice and guaranteed November victories.
Bronx, Queens and Staten Island apparatchiks are also holding similar conclaves tonight. Fig-leaf screening panels may review and approve the candidates, but it’s the party bosses who wield ultimate control.
The major power behind the greased Brooklyn judicial nomination process is party leader Frank Seddio. A defrocked Surrogate Court judge chased off the bench by this page, Seddio now makes hundreds of thousands of dollars yearly as a lawyer who specializes in wills and estates, handling matters that come before the same judges he helped put on the bench. Of course he does.
Monday evening is the turn of Manhattan Democrats, who hold themselves to a higher standard and are led by ex-Assemblyman Keith Wright. That higher standard — a truly independent panel that screens the judges — should mean always promptly publishing the
names of the panel members, as the rules require. The party often flubs that test.
As to whatever other influence Wright wields over Manhattan Dems: The appearance of conflicts looms large.
Wright’s day job is at a law firm; in recent state disclosure forms, he’s listed as a lobbyist working on behalf of 105 clients. Wright insists that’s a mistake, that his real client list is much smaller. Let’s see it.
Even if Wright were a registered lobbyist, getting paid to influence the legislative process, there is no state law or party rule against such a person being a county leader.
Party officials, who generally aren’t paid for their work, shouldn’t be prohibited from simultaneously earning a private-sector living. Lawyering is to be expected. Lobbying is dancing right on the line.
In all cases, disclosure’s the key: Show the public and party faithful who pays your bills early and often, so they can decide whether it’s tainting how you use your power.
Meantime, completely cut party bosses out of the judgemaking process. Electing supposedly independent judges invites corruption. Merit selection by the governor and mayor is the only way to go.