Pay-to-Play’s Her Middle Name

Gov. Hochul continues to embrace and extend the worst traditions of her disgraced predecessor Andrew Cuomo. This week brought news that a Medicaid services firm owned by Russ Maxwell and wife Morgan McDole has garnered eight state contracts worth a whopping $403.7 million. And the couple are big-time donors to Hochul (and Cuomo).

Sure looks like a classic example of pay to play, Albany style: State rules don’t forbid or cap fat contributions to the governor from those bidding on state contracts her minions oversee. (The city caps donations from bidding firms and contractors at $400.)

Notably, Maxwell’s campaign giving was markedly light until 2012, when he kicked $25,000 to Cuomo and soon saw his firm win contracts or have them renewed. Maxwell’s given Hochul more than $32,000 since 2018. McDole, more than $52,000 just over the past year (plus $20,000 to the state Democratic Party).

Add the ugly tale of her COVID “emergency power” suspension of state purchasing laws, which let the state pay another medical firm (whose CEO’s family gave nearly $300,000 to her campaign) a stunning $637 million for testing devices. That return on investment is only possible in the Empire State.

And don’t forget that Hochul’s husband happens to be a senior exec at the firm likely to keep the concession contract at her massive Bills-stadium boondoggle.

Not to mention the insane rush for a Penn Station deal that doesn’t upgrade the station, but does serve the mega-development dreams of Hochul megadonor Steven Roth.

The gov’s promise of a new era of transparency in Albany is a joke. The only thing that’s transparent here is Hochul’s slimy eagerness to please her powerful donors.