Zeldin’s ‘no donor meetings’ pledge shows just how grimy Hochul’s endless pay-to-play is

To keep away from Gov. Kathy Hochul's pay-to-play shenanigans, Rep. Lee Zeldin pledged to bar conferences with donors who've enterprise earlier than the state, if elected governor.
Brittainy Newman/Newsday through AP, Pool, File

GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin’s pledge to bar himself as governor from any conferences with donors who've enterprise earlier than the state is a breath of contemporary political air — one which solely highlights the stink of his opponent’s soiled dealings. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s pay-to-play shenanigans make a protracted and ugly listing. However let’s begin with a current entry: her assembly Thursday with billionaire Alexander Rovt, who alongside together with his spouse has maxed out marketing campaign giving to Hochul — practically $140,000. Her administration bailed out hospitals tied to his firm One Brooklyn Well being Programs — a medical system seen as a byword for failure in the course of the pandemic — in her bank-breaking funds.

We nonetheless don’t know what the assembly was about. (Perhaps her Well being Division’s order that New York-Presbyterian spend $50 million on a partnership with One Brooklyn Well being?) However don’t anticipate any readability from Albany.  

However that’s not the one shady settlement Hochul’s made within the pandemic medical area. She let the state vastly overpay for COVID exams and enriched campaign-donor Charlie Tebele in a $637 million deal.And that’s to say nothing of her inane denials that she knew Tebele was a backer, when he threw her not one however two fundraisers.Or of the truth that her marketing campaign employed his son James at a comfortable wage. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul lately had a gathering with billionaire and marketing campaign donor Alexander Rovt.

Darren McGee- Workplace of Governor

And probably the largest violation of the general public belief Hochul has dedicated is the OKshe gave to a different maxed-out donor, Steve Roth, for his Penn Station redevelopment plan — a mission that received’t rehab the station however will construct a large workplace campus for Roth to rival Hudson Yards. It’s financial nonsense for New Yorkers, however a candy deal for Roth, who scored $1.2 billion in tax breaks from the deal. 

All this stench simply implies that Zeldin’s pledge is but another excuse New Yorkers who care about their state have to boot Hochul come Nov. 8.