Astorino’s outside job leads to questions about Westchester Ethics Board
Elizabeth Ganga
Three Democratic members of the Westchester Board of Legislators have asked state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to audit the county Ethics Board after criticism of the county executive’s outside job led to questions about the effectiveness of the volunteer board set up to be the county’s ethics watchdog.
County Executive Rob Astorino, the Republican candidate for governor, has been criticized for doing outside consulting work for a radio station while in office and clearing the job with the county attorney rather than the Ethics Board. Astorino disclosed the job on his annual ethics forms, a spokesman said, but the ethics board never conducted its review to see if the job created a conflict with his public office.
Critics, including the Astorino Truth Squad, the Westchester Democratic Party’s tool for attacking Astorino, have tried to lay the Ethics Board’s failings at Astorino’s door. But Ned McCormack, a spokesman for Astorino, said he has disclosed his outside jobs since 2010 and went beyond the requirement by consulting with the county attorney. County Attorney Robert Meehan is an old political ally of Astorino.
http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2014/07/22/astorinos-outside-job-leads-to-questions-about-westchester-ethics-board/