Justice Pfau, now New York State’s Chief Administrative Judge, won, directing that Mr. Schlein’s name be removed from the list of those eligible to receive judicial appointments.
Many are hoping that the highly unusual, and drastic, measure by Judge Pfau last year is a sign of her deep commitment to ridding the New York courts of the systemic and deeply rooted abuses by the machine.
More on Judicial Appointments coming soon…… This is a good article by Andrew Wolf, and it may provide an insight into what Judge Pfau can do- think, and decisively act, outside the court's corruptive box.
The March 2, 2006 article in The Sun, by Andrew Wolf follows, and it can also be seen to the right, marked, “Judge Pfau, Bronx Bomber”
Move To Bar Insider From Receiving Court Appointments Raises Brows
BY ANDREW WOLF - Special to the Sun March 2, 2006
Bronx courthouse cognoscenti are furiously attempting to determine what is behind an unusual action by the state's Office of Court Administration that bars a well-known and powerful political operative from receiving lucrative court appointments.
On Monday, the administrative judge of the Bronx Supreme Court, Barry Salman, was directed by the first deputy chief administrative judge of New York State, Ann Pfau, to remove Stanley Schlein from the list of those eligible to receive judicial appointments. A spokesman for the Office of Court Administration, David Bookstaver, confirmed the action, which was first reported by the Riverdale Review, a Bronx weekly.
Such appointments include assignments by judges to act as a referee for real estate sales, as an arbitrator, or as a guardian for an estate. They usually require minimal work, and most often go to a small cadre of politically connected attorneys.
The action is highly unusual, and could be the first inkling of legal problems for Mr. Schlein and, by extension, the entire Bronx political establishment. Mr. Schlein serves as the counsel to the Bronx Democratic organization and is widely assumed to have enormous influence within the party and city government. These ties go back more than a quarter-century, as Mr. Schlein has served a parade of political bosses, neatly surviving each coup and scandal to solidify his position.
Calls to Mr. Schlein for comment were not returned.
Mr. Bookstaver noted that the law provides for removal from the eligible list for either of two reasons: "unsatisfactory performance" or for "conduct incompatible with the responsibilities of the appointment." It is the latter that has tongues wagging in the courthouse, which sits in the shadow of Yankee Stadium in the South Bronx. Mr. Schlein was one of 17 Bronx political leaders subpoenaed by a grand jury two years ago in an ongoing probe of the finances of non profit groups tied to elected officials.
There are also reports that complaints have been lodged regarding Mr. Schlein's handling of one of these appointments. However, such disputes have not in the past resulted in such a radical remedy as the directive issued Monday. Mr. Schlein, who has had hundreds of such appointments spanning many years, is thought unlikely to have egregiously mishandled any of the simple tasks associated with most of these assignments.
What concerns Bronx politicos is that removal from the list might signal an impending indictment or plea bargain, an action taken to protect the parties to these actions from harm and delay.
Mr. Schlein also has ties to the Bloomberg administration, having been reappointed as the chairman of the Civil Service Commission last year, a part-time post he has held through several administrations. It pays $335.60 a day. In a profile last year, the New York Times disclosed that Mr. Schlein in 2004 was able to earn $68,385 for this post despite the modest per diem rate.
Mr. Schlein also serves on the Assembly staff of the Bronx Democratic leader, Jose Rivera, for which he is compensated an additional $35,742.
At the same time as Mr. Schlein served as a Bloomberg appointee and lobbied the administration, he was a key behind-the-scenes player in the camp of the mayor's election opponent, Fernando Ferrer.
Mr. Schlein has weathered adversity before. In 1986, when the then-Bronx County Democratic leader, Stanley Friedman, was convicted of racketeering charges, Mr. Schlein and other top Friedman officials were widely expected to be purged from the party leadership. In addition to Mr. Friedman, the scandals brought down the borough president, Stanley Simon, and Reps. Mario Biaggi and Robert Garcia.
Mr. Schlein survived - and he emerged even more powerful after the 1994 ethnic coup that brought in the current Hispanic Bronx Democratic leadership.
END OF ARTICLE
See the article to the right, marked, “Judge Pfau, Bronx Bomber”
Posts
8 comments:
Only in the Bronx! The shlump knows where a great many bodies are buried, that's his secret.
He also did favors for people all the time. His Rolodex is big, watch out Annie.
The federal gov. should enlist DELTA FORCE against the ny courts, for a week....the present problems would be exterminated! The future retaliation from the fallout, which is a given, we could utilize Pres. Bush's warrantless wiretapping to obtain the names and plots from OCA operatives...something THEY already uses against their MANY enemies!
I agree..... bring in the feds. New York needs a federal monitor to clean up the corruption in the courts. Pfau can't/won't do it.
why don't these judicial type cleanup their own pigsty since the smell is toxic ........ We all should live so long ...... bring in the feds
as a former NYS court employee, i can say that a lot of people are hoping the ann pfau does what she is capable of doing- cleaning up the disgraceful corruption.
As a former NYS court employee who has investigated the inner workings of the OCA, thoroughly, Ann Phau will only do what the Big judicial wheels will allow her to do...too many administrative judges and lawyers would be indicted. You can't trust one of your own to clean its own corrupt house. She probably is one of the most ethical of the court judiciary, but no way will OCA let you see what really goes on with them. Hope come from the Federal Gov., exclusively, and it will be quite an overhaul....dumping The evil judy kaye....first and foremost. That hag has to be de-benched and dis-barred!
Is this the same Ann Pfau who wanted the Brooklyn Democratic machine's convention to be held in a COURTHOUSE while the machine was melting down in scandal? Is this the same Anne Pfau who got Judge Pesce a promotion to Appellate Term when it was on his watch as supervising judge that the Brooklyn courts were rocked with scandal? Be very careful about rushing to praise these people for acts that may simply be designed to deal with some bad press coverage at the moment. She would not be in her position if she was not a puppet.
Post a Comment