How Some New York Judges Come To Be

Vito pal's 23G mystery gig
The New York Post by Aaron Short  -  May 15, 2011

It pays to be a friend of the Democratic Party.

The politically connected consigliere of Brooklyn Democratic boss Vito Lopez earned $23,000 for a 10-week job with the state Senate last year, but no one remembers seeing him show up at the office.  Now he's running to be a county Supreme Court judge -- which carries a $136,700 salary -- with Lopez's backing.  Lopez's longtime legal eagle, Carl Landicino, collected paychecks last spring as a "special counsel" advising Senate Democrats.  But his colleagues insist they never saw Landicino once or discussed assignments.  "There was a desk with a piece of paper on it with his name taped on it," said a source, who worked in the office of majority counsel.  Landicino referred questions on the lucrative gig to his former supervisor, Shelley Mayer.  "Call the state Senate to find out exactly what I was doing," said Landicino. "I'm not going to play a role in explaining what I was doing." A spokesman for Senate Democrats said Landicino performed legal services for the conference but he was not familiar with his specific duties. Mayer, who is no longer working with the state Senate, did not return calls.

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