Tuesday, September 20, 2016

The Will of the Voters, Loud & Clear

 
By Errol Louis

The recent party primaries for state offices held a few welcome signs that New York voters are wising up. In a city that often mechanically reelects incumbents, three were turned out of office. And in a state that too frequently elevates scoundrels, voters smartly rejected several candidates whose unfitness for public office was obvious.

Voters in Jackson Heights, Queens, narrowly blocked a comeback attempt by disgraced ex-state Sen. Hiram Monserrate, who was expelled from the Senate after an assault conviction and later served nearly all of a two-year prison term for mail fraud and conspiracy. Monserrate is best known for the security video that caught him dragging his girlfriend through his apartment hallway; the attack was so repugnant that his fellow senators voted to kick him out.

Monserrate later pleaded guilty to steering city money to a nonprofit community organization, funds that were illegally diverted to his political campaign. Despite being rejected, convicted and imprisoned, Monserrate was trying to get back in the game, running for a post as district leader, an unpaid Democratic Party position that is often the first step toward higher office. 

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Source: The New York Daily News

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