Tuesday, December 19, 2006
ETHICS STORM OVER ELIOT'S HEALTH AIDE
Fred Dicker New York Post
"December 18, 2006 -- GOV.-ELECT Eliot Spitzer, who pledged to bring higher ethical standards to state government, has picked a scandal-scarred Pataki administration aide as his top health-care adviser, records reviewed by The Post show.
Spitzer on Friday quietly announced the appointment of current state Health Department Executive Deputy Commissioner Dennis Whalen as his "deputy secretary for health," a post that will put Whalen just a few doors down from the governor's office at the Capitol.
Whalen, according to the state Ethics Commission, repeatedly violated state law by accepting gifts and meals from two Brooklyn rabbis who were seeking special access to senior administration officials.
The commission's 2001 report - which came after it was alerted to the situation by the state Inspector General's Office - led to Whalen bring "fined" a week's salary by the Health Department, ordered to pay reimbursement, and publicly admonished for improper conduct. "
More like a brief afternoon shower....unfortunately every once in awhile Fred likes to stir things up....hello..these "charges" were in 2001...not 2006.........and Spitzer's response....
"He has accepted responsibility for what happened. He was sanctioned and he moved on."
"Next to [former Assemblyman and well-known health-care expert] Jim Tallon, who is unavailable, Mr. Whalen is perhaps the state's foremost expert on hospital restructuring," Dopp continued. "
as Shakespeare once said........"Much to do about nothing" andy
"December 18, 2006 -- GOV.-ELECT Eliot Spitzer, who pledged to bring higher ethical standards to state government, has picked a scandal-scarred Pataki administration aide as his top health-care adviser, records reviewed by The Post show.
Spitzer on Friday quietly announced the appointment of current state Health Department Executive Deputy Commissioner Dennis Whalen as his "deputy secretary for health," a post that will put Whalen just a few doors down from the governor's office at the Capitol.
Whalen, according to the state Ethics Commission, repeatedly violated state law by accepting gifts and meals from two Brooklyn rabbis who were seeking special access to senior administration officials.
The commission's 2001 report - which came after it was alerted to the situation by the state Inspector General's Office - led to Whalen bring "fined" a week's salary by the Health Department, ordered to pay reimbursement, and publicly admonished for improper conduct. "
More like a brief afternoon shower....unfortunately every once in awhile Fred likes to stir things up....hello..these "charges" were in 2001...not 2006.........and Spitzer's response....
"He has accepted responsibility for what happened. He was sanctioned and he moved on."
"Next to [former Assemblyman and well-known health-care expert] Jim Tallon, who is unavailable, Mr. Whalen is perhaps the state's foremost expert on hospital restructuring," Dopp continued. "
as Shakespeare once said........"Much to do about nothing" andy
