Thursday, January 25, 2007
The Comptroller List??????
Bill Hammond has the comptroller list from the independent screening panel. It's three people, not five.
Businessman Bill MulrowNYC Finance Commissioner Martha StarkandNassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman and here is Bill's article.........
"Rocking the boat, big time
The panel screening candidates for state controller has just released its list of three finalists -- not five -- and none of the four Assembly members vying for the job made the cut.
The picks are investment banker Bill Murlow, New York City Finance Commissioner Martha Stark and Nassau County Controller Howard Weitzman.
This sets up a confrontation with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who has expressed a preference for electing one of his members and threatened to ignore the panel's findings if it sent less than five names. Here is a reader's comments to above story.........."Silver must have gotten wind that this would happen and his comments make the many hours of hearings held this week meaningless. My money is still on DiNapoli." ..........you know what???? So is mine!!!! and Liz Benjamin has Spitzer Wins " The three-man independent screening panel has announced its recommended candidates for the state Legislature to consider to be the next state comptroller.
The list includes three names - not five - and does not include a single member of the Assembly even though five of them interviewed for the post.
(One, Alexander “Pete” Grannis, D-Manhattan, as you know, was already taken out of the running when he was appointed DEC commissioner by Gov. Eliot Spitzer).
This sets the stage for a serious confrontation between Spitzer, who made it clear he wanted an “outsider” to replace Alan Hevesi, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, who had his heart set on a member of his own Democratic conference.
Heated negotiations have been going on all day, sources said, with the governor seeking to block any Assembly member from being tapped by the panel.
The chosen:
Bill Mulrow, director of Citigroup Global Capital Markets, failed 2002 comptroller candidate.
Martha Stark, NYC finance commissioner.
Howard Weitzman, Nassau County comptroller.
The announcement came via press release from the office of former NYC Comptroller Harrison J. Goldin and included the following very telling line:
“Senator Bruno and Speaker Silver had previously committed publicly that the New York State Legislature would limit its selection of the next State Comptroller to candidates approved by the three former comptrollers.”
That seems to be in direct response to Silver’s comment in the Buffalo News this morning that the Legislature is not legally required to choose from the names the panel provides.
The press release, which is a joint statement from Goldin and his fellow panelists H. Carl McCall and Ned Regan (both former state comptrollers), notes that they sat through more than 17 hours of interviews at which 18 candidates testified.
“We were impressed with the thoughtfulness of all the candidates and the thoroughness and care with which they were questioned by members of the Finance and Ways and Means Committees,” Messrs. Goldin, McCall and Regan said. “After careful consideration of all the candidates and a review of their backgrounds, experience and credentials, we have concluded that Messrs. Mulrow and Weitzman and Ms. Stark are all qualified to be State Comptroller.” Now let's see if Silver thinks so.....andy
Businessman Bill MulrowNYC Finance Commissioner Martha StarkandNassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman and here is Bill's article.........
"Rocking the boat, big time
The panel screening candidates for state controller has just released its list of three finalists -- not five -- and none of the four Assembly members vying for the job made the cut.
The picks are investment banker Bill Murlow, New York City Finance Commissioner Martha Stark and Nassau County Controller Howard Weitzman.
This sets up a confrontation with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who has expressed a preference for electing one of his members and threatened to ignore the panel's findings if it sent less than five names. Here is a reader's comments to above story.........."Silver must have gotten wind that this would happen and his comments make the many hours of hearings held this week meaningless. My money is still on DiNapoli." ..........you know what???? So is mine!!!! and Liz Benjamin has Spitzer Wins " The three-man independent screening panel has announced its recommended candidates for the state Legislature to consider to be the next state comptroller.
The list includes three names - not five - and does not include a single member of the Assembly even though five of them interviewed for the post.
(One, Alexander “Pete” Grannis, D-Manhattan, as you know, was already taken out of the running when he was appointed DEC commissioner by Gov. Eliot Spitzer).
This sets the stage for a serious confrontation between Spitzer, who made it clear he wanted an “outsider” to replace Alan Hevesi, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, who had his heart set on a member of his own Democratic conference.
Heated negotiations have been going on all day, sources said, with the governor seeking to block any Assembly member from being tapped by the panel.
The chosen:
Bill Mulrow, director of Citigroup Global Capital Markets, failed 2002 comptroller candidate.
Martha Stark, NYC finance commissioner.
Howard Weitzman, Nassau County comptroller.
The announcement came via press release from the office of former NYC Comptroller Harrison J. Goldin and included the following very telling line:
“Senator Bruno and Speaker Silver had previously committed publicly that the New York State Legislature would limit its selection of the next State Comptroller to candidates approved by the three former comptrollers.”
That seems to be in direct response to Silver’s comment in the Buffalo News this morning that the Legislature is not legally required to choose from the names the panel provides.
The press release, which is a joint statement from Goldin and his fellow panelists H. Carl McCall and Ned Regan (both former state comptrollers), notes that they sat through more than 17 hours of interviews at which 18 candidates testified.
“We were impressed with the thoughtfulness of all the candidates and the thoroughness and care with which they were questioned by members of the Finance and Ways and Means Committees,” Messrs. Goldin, McCall and Regan said. “After careful consideration of all the candidates and a review of their backgrounds, experience and credentials, we have concluded that Messrs. Mulrow and Weitzman and Ms. Stark are all qualified to be State Comptroller.” Now let's see if Silver thinks so.....andy
