Let’s Play Political Jeopardy!

In the category of “He said what?” for Fifty Dollars, What’s funnier than a lawyer with a criminal record who is on the NY Senate payroll charging political opponents with election fraud?
Answer, a lawyer and a party chairman BOTH with a record of convictions and BOTH hard at work on the on the NY Senate payroll charging opponents with election fraud while spending their days in Rensselaer County courtrooms. Gee Governor, now there’s something the State Police can sink their teeth into and Senator Bruno can help explain their time away too!

You got to give attorney Josuha Ehrlich credit for having big kahoonas. Both he and sidekick Independence Chair Tom Connolly enjoy a lot in common. They work for the same turncoat Democratic State Senator from the Brooklyn; the both spend a lot of time out of their office working on elections lawsuits to keep everyone but their candidates off the North Greenbush ballot; and they both love to charge opponents with fraud. And why not, they are experts by now. Ehrilch charged candidates with 58 varieties of fraud in two separate but identically written petitions as far as the charges were concerned. That's one more form of fraud than Heinz has varieties of foods! Better yet, none of the smearing charges were true and Ehrlich never tried to prove any of them. He'd have had a tough time proving one that was in BOTH sets of court papers, that candidates had insufficient DEMOCRATIC signatures on the CONSERVATIVE and INDEPENDENCE petitions. Wild since Democrats can't sign them in the first place. Ehrlich is the attorney for Republicans, Independence and Conservative lawsuits and is Democratic Chair Jeff Spain's lawyer as well!

Seeing the pair on TV news last night making fraud charges in court brought a flurry of emails and recollections. First Ehrlich.

He got himself captured on camera by a local TV station driving with a suspended license on his way to a court appearance in Colonie. A document obtained from Colonie Town Court shows Ehrlich pled guilty to Operating a Motor Vehicle while Intoxicated and Aggravated unlicensed operation. He was fined $1310.00 and managed to get three other charges dismissed including Operating a Motor Vehicle under the influence of DRUGS, 1st, Failure to keep right and resisting arrest. Yes, Attorney Ehrlich knows crime when he sees it. If he keeps it up, he'll be living from week to week in a motel!

Tom Connolly:
When Tom yells fraud he to ought to know. According to the October 18, 1996 Troy Record, in May of 1993 Connolly pled guilty to DWAI in East Greenbush. His license was suspended and revoked until 1994 when he failed to attend court mandated alcohol education classes. He was arrested again in October 1996 by State Police in Brunswick on a DWAI charge while awaiting a political appointment as County Commissioner of Jurors. Before that he got himself a purchasing job in the City of Troy by fibbing on his job application that he had a 4 year degree from Manhattan College. In some places, filing that phony job application is called filing a false instrument. For Joe Bruno's State Senate, it's a five star recommendation that one lists proudly on the hire me sheets.

While on the city payroll, he got caught stealing a couple of bicentennial pictures which he gave as gifts to his mother and the then county District Attorney. No, he wasn’t charged because it was felt the administrative punishment was sufficient. A 30 day unpaid suspension and a signed admission of the charges. By the way, when the city found out about the falsified application, Connolly quit the job before he got fired.

What a great dynamic duo to be hard at work ferreting out corruption by allowing only their candidates on the North Greenbush ballot. Makes you feel kinda special, doesn’t it North Greenbush? When you're applying for a job in Joe Bruno's Senate, be aware of the qualifications you'll be expected to list on your job application.

Republican Primary
Looks like the slate of REPUBLICANS opposing Joe Bruno's "DEMOCRATIC" backed slate will slug it out in the September primary. Despite efforts to remove the slate from the ballot, a judge ruled that Republican town voters will get to decide whether to back the Democratic Slate of Jeff Spain and his so called reform Democrats which are the same as Casale Excavating's Conservatives slate and Tom Connolly's Independence slate. The ruling came after admissions that some 44 signatures were forged on the petitions. The petitions will stand because they still had double the number needed to get on the ballot.

Late Financial Disclosure Count:
Today is Day 30 for the North Greenbush Democratic and Conservative Committee violations of State Election Law requiring the filing of a Financial Disclosure Report due July 15, 2007. Laws apparently don’t apply to the “reformed” democrats under Jeff Spain and his Treasurer, Tax Collector Kyran Devery. Nor under Michael Casale and his Treasurer, J. David Wos.