Mayor Bloomberg went on a tirade against the corruption plagued Albany political class yesterday, charging that state legislators handpicked by party leaders are such hacks that they’re unqualified for private-sector jobs.
“The average legislator who has to make policy on things that influence our lives, our kids’ lives, our future — would they ever get a job in the private sector making policy on big things?” the mayor said on his WOR radio show.
“No, not a chance. And yet those are the ones we keep re-electing. You’ve got to ask yourself why. The parties control the mechanism.”
He suggested inept elected officials would have a hard time staying in office if they faced real challengers and weren’t protected by party bosses.
“They literally say, ‘This one’s going to run for this; this one’s going to run for that,’ ” the mayor said. “There’s no contest. They [candidates] are virtually appointed. The number of times there is a real competition is so slim.”
The billionaire mayor went after legislative staffers, suggesting they owe their paychecks to patronage.
“Go take a look at a legislator and see who his or her employees are,” he said. “Most of it is not done based on open competitions where you go out and say, ‘Let’s find the best and the brightest.’ ”
To top off his fusillade, Bloomberg complained about the political dynasties that block others from getting into office.
“What I love is you see these families, one after another after another,” he said. “Sometimes, they don’t even change the literature.”
The mayor’s extraordinary take on the sad state of Albany came after state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) and Assemblyman Eric Stevenson (D-Bronx) were snared on corruption charges in two federal investigations announced this week.
State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Queens), an outspoken maverick, said Bloomberg was on target.
“I’ve actually said something similar for years,” he said. “Some of my colleagues — they couldn’t get a job. In some respects, I agree with him.”
But Avella added that Bloomberg is one of the biggest campaign contributors to Albany.
“He’s somewhat of a hypocrite,” Avella said. “He makes statements like that, but he’s contributed big money. So, in some ways, he’s made it worse.”
Additional reporting by Erik Kriss