No one really knows what goes on behind closed doors at the offices of New York’s top ethics watchdog. At least, no one knew ’til Monday, when a hot mic caught several of its members off-guard.
According to chatter overheard by reporters, Ellen Yaroshefsky — who was named to the Joint Commission on Public Ethics by Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver — was refusing to recuse herself from a case involving Silver’s chief counsel.
Even by Albany’s murky standards, that’s a clear conflict of interest. But Yaroshefsky justified her decision by saying she knew Silver’s counsel was “someone with high ethical standards.”
(Maybe like his former counsel, convicted sex-abuser Michael Boxley?)
So there you have it. Nothing to see here, folks — a Silver appointee has already decided that Silver’s aide is a man of honor, so no need to have his case heard by someone who might look at the case on the merits.
At least one official recognized how absurd the situation was. “If we are not going to recuse ourselves, the less said the better,” he said, shortly before the microphones were turned off and reporters were left in the dark once again.
We’ve warned for two years that JCOPE is a watchdog with no teeth. No wonder wags refer to it as JJOKE.
We’ve also wondered what goes on in its private sessions. Now we know.