New York Power Authority boss Richie Kessel learned a — shall we say? — interesting lesson from a recent attorney-general warning about doling out agency cash.
Kessel now thinks he should dispense more of it. Millions more, in fact.
No joke: Kessel now wants NYPA trustees to let him hand out $25 million in grants — no doubt to his pals.
Audacious? You bet.
And quintessential Kessel.
But probably not what AG Eric Schneiderman had in mind last week when he slapped Kessel for making illegal “donations” — on the order of “only” several hundred thousand dollars.
It’s all the more reason Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos should quit lollygagging and let Gov. Cuomo, once and for all, install some adult supervision at NYPA — in the form of ex-NYPA Chairman John Dyson.
Skelos could do that by having his chamber confirm Dyson’s appointment today — in time for NYPA’s annual board meeting tomorrow.
Last week, the AG warned Kessel against “making financial contributions that do not directly relate to NYPA’s . . . purposes.” Yet now, a memo obtained by The Post shows, Kessel wants his trustees to let him ladle out a cool $25 million — $5 million a year through 2015 — in “energy services” grants to his pals.
Is he for real?
Ostensibly, the grants would go for projects to boost energy efficiency and conservation. NYPA has made loans for such purposes, to the tune of some $175 million a year, for decades, an aide said.
But Kessel is infamous for steering agency dollars (which, ultimately, come from New Yorkers’ pockets) toward his cronies — particularly those from his Long Island home base. So think of this “energy-services” program as one big Richie Kessel slush fund.
Which, no doubt, helps explain why Cuomo wants Dyson, a respected veteran of the Hugh Carey team and a Giuliani deputy mayor, back on NYPA’s board: He wants someone he can trust to watch over Kessel — and ratepayers’ cash.
Trouble is, Kessel’s got powerful friends (that’s what happens when you hand out money), so Dyson’s Senate confirmation isn’t assured.
Last week, after we called on Skelos to schedule a vote on Dyson before tomorrow’s meeting, an aide said it would happen today. Here’s hoping.
If he’s confirmed, the board can give Dyson the helm and he can proceed to rein in Kessel — or hand him his walking papers. Either way, it can’t happen soon enough.