ALBANY — Key state senators vowed greater scrutiny of New York’s courts budget yesterday after The Post revealed that the state’s top judges had spent lavishly on a secret suite of apartments for their personal use.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman John Bonacic (R-Orange) said revelations that the Court of Appeals plowed ahead with the $23 million “judges’ hotel” during the fiscal crisis — and even recently sought $1 million in amenities — called for more review of judiciary spending. “It certainly doesn’t portray the judiciary in a favorable light,” Bonacic said. “There’s no place in this state at this time for a state of elitism or a state of arrogance. Certainly, it causes alarm and calls for more scrutiny.”
Details about the project emerged less than a week after court officials rebuffed Gov. Cuomo’s call for a 10 percent budget cut by arguing such reductions would force them to “close courts.”
Sen. Thomas Libous (R-Binghamton) said the Legislature should revisit the judiciary’s practice of not detailing specific expenses in its budget request. “Obviously, it’s not the way to spend taxpayer dollars,” Libous said. “It needs to be looked into.”
Cuomo rep Josh Vlasto, when asked about the hotel project, reiterated that his boss was “disappointed” in the court’s overall budget proposal. “Every agency has been asked to do more with less without compromising its core mission,” Vlasto said. brendan.scott@nypost.com