The Albany Times Union, in an
excellent piece of journalism, asked all state lawmakers for information about their household income, including how much they earned from outside jobs and jobs held by their spouses.
Two out of three lawmakers didn't respond, and not everyone who responded gave complete answers.
The lack of response came just as lawmakers voted on an ethics bill designed to provide more transparency - in 2011.
Lawmakers from our area who didn't respond:
Assemblymen David Gantt and Joe Errigo, and State Senators James Alesi, Joseph Robach, and Michael Nozzolio.
Assembly Minority Leader
Brian Kolb was the only high-ranking leader to respond.
"Kolb would only go so far, however, taking the veil of secrecy off the income category but not specifying the pay of his wife, a vice president at Canandaigua National Bank. He said her earnings were "category C", which translates to $20,000 to $60,000 on the official disclosure form. That is one of six categories of income lawmakers are required to choose from, the greatest being more than $250,000. But only the Ethics Commission gets to know those details, unless a lawmaker chooses to disclose the information."
Assemblyman
Joe Morelle responded: "Assembly pay of $79,500 plus $12,500 for chairing Insurance Committee; $30,000 as head of the Monroe County Democratic Party; heads MMI Technologies, which had no income last year, and directs Laurelton Properties, from which he derived no income; wife earns $68,000 from East Irondequoit Central Schools."
Assemblywoman
Susan John responded: "Assembly pay of $79,500 plus $14,000 as head of labor committee."
Assemblyman
Bill Reilich sort of responded "that Times Union should seek his disclosure form but but legislative leader income is public record. Assembly pay of $79,500 plus $14,000 as chairman of steering committee."
Assemblyman
David Koon responded "Assembly pay of $79,500 and $11,500 as chairman of rural resources commission; $50 per hour working in sales and engineering for Wind Tamer Tubines, total about $40,000; wife is a $15,000 teacher's aide."
The TU wrote this about Koon:
Assemblyman David Koon, D-Perinton, recently joined a wind energy business at a time that state government is promoting such alternative power industries. He is a vice president for engineering, and doing some sales, at $50 per hour as a part-timer at WindTamer.
"I've got nothing to hide," said Koon. He said he checked out the potential job with WindTamer with the Assembly's ethics counsel, William Collins, and received a letter authorizing the job from the ethics commission.
"I signed an ethics letter . . . and said that I would not do any lobbying for this company (and) if the company ever got state dollars I would not accept pay from that money," Koon said.
Assemblyman
Dan Burling responded: "Assembly pay of $79,500 plus $11,000 as vice chairman of the Republican conference (he is now the deputy whip at $15,000); plus income from his liquor store, pharmacy and rents."
State Senator
George Maziarz responded: "$79,500, $11,500 stipend and $52,000 from wife's work as a secretary for a supreme court judge."
There was another great, related piece on
lawmakers' expenses.
