Daniels needs to introduce himself to fellow New Yorkers
Randy Daniels wants to be the next Republican governor of New York. Good for him.

But who is Randy Daniels? Good question. Even though he is New York’s Secretary of State, he is nearly invisible to the general public. Daniels is the highest ranked person of color in the Pataki administration. A former Democrat and CBS correspondent, he has been around for quite a while working for interests such as the Hirschfeld real estate empire. Remember Abe Hirschfeld?

Daniels was put on the SUNY Board of Trustees where he still sits in a powerful position as Vice Chair and head of the institutional investment committee. But that is certainly no reason to make him governor of New York. In fact, one of the major raps on Pataki is how he and his politically loaded SUNY board of trustees have brought a certain amount of disgrace on our once great State University by hiring a politically connected chancellor who has now been rewarded for his questionable stewardship with life time tenure and an interim appointment at an Upstate SUNY College. Some way to reward incompetence. Also on that board is Edward Cox, Nixon’s-Son-in-Law (his real last name) who wants to be U.S. Senator and beat Hillary Clinton. What are these people smoking?

Daniels has virtually no chance at the Governor’s mansion. As a transplanted Democrat, he will always be regarded with suspicion by the Republicans who vote in a primary. Although an early Pataki favorite, the departing governor now seems unwilling to make him his heir apparent. In fact, Pataki has been saying some nice things about William Weld, the transplanted ex-Governor of Massachusetts who is now the front runner for the nomination. So what makes Randy run?

One of the great problems with politicians is that they all believe that if the wind blows just right, they can be anything they want to be. Just look at Pataki. Who was this guy when he won? A third rate State Senator who ran against an out-of-gas Mario Cuomo and got incredibly lucky as the Un-Cuomo candidate. Now Pataki thinks he can be President and who is around to tell him he can’t after he became Governor for three terms? His lasting legacy is that every schlemiel who has ever held office now thinks that he or she can be anything.

Daniels has a big problem. Like every Pataki appointee, he sits squarely under the governor’s thumb. Cuomo was the same way. If Daniels wants to be governor, he can’t work for Pataki at the same time. Pataki is the Shogun of his organization and if he and his group decide on Weld, there’s no way he is going to let Daniels run for governor while working for him. We know that Daniels has not been happy about the treatment he’s been getting from the grand pooh-bahs of the Republican Party in New York. There has been considerable talk about a Daniels primary in the Republican party but he certainly can’t win that. That party is a closed corporation. If the leaders say no to Randy then “no” it is.

When you are Secretary of State, you have a certain number of goodies to hand out. You go to rubber chicken dinners, you give speeches. People say nice things to you and pretty soon you begin to believe your own press. Of course, Mario Cuomo was Secretary of State and he parlayed that into a governorship after he rose to be Hugh Carey’s Lieutenant Governor. Daniels can’t really speak out and run for political office while he works for Pataki so he is pulling the plug. I’ve been trying, unsuccessfully, to get him onto statewide public radio. He can’t do that while he works for George Pataki who can hardly be counted as my biggest fan. The thing that Daniels should know is that if he really thinks he can run, he’d better get cracking and introduce himself to his fellow New Yorkers.

Trust me, they have absolutely no idea who the guy is. In the meantime, he’ll stay on the SUNY Board of Trustees, eating the crumbs thrown to him by the Patakiites and dreaming dreams of being governor. Ah, self delusion is a wonderful thing. It allows each of us to think that maybe one day, if we play our cards right, we will be anointed and receive what we think is our due.
- posted by Raymond @ 9/26/2005 09:18:00 AM

 
I Publius: Heady's firing well-warranted
The premise of democracy is that the people can control their government and its institutions. The more powerful the institution, the more important the need for the public's input and scrutiny.

The police departments in our communities have tremendously important duties. As those charged to protect the populace, they stand between us and some pretty scary customers. They also have permission to use legitimate force in carrying out their jobs, and that puts them in a unique position. When a police officer begins to use that authority in a mischievous or unacceptable manner, he or she is putting the whole community at risk.

We all know that police officers are human beings and have to work together under some considerable pressure. As with any good team, there may be times when they feel the need to protect themselves and, too often, that means forming an inviolable circle. If they see a law being broken, they are required to do something about it. But what if a member of the police force sees a crime committed by a fellow officer? Do the rules change?

Let there be no mistake: The recent dismissal of Police Officer Merritt Heady by the town of Great Barrington may have been spurred by the most recent incident, but there's a long history that preceded his eventual demise.

By now, the story is fairly well-known. Heady's police cruiser was left running outside the Great Barrington Bagel Co. despite warnings from his superiors not to leave the running vehicle unattended. Somehow, the parked cruiser slipped out of gear and was damaged.

Heady filed a false report, claiming that the accident occurred at a different location, in the Kmart Plaza. The incident was investigated by Deputy Chief Tim Hassett, and charges were brought against Heady. Heady and his lawyer asked for an open hearing, which is their right. Heady was fired. Heady said that he felt bad for his family, that he had two kids in college, and that the damage sustained by the cruiser was not extensive.

It seems that almost everyone in Great Barrington has a Merritt Heady story. There was the time that Officer Heady didn't like the way he was characterized in a news story written by a gutsy high school student. He actually went to the high school and demanded that the principal bring the student to the office. The principal, a man of great character, would not permit it.

There were many, many other stories. There were letters to the Selectmen and the police chief.

There was one printed report that Heady was advised to get anger-management help.

In this lawsuit-happy society, firing anyone is a tough thing to do. I've done it, and it always takes a certain amount of courage. Job termination in a civil service environment is even more difficult because of the myriad, complex civil service rules and regulations. ("A civil servant is like an Atlas missile — it won't work, and you can't fire it.")

For one thing, there has to be a paper trail. The town of Great Barrington has that. There has to be an immediate and compelling reason for the termination, and the town of Great Barrington has that.

Heady plans to appeal, which is his right, and it will undoubtedly cost the town a lot of taxpayer money. The truth is this is taxpayer money well spent. We must have nothing less than absolute police accountability. That means a chain of command, and it means that civilian officials must control the police arm of the government just as the elected president must control the armed forces of this country.

The Great Barrington Selectmen have instructed their town manager to do what's right. Burke LaClair held a hearing, took evidence about the accident and made his decision. At first, he said that Heady had not waived his right to keep the disciplinary decision secret, but when this newspaper got the information, the cat was out of the bag. Citizens have to know what is going on in their police departments and governments.

I have been writing about this subject for a long time. I have done so out of the deep conviction that there were times when the Great Barrington Police Department had become a law unto itself. I am gratified that the town fathers and mothers and the town manager and his police chief have done the right thing. This was not an easy decision for them. Now they need the support of every citizen and voter. We need our police, and we need to balance the protection they offer us with deep respect for our own rights.

Originally published in The Berkshire Eagle, 9/24/05
- posted by Raymond @ 9/26/2005 09:15:00 AM