Queens used to political scandal

Although Governor Eliot Spitzer might be the biggest name in recent memory involved in a scandal, Queens legislators on both the city and state level have certainly not been immune from controversy throughout the last few years.
In the past 15 months alone, four elected officials with connections to Queens, were indicted or pleaded guilty to crimes or misdemeanors. Those four included former Assemblymember Brian McLaughlin, State Senator John Sabini, City Councilmember Dennis Gallagher and Alan Hevesi, who served stints as the city and state comptroller as well as a Queens assembly representative for nearly 20 years.
“This just gives all elected [officials] a black eye,” said Queens Assemblymember Jose Peralta. “With the recent scandals across the board, this [Spitzer scandal] is sort of the icing on the cake.”
Just four days before the Spitzer bombshell, Brian McLaughlin, who also served as the head of the New York City Central Labor Council, pleaded guilty to stealing $2.2 million from organizations he worked for and served, including Electchester Little League teams. McLaughlin could face up to 10 years in prison for his actions.
Sabini pleaded guilty to Driving While Ability Impaired (DWAI), on February 5, which was a lesser offense than the original misdemeanor Driving While Intoxicated (DWI). Albany police pulled Sabini over on September 27 after failing to signal, then driving down the center of two lanes.
In August of 2007, a grand jury indicted Councilmember Gallagher on charges that he raped a 52-year-old grandmother in July. Although the original indictment was thrown out because of inappropriate questions from prosecutors, the Queens District Attorney plans to re-file charges in the case.
In December of 2006, former Queens Assemblymember and State Comptroller Hevesi pleaded guilty to a class E felony defrauding the state government by using a state employee as a personal chauffeur for his ailing wife. Hevesi resigned from office on December 23.
“People are people,” Peralta said. “We are all human, and we all make mistakes. But, when you are an elected official, you are put through the magnifying glass. You should really be more careful in terms of how you act. That’s something that a lot of elected officials tend to forget from time to time.”