It is not surprising to see Democrats or Republicans take a cheap shot at a powerful opponent, but we are stunned by statements from Shams Tarek, a spokesman for the state Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, criticizing a letter written by state Sen. Frank Padavan on behalf of former colleague Brian McLaughlin.
Padavan wrote to Judge Richard Sullivan, who will sentence McLaughlin May 20 in Manhattan federal court. At least 47 people sent letters on McLaughlin’s behalf; Padavan was the only elected official. Most of the letters asked for leniency for the man who was one of the most powerful Queens political figures. Padavan’s did not.
“What [McLaughlin] did, he’ll have to pay for that. I did not ask for leniency. I did want to let the judge know that people saw him in this better light, however,” he said.
What is wrong with that? McLaughlin admitted to committing crimes while a labor leader and elected official. He betrayed the laborers he represented, his constituents, the Democratic Party and his family. For this he has lost his job, fortune and reputation. He will likely serve time in federal prison.
But the mistakes he made are not the sum of his existence. People like Padavan know the other side of this man. Padavan wrote that “… I have known Brian to be a dedicated community servant, an active member of his parish and a loving father.”
The importance of seeing both sides of McLaughlin is something Tarek cannot understand. “Not only does this bring disgrace to Sen. Padavan and his office,” said Tarek, “but it shows a gross lack of judgment and raises serious questions about what kind of relationship he had and continues to have with Brian McLaughlin. It’s an unholy alliance to say the least.”
No, Tarek, your attack shows more about your judgment and the judgment of the people who hired you. They cannot wait to throw McLaughlin under the bus.
Padavan had nothing to gain by sending a letter on McLaughlin’s behalf. We assume he did so because he believed it was the right thing to do. Maybe he did so because he is a man of character. Perhaps that is why he gets elected over and over again in a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans.
