What a sad day for Queens. Former state Sen. Shirley Huntley was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for stealing $87,000 from her own nonprofit to go shopping after secretly recording nine Democratic colleagues at her home in southeast Queens.
She joined another notorious Queens legislator, onetime state Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin, who also wore a wire after he was caught looting the public trust back in 2006 right down to the Little League’s coffers in his district. McLaughlin ensnared Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio, who died behind bars after he demanded bribes from hospitals for basically doing the job he was elected for in southern Queens.
Something is rotten in the state of New York and Queens has a starring role in the corruption that never seems to stop, although the Bronx and Brooklyn have impressive footlight rights.
Huntley, a 74-year-old grandmother, put a domestic spin on electronic eavesdropping. She invited the Huntley Nine to her Jamaica home, where FBI agents spent two months listening in on the chats. Whether this was productive remains to be seen, but the names of her guests were released to the public as part of her plea for leniency.
Three Queens electeds were on the list: state Sen. Malcolm Smith, who was recently indicted in a sweeping bribery scandal; state Sen. Jose Peralta, who is running for borough president; and City Councilman Ruben Wills, Huntley’s former chief of staff.
Smith pleaded not guilty, while Peralta and Wills have insisted they are innocent of any wrongdoing.
Even though plea deals can help prosecutors root out corruption, they also reveal much about the politicians willing to throw their colleagues under the bus whether they are guilty or not. In street lingo, they are snitches: not cooperating for the common good but to save their own skins.
There are many honest lawmakers in Queens, but it’s time we elected more people with integrity who truly care about the borough. We don’t want legislators who view public office as a barter exchange where they can get the best deal for themselves by trading power for illegal gains and secret recordings for softer punishment.
