HOW LOW WILL DEL MONTE GO?
    People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

    Last week, state Rep. Francine Del Monte chose to scrape the bottom of the political barrel, attacking her opponent Gary Parenti for accepting a campaign contribution from the founder of Niagara County’s most successful plumbing company, John Gross.

    She characterized John as an “ex-convict,” which, I guess, he is. More than a decade ago, he made some dumb decisions that landed him a short trip to Club Fed. If he had it to do over again, I’m sure he would have done things differently. Still, if you asked most people here, they would characterize him as one of the region’s best-known building contractors and philanthropists.

    In the interest of full disclosure, John Gross is a close personal friend of mine, as he is to countless others here. I find much to admire about his boundless energy, determination and wry sense of humor. We should all be doing so well when we reach 70 years of age. He has an abiding interest in politics, and there are few Niagara County officeholders who haven’t cashed one of John’s campaign contribution checks over the years.

    In fact, Del Monte herself has cashed thousands of dollars of checks written on Gross corporate accounts, the most recent — for $250 — written on May 31 of this year! Not only has she been willing to accept money she now describes as somehow tainted, it turns out she’s perfectly capable of throwing a longtime supporter under the bus when it’s to her political advantage.

    In addition to the money she accepted from Gross, Del Monte also took $2,600 from the corrupt leadership of Laborers Local 91, beginning in 2000. Asked in November 2001 whether she would stop accepting money from the organization — described as a “criminal enterprise” by the feds — Del Monte said she’d continue taking the money until the indictments were handed down, an event that occurred less than six months later

    The strange case of Michael Boxley is also instructive. Boxley was a chief legislative aide to Del Monte’s mentor, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, when a disturbing pattern began to emerge. No fewer than three young women came forward with allegations that Boxley had drugged them and either sexually assaulted or raped them.

    Boxley entered into a plea agreement and left Silver’s employ. But the Assembly passed a resolution to pay one of the women $500,000 in hush money. That money came out of the pockets of taxpayers throughout the state, and the payoff had a no more vociferous supporter than Francine Del Monte, who voted in favor of the coverup.

    Interestingly, while Del Monte sanctimoniously told a newspaper reporter last week that, if she was Parenti, she would return the Gross contribution as improper, she’s never returned any of the money she’s received, not even the thousands of bloodstained dollars she took from the racketeers who formerly ran Local 91.

Just a little hypocritical isn’t she..

I yelled about this when it happened, $500,000 of our money being used to silence a victim. Boxley or Silver should have paid this money, better still Boxley should have gone to trial and would probably be in jail.

I have heard so many disgusting stories about our legislators and their sexcapades, impregnating aides and staff, homosexual activity, etc….

Albany the den of iniquity of NYState.