8 Dutchess legislators call for Molinaro pay-for-play probe

Members of the Dutchess County Legislature are calling for state and local ethics agencies to investigate County Executive Marc Molinaro “regarding possible corruption" in the county bidding process.

Eight of the 11 Democratic county legislators signed a formal complaint, which alleges “Molinaro may have engaged in activities that amount to a violation of both the spirit and the letter of local and state ethics laws — in particular, the Dutchess County Code of Ethics … and Article 18 of the General Municipal Law."

The complaint, submitted to the county Board of Ethics, the state Attorney General’s Office and the Joint Commission on Public Ethics this past weekend, was signed by Legislators Nick Page, Hannah Black, Joel Tyner, Kristofer Munn, Francena Amparo, Giancarlo Llaverias, Craig Brendli and Frits Zernike.

Molinaro, the Republican nominee for governor, has vehemently denied allegations of pay-for-play, which were also made in recent television advertisements from Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo's campaign.

PAY TO PLAY: Molinaro says his wife earned her job. Cuomo says it’s pay to play

“Pay for play” can take many forms but often involves an individual or corporation making a campaign contribution to an elected official in exchange for favoritism in government contracts or to gain influence over legislation.

The allegations center on Molinaro's relationship with Tinkelman Bros. Development Corp.

Molinaro received $6,800 in donations tied to the company, which hired Corinne Adams, his wife, and paid her $26,500 for marketing work. Tinkelman Bros. has been awarded two county contracts totaling about $70,000 and received tax breaks on various projects.

Cuomo's ad points to tax breaks handed down by the Dutchess County Industrial Development Agency for a Tinkelman project known as Van Wagner Place.

Molinaro said he recused himself from, and did not sign, the contracts in question. His campaign says the IDA benefits were applied for in 2014 at the request of the town of Poughkeepsie and Arlington school district.  

Steven Tinkelman, managing member of the firm and its sister companies, has told the USA Today Network's Albany Bureau that he hired Adams because of her skill set and background in design and communications.

Tinkelman said there was a "complete disconnect" between the tax breaks awarded by the IDA — whose members are appointed by the county Legislature and approved by Molinaro — and Adams' work for his company.

“This is pathetic and groundless," Molinaro’s spokeswoman, Katy Delgado, told the Poughkeepsie Journal, in response to an inquiry about the complaint.

Less than a month before the general election, Delgado said, “The most corrupt governor in New York history engineers a fake political hit against a modest local businessman and talented decent woman using Dutchess County Democrats. Andrew Cuomo is even uglier and more morally corrupt than we thought."

Representatives from Cuomo's campaign did not supply the Journal with a response to Delgado's comments before deadline.

The state Attorney General's Office and J-COPE declined comment.

"By law, we cannot comment on anything that is or may be an investigative matter before the commission," said J-COPE spokesman Walter McClure. 

Public records and newspaper reports have led “the public to have more questions than answers regarding possible corruption in the Dutchess County procurement processes,” according to the legislators' complaint.

Read the full complaint here.

Those questions, among others, include whether Tinkelman hired Molinaro's wife "in exchange for tax benefits" or a "lucrative county contract," the complaint says.

Legislator Page told the Journal that local lawmakers expect ethics agencies to treat the complaint "with the seriousness with which it was delivered... (and) diligently investigate any potential impropriety that falls under their jurisdiction.”

The Dutchess Democratic Caucus "has long been focused on closing avenues of pay-to-play between (the county) government and companies or individuals that do or hope to do business ... and we have been disappointed that our efforts to pass local legislation similar to laws on the books in surrounding counties have been stonewalled," Page said.

The USAT Today Network's Albany Bureau contributed to this report.

Nina Schutzman: nschutzman@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-451-4518; Twitter: @pojonschutzman

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