A Manhattan Fund-Raiser for Bruno, a Big Donor for Bing
Here's an invitation to Joe Bruno's Fall Fest at 7th Avenue and 51st Street, on October 17. That's quite a way away from Bruno's Rensselaer district and right in Eliot Spitzer's backyard. It's also taking place around the time some people expect the state's new Commission on Public Integrity to issue its report on Spitzer's use of state police to track Bruno's traveling. (It'll be interesting to see how he's getting there.)
This fund-raiser should, if nothing else, provide some indication of how enthusiastically donor-class Republicans are rallying around Bruno.
On an unrelated fund-raising note...On October 1, Jonathan Bing is having an event featuring Chef David Burke. It's being hosted in the home of Sally Minard, who is a pretty generous contributor to local and national Democrats.
UPDATE: A reader brought to my attention the fact that three of the four people listed on Bruno’s fun-raiser as members of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee are also members of the committee investigating the governor.
UPDATE 2: Bruno's spokeswoman, Lisa Black, emailed to say, "Members of any Senate committee are chosen by the Majority Leader based on seniority. (Just look at the members of the highly coveted Finance Committee - Majority members sitting on that committee have a decade or more of Senate tenure). The Investigations and Government perations Committee members were in place far before the Governor's dirty tricks campaign, aka 'Troopergate.' "
















The difference and juxtaposition between Bing's invitation and Bruno's is rather hillarious. Nice job Jonathan! Not the first big-name chef fundraiser Arthur Leopold has done, smart concept.
Azi, Lisa Black lied to you...and you published it.
Members of committees are not chosen by seniority. They are chosen by who the leader likes and does not like. George Winner is chairing the investigations committee, but has been in the Senate approximately 3 years, while the other members have been in the Senate for decades. Freshman chair committees over long-serving members if they are in good with the leader.
If Lisa Black is telling the truth, then where is that rule written?