Surrogate's Court Candidate Anderson's $225K Loan
A Manhattan Surrogate's Court candidate, Milton Tingling, is calling on the attorney general to investigate the $225,000 loan received by one of his opponents, Nora Anderson.
The loan was disclosed in Anderson’s campaign finance filing (for the period of January 12-July 11, 2008) and the money came from Seth Rubenstein, an attorney in Brooklyn.
Ravi Batra, Tingling's finance chair, said in a letter to Andrew Cuomo's office, dated today, that the loan could "serve to undermine public confidence" in the court. In a brief interview Batra told me he wants an investigation to "insure that there is no pay-to-play violation, and that all contributions are legal and not criminal.”
Batra's complaint is that such a large loan from a trust and estates lawyer could, theoretically, result in that contributor getting a disproportionate amount of work from the court, and, in general, favored treatment from the judge.
Anderson’s campaign manager, Michael Oliva, defended the loan, and said, "How about an investigation into Ravi Batra?"
Batra is a colorful character in New York’s legal scene who got wrapped up in Surrogate's Court politics in Brooklyn and at one point sued the television show Law & Order for what he said was an unflattering portrayal.
Maybe it was a little predictable that a campaign full of lawyers would devolve into threats of lawsuit.
Anyway, here are the finance numbers for the three candidates:
Anderson raised $316,790.36 and spent $202,062.38.
Tingling raised $66,699.00 and spent $39,498.68.
John Reddy raised $421,281.06 and spent $48,681.01.
- Poll
- Obama (D)
- McCain(R)
- Spread
- RCP Average
- 49.6
- 44.1
- Obama +5.5
- Candidate
- Favorable
- Unfavorable
- Spread
- Obama
- 54.9
- 36.1
- +18.8
- McCain
- 50.7
- 39.6
- +11.1
Any judicial candidate, particularly a sitting judge, who would associate with Ravi Batra is himself unfit for the bench.
In my opinion neither Nora Anderson nor Milton Tingling are fit for the Bench. A candidate for Surrogate Court Judge accepting a loan from a lawyer whose primary practice is in that court? Are you kidding me? Can you imagine the case work he will get if she's elected? And Milton Tingling's association with Ravi Batra should in itself, concern voters. John Reddy is an honest, knowledgeable and experienced attorney who stands out as the most qualified candidate.
Nora rules!!
=)
What's wrong with you "It'sOver"?......are you in high school? Isn't Nora going to be ruled by Seth Rubenstein?
So one of Tingling's main supporters is in on the Brooklyn mess and nearly all of Nora Anderson's money comes from a Brooklyn Surrogates Court lawyer. Does anyone know if Reddy has any ties to Brooklyn?
After everything that has happened over there, shouldn't we try to avoid having the words Brooklyn and Surrogate's Court together in our candidates/party????
On another subject, what did Anderson spent $200,000 on already??? Let me guess, she gets the endorsements and the clubs get the...
John Reddy is the most qualified candidate for Manhattan Surrogate. www.reddyforsurrogate.com
John Reddy is the most qualified candidate for Manhattan Surrogate. www.reddyforsurrogate.com
If Seth Rubenstein wanted to be Manhattan Surrogate that badly, why didn't he just run for the office? Instead he buys Nora Anderson for $225,000 and gets to run the court from behind her pretty face. Anyone who thinks that $225,000 loan will be repaid is crazy. That was the cost of buying Nora as a front person. The court will be run Seth Rubenstein. This is clearly corruption before Nora and Seth ever take the bench.
Reddy is too connected to Roth, a crooked sleaze-bag who rules by the rule of whim. A nasty, indifferent fraud.
I'll second that fact that Reddy's connected to Roth: He's her council to the Public Administrator.
John Reddy's whole campaign is based on reforming the Manhattan Surrogate's Court. Yes Reddy is currently the Public Administrator for Surrogates Court which gives him the experience he needs to reform the court, which only a judge can do.
From the September 4th NY Daily News:
"Anderson has borrowed $225,000 from her longtime employer, trust lawyer Seth Rubenstein, who is the grandson of a surrogate and the father of Manhattan lawyer Joshua Rubenstein, who heads the trust and estate section of a major law firm.
That's almost certainly a violation of Article 14, Section 114 of New York State election law, which specifies that a campaign loan "shall be deemed, to the extent not repaid by the date of the primary, general or special election, as the case may be, a contribution."
The $225,000 is far above the legal contribution limit. So Anderson, if she wins, will likely be in violation of the law."
Anderson has no intention of paying back that "Loan" and will only be subject to a small fine for intentionally violating the election law. Sad, a candidate for Judge violatig the law on her way to the bench. Can you imagine what her behaviot will be like once she's on the bench?
John Reddy is the only candidate who is a reformer with a 10 point plan on cleaning up Surrogate's Court. He worked hard to raise the money to finance his campaign, and every contribution he got was legal and didn't violate the elections law.
Seth Rubenstein, the lawyer that loaned Nora Anderson the $225,000 will be appearing before her for guardianships if she is elected. You tell me, do you think he will get his money back tenfold with her as judge?
If Seth Rubenstein wanted to control the Manhattan's Surrogate Court that much, he should have run for the office himself, rather than using Nora Anderson as his shill, and illegally financing her campaign from behind the scenes.
VOTE FOR REFORM. VOTE FOR REDDY
www.reddyforsurrogate.com
Nora Anderson worked for Seth Rubenstien's law firm on Court Street in Brooklyn. They both should be investigated for improper practices! My family was victimized by these two people who are supposed to be officers of the court.