Recchia Quiet on Fossella's Arrest

Let's see what Mr. Recchia has done so far as he said in this interview: He Hasn't stopped Overdevelopment in his district; He hasn't created any affordable housing in his district;He wants to create the only open green park into concrete amphitheathre in his district; the Coney Island & Brighton Beach Boardwalk is in disrepair (in his district); no jobs created in his district; He Spends his Summers in Southampton, on Peconic Bay (has a BIG House there), not in Brooklyn or Staten Island; He paid his wife over $6000.00, rent from tax payers monies in the 2005 Council Race; Received the 2006 Knucklehead Award from the Daily News, voted for Congestion Pricing Tax; complete lack of Ethics. Anything else anyone can add to his fabulous record?

The developers are where Recchia is getting him money from. In the last filing he only had 12 donations from Staten Island and dollar to donuts they were from family members. As someone who lives in Recchia's Council District, this man has done nothing for us. The people want Steve Harrison and it's Harrison who will win the primary in September and defeat Fossella in November.

While Mr. Recchia has nothing to say, Mr. Harrison is speaking his mind and thinks Fossella should resign and more and more Staten Islanders seem to agree and is outraged not only by the drunk driving but the even bigger scandal that seems to be brewing underneath it all. What Harrison understands, and Recchia apparently does not, is that this is not a partisan issue it is a moral, ethical and legal issue of a serious crime committed by Fossella. Under Virginia law there is mandatory jail time that cannot be plea-bargained away. Fossella and his PR rep fail to recognize that there is a lot of explaining to be done to the public that has a serious material interest in the many unanswered questions that are mounting every day. Being evasive and not being forthcoming with the truth, but hiding it, does not help the situation Fossella has created for himself. It only makes him look worse, makes getting the answers more necessary than ever, and given his position of influence and power over the lives of his constituents they have good cause and self interest to assume the worse from the evasiveness and to act in their own best interests accordingly at election time. I, for one, speaking for myself in saying that I would not give much of a hoot if Fossella is having an extra-marital affair on the side because from my point of view that is an issue between him his wife when it is only his family he puts in jeopardy. I didn’t care much when not too long ago a New Jersey Governor publicly admitted he was gay until further investigation uncovered he had hired his boyfriend for a significant state job to keep him near. That became an issue of an abuse of his office and also put him in a position to be blackmailed for his influence in policy decisions that do effect the public and is the public right and need to know about. Fossella picked a high profile public life and, for whatever one might feel about it, in the real world famous and influential people are always in the public eye.

Whatever the truth turns out to be about this mystery woman, Miss. Fay, and her three year old child and the relationship with Fossella many serious questions are begged by Fossella’s silence and evasiveness over the facts and circumstances surrounding his day of drunken misconduct and they may have a bearing on a much deeper scandal that the public needs to get to the bottom of. He admitted that he got arrested at around midnight while on his way to meet friends (not going home in his condition after being tossed out of a bar hours earlier for being drunk) and called Miss. Fay of all people after being arrested (not his lawyer, wife or a staff person from his office) at that hour of the morning who lived nearby where he was arrested. Was Miss. Fay’s number the only number he had with him and why would he be carrying that number around with him in the first place? Is she the friend he was going to meet, at that hour? Fossella or his PR rep. will not give a straight or simple answer beyond a no comment or evasive posturing, acting even more guilty than ever, about Miss. Fay and about the circumstances of his arrest and the events leading up to it. With all the scandals in Washington DC involving members of Congress about prostitutes, affairs with congressional pages and the like is it any wonder that the mysterious Miss. Fay has become even more under scrutiny and focus than before? Who is she, how did their connection come about and just what is her relationship with Fossella? She got divorced at about the time she met Fossella with a later born three year old child that is not her ex-husband’s and was once a liaison to Congress for the Air Force is about all we know at this point, except Fossella’s conspicuous posturing to conceal any information about her. A Congressman, much like any person in a position of power and influence over another, like a college professor over a student or a doctor over a patient for instance, with a similar power over pages, office staff or liaisons must, as a matter of ethics and good personal judgment, always avoid the appearance of impropriety or a scandal is likely to crop up as a result. An innocent relationship is nothing to hide. What’s also important is that Fossella has not only destroyed his own reputation and credibility but has diminished whatever effectiveness he might have had for representing his constituents at their expense. He also was not only absent that day to cast several votes for his constituents but now, if convicted which is more than likely, will do jail time and deprive his constituents even more on any votes that will come to the floor even then. On top of that the longer these questions go unanswered the business of the people will not be adequately done. All of that makes all of this the people’s business, not just his own. He has breached the public trust regardless of partisan politics. He should resign or be impeached but never considered for reelection. Lawyers have been disbarred for much less.

WHEN has Domenic Recchia EVER campaigned at the Staten Island Ferry? I think Coney Island Dom has his ferries crossed... he was on the Queens ferry once... but the Staten Island Ferry? No one that I've talked to has seen him there - ever - or on SI at all, for many many weeks, for that matter. So, Mr. Paybarah, I think you should ask him WHEN he campaigned at the SI ferry.

More importantly, how can a councilman state that an elected official breaking the law is not an issue? I find it appalling that he has not spoken out about Vito's behavior.