Pirro and Greg B. Smith

Jeanine Pirro's most formidable opponent in the GOP scuffling prior to the '06 Senate race may be the Daily News's resident mob expert, Greg B. Smith, a guy under whose byline no public official wants to see his or her name. In Sunday's story on the bang-up jobs mobbed-up contractors are doing on local highways and bridges, Smith includes this tidbit: "Records obtained by The News under the Freedom of Information Law show that in March 2002, with complaints escalating about the competency of Persico's work, he hired lobbyist Albert Pirro, husband of U.S. Senate candidate Jeanine Pirro." There's nothing in the story suggesting that Mr. Pirro did anything illegal, but fixing problems with state government for known mob associates is hard to confuse with community service.