Gov. race: Paladino camp, its own scandals brewing, screams foul

The Cuomo-Duffy campaign put out an ICYMI (In case you missed it) memo on the credibility problems already emerging for Paladino. Three days of coverage haven't formed a pretty picture of the political campaign that has raised hopes for Western New Yorkers.

From the Times' MIchael Barbaro:.

..Some of the people whom Mr. Paladino has recruited to run his campaign are plagued by brushes with the law and allegations of misconduct, an examination of public records shows.

His campaign manager failed to pay nearly $53,000 in federal taxes over the last few years, prompting the Internal Revenue Service to take action against him. An aide who frequently drives Mr. Paladino on the campaign trail served jail time in Arizona on charges of drunken driving.

Another adviser has been indicted on charges of stealing more than $1 million from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s re-election bid last year. And Mr. Paladino’s campaign chairwoman left a local government position amid claims that she had steered $1 billion in public money to a politically connected investment manager. As he mounts an outrage-filled campaign for governor of New York, Carl P. Paladino has vowed to forcibly rid Albany of the wayward officials and misbehaving bureaucrats who he says have demeaned state government, promising to “take out the trash.”

But some of the people whom Mr. Paladino has recruited to run his campaign are plagued by brushes with the law and allegations of misconduct, an examination of public records shows.

His campaign manager failed to pay nearly $53,000 in federal taxes over the last few years, prompting the Internal Revenue Service to take action against him. An aide who frequently drives Mr. Paladino on the campaign trail served jail time in Arizona on charges of drunken driving.

Another adviser has been indicted on charges of stealing more than $1 million from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s re-election bid last year. And Mr. Paladino’s campaign chairwoman left a local government position amid claims that she had steered $1 billion in public money to a politically connected investment manager.

 From the Daily News' Greg B. Smith comes vivid detail on comptroller candidate Rus Thompson.

From the Post's Fred Dicker came this piece on the campaign manager's insider steering of Erie County investments, NY pension-fund style.

But with the accustomed grace and sincerity, the Paladino camp is standing by its message of being 'mad-as-hell' (perhaps at those who point out such things). This one comes from Greg Edwards, the (non-insider) Chautauqua county exective:

"Unproven allegations, twenty year old DUI's and a tax debt that's a tiny fraction of Mayor Robert Duffy's own overtime padding and double-dipping won't stir the voters. Come out of the closet and on to the issues in debate, Mr. Mayor, or pay the price on November 2nd."