ALBANY, N.Y. — The leader of New York’s Senate acknowledged Friday that he gave details of other competitors’ proposals to the low bidder for a massive contract to install and operate video slot machines at Aqueduct race track. But Democratic Sen. John Sampson said the data was all public and he didn’t violate any laws or ethics rules against...
View full sizeSenate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson, D-Brooklyn, walks in a hallway after leaving Gov. David Paterson's office at the Capitol in Albany last week. At right is aide Selvena Brooks.ALBANY, N.Y. — The leader of New York’s Senate acknowledged Friday that he gave details of other competitors’ proposals to the low bidder for a massive contract to install and operate video slot machines at Aqueduct race track.
But Democratic Sen. John Sampson said the data was all public and he didn’t violate any laws or ethics rules against the release of confidential information.
Word that Sampson gave the information to a low-ranked bidder that later revised its proposal and temporarily won the deal was the latest twist in a now-abandoned process that has led to accusations against some of the state’s top Democratic leaders.
“I know what private and confidential documents are and I know what inside information — or whatever it is — I know what it is. I did not engage in anything like that,” said Sampson, a lawyer. He said he showed, and then gave, a copy of other bidders’ proposals to Carl Andrews, a former state senator who, like Sampson, is from Brooklyn.
Sampson met with reporters after the New York Post reported Friday that investigators said he leaked confidential bidding information to the lobbyist for the politically connected firm, Aqueduct Entertainment Group.
Asked why Andrews apparently didn’t know the information if it was readily available, Sampson said the bidding was a confused process without structure and the requirements were constantly changing. But he insisted the data was available to all lobbyists.
AEG altered its bid soon after Andrews met with Sampson and was awarded the deal, only to have that revoked as the whole scandal-plagued process was scrapped and restarted. A winner under a revised process is expected to be chosen in August.
State Inspector General Joseph Fisch is investigating the release of what may have been confidential information and how AEG rose from last place in the early rounds of bidding to first.
Sampson said he doesn’t regret giving Andrews the information. “Sen. Andrews and I had a heated exchange because he heard the Senate was not considering AEG because they submitted one of the lowest bids based upon our analysis and he confronted me,” Sampson said. “I told him, ‘That is true.’
“And he disagreed and said all the other bidders did not rise to whatever level they wanted (the Senate) to rise to,” Sampson continued. “I said, ‘Yes they did.’ And we continued the heated exchange. I said, ‘You know what? I’ll prove my point to you. Here’s our analysis of all the public documents which was not private or confidential ... you’re the lowest and that’s it, end of story.’”
The data Sampson provided to reporters Friday details each bid, side by side. It doesn’t identify the data as confidential or private. It is from a Senate attorney to “members of the Senate majority.” Sampson said the Senate is cooperating with the inspector general’s probe of the executive branch on the issue, although the Senate had fought subpoenas at first.
Andrews is fighting a subpoena now. Andrews is also the former cabinet level secretary for intergovernmental affairs in Gov. David Paterson’s administration. He left in 2008 as the inspector general was investigating claims that he was pressuring the State Liquor Authority into approving licenses for a restaurant owner. Andrews didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The Aqueduct bidding was also muddied by accusations of influence peddling after one of the contenders, SL Green, hired lobbyist Bill Lynch, who had worked for Paterson. In addition, Paterson faced criticism for meeting after AEG was selected with the Rev. Floyd Flake, a one-time AEG partner who is influential in Democratic politics. The governor said that meeting was to seek Flake’s political support and was unrelated to the choice of AEG.
Fisch spokeswoman Kate Gurnett declined comment. Fisch may refer findings to prosecutors with broader jurisdiction that could investigate legislators and lobbyists.